'24 Ironman 450 Moto 1
Transcript
00:00The way hunter lawrence has ridden the first motos as of late, he could hold that off to
00:08the final moto.
00:09I would think it's get nervous time at that point if you're sexton.
00:13It's get nervous time until they hand you that number one plate.
00:16Hunter lawrence, I think he's a little bit more start dependent than chase.
00:19Chase has obviously been showing he can come up through the pack.
00:24Hunter lawrence has been strong in these first motos lately since he's been on the 25.
00:28We'll see if he gets the start, see what he can do with it.
00:30Don't forget those outside gates.
00:32That's jordan smith's spot.
00:34Nearly hole shot the first 250 moto.
00:36Can eli tomac do it from the outside of the number three?
00:40Kyle chisholm out there as well.
00:43Eli's back.
00:45So happy.
00:49Not often do we go into a season finale with this type of drama.
00:53It's just on the line for sexton to win this title.
00:56The likes of plessiger, lawrence, justin cooper haven't gotten wins this year overall.
01:02Could today be the day?
01:03Revs are up.
01:04Gates down.
01:05Oh!
01:06Big pileup.
01:07Is that ferrandez?
01:08Yeah, ferrandez.
01:09Oh, that was big.
01:10He went flipping.
01:11Phil mickeledy, a good start.
01:12Hunter lawrence to the lead again.
01:13Hunter lawrence, as we all know, he's got a good start.
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03:25You're coming off this injury.
03:26You're on a new motorcycle.
03:27It sounds like a handful of excuses, but it's reality, and you've got to really, you know,
03:33figure out how to improve yourself.
03:35And I'm hoping that I will improve myself.
03:41So it's tough coming back this period.
03:44It was also two years since my last motocross race, so there were so many things going on,
03:51but one thing for sure is it felt good to be back on the motocross track.
03:55There's a lot of things going on right now.
03:57How about that pass from Aaron Plessinger?
03:59That was a nice pass.
04:00See, you start going in the woods, and Aaron Plessinger comes out.
04:04Oh, yeah.
04:05It's a battle inside of a battle, because they're still trying to pick the motocross
04:09nation's team, and Aaron Plessinger, and I'm sure Eli is probably one of the guys that
04:12they're thinking about as we watch Dylan get up.
04:15It's good to see him get off the track, but Aaron wants to get one of these things.
04:20I called about my show.
04:21I said, man, let's win one of these.
04:23So maybe today is the day that number 7 becomes number 1 in one of these motos.
04:28It looks good.
04:30You make a great point.
04:32Well, first of all, listen to this crowd.
04:36They love Aaron Plessinger anywhere you go, and he's putting on a show right now.
04:41Hunter is probably like, another KTM?
04:44I thought I'd have to deal with one of them.
04:47But, yeah, with Aaron, you've got to believe he's always had the pace, and last weekend
04:52he was right there with Hunter, and then his teammate came storming past, but Aaron's got
04:57some good memories here.
04:58First ever win, as you mentioned earlier.
05:01AP might be today.
05:03Yeah, then you mentioned the woods.
05:05Yep, that's what he was raised doing, that type of cross-country racing, and that's the
05:09area where he made the pass.
05:12Aaron's dad, an AMA hall of famer for his off-road racing in the woods exploits.
05:17Multi-time AMA national champ and GNCC champ, and Aaron grew up racing that series, grew
05:22up on this track, and it's showing right now.
05:26Show you the pass.
05:29Aaron here.
05:30Now, he's working on this pass for a couple corners.
05:32This is going down the start straight.
05:35He goes in, and he goes to the inside here, which puts him on the outside on this next
05:40corner, which puts him back on the inside, and he just gets next to Hunter, and at this
05:45point, he's going to be on the inside, and he just power moves through Hunter.
05:49Hunter knew he kind of had him beat, but Aaron Plessinger, this new wood section, nice little
05:54hop over to his jump.
05:57Now, I feel like with him, kind of like what we he get that confidence going, Katie.
06:04Yeah, there's definitely a little confidence in AP right now, and actually, I asked him,
06:08how does all the hub of around KTM and chase Sexton, your teammate, help you or enhance
06:13you, and he said, it doesn't change a thing.
06:15I had a good week, and I'm out here to win.
06:17So that's one thing that you can keep your eyes set on him.
06:19The team also continued to say that AP is getting stronger and stronger, and his approach
06:23to racing, along with his physical and mental strength, it's all coming together for him.
06:28J.T.?
06:29Well, the one thing that could help for AP is he could be situationally set up here,
06:33because if you start thinking about where chase Sexton's head is, he's going to want
06:36to lock this championship up.
06:37He's going to be a little bit more risk-averse than he would be here in this first moto.
06:41So if AP could put in some great laps and build up a lead, I don't really think chase
06:45Sexton's going to put himself in a spot where he's going to risk going all out to chase
06:49AP down late.
06:51So if I'm AP, I want to get going right now, build up a gap, so when chase Sexton looks
06:55up, he's like, nah, it's not going to happen in this moto.
06:58So this could be a chance for AP to finally get that moto win.
07:01Yeah, and normally, I would say, look, Sexton just sits back here behind Hunter.
07:06He would still wrap up the title, but Sexton, there's a spoiler in the mix.
07:10James Stewart, Eli Tomac is hanging.
07:12Yeah, what I was going to mention about Aaron, the same thing with Eli, is that what we saw
07:18with Jordan Smith in that 250 class, being up front, it's going to, every lap they're
07:23here, they're going to get more confidence, especially with Eli.
07:25If he's able to stay here with chase, it's going to allow him, like, okay, I've still
07:29got this speed as chase is starting to pound on Hunter.
07:34Oh, chase made this happen.
07:36He's on the outside, though.
07:37Can he hold it?
07:38Going to be wheel-to-wheel over the finish line, jump down this straight, and the 4 has
07:42taken the second-place spot.
07:43Yeah, I think Hunter kind of knew chase was coming because he could have popped out of
07:47that rut and slowed chase down, but nonetheless, that was a strong move by chase Sexton, but
07:52just like Aaron Plessinger, being out front is going to give him confidence.
07:55We saw Jordan Smith wrap this thing off.
07:58Eli Tomac, if he's able to stay with these guys, don't be surprised if he comes back
08:01up in this battle, but Hunter's got to slow things down.
08:04Two laps in a row, he's got passed by the 7 and the number 4.
08:08Still right here.
08:09It's early in this race, Jason.
08:10And look at the points as they run.
08:12The lower left, that is the magic number.
08:14Sexton needs only a 25-point lead to wrap the title.
08:17It would now be 30 if it ended like this, but that goes all the way back to J.T.'s question.
08:23Now, does Sexton set sail after his teammate, or is he happy to just be in championship
08:30clinching position?
08:33Get back off too much, though, because Hunter staying close.
08:37Tomac there at fourth.
08:38Yeah, actually all three of those guys made a mistake in that corner.
08:41It looked like Hunter lost the most time, but yeah, you saw Hunter get a little bit
08:46more aggressive, but yeah, he lost that time, Katie.
08:49Okay, Stu, I have a question.
08:51If we know A.P. And Chase Sexton are great teammates, the camaraderie between them has
08:56been nothing but positive for what we've heard, right?
08:59So just out of curiosity, would Sexton ever let A.P. Win this thing?
09:03Did he get his first, you know, moto overall here maybe today, or do you think that Sexton
09:08wants to go out in style and get this thing done?
09:11Yeah, if I was A.P., I would tell Chase, look, man, you are a great teammate.
09:14I like you a lot, but I'm here to win this race.
09:17And the same thing with Chase Sexton.
09:19The good thing with him, Chase, he doesn't have to win this race to wrap this championship up.
09:23I think if Aaron wins it, Chase is going to try to go out and win it.
09:27Aaron would just be better, so I don't think Chase is going to let him win anything if
09:31he has a choice.
09:33Man, I just watched Plessiger jump in and out of what they call the Hoosier hole there
09:37under that bridge.
09:39He went for a wild ride and practice almost crashed.
09:41He is on the edge right now.
09:43It almost happened again.
09:44Yeah, well, I told him he had to step up and try to get one of these wins.
09:48I mean, I didn't say at all cost, but...
09:51Is that Tomac?
09:53Yeah, he's challenging Hunter now.
09:55Yeah, and if Eli gets around him, as I was mentioning, just that confidence.
09:59And Eli knows how to win these races.
10:01And last time we were here, he won this race with a great battle with Chase Sexton.
10:05So good feeling for him.
10:07Hopefully he can continue that momentum up.
10:09Two battles to watch.
10:11Plessiger versus Sexton.
10:12Lawrence versus Tomac.
10:14Send it back to Jason Thomas.
10:16Well, the most critical aspect of AP's race here didn't come to fruition.
10:19He really needed to build out that gap.
10:21And Chase Sexton simply didn't let him go.
10:23You saw him make the pass, and he's already closed this gap down.
10:26A big mistake from Sexton, and that's what he's got to guard against.
10:29When I was talking about him being risk-averse, he's not going to want to take big chances.
10:34And I thought AP's best option or best opportunity there was to build a gap.
10:38Now with Sexton sitting right behind him.
10:40And to Katie's question, listen, bonuses to win races like this are in the six-figure range.
10:45So not only that, Chase Sexton has an opportunity to win the race and the championship in front of his home crowd.
10:50So there's a lot of emotion and a lot of probably push-pull for Chase Sexton in this photo.
10:55Yeah, absolutely.
10:56And if I'm Aaron, I got to keep Chase behind me.
10:58I don't want him to get in front because just as quickly as he caught me, he'll pull away.
11:03And he's been known to do that.
11:05So if he can keep doing, like if he can hold Chase off, maybe Chase makes a couple of those mistakes as we've just witnessed.
11:11And maybe he'll go into championship mode.
11:13Uh-oh, not right now.
11:15Sexton to the inside.
11:17I said your best chance was to hold him off.
11:21They can listen, but it's hard to put that into motion.
11:24Klesicker riding hard, but Chase Sexton now has the lead.
11:28Well, Chase Sexton, as I mentioned at the top of the show, he is a different rider.
11:31He's just making things happen.
11:33And so Aaron didn't do anything wrong.
11:35It was what Chase decided to make happen.
11:37And these guys better watch out because that number four will run off from him really quick as he has in the past.
11:43Yeah, and as JT made the point, I'm going to make a rough estimate of what the teams usually pay for wins.
11:49Probably around 100 grand for a win and 50 grand for seconds.
11:52So it's too much money on the line, I think, for Sexton to say, you can have it today.
11:57Also, I got to wonder, is part of Sexton going to say, look, I feel safer if I'm just riding by myself and not dicing with people?
12:04Yeah, we talked about this a couple of weeks ago at Unadilla.
12:07And JT mentioned it, that Chase feels like he talked to somebody.
12:10He's a different rider out front.
12:12So this is probably where he feels the most comfortable.
12:14And this is where I would say if you're Chase Sexton and the rest of the guys, they don't feel like they have much of a chance when he's out front.
12:22So this is probably the safest position for Chase to be in, most comfortable.
12:26And less likely these guys are going to feel like they're going to come up and pass him after this.
12:30Hey, nice job by Hunter Lawrence to recover here.
12:33He actually was quicker than Plessinger the last time around.
12:36And stretching it a bit on Tomac, who a lap ago was all over him.
12:42Aaron's doing a good job at keeping the pressure on Chase.
12:45And maybe if he can keep this up, at some point, Chase is going to start thinking about the championship and just kind of get nerves of it.
12:52So if Aaron's on him, then Chase might start going backwards.
12:56Because this is the first time he's ever been in this position.
12:59He gets that gap, then he'll be able to ride this thing out.
13:02It's tough. These bikes are bouncing around everywhere.
13:04Everybody's kind of making mistakes.
13:06But as you mentioned, that 96 is closing up.
13:09It's a tug of war.
13:10It is.
13:11Every time someone has a good couple of turns, and they make a mistake, the other guy cuts into that gap.
13:17Yeah, it's a weird racetrack.
13:18When you make a mistake, it seems like you lose a lot of time on this racetrack.
13:22And as quickly as you lose it, you can gain it back.
13:24So I'm interested to watch how this thing plays out throughout the day as this track gets rougher.
13:30It's the monster launch there.
13:32Uphill triple for Sexton.
13:34The SMX track view, and you can see Tomac not too far on the 3 for the 96 of Lawrence.
13:41Chase is crushing those guys before that big tabletop.
13:44He's going outside and cutting across the jump on the inside.
13:47And what he's doing is making that whole section like one continuous arc.
13:52So no stop and go.
13:54And you can see him pulling away there.
13:56Great line.
14:01Can Plessinger keep his teammate in sight?
14:08I think they sold some noise makers today.
14:10This crowd is going nuts.
14:11That's because the hometown boys out front.
14:13And then you got the president and AP.
14:15They're all APing out there.
14:17Everybody's happy.
14:18Yeah, Sexton, he can't say he grew up riding this track because it's only been open for about 11 years.
14:24So in his younger days, his track wasn't here.
14:26But he is from Illinois.
14:27We're in Indiana.
14:28So I'm sure a lot of people that watched him grow up at other tracks when he was young are here watching today.
14:33I'm sure they're pumped to see Tomac up there as well.
14:35Yeah, I was just about to mention, I'm interested to see how this number 3 plays this race.
14:39Because, you know, listening to him on the start, he said he wanted to have two solid motos.
14:45So having that kind of mindset makes you think that he probably wouldn't be putting all this effort into this first one.
14:51But now he's close to the front.
14:52Maybe he will, J.T.
14:54Yeah, and I was thinking about Eli Tomac during the first 250 moto where R.J. Hampshire, that was a huge improvement over Bunch Creek getting fourth in that first moto.
15:02And you're kind of seeing the same thing from Tomac.
15:04It's always interesting to see how fast these guys recover after their first race back.
15:09Their body gets that muscle memory, starts to remember, oh, yeah, this is how we do this.
15:13And I think you're seeing both R.J. and Eli getting back to form.
15:16Yeah, absolutely.
15:17And Eli, especially with him, you know, he's out here to compete.
15:22You know, he doesn't want to be in the fifth, tenth place.
15:24You know, he knows he knows how to ride a motorcycle.
15:26His biggest thing is obviously to get ready for the playoff.
15:29But when you win these championships, you know, fourth isn't good.
15:32So him being close to these guys, he wants to have every opportunity to be able to win.
15:37And I think he would feel better going like winning one moto and getting 20th than having two fifth places in this moto and both motos.
15:45Hey, Hunger is back here, James, catching Lessinger again.
15:49Yeah, I wonder, is it just part of what we saw with Levi Kitchen?
15:54You know, the way this track is, maybe it's a little bit more difficult being closer to the guys.
15:58Because it seems like when they get close to each other, they make mistakes.
16:01So maybe it's the vision.
16:03But what we saw with Levi looked like he was starting to go backwards in the mid-moto.
16:07He started catching form.
16:08So maybe that's what Hunter is doing as well.
16:12Halfway through this one.
16:14Brought to you by Monster Energy.
16:17Yeah, a little road reversal.
16:21Hunter doing his best work from the front this year with the great starts.
16:25But now he's the one charging, trying to catch Lessinger.
16:28And that number three won't go away.
16:31Yeah, you see how much chase gets away from these guys in this part of the racetrack, that tabletop.
16:39Down to Jason Thomas with the team manager for the KTM squad.
16:43Well, Aaron Harrison, this is a big moment on the precipice of winning the first 415 Pro Motocross Championship since Ryan Dungey in 2015.
16:51Can you talk a little bit about the work it's taking to get back here and what it means for the entire Red Bull KTM crew?
16:56Yeah, you're right.
16:57It has been a little while.
16:59And we started off this year a little shaky.
17:01But we've definitely made progress through the year.
17:04And not only with chase, but with Aaron too.
17:07And yeah, it's exciting.
17:09So a few more laps here and we'll see what will happen.
17:11Well, nerves are high down here, but looking good so far.
17:15And KTM has not won this championship since 2015 with Ryan Dungey.
17:20Saw Dungey this morning.
17:21He is on hand, hanging out with KTM folks.
17:24Got a lot to watch right now.
17:26Yeah, they got a lot going for them.
17:28Hunter is really quick on this part of the racetrack as he closes back in on Aaron.
17:32It seems like he loses it right by the finish line.
17:34So he's able to get around, close in on Aaron, get around, pull away from Eli.
17:40And let's see what happens on the second half of this racetrack.
17:48Dropping downhill.
17:53And still Tomac in the shot.
17:55Not quite in the battle, but close enough.
17:57Yeah, that exchange better for the 7.
17:59He pulled away a little bit.
18:01Yeah, and maybe Aaron picked up on some of Chase's lines over here.
18:06Because this is where Chase is really good, as you can see.
18:08Chase has pulled out of his shot, so...
18:13Now, because Chase hasn't really pulled away from these guys like he has been able to in the second moto,
18:18I'm sure it's giving these guys confidence to be able to be like,
18:21okay, maybe he is thinking about the championship and might have an opportunity to close back in.
18:25Because normally we see Jason, like, when Chase gets on the roll and he gets around these guys,
18:30next thing you know, they look up and they're seeing no one.
18:33That number four is gone.
18:35Fact is, they can still see him.
18:38And that number three is still lurking in the background.
18:40Yeah, we were talking this week also with J.T. about last year,
18:43the way Jent Lawrence was winning races.
18:45He was just maintaining that two- to three-second gap.
18:47Sexton has been much more of the traditional, just keeps pulling away, pulling away.
18:52But there it is, between that two- and three-second mark.
18:54Right now, as you watch the Thor battle box,
18:57show you some of the riders in that bubble battle for the playoffs.
19:01Harry Kulos, Grant Harlan.
19:03Yeah, he's gone hard back there, too.
19:05Everybody has their own little battles and trying to seeding points, getting this playoff.
19:09But people, watch out.
19:11Got a feeling that the number three is starting to wake up back there.
19:14Oh, really?
19:15I just got that feeling.
19:16I see the head landing.
19:18Yeah.
19:19That's if Tomek gets on the podium.
19:21Crowd's going to be going crazy.
19:23Yeah.
19:24And Eli was the fastest ride on the racetrack last lap at 214.
19:28Really close.
19:29Chase was second.
19:31Hunter was...
19:32Or actually, Aaron was third.
19:35Also shout out, Marshall Welton is in that battle.
19:37Welton, see, look at that bubble right there.
19:40So, Welton is a 19th-place spot, guaranteed into the motos,
19:43if he can bring the 75 home.
19:45Kyle Chisholm is the last spot guaranteed into the playoff motos.
19:49Dean Wilson showed up today,
19:52but he's just gotten into the top 20 now.
19:55Wilson is 20th, and Chisholm is in 17th.
19:59Wilson needs to make up a bunch of ground on Chisholm today.
20:02And Wilson's saying this will be his last pro motocross race.
20:05Although then he joked, I said that two years ago.
20:08And here I am, racing him to try to make the playoffs.
20:10Yeah, we can't leave it.
20:12We love it too much.
20:13It's too much fun out here.
20:15Well, this is fun, a battle at least to watch.
20:18I'm not sure about being in it.
20:19Hunter Lawrence will not let Aaron Plesinger go.
20:23And they're closing back in on Chase,
20:25so I don't know if Chase got caught up,
20:27but he didn't pull away from those guys in this section
20:29like he did before.
20:32Top four within about four seconds.
20:36Yeah, it seems like Eli's really quick on this side of the racetrack,
20:40so it'll be interesting to see if he's able to close in
20:42and possibly get around the 96.
20:44These guys are playing this tug-of-war, cat-and-mouse game,
20:47and I can tell you one thing.
20:48If that number three gets around the 96,
20:51he's going to try to go to the front for sure.
20:53JT.
20:55Well, we have not seen Eli Tomac ride like this
20:59in Pro Motocross since 2022.
21:01Yes, he came back last week.
21:02We all knew he was just trying to get his feet wet
21:04back into this series,
21:05and we haven't seen beast mode from Eli Tomac,
21:08not since the St. Louis round of Monster Energy Supercross.
21:11So if he is ready to uncork one here
21:13and really show us what it's all about,
21:15Weege, I am here for it.
21:18Everybody is. Go ahead, Katie.
21:20Yeah, JT, the pit board for Eli Tomac right now
21:23has been quickest on track, followed up by quick moves,
21:26and Josh Ellingson, his mechanic,
21:28is throwing that thing around,
21:29letting him know that it's go time for Eli Tomac.
21:32It's toe-smacking time.
21:34It's Eli Tomac.
21:35Well, JT mentioned if he was getting his feet wet last weekend,
21:39they might be soaked at the end of this moto.
21:41He is ready to go.
21:43Oh, he's diving in this week.
21:45And the good news for Tomac fans,
21:48what did you see there?
21:49Oh, that was close.
21:50I don't know if he hit some braking bumps,
21:52but he almost fell off the back of the motorcycle right there.
21:55Looked like he hit the bumps and got the little whiskey throttle.
21:59Oh, that was a rough ride through those woods as well.
22:02I was going to say, the good news,
22:03if Tomac puts in a charge, it's two riders he can challenge
22:06because Hunter Lawrence is still right there.
22:10Man, the time gained and lost in any given section of this track,
22:14you really can't tell what's going to happen next.
22:16Yeah, and it seems like it's in that new section
22:19these guys are trying to figure out.
22:20So I wonder, is that part of it, the shadows and stuff?
22:24Because a lot of, even on the racetrack, on the other parts,
22:26it seems like these guys lose the time is where they get in the shadows and stuff.
22:29So they'll probably go between motors and realize,
22:33if I don't lose so much time in this one section,
22:35I might actually be able to win one of these things
22:37because they're all riding pretty good.
22:40Jason Anderson has moved to fifth ahead of Justin Cooper.
22:43Malcolm Stewart, seventh.
22:44Nicoletti, eighth.
22:45Norton and Craig, top ten.
22:47Back to Katie.
22:48Hunter Lawrence earlier today was not super comfortable on the bike.
22:52They've been making adjustments after each practice,
22:54and of course, I'm sure we'll make one after this moto as well.
22:57But you imagine, he's trying to be catching up with AP
23:00and making some moves, knowing that Tomac is behind him as well on a bike
23:04that's not entirely all that comfortable for him right now.
23:07We know that 2025 has been good to him
23:09over the course of this little part of the season,
23:12but he's not yet there in the comfort today.
23:15But still could be in contention for the podium,
23:18and they're all building toward this, the SMX playoffs.
23:21And don't forget FanFest, which is two days at the SMX playoff races,
23:25Friday and also racing on Saturday.
23:28You can watch practice, a live press conference in the morning,
23:31and our podcast mashup.
23:33James Stewart, Mother's World.
23:34We'll have Ricky Carmichael, title 24.
23:37Jason Gypsy Tails, myself and Jason Thomas.
23:40I'm not sure if we're going to have anybody else.
23:42I might be leaving out a name.
23:44Steve Mathis of Pulp Amex.
23:45We'll all be there on stage, hanging with the fans,
23:48Friday nights at the playoff races.
23:50Two-day ticket.
23:51And, you know, this goes back to, was it at Unadilly you said?
23:56No, maybe it was Schuble.
23:58Around that time of year, I remember you and R.C. saying,
24:00you don't often see this type of action late in the year.
24:03No, I was just thinking that in my head,
24:05listening to you, that you got the top four.
24:08Everybody's got their own agenda out here,
24:10but they're all trying to win.
24:12You know, Chase Sexton, easiest way to wrap this championship up
24:15is to go out here and win.
24:18I think that's the only way he knows how to race,
24:20and that's what he's been doing.
24:21Then you got Aaron Plessin trying to get his first ever moto win.
24:24Hunter Lawrence trying to get another overall, his first one,
24:27and to stop Chase Sexton from winning his title.
24:29And then you got the four-time champion, Eli Tomac,
24:32just trying to get his feet wet, and they're looking pretty wet to me.
24:35So everybody's out here racing, and that's all because
24:38there's still more to look for.
24:40There's still reasons to go out here and compete,
24:42and that's what you're witnessing.
24:43Yeah, the final round of pro motocross,
24:45depending on how the points go,
24:46you have had some years where one or two riders
24:49just wallop the field.
24:50You don't often get a four-pack this close.
24:54That's because we're tired.
24:56We're tired.
24:58Well, they found a little wind in the sails
25:00with the playoffs coming up.
25:02Man, Hunter made a mistake.
25:04Eli got close.
25:06Now Eli's almost two seconds behind Hunter,
25:08and that all happened in about a quarter of a lap.
25:11Yeah, the scary part for these guys is that,
25:13look at that lead.
25:14It's almost four seconds now.
25:16As these guys made a mistake, Chase Exton's pulling out,
25:19so they're in the danger zone if he keeps going.
25:23And there's Plessiger in second.
25:24Familiar ground for him.
25:25Like I said, he has a background in the type of woods racing
25:29that was where Ironman first made its name as a race facility.
25:32Here's Aaron on that.
25:35It's just changed so much, and to see it come this far
25:38and have this place be, you know,
25:40the last round of the Pro Motocross Series is really, really awesome.
25:45And I actually got to race this track when it was first being built,
25:50and I think it was 2014.
25:53And we did a Loretta Lens Regional here.
25:56And then my first ever pro race here is the first overall I got in 2015
26:05as my rookie year.
26:07And I've done really, really well here,
26:09and I think it's just a good place.
26:17Well, certainly is right now for him because he's a little bit further ahead,
26:22finally putting some distance between himself and Hunter Lawrence.
26:27But nope, as quickly as I say that, Hunter closes back in.
26:30Yeah, they all have their sections on there,
26:33but everybody's, you know, putting in some fast laps.
26:36I mean, Chase Exton ran a 2.13,
26:38and then Hunter, I mean, plus he ran the 2.14 in the last lap, JT.
26:42Yeah, and you start to see these guys spreading out a little bit.
26:45Tomex falling off the back just a touch.
26:47It is so much more humid than you would think.
26:50Now, the temperature's not going to jump off the screen at you,
26:52but these guys are certainly feeling it late,
26:54and I think that's kind of why the battles slowed up a bit
26:57is these guys are just feeling the heat and humidity weight in this moto.
27:01That's because Chase Exton's got a hot pace out front,
27:03making everything hot.
27:05But Aaron's still doing a good job
27:07because normally in these time of motos where Chase is rolling like this,
27:10he's gone, and they don't look like they're, you know,
27:14laboring a little bit at all to me.
27:16Aaron still looks like he's aggressive like he was the first lap.
27:19Same thing with Hunter.
27:20Just unfortunate they're losing time somewhere,
27:22which is a lot happening, Katie.
27:25Yeah, I can agree with JT.
27:27It is humid for people like Aaron Plessinger
27:29who have long hair and myself.
27:31We're feeling it out here.
27:32But one thing to keep in mind here
27:34is there's also a championship podium hunt for Aaron Plessinger.
27:37Remember, he and Justin Cooper had been battling
27:40for that third-place podium spot in the championship,
27:43a very important thing for someone like an Aaron Plessinger
27:47to make sure he finishes and finishes strong
27:49and way above Justin Cooper,
27:50who is actually dealing with a bit of a shoulder injury after last weekend.
27:54Knows that he is battling.
27:56What's at stake?
27:57And I think, you know, Stu,
27:59that's something that you could really respond to a little bit
28:01is what is at stake for these guys
28:03for that second, third, fourth place in the championship?
28:06Yeah, as I mentioned, you know, all these guys,
28:09and especially with Aaron,
28:10I mean, he's trying to get his first-ever win
28:12and his teammates out here, you know, winning this championship
28:15and possibly going to wrap this championship up.
28:18So the bike is good.
28:19Aaron's been riding great all year long.
28:21So not only he wants to get that third place,
28:23but he also wants to solidify that spot on Team USA as well.
28:26So there's a lot to fight for.
28:29Aaron's doing a great job.
28:30All these guys are, too, because they still look racy to me,
28:34and I like to see that.
28:35Even the number three does, too.
28:37Yeah, and that's critical
28:38as the AMA tries to make the decision
28:40on who will represent the United States at Motocross of Nations.
28:44There's Hunter Lawrence going by.
28:46I think he's a shoe-in for Team Australia, by the way.
28:48No problems there.
28:49Let's give you the Monster Energy running order.
28:51Tomac fourth.
28:52Anderson is fifth.
28:53He's gotten around Cooper, as Katie mentioned,
28:55banged up a little bit from last week's crash off the start of Moto 1.
29:00And then Ferrandez is out with that brutal crash in Turn 1.
29:05So Tomac's certainly under consideration for Team USA as well.
29:09I believe they have to announce
29:11or at least submit the entries for the team by September 3rd.
29:14So this is really going to be the last chance
29:16for them to see what these riders have.
29:19We asked Eli, would he be willing to ride for Team USA if he is asked?
29:25Yes, and that's if I earn the position.
29:29In my mind, I believe it's Plessinger in that position for points right now.
29:34So he has every right to go.
29:36The only way I would want to take that position
29:39is if I made a way stronger showing,
29:41and then obviously the team does pick me.
29:44But I would be willing to go.
29:46Tough call there between the potential of Tomac,
29:49the history of Tomac,
29:51and how well Plessinger's riding right now.
29:53What do you think?
29:54Yeah, I mean, I agree with Eli.
29:56I mean, he's obviously, if Aaron wasn't riding as good as he is,
30:00then absolutely, then Eli would fill those positions.
30:03Not only that, you got Justin Cooper as well as another good one.
30:06But at this moment, that's why I said they all got something to race for.
30:10I think Aaron Plessinger, the way he's been riding,
30:12he deserves to go.
30:14And doesn't mean Eli doesn't,
30:16but Aaron's been here all week, all year,
30:19and I think Eli would agree with him.
30:21If he goes out there and beats him,
30:23you got to go with the number seven right now, Captain America.
30:26Yeah, the sliding scale is that the race is October 6th,
30:29so it's like a guessing game of, all right, Tomac's just coming back.
30:32That's a month and a half from now.
30:35How much better can he get?
30:37I'll tell you what, the fans would love it either way
30:39because they're two of the most popular,
30:40maybe the two most popular riders out here.
30:43Yeah, and I do think, Eli, this is important.
30:46One of the reasons he's coming back, one, for the playoffs,
30:48but also this might be his last chance to race the Motocross of Nations.
30:53You know, you got to think next year, everybody will continue getting better.
30:56I mean, he will, so it's only going to get tougher for him.
30:59If he has an opportunity to go, he definitely would this year.
31:06Seems like if Eli would just come in, jump out over this roller on the inside,
31:11I noticed that Chase was doing that earlier.
31:14It seems like they get in there and they're really cautious,
31:16and they roll over that roller, and it just slows their momentum down.
31:19So maybe that's why they're losing time.
31:21Instead of just kind of getting in that inside, just jumping over those potholes,
31:25but it also carries momentum.
31:27Maybe that would help them, but it's obviously a lot tougher than it looks.
31:30Is that Hunter Lawrence still up ahead?
31:32Yeah, and Aaron Plessinger's right in front of him.
31:35So that's why I said I don't see these guys laboring.
31:40Chase is just riding really good, as they all are.
31:44And Chase Sexton now two and a half laps away from a moto win
31:48that would lock up the pro moto cross championship for 2024.
31:53Just got to hold on to it.
31:55Tomac still digging for third.
31:59Yeah, Eli's riding really good.
32:01And as we think that Hunter's closing in on Aaron,
32:04and as we mentioned earlier this whole show,
32:07that it's just that back and forth, these guys just lose so much time.
32:11And it definitely seems like he gets in these tighter parts of the racetrack,
32:15some of these corners with these hooks on the end.
32:18They make a mistake.
32:19They lose a lot of time.
32:21Oh, this is going to be a battle for the podium with two to go.
32:25This could be a possible moto cross the nation battle in a couple months
32:29if Eli's on the team or even with Aaron in front of him.
32:32Oh, yeah.
32:33Yeah, the Australian team expect to get Jett Lawrence back.
32:37They're going to be tough as well.
32:40And by the way, at halftime after this moto,
32:42we did talk to Jett Lawrence this morning about his prospects
32:46and returning for the playoffs in SMX.
32:49So stick around with us in between the motos.
32:52Halftime, we'll have that Jett Lawrence interview.
32:55Spoiler alert, he was in really good spirit.
32:57Yeah, and he sure is.
32:59Brother's running second in the championship, riding good a rookie year.
33:03Unfortunately for him, Eli Tomac, he smells Vegemite.
33:06I'm going to take a bite out of that sandwich right now.
33:10Oh, it's a good sign for Tomac, who's also building not just playoffs
33:14or moto cross the nations or today.
33:16He did announce he's back all season long next year.
33:20And he admitted yesterday in the press conference
33:23he probably wasn't as ready as he would have liked to have been
33:26for the 2024 season.
33:28All right.
33:29You see that right there.
33:30You see how much time the hunter was able to pull away.
33:32And what I was mentioning a lot before, just jumping out a little bit,
33:36over that single, Lyle's going to carry his momentum.
33:39And you can see what Eli didn't do that in all that time he lost.
33:42But as quickly as that, Eli's quick, obviously pretty fast somewhere else,
33:46and he's able to close back in.
33:47But I wonder if Eli started that.
33:49How much time would he be able to get around Hunter?
33:51Or how much time would he be able to gain on Hunter?
33:54So is that something he could see and adjust?
33:56Yeah, I mean, he would probably do it in between races.
33:59I'm sure they'll probably tell him.
34:01And especially since Hunter just did it in front of him,
34:03they'll go back and watch it.
34:05Or maybe Eli would do it because he just saw it happen right in front of him.
34:09Losing a lot of time right there.
34:11And it seems like it's a lot more energy that he's wasting by having to fight.
34:18Yeah, that's what I was alluding to before, by the way.
34:20For Eli, every one of these laps, every gate drop between now and next year
34:25is just building blocks.
34:27He only got on a bike two months before the Anaheim opener of Supercross
34:31this year.
34:33And maybe he wasn't quite the Eli Toback of old.
34:35He wants to rectify that.
34:37Yeah, and same thing that's happening with my brother.
34:41Any of these guys that's riding outdoors.
34:43Racing outdoors is going to help Eli for Supercross next year.
34:47So whether the results say he's getting better, a lot better out here racing.
34:53And will be better in 25 because he's coming out here and finishing these four motos out
34:57and then into the playoffs.
34:59There it is, James, last lap.
35:01Chase Sexton in control of the moto and in control of the title.
35:05And what a journey it has been.
35:09And it will conclude, it appears, at Ironman Raceway.
35:13And last year the disappointment gave it everything he had.
35:17But Jett Lawrence completed the perfect season right here at this track.
35:22So for Ironman, quote some lyrics from that famous Black Sabbath song.
35:28As Jett was celebrating, I heard that Chase Sexton just went back to the Honda truck.
35:32It's like the lyrics to the song.
35:34He just stares at the world, planning his vengeance that he will unfurl.
35:38It didn't look good when he first got on this KTM in Monster Energy Supercross.
35:42But here we are, a year after that bitter defeat.
35:46And he is looking at the pro moto cross championship.
35:52I don't want to say anything after that beautiful race.
35:56That was nice on there.
35:58We were here calling the race.
36:00I mentioned to you, he actually seemed mad after that race.
36:04That was a great discussion and point right there.
36:08The vengeance.
36:10Shout out to Ozzy Osbourne.
36:12Shout out to you for bringing it up.
36:14So Ironman Raceway is, if he holds on, going to be where he is crowned.
36:18But again, go back to what we heard in the off season when he first got on this bike.
36:22Even Chase himself wasn't being, you know, a lot of times riders are way unrealistically positive
36:27when they first get on a new motorcycle.
36:29I'm going to say he was being real.
36:31Yeah.
36:33Chase is way better.
36:35As he's starting to celebrate right now.
36:37But he can't help but to win.
36:39Once he starts going fast, he's going to be able to do it.
36:41Now that's what you're seeing.
36:43And what we're seeing is this.
36:45Another big step for the career of Chase Sexton.
36:49Already a 450 champion in supercross.
36:52And now the 450 pro motocross champion, Chase Sexton.
36:59And the first person to congratulate him, his chief competitor this year, this summer, Hunter Lawrence.
37:19They've been very respectful to each other throughout this championship campaign.
37:23There's his agent.
37:49Of course, one motor to go, but this is enough to lock it.