250 Moto 1 - AMA Pro Motocross Ironman 2024
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Weeks ago, wish him well on his pro debut, now time for KTM keys to the moto, James.
00:05Well, this championship, it might be over, Hayden Deegan's your champion, but for all
00:09these other guys, it ain't over yet.
00:11We just mentioned Hayden Deegan winning the playoffs championship, the super motocross
00:15championship.
00:16Levi, you're in that same position.
00:18All these guys are.
00:19It ain't over.
00:20Today's another start to it.
00:22Let's get it.
00:23That's right.
00:24There's something to build toward with the playoffs just two weeks away, and Levi Kitson
00:28sitting on a hot streak, three of the last four races and two in a row, he has been the
00:33winner.
00:34Then you get Roxton in the mix now.
00:36Adams making his pro debut, fifth fastest and qualifying, and a pretty tricky brand-new
00:41start.
00:42This is exciting.
00:44That's how excited we are.
00:45Yeah, it is.
00:46Here we go.
00:47Revs are up.
00:48Gates down.
00:49And we heard there's dry dirt on the outside.
00:57Jordan Smith trying to make a run for it.
00:59He's up to third.
01:00He might even get to the lead now.
01:02It worked from the outside gate.
01:05Jordan Smith at the 31.
01:06Tom Fial gets him back.
01:07Great start by Jordan being that far on the outside.
01:09Looks like Chance Hymus is in third place.
01:12Hayden Deegan got pinched off from the start, so he has to come through the pack, but it
01:15worked out for number 31.
01:19Shout-out to our man J.T.
01:20On that one, he said watch Smith and Sivacci on the outside.
01:23It might work.
01:24It did.
01:25And one of the Kawasaki riders is up there.
01:27Is that master pool?
01:29Looks like master pool.
01:30Drew Adams is in fifth behind him.
01:33Great start for the rookie.
01:35Roxton is there.
01:36I think that was the one worry that Roxton had.
01:38You can hear in the interview before the race, would he get the start dialed on the 250?
01:43He's in contention.
01:44Look at this battle right now.
01:46Like I said, it ain't over.
01:47These guys are showing it.
01:48Great to see Kenny up there, and Drew Adams is right behind him.
01:52Great start.
01:53We've been seeing the last few weeks, Chance Hymus has been pretty froggy on these opening
01:57laps.
01:58Hopefully he can keep that thing up and Tom Vial can do the same.
02:01So it is Vial, Hymus, Smith, master pool, Roxton, kitchen is sixth.
02:08That Hayden?
02:09Hayden is way back now, 35th.
02:13So is that what we call what happened there?
02:15Yes.
02:16He was crashing, crossing up the lines.
02:18I think Drew Adams is looking to make moves on his new teammate, master pool.
02:23Tom Vial looks to get away.
02:25Yeah, Tom has been in this position a couple times this year and has some accidents, throwing
02:30some race wind possibly, but making mistakes early in the moto.
02:33So looks like he's feeling pretty good.
02:36Same thing with Chance Hymus.
02:37So hopefully those guys can keep it up.
02:38But yeah, I'm interested to see what happened to our number one, Hayden Degan.
02:43Actually it was not Adams making moves.
02:45It was kitchen.
02:46Kitchen is the green machine back there who has made a bunch of passes and I believe he's
02:50up to fourth.
02:51So we watch Hymus on the 48th.
02:54I think we have the aftermath of Degan's crash.
02:57Oh.
02:58Yeah.
02:59Yeah.
03:00Looks like he probably, from the position, he probably just went in there and washed
03:03their front end out.
03:04Probably trying not to follow guys.
03:05They put a little bit of water on the track.
03:07As you can see, they had some track maintenance right there.
03:10That's what happens when you don't get a good start.
03:11He took a chance.
03:12It didn't work out.
03:14Dude, Levi, kitchen is motoring.
03:16He just got around master pool.
03:18He's put Roxon behind him on the 47th.
03:21Riding the momentum.
03:22But Roxon's going right with him.
03:23Yeah.
03:24Let's see if Kenny can hang with his training partner at this moment.
03:28And it was Drew Adams.
03:29Just Levi's coming up.
03:30He passed all those guys.
03:32Yeah.
03:33You got to think the confidence of the last few weekends outside of Washougal.
03:36This has been your guy who's winning everything at number 47 on that monster energy pro circuit
03:41Kawasaki.
03:42Master pool looking to come back now on kitchen around the outside.
03:45And he makes the move.
03:46Oh, man.
03:47That was a tough one.
03:48Levi was trying to pull a tear off and he was losing a front end.
03:51Ty just went around the outside of him.
03:54So.
03:55Hey, Roxon now challenging kitchen and makes the pass.
03:58So kitchen passes too.
04:00They get him back.
04:01And by the way, Roxon and kitchen have been riding together during the week.
04:04They got some friendly fire right now.
04:06Talking some trash.
04:07Good battle.
04:08Is the kitchen open or closed?
04:10We can't figure it out.
04:12Yeah.
04:13I wonder how much better Levi's feeling.
04:14You got to remember last weekend as his teammate rookie teammates trying to get up on the inside.
04:19Last weekend he was sick and he was still able to win that second moto.
04:22So I'm sure he's feeling better.
04:25But he didn't like those two passes after making all those passes.
04:27Yeah.
04:28And Adams at the back of the shot, as you mentioned, is right with him.
04:31The young rider out of Tennessee.
04:33Well, so far so good for Roxon.
04:35He's right here in the fight.
04:37Yeah.
04:38Kenny looks pretty good.
04:39I think this is going to help him as he loses the rear end.
04:42That was close right there.
04:43It's going to be tricky these first couple laps.
04:46J.T.
04:47Yeah.
04:48The track is so slippery right now.
04:49They've added water, which will help throughout the day.
04:50But these early laps right there on the jump faces are so tricky and they're also trying
04:54to push.
04:55But I was also just thinking about the battle.
04:56Look at this.
04:57You've got Ken Roxon dropping down to the 250 class for the first time in 11 years.
05:01You've got Levi kitchen who is in his 250 prime winning three out of the four last races.
05:05And then you've got 16-year-old Drew Adams probably looks up to both of these guys wondering
05:10how he got here.
05:11So it's a very unique situation.
05:12I can't wait to watch it unfold.
05:14Yeah.
05:15What story lines and plot lines we have crossing.
05:18Roxon and kitchen battling again.
05:20Just like they do back home.
05:21They ride at the same track in Florida, sandbox.
05:25Jordan Smith, though, hanging tough.
05:27All this battling.
05:28And he's still there in front of him in the 31.
05:29Yeah.
05:30Last time this year we've seen Jordan Smith up front in the first moto.
05:35So he's always had speed at one point.
05:37He was leading that supercross championship against Levi.
05:41And then so for him and on top of that, you've also got a two-time world champion out front
05:46in Tom Vial.
05:47So the talent field is there.
05:49That's how deep this 250 class is.
05:51And Jordan started this motocross campaign saying the goal was a podium.
05:55He's never had an overall podium in motocross.
05:58Maybe today, the final day of the year, is the time to get that done.
06:01And look.
06:02He's actually closed back up a bit on Hymus.
06:04Yeah.
06:05I was looking up.
06:06It looked like Tom made a mistake and allowed chance to come up.
06:08And so, yeah.
06:09Things are going to tighten up.
06:11You know this thing ain't going to stay this way for this moto.
06:13Hymus on the inside, James, showing a wheel to Vial.
06:17Yeah.
06:18That outside, Tom knew he had better momentum.
06:21That inside with that rut, he knew he wasn't going to get past.
06:25But yeah.
06:26Chance is starting to put the pressure on.
06:28Tom just needs to calm down.
06:29It's a long race.
06:31So he's got plenty of time to do it.
06:33One thing today, the lap times are a little bit longer.
06:35So these guys aren't going to have as many laps as they're probably used to.
06:39So this race will be over pretty quickly.
06:43So same amount of time on the clock.
06:44But it will actually feel shorter?
06:46It will feel a lot shorter for these guys.
06:48One lap can make a huge difference.
06:50And depending on where you hit it, this race can be anywhere from 33 to 37 minutes.
06:55So yeah.
06:56I think these guys are going to be a lot more racy today because of that lap time being
07:00a little bit longer.
07:01It's going to feel shorter for them.
07:05Here's what's interesting about Vial.
07:07He has led seven motos this year.
07:09He only has two moto wins.
07:11As you alluded to, he's crashed while leading several times.
07:15That's part of the reason the number reads that way.
07:18Not what you really expect from one of the more experienced riders in this field.
07:22Send it back down to J.T.
07:24Well, remember for Tom Vial, he was the east coast 250 monster energy supercross champion.
07:28And everybody expected him to carry that momentum into this pro motocross championship.
07:32He's a two time MX2 world champion.
07:35And this should be the series where he shines.
07:37But I think the most important thing for Tom is to get momentum back, get back on track,
07:42find those winning ways.
07:43Because in two weeks time, this series will shift into SMX and he'll have another opportunity
07:49to win a second championship in 2024.
07:52So I'm sure he understands that this was a little bit of an underwhelming summer for
07:55him.
07:56But the opportunity ahead is paramount.
07:58Yeah, I completely agree.
08:00And I think with Tom, what he also needs to realize, he's been riding really good.
08:05Even better than he did last year.
08:06And I would say he's probably riding better than he did even in supercross when he won
08:10that title.
08:11Just unfortunately, as you just mentioned, Jason, those stats about him leading motos
08:15but only having two wins, it's the mistakes that cost him, not necessarily his speed and
08:20his riding.
08:21Yes, last week, Tom saying he's pretty pissed off about the fact that he doesn't have an
08:27overall win, at least not yet.
08:30And this is his opportunity to deliver one.
08:32He stabilized that gap with Hymus just a little bit.
08:36Yeah, things are starting to bunch up.
08:38The man on the move is the number 29, Tom Asterpool.
08:42So he's closing in on Jordan Smith.
08:44Oh, is that an RJ Hampshire sighting?
08:47Yeah, we got an RJ sighting coming up behind the rookie, Drew Adams.
08:51Yeah, so he's in the fight, too, RJ Hampshire, that white rock star Husqvarna.
08:55And he's looking to make the move on Adams.
08:58See if he can make it stick around this tree turn.
09:02Yeah, this thing funnels in back to one line.
09:04But Drew makes a mistake.
09:05Let's see if RJ can get to the inside of him.
09:09Not quite.
09:10Hey, let's send it to Katie with more.
09:11Yeah, RJ battling right now.
09:12He said this is kind of like a bit of practice for him.
09:15He's getting practice on the weekends.
09:17Getting these motos in.
09:18He wants to get into race mode.
09:19He said he does know he has the speed in him.
09:22He's just not sure how long he can maintain that speed through the moto.
09:26So keep an eye on RJ Hampshire with this battle, especially as it might be wearing him out
09:29after that injury.
09:30Well, the way RJ rides, he's definitely in shape.
09:34He is very loose on the motorcycle.
09:36I think for him, like he mentioned, he does have the speed.
09:39He looks like RJ.
09:40So clearly he's back to as far as the injury wise, feeling 100%.
09:44But he definitely has to get that race pace going and continue being like RJ is.
09:49Yeah.
09:50And he told me due to the rain in Florida this week, he was only able to ride once.
09:53So he really needs seat time.
09:55Hasn't been able to get it.
09:57Now another challenger, is that rider D Francesco moving up?
10:01Yeah.
10:02And he made the pass.
10:03RJ went outside.
10:04I don't think he realized that rider D was that close and he was able to get around.
10:07Nice move by him.
10:09Talked to rider D this morning.
10:10It's actually the fourth time he's raced this track.
10:13Once at combine.
10:14The last two years and now.
10:16So it's actually the track he's most familiar with as a pro national.
10:20Showing right now on the 34th.
10:21Yeah.
10:22I actually think for a lot of these rookies in here, they had an opportunity to race this,
10:26like you said, on the moto combine or last year they came in and raced it in the motocross
10:30series.
10:31So a lot of these guys, this is the second time, second or third time being familiar
10:34with this racetrack as we're watching top master pool trying to get up on the back of
10:39Jordan Smith.
10:40Yeah.
10:41That will be for third.
10:43the podium mix.
10:44He had three motos in a row where he had a great start and then crashed.
10:49And then had to basically come from last.
10:51So now he's up there.
10:53Look at Ken Roxon.
10:54You know that Ken Roxon ain't going nowhere.
10:57I'm sure he's having fun.
10:58I mean, it's a great opportunity to be coming out here and racing against these kids.
11:02The first time he's probably ever raced most of these guys, but also no pressure, having
11:07a good time as he tries to go up the inside of Ty.
11:10Oh, Kenny.
11:11He set that up way in advance and able to make the move experience, baby.
11:17Yeah.
11:18Great move by Kenny.
11:19And he knew once he got to the inside top tie, didn't have no choice.
11:23And that was a nice move.
11:25You see, he's got slipping going off the face of that job.
11:27Oh yeah.
11:28That almost bit Kenny on lap one.
11:29Now tie.
11:30Try to come back on him.
11:31It's the Hoosier hole.
11:34This battle for fourth behind Smith.
11:38Now the one thing with Kenny, he's going to have to figure out as his moto, riding
11:42the 250, as you can see, these guys are pretty wide open from the start.
11:47So it's a lot different than the 450.
11:49So he's got to pay attention to how physical how he is, J.T.
11:52Yeah, just watching Kenny's line choice here, you can tell he's been racing a 450 for a
11:56very long time because his natural instinct is to float to the inside line.
12:00And that doesn't always work on a 250.
12:02Now he's been making changes as we go.
12:04He used that outside leading up to the finish line.
12:06You see him swing outside here to carry momentum.
12:09But I can just see that instinct show through sometimes when he was behind Ty Masterful.
12:13He wants to use that inside line that would typically be reminiscent of a 450 class maneuver.
12:19So it's a learning experience, right?
12:20Some of it will come back naturally, but some of it he's going to be fighting 11 years of
12:24450 racing as well.
12:25Yeah, that's a great observation, J.T.
12:28And yeah, it's like anything, you got to work on your golf swing and you go out on the range
12:33or the course and you just shake it off the first box.
12:36So you can do a lot of range work, but when you get out there on that track, it's a lot
12:39different than Kenny's experience in that.
12:41But good to see Jordan Smith up here.
12:43Like now that he's following these guys, it seems like the chance broke away from him
12:48just a little bit.
12:49But still, he's only four seconds back of the lead.
12:51And I'm sure this is a good confidence builder for a guy like Jordan because he does have
12:55the speed.
12:56Yep.
12:57One of the veterans for this monster Yamaha star racing team.
13:01But they've got a new rider in the wings.
13:04The scouting moto combine and one yesterday, Cole Davies and Katie has caught up with Cole.
13:09Yeah, he went 2-1.
13:10And as he's watching Jordan Smith here, we're talking about, you know, how well Jordan seems
13:14to be doing.
13:15How important is it having guys like Jordan and Deegan in the team that you get a chance
13:19to look up to?
13:20Yeah, it's definitely important being able to, you know, race with them at the practice
13:24track and all that.
13:25And yeah, Jordan's doing real well right now.
13:28He got off to a good start and yeah, he's looking good.
13:31Talk about being on this team, the camaraderie, the chemistry and really maybe how these guys
13:35are moving the needle for you.
13:37Yeah, I mean, it's definitely cool being on this team.
13:41You know, Deegan got the championship and yeah, it's good being on the championship
13:47team, I guess.
13:48And yeah, I'm just stoked to be on the team.
13:51I'd say that's one very happy man, especially winning the combine.
13:54Look at it kind of maybe the future guys, what he and what kind of battles he might
13:58be having here sooner than later.
14:00Yeah, absolutely.
14:01And for him, as you mentioned, he's riding with these guys, the guy who won the championship
14:06during the week.
14:07So it's a great learning experience and it's good to be able to watch that if you're a
14:12teammate, JT.
14:13Yeah, and literally every week it's trial by fire, right?
14:16He's going to be the youngest one.
14:18He's going to be the least experienced one all the time.
14:20And that just results in a lot of frustration because you're probably going to be the slowest
14:24one every single day throughout the week.
14:26But guess what?
14:27When you show up to an event like the combine and you're not racing against Hayden Degan
14:32or Jordan Smith or Daxson Bennett, you're going to be the fastest guy.
14:36So in the end, it's the best thing for you, but it's a lot of hard days during the week
14:40being up against that day in and day out.
14:44And speaking of Degan, we've got him now.
14:46He's getting close to the point scoring positions.
14:49Actually he's now into it.
14:50He's 17th, catching Dylan Schwartz and his teammate Max Anstey.
14:55Yeah, Hayden's got a good pace.
14:57Actually the last lap he was the fastest rider on the racetrack with a 2.15, and our
15:00leader Tom Diow was a 2.16.
15:03So Hayden Degan even coming up to the pack, he is the fastest rider, but he's got all
15:07these guys that he's probably going to slow him down.
15:11But I'm sure he wants to be up front, but I'm sure he's having a good time.
15:15Probably happy that that championship's wrapped up now.
15:17Certainly no pressure.
15:19There's Schwartz in yellow being challenged by Anstey right now.
15:25Anstey last week hit his head in a first-turn crash.
15:27Didn't have a concussion, but they said they wanted him to wait an hour and a half after
15:31the first motor to make sure he didn't have any effects, and then he said, well, an hour
15:36and a half, that means that motor's going to start without me, but he's not really in
15:39the title fight.
15:40He started this championship halfway through, so that didn't bother him too much.
15:44He was able to ride this week, so Anstey's back.
15:47Sounds like my dad back in the day when I crashed him.
15:50Just put some water, drink some water, you'll be all right after a little bit of time.
15:53Yeah, he felt fine, he said, but couldn't race the second moto.
15:57Doctors want to be cautious.
15:58They see a rider go down and hit his head, but he's got some competition now.
16:04Another Yamaha rider in that fight as well.
16:09Pointed out the Deegan lap time of that 215.
16:11Oh, it's Romano.
16:12That's the one that's in the mix with them.
16:14Halfway through this moto, reminder that monster energy is available now at Kroger.
16:20They're going to sell out, though, with all these monster riders.
16:23They were storming the gates.
16:24They're in formation.
16:25Yeah, we don't know who's in.
16:27Nice pass by Hayden.
16:28I don't know if Nick went down or he's just going the wrong way, but Hayden's still coming,
16:33J.T.
16:34Yeah, and one of the many benefits of blocking the championship up at Butch Creek is he doesn't
16:38have to worry about how this moto goes, and it's a really difficult thing.
16:41You see him fall over there to ruin my point, but again, if this had been championship mode
16:47and he would still be worried about points, the urgency level would be cranked up to an
16:5111.
16:52He's stressed out, thinking about every single point he's going to lose.
16:55Now, it's not something you would ever be able to notice, maybe even on a heart rate
16:58level, but his stress level is so much lower.
17:00He says, ah, it's okay.
17:01If I get 11th, no big deal.
17:02If I get 14th, that's okay, too.
17:04The championship is already secure.
17:06The next couple of weeks.
17:19Someone's confidence starting to grow.
17:20The 47 of Kitchin beginning to rally back toward his buddy, Roxan, and Masterful right
17:26between them.
17:27So Kitchin passed those two.
17:28They passed him back, pulled away, and now Kitchin is starting to rally.
17:32We saw that first moto last weekend, the same thing.
17:35He was coming up and then had that mid-moto stretch where it looked like he was almost
17:40going to pull off the racetrack and then ended up almost being the fastest guy, catching
17:44those guys and ended up with the third place.
17:46So, yeah, I don't know if there's something going on still with that sickness or maybe
17:50he's just waiting, but Levi, Kitchin's back open, baby.
17:54He said if Roxan beats him, he'll never live it down.
17:57So he's got to get going.
17:59Roxan just up the road.
18:01Smith still third.
18:02That's five seconds behind VL now.
18:04VL getting it done.
18:05Yeah, Tom has clicked into another gear.
18:08It seems like once he got past those first couple of laps, settled in, he just rode like
18:13he's been riding all year, which has been pretty fast.
18:16So good to see that.
18:17And I'm surprised because Chance Hymus has been the quickest one, one of the quickest
18:21riders on the track any given lap the last few weekends, but Tom's running away from
18:26him.
18:27And there's Kitchin closing the gap.
18:32The master pool keeping Roxan honest.
18:35Where is Smith?
18:36Smith, I believe, might be ahead of Hymus now.
18:41There's Hymus.
18:42Yeah, Jordan Smith up to second.
18:46You got to believe with Jordan, he hasn't been up front, but it's good confidence booster
18:50because when you're having some issues and being in the mid pack like Jordan, once you're
18:54up here, you don't know how fast you are because you haven't been up in this pace and you start
18:59just believing that you're a tenth place guy.
19:01So as Jordan kept staying up here and he was still in third, running third, I'm sure he
19:05got more confidence to be able to come up and pass Chance because now he's like, I can
19:11see it, I believe it, and these guys aren't pulling away as Ty goes up.
19:15Yeah, makes the move on Roxan.
19:18Master pool now to fourth.
19:20I think it was a bad lap, a 219 for Hymus.
19:23He must have made a mistake or maybe tipped over, and that's what allowed Smith here in
19:27the 31 to overhaul him.
19:30I don't know what it is about this track.
19:31I haven't put my finger on it, but it does seem like guys are making mistakes.
19:35They lose a lot of time on this racetrack.
19:38As we saw, Levi was right on those guys' last lap right here, and he's dropped back.
19:43So it might be a mistake, and the same thing seems like it's happening with these guys.
19:48Jordan made a couple right there.
19:52Veteran out of Belmont, North Carolina, but he's lived in that Florida, Georgia state
19:57line area for a long, long time.
20:00The mill staff training facility he rode there growing up, and then right up the road where
20:04he rides now with star racing in their facility, Ricky Carmichael's old track.
20:09Look at master pool in green putting pressure on Hymus, and they've got a lap rider in between.
20:15This is one of the things that I feel like Chance has to work on, and he will as he continues
20:20racing.
20:21Once things start going the wrong way, he gets passed, just what Levi was able to do
20:25last weekend.
20:26Sometimes you get passed, and it seems like it's over.
20:28You've got to be able to fight back, and Levi did that last weekend.
20:31Chance is going to have to do it because we just saw the number 31 get around him, and
20:36now Ty master pool, and we're watching chase Sexton in the bottom getting ready for his
20:42championship.
20:43Katie?
20:44Yeah, as we watch chase Sexton warming up here, I just talked to his team.
20:47They didn't do much with that bike between qualifying and now.
20:50Changed that rear tire from a paddle to some hard pack, but they said he's mellow.
20:54He's in his head.
20:55He's mellow.
20:56He's cool.
20:57In fact, his mechanic, Kyle, said, it's me.
20:58I'm the one who's a little hyped up right now, so you know, obviously, the nerves all
21:03around it.
21:04It matches and meets so many people underneath this KTM umbrella.
21:08I did continue to talk to the team, and they said don't change anything.
21:11He said, I told chase, don't change your sleep, don't change your diet, don't change anything.
21:16We can just get the job done.
21:19It's easy for us riders because we're really in control of our own destiny out there.
21:23He knows his motorcycle is good, so he can go out there and do it.
21:26His mechanic now, he doesn't want to be the reason.
21:28He needs to help his rider build to go out there and do it, so that's probably why he's
21:31a little bit more nervous than chase is.
21:33Chase knows he can do his job well.
21:36Remember the 450s will race at the top of the next hour.
21:39Sexton might be able to wrap up the title in the first moto, depending on the result.
21:43Battling Hunter Lawrence.
21:44Master pole still rolling now, James.
21:47Catching second place, Jordan Smith.
21:50All these guys got a good pace.
21:51They're just not as good as Tom Vial is out front.
21:54But also, that last lap, Ty master pool was the fastest guy on the track.
21:58Then it was Tom Vial and then Hayden Deegan, so it looks like Ty is on the move.
22:03I don't know if he'll be able to catch that number 16, but he might be able to get Jordan
22:07if he continues this pace.
22:10You get second or even third in that first moto, you're in play for the overall win,
22:27so that's why these guys are fighting so hard.
22:30Send it back to J.T.
22:32these guys are battling.
22:33They're a little bit of a yo-yo.
22:34Master pole dropped back.
22:35I moved back forward.
22:36Now, for chance Hymus in that situation where he loses two spots in one lap, he really loses
22:40his flow and his rhythm that James speaks so eloquently about.
22:44What I would try to do in that situation is just do what the rider in front of me is doing
22:48and take the thought out of the equation for a little bit, and I would just follow their
22:52line.
22:53Whatever they're doing seems to be working, so instead of trying to figure out the race
22:55on your own, I would just walk into the guy in front of me, follow them around the racetrack
22:59until I got my breathing, my composure, my rhythm back, and then maybe try to charge
23:03back forward.
23:04Yeah, absolutely, J.T., and we saw chance was able to do that at Unadilla a few weeks
23:09ago.
23:10You know, those guys, he was able to come past them, and then there was a point of that
23:13race in the beginning where the gap stabilized, and it looked like Levi was starting to close
23:18in, but then he regrouped and was able to get away and then obviously to crash, so chance
23:22knows how to do it.
23:23Maybe he's feeling it.
23:24Maybe arm pump.
23:25He's doing a good job at holding Ken off, but, yeah, you don't want to let these guys
23:29make those mistakes.
23:31These guys continue to pass him as Ty trying to go up the inside of Jordan.
23:35He tried to go from outside the inside there, or did the bike just pop out?
23:38I think he made a mistake and turned that mistake into the line, so it's a way to brush
23:44it off.
23:45Yeah, I meant to do that.
23:46Now the split section, and that's where the old first turn was, and they're going to go
23:51into the woods now, and as J.T. Said, this is homage to the cross country series.
23:58That's really what put this track on the map.
24:00They've had a race in the woods for about 30 years now, then ten years ago built the
24:04motocross track, and we've had the national here.
24:07That area a little bit of a blend.
24:09Hold on to that, Jordan Smith.
24:11Before that, Jordan had a nice line using that little hip jump on the inside, jumping
24:16across those ruts made it a lot smoother, so that was a good line.
24:19Then he got cross rutted.
24:24And that inside did not work for master pool, so Jordan pulling away just for the moment.
24:28Let's send it back to K.D.
24:29Guys, it's kind of like we're seeing a little bit of a different rider within Jordan Smith.
24:33He's had one fifth place finish this season in the overalls, but beyond that, he's finished
24:38between 17th and 16th throughout the entire season, so, Stu, as you're kind of watching
24:43him here, what is he doing a little bit different?
24:46Does it have anything to do with the team and Deegan's successes, or is it just something
24:50that Jordan is bringing to the table a little later in the game?
24:53I think Jordan is probably riding the way he has when he's back in 15th, 17th.
24:58He just got a better start, and as I was saying, these guys, even just getting to top 15, if
25:06you're riding in 15th in this class, you're riding really good, and Jordan is figuring
25:08that out, and he's always had the pace, so for him being up front, I think each lap that
25:14went by, those guys pulling away from him gave him a lot more confidence, which is allowing
25:18him to ride even better, so, yeah, I think just really the start and now believing that
25:23he's alone up here is helping Jordan out the most.
25:27Well, it's been a long time coming.
25:29Jordan Smith's last Moto podium was 2018 at Washougal, and that was actually the last
25:34season that he's gotten the full pro motocross schedule in without getting hurt, so Smith
25:40doing good work late in the year.
25:42Another battle on our hands.
25:44Oh, kitchen is slipped by Roxton.
25:46Yeah, as I was mentioning earlier in the show, Ken needed to be careful because, you know,
25:52when riding this 250 and how these guys ride, you're always on the power.
25:55You got to be a lot more aggressive, which is a lot more energy.
25:58I was wondering when he'd start feeling that at the end of the motos because it is such
26:02a difference on these 250 bikes compared to riding the 450, which you have the luxury
26:07of being able to go inside, as J.T. Mentioned, and be able to gas it.
26:10This bike, you have to keep that power up, you have to shift, and sometimes you might
26:14be starting to feel that 250 and how these guys ride this motorcycle.
26:19The Thor running order you saw there.
26:21Some of the riders in this field, Deegan has made his way up to 11th.
26:25Smith wearing the Thor gear is second, as mentioned.
26:29Anstey 13th, Romano 17th.
26:32I believe Dax Bennick not racing today.
26:35Not sure what happened there.
26:36He did ride qualifying practice.
26:38Kitchen is back again.
26:40Yeah.
26:41I was wondering if we got to go to the master pool.
26:44Yeah.
26:45Come on, Ty.
26:47Made a mistake the last lap there right behind Jordan Smith where you said he slid out on
26:51that inside.
26:52Yep.
26:53Caught him out again.
26:54But cost him a podium spot, and now RJ Hampshire going by.
27:00So for the moment, at least, Hyman is back up to third, but here comes Kitchen.
27:04Yeah.
27:05I wonder what is Levi looking back or somebody or just what goes up the inside, probably
27:11hits a hard patch and just loses the front end.
27:14Yeah.
27:15There it is.
27:16He just goes in there and loses that front end.
27:18There's a hard base, and that's that new section they put in.
27:21Looks like there's a lot of sawdust on there, and he probably couldn't see it, so tough
27:24one.
27:25But the guy that ain't having no problems right now is the guy that's been having some
27:29issues all in the first moto is Tom Vial.
27:32Looks great today.
27:33Yeah.
27:34We've barely seen him, and the field has barely seen him.
27:36He took off, and if he's not happy about not having an overall, this is taking that hanger
27:42out on the racetrack.
27:43Send it down to Katie.
27:44We'll talk more 450s.
27:45I think we have Hunter Lawrence's dad, Darren, Katie.
27:48Yeah.
27:49A guy who seems very cool, calm, and collected for a day where there's some Hail Marys being
27:53thrown around.
27:54Scale of 1 to 10, what are the chances that we can get the job done today for Hunter?
27:58One.
27:59And if Chase messes it up, he needs to smack him up the back of the head, that's for sure.
28:05He should take care of it, that's for sure today.
28:08How could you describe Hunter?
28:09You have seen him, the ebbs, the flows, the highs, the lows of his entire life, really.
28:14How would you describe him, especially as he's searching for that overall win?
28:19Hunter's a little bit more of a percentage play type guy.
28:23If it's a high risk and only a low gain, he won't bother with it.
28:26Whereas Jed will be like, oh, I just want to do that because it's fun.
28:29Hunter's more of an analytical, pulls it apart, goes, you know what, I'm not going to risk
28:32the biscuit for that amount of effort or risk.
28:35He's more calculated.
28:37And being calculated, very important on the bike that he's also learning, trying to understand
28:41where are some of those changes happening within the bike?
28:43What are some of the changes?
28:44Just trying to get the bike into a good base point.
28:46So at Butts Creek, the bike was pretty good, but we might have been a little bit closed
28:51on our clickers.
28:52So you want to get a setting change to get the clickers back into that sweet spot so
28:55then you have more of a central base that you have room to move.
28:59So that's sometimes you're trying to plan for the future so that at different tracks
29:03where you go, you go, oh yeah, it's okay, we've got room to move to go soft, we've got
29:06room to move to go hard.
29:07So it's just the base of the bike is such a better bike, but you're still trying to
29:11find that zero percentage to get it in the window for the boys, you know?
29:16Thank you for your time.
29:17Best of luck to you and the whole family out there today.
29:19And of course, just finding the edge here under Honda's tent.
29:22Yeah.
29:23And just listen to Darren right there.
29:24That's why his boys are so good.
29:27Because even it would be easy if you're a hunter just to be like, oh, this championship's
29:30done.
29:31But just listening to him, he's talking like there's always improvement that can be made.
29:36Like we, yeah, the championship might be over, it's going to be a long shot.
29:40That doesn't mean you can't come out here with a win and get better, and that's what
29:44you're seeing.
29:45Love listening to that guy talk.
29:46Yeah.
29:47And I talked to Darren and mom, Emma, today, and I said, are there any championship shirts
29:53on the Honda truck just in case Hunter pulls us off?
29:55And they said, no, no, but we are here to celebrate.
29:57Second in the championship as a rookie is still worth celebrating, and it's almost maybe
30:02the development even quicker than they had even hoped for.
30:05It's really impressive what he's done.
30:07I know it's all pales in comparison to what Jett did perfect season last year, but take
30:11that out, and this is very good.
30:13Yeah, that's the problem.
30:14You don't have to look too far to have like a reference of greatness in his brother, which
30:19I'm sure he's watching right now.
30:21Oh, he is, actually.
30:23I got to interview Jett earlier this morning.
30:25We'll play that during our halftime show after that first 450 moto.
30:28We'll check in with Jett Lawrence and his status as we head toward the SMX playoff.
30:32So be sure to watch after 250 and 450 moto one, back to J.T.
30:37We go.
30:38Well, and for Darren Lawrence, they're always thinking ahead, right?
30:41Yes, today we're going to wrap up this pro motocross championship, but again, in two
30:44weeks' time, we start a new championship for the SMX playoffs.
30:48Jett will be back.
30:49Jett will be on the 2025 for the first time.
30:51Hunter will be racing an SMX track on the 2025 for the first time.
30:54They're thinking about how can we be our best self, how can we improve, and that's a constant
30:59theme with that team every week.
31:02They're trying to get better, and it shows.
31:04Yeah, it's just analytical.
31:06Everything I asked Darren about today, he pointed out some small thing in the motorcycle
31:09kind of like he did to Katie about here's where we can get better, here's where we lost
31:13it, here's where we gained it.
31:14Never really think they're there, always going to improve.
31:18As we watch Deegan, he is up to 11th, but, James, you notice Ken Rockson dropping positions
31:23quickly.
31:24Now in ninth.
31:25Yeah, you can just start to see, you know, Ken.
31:28RJ.
31:29RJ is coming up, and it looks like Ty is right behind him, so Ty was able to get up, but,
31:34yeah, watching Ken in the lap times, I think he's just starting to figure out the difference
31:39between the 450 and 250.
31:40Not surprising.
31:41Remember, Rockson also coming back off injury.
31:43As this battle rages between Hymus and Hampshire, how about RJ?
31:48Almost not missing a beat.
31:49You would not think this dude is coming back from a couple months off of the wrist injury.
31:53He wants to get, well, he's already top five, maybe even podium position.
31:58Yeah, this is more like RJ, and if your chance, Hymus, out of all the guys, maybe Hayden,
32:03but RJ is not the one you wanted to have behind you in the motos, and there's a number 29
32:08back there, too, that's kind of the same way as RJ.
32:10Looks like he's going to try to go up the inside.
32:12You see him lose the rear end.
32:14That was actually a smart move by RJ backing out because he knew Hymus was going to come
32:18across just the way to angle that jump, so heads up move by him.
32:22RJ backed out of it.
32:24Old dog learning some new tricks.
32:26RJ knows he's got the playoffs coming up, so he's trying to build for that, but I actually
32:31like what I see from chance.
32:33He's still fighting as we were talking.
32:36Here's how Hymus lost a spot to kitchen on the top left.
32:40Goes outside.
32:41This is where it would just work.
32:45Chance goes outside.
32:46Levi goes up the inside.
32:48Almost where RJ just got around him.
32:51Yeah, that was the same exact spot.
32:54RJ wasn't quite as far ahead.
32:57Now they're in the thick of lap traffic.
32:59Hymus, Hampshire, master pool, and they've also rider D. Francisco hanging in there with
33:04that group.
33:05Somebody's bike is smoking right in the middle of the track.
33:08Somebody's hot.
33:09It might be RJ because he's on fire right now.
33:11He's coming up to the pack.
33:13Made that pass, James.
33:14Yeah, and if chance isn't careful, he might think one of these lap riders, the bike behind
33:20him.
33:21It might be that 29, too.
33:22Time to have a sneaky pass.
33:26So let's reset it.
33:27It's Vial, Smith, kitchen, then Hampshire.
33:30Oh, and kitchen has now caught Smith, as you see.
33:33Yeah, and Levi was the only one in 217, so he was your fastest rider on the racetrack,
33:39and just like he was able to do last week, he regrouped, and now he's coming up and might
33:44be able to get a second place, which is just as good as winning in these first motos.
33:49So getting ready for 450 moto one, Hunter Lawrence, Katie?
33:52Yeah, as Hunter is getting ready, suited up, of course, back out on the track, Levi kitchen
33:56and Jordan Smith are going at it, and of course, as we all know, Levi kitchen has said, hey,
34:00it's better late than never for this momentum that he's having at the tail end of the season.
34:04He also mentioned to me that motocross, you have to ride a little more on the edge, which
34:07he's actually learning how to do and be more comfortable doing.
34:11So that's a note for Levi kitchen as you kind of watch him throughout the day and as he's
34:14progressed throughout the season, that is something he's been thinking about, riding
34:18on the edge.
34:19Yeah.
34:20Nice pass.
34:21You talk about riding on the edge.
34:22That was a game of chicken right there.
34:23Levi was like, who's going to back it out, and Jordan wanted to stay in, but he knew
34:26that inside was the best line, and then insult to injury, he made a mistake by losing the
34:32rear end and lost a lot of time, but nice pass, strong move by Levi.
34:37I can't believe kitchen's up to second place.
34:38I mean, at one point, where was he?
34:40Seventh, eighth.
34:41He had caught up.
34:42He dropped back.
34:43He has repassed all these riders, except for Vial.
34:46He was never near Vial.
34:47But nice rally for the 47, and his wins, by the way, have come via the second moto.
34:54That's how he's gotten all three of the overalls he's had this year.
34:59So second in moto one, if he can do it again in moto two, he could end the year with another
35:03win.
35:04Yeah, and if it wasn't for his mechanic telling him he's in second, he might be thinking he's
35:08leading because Tom Vial is gone.
35:10So J.T.
35:11All right.
35:12Think about Levi kitchen.
35:13Just ask any player in any sport what the most important thing is when you're headed
35:18to a playoff scenario, and it's momentum.
35:20You think about Levi kitchen, he's won three out of four races.
35:23He was so close to winning that first monster energy supercross championship this year,
35:27but he has caught fire at the right time, and there is nothing more dangerous than a
35:31rider that gets hot at the right time.
35:33Yeah, absolutely.
35:34I mean, kitchen really is cooking at this point, and the way he's been able to do it
35:39has been pretty cool to watch.
35:42I mean, he had the one race at wash, which we were all kind of shocked at what happened,
35:47but the way he was able to fight that second moto, really kind of thinking his way and
35:51playing last weekend, been on a whole chance, and then Tom Vial, and then having the dominant
35:57races, one in the mud and then beating hayden at millville.
36:01So he's been able to win it a bunch of different ways, and just like supercross, he's better
36:05than everyone.
36:06So that's a good feeling to have, especially coming here, starting the playoffs in a couple
36:10weeks.
36:11And also, kitchen has been pretty darn good.
36:14Not every moto has been starts, but he's had a lot of good ones, and it's going to be a
36:18big advantage if he can pull those starts in the playoffs like he was doing, especially
36:23a monster energy supercross.
36:24Yeah, and I think the thing that's going to help Levi that it's been a change this year,
36:28he's been consistent on both motos.
36:31Last year he was able to win one moto and then get a 13, so even going into these playoffs
36:35with the formats and the points, being consistent is going to play out well, but one guy that's
36:40been consistent today is this Tom Vial.
36:43I'm sure this is what he thought was going to happen at the opening race, the opener
36:48at the start of this motocross series, being able to do this, what we all kind of expected,
36:53but some falls.
36:54But not today.
36:55Tom Vial is out front.
36:56Gone.
36:57Yeah.
36:58Dominant run for Vial.
36:59I think he's backed it down.
37:00And the stretch run, looking for his third moto win of the year.
37:03That's probably not as many as he would have liked.
37:07But as they say, better late than never.
37:09And this was a dominant run.
37:12Tom Vial wins moto one at Ironman.
37:16Yeah, Levi comes across second.
37:20Nice ride by Jordan Smith.
37:22Another ride, RJ finishing fourth place.
37:26And yeah, that's Jordan Smith's first moto podium in six years.
37:30Here's Ken Roxton.
37:31I do have to wonder, probably we didn't ask him enough about it.
37:34He came back at Unadilla from a broken leg.
37:37And two weeks later, maybe not quite 100% yet.
37:41First half of the moto was good.
37:42Yeah, I mean, I think Kenny probably knew the endurance was going to be a part.
37:47And for sure, for him, I know it would be harder coming into this class, the 250 class,
37:52than even the 450.
37:53So still a good ride.