"It's plain and simple," Hunter Lawrence exclaimed once more in the wake of the announcement (first made on episode 668 of the PulpMX Show) that he and Jett have bowed out of the 2026 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

The Lawrences – responsible for Australia's first (and second) victory at the MXoN – have raced the annual team competition for four successive years, dating back to 2022. The decision to opt out of 2026's edition stems from a desire to escape their demanding schedule of off-season (and therefore optional) races that also includes Paris' supercross and the AUS-X Open.

"It's just the fact that our team needs a break, as do we," Lawrence said at Hangtown's pre-race press event. "We feel like we have earned that. We aren't doing any off-season races, including in Paris and Australia. That's a lot of money that we have left on the table – they take care of us to show up at those events. The 'Nations does not. It's not about the money – it's not about the fact that we don't make any money at the Motocross of Nations."

It's rational to speculate that each Lawrence will forfeit more than $150,000 in the Autumn of 2026, quite literally putting a price on their freedom.

Two weeks after their official season ended on September 20, 2025, the Lawrences won the 2025 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations for Team Australia. A brief two-week break followed before preparation for the Paris Supercross that took them 5000 miles from their Florida home. Paris' supercross (won by Malcolm Stewart) was held on November 16, one week before the annual AUS-X Open.

A swift journey home from Paris was followed by a 9364-mile trek to Melbourne for their homecoming. By the time that the event was complete, it was time for Monster Energy AMA Supercross' media obligations in Orange County, California, and eyes turned to the 2026 campaign. There was a brief window for the brothers to breathe whilst their competitors vacationed and mentally reset.

"We are just taking the full off-season down," Lawrence continued. "Those races are not contracted for our team, so we have to take care of them too. Thirty-one weekends is a lot. Hopefully the whole team, and us, can have the month of October off to reset and refresh. We'll still ride in that time – maybe some trail riding or enduro – but more for fun. The longest break that we have had since 2019 is two weeks."

The break will only make the pair more robust when the critical 2027 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season launches; Jett will return to indoor competition for the first time in almost two years and Hunter will seek redemption after his heartbreak in May. Complicating matters further, the team must negotiate an all-new CRF450R that has little resemblance to his predecessor.

In the interim, Motorcycling Australia must lean on Kyle Webster (as long as a scheduling conflict with the AUS-X Championship is resolved) and Jed Beaton to steer them into podium territory. The capable 450F duo, next to Kayden Minear or Jake Cannon in the MX2 division, would provide the nation with plenty to cheer about.