Motocross qualifying
Moto
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00:00shooting for the 214 won from the first qualifying session. No surprise. Cooper is great in time
00:07qualifying. Hey, look who we found. Cooper Webb back in action.
00:11Yeah, Cooper. You know, some guys, me, I would try to stall out not showing up here. I'd
00:16rather just wait another week. It shows you how important these playoff guys want to get
00:21back in rhythm. Cooper Webb likes the racetrack. It's good to see that number two back here.
00:27Coming up, thumb surgery. We asked him yesterday about his goals.
00:31Just to get some gate drops. You know, we're going to hit these last three to prep for
00:37the SMX. That's the big goal, I think, for these last three nationals, just to do the
00:40best we can. Would love to try to be on the podium at some point, but just get some gate
00:44drops for what really matters, and that's the playoffs.
00:50Big money and a lot of pride in the line. Cooper, who had that shot at a supercross
00:55championship slip away with the injury trying to battle Jett Lawrence. Nice to have a second
01:00opportunity to win a big title this season. J.T.?
01:03Yeah, I think for Cooper Webb, I don't think it's necessarily all about today. You know,
01:09he's thinking big picture, much like Hayden Deegan was in the 250 class. I think he's
01:13already looking toward Charlotte and Dallas and Las Vegas and what those races will look
01:18like. Is he expecting him to be his best self today and come out here and get a podium?
01:22Probably not, but he knows the more laps, the more motor, the more momentum he can build
01:26here, he will be that much better when we get into the playoffs. So I think today he
01:30just got to grit his teeth, whatever result comes, deal with it, knowing that he's taking
01:35big steps forward for when it really counts in the month of September.
01:39Yeah, absolutely. And I've never heard a rider say what Cooper did when he was saying it's
01:45all about the playoffs. And that's really good. I mean, we've got three races left in
01:50the motocross series, and, yeah, this sport, having the playoffs done a lot for this sport,
01:55but just one thing is done, Cooper Webb wouldn't be here if it wasn't for those playoffs. So
02:00for Brad, there is a win for all of his fans, and I think he's going to try everything to
02:04do his best here to put his best foot forward so he can be ready for those playoffs.
02:08Yeah, a rider of his caliber is not coming back any other reason. Probably just see you
02:13at Anaheim, maybe some offseason races, but nothing that counts for points until this
02:18playoff format was invented last year, and now we're seeing it. Remember, he actually
02:22switched teams last year and got on this Yamaha for the playoffs. So we're seeing a lot of
02:29team changes and things like that during the season, which is cool because of the playoffs.
02:34And now we go to Phil Micheletti, who is considered the grand marshal today of the number 36.
02:39This is his home event. Grew up 70 miles from here at Unadilla. So it's his last go around
02:44as a pro. He's going to retire the end of the season, so they're going to honor him
02:48throughout the day. Yeah, you know, Phil is probably not the most emotional guy. Super
02:53emotional. I'm sure he's enjoying this, and yeah, he's the mayor like another guy I know
02:58around here. He's going to try to enjoy this thing. You know, one thing I haven't noticed
03:03a lot here today. It is the hand guards there. They seem like there's not as many rocks on
03:07this on the in this soul as it used to be. So it's nice. Well, that might make even Phil
03:12happy. We asked him about his career yesterday from when I was seven years old on the other
03:19side of the valley. You know, back then we had that Saturday qualifiers, and I remember,
03:25you know, coming over and watching the guys first get on the track, and the whole valley
03:30was just grass. So to go from at that point as a kid on the other side with no one knows
03:34who you are to be on this side where, you know, a lot of people know who you are like.
03:39That's all you really can hope for. You know, at least the Nicoletti name is meant something
03:44somewhat in the sport. You know what I mean? So not just for me, but for my pops as well.
03:49So that's what the goal was when we were kids. And obviously, I was at Loretta's last week,
03:54and I see all the kids from amateurs want to get to where I was at. And, you know, just
03:59a long time. It's like I said, it's surreal. I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd make
04:04it here at this point. Even when I first turned pro, like it was a rough go at first, but
04:08to climb your way out of it, and the people that supported me to get to this point, yeah,
04:12I'm forever grateful.
04:14It does sound like we have a little bit of emotion out of Phil Nicoletti. He came in
04:17after that first practice, and I asked him how it fell out there. He said, you know,
04:21I think I'm still expecting to be between 7 and 10, you know, in the place that I order.
04:26And I said, is there an emotion established with that? Is there any feels? And he hesitated.
04:31And I thought maybe just maybe we'd get a little emotion out of him. He did say this
04:35is a track that's very hard to find balance, even one that he's so familiar with, he still
04:39hasn't nailed it. But, guys, I don't know. Do you think we'll get a tear, maybe anything
04:44out of Phil here at the end of the day?
04:47I cannot go so far as to say tears. I think he will be soaking it into a degree. It's
04:52got to be tough, James. Maybe you've been in this situation. Everyone wants to ask him
04:56about reflecting on his career and history and all that. But he does have a job to focus
05:00on. And if you lose focus at all, it's not going to be a good day.
05:05Absolutely. He's going to be in a tough spot immensely. But he's been around for a long
05:10time. As we can see, look at this, 2003, 85.
05:13At this track on amateur day.
05:15Phil Nicoletti, that number one, 71 out front. So maybe he's thinking about that right now.
05:21But, yeah, I mean, he's definitely in a weird spot. Because I remember when I was thinking
05:25about retiring, I should have retired right then. Because you're out there riding, and
05:29a part of you, you do have a job to do. And to be able to do your job, you kind of got
05:33to let go of everything and be willing to risk your life, really. So you're starting
05:38to think about your life and thinking about the ends here. He's in a weird spot. But if
05:42anybody can handle it, it would be this guy right here.
05:45JT.
05:46Yeah, I think for Phil with the emotion, you're going to get emotion, but it's going to be
05:50anger and a lot of swear words. Because he qualified 22nd, and that's the thing, right?
05:54Yes, he's soaking it in. Yes, there's going to be kind of a coronation for him today.
05:58But he wants to perform. Make no mistake, he's still incredibly competitive. He still
06:02has, let's say, at least six races here in America to run, and he wants to do really
06:07well. So I think he's finding that balance of smiling and enjoying the day. But also,
06:12he puts in a lot of work, and he wants to actually show up and put in results in.
06:15Well, a place known for history, and it will continue the long tradition of Phil doing
06:19terrible in qualifying, being super angry, yelling at everybody, and then turning out
06:23to have a good, solid top ten result at the end of the day. That is something that's been
06:27going on for years. Oh, no. That's your bro, Malcolm Stewart, down.
06:32Yeah, it looks like he's in that corner where we were just about to watch Phil, but I'm
06:36assuming he probably lost the front end going into that corner. It's a really hard transition.
06:41They hit that tabletop getting down, and the bike Gs out. It kind of lifts up before they
06:46make that left-handed corner. So I'm assuming in the way he's looking, the way he's wiping
06:51it off, that was a front-end wash.
06:53And a different look for the Huskies this weekend. They've got the blue really cashing
06:59in on their heritage. I believe they'll be running with that look at MXGP over in Europe
07:03as well. I like it. It's a good look. All the Huskies, including his teammate Christian
07:09Craig in the 450 will have that.
07:10Yeah, you know what's a good look is this blue 32 right here. Justin Cooper, hometown
07:16boy up here from upstate New York or around the New York area, feeling pretty good. And
07:21just like Chance Hymus, very technical rider, very patient. Justin Cooper, don't be surprised
07:28if he's out there, might be able to get a win today.
07:31So Justin Cooper, as you mentioned, New York native. We asked him his thoughts on this
07:34track.
07:35A good atmosphere here. I've always loved coming here, even as an amateur, and watching
07:42the pro races and stuff like that. It's just kind of a one-of-a-kind event, and I enjoy
07:47it here, obviously, with the hometown crowd and people cheering me on. That's always the
07:51extra motivation to go out there and do well. So, yeah, coming back here, got to go home
07:56a little bit this week and visit the family, catch up, and, yeah, time to race now.
08:02Yeah, Justin Cooper from Long Island, New York, cold spring harbor. Nick Romano, his
08:07teammate who rides 250, really out of Queens, New York. I don't know how motocrossers come
08:12from that deck of the woods, but Romano visited the family. He visited his family coming up
08:18here. So some at least good vibes coming into the race, but in the end, it will all depend
08:24on the results, how actually they felt about the race.
08:26Yeah, it always is. It's definitely the atmosphere. It's only as good as how you finish.
08:31That's right. But Cooper has reason to be excited right now with the lap times.
08:36Yeah, and he had chase Sexton following him behind him that last lap, and he was still
08:40I mean, chase ran the same lap times. He had 2.12.6 behind Cooper, but it was cool to watch
08:47both of them. Justin Cooper looked like he was kind of cruising, but that's kind of the
08:51way you got to ride this track, and you saw chase behind him. Now, this guy is the opposite
08:55of cruising. You always know when Aljombre is out there doing the fast lap, and finally
09:01good to see him get a podium in our last race at Washoe. So I'm sure he's feeling pretty
09:04good coming into this with that two-week break. See if he can continue that.
09:09And here on the monster energy Kawasaki, yep, first podium of the year last time out,
09:14and he is hustling right now. Yeah, you see those ruts, see his body moving,
09:19trying to keep that bike balanced, and yeah, Jason looks pretty good, J.T.
09:25Yeah, and it's so interesting watching Anderson because we know how capable he is in really
09:29slippery conditions. Coming from New Mexico, he can always seem to find traction where
09:33other riders can't, but then when you watch him ride, he's so aggressive, like he's so
09:38heavy on the throttle, and it really doesn't make a lot of sense. So you see him riding
09:42really well. He's sitting third overall. The track has a lot of traction, but I think as
09:46it gets harder, as it gets more slippery, he may find a little bit more comfort, and
09:50again, when the traction starts to go away, he has a way of finding it. So it's a really
09:54positive sign for him to be this good this early.
09:58Need some traction getting up that hill. Thanks, J.T. Talked to Anderson yesterday. Let's hear
10:05from him. Yeah, I'd like to have hopefully more motos
10:11like I had at Washougal. That would be really nice, and hopefully it would put me in a good
10:15position to, you know, be on the podium, and maybe I could show some pace at some of the
10:23future tracks that I'm comfortable at and maybe, you know, finish the job and maybe
10:28get a moto win. That'd be cool. Yeah, I think here with Jason, we always talked
10:32about even on the hard packs, he's always done well here, and I think on those kind
10:38of tracks, I think the reason that is because, yeah, he moves a lot, and he's very aggressive,
10:42but when he slams into the ruts, you notice his body's very loose. So there's one thing
10:47being super aggressive and slamming and being heavy on the bike where it stops you, where
10:51Jason is really aggressive, but when he hits these ruts, he just kind of moves through
10:56it, so it doesn't really stop him. So that's why that riding style works for him.
11:00And there you see Dylan Ferrandez right now with the Phoenix Racing Honda. Let's send
11:03it back to Katie with an update from the 250 class.
11:06Here at March Bank, this is a big event, a big ordeal for you for a couple of different
11:11reasons. It's one, Utadilla, but also here underneath the post-circuit event. How has
11:15this process of transition been? It's definitely been a little chaotic. I didn't have a crazy
11:21amount of time. After Washougal, I got the phone call to come on out and get ready on
11:26the bike that following Monday. So, yeah, I had five days on the bike, put in a lot
11:32of good time, some good testing hours for the team, and, yeah, feeling good, ready.
11:36Super excited to be here and happy and thankful for Mitch for giving me the opportunity to
11:39be back on the team. Wishing you the best out there, of course,
11:42guys. Eyes on the SMX playoffs for him. Yes, thank you, Katie. He is 21st here at March
11:48Bank. He's got to make up four to leapfrog Dylan Schwartz. Schwartz has been riding well
11:55lately. It's not going to be easy for March Banks, but he did look pretty quick to qualify.
12:00Watching Dylan Ferrandez here on the 450. Yeah, this track is going to get really slippery,
12:06as you can see right there. He was still in that rut. Ruts are going to be a lot longer
12:11today for these guys. Crucial not to keep that balance going.
12:17Still, though, I mean, it's not a mud race in any shape or the word. It's unbelievable
12:21how much rain this track took on all week. I think starting Wednesday and then all day
12:26here yesterday, it just kept on going. Yeah, it's unbelievable how good this racetrack
12:32is right now. Let's check in with chase Sexton. Seven Moto
12:36wins in a row and a growing point lead coming into this on the red bull KTM. He has had
12:41success at Unadula before and some success there. He just went to the top qualifying
12:47spot. Yeah, get that little cool sign on the back of it. You know, chase face is feeling
12:54pretty good. Nice for him. It's probably important to come out here and be fast. It feels like
12:59that break didn't really change anything. So that's nice. But the guy I'm interested
13:03to see how it performs today is this guy with the new motorcycle, just having that confidence
13:08and being very technical. Hunter has to come out and win today. Point blank.
13:15We asked Hunter about debuting this 2025 Honda. Here's what he had to say.
13:23We're at Unadula with it. Honestly, that's just plain and simple. The bike was so good
13:26out of the box production wise, and I rode the stock bike for a few days and was like,
13:31man, this thing's unreal. And the boys come out. We got a few days of testing on it. Old
13:36Hurricane or Tropical Storm Debbie, whatever you want to call it, kind of rained out this
13:41week for us a bit. But we're here. Hopefully we have a good racetrack tomorrow to show
13:47its true potential. I do think rain, hail, mud, shine, sand, whatever. It's an amazing
13:53platform, and they really knocked out of the ballpark this year with this 25 model. And
13:58we'll see how he does with it today. He's got a fast lap going right now. And about
14:04three turns left. We'll see what the time is. Yeah, definitely. The bike looks a little
14:07bit more forgiving to me. Did you notice how Hunter, when he landed off that big tabletop,
14:13he cut it all the way across the track. Yeah, he turned a mistake because he jumped off
14:17the track. He turned a mistake into actually a good line by being patient, cut back across
14:22and know how it's going to be in the lap times. But that was pretty cool. Watch that and not
14:27able to move up. Still, fourth overall is Hunter on that new 2025 Honda Cooper pushed
14:33back to second. Anderson third. It might be Sexton holding on unless someone out there
14:38is putting in a hot time at the moment. Welcome back, Ken Roxon, fifth fastest, Cooper Webb
14:43tenth. And their return from injuries. Pretty big gap between Justin Cooper and chase Sexton.
14:51You're right. You're right, yeah. So it's those two. More than two seconds up on everyone
14:57else. But a lot of things changed. New bikes, brake, riders coming back from injury. This
15:02didn't change. No, this didn't change it. I think it like I mentioned, it's really important
15:06for Chase probably himself just mentally to come out here and be the fastest because everybody
15:11hunters got new bike. You know, people arrested up trying to get ready for his playoffs. You
15:15come out here and solidify your fastest and we know you've been the strongest. Nothing's
15:20changed for that number four. So Chase Sexton looking to lock down the monster energy. Fast
15:26qualifier time fueled by Morabito. We will talk to him about that time when we return.