'24 Washougal 450 Moto 2
Transcript
00:00Hunter got to continue to get good starts.
00:02Put that pressure on.
00:04Only 21 points now.
00:06You lost quite a few in that last lap.
00:08Eight points you lost in that first moto.
00:11Eliminate those mistakes.
00:12You got to make the last ten minutes your best performance of the day.
00:18It's really on the pressure for Hunter now because he lost a lot.
00:22That has been the one thing he's managed to avoid this year.
00:25The error.
00:26Sexton has had the ups and downs.
00:28Hunter has been very steady but only fifth in that first moto.
00:31Jason Thomas before this one talked to his dad, Darren, Hunter's dad, said he's got to
00:36improve the riding technique.
00:37It is so key on this racetrack.
00:38Can he bounce back or will Sexton run the win streak further?
00:44It's already a career high streak of moto wins for Sexton.
00:49Six in a row.
00:5040 riders on the gate.
00:5330 minutes and two laps.
00:56Hunter probably feels like this owes him one after leading so much of moto one.
01:03Here's moto two.
01:06Not the start for Plesinger this time.
01:12I think that's Hunter with the good start of the 96.
01:14Justin Cooper on the outside.
01:15Hunter has the lead as we head up horsepower hill and the motosport.com whole shop.
01:22That's the Hunter Lawrence that we have seen majority of the year right now.
01:26That's what I talked about.
01:27Keeping the pressure on.
01:29Chase Sexton.
01:30Get those good starts.
01:31Jason Anderson.
01:32Did you see that?
01:33Two passes.
01:34A lot like the first moto.
01:37Extremely aggressive early on in the early laps of this race.
01:41Looks so good on the bike.
01:43Bike looks like it's working well.
01:48Love the fans here as they drop into this valley.
01:50Sexton fourth in moto one leading moto two.
01:53Sexton is fourth.
01:57If you're Hunter Lawrence right here, he's been so good at all season outside of the
02:03wreck that he just had the first moto and then that first moto wreck late in the moto
02:08at red.
02:09But he's just so good at racing his own race.
02:12If all he has is third, he takes his third.
02:15That's what you have to have in all forms of racing pro motocross and smx.
02:21I really feel like it caters to the 450 here, Will.
02:24Send it to Will.
02:27You got me, guys?
02:30Sorry about that.
02:31We've talked about how he's probably one of the best riders in the paddock at that.
02:35Keeping those kind of emotions even there from weekend to weekend and managing his season.
02:41I got to speak to Darren Lawrence there who J.T. Was talking to specifically about that.
02:46He had a very interesting take with you which I wanted to share with you.
02:50I like to keep my boys, who's referring to Jet and Hunter, in a learning mode.
02:54He said if you're constantly in a learning mode, then if things go your way, great.
02:58You've learned something from it.
03:00You've learned to do that.
03:01Repeat it.
03:02Work on it.
03:03And if they don't, well, then you've learned what not to do.
03:05So there's always kind of a positive, essentially, to be pulled from staying in that mode.
03:08And he said that's not for just where Hunter is right now.
03:11He said, I think all champions should stay in that mode.
03:14So that idea that you're always just taking the data home, if you like, whether that's
03:19literal data on the bike or how the guys work, their fitness, any element of their program
03:24so that you can use that, you can get better, and you can move on.
03:27I mean, Darren is so smart with this stuff, Ricky, and just interesting to hear him say that.
03:32Well, they're going to need every trick they can learn because Chase Sexton's on a roll.
03:37He just got aggressive with Justin Cooper to take away third.
03:40Well, that was a great pass, definitely, that Chase Sexton put on Justin Cooper.
03:45And he made that outside left hand, that going outside on the left hander that set him up
03:50to be on the inside on that next right hander work so well.
03:53He was able to stay out of the braking bumps going into that right hander and had the preferred line.
03:58And that was just a fantastic pass to get to the rookie of Hunter Lawrence,
04:03who is nipping at his heels in the championship.
04:06I say that as Jet had lost, or Hunter had lost eight points in that first moto.
04:14Going back to what Will was saying about Darren Lawrence,
04:17I think he's honest with the boys, too.
04:20And he holds them accountable, and I think that helps.
04:23He doesn't sugarcoat anything, and if they're not performing to the level that he believes
04:27and they believe that they need to perform at, he doesn't make excuses for them.
04:32Not necessarily pressures them, but he doesn't make excuses for them, bottom line.
04:37And I feel that you get the best out of your child when you're doing that,
04:42or your rider when you're doing that.
04:43You sugarcoat it, you know, and you make excuses for them.
04:46I don't necessarily think that that's the best way of getting the best results out of your rider.
04:52It probably sounds pretty odd if you follow other sports to know that parents at this professional level
04:57are this closely involved, but that is totally typical.
04:59Sexton's dad here is still his practice mechanic. He's at every race.
05:03We know the influence your dad and especially your mom had in the success of your career.
05:07Our colleague James Stewart, his dad still here with Malcolm Stewart.
05:11And yeah, I don't think the parents have a problem being brutally honest.
05:14No, certainly I can tell you, my mom didn't.
05:19And if I got beat, you know, like, it was, well, why did you get beat?
05:23It wasn't, well, you got beat because the bike was no good or wasn't performing.
05:27It was always me.
05:29And I think that helped me.
05:31I didn't make mistakes, and that's how it was, JT.
05:34Yeah, Jason Anderson, that was such an incredible pass.
05:37And we haven't seen this type of first-level aggression.
05:41You can see Jason Anderson kind of trying to check out.
05:43So let's go back to this pass.
05:44It's at the top of Horsepower Hill.
05:46Now you see him setting up.
05:47He goes all the way to the right.
05:49That's going to allow him to open up this corner.
05:51Watch him swing left, then straighten that corner out.
05:54And he accelerates while they're going around the outside trying to straighten up.
05:58He straightened up before the corner and accelerated through the inside of it.
06:02That's the type of move when you're in a low traction environment that can be so lethal.
06:06And Jason Anderson just exploited it.
06:08Well, we talked about this track racing narrow.
06:10And I was talking about the dog legs on the track map.
06:14Like these 45 and 90-degree corners, Jason Anderson just straightened those out.
06:19And that's why he was able to make those passes and gain that time.
06:23And that particular section that he did that is very crucial right there.
06:27And you can make up and gain a lot of time in that area.
06:30And while Anderson is rallying, and that was an unbelievable move as JT just took us through.
06:37Third of the first moto, Justin Cooper has now dropped way back.
06:40He's in 13th place.
06:41Yeah, he must have dropped it.
06:43Right, so overall podium is up for grabs.
06:45And Anderson looking to take advantage.
06:47I mean, he is on fire.
06:49Three and a half seconds nearly the lead for Anderson over Lawrence.
06:53And here comes Sexton in third.
06:55And then Plessinger fourth.
06:57Be interesting to see what Pless is going to be able to do here if he makes a move on his teammate.
07:02If he challenges him, surely there's no team tactics, no reason for that to be.
07:08And you just have to assume that AP is going to want to get himself and bag himself a moto win or an overall, perhaps, if he can.
07:17Can he follow his teammate forward because he knows Sexton is going to get better and better.
07:21Oh, yeah.
07:22As the race goes on.
07:23Chase is definitely going to do that.
07:25Now, look, Anderson is really rolling early.
07:28I want to know about the strategy that Sexton might use.
07:32We all know each other.
07:33Does he see Anderson up front?
07:35Is there a little less or a little more?
07:37Does he adjust his charge based on who's leading?
07:39Well, yeah, I mean, he certainly would.
07:41I would.
07:43And I believe that chase would.
07:45But at the same time, I don't know what he thinks of Jason and what his perspective is.
07:49If I were there, I would be thinking a guy like Jason, if he gets a big enough lead, he can maintain that.
07:57And plus, you have to think about it.
08:00Chase isn't in second yet.
08:02So anything can happen.
08:04So if this guy, I mean, Jason Anderson is good enough to get out there and get a lead and maintain it to where he can win this moto.
08:14So never take a win for granted.
08:17I believe you have to go back to 2022 for a moto win for Jason Anderson.
08:22And he is rolling right now.
08:30So Anderson up to four seconds.
08:32This is a clinic right now on how to ride well on this track.
08:36And to your point, he's got to solve Hunter Lawrence before he can even think about Jason Anderson.
08:42Yeah.
08:44I mean, Anderson's a veteran.
08:46He's a supercross champion.
08:48And he's won some races here.
08:50And, you know, this guy, I mean, he is plenty capable of doing this, J.T.
08:54Yeah.
08:56And just to speak on that Chase Sexton topic, I think the key is you just want to be able to keep him in sight.
09:00As long as Chase Sexton can look around, look up the racetrack and see Jason Lawrence just kind of hovering in that five to six second area, I think he'll be okay with that.
09:08He'll let the laps click off.
09:10Because he knows how strong he is in the final laps of this race.
09:14The challenge is, just like you said, if Anderson gets a big enough lead where he's not directly in the lead, he's not going to be able to get a lead.
09:23Where he's not directly in Chase Sexton's line of sight.
09:25Then the race starts to change a little bit.
09:27So just watch for that lead.
09:29Sexton doesn't want it to grow to something unmanageable.
09:31From motocross.
09:33From Washougal.
09:35All part of the S.M.X.
09:37World Championship.
09:39Chase Sexton.
09:41Six moto wins in a row.
09:43Starting fourth of this one.
09:45He's moved to third.
09:47But five and a half seconds off the leader, Jason Anderson.
09:49And Hunter Lawrence right in front of him.
09:52You just wonder if reason and because he's such a great rider, Jason Anderson growing up in New Mexico, riding on harder pack conditions.
10:02Maybe he feels a little bit more comfortable and that's why he's able to be so explosive early.
10:08Sexton's explosive right now, RC.
10:10He wants Hunter.
10:12He's dogging Hunter Lawrence right here.
10:14When you're in the position that Chase Sexton's in right now, you have a little bit of insurance.
10:18You don't have to push it when you've made up so much time.
10:21I assume that he knows, okay, I got him beat on speed.
10:23So then you don't have to force a pass.
10:25You can just kind of let it, you know, lay up for you.
10:27Because it will present itself for sure.
10:29And then that's when you make the move.
10:31And it might present itself right here.
10:33Past the mechanics.
10:35Not enough.
10:37What you see there.
10:39He over jumped that tabletop right there.
10:41And landed into a face of a braking bump.
10:43That was a tough impact.
10:45Not too tough for that guy.
10:48Up horsepower.
10:50Here we go, RC.
10:52Sexton on the outside.
10:54Dropped back in.
10:56Looking to make moves.
10:58Not enough.
11:00This is where he tried.
11:02He just put that motorcycle back on the ground.
11:04Is it going to be enough?
11:06Hunter holds him off.
11:08He's going to make it.
11:10He's going to make it.
11:12He's going to make it.
11:14He's going to make it.
11:16Hunter holds him off.
11:18I like that cross back move.
11:20Sexton explodes around the outside.
11:22And gets the spot.
11:24Sexton went for it.
11:26On that left hander and right hander.
11:28Taking the long way around.
11:30Especially on the right hander.
11:32But putting the power to the ground.
11:34Hunter did make a little mistake on that left hand corner.
11:36And that allowed Sexton to make the move, J.T.
11:38That's a great lesson there for young racers around the world.
11:40Chase Sexton never followed all the way around that lap.
11:42Never.
11:44Even if it was a slower line.
11:46Even if it was not the ideal line.
11:48He would not follow Hunter.
11:50As soon as Hunter made any sort of mistake.
11:52Boom.
11:54Chase Sexton automatically goes right around him.
11:56The reason.
11:58Thank you, J.T.
12:00We're showing Brent Harlan in a box.
12:02He just had a season best ninth in moto one.
12:04Moved himself into the top 20.
12:06And now after a great start in moto two.
12:08We think he's crashed.
12:10Had some crash damage.
12:12And just like that.
12:14From the best day of the year for Harlan.
12:16It's going to turn into one of the bad ones.
12:18Yeah, that's unfortunate.
12:20Like you talked about.
12:22Getting in a great spot for smx playoffs.
12:24And putting in a wonderful performance.
12:26You hate that for that guy.
12:28Oh.
12:30So now the march is on for Sexton.
12:32Oh, and also for Plessinger.
12:34That was close.
12:36I thought those two lines were going to come in together.
12:38Plessinger ducking the roost.
12:40Yeah, he's ducking the roost.
12:42I'm going to tell you right now.
12:44The roost here at washougal.
12:46It feels like you're standing in front of a paintball gun.
12:48Just getting absolutely pelted.
12:50It is not a pleasant experience.
12:52I can assure you.
12:54And then behind them.
12:56The battle for fifth.
12:58We're showing Malcolm Stewart tenth in moto one.
13:00Fifth now.
13:02On the rock star house.
13:04He's in sixth.
13:06And it's Craig.
13:08But he's back here running tenth in moto two.
13:10Harlan has gone back to the pit area.
13:12So his moto is done.
13:14As Plessinger and Lawrence continue to battle for third.
13:16See where there's sections of the track.
13:18That Aaron Plessinger is able to reel in.
13:20Hunter Lawrence.
13:22Was he close enough to see?
13:24You think where Sexton made the move?
13:26Coming up?
13:28I don't think so.
13:30I don't think so.
13:32I don't think so.
13:34I don't think so.
13:36I don't think so.
13:38Sexton made the move.
13:40Coming up?
13:42I believe he was.
13:44Hunter took the line.
13:46Look at Hunter.
13:48Wheel to wheel.
13:50He's going to be on the inside.
13:52You saw it come in.
13:54And Plessinger has to pass.
13:56Got him.
13:58Plessinger is able to defend this position here before they get to
14:00that little dog leg after that massive jump right there.
14:02He's got it.
14:04He's going at it.
14:05A pass.
14:06So a good job by Dillon on the Phoenix Honda in the red jersey around Stewart on the 27.
14:16Sign of life here from the French veteran.
14:19Brandis riding well.
14:20That's right.
14:21Maybe getting the bike a little bit more comfortable for him.
14:24Team working well together.
14:28Factory connection a big part of that.
14:30Looks good.
14:32A lot of fans might remember with so much success through the years of the 250 and even
14:36the 450 class at times.
14:37And a lot of that staff is back working with Brandis.
14:40You see Stewart who had not raced pro motocross.
14:44It's been a joke all season long.
14:45Hadn't been to a lot of these tracks in 10, 12 years.
14:48Kind of like Max Anstey in the 250 class, right?
14:52It's tough too.
14:53Especially if you've never raced here on a 250.
14:56Don't know how the bike works and reacts.
15:00Sometimes these guys, you know, sometimes it's an oversight of just how different a
15:04450 will work on these racetracks compared to a 250.
15:10So it is different.
15:11Even though maybe you've been to a track numerous times on a different displacement bike, doesn't
15:15mean that it's going to be exactly the same when you come on a different displacement
15:20bike.
15:21As for Brandis here, they've been trying to find power.
15:26It's not that they can't get enough power.
15:28You can probably speak to this on a 450.
15:30It's all about making it controllable.
15:32Rideable power.
15:33So they're looking for power, but obviously they don't want to overdo it.
15:36We found Justin Cooper who started third, went all the way back to 13th and is now 10th.
15:41Let's send it to Will.
15:42I just got confirmation from the team once to start racing that Justin Cooper did go
15:47down.
15:48Nobody actually caught the crash, but they did see him on the ground.
15:51So confirmation that he did have a crash earlier.
15:54Thank you, Will.
15:55How does that affect the overall podium for the man that was third in the first moto?
15:59Yeah, I hate to see that.
16:01He is riding so well.
16:02I feel like he's another one of those guys.
16:04We talked about Hunter Lawrence and how this track could cater to his riding is like Justin
16:10doesn't override that 450, and J.T.
16:13Was talking about a little earlier in the show today about how when you go slower, it
16:18actually ends up being faster at this type of track.
16:22And I feel like that's why he was able to ride so well outside of the fact that he's
16:26just a really good racer, but it really falls into his hands and his riding style of why
16:31he's doing so well.
16:32He's going to need that right now, R.C., because he's got a long way to go.
16:36We are halfway through this moto, 15 minutes down, 15 minutes to go.
16:42Monster energy is available at Fred Meyer.
16:45And it looks like the next rider who Cooper is looking to catch is Freddie Norton on the
16:49bad parts.
16:50He's had his struggles as of late, but good to see Freddie running eighth, Cooper ninth,
17:01Derek Kelly tenth on the AEO machine.
17:05There's Christian Craig right ahead of Norton.
17:07Craig 7th, 7th last week, signs of life, and running seventh again here.
17:13Three-rider battle in the trees.
17:19As for Craig, trying to rebuild strength in that arm after several surgeries to his
17:24elbow.
17:25Look at Norton.
17:26He's all over it.
17:27He is.
17:28Uh-oh.
17:29And so is Cooper.
17:30Let's see if that outside works for Norton.
17:34Freddie couldn't quite get it in the whoops.
17:36Craig holding him off.
17:37It's tough.
17:38It's kind of deceiving because you think because that outside, you're going to have so much
17:43speed going through the rollers, but I think it's a little too far outside initially.
17:48Oh, nice pass.
17:49Yeah, that was.
17:50Cooper makes the move on Freddie, the veteran out of Sweden, and now working on Craig.
17:56Oh, he's got it.
17:58All right.
17:59One pass on the inside, one pass on the outside.
18:04Well, as crazy as these finishes have been, who knows?
18:09Maybe Cooper will be able to catch up, close in some of these gaps.
18:15Well, the one thing that's really shaking up the podium today is the fact that Jason
18:19Anderson is running this well, 12 minutes to go, and he's still leading.
18:24Let's send it to Will with Theo Lockwood from the Kawasaki team.
18:28That's right.
18:29Crew chief at Munster.
18:30Theo, what we're seeing out of Jason Anderson now, I'm sure, is what you've been working
18:35towards now for a few rounds, including that start.
18:38Just talk me through the progress.
18:39Yeah, I think the teams are working really hard to try and make the bike better and make
18:43it better for Jason, and I think we've seen the results of that.
18:47And as it happens, we're seeing better and better results, and I hope they continue.
18:52And obviously, comfort-wise, this is a track with a hard base.
18:56You and I were talking about it earlier that Jason has a preference for.
18:59How much is that playing in right now, too?
19:01I mean, for sure, he has confidence, because it is a hard base, as you said.
19:05He's looking forward to this race, so I think it's something that we can see from last year's
19:09results.
19:10He did a good job, and I think we'll continue to see that.
19:12Congratulations.
19:13Great performance.
19:14Appreciate it.
19:17Like Theo, one of the good guys to talk to at the race is Anderson.
19:20Trying to take everything they've learned about this new motorcycle this year and turn
19:24it into a win, but here comes Chase Sexton.
19:33And what I'm noticing here is Sexton really started to close in with 12 minutes to go.
19:40It is getting alarmingly similar every moto.
19:43Sometimes it's Plessiger, sometimes it's Hunter, sometimes it's now Anderson.
19:47It's almost like the same race for Sexton is playing out week in week out.
19:51It is, and because he has a speed gap, and he has that confidence, and he's riding incredibly
19:57well, there's no reason to override the motorcycle and push it in the race when you know that
20:03you have all of those feathers in your cap and all of those attributes and advantages
20:09that you can lean on.
20:11You don't have to push it like that.
20:13Let the race come to you.
20:15These guys are more than not, they're going to come back to you, and you'll be able to
20:20make a move late in the race, J.T.
20:22Well, Ricky, what exactly does it feel like?
20:25Because you're so qualified to answer this.
20:27What does it feel like to be the fittest and the fastest rider on the racetrack?
20:31Do you think that's where Chase Sexton finds himself today?
20:33It's a very comforting feeling.
20:36Not always was I the fastest, but I'll claim the fittest for sure, which in the end worked
20:42out to be the fastest.
20:44It's just nice, because there's certain things when you are the fittest that you can play
20:49into and let it play.
20:51When you're fit, you're like, all right, I'm going to lose a little bit of speed and a
20:55little bit of time here to my competitor early on.
20:59But the last ten minutes, if I'm able to keep him relatively close, I'm probably going to
21:05be able to, you know, get him here in the last ten minutes or two laps.
21:10So it is very nice.
21:12It's not easy to get to that position, but, yeah, it's special.
21:18A lot of work.
21:20You won 189 motos, so when you say you were not the fastest, I have to violently disagree
21:26there.
21:27I appreciate the modesty, but you were in rare air on a motorcycle.
21:31I appreciate that.
21:32I appreciate those fine words, but this is about these guys right here, and I'm just
21:37a has-been.
21:38So I love what these guys are able to do.
21:40Chase Sexton trying to take the lead from Jason Anderson.
21:46The battle here.
21:49Just well around the outside.
21:52Not a lot of room, but he made the move to take the lead.
21:55Yeah, that rut is working out really well, that outside rut for these guys.
22:00Because I think that inside rut narrows up so much, and it has a really bad accelerating
22:05ledge coming out of it.
22:06So those guys have to check up a little bit, the riders who take that inside line, like
22:10Jason Anderson did, where chase Sexton was able to go around the outside, just power
22:15down that hill on smooth terrain.
22:24Sexton pouring it on now, and this is where he does his best work.
22:28We've been talking about the second half of the moto.
22:31To me, it's really that final 12 to 10 minutes, and he is saying, bye-bye, here comes moto
22:37win number seven.
22:38Oh, got a little crazy on the landing of that downhill.
22:42Anything can happen.
22:44You've seen that a time or two.
22:46You just never know.
22:47You never know pro motocross just like that.
22:50Mistake right there.
22:51Yeah, leaned the bike over, dragged his leg, kind of pulled him down.
22:55He's got it under control, though.
22:56J.T., what are we seeing?
22:58Well, this is where chase Sexton is so important.
23:00Because look at the way he was able to ride around Jason Anderson.
23:04Now, he's made a few mistakes on this same lap, but think about Jason Anderson on opening
23:07lap.
23:08Think about him passing Hunter Lawrence in moto one.
23:11It was all aggression, right?
23:13And chase Sexton rode around the outside of Jason Anderson late in the race.
23:17That would simply never happen early on.
23:19So that's where the power of being the fittest guy comes in.
23:23When your opponents are the most vulnerable, you're their strongest.
23:27Thanks, J.T.
23:28We'll get to another battle as Sexton making it look pretty simple up front.
23:33This is all about SMX playoff points.
23:35The veteran Kyle Chisholm just never stops racing.
23:38Told us last week he wants to do all 31 rounds, get into those playoffs.
23:42We've got Chisholm right now in 16th.
23:44He's in the money.
23:46That's Pepp, the Frenchman, Roman Pepp, right in front of him on the 68.
23:50Yeah, top 21 in the motos.
23:52That's what pays the points.
23:53Chisholm is right there.
23:56And we go up horsepower hill.
23:58There's Pepp.
23:59See, Pepp, he was blocking the roost.
24:02Talked about it earlier.
24:03That is brutal.
24:04He's going to have bruises all over his chest and arms.
24:11I apologize.
24:12It's Pope.
24:13I forgot.
24:14It's Roman Pope, the Frenchman, who's holding off Chisholm right now.
24:17And ahead of them would be Cullen Park.
24:20That's Ferrandez's teammate.
24:21There he is.
24:23The red Honda with the green numbers.
24:27That's what I love about pro motocross.
24:29The fans will tell you, there's battles everywhere on these tracks.
24:33This battle for 15th, this would be like for the win at any track anywhere else.
24:39Guys are going for it.
24:41Sexton marches away.
24:44You just watch these lap times.
24:47Sitting over here, Sexton, fastest guy on the track last lap.
24:51No surprise.
24:52He's at a 222.3.
24:54Second fastest guy is a 223.0.
24:58And that was Blessinger.
25:00So just knocking down these lap times.
25:03Chisholm on the twisted tee.
25:06They will welcome a new teammate under the tent at Unadilla.
25:09Colt Nichols.
25:10I'm pumped for Colt.
25:11Yeah.
25:12Glad to see him get that ride.
25:13I think he'll do well for that race team.
25:15That race team will take great care of him.
25:17So I talked to Dustin Pyte, one of the team owners today, about Nichols, who's probably
25:21going to have to use the last chance qualifiers to get into the motos to the playoffs.
25:25And they said to him, can you make all three for the LCQ?
25:28And Colt said, yes, I can.
25:30They're like, all right, then.
25:32They're going to bring him back at Unadilla to learn the motorcycle.
25:35But, yeah, it's probably too far out for him to try to get top 20 in points, guarantee
25:40a spot in the motos.
25:42Nicoletti did it last year.
25:44Won the LCQ in all three of those.
25:47That is what Chisholm is trying to avoid.
25:49A couple of other guys to watch.
25:53Dean Wilson came back to racing today to try to score points for those playoffs.
25:58He's grinding it out.
26:00He's in 18th right now.
26:02So good job by Dino.
26:04And then Marshall Welton is running ninth.
26:07And Welton did not have 450 points from supercross.
26:11He raced at 250.
26:13That ninth place for Welton right now, that would be huge.
26:16And that would move him into that top 20.
26:19Combined supercross and motocross points.
26:23This is his part of the race.
26:25Late.
26:27About five minutes.
26:29Plus two laps.
26:31There he is, Dino.
26:33That guy is great.
26:35He makes some great content.
26:37Fun to be around.
26:39He's been at it for a while.
26:41More of the 15th.
26:43And the first moto for Dean Wilson.
26:45He missed the cutoff time for staging.
26:47So he had the dead last gate pick.
26:49And he's just trying to be here and gain SMX points.
26:52He doesn't have the most organized effort.
26:54Because it's not the full effort.
26:56And then they put him all the way outside.
26:58So you can see him shaking his head as he's in that fourth gate pick.
27:02He's in his position right now.
27:04I mean, what do you think is going through his head right here?
27:09He's sitting down everywhere.
27:11He's rethinking every decision that he's made this entire week.
27:15Because, yeah, your whole body is screaming at you.
27:17You know, we're 90 degrees.
27:19He's tired.
27:21He's hot.
27:23All the worst things that you possibly could be thinking.
27:25But, again, he's in the points.
27:27He's working towards those SMX playoff.
27:29And every point he gains now is only going to set him up to be
27:31Well, yeah, that's why it's worth that effort.
27:33You saw the graphic on the screen, J.T.
27:35We are looking at a four-way tie.
27:3718th, 19th, 20th, 21st.
27:41In the SMX seating.
27:43And we're only going to have six motos to go after this.
27:47Wilson, Welton, Kulas in there.
27:51I'm telling you.
27:53Last chance qualifiers are zero fun.
27:56No, they don't want that.
27:58No, of course they don't.
28:00And that's what's on the line.
28:02Three of them will be top 20.
28:04And one of them will not be.
28:06Kulas is 12th.
28:08So he continues to score points.
28:10The veteran out of Estonia, I think he took his bike here.
28:12He was going to sell it and then try to get another bike.
28:14It would be easier.
28:16I love this story.
28:18It would be easier to sell the bike in Washougal and buy
28:20Another one for Unadilla on the east coast than to try to bring
28:22The bike from coast to coast.
28:24So that's Kulas' move.
28:26He's going to sell the motorcycle he hopes after this.
28:28And then try to get another one and race Unadilla.
28:30I love the creativity right there.
28:32Efficiency.
28:34Right?
28:36Not the easiest.
28:38Easier, I guess, than finding the transportation.
28:40But there's Kulas in the 79.
28:42And we saw it last year.
28:44Colt Nichols showed up for this race.
28:46Borrowed a bike from, I believe it was the media outlet.
28:48Yeah, I think it was swap moto.
28:50Borrowed their test bike.
28:52And finished right around the top ten.
28:54And scored a point.
28:56It's probably something we don't mention enough with this sport.
28:58Is there another?
29:00You race NASCAR.
29:02You cannot just go to the showroom.
29:04Buy something.
29:06And race top ten, top 20 at the highest level.
29:08But you can do that here.
29:10Let's make one thing straight.
29:12I don't think I race NASCAR.
29:14I competed.
29:16Mr. Modesty here today.
29:18Tell them how it is.
29:20Remember I told you my mom, she didn't cut me no slack.
29:22Gave me the truth.
29:24I'm giving you the truth.
29:26I competed.
29:28I didn't really race.
29:30Bottom line, when you competed, a team had to provide you with a
29:32specially built machine.
29:34You couldn't go to the showroom for it.
29:36That's what Kulas is doing now.
29:38And look at how well he's riding.
29:40He has taken the position from Christian Craig.
29:42We mentioned Craig struggling with the multitude of arm
29:44injuries.
29:46And you can see Craig, the body English tells the story.
29:48No aggression left for the 28.
29:50Kulas just keeps on going.
29:52Incredible how well Harry has ridden when he shows up here.
29:54And meanwhile, as these riders chase points, everyone chases
29:56Chase Sexton out front.
29:58Can Kulas move up even more?
30:00That's what we're watching.
30:02Harry Kulas.
30:04He's got a lot of power.
30:06He's got a lot of power.
30:08He's got a lot of power.
30:10He's got a lot of power.
30:12He's got a lot of power.
30:14He's got a lot of power.
30:16He's got a lot of power.
30:18He's got a lot of power.
30:21Harriet Kulas,
30:23Challenging Derrick Kelly
30:25Backup front.
30:27Pro Motocross.
30:29On CHASE SEXTON.
30:31On the number 4.
30:33Going for 7 straight Moto wins.
30:35And all 3 overralls, he would have this year.
30:37A Perfect 1-1 score.
30:39So far this year, he could be looking at a 4th now.
30:44You know, testing Ricky Carmichael on lower speed.
30:45But maybe what Sexton needed, to get this type of win streak,
30:49this type of win streak was just switched to number four this year. Can I give you that?
30:54The number four is a pretty good number. I love it. I love that he's using it. I'm happy
31:01to see it. He's running it proud. Still lurking back there.
31:08I just had a quick question for you, Ricky. We've got two weekends off coming up. If you're
31:20Chase, are you in a situation, even though we're at this point in the season, I don't
31:25want to stop. I want to keep the momentum going. It's 93 degrees out here. These guys
31:31have been putting in a lot of laps. Are they welcoming the break?
31:37I think all these riders are different. I would think that Chase would like a weekend
31:43off for sure. He's been riding hard. Big crash. It was Roman Pope, the Frenchman who is riding
31:53well in this moto who went down there. Bummer for him.
31:58I would think he's looking forward to a couple weekends off. Especially if he's got the
32:05bike ironed out, which it looks like he does. Bike looks like it's incredible. He's looking
32:09great on the machine. You've got to think of it. You've got the 17 rounds of supercross
32:15that he's went through in a championship battle situation. That's grueling not only physically
32:21but mentally. I would assume they would want a weekend off and I would have too.
32:27It's probably a little underrated about Sexton. I know he won the supercross title two years
32:32ago. He got hurt while leading it. Part of that is the durability of Sexton. This guy
32:43does hit the ground here and there. There's no doubt about that. He is one tough guy.
32:50He gets up every darn time. There's something to be said for that in moments like this.
32:55If you want to get on a KTM, a little different than the one Sexton has but still cool nonetheless.
33:01Motosport.com has the ultimate two-stroke sweepstakes. Just scan the QR code on the
33:06screen or go to motosport.com slash win and enter now. There are weekly prizes. The grand
33:12prize will give that out after our pro motocross finale at Ironman at the end of August. Sexton
33:19rolling right now. Anderson is looking at third overall today and Plesinger second.
33:26We saw the Frenchman Roman Pope go down. He is now back up on his feet but off the racetrack
33:31and out of this moto. Anyway, let's talk about the durability. A, to avoid the injury and
33:37also not to wear down even physically late in the season like this.
33:41That's a testament to his dedication to training and working and being in the shape that he
33:48is in. He's got a great group. Peter Park and those guys. He does an incredible job.
33:53There's Pope. Yep. And Pope, as we mentioned, did get off the racetrack under his own power.
33:59Talking to Keri Russell-Coombs there. She's helping cool him off. I think he's over with
34:08as well. We actually have the crash here for Pope. High sides, yeah, they just come together.
34:16That was a really tough impact. Hard impact. Bike lands on him. That was kind of a racing
34:23incident right there. It can easily happen. High side like that on the backside of a jump.
34:30Glad to see he's up off the track. That was Cullen Park we ran into. So Sexton looking
34:36to bring this home. And let's go back, give you the motorsport.com whole shot replay.
34:44And Hunter Lawrence was good early in this one.
34:48He was. Great shot right here. Actually has him going to Cooper. It's going to be close
34:55right at the line. It does, yep. 50-50. Let's see here. Better shot at it. Justin Cooper
35:02getting a good drive coming out of the corner. Coop gets it. Pretty forgiving first corner,
35:08which is nice. Allows these guys to move around a little bit.
35:12Unfortunately for Cooper, he would go down. He's rallied back to seventh. That's going
35:16to cost him a shot on the overall podium. And an off day for Hunter Lawrence. He's looking
35:20at a 5.4. So he was going to be off the podium today as well. It's looking like it will be
35:25a Sexton, Blessinger, Anderson overall podium. Anderson did have two podiums last year, including
35:33right here at Washougal. And also at butt street. So his first podium in pro motocross
35:39since then. You know, credit to Anderson, who turned 31 this year. You mentioned earlier
35:45in our show the longevity these riders have. I mean, this is a very tough, grueling pro
35:49motocross championship. Anderson is not mailing it in in the back half of his career.
35:54That's, I mean, Ryan Villopoto and I talk about it quite a bit. Title 24 is just, you
36:00know, how these guys are able to embrace the racing and not burning themselves out. A lot
36:06of them have families now. You talked about it. Jason Anderson, perfect example. Has a
36:11beautiful wife and daughter and family. And he's just enjoying what he's doing. Outside
36:16of and still extremely competitive. Working hard. And making a pretty decent grip as well.
36:25That's the other thing. Paychecks are nice when you stay in the game. Some people don't
36:30need all that. They want enough. I'm not gonna name names. Didn't even need to keep on riding.
36:36Done the damage needed to do. I hate talking about stuff like that. Guys, I feel like you
36:43and J.T. Had had a pre meeting about let's team up on our team today. It's been fun.
36:50The bonuses are going to be very big for Sexton again. They generally say that race wins pay
36:55around the six-figure mark for a factory rider. He's looking at yet another one of those.
37:00From a manufacturer, too. Those are the bonuses you enjoy to pay. Winning is what it's all
37:05about. These manufacturers, all of them, in that paddock area work extremely hard. A lot
37:10of pride on the line. They work hard to develop a great motorcycle. Not only from a racing
37:16standpoint, from a production standpoint as well. So the people that are buying these
37:21motorcycles can enjoy great engineering, great performing motorcycles. I mean, I think about
37:27to, like, just how well these bikes are made. And how they're able to perform. Whether it's
37:37suspension, fuel injection, the engine performance. I go back to when J.T. And I were racing.
37:44It was hard to do anything with a bike off the showroom floor. These bikes are far from that.
37:50But still, at a baseline, the bikes are incredible these days.
37:55Some of the riders in the field do have bikes like that. We mentioned kulas running tenth.
37:59I mean, to be top ten. You talked about it. Colt Nichols last year.
38:02On a bike, top ten. That's not happening in most forms of motorsports.
38:05Well, you weren't going to do that ten years ago.
38:08That's how much it's improved. Yeah, it's been incredible.
38:11Speaking of improvements, chase Sexton just keeps getting better every week.
38:17Saturday cruise. Makes it look easy down to the end. He wins red bud. He wins spring creek.
38:23Three in a row, chase Sexton won one at washougal.
38:27Look, did like a little totty pogacha there at the end of the tour de France stage.
38:33Oh, they're all fans of that. You know that.
38:35Of course they are. A lot of these guys, that's their primary cardio training is cycling.
38:41Well done. Yeah. How about that? El Hombre looking good.
38:45Riding well at the beginning of the race. It really helped his situation. Strong performance.
38:51And Plesinger will be on the box today. He will be 2, 3, 4 second overall. Anderson
38:574, 2, 4 third overall. With Hunter Lawrence and Justin Cooper fourth and fifth.
39:04Fan favorite. Oh, look at that.
39:07Just adding to the legacy of Aaron Plesinger with these fans.
39:13That's why they like him. Love it.
39:15Great. See their weekend off. Their two weeks off have started right now.
39:20All right. Yeah. Loosen up. Literally like 20 seconds after the checkered flag.
39:24They're they're enjoying themselves. You know, he works with Alvin Baker,
39:27his trainer who you work with. Yeah.