2024 Budds Creek Motocross - 450MX Moto 2
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00:00Yeah, guys, and for the 96 of Hunter Lawrence right now, it's all about staying present.
00:06That first overall win is sitting right in front of his face, but you cannot get ahead
00:10of yourself.
00:11You have to keep your mind in the moment, stick to your process, and do what got you
00:15that first Moto win.
00:17It's really easy to get ahead of yourself and already be thinking about that win, but
00:20you got to stay present.
00:22And for Chase Exton, he finds himself exactly in the same spot he was a week ago going into
00:26the second Moto.
00:27Not the first Moto he wanted, but he has an opportunity here to really reinforce what
00:32we saw last week and continue to build that confidence.
00:34Now, what you don't want to do is start to unwind all of the great work he's done.
00:39You don't want to give Hunter Lawrence confidence.
00:40You don't want to give anybody else confidence.
00:42The guys like Eli Tomac and Jet Lawrence on the horizon that are coming back, he really
00:46needs to show up in Moto 2 and let everybody know why he has that red plate.
00:52And Eli Tomac, welcome back.
00:54We got a fourth place that first Moto.
00:56Can you imagine if you come out here and you win this Moto, what that's going to say
00:59and everybody's going to be worried about you?
01:01So Eli, you've been at home on the couch.
01:03You well rested.
01:04You got a smile on your face.
01:05Let's see what we can do to second Moto and maybe we get a victory.
01:09And what's key here is we have heard the AMA has delayed the decision on who gets to ride
01:13for Team USA at Motocross of Nations.
01:15They want to see what Tomac has.
01:17And the position that's probably up for grabs, I would think Sexton's a shoo-in.
01:22Maybe Aaron Pletziger would be the second 450 guy.
01:25I think he's got to beat Tomac in this Moto to assure that position.
01:28It wouldn't guarantee it, but it would go a long way and you know he wants to represent
01:32Team USA badly and they were third and fourth, advantage Pletziger in the first Moto earlier
01:38today.
01:40So now about 90 minutes later, they're back on the gate again.
01:43Can Hunter Lawrence get his first overall win of the year and the first ever on a 450?
01:48How will Eli Tomac do?
01:49Can he bounce back?
01:51He's got two Motos in the tank coming back after a long injury break.
01:55It's going to be fun.
01:56Yeah, interesting point about the Aaron you mentioned earlier about the Captain America.
02:01I think he has to beat Eli pretty soundly.
02:05I think if Eli's close, then it's probably going to be delayed out.
02:08You've got to expect Eli's going to be better.
02:11Right.
02:12He's just getting back.
02:13Yeah, it can't be close, but we'll really find out here in a few minutes.
02:19All right.
02:20Well, the 28 had a good start in Moto 1.
02:22That's another one to watch.
02:24And we mentioned the SMX playoff bubble battle, Chisholm and Kulas, Nicoletti, Welton, a lot
02:29of guys fighting for that.
02:30Yeah.
02:31And I noticed Chase didn't go to that far inside gate either, so he's a few positions
02:34over.
02:35So yeah, that's probably four gates out.
02:39Yeah.
02:40So this is it.
02:45Can Hunter Lawrence or someone else end the win streak?
02:49Hunter Lawrence stands at four in a row overall for Chase Sexton.
02:55It's time to bring it in.
02:56Buzzcrank revs her up.
02:57Gates down.
02:58Hunter Lawrence again.
02:59Lights out on the starts this year.
03:00Plesinger right behind him in the Malcolm Stewart.
03:01Better start for Chase Sexton.
03:02Eli got buried in the pack.
03:03He was in the mid pack.
03:04Tough start for Chase Sexton.
03:05I think he's going to have a hard time.
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06:35Just spoke with team manager Ian Harrison on the Red Bull KTMs, and both of them went
06:39to the traditional tire, and I think that's who Hunter Lawrence was referencing, right?
06:43He's going to reference his biggest competition.
06:45That's going to be a little bit different.
06:46They're going to be able to choose different lines.
06:48They're going to be a little bit more aggressive in the harder sections of the racetrack, but
06:52mission accomplished so far for Hunter.
06:54He got out front, and we know how important track position has been.
06:57It's been the most dominant factor of the day thus far.
07:00Yeah, but he's going to have company.
07:02It looks like the number four, Chase Sexton, is starting to roll toward the front from
07:06third.
07:13Now another thing I want to ask you, James, we talk so much about the knobby tire and
07:16the scoop tire spinning up under acceleration.
07:19What about braking in some of these downhills?
07:22Is there a drawback there, too?
07:23Well, I think if it was more of the front tire, then I think the braking would come
07:28more into it.
07:29The only difference is with the tire that Hunter has, the more not knobby, but the scoop
07:34tire, is that under braking that the bike would want to slide more, more of a chatter.
07:40So you can have it where the back end starts losing the, you know, it doesn't have a good
07:46side grip.
07:47And so you start losing the rear end, which will push the front end.
07:50So sometimes, like, because the rear is not hooking up, it actually can affect your front
07:54and being around.
07:55So Hunter has to pay attention to that.
07:58With that being said, he's just going to have to be open to be able to change these lines
08:01and keep that bike off that side, try to be straight up and down, A.C.
08:06Yeah, guys, I think that the biggest thing with the paddle tire is anytime you're on
08:10lean angle, anytime you have the bike leaned over, the traction is compromised.
08:14So it's more of a point-and-shoot type of style around the track, and that's what you're
08:19going to see from Hunter Lawrence.
08:21And unfortunately, it is Colton Nichols just getting back to racing last weekend at Unadilla
08:27who is down.
08:28It's Will Hahn there as actually his trainer, even though Hahn works for the Charlie Designs
08:32Red Bull Gas Cast team.
08:33Man, you hope Colton's okay.
08:34That guy has been through some big ones in his career.
08:35Yeah, it looks like he's starting to get up, but, yeah, you know, to your point about the
08:41braking, really the only part that he really would affect it just on the braking would
08:46be the drier parts of the race track.
08:49But I think with him, it's, he can ride it.
08:52Obviously it's fun, he's just got to know how to, and obviously he's starting to figure
08:56that part out.
08:57But as this track goes on, he's just got to be careful on these looser parts, I mean,
09:02the harder parts of the race track, like coming up where they're about to come here, on that
09:06side angle, get through these rollers, that paddle tire probably is not going to be as
09:11good as chase X's or the KTM's because it's still at an angle, he's turning going through
09:17this section.
09:18So as the race goes on, Hunter's got to be careful not losing a rear end over that.
09:21And the whole reason we dance this dance of the Navi tire versus the scoop is because
09:25the dirt off the start is so much deeper than it is around most of the rest of the track.
09:30That's why one tire can be better for the start, but worse around the track and vice
09:34versa.
09:35As we catch up with Eli Tomac now at the bottom of this group, made his way from 18th to now
09:4013th, working on the French veteran, Roman Pope.
09:46And Eli can't quite make the move.
09:48Yeah, this might actually help Eli, I mean, I don't know how he felt physically coming
09:52into this race.
09:53Like, does he feel like he has the endurance?
09:55So is it better to kind of get a bad start and just get used to passing people, getting
10:00used to being around guys, maybe having some fun compared to being up front with Hunter
10:04Lawrence, chase X, and then starting to fade because you're not ready to be back just because
10:09you haven't raced.
10:10So who knows?
10:11But I think Eli's smart.
10:12He did a good job of being here.
10:14He has the pace.
10:15He looks pretty good.
10:16So overall, no matter how this race finishes, I think Eli will be pretty satisfied that
10:21he has the tools still to compete against these guys.
10:24Yeah, and it's all a building process for the number three coming back from a thumb
10:28injury and really coming back from a massive injury from last year with the torn Achilles
10:32and just trying to log time, build the base and maybe be that much stronger in the future.
10:38I got to imagine 2025 is part of the goal here, although they haven't officially announced
10:43that he's back yet.
10:44I got a sneaking suspicion he will be as he works on Pope.
10:47Yeah, Eli's being super patient around there, and even though he's battling with this guy,
10:52he's saving energy.
10:53Sometimes when you get close to these tighter parts, when you know you can't pass, you just
10:58take a breath, like whether you're behind the guy in front of him and then just keep
11:02saving it.
11:03So it might help Eli as this race goes on to save that energy and have it for the end.
11:08Makes the move on Pope.
11:14Eli Tomac here, the veteran out of Colorado, living legend of this championship, five-time
11:20champion of pro motocross in the 250 and 450 classes, making his return from injury, not
11:26the start he wanted in this one, and just working his way into the top 12 now.
11:34Next on his list will be Phil Micheletti.
11:37He is fourth all-time, Tomac, in points, in career points, fourth all-time, only three
11:45riders ever have scored more points than Eli Tomac, just to give you an idea of that living
11:49legend status.
11:52Now the battle up front, tightening with all three, not just Sexton, Plessinger is back
11:57as well.
11:58Yeah, and you've got to wonder, is this part track or are these guys picking it up?
12:02Because we saw the same thing happen in the 250 class, guys have been able to catch him,
12:06but once they get to him, they lose the time.
12:08So is Hunter Lawrence, this is all he got, is he struggling with the rear tire, or is
12:13he just playing the game and just waiting for the battle?
12:15I love this outside here, because nobody's going to be able to go around the inside of
12:19you that quickly.
12:20Oh, Plessinger's there.
12:21Yeah, Hunter's, he's got a good point now.
12:25As long as he doesn't mess the corner up, which he came close to, he would be fine.
12:32Now he's got to be very patient around here.
12:34This corner's really off-camera.
12:35You can see him.
12:36You can slide the back end.
12:37Oh, you can slide.
12:38Pretty easy there, yeah.
12:39Slide the back end, but what Hunter did, he actually went a little bit farther out, banked
12:40off that berm, put that bike straight up and down, so he didn't have to have that lean
12:41angle, J.T.
12:42That's exactly right.
12:43Hunter used the berm to make the pivot, where A.P., his trajectory was a little bit different,
12:44where he pivoted off the flat, hard ground, and that's really the difference in reality.
12:45You see him trying to get up the inside to make a pass there, but it's the little nuances
12:46like that.
12:47Yeah.
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14:27Oh, yeah.
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14:32Good job, Malcolm.
14:33And, by the way, as startling as it seems for Hunter.
14:36Has not won an overall yet.
14:38He has never won a 450 moto.
14:41Seems shocking.
14:42That is shocking to me.
14:43To hear how good this guy has been.
14:44I think he has had some close ones.
14:46But he has also been in the era of some pretty good road
14:52cross routers of his time.
14:54Aaron Blesinger is getting better. He's riding the best he's had probably his whole career.
14:58And that Moto win is coming soon enough, I believe.
15:01Yeah, couldn't even be right here, but he's got to deal with his teammate Sexton.
15:05Hunter Lawrence building a small gap at the moment while these riders battle.
15:10Oh, what a crossover from Sexton.
15:12Oh, I saw it coming. You can see where Chase went on that outside.
15:16See if Aaron can get back up the inside, but that was a power move.
15:19And that was set up by Chase.
15:21Seeing what Aaron was doing. Nice move by him.
15:25You lit up when you saw that one.
15:27I get happy when I see beauty like that. That was just beautiful.
15:31Now Sexton then almost crashed away right after that.
15:34Good job holding on. And now we're into the critical juncture.
15:37Sexton versus Lawrence again.
15:39Moto won. Sexton was not able to make it happen. He went down.
15:44Yeah, but I think Chase knows he's a lot closer. He's got more time.
15:49And there's a significant difference where Hunter might be struggling.
15:53But here's the fun. So you see Chase going on outside right now.
15:57Now he pivots, jumps on the inside, hits his double.
16:00Man, that was a nice move.
16:02I lit up, then he almost crashed, and I sat down.
16:05And I believe we heard Chase went down right now.
16:08Wait, let's watch this.
16:11Watch the four. Does he lose the front end here?
16:14There it is.
16:16Now, so it looks like what happened...
16:19Here we go.
16:21Real speed.
16:23Oh, yeah.
16:25Looks like he wanted to get to that inside berm.
16:27Tire just goes over. That's a tough break for him.
16:30Malcolm Stewart up to third now.
16:32Sexton has a lot of work to do.
16:34It's the opening that Hunter Lawrence has been looking for
16:37to try to get that overall win.
16:46And, yeah, credit, like you said, Malcolm Stewart,
16:49hanging in there, able to take advantage, at least for the moment.
16:52Sexton, like a freight train, going back toward the front.
16:56You're talking about some braking power.
16:58Did you see Chase almost lose the front end
17:00because he was so hard on the brake?
17:02He knew he wanted to get around my brother
17:04right before he got to that pivot.
17:06And as much time Chase went down,
17:08just like he did in that first moto,
17:10but I believe Chase is going to come back up,
17:12and he still has a chance to win this race.
17:14No, 6.8 seconds. That is workable
17:16because we're still not even at the halfway mark.
17:19That was pretty.
17:21Look how much time he was able to gain.
17:23If he can pull that off, he's going to gain a second
17:25just in that section right there.
17:27And it's a lot easier because he's not going through
17:29all those rollers. He's missing them.
17:31So don't be surprised if he's number four
17:33back on that seven here in the next lap or so.
17:36And how about Hunter Lawrence?
17:38A couple of attacks from Plessinger,
17:40and now stretching it to 3.7 seconds.
17:44Scoop tire for the win at the moment.
17:46Let's see what the number four can put together.
17:49Hunter Lawrence hanging on.
17:52Now you wonder if Hunter's in this position.
17:54He's got two options.
17:56Either you know it's still 15 minutes left,
17:58and you feel like you can hold this thing on,
18:00or do you feel like Chase is going to come?
18:02Because if you feel like you have some pace,
18:04then maybe you try to attack right now
18:06and make Chase have to push it
18:08like kind of what your brother does.
18:10Put him in a situation where he has to take the chances,
18:12or you just keep riding your deal,
18:14let him come back up,
18:16and then keep putting these flurries of attacks.
18:18Once he's closed, try to attack him then,
18:20make him frustrated that way.
18:22So we'll be interested to see what happens here
18:24in the next couple of laps.
18:26We'll tell the story with Hunter.
18:28And you see Plessinger lurking in second,
18:30but right now the 96 trying to put it together.
18:37And credit to the perseverance of Hunter in this team.
18:40It did look like things were falling away
18:42by the time we got to Washougal.
18:44Missed the podium for the first time,
18:46and could have easily thrown in the towel
18:48and just said, all right, it's not going to happen this year.
18:50But he's come back much better
18:52after the time off.
18:58Hunter Lawrence
19:00trying to deliver.
19:0214 minutes left, says his mechanic.
19:04Camera, camera.
19:06And that's a critical point.
19:08That's halfway through the moto.
19:10Still plenty to play for,
19:12and Sexton is closing.
19:14Taking it from 6.8 to 5.9.
19:20Hunter's pulling away from Plessinger a bit.
19:22Send it down to Adam Cicirullo.
19:26And it's a critical part of the race,
19:28like you guys said, for Hunter Lawrence.
19:30Having the first win dangling in front of your face,
19:32as I said before the start of the moto,
19:34it's really easy to let your mind wander to that.
19:38To think about popping the champagne
19:40and thinking about how happy you'll be
19:42when you win this race.
19:44It's okay if your mind wanders,
19:46but you have to bring it back to the present moment
19:48as quick as possible.
19:50Yeah, rooting for Hunter here.
19:54Let's see if he can do it.
19:56The SMX track view giving an idea
19:58where the two KTMs are.
20:00Here's the gap.
20:02And Sexton is back to his teammate.
20:04Yeah, as I mentioned, I felt like Chase
20:06was going to be back on that 96.
20:08Now he has a little bit of open room.
20:10So Chase has been able to close in on these guys.
20:12But once you get close,
20:14it's been hard to pass.
20:16So if you have the pace, you can catch him,
20:18which that's what he's doing.
20:20The hard part is once you get there,
20:22getting around them.
20:24But before that, I saw Hunter Lawrence
20:26lose the front end in that sweeper section
20:28right after you go off the old finish line jump.
20:30I think a part of that is because of his rear tire.
20:32Being on the lean, he started losing the rear
20:34and he did a good job at saving it.
20:36But number four, just like he has
20:38in the previous weekend, he is coming.
20:42Yes, but how quickly can he make this happen?
20:44Or can they at least match
20:46the pace of Lawrence
20:48while they battle?
20:50Going to try the inside.
20:54Oh, elbow-to-elbow.
20:56Plessinger's on the inside.
20:58Sexton not able to get out of that rut.
21:00Coming up to the section
21:02where Chase passed him earlier in the moto.
21:04If Aaron doesn't watch out,
21:06Chase is going to do it again.
21:08Let's see if Aaron goes on the defense,
21:10which he should just slow down right here.
21:12No, he did it again!
21:14Come on, Aaron.
21:16See if he can get on the outside.
21:18And...
21:20Oh, this outside actually has worked.
21:22Let's see if Plessinger can use it.
21:24He wasn't far enough ahead,
21:26and Sexton's got him again.
21:28Too even with him, but yeah,
21:30what Aaron should have done was slow down right there,
21:32made Chase have to slow down
21:34to not hit that double JT.
21:36I've been talking all day about when riders get there,
21:38they have to have a plan.
21:40You can't just wing it on this racetrack.
21:42It's too difficult to pass for that.
21:44So I don't know if Hunter Lawrence has picked up on that line.
21:46His lap time can tell me he hasn't.
21:48So Chase Sexton, that's where he'll make his move.
21:50He knows that line's worked.
21:52He knows he's got it in his back pocket,
21:54so all he's got to do is get to the rear tire
21:56and set him up right there, and he'll fly right by.
21:58And the lap time's JT.
22:00Yes.
22:02A 1.57.7
22:04for Sexton, a 1.59.5.
22:06There you see it on screen.
22:08Nearly two seconds quicker
22:10with Sexton than Lawrence
22:12the last time around.
22:14Oh, a little mistake there.
22:16Yeah, that's why I was mentioning if Hunter has more pace,
22:18then just try to go fast,
22:20because Chase has to catch you,
22:22and he's going to take some chances to do it.
22:24You can tell by the tires that he is on that paddle tire,
22:26so he's got to be careful not to over-rod this track
22:28where Chase does have the regular paddle tire,
22:30I mean, regular scoop tire.
22:32So as you can see,
22:34Hunter, if he tries to go fast,
22:36did you notice that rear end sliding all the way up that face?
22:38And it's only going to get worse
22:40as this moto goes on,
22:42and it seems like he's really starting to struggle with that.
22:44The drier the track gets,
22:46the tougher it will be.
22:48Sexton continuing to rally.
22:54And this is the section
22:56where he's made up a ton of time
22:58and made passes.
23:00Right there.
23:02Putting the power down.
23:14And the SMX playoffs once again
23:16offering an opportunity for camping
23:18at all three rounds.
23:20Spots are going quick.
23:22Sign up today at supermotocross.com.
23:24Be just like the scene we have here
23:26at Bud's Creek.
23:28People have been here since Thursday.
23:30Trackside.
23:32Racing, watching.
23:34And we'll have the campgrounds at the playoff races.
23:36And all those campers,
23:38well, they're not at the campgrounds now.
23:40They're up along the fence.
23:42It's going to be close.
23:44Yeah, I mean, Hunter's doing a great job.
23:46And when we're talking about that section
23:48where Chase passed Aaron,
23:50I don't know if Hunter could do that.
23:52Because that takes a lot of lean angle.
23:54You've got to have trust on your bike.
23:56So I don't know if Hunter would do that anyway
23:58because of the tire choice that he made.
24:00Well, that might make it easier
24:02for Sexton to make a pass
24:04if he can get there.
24:06We're down to eight minutes and two laps.
24:08We'll give you the motorsport.com
24:10whole shot replay while this battle
24:12is settled for the moment.
24:20Hunter out of the gate.
24:22It's been the story all year.
24:24Yep.
24:26Same thing as in first moto, had a clear jump.
24:28Was at the first corner
24:30first.
24:32Let's see Chase.
24:38Got pulled by his teammate
24:40Flesinger there.
24:42And had some work to do.
24:44But the big problem was the crash after it.
24:46And he has had to do everything
24:48to re-bridge the gap
24:50for the 96.
24:52Hunter Lawrence, can he deliver
24:54his first ever overall win on a 450?
25:04And he's saying it was four tenths
25:06the difference in lap time.
25:08Sexton dropped off, but Hunter dropped off even more.
25:10Now a two minute versus the 159.
25:12Did you notice when Hunter leaned
25:14that bike over, he lost it.
25:16As I mentioned,
25:18I don't think he feels comfortable enough
25:20because he was going to try to hit that double.
25:22But as soon as he leaned it on the side,
25:24he started losing the rear tire.
25:26As we're talking about these tires, it's not like
25:28the Dunlop's a bad tire.
25:30It's just the difference between what tire
25:32Chase has on the scoop tire
25:34compared to the regular knobby tire.
25:36One works better on that lean.
25:38He needs that lean angle to hit that double
25:40where Chase is getting past Aaron.
25:42The tire that Hunter has is designed for mud
25:44or sand.
25:46But it's just good off the start so they use it
25:48even when we don't have sand.
25:50Man, that was beautiful what Chase did.
25:52He doubled into that corner, kept his foot on the pegs.
25:54That was nice.
25:56Oh, and it worked because look how close he is
25:58to the 96.
26:00Thor Battlebox showing the fight for fourth.
26:02Anderson
26:04has caught Stewart.
26:06So that'll be another one to watch.
26:08But the battle for lead is tightening.
26:10Sexton
26:12is right there now.
26:14Yeah, Chase is there.
26:16Oh,
26:18this track is drying out
26:20even more. I like these lines here
26:22because once you get in one rut,
26:24you kind of got to stay there.
26:26That's where it allows somebody like Chase,
26:28if you catch him, to be able to pass him
26:30because the guy has to stay in his line
26:32where in other parts of the racetrack you can cut back
26:34in four.
26:36But Hunter has done a great job.
26:38Chase caught Aaron. He didn't catch Hunter that
26:40quick, so Hunter probably
26:42tried picking up the pace. He realized Chase is
26:44coming, and I believe
26:46Chase has one opportunity
26:48if he's going to make the pass up here because
26:50if he shows Hunter that line and
26:52he doesn't make it, then Hunter can actually
26:54start blocking it by slowing down.
26:56Oh, okay.
26:58I think Hunter is very smart
27:00and well aware of
27:02being able to dictate where guys are
27:04and be able to change the lines up and adapt
27:06into the track.
27:08And Sexton is not close enough
27:10to use that jump right there this time.
27:12Yeah, Chase goes a little
27:14bit farther inside, so maybe there's a rut that's
27:16getting kicked on there because he didn't even try to
27:18take that line.
27:20Maybe he just knows that it's going to happen.
27:22As we say, Malcolm
27:24down in battle for four.
27:26Yeah. He's actually pulled back away
27:28from Jason. That's right. Yeah, they're in
27:30those rollers now, and he has pulled away from
27:32the monster Kawasaki rider
27:34of Anderson there, Stuart of the
27:36Rockstar Husk Marta. So as a
27:38rider, if you're Sexton, do you
27:40try to hide that line until
27:42you're really, really close?
27:44Well, I think really
27:46Hunter won't be able to see it, so
27:48the only way Hunter would even notice that's there
27:50Oh, he's going to try right now, Chase.
27:52Do that moment right there.
27:54Hunter's like, wait, wait, wait. Where did he come from?
27:56Look at this. Sexton in the lead.
27:58Wow.
28:00You ain't got to hide nothing.
28:02He's got a pass, but the hard part
28:04for Hunter, if he's going to get around, he's got
28:06to try to get around Chase now because the way
28:08Chase is rolling, he might go to
28:10might just roll away from him, but it's
28:12going to be hard for Hunter because he has to stick
28:14to his lines, which Chase knows all of them
28:16because of the tire situation.
28:18Yeah. Do you have
28:20fewer options on the racetrack when you have that
28:22tire? A hundred percent. You got a fewer options.
28:24And really, the options come from is when you
28:26you need a pass. So being able to
28:28get on the inside of Chase or doing
28:30what Chase did to Aaron,
28:32it's going to be hard for Hunter
28:34because he doesn't have a lean angle. And as you
28:36can see, Hunter didn't even know that he was even
28:38there because he looks
28:40over and he's like, where did that come from?
28:42That's because Chase went a hundred
28:44miles an hour around that corner.
28:46That was like NASCAR turn here.
28:48There we go.
28:50Whoa!
28:52Seriously? That was a great move.
28:54Caught about surprise as JT was mentioned.
28:56And once he got there, he's got to make it happen.
28:58Adam, what'd you see?
29:00Guys, I see the growth
29:02with Chase Sexton. You see a couple years ago
29:04he had this pace, but
29:06he would turn that mistake, that little
29:08tip over he had earlier, he would turn that
29:10into more mistakes and end up
29:12going the other way. And now, it almost looks like
29:14it's just made him mad. And he's
29:16going faster than he has all day. So
29:18just the evolution of Chase Sexton.
29:20Yeah, and I agree.
29:22And we talked about last week, Chase is a different
29:24rider out front than in the back.
29:26Sometimes when he's behind like he was
29:28earlier in his race, it looked like he
29:30was just getting stuck in their pace.
29:32But when he went down, he
29:34lost that time, and I think it was somewhat
29:36put him back out front again, where
29:38he had to go fast, he could see
29:40the whole racetrack, and it's not surprising
29:42that he got that confidence, and he was able to
29:44close on these guys, JT.
29:46Yeah, sometimes you get in this
29:48thought process, and that's exactly what
29:50you're thinking too much. You're thinking about the title,
29:52you're thinking about where am I going to catch up to
29:54you're thinking about why can't I find a way to get the whole
29:56shot. Your brain is doing too much.
29:58And then you have a crash like that,
30:00and your brain shuts off. And I don't mean
30:02literally, but you don't worry about
30:04any of that anymore. And you just ride
30:06purely on instinct. A lot of that's anger,
30:08and it's just reacting to
30:10the moment. And you can see it change
30:12for Chase. His intensity picked up.
30:14He didn't seem to really care about
30:16what was going on, and that pushed him forward. We've seen
30:18it at times from him. You go back to Hangtown,
30:20you go back to these great rides
30:22he's had. It was almost always
30:24caused by something
30:26tipping his hand. He was able to just
30:28take those thoughts out of his head
30:30and ride the way he knows how.
30:32Yeah, absolutely. And just like
30:34Hangtown and maybe this race, the
30:36sense of, okay, you show up in this
30:38moto like you're expected to win. Once you
30:40go down or you have a first corner crash, now
30:42there's nothing to lose. So you're riding out
30:44there just free because everything's
30:46lost for you. And when Chase is in that spot,
30:48he can come from last
30:50and win the race. So he's just got to
30:52figure out how to do that more often when
30:54he's out front, when he's close
30:56to these guys, which is a lot easier said than done.
30:58But clearly when the dude decides
31:00he wants to go beast mode, there ain't nobody
31:02out here in this field that can even run that
31:04pace.
31:10And just
31:12a thing of beauty to watch now
31:14as the four tries
31:16to extend the overall win streak
31:18to five races.
31:26Yep, and he has put Hunter
31:28in the rearview mirror,
31:30a distant third.
31:32Malcolm Stewart
31:34hanging in there. Yeah, Malcolm's hanging in there.
31:36He's had pressure from Jason and
31:38Justin Cooper. So
31:40I think Jason somewhat was probably
31:42going to let Malcolm
31:44have it until Justin came in.
31:46So
31:48he's at his own right now.
31:50I'm going to ask your brother about this
31:52track.
31:54Has one promoter across top five
31:56that was at this track
31:582013
32:00and looking to do it again.
32:02This is probably the best track for him.
32:06Yeah, I remember that 2013
32:10I was stuck behind him for like seven laps.
32:12Oh, you remember that race? I remember
32:14that race because I think he took me out.
32:16Oh, wow. We had
32:18a little family
32:20meeting afterwards.
32:24Fourth overall that day, third in the
32:26moto. Well, he's motivated.
32:28Got to keep you behind him one way or another. Yeah,
32:30no, he did. It was in this corner. I was yelling
32:32at him for eight laps and he was like, I didn't
32:34even know you. I'm like, bro, come on. I'm like
32:36the only Suzuki out there. I'm yelling at you
32:38every race and pops is coming out
32:40for both of us, though. It was good.
32:42You're yelling in the corner. I was yelling at him and
32:44eventually I was so tired I couldn't yell.
32:46I didn't have the breath.
32:48Oh, that's
32:50one way to get him so tired
32:52he can't yell at me anymore.
32:54Warm myself out.
32:56Yeah, cardio
32:58heart rate was to the roof from all the yelling.
33:00So Malcolm looking to hold on.
33:02Anderson had caught him.
33:04It's like something happened to
33:06Jason. He dropped back, but oh, yeah,
33:08Justin Cooper up the fifth and all. Yeah, this
33:10is good. I mean, Malcolm's been talked
33:12about earlier, slowly getting better and better.
33:14And this is what a start does. So
33:16this is where he feels like he's alone
33:18and he wants to be. And it's good to see him
33:20back up here. Best finish
33:22outdoors for a while. Here comes
33:24Jacob. But number
33:2632, he's trying to get on the Captain America
33:28team as well. And he's battling
33:30with Aaron in the third and point. So Justin
33:32has a lot to fight for to try to get these
33:34extra points. See if
33:36Malcolm can hold him off with two laps left.
33:38Yeah, Justin Cooper could be in play for team
33:40U.S. state boat across the nation as well.
33:42As for Tomac,
33:44it never really materialized.
33:46He did eventually pass Nicoletti.
33:48It's up to 11, but that's
33:50going to be it for the number three.
33:52And that might end up being seventh overall
33:54for him.
33:56And the good thing is we'll see
33:58the three back at Ironman.
34:00Yeah, I'm looking at the lap times.
34:02Eli, I believe Nicoletti
34:04might have fell and Eli would have got around
34:06him because Nicoletti
34:08did a 2.11. Eli did a
34:102.06. And there's only
34:12a three-second gap between
34:14there, so. Uh-oh.
34:16Cooper is right there on Malcolm right now.
34:18They got a lap rider in between them.
34:20The 93, Bryce
34:22Shelley.
34:24They get around Shelley. Here we go.
34:26Looks like Malcolm's been out front with that number plate.
34:28It's nice and clean.
34:30Big spray on that thing.
34:32Big gear out there.
34:35Either way, fourth or
34:37fifth, it's going to be the best.
34:39This is good.
34:41The best part is, beginning part
34:43of the season, and Malcolm,
34:45this is when you know as a rider you've gotten better
34:47because it's Sakamoto at the end of this
34:49championship, and you're still fighting
34:51against a guy who's close to
34:53third in points.
34:55Hey, Justin, you know that ain't going to happen.
34:57No, he
34:59took the line away.
35:01He'll let you go by, but not around outside.
35:03Yeah, this part.
35:05Oh, he's not
35:07letting him do it. Justin, I just told
35:09you that he wasn't going to do it.
35:11Come on.
35:13Not going around the outside.
35:15It's a good battle, Justin Cooper, Malcolm
35:17Stewart. There is Hunter Lawrence second
35:19way out in front of
35:21Plessiger now.
35:23Yeah, good route for Hunter.
35:25You wonder
35:27does the tire, did that play into
35:29this? Because he actually looks like he's
35:31still pretty good, but you can tell there was
35:33a little bit of traction issues, some things that he
35:35wanted to do that he couldn't. So maybe
35:37in the past that next time
35:39they're in this situation, the bike has gotten
35:41better. Hunter has gotten better. So maybe we'll
35:43rely and have that confidence like Chase
35:45Sexton and believe, look, I need
35:47the bike that works on the track because
35:49whether start or not, I feel like I can come
35:51up here and maybe race against this guy where I
35:53think he feels like he needs to be in front of Chase,
35:55and I think that might have hurt him
35:57in this Sakamoto. No doubt
35:59Sexton was able to put it together down
36:01the stretch, and it's going to be
36:03the second week in a row where it's 2-1
36:051-2 between Lawrence
36:07and Sexton.
36:09And this is Chase Sexton taking control.
36:11It was a three rider
36:13fight, both Jet and Hunter Lawrence
36:15in it early. Jet went out with a thumb injury. We
36:17hope to get him back for the playoffs
36:19in September,
36:21starting September 7th, and what a battle
36:23that is going to be as Eli Tomac gets
36:25stronger. Cooper Webb will be back,
36:27but they all got to go through the
36:29number four, who will be the number one
36:31seed when the playoffs begin.
36:33Looks good.
36:35Again, a shout out to KTM.
36:37They got two riders up in the top three
36:39looking good. Tom Bial's riding
36:41really good, so their whole program
36:43future looks good with Julian
36:45Vermeer and the rookies.
36:47RJ winning a championship,
36:49so a lot of stuff is going good
36:51for these guys, but man,
36:53to take Chase Sexton, some of the
36:55issues that he's had in the past, come over here
36:57to KTM, the way the season started,
36:59not like it was a struggle because he was on the podium
37:01in the first race at Anaheim,
37:03but to get at this position, the way he
37:05has and be dominating this championship,
37:07got to give him props
37:09and the whole team, KTM and Austria for it.
37:11Yes, this is a long game. There were many
37:13frustrating nights in Monster Energy Supercross,
37:15and to now be where they are
37:17in Pro Motocross,
37:19just never giving up on it, that has always been
37:21his motto, and it has paid off.
37:23Five straight
37:25overall wins. Chase Sexton
37:27conquers Butts Creek.
37:31Even with the crash.
37:33And I think this is why
37:35he's even more pumped on this one.
37:39Yes, you start to think, sometimes the crash
37:41is what made you come back and win the race.
37:43The crash spun off you being
37:45free, but Hunter Lawrence
37:47did a good job. I still see a lot more
37:49fight in him. He's a lot closer
37:51than this, but man, when Chase
37:53gets rolling, as I said, he is hard to beat.
37:57Well, just imagine the lessons Hunter Lawrence
37:59as a rookie is learning right now. I mean, he is being
38:01pushed to his limit and giving it his all every
38:03week. He's going to be formidable
38:05in the years to come. Yes, and say
38:07that again. He's a rookie. Yes,
38:09exactly. He's a rookie, but he's
38:11with his brother and how good he's been all year long.
38:13It's a surprise as we're
38:15watching Grant Harlan.
38:17We're all about the points here at SMX.
38:1915th. He has been around the
38:21top 10 in most of the motos as of late.
38:2315th is actually below par
38:25for what he's been doing recently,
38:27but he is rallying.
38:29Last year, he was great in Supercross,
38:31kind of ran out of energy. He's pretty fried
38:33by the time the playoffs began. This year,
38:35it's the opposite. He's getting stronger
38:37late. Yes, I think
38:39they know right now. Yes, and he's still
38:41trying to fight for positions. I mean,
38:43these guys, they're prepared now. They went through
38:45this last year was the first time in these playoffs,
38:47so they kind of know how to work. And especially
38:49like this, they know what they need to do.
38:51And you can see it. That's
38:53both the Frenchman riding the wide
38:55motorcycle. He was like, look, the
38:57race is over. We shouldn't be battling.
38:59But as we say, these single
39:01points, they matter as Grant bears it
39:03in this corner. Maybe I thought
39:05he was going to try to do a chase X to move in these rollers,
39:07but kind of messed that corner up
39:09a 17th
39:11at some X points. I'm glad we got to show this. This
39:13is one of the things that you usually only see as
39:15a fan at the races and
39:17promote across. You will see a battle
39:19for 14 and you would swear
39:21it's the S.M.X. World Championship
39:23or Daytona Supercross or Anaheim
39:25one on the line. Yeah, I mean, he's
39:27just finished that race. He's just as tired as the
39:29guy. Absolutely. He put as much energy
39:31to see this guy out.
39:33Your overall winner, Jay Sexton.