'24 Spring Creek 450 Moto 1
Transcript
00:00He can take that top time into this race here.
00:02It will be 30 minutes and two laps.
00:05So about 35-ish minutes in duration.
00:0740 riders on the gate.
00:09There is Sexton, the championship leader.
00:12The 96 of Hunter Lawrence, second in the championship.
00:16Battle back to the top today.
00:19We'll point out Anderson's pick, the fast qualifier.
00:22He chooses to go to the inside.
00:24Sexton on the outside.
00:26Usually you don't see guys that far difference between the starting position, but we'll find
00:30out which one works out.
00:31And in Hunter here in the 96, these Hondas have been rockets off the start so far this
00:36year.
00:37Here we go.
00:38Supermoto cross.
00:39Rims are up.
00:40Gates down.
00:41And thundering through those first two corners.
00:54Sexton almost gets run into by the green motorcycle of Anderson.
01:00We are headed into the sand rollers, and guess what?
01:03Again, the Honda of Hunter Lawrence out of the box first.
01:06This is key number one for Hunter Lawrence.
01:08He needed to be in front of Chase Sexton, and Chase Sexton got a great start right in
01:11front of his teammate.
01:12And behind his teammate, Aaron Plessinger.
01:14So our big contenders outside of Justin Cooper is up there.
01:18We got the race, Jason.
01:19Fifth time this season Hunter Lawrence has grabbed the whole shot.
01:23Eighth time a Honda has done it, and Sexton has to go to work.
01:27Yes, Plessinger second, Sexton third, Anderson fourth.
01:30This is a difference, I believe, with Chase, the confidence that he's grown all year long.
01:34I think he's going to just let this race play, try not to let Hunter Lawrence get too far
01:38out.
01:39If Hunter, he's doing the right thing, get out, sprint away from Chase.
01:42We know he's strong at the end of the race.
01:44It's a perfect start for the HRC Honda.
01:47Exact same scenario we saw live on NBC from red boat in Michigan last weekend.
01:51The top three are in the same order as they head up the 500-foot Mount Martin.
01:57Anderson looking to make a move on Sexton.
01:59He was your fastest qualifier.
02:01Chase was only fourth in that last qualifying, so I'm interested to see if there's changes
02:05on the motorcycle.
02:06Was there just changes with Chase and how he's riding?
02:08A little lackadaisy, but as I said, I think the confidence with him, he's going to just
02:12let this race play.
02:13But you don't want that number 21 going up ahead of you.
02:17Anderson one of the toughest riders to pass, so you don't want him getting in front.
02:20You can see Plessinger from second distancing himself from Sexton in third.
02:26This track, they worked on it a little bit, so it's going to be really smooth on certain
02:30parts.
02:31This is the area that we saw Jason Anderson go down earlier, Tom qualifying, so they probably
02:36left this section.
02:37They made a few changes on the switchback.
02:39He's going to let this race come to him and see if they can get going and chase that 96
02:43down.
02:44When you say let the race come to you, you want to see the riders almost wait a little
02:48bit early in the race?
02:49So if you're chase Sexton, you see what happened all year.
02:53You've been very strong at the end of the race.
02:55So him, as long as he doesn't let hunter get too far, he'll be fine.
02:59Hunter Lawrence, on the other hand, I would be really aggressive and try to get away from
03:02chase, make him have to push.
03:04So I think both of these guys are doing exactly what they need to, J.T.
03:07For Justin Cooper, I was very curious to see how he would start this first lap.
03:12You guys mentioned we had everybody but him at the front.
03:15I know we talked about this a lot last week, but he was the only rider that did not use
03:19the scoop tire.
03:20When you have a start as deep as here at spring creek, you may need that little bit of an
03:25edge.
03:26I asked Jeremy Coker about that tire choice, and he said, Justin doesn't practice with
03:29the tire.
03:30It's just not his thing.
03:31So it was really never even in contention for him.
03:33But now he's going to have maybe a little bit more feel on the racetrack, but he is
03:37a little bit farther behind those leaders than you'd like to be on the opening lap.
03:40That's J.T.
03:41The scoop tire, more of a sand tire instead of a hard dirt tire, but it normally is better
03:45off the start, and he doesn't have it.
03:47Yeah, well, it's two weeks in a row Justin Cooper hasn't got a good start, and this field
03:51is too deep.
03:52Now he has to go past all these contenders.
03:54So for him, I probably would change that up.
03:56There's two weekends in a row.
03:58But now you can start to see chase Exton, saw Hunter Lawrence was getting away, and
04:02now Hunter is starting to come back to the field, and let's see if chase can get around
04:05his teammate and set his side off, 96.
04:08Here's the big hill.
04:09Yeah, it only took about a lap here for Seth to get going.
04:16Yeah, I don't know if Hunter made a mistake, because as you see, he's starting to pull
04:20back away, or maybe he's just better on this side of the racetrack, but this guy's definitely
04:24closed up.
04:25But now he's starting to stretch that lead back out again.
04:28That's Cooper, I believe, in the bottom looking to make moves.
04:30The Frenchman, Roman Pepp, is in sixth.
04:32Cooper seventh.
04:34And ahead of them, Dylan Ferrandez, another Frenchman, Anderson fourth.
04:38And there's Hunter Lawrence continuing to lead.
04:40Last year's 250 champion.
04:41What a great performance he has put on as a rookie on the bigger 450cc machine.
04:47But the expectations change.
04:49He led the points.
04:50So after a while, it goes from, hey, solid rookie season to can you beat everyone and
04:54win the title?
04:55Yeah, I think Hunter's mindset is I'm here to win this title.
04:59I think now with his brothers out and he had that red plate, as you said, and he's experienced.
05:04He's older than Jett.
05:05So essentially it's his rookie year.
05:07But he's got a lot of experience from over in Europe.
05:09So I think he's pretty comfortable.
05:11I think the hard part for Hunter, he's got to be more comfortable on the motorcycle.
05:15I feel like Jett can out ride that.
05:17So it's really going to depend on if he's comfortable on the bike, he can compete with
05:21these guys and he has a real shot at winning this championship.
05:24And the doors open.
05:25His brother Jett dominated by winning every single race last year.
05:31And he was in the championship by this year until a thumb injury.
05:34It's up to Hunter now to try to keep the title in the Lawrence family.
05:37Will?
05:38That's right.
05:39You talked about it.
05:40A rookie, yes.
05:41But with all that experience over at Red Bull KTM, team manager Ian Harrison has reminded
05:47chase Sexton, he told me of this fact, he said, yes, you've got more experience on the
05:52bike.
05:53This is year five for chase Sexton, 450s when it comes to pro motocross.
05:56But he said, Hunter is no slouch and you have to remember that.
05:59The 1-1 last week was great, but we cannot sit on that.
06:02We have to keep working.
06:03We have to remember, too, you talked about 250s there.
06:06This time last year at spring creek, Hunter came into spring creek having lost the red
06:12plate in red butt in the 250s and he went ahead and regained it back here.
06:16So he knows what it is to be in that position and fight back.
06:20Yeah, absolutely.
06:21I mean, his team manager is right.
06:23Hunter is no slouch.
06:24And when you look at Hunter's body position, you can tell it almost looks like he's waiting
06:28for this battle to happen.
06:30He's standing up.
06:31He's not really super aggressive, really patient in the corner.
06:34To me, when I'm watching him ride, it seems like Aaron Plessinger, although he's able
06:38to catch him, it's a little bit more work for Aaron to stay there, where Hunter looks
06:42like he's just waiting for that number four or a challenge to come up and just wait for
06:47this battle to roll.
06:48Yeah, that's something I've heard you talk about before.
06:50Sometimes when you feel the battle is going to come, it's almost better to rest up and
06:53save a little something for when that moment comes.
06:56Yeah, I mean, in this situation, like, let's just say Hunter Lawrence pulls a hole shot
07:00and he doesn't see chase Sexton.
07:02I think he would be really aggressive trying to get a gap.
07:04But seeing chase Sexton in third place, he knows that, hey, chase is going to be here
07:09this whole race.
07:10So the likelihood of me getting away to the point where I can relax isn't probably going
07:14to happen.
07:15So I think Hunter is just letting this battle come, J.T.
07:17Yeah, do you think the way these guys approach the race has changed with the absence of Jett
07:22Lawrence?
07:23And what I mean by that is Jett was so proficient at just kind of pulling away early and securing
07:29the race in the first half of the race.
07:30It just seems like there's a little bit less or a little bit more patience in these guys'
07:34race craft in this early part of the race.
07:36No, absolutely.
07:37And that's a great point, J.T.
07:38And I think the difference between Hunter and Jett, Jett is a little bit more fiery
07:43in the beginning part of the race.
07:44Like Jett, I believe, would already have a gap and he would make chase Sexton have to
07:49ride at a different level to keep up.
07:51Well, now it allows chase to kind of let the race come to him.
07:55He's still right there.
07:56And with Hunter, it takes him a little bit to get going, which allows these guys to kind
08:01of stay in.
08:02So each one of them has their own riding style, but 100% with Jett being out, it changes the
08:06dynamics of how these guys attack this race for sure.
08:09I'll tell you, it's attacking now, James.
08:11It's Plessinger there in orange on the number 7, one of the fan favorites, who's really
08:16pouring it on through those sand rollers, but now Lawrence able to pull back away.
08:20Yeah, and Aaron feels like, you know, he's able to close in on Hunter, but the problem
08:24with Aaron is that he's in that roost zone.
08:27So he's just getting pelted with all this dirt, and he can't drop back too much because
08:30he has his teammates.
08:31So for him, it's like he's probably really aggressive trying to get around Hunter Lawrence
08:35so he can get that clean air because he's stuck in between both riders, and that's a
08:39difficult spot to be in where he's at.
08:41Oh, no.
08:42We got trouble here for Garrett Marchbanks to the Muc-Off FX-Star Club MX Yamaha team.
08:48Marchbanks needs points because he missed the first couple rounds of pro motocross with
08:52a thumb injury, and he's not going to score any now.
08:55Yeah, that's a tough, tough break for Garrett.
08:58He's coming back.
08:59He's trying to get those points for the SMX qualifying position, the seeding for the playoffs
09:05here in a few weeks, but it looks like Hunter Lawrence is a little bit quicker on this side
09:09of the racetrack where it's a little bit more open and more flowing, and he gets caught
09:13over in the sand roller.
09:14So let's pay attention to this next half a lap, see how much Aaron Plessinger and the
09:19KTM catches up to these guys.
09:22Yes, headed to that sandy area now.
09:24This is where Plessinger closed in on the leader.
09:27That is the 96 of Hunter Lawrence.
09:29Plessinger is closing again in the battle for the lead here at super motocross.
09:37Can Hunter Lawrence withstand the pressure?
09:39Two KTM riders leaning on the Honda man out front.
09:43The real question, is Sexton going to go after Plessinger, will Plessinger go after
12:36Plessinger?
13:03Sexton was third.
13:04Before he went to break, he got around his teammate, Aaron Plessinger.
13:07Jake Stewart, you can break down the pass for us.
13:10Here's how it happened.
13:11So chase, he started rolling.
13:13He closed in quite a bit on his teammate, and he just lets off the brakes.
13:18He charges down.
13:19He's on the inside of Aaron.
13:20You can see him, once he got down that first roller, he hit the gas and snuck up the inside
13:24of his teammate.
13:25Nice pass by chase Sexton.
13:27Then he almost runs into Hunter.
13:28He made so much time on him.
13:30But now you can start to see Hunter Lawrence is picking up the pace again.
13:34He's starting to charge down those hills.
13:36Now we're going to see what happens and how much reaction chase is going to do to the
13:4096.
13:41You make it sound so easy.
13:42Just let off the brakes and get on the gas a little bit.
13:45Down a 500-foot drop hill.
13:46It's a lot easier when you're young like these boys.
13:49I think about all the consequences that could happen.
13:53They've thrown that to the wayside.
13:55To your point, the last lap around, we thought Sexton might close and maybe do the same thing
13:59to Hunter.
14:00But Hunter is not letting him get close.
14:02As I mentioned, I think he was just waiting for chase to catch him.
14:06You can see him going down those longer, that mountain mark, going down that hill.
14:10He was slowing down and doubling all the way down that hill.
14:13In this last lap, he charged down that hill just like we saw chase Sexton pass Aaron Plessinger.
14:18Now you see the difference.
14:20Those places where chase was able to catch him, Hunter picked up the pace.
14:24Now you can start to see a few more mistakes for number four because Hunter picked up the
14:28pace.
14:29Chase has to do it as well.
14:30It's going to be a race.
14:32Yeah, 30 minutes and two laps.
14:34You see the countdown clock top left.
14:38Check it out.
14:39Bottom of the hill again.
14:40Sexton closed it all there.
14:53Yeah, you heard, I don't know if you heard that, you heard Hunter Lawrence bite.
14:58It was loud.
14:59Then it bogged down.
15:00He hit the side of that berm and it killed his momentum.
15:02If you listen to chase, you didn't hear that.
15:05That's why he was able to make that time up going up the hill.
15:08For sure, here at spring creek millville, if you mess the corners up on the bottom,
15:13you lose a lot of time because of how long these sections are, Will.
15:18Thank you, James.
15:19And Garrett Marchbanks I've seen is actually just pulled back in here to the mechanics
15:23area.
15:24I checked in with the team after that last time that he came in and apparently, James,
15:27he was hearing a noise coming from the rear wheel.
15:30They weren't sure what it was, so they decided to swap that out just to be safe.
15:35We talked about it earlier that Garrett is fighting for SMX points, so I don't know how
15:40you feel about that.
15:41He's just been back in.
15:42He's actually peeling off now, guys.
15:43I'm seeing him heading back to the paddock, so clearly an issue.
15:45I'll try to get you an update, but an interesting choice to have for him.
15:48Yeah, thanks, Will.
15:49And SMX, the playoffs coming up in September, but you have to score points in the monster
15:53energy supercross championship indoors in stadiums, and these pro moto cross races here
15:58to get into the playoffs, and Marchbanks is not in range yet, so that's costly.
16:04Back to this battle for the number one spot.
16:06We're halfway through.
16:07A reminder that monster energy available now, a quick trip, Sexton nearly got Hunter Lawrence
16:13in these sand wheelers.
16:14The number four attacks him again.
16:16Yeah, chase is really strong in the sand, and what he's doing, he's tripling where Hunter
16:19is doubling, and he's getting on a different rhythm, so I don't know if the one, the roller
16:24that Hunter's hitting is a lot deeper, but chase makes up a lot of time in these sand
16:28rollers, and it's because of his angle, and he's more attacking, but as you see that,
16:32then Hunter starts stretching that gap back out.
16:35Really cool on how this track is playing out and how different the two sides are.
16:41You love how much they're just going for it.
16:43We saw multiple mistakes from Hunter Lawrence while leading last week, and that's just a
16:46byproduct of how badly he wants to win, how important he knows it is as we head back uphill.
16:53Tell us about the angles here going into the sand.
17:00What chase is doing, he's really just charging harder into these sand rollers.
17:04These guys have to be very patient getting into them, but watch, Hunter, you can see
17:08chase has more momentum, and then he hits this triple, and where Hunter doubled, doubled,
17:12chase is hitting a triple, so he's missing one jump, and you can see the time that he's
17:15able to gain, but now Hunter closes him back off.
17:19This side of the sand rollers, you've got to be really patient, but yeah, chase has
17:23got a great line through this.
17:26Does Hunter take notes on that, though, for the next lap?
17:29Absolutely.
17:30Hunter is paying attention, I think, the way he's racing.
17:32He's racing forward, but he's also racing behind him.
17:35He can sense where chase is coming up, so now he knows that chase has got a good line.
17:39I need to pick up the pace in those sand rollers, and then I'll be able to relax.
17:43So chase is closing in, but if he doesn't get him, he's showing Hunter where he's strong
17:47at, and now he's going to have to surprise him somewhere else.
17:50Listen to these fans here.
17:52This place is packed, and this is what they wanted to see, the mechanics putting out the
17:55signal boards, the two top riders of the championship fighting for the lead.
18:01Hunter's been going outside.
18:02Chase a little bit farther back.
18:03I think this inside, chase has been able to get in, but let's see if he's far enough back
18:07he can hit that same rhythm in his rollers.
18:11If not, then maybe chase can get him.
18:17There's the triple from Sexton.
18:19Closes in again.
18:28On his wheel this time.
18:29And you hear these bikes, they're very low in the R.P.M.
18:35And that's a lot of that, because they have to keep that rear wheel on that ground so
18:39they can get traction, and the Honda's hooking up, but chase has a better line, and he's
18:44attacking a little bit harder in the sand rollers, which is making a difference.
18:49J.T.
18:50I think it's really important for chase.
18:52He has that line, but if he can't stay close enough on the rest of the lap, he's not going
18:56to be able to use it.
18:57Now, to give Hunter credit, he's utilizing the other section of the racetrack, specifically
19:02this next downhill.
19:03Coming down Mount Martin, he is so quick on his left, descending this hill, that he builds
19:09a gap, and that's protecting him when they come back to that roof section.
19:12So it's a little bit of the pendulum swinging back and forth.
19:15Chase has got to do a better job of staying closer in this section.
19:19And you see Hunter Lawrence doubling down.
19:21Now, he can have a sense of where chase is behind him.
19:25If he's super close to him, then he would actually go down that right side of that,
19:30down that mountain.
19:31Mount Martin.
19:32Now, following back up with March banks, who had the bike problems early, what is happening
19:37now?
19:38I have just spoken to the muck off FXR club MX team there, and I was just told he's not
19:43feeling well.
19:44That's all the information I could get.
19:45So at this point, he's obviously not reentering the race.
19:47Oh, interesting.
19:48And he needed these points.
19:49As we go back to the battle for the lead, Sexton ran inside of that corner the previous
19:54lap.
19:55Hunter responds.
19:56He goes inside as well.
19:57He heads back toward the sand where Sexton has been strong.
20:10Here we go.
20:11Entering the sand wash.
20:12Yeah, that's perfect.
20:13Hunter gets just enough gap, and it allows him to, even if chase catches him, he can't
20:20get bottom as long as Hunter keeps his inside.
20:22But he didn't get that beginning part of that roller good, and you actually can see how
20:26much time chase Sexton was able to catch on him.
20:28Now let's see if chase can get up inside.
20:31Nope.
20:32Hunter, a little hesitation coming out of that corner.
20:36Quickly cuts across the front to block Sexton.
20:39What happened in the turn there for the 96?
20:41Yeah.
20:42Hunter was trying to get out of that corner.
20:44That's the hard part with these sand rollers.
20:45It's a really hard base.
20:46So as he tries to cut down so he gets a better angle, a straighter angle going down that
20:50next one, he slid out, lost all that momentum, and you saw chase almost get around him.
20:55Now, the downhill followed by the big climb.
21:00Sexton was very quick through here earlier in the race.
21:02Yeah, you saw, you noticed Hunter, he went towards that inside where he's been on the
21:07outside.
21:08Now he's playing that defense game, but if he doesn't get going...
21:10Oh, here comes Sexton.
21:11James, you saw it coming.
21:12Side by side in drag race to the top.
21:13Who's going to lift?
21:14Sexton leaps into the lead.
21:15Now, Hunter's very good on the downhill.
21:16What a pass by chase.
21:28What happened?
21:29Hunter messed up the bottom of that corner, drag hill going up the hill, and chase Hexton
21:34passed him.
21:35Strong move, but Hunter's got to try to react and get back around chase because if he gets
21:38him, he might let him pull away, and you can see how aggressive that 96 is trying to get
21:42back around to number four.
21:43Oh, Hunter's going for it now?
21:45Yeah, he's got to go for it because he knows chase is strong.
21:46Chase has been pretty...
21:47He's been fast.
21:48It's at the end of the race, so he's really comfortable.
21:49He's got to get it back in front of him, and if not, you're going to watch that number
21:50four start pulling away.
21:51It took 20 minutes for Sexton to get his opening, and can he pull away now in the final 10 minutes
21:52of a 30-minute race?
21:53Let's show you the pass.
21:54So Hunter gets in this corner, and he just loses his momentum right here.
21:55That's where he lost that momentum.
21:56He doesn't have to do anything if chase Sexton just got to get it back in front of him.
21:57He's got to get it back in front of him.
21:58He's got to get it back in front of him.
21:59He's got to get it back in front of him.
22:00And now he's got the 96, and Hunter backed off because he knew he was on the inside,
22:20but all that pass happened in the bottom of that corner.
22:23JT.
22:24Yeah, and you nailed it, James.
22:26At the bottom of that hill, when he slams into that rut, all of that momentum that he's
22:31hoping to use to climb the hill just got slowed by his impact into that berm, so at the bottom
22:36of these corners, Hunter will be kicking himself for that move.
22:39You have to not interrupt all of that momentum.
22:42Even on these factory 450s with so much power, you saw the difference right there between
22:45chase picking up the throttle weight, making one long arc versus Hunter kind of slamming
22:51into that rut and then having to regain that momentum.
22:55And that has allowed Sexton to grab the lead.
22:57And he's stretching over his championship rival.
23:01You're watching smx action from millville, Minnesota.
23:06Chase Sexton looking to make his stamp on pro motocross.
23:21Again we'll stay with the action here on peacock.
23:24He's been so pivotal he can hold on for this moto win.
23:27We'll let you listen.
25:24We are back.
25:49This is super motocross world championship from millville, Minnesota.
25:52Chase Sexton.
25:54The 4-inch motorcycle leading the way.
25:55It's wrestled the number one spot away from hunter Lawrence looking for his first moto
26:01win ever at this track on his ktm.
26:04You can get one of your own.
26:07Motosport.com is giving away a ktm 250sx.
26:10That's the old school two-stroke model.
26:12Sounds good.
26:13Looks good with a bunch of ktm power parts on it.
26:15Scan the qr code on your screen or go to motosport.com slash win to enter the sweepstakes and there
26:21are weekly prizes in there as well.
26:24But the big prize would be for chase Sexton.
26:27We have two motos every weekend in pro motocross.
26:30He'll come back in a little over an hour for moto two.
26:32You can watch that live on peacock.
26:34A race win for the teams and sponsors usually pays well into the six figures.
26:40Championship can be seven figures and he is definitely taking control of this pro motocross
26:45450 championship.
26:46Because look at this.
26:48He's opened up nearly ten seconds on hunter Lawrence now.
26:54Chase is rolling.
26:55I'm sure a lot of people will be going to that sweepstakes after looking at that ktm
26:59up front.
27:00If hunter is not careful, you see that number seven, Aaron Plessinger, you've been paying
27:04attention to.
27:05Come on, Aaron.
27:06I'm trying to help you out.
27:09Nonetheless, we've been watching the two out front thinking that it's a huge gap.
27:13But Aaron Plessinger and Jason Edwards, they're still right there.
27:16If hunter doesn't watch out, we're going to go look from not his only problem with
27:20chase Sexton losing possibly three points, possibly with Aaron Plessinger and Jason Anderson
27:26as well.
27:27Will?
27:28That's right.
27:29James and Aaron.
27:30He's carrying a ton of confidence coming off of that podium with the crowd going wild there
27:36last weekend.
27:37And he did that not feeling very well at all.
27:40So when I asked him today where his health was, he said, yeah, I'm a lot better.
27:43I'm not 100% but I'm nearly there.
27:45He said if I could do what I did last weekend in red bud, feeling the way I was, not a problem
27:50this weekend.
27:51And he also told me he wants to finish out the rest of the season here with podiums.
27:57So lots of motivation here from the number seven.
27:59Thanks, Will.
28:00He had a cold last week.
28:01Had trouble breathing.
28:02But the adrenaline in the second race and those fans that red bud powered him through,
28:06you could almost call this guy captain America.
28:08He is such a fan favorite.
28:09Loose on and off the track.
28:10And the fans respond to that personality.
28:15Mustache, mullet, motocross.
28:16He loves the t-shirt.
28:17He's got it all.
28:18And you've got to know with his teammate being so good, if his teammate is doing good, it's
28:23going to make Aaron feel better.
28:25The bike is good.
28:26So that's why you're seeing him strong.
28:28Great ride by our fastest qualifying to hang in there.
28:31He was battling with these guys, lost touch, but he did a good job keeping that number
28:34seven somewhat close and the 96 was right in front of him.
28:40well here.
28:41The veteran out of New Mexico.
28:42And is this also a byproduct?
28:47Jet Lawrence, again, the very dominant champion of last year out.
28:51Doors open, opportunities there for a lot of these guys.
28:55You feel they're responding.
28:56Are we seeing some strong rides?
28:57Yeah.
28:58I think a lot of these guys, I mean, with jet being out, there's one position less,
29:02one rider you have to worry about.
29:03You know how strong jet is.
29:04So yeah, the bonus money goes up that third place, but a lot of these guys, they feel
29:08like they got a chance, Will.
29:10That's right.
29:11It's who's sitting in third, fourth and fifth right now.
29:12Aaron Klassinger, Jason Anderson, Justin Cooper.
29:13They're the guys fighting for that third spot.
29:14Justin Cooper taking it in points right now.
29:15But Jason Anderson, he made some adjustments on the bike in that break before Southwick.
29:16Unfortunately, though, as much as they made gains on the bike, he then had a crash at
29:17Southwick that damaged his right shoulder.
29:18I checked him with the team and they said, look, he's had an MRI.
29:19Everything was looked at.
29:20It's considered a sprain and that's getting better too.
29:21So as far as the Monster Energy Kawasaki team goes, they think everything is just trending
29:43in the right direction.
29:44So the podiums will come if we keep piecing things together like this, but they're just
29:48looking at the comfort of Jason right now, JT.
29:51For Justin Cooper sitting in fifth place, the good news is he's in the top five in this
29:56never-ending podium battle with the absence of Jett Lawrence.
29:59The trouble is he is 22 seconds behind Jason Anderson in fourth place.
30:04So in between motors, they're going to have to go back, look at the settings, look at
30:07that tire choice, try to find where he's lost so much time.
30:10He was right on the back door of these riders early on.
30:13We don't know if he's had issues or maybe a tip over, but the pace is a lot more concerning
30:17than maybe the fifth place looks on paper.
30:19Yeah, and our next rider in sixth is Dylan Ferrandez.
30:24For a guy who's won this title back in the day, I know this is a frustrating season for
30:28Dylan because he wants to be up there battling for the podium, which he should be.
30:32He should be actually battling for some of these race wins with Jett being out, but I'm
30:36sure it's tough for him.
30:37I know they've been working on the bike.
30:38He's been struggling on that a little bit all year long, but he's running a solid sixth
30:43place, but I know Dylan wants better and he should be a little bit better in this.
30:47Looking for more power out of that Honda there with the Frenchman veteran.
30:53Here's Christian Craig.
30:54This would be his best race of the year in seventh, working his way back from a very
30:59difficult elbow injury last year, almost 16 months, finally has all the hardware out,
31:04but I saw him last week.
31:05He has, in that left arm, essentially no tricep, no muscle left at all, that he has to build
31:12all that back up after all the downtime will.
31:16That's right.
31:17And the problem with that is that he was saying, Jason, is the fact that he's constantly in
31:21recovery right from the race weekend.
31:23So he said, that stuff has to happen at the beginning of the season.
31:25He's like, I can't talk about sort of like training my tricep, training my bicep, which
31:29is like non-existent.
31:30You can see his arm has just got no muscle there.
31:33He said, that's very specific training.
31:35I can't do that now.
31:36So right now I just have to hope that I can literally hang on.
31:39And he means that his hand just sometimes blows off there and he can't do that.
31:43So he knows the risk that he's running, but that's what these guys do week in, week out.
31:48JT.
31:49Well, for the number 27 of Malcolm Stewart, remember, he hasn't raced these races for
31:54a decade.
31:55So it's a learning process, trying to find the pace again, you know, he doesn't come
31:59into this race understanding what the settings are going to be like.
32:02So every weekend is a learning experience and it's more of an exploration than anything.
32:07So as he continues to improve, finds that fitness again, staying inside the top 10,
32:12working towards those top fives has to be the goal.
32:15Thanks, JT.
32:16That's eighth Malcolm Stewart.
32:17The ninth is Phil Micheletti, the very lovable veteran out of New York.
32:22But he has said this will be his last racing season, but he's ridden quite well in it.
32:28And Phil also a fan favorite as well, because it's a very unfiltered attitude toward racing.
32:35He'll tell you exactly how he feels and he feels like this in a way is a bit of a home
32:39race.
32:40We talked about that yesterday.
32:41Yeah, no, it's huge and obviously FXR is from Minnesota and they sponsored the national
32:46as well this weekend.
32:47So it's really cool to see where the brands, you know, come from and where it's going and
32:53all the people that are a part of it.
32:55It's pretty badass.
32:56So I'm excited.
32:57And obviously I've been longtime friends with the martins.
33:00So this is more of a home race for me than Unadilla.
33:03I know all the staff, know all the people, I'm staying with Alex here on the property.
33:06So I'm quite spoiled this weekend, I'm not going to lie.
33:11The brothers, Jeremy and Alex, the sons of the track owners, they live here and they
33:16got property here.
33:17So they tell Phil to join him.
33:19So he was referring to, we go to Harry Kulas, the rider out of Estonia who wants to get
33:25into the SMX playoffs.
33:26He's showing up to as many of these races as he can in America.
33:30He actually makes money racing in Brazil.
33:33He's paid to ride there.
33:34He's paying his way to race here, hoping to make the playoffs in September.
33:39Because there's a big bounty for these riders there.
33:41And he's been riding very well, hovering around this top ten every week as we go back to the
33:46leader, chase Sexton.
33:53Nearly 11 seconds is the gap between Sexton and Hunter Lawrence.
33:56We give you the motorsport.com whole shot replay.
34:01And it's been the specialty of Hunter Lawrence this year.
34:03The good start and no different today.
34:0696, he got a great jump.
34:10Right next to the box.
34:11One on the inside.
34:12Aaron Plessinger kind of ran up the inside.
34:14But Hunter controlled that corner and you can see my brother going off the track with
34:19a lot of these guys.
34:20A lot of that comes down to it's a right-handed first corner.
34:22These guys can't hit the brake.
34:24But at 96, got to that whole shot, that motorsports whole shot line just like he's done a few
34:28times this year.
34:29Yeah, fifth of the year for Hunter.
34:32And we go to Sexton.
34:34Well, J.T., you talked about it last week, could be an explosion in confidence for him.
34:41And so far, he could be going for three straight moto wins if he hangs on here.
34:45Yeah, for chase Sexton, I think it was very important to look at the laps immediately
34:50following his pass on Hunter Lawrence.
34:52He dropped down to the 207, some of his best laps in this entire race.
34:56And these riders, they sense when a rider is under thrust.
34:59I think chase Sexton sensed that Hunter Lawrence wasn't quite dealing up to the ask of that
35:04pace.
35:05He put in his best lap to the race, pulled out a nine-second lead in two laps, and then
35:09the race is over.
35:10So Sexton understands the racetrack, he sensed the opportunity, and he absolutely made the
35:15most of it right then.
35:17Spot on, J.T.
35:18You know, he absolutely did that.
35:20And I think it's a little bit harder for chase to be behind the 96 or be in a battle with
35:24these guys.
35:25He's better out front.
35:26He can see the whole racetrack.
35:28So as soon as he got by Hunter Lawrence, the difference in speed was really how fast he's
35:32been even when he was behind him.
35:34But the difference was, he was out front, he can go his own lines.
35:37And right now, this last probably five laps, he's in recovery mode.
35:41So for Hunter Lawrence, it's not like you're like, okay, I'm going to save it for the next
35:45moto.
35:46Chase is recovering as well, just like as you are.
35:49So you're going to have to have a better, I'd say you're going to have to be in front
35:53of him.
35:54Because it's going to be hard to beat that number four in the long game, especially in
35:57the second moto.
35:58But we'll see.
35:59And I, Aaron, I said, working on a third straight moto win, he has three straight.
36:05This would be four straight if he holds on with half a lap to go, getting around Shane
36:11McElrath, putting him a lap down.
36:13And I think championship-wise for chase Sexton, I know he's had some great motos.
36:18I mean, what he did in that second moto at the second round, coming from last to first,
36:23and then what he did the second moto and southwick, beating Jett Lawrence.
36:28This moto, to me, really puts a confidence booster on the championship right now with
36:34this field.
36:35Because what he did last weekend in the second moto, yeah, he had a big gap.
36:38But Hunter Lawrence got a bad start.
36:40He passed Hunter and dropped him in this one.
36:42So now you've got to think, chase Sexton, I'm showing up at the gate knowing, okay,
36:47I beat this dude.
36:48I left him.
36:49I'm going to do that every race.
36:50And it just allows you to just let the race come to you.
36:52So to me, this moto right here is more of a confidence booster for this championship
36:57than any race so far this year.
36:59Sexton in orange going through lap traffic, yes, that is the key.
37:02He's really putting his stamp on it now.
37:05But there will be another race later today.
37:08Second moto, you can watch live on peacock.
37:11And also the 250 class with the young sensational motocross, Hayden Began, checkered flag in
37:17sight.
37:18Four moto wins in a row for chase Sexton.
37:25There's the second place man, Hunter Lawrence, 18 minutes, he led, not quite able to hold
37:31Sexton to the end.
37:32Yeah, but Hunter picked up the pace.
37:33He was able to, I mean, he dropped Aaron.
37:34So maybe he figured out some lines.
37:35But we'll see.
37:36But at number four.
37:37Number four.
37:38And number five.
37:39And number five.
37:40And number five.
37:41And number five.
37:42And number five.
37:43And number five.
37:44And number five.
37:45And number five.
37:46And number five.
37:47And number five.