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2025 Motocross Southwick 450 Moto 2
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00:00Rebs are out. Gates down.
00:08Prado drives it in deep. They're side by side.
00:11He went off the track to try to get Jet.
00:14Jet to the lead again, but Prado is second.
00:17Yeah, I guess it shows you what that confidence does with Jorge.
00:20He tried to get in there, but that right-handed, he couldn't stop.
00:22Jet Lawrence is out front. Eli Tomac got a better start.
00:25Looks like Hunter Lawrence saw something in third place.
00:27All right, here it is for these guys.
00:29We wanted to see. Now Hunter putting pressure on Prado.
00:33Yeah, you can already see the gap that Jet's already able to get.
00:36It's going to be important for Eli to see if he can go past Hunter Lawrence up the inside.
00:40He makes the move.
00:42James, he's got it. Can he seal the deal?
00:44Hunter's fighting back.
00:46Yeah, he's got to try to block. Nice pass by Eli now.
00:49He's got to get around to number seven.
00:51He's going to be tough, but Eli knows he had the pace in the first moto.
00:55He believes he had the pace.
00:56Now he's got to get up there and run with these guys.
00:58They made some work on the track.
00:59He made some of these lines that he easily inside and outside.
01:03Hey, they both have a lot to prove.
01:05It's not just Tomac that wants Lawrence.
01:07Much better.
01:08Jorge Prado today.
01:09Can he keep the 18 in sight?
01:12This is as highly anticipated a battle as Tomac versus Lawrence.
01:16What does Prado have to offer? We're going to find out.
01:19Yeah, in a way, Jorge's been riding all day long.
01:22We're kind of overlooking the fact that, you know, maybe Eli needs to get around them.
01:26But man, Jorge's been around really good.
01:28He's got some pace.
01:29So can he get that pace going early this moto, this second moto, and keep Jet Lawrence in sight?
01:34We're going to find out.
01:35Yeah, this is a scenario everyone wanted to see.
01:38Jet with another hole shot, but these two have clear racetrack.
01:42Hunter riding well in fourth.
01:45Parsha fifth.
01:50And they are in full set moto this first lap.
01:53Yeah, I mean, some of this track is starting to change up a lot.
01:56And I feel like with these guys, they just got to keep Jet within three, four seconds.
02:01Even if he's able to break them here in the beginning, if you can keep it in,
02:04because that beginning part of that first moto, Jet got that huge lead and didn't stabilize.
02:09You know, you heard Hunter talk about, you know, it was an opening couple lapses.
02:12Man, I know that hurt daddy Tomac right there, that overjump in there.
02:16But that lead stabilized, and those guys were able to hold that gap.
02:20But if he can get it, they keep stretching, it's going to race going to be over.
02:23So it looks like Jorge's in a better position this moto for sure.
02:26Okay, so James, how does Eli play it in third?
02:29Is he as desperate to pass Prado if he sees Prado keeping Jet in sight?
02:35How does he play?
02:36No, I think if Jorge keeps on Jet in sight, like you said, Eli would just sit back.
02:41Okay.
02:42He doesn't get that pressure from Hunter Lawrence.
02:44What he doesn't want is the A-team getting away from him.
02:46And it looks like Jorge right now actually has a really good pace, actually.
02:49He's kind of closing back in on Jet.
02:51So, yeah, Eli, let him play, you know, pick and roll style.
02:54Let Jorge go after him.
02:55Jorge hasn't had any experience against Jet Lawrence, so let him go for it.
02:59Looks good.
03:01I want to show you this start.
03:04Prado just wasn't going to let Jet Lawrence have it.
03:07Yeah, and you wonder, Jorge, he actually had to jump, but Jet was on the inside,
03:11and this is that right-handed first corner.
03:13The reason he goes out so far is because he can't stop.
03:15You know, he's got to slide and slide that bike before he has to turn.
03:18So you could tell by his attitude, Jorge wanted to be up front.
03:23That was the most aggressive I've seen him off the start.
03:25So, look, it started from practice, been fast.
03:29Now you're starting to see that two-time champion that we've seen out here.
03:33So you can continue that.
03:34Well, remember back to the opening round of the championship where they didn't run that scoop tire,
03:39which is usually better for starts, and the word for the team was not ready to hold shot yet.
03:44I think we've seen a different style off the start today.
03:47Yeah, no, you're seeing a whole different rider out here today.
03:50And just like we saw in Tom Bial in that 250 class, once these guys get a sense of any kind of confidence,
03:55and I felt like, well, Jorge, yeah, he might be struggling on a bike, new tracks,
03:59but it really just comes down to he believes, and whether he finishes this off,
04:03it's a good sign of what we're seeing from the Kawasaki.
04:06And that first moto, Jet Lawrence already had a seven-second lead by this point.
04:09So Jorge has found his form, and I do believe if he stays here, we're going to have a race here.
04:16And we're going to go back to the question we've asked.
04:18It feels like a hundred times.
04:20This 1.3-second gap, is that right where Lawrence wants them, or are they seriously applying pressure?
04:28It's been this way so many times.
04:31Now it's time to play the game with Prado.
04:33Yeah, I would say on this racetrack, that 1.3, this isn't where you want.
04:39I mean, we saw that.
04:40That's not at all.
04:41No, just because how quickly Southwick is.
04:43And you've got to think, it's going to be a difficult race.
04:45It's going to be tough, all three of these guys are in shape.
04:48But once you get in those lap traffic, there's a lot of places on this racetrack where you get stuck behind them.
04:52So that's a little too close for comfort.
04:55Interesting.
04:56That's your old buddy Chad Reed there, who he lives at Club MX.
05:00That's where Prado has been riding for the last week.
05:02And we saw Chad down at the starting line, talking to Prado before the Modos sent it to Will.
05:08Chad, you've been at Club MX.
05:12Jorge Prado has been at Club MX.
05:13There's been a lot going on there this weekend.
05:15Wow, have we seen some serious improvement.
05:18Are you officially working together?
05:20Give us the update on that.
05:21And what are you seeing in Jorge today?
05:23You know, I think Jorge's results and inoculates speak for themselves.
05:28And I don't think that that's a representative of who he has been up until this point.
05:32So, yeah, I mean, I guess when you really look at the big picture, I've been to so many of those things that he's going through.
05:39You know, a new country, a new team, new people.
05:42If I can help, I would love to.
05:45You know, like you think about your 43-year-old self and you wish that, you know, at 24 years old, you had somebody with knowledge that would help.
05:55And I'm just that passionate, crazy guy that loves coming to the races.
06:00And I have a wife at home that's just equally as passionate that allows me to do it.
06:04So he's made big progress this week.
06:06And that's flowed over to this weekend.
06:08So for me, as a friend, as a, you know, as a Club MX guidance guy, it's a real pleasure to see him take a step.
06:17And all that experience that you're talking about, all those laps, not only have helped Jorge, but they've also got you into the AMA Hall of Fame.
06:24So congratulations on that.
06:25How does that feel to be in that situation?
06:27You know, that's a, it's not something that you achieve, right?
06:30Like it's not a thing you chased as a kid.
06:32It's just something that after years and years of committed, being passionate, you know, racing the best guys in the world.
06:39Those are the, you know, the things that come your way.
06:43And it just makes me beyond, I can't even put it into words, how like proud I am.
06:48You know, like my, my friends, my, my old competitors are all in there.
06:52I just raced too long.
06:53So now this was the first year that I was eligible.
06:56And so I really am appreciative of what the AMA does.
07:00And, and I feel really honored.
07:02Very well deserved.
07:03Thank you for your time, Chad.
07:04We appreciate it.
07:06Yeah.
07:07Congratulations, Chad.
07:08I mean, I know when he's get up there, it is a special feeling.
07:11And, and what he was talking about with Jorge, you know, just helping him out.
07:14You would think in most sports, they're talking about coaching, you know, working on your basketball game, your jump shot.
07:19I don't think Jorge needs any help on his technique or how he rides a motorcycle.
07:23But what Chad did say right there was that experience as Eli almost goes down.
07:27It's the experience of like, just having somebody that like, look, man, if you just stayed a course, I've been there through this.
07:33Like I look, I, I experienced this.
07:35My experiences.
07:36I've moved to a different country.
07:37Like I've struggled like this.
07:38And I think that's what Jorge needs.
07:39And maybe that's the signs of life that we see in him today.
07:42Maybe you got that help from Chad, JT.
07:44Yeah.
07:45Yeah.
07:46And I don't claim to have the answers.
07:47I mean, it could be the help of Chad.
07:48I mean, it could be Ellie yelling at Jorge Prado because when Chad wasn't riding very well, I'll tell you what happened.
07:53Ellie went in and gave him an earful and told him who he was and he needed to remember that.
07:58So maybe there's a little bit of that going on.
08:00But regardless, the team testing, Jorge believing in himself.
08:03I'll tell you one thing.
08:04You can pull the pictures off the telephone poles.
08:06You can take his picture off of the milk jugs.
08:08Jorge Prado is no longer missing.
08:10He has arrived.
08:11He has held Tomac back and he's only three seconds behind the lead right now.
08:15And I cannot express how different he looks on the motorcycle than the eight motos prior.
08:20Yeah, I agree.
08:21And to take it further, I don't think Jorge has been at these first four races.
08:25We've been seeing George out there riding.
08:27Jorge is back.
08:28So it's the first time he showed up all year long.
08:30It's good to see.
08:31But, you know, really, it does come off.
08:34We've got a red flag.
08:35Oh, wait.
08:36The roll is jumped.
08:37Red cross flag.
08:38Meanwhile, back to this battle.
08:40This is Justin Cooper and Justin Barsha.
08:43That's eighth and ninth behind Webb.
08:45Closest fight on the track right now.
08:47Look at Jake Cooper on the outside on Barsha.
08:49Oh, that's a brave move right there.
08:51You know, Justin, he's just coming back from injury.
08:53So, you know, normally that pass wouldn't be able to be made.
08:56But, man, I know Justin Cooper is, he's obviously, he's got a lot of speed.
09:01And this might be a frustrating day to him.
09:03Because every time we've seen him, he's been moving his way up.
09:06But these stars have killed him.
09:07And that's not normal like Justin Cooper.
09:09At least one moto he gets a good start.
09:11Another bad start for Justin Cooper and making his way up.
09:15And he's going to have to go out this teammate next.
09:17Yep, they battled in moto one.
09:19Cooper Webb, Justin Cooper.
09:21Seventh and eighth.
09:22Oh!
09:23Hold on to that, Cooper Webb.
09:25Yeah, that's a tough one.
09:27Then it looks like Justin Cooper goes off the racetracks as well.
09:30Look at Jake Coop, though.
09:33He's hanging it out.
09:35No, he's looked really aggressive.
09:37And for whatever reason, it seems like the guys who's coming up through the pack, whether it was Joe Shimoda, Tom Biao.
09:43Man, they have this riding style that you look at.
09:45It's like, man, they look really comfortable and aggressive.
09:48And Justin Cooper is another one where I've seen him today.
09:51It looks like he's hanging it out a lot more and he's got some pace.
09:53So you just wonder if he was up front what that would do.
09:57Well, you can learn more about these two.
10:00Check out Yamaha's Beyond the Gate.
10:02That is on the At Yamaha Motor USA YouTube channel every week.
10:06And you get the inside look at Yamaha's factory-supported teams.
10:10Again, that's At Yamaha Motor USA YouTube channel.
10:14New shows weekly, including Justin Cooper and Cooper Webb,
10:18who probably battled like this a lot during the week at that star racing facility there.
10:24Yeah, you can see Justin Cooper dropping back.
10:27And I do feel like, yeah, Cooper's made that mistake and Justin was able to close up.
10:31And I wouldn't say it's necessarily Cooper picking up the pace,
10:34but just rather where Justin Cooper knows where he's going to be able to pass him at.
10:37So if Justin's been really strong on this side of the racetrack, once it opens up,
10:42gets closer to the finish line.
10:44So maybe there's an opportunity to make some passes.
10:46We just saw the last lap.
10:48He was able to get around Justin Barsha.
10:50We'll see what happens.
10:52So Hunter Lawrence has caught Tomac here.
10:55They continue to have to roll this jump with the red cross flag out.
10:59So right now, here's how the overall would break down.
11:03It would be Chet Lawrence, Tomac, and Hunter.
11:07One, two, three.
11:08But if Hunter passes Tomac, that could actually put Prado on the overall podium today.
11:13And Hunter's putting in quite a charge.
11:16Yeah.
11:17I'm not going to lie.
11:18I'm a little, like, questioning what's going on with Eli.
11:21I mean, you know, he was right there.
11:23And you asked me earlier, was he sitting behind Jorge because Jorge was keeping him.
11:27But now he's ten seconds back.
11:28And a couple laps later, you know, he doesn't look the same.
11:31He doesn't look the same.
11:32He doesn't even look the same.
11:33So you wonder if it's he just realized Jet's on a different level.
11:37And that might be demoralized or maybe something else happened.
11:40Or maybe he hurt himself.
11:41But this is not the Eli that we expected to see, especially after listening to him on that podium.
11:46He knew what he needed to do.
11:48And he was able to somewhat do that.
11:50But it's a big statement here by Jet Lawrence.
11:54So depending on what's going to Eli at this moment.
11:57Yeah, we thought Eli might beast mode it here and get stronger late in the race.
12:00But instead, he's going the other direction.
12:02And Hunter Lawrence, he's not going anywhere.
12:05Keeping the heat on the number three.
12:07Meanwhile, Jet has opened up an 8.6 second gap on Prado.
12:12But I would imagine if you're Prado, that's not demoralizing in the same way of at least this is a massive improvement.
12:18No, and truthfully, the only rider that's probably, you know, it's hurting and being demoralized right now.
12:24And again, Eli's been here, done that.
12:26So no offense, it is Eli.
12:28Because I feel like Hunter Lawrence, this is a good feeling for him.
12:31If he's able to get around Eli Tomac here at Southwick, that's a benefit.
12:34Jorge, it's a benefit.
12:36And of course, Jet Lawrence is a benefit.
12:38So all three of these guys are right here.
12:40But all of them are feeling completely different.
12:42I just feel like that number three, there must be something going on.
12:45Because, you know, I don't care beast mode or not, for him to run down Jet Lawrence, like if he's been saving that up,
12:51that would be probably his best ride ever in his whole career.
12:54I don't think Eli's that confident to be able to give that guy this much gap to be able to pull him down.
12:59Now actually getting Prado back in sight.
13:01But here comes the 96 of Hunter.
13:03He's on the inside and makes the move.
13:07That was, like I said, you can tell by his body language.
13:11And even right now with Eli, there's definitely something going on.
13:15And I, yeah, he looks tired, but I have a hard time believing that he's actually tired at this moment.
13:21So, difficult position.
13:23Now, by the way, over that jump, that red cross flag, that's why they're not clearing that jump.
13:26That is a wheels on the ground flag.
13:28You can't clear the jumps.
13:30So they momentarily pause the charge.
13:33And then it's back up to speed for Hunter.
13:38Could be a Lawrence 1-2 again, because now Prado is in his sights.
13:42Yeah, and if you look at the overall, that, like you said, it moves Jorge up to third position.
13:47And the way he rode that first moto, this is well-deserved if he's somehow able to finish him off, hold on to this position.
13:54Now, I think if Hunter gets Prado, that could put Tomac maybe back up on the podium, depending on how this all shakes out.
14:07Man, the 96 looks good.
14:08Yeah, no, he looks good.
14:09I mean, even that first moto, he looked good.
14:11Yep.
14:12He was just unfortunate.
14:13His brother got out too quickly.
14:15But it just seems like these HRC Honda, these guys have figured out the way to really rod this racetrack by jumping around.
14:22And even Jorge, he looks good.
14:23But to me, it looks like Hunter's bike's not moving around that much.
14:27He's able to jump just far enough, being really patient in certain parts.
14:30And it's just saving a lot of energy.
14:32And the same thing that happened in the first moto, Hunter was in a position to save some energy as well,
14:36because Jet was so far in front.
14:38Hunter had a good gap on third place.
14:40So maybe these two are probably the most fresh guys out here.
14:43And they went one and two that first moto.
14:45And saving some energy again, because Jet Lawrence has opened it up to 12 seconds.
14:50So I'd assume that goes to your point of, yeah, this is not the day to manage the 1.3 second gap.
14:55Not on this track.
14:56He's opening it up at an alarming rate again.
14:58And he is.
14:59And now he has that gap.
15:01And just what we saw with Hayden Deegan and even Jet in that beginning part of that first moto,
15:05now he's able to really patient and take all the risk out if there's some rough parts of this race track.
15:11He'll just go a little bit slower here.
15:13He can pick his way around this race track to where he's saving energy.
15:16And, man, these two motos have been by far the most dominant motos that he's had probably in his 450 career.
15:24He came out here with a point and to have Eli Tomac in second or third place.
15:29Jorge Rotten as good as he is.
15:30I mean, to pull the gap on this field, I don't know.
15:33I don't even know what to say, but this is dominant.
15:36And the domination train continues for him.
15:39So we refocus on this.
15:41Prado versus Hunter Lawrence for second.
15:44And there you see the gap.
15:47JT.
15:48Well, just listening to James there, you know, talking about dominance.
15:51And it just feels like Jett's back to 100%.
15:54And I think we were fooled a little bit because he came out and he won right away.
15:57And we're like, man, he looks really good.
15:58But this is just the next year that he has.
16:01And, you know, there are a lot of Tomac fans in this world, me being one of them.
16:05But you just watch Jet ride right now.
16:07And he's starting to pull away.
16:08And he's gaining more confidence as the rounds go on.
16:12And just wonder, is there a way for anybody to find a way to win here?
16:16Because I just think he's going to get better from here.
16:19And that's a very scary thing for 39 other guys.
16:21JT, to that point there, are we seeing Jet in his best light here?
16:27I was talking to his trainer, Johnny O'Mara, and asked him that question earlier.
16:31And he said, yes, as an athlete.
16:33He's like, bike, bike aside, we're in a great place.
16:35But we're always working.
16:36We're always going to continue working.
16:38He said, as an athlete, yes, I believe that you are seeing the best version of Jet Lawrence.
16:42And we're seeing the same sort of healthy version of him that we did see prior to the ACL injury.
16:48Scary thought for everyone if he's getting better halfway through this moto.
16:53Very monitor that monster energy available now.
16:57And let's see if Prado can prevent the Lawrence brothers 1-2.
17:02He certainly watched them quite a bit from afar, racing MXGP.
17:06Now it's going to be one-on-one, and he goes down.
17:09Oh, that's a bummer.
17:10That lap rider was in front, and it looks like Jorge loses the front.
17:13And, man, this is the worst position because that bike has gotten really heavy at this time of the day.
17:19But they had a pretty gap, about 10 seconds, 12 seconds on air.
17:24Oh, and that's going to cost him the moto and overall podium.
17:29Should slide Tomac back up there with the Lawrences.
17:32JT.
17:33And one of the things for those who haven't ever been in this position,
17:36racing a crash late in a moto like this, and James, you and I both have done this so many times in the course of our life.
17:42It's the things you don't think about because as he's going around the track, you know, he's averaging 30, 40 miles an hour.
17:47You have this constant breeze.
17:49There's wind always on you, cooling you down.
17:51When you stop and you're standing there and you're trying to pick up a 250-pound motorcycle, you don't get any breeze anymore.
17:57And your body temperature immediately shoots up.
18:00And that's the hardest part is to get cooled down, get your body and your heart rate back down to be manageable again.
18:06So you see him shaking his head, his frustration, and it's also his body temperature skyrocketing in that moment.
18:12Yeah, I mean, I agree.
18:15It's, I mean, and it's weird how it hits you.
18:17It's like an instant stop.
18:19And for sure, Jorge, how's good he's been rotting.
18:22I don't care if he pulls off the racetrack at this point.
18:24I mean, it's been a successful day for him.
18:26And I think he just continued going.
18:28But definitely going to be hard to recover after that with all that heat.
18:33I'll tell you who's recovered here, James Stewart.
18:36Eli Tomac's back.
18:38Started to close back in on Hunter Lawrence.
18:41And he was 3 tenths of a second faster the last time around.
18:44I don't know what happened there for a few laps.
18:47But he's going fast again.
18:48Yeah, I bet, like, maybe the mechanics or Eli saw something.
18:52But this was really prime kicking in because, you know, Eli's goal is not to beat Hunter Lawrence and get second place.
18:58His goal is to run with Jet Lawrence.
19:00So, you know, I don't feel like he was sitting back and just like, all right, I'm going to just make my way and just get second.
19:06There was probably some little bit of frustration going on watching Jet Lawrence pull away from him.
19:11And for whatever reason, he couldn't do anything with Jorge Prada.
19:14So now he starts dropping back.
19:16And that's not the Eli that we've seen for the last few years.
19:19So I'm sure this is a little bit of pride kicking in.
19:22Realize that this championship is still far from over.
19:24And, you know, we don't want to see those signs of where he goes missing at this point.
19:29So long race.
19:31He's got a long time to see if he can work on Hunter Lawrence.
19:34But there's just certain areas that watching Eli Rod and even with Hunter that I see with Jet.
19:40Jet's just really attacking this racetrack.
19:42How he's just jumping out a little bit farther.
19:44That really makes the race a lot easier for Jet Lawrence.
19:47And unfortunate for these guys, they can't see that until they go back and watch the race tomorrow.
19:52But they'll see where Jet's really making his time up.
19:55If you look overall as fast as lap time, I mean, Jorge with Eli, they're within a second.
20:00So it's not like he's going three, four seconds faster.
20:02But over time, jumping far and really picking his racetrack out has really gotten Jet that gap.
20:07And that's going to be frustrating for all those other guys.
20:10This battle here is Plessinger and Hampshire running fourth and fifth.
20:15These guys ride and train together during the week.
20:18So it's probably a familiar situation for them also to be season best for RJ already in fifth.
20:26He's a lot of sixth place finishes this year.
20:28He's fifth, but he wants fourth.
20:30Good to get him in this mix.
20:33Remember, we have the story that it's been the same top five overall in every race this year.
20:38Brado is currently fifth overall.
20:41So he's going to break that because Justin Cooper is at some bad starts today.
20:45RJ Hampshire showing he can roll with that group.
20:47Yeah, RJ has been looking really good all day long.
20:50I mean, to me, another guy that's been charging.
20:53And ever since he got on his 450, we were talking about him earlier.
20:56So maybe I'll just calm down a little bit because we were talking about it and he fell over.
21:00But, you know, I talked to him in between the race and he said he was just more comfortable.
21:05And he made some changes on the motorcycle.
21:07He felt better.
21:08And you can start to see it.
21:09And, you know, like you mentioned, like he gets used to riding with Aaron Plessinger.
21:13So at some point, you know, you just want to go get, I would say, his teammate or riding competitor.
21:18And he knows, you know, hey, Aaron's this close to him.
21:21Maybe I'll be able to get him.
21:22But I believe RJ and the Husqvarna team has stepped it up.
21:25And it's good to see him out here.
21:27Maybe you can break that out and spell that top five.
21:32Yeah, surprised to see Justin Cooper as the one who might not be able to keep that end of the bargain going
21:37as far as the same five being top five at every race because he was so fast this morning.
21:42But a rare day of two bad starts.
21:44So he's fired at seventh.
21:46Even with the crash, Prado is sixth ahead of him.
21:49And then just ahead of that, these two.
21:55And what do you see it here?
21:57How much?
21:58How much gas is left in the figurative tank?
22:01Well, I think I would say Aaron delights on at this point.
22:06The lights on because if he's not.
22:08Yeah, when you saw him land off that job, he almost hit his head on the crossbar pad.
22:12So, yeah, I know there's some breaking bumps out here, but that body's starting to fill.
22:16And again, that's kind of, that's expected here at Southwick.
22:19He's still fighting.
22:20He's going to have some motivation fighting against his teammate, RJ.
22:24But yeah, the gaslight zone for sure.
22:27Meanwhile, Anderson, Jason Anderson, who will talk to between motos.
22:31He has pulled out of this moto, dealing with the stomach issue, throwing up in the races.
22:35Tried, not going to be able to finish this one.
22:37Made it 20 minutes.
22:38Plessinger still digging.
22:40Actually, open it back up.
22:43Yeah, as quickly as we're sitting here talking about Aaron and how quickly RJ got to him.
22:49You know, you look at that gap and it's been like that all day long.
22:52Guys, once they close in, that gap just stretches out.
22:54So, yeah, it seems like if Aaron would just jump out another 10 feet,
22:59it would make that racetrack so much easier.
23:01It would be a lot smoother and that momentum would carry up.
23:04But again, you know, not picking on him because, look, I've been in that same spot.
23:08It's just hindsight, you can kind of see it from this point of view
23:12and it makes life easier for these guys.
23:16JT.
23:17Well, for AP here, James, you know, I watch him ride here.
23:20It's not like he's doing poorly.
23:21He's in fourth place.
23:22But I think AP is the classic example of a guy who really didn't grow up in the sand.
23:26JT, maybe the lack of experience showing there.
23:30We're cursing everyone with the announcer's currency today.
23:33Yeah, no, that wasn't JT.
23:34But I could tell when you saw when AP fell, he slid down.
23:38It was like he was in slow motion at that point.
23:40That body and that sudden heat that hits you, it's tough, JT.
23:45Yeah, and the point I was going to make before I jinxed him there was,
23:49he just looks like a guy who is incredibly good but is not a naturally gifted sand rider.
23:54Like, he's just fighting the motorcycle.
23:55He's fighting the racetrack.
23:56Because you think about a race like High Point, you think about Colorado,
23:59he was working with the racetrack.
24:01He looked so comfortable.
24:02And this is the exact episode of that.
24:04And now he's got Jorge Prior to contend with.
24:07Yep, they're all passing him now.
24:09That humidity catches up.
24:11And you can see the aggression is gone.
24:13And here comes Justin Cooper.
24:15Yeah, I mean, and when we talk about that heat and that Kawasaki signs of Supercross,
24:20this is what they're talking about, how that body reacts when the heat and all that stuff gets to him.
24:26Because I'm sure Aaron at this point started to feel lightheaded, like, you know, things that hit him.
24:30And, you know, that fall really just kind of caused that because he was already on the limit as all these guys is.
24:37But when you stop, you got to pick that bike up.
24:39It's really hard for him.
24:40But it shows you how dedicated all these athletes are.
24:43Because he'll recover and he'll still stay out here for this moto.
24:46And, man, that's just tough.
24:48So we'll review some of these errors here.
24:52That's what's allowing Jake Coop to move toward the front.
24:55Here's Prado's troubles.
24:57This is the first moto battling with Tomac over the bars.
25:03Yeah, it loses that front.
25:04I actually believe his front end went over that berm, that one.
25:09And then here, moto two, running second.
25:14Yeah, it looked like he actually might have ran into that lap rot or he was trying to get out of that rut that was built.
25:19But either way, too costly for mistakes because, I mean, he was riding really good.
25:24But still, still two crashes.
25:27Got the fight on really tough conditions.
25:30I mean, if you hear Kawasaki, you see how Jorge jumped out that distance.
25:35That's where I was mentioning with Aaron and those guys.
25:37And even Jorge came up shorter.
25:38So if he jumped out another half a foot, it would be a lot smoother.
25:41But what it really helps him, one, it's a lot smoother because you are jumping.
25:45But it carries your momentum up.
25:46So you don't have to pick that speed back up and fight that next corner.
25:50So it makes that whole section a lot easier.
25:52Like I said, a lot easier on this side of things.
25:55It's just the difference between what you're seeing from these guys and Jet Lawrence.
25:58And I think that's where that gap really comes from, that 15-second lead this guy's got over these guys.
26:03Prado getting through lap traffic while dealing with the pressure of Justin Cooper.
26:07They just got around Josh Toth, who we mentioned earlier.
26:10It's the Rocky Mountain ATVMC Privateer of the Week.
26:13Gets extra $2,000 to the local.
26:16But he's an off-road racer.
26:17Won the big GNCC at Snowshoe Mountain last week.
26:20But wanted to come out and race his local motocross.
26:22Qualified.
26:23The Toth is in 27th.
26:25They also just got around Joey Crown.
26:27Was once a big-time prospect for Kawasaki as an amateur.
26:31Was into retirement.
26:32He's coming back to race here and next week at Redbud.
26:35Crown now a lap down.
26:36And through that, Prado is having to negotiate those riders.
26:40Justin Cooper just not giving up.
26:43Bottom box is the leader.
26:44Jet Lawrence, who has lap traffic.
26:46More of it to deal with.
26:49Yeah.
26:50I mean, all these guys are out here surviving.
26:53One guy that looks like he's having fun.
26:54I would say two guys.
26:55Both Lawrence, Hunter, and Jet.
26:58I mean, Hunter was able to get around.
27:00I mean, pull away from Eli Tomac.
27:02Actually passed him earlier.
27:03Now he's got a five-second gap on him.
27:05And Jet looks like he's having a Saturday cruise out here.
27:10It's a big day for all these guys.
27:13No cruise for Jaycoop, though.
27:15He is powering down to try to get Prado.
27:21And he's currently tied for sixth overall with Hampshire.
27:25Hampshire has the edge.
27:26This would move him to sixth if he could make this pass.
27:29But I don't know if it has anything to do with that.
27:31You just see someone in front of him.
27:33And just wants to make moves.
27:35Yeah, he wants to make moves.
27:36And then, you know, sometimes you can feel it out.
27:39You got a guy in front of you.
27:40But I would say Jaycoop hasn't raced this.
27:43You know, he's been racing George, not Jorge.
27:45So for him, again, I still say this is a good win for Monster Energy Kawasaki and stuff like that.
27:52And Jaycoop, it's going to be a good day the way he rode.
27:56But really just difficult position for him to be in given all that track position up those first few laps.
28:02Yeah, not the typical good starts for him.
28:05But there he is.
28:06Right there.
28:07On Prado's rear wheel now.
28:10This is for fifth.
28:11Hampshire's fourth.
28:12Plus, it goes behind him because he crashed.
28:15Yeah, Jaycoop knows, like, all right, if I can get Jorge now, I might be able to pull away from him.
28:23Because I don't think Jorge have too much fight.
28:25There you go.
28:26No fight.
28:27So Jaycoop makes a pass into fifth.
28:32And he's still going to miss that top five overall.
28:36It'll still be fifth for Prado that's going to break that string with the same five.
28:43To Lawrence's Tomac, Plessinger, and Justin Cooper.
28:46They've been top five in every race this year.
28:48It's going to be fourth overall now for Cooper.
28:52Wow, that changed in a hurry.
28:53Yeah.
28:54A couple guys go down.
28:55There you see on the left side.
28:56That's the overall.
28:57Lawrence, Lawrence, Tomac.
28:58Justin Cooper now tied with Prado, but the tiebreaker is that pass.
28:59Second moto.
29:00Yeah, so overall, I mean, kind of where he's been at all year long.
29:01Yep.
29:02Good start, bad start.
29:03Now here's something incredible, James.
29:04I don't know if it's good news that you want to hear, but if Jet Lawrence is going to
29:09hold on to win this overall, I mean, it's 20th career win.
29:10It's going to tie you for eight all time in this 450 class.
29:12It's happening in a hurry.
29:13Yeah, I feel like we had such a good flow going today.
29:14Okay.
29:15Just kind of something.
29:16Yeah, I mean, but look.
29:17Something changed.
29:18Hey, you know what?
29:19I mean, when the guy wins, what it'd be 20 out of 21.
29:20Yes.
29:21The way he does, I mean, eventually the record was coming down.
29:22So, man, I'm just, I'm just impressed with him.
29:23I'm just impressed with him.
29:24I don't know if it's good news.
29:25I don't know if it's good news that you want to hear, but if Jet Lawrence holds on
29:26to win this overall, I mean, it's 20th career win.
29:27It's going to tie you for eight all time in this 450 class.
29:30It's happening in a hurry.
29:31Yeah, I feel like we had such a good flow going today.
29:34Okay.
29:35Just kind of something.
29:36Yeah.
29:37I mean, but look.
29:38Something changed.
29:39Hey, you know what?
29:40I mean, when the guy wins, what, it'd be 20 out of 21.
29:43Yes.
29:44He does.
29:45I mean, eventually the record was coming down.
29:47So, man, I'm just, I'm just impressed watching the kid rod.
29:50And I would say, again, this is probably the most dominant rod that he's had his, his
29:54whole career by far the best.
29:56And just like we talked about in Supercross going to somebody else's favorite track.
30:01I believe he showed up here meeting business life and he gave him boys business so far today
30:07if he can keep it going.
30:09One other story I want to tell.
30:11They were lapping, let's see, 214 to the Lawrence's right now.
30:15Tomek at 218.
30:17Qualifying, they were running 201 was the fast time for Justin Cooper.
30:22Just talk about that.
30:24Yeah, I mean, this track breaks down and we saw the advantage that you can get from being,
30:30you know, the beat practice like we like to say.
30:32These guys have an opportunity to get out on the track and how smooth it is.
30:35But, yeah, a lot of that goes for the tracks super rough.
30:38And this is the only racetrack you'll go to all year long that you'll see the differences
30:42in lap times.
30:43And, one, the track has gotten a lot rougher.
30:47That's one.
30:48But all tracks do that.
30:49They all start off smooth.
30:51But I really think it comes down to just the fitness and just how hard it is to race this
30:56racetrack.
30:57Not only you're dealing with all the bumps, but you're dealing with the bike moving quite
31:00a bit because it is so hard pack and, you know, slippery.
31:04So, just a lot of mental power.
31:06I think that's the lap times, Jay.
31:08Yeah.
31:09Justin Cooper, 19 seconds slower than he was in qualifying.
31:12That's not him.
31:13That's the track.
31:14This battle, now you've got Plessinger and Webb with Prado in sight.
31:17But Webb versus Plessinger is big.
31:20Justin Cooper, Webb and Plessinger are one, two, three in the SMX combined playoff rankings.
31:27Webb's ahead of them.
31:28But they keep closing the gap.
31:31And I believe this would change that fourth place overall position because they're all
31:36tied at this.
31:37Oh, that's right.
31:38They can take points away from Prado.
31:40Plessinger on the inside.
31:41Look at Webb.
31:42Hey, this is Cooper Webb.
31:44So, again, the last guy, just like Supercross, the last guy you want to have to deal with
31:48at the end of the race.
31:50And, you know, I'm sure Aaron's going to look back, see that number two, like, man,
31:53here we go again.
31:54So, Cooper Webb charging.
31:57Lap and a half to go at Southwick.
31:59Makes the pass.
32:00Yeah, and he sees the number 70 in front.
32:03You know Cooper's going to try to go out to him.
32:05And where was this?
32:08Cooper Webb all day.
32:10Now, really, these last two laps has uncorked it.
32:13He was good, but this is great.
32:15But isn't it Cooper Webb, though?
32:16Yeah.
32:17He's like, exactly him.
32:18He's like, where was this guy?
32:20And all of a sudden, we've been talking about how good Jorge's been riding all day long.
32:23And that number two, pesky old number two, just comes through with a dab vibe.
32:27Comes through like, I'm going to give you guys out the business.
32:29But it shows you, man, that Cooper's a champion.
32:31And it doesn't matter what position it is.
32:33He always goes out there and he races to compete.
32:36I love it.
32:37White flag should be coming out here.
32:40There's the gap.
32:41Actually, as they battled each other, Prado answered the call.
32:45Pulled back away.
32:46Just a tad.
32:48Yeah, Cooper knows he's got a lap and a half to kind of get him back.
32:57If he can kind of keep Jorge inside and keep this gap, then I believe he'll really go after him.
33:02That last lap for sure.
33:07White flag now out for the Lawrence's up front.
33:12Oh, Webb's still working.
33:19Oh, the foot came off right there.
33:22He's hanging on his bike.
33:24Something hanging.
33:25Yeah, on the bottom there.
33:27Yeah.
33:28Even the bike's got the tongue on the chain, right?
33:31Okay, so there's Jett Lawrence.
33:34He looks fine.
33:35Yeah, and you saw over our drone shot right there where Jett jumped out.
33:40You know, again, man, I think just shows you how focused and talented this kid is.
33:47Just all these little bit of jumps and hopping around this racetrack.
33:51I mean, that just takes dedication and talent.
33:53But also, you know, studying this racetrack and kind of knowing, you know, these positions
33:59are really kind of changing that up.
34:02I mean, this is poetry in motion.
34:04We just saw Cooper Webb go through that same section.
34:06It looked like Cooper was in a whole different zip code.
34:08And this guy's just cruising.
34:10Last lap on the way at another 1-1.
34:13Dominant.
34:14Dominant.
34:15You say maybe his best ride ever.
34:17Yeah.
34:18Like he said.
34:19Yeah, just some of the circumstances.
34:20And, you know, you can look at it and be like, all right, all of a sudden is he going,
34:25has he got a lot more speed than these guys?
34:27Well, when you look at the lap times, say it's the same speed that he has over these guys all year long.
34:32But just the way, the reason I say this is more of a dominant is because we know there are certain tracks,
34:38Hangtown, you know, Southwick, where Eli Tomac is his biggest threat coming into this.
34:43And it just seems like when, just like, hey, Deacon in a 250 class, when anybody has to go to a place
34:48where they think they might have a chance, this dude just shows up.
34:51And the way he did it today by being super quick in the beginning part of the race is really impressive
34:56because that's not normally how he does it.
34:59But just over time, like, you just watch this guy build up.
35:02They were close to him.
35:03And all of a sudden it gets up to 10 seconds.
35:06I mean, it's 20 seconds, 32 seconds over Eli Tomac on Southwick, second moto.
35:10And he looks like he's on a Sunday cruise.
35:12So if you're asking me, this is by far his dominant ride and the most complete I've seen this guy ride on his 450 career.
35:19Well, that's impressive if you are that impressed, but the numbers don't lie.
35:23Big gaps in both motos.
35:25Jet Lawrence, 1-1 on Southwick.
35:31Absolute domination for the number 18.
35:34And the cherry on the Sunday.
35:37Lawrence's and Honda going to go 1-2 in both motos.
35:42Yeah, good route by Hunter, making those passes after getting passed early.
35:48Got to be impressed with the HRC Honda guys and Eli Tomac.
35:53I think this is going to be a little head-scratcher for him.
35:58Be curious at what happened.
36:00Yep, ends up being a distant third.
36:02Had that one little surge get back to Hunter at one point,
36:05but he's going to be 12 seconds behind him at the end.
36:08The never-ending charge for Cooper Webb will get you back in touch with that.
36:13Prado is up the road now about six seconds.
36:17There you see them still battling.
36:20Checkered flag is waving.
36:23Racers are racers, man.
36:25Yeah.
36:26No matter what position it is, they're going for it right down to the wire.
36:29Yeah, and again, we've been talking about it all day, but I do want to give Jorge a shout-out, man.
36:35I mean, I know I've been in that position.
36:37I actually came to this track in 05, and because of what happened the first three rounds,
36:41I couldn't even finish this race because I was so demoralized, though.
36:44Not being able to win, and it was such a change for me.
36:46So for him to be out here fighting, especially what we saw a couple weekends ago,
36:49shout-out to him, the whole Kawasaki team.
36:52I know a lot of those guys over there.
36:54They put the effort into it, no matter what the results say,
36:57and I'm just happy to see this whole team just have some success with them.
37:01So good job, Jorge.
37:04Absolutely a sign of life there for Prado, who is fast in qualifying and in both motos.
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