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00:00It is Jett Lawrence on top with the fastest lap time qualifying today, powered by Fred Meyer.
00:05So that's the rider they're chasing. He's won all the races.
00:08Of course, he has the championship points lead.
00:10He was the fast qualifier.
00:12Can Jett Lawrence, the 21-year-old out of Australia, keep this incredible run in his career going?
00:18There's a lot of talent on the gate that like to end it right here.
00:22And Lawrence going to get edged out by the Spaniard, Jorge Prado, known for his good start, has the lead.
00:35Lawrence in second as a head uphill.
00:37And now Chase Sexton, the series champion from 2024 to the lead.
00:41What a move by Chase.
00:42He played that absolutely perfect by just slowing down, sliding up underneath.
00:46Looks like Eli Tomek slides up into third place or trying to get around Jett Lawrence.
00:51But Chase Sexton, what he needed to do out front.
00:55Yes, this has been the problem for Sexton starting behind Lawrence on that orange number one, the KTF.
01:00Prado does his best work for the front.
01:02He's there on the green 70.
01:04Lawrence has some work to do.
01:06Yeah, now it's going to be interesting.
01:07They put a little bit of water down.
01:08This track has dried out.
01:09These guys were first today, so the track's going to be a lot different.
01:12Now, I believe if you're Chase Sexton, the first moto since he's been back from injury hasn't been that strong.
01:17So I think he'll be able to work into his thing as he's starting to get away already.
01:20And look at Eli Tomek on the number three, challenging Lawrence.
01:23This is what the fans wanted to see.
01:25The living legend Tomek, the five-time Pro Motocross champion, putting pressure on the 18 of Lawrence.
01:31Yeah, this is what Eli needs to do.
01:34Last couple weekends haven't been the normal Eli Tomek.
01:36But any time this guy gets around the lead, and especially at this racetrack where he's never finished off worse than second,
01:42you know he feels comfortable.
01:43And Chase Sexton already starting to get away.
01:47The race duration will be 30 minutes and a lap.
01:50And in motocross, these riders will return in a little over an hour for a second race.
01:55Lawrence are on the outside trying to pass Prado.
01:57Yeah, this is a difficult spot.
01:59This is really one line that these guys, meaning they can't really pass each other through there.
02:03And especially with the shadows, it makes it difficult.
02:05But now it opens up.
02:06Jet Lawrence slides up into second place.
02:08He's trying to go after that number one.
02:09And Tomek looking to follow him past Prado and makes the pass.
02:13So every move Jet Lawrence makes.
02:16Tomek is talking to shadows.
02:17He is Lawrence's shadow right now.
02:19Yeah, Eli knows.
02:20He doesn't want the 18 to get comfortable.
02:22He almost goes down, loses the front end.
02:24Let's see if Jorge Prado gets up the inside of him.
02:27And that could make a huge difference.
02:29No, Tomek just able to hold off Prado,
02:32who's based in Europe and his career until this season has moved to the United States.
02:37And SMX, for the first time, it has been a rough adjustment for him
02:41and that Monster Energy Kawasaki team that he rides for.
02:44Let's see if he can run with this very well-established top three in America.
02:49No, I love this.
02:50Top three.
02:50This is one of the best out of all three of these guys.
02:53One of the best racetracks for all three of them and different reasons.
02:55So good to see.
02:56I love the fight from Eli Tomek because he clearly has a different attitude coming here today
03:01than he did the last couple weekends.
03:02And, again, he knows he has to stay with that 18 to give a shot at the end of their moto.
03:06Flying off the top of this hill.
03:12Tomek, the 32-year-old legend out of Colorado, Will, looking good today.
03:16He's looking good today.
03:18But as you said, Jason, the last couple of rounds have not been great for him
03:22and everybody was throwing out theories.
03:24What could possibly be the problem?
03:25Well, he talked to us yesterday at Media Day
03:28and he basically said, leading into Millville last weekend,
03:32they kind of swung on the settings there.
03:34They were trying to get better, try something different, and he called it a fail.
03:38That did not work.
03:39So I asked him, where are we this weekend?
03:41Are we back to some kind of base?
03:43And he said, nope, we're on another swing.
03:45And talking to the team about that process, they said, look, we know what Eli's capable of.
03:50We have to help him get there.
03:52That is our job.
03:53So if he asks for something out of the motorcycle so he can get more comfortable, we'll give it to him.
03:57We know that Eli Tomek, over the years, does not push too hard if he doesn't feel comfortable.
04:03That's why he has longevity in the sport and it's working for him.
04:07But, guys, I'll tell you, talking to him yesterday, the fight is still there.
04:10The will to win is very much still there.
04:14Well, it's there for Chase Sexton here on the number one as well, Will.
04:18And Sexton has been fast.
04:20Maybe the rider most likely to challenge Lawrence for wins.
04:23But we rarely see this scenario where Sexton starts in front of Lawrence.
04:28This is going to get interesting.
04:29No, it's going to get interesting.
04:30And like I said, this racetrack, you've got to be very patient on this track.
04:34And I think that's going to help Chase Sexton since he's been back off of injury.
04:38He's been a little lackadaisy, I would say, early in the moto.
04:41So I think this gives him a chance to let this thing get into him while Jet Lawrence is behind him.
04:45Because normally Jet Lawrence is in front of him.
04:47He's already gone.
04:48Now R.J. Hampshire is trying to get around Jorge Prada.
04:52One of R.J.'s better tracks as well, too.
04:55And that's a great battle there for fourth.
04:56Hampshire on the white, 24.
04:58That's the Rockstar House.
04:59Marta, the veteran out of Florida, moving up to this big 450 class.
05:03It's the bigger engine size for the first time in his career this summer.
05:08And every week he gets a little bit better fourth in both of the races last weekend in Minnesota.
05:14And that's the position he's gunning for right now with Prada on the green 70 ahead of him.
05:18Yeah, and unlike other tracks, this track, the roost is really bad.
05:23And what I mean, it's like getting shot by a paintball going down the freeway, honestly.
05:27These guys, so when you see them up there, you see anybody close to anybody, another rider,
05:31that means they're trying to make that pass because you do not want to just sit behind a rider and get pelted all day long.
05:36Yeah, that dirt coming off those rear tires, it really hurts here with the harder soil compared to some of the sandier tracks as of late.
05:43The bottom box is sexted.
05:44The rider out of Illinois missed the first half of Pro Motocross with some injuries, returned a few weeks ago, getting better each time out.
05:55And it's his best run thus far as Lawrence tries to close.
05:58Meanwhile, up top box, it's Prado versus Henshire.
06:01Now, with Chase being out front, I suspect he's probably going to ride a little tight because, one, he hasn't been in a position.
06:08He hasn't led a race all year long.
06:09And when you haven't been up there, it's just going to take a couple laps for him to just get the feel.
06:14And he's kind of wondering, when is Jack coming?
06:16Because you know he's coming.
06:17I believe as this race goes on, the number one will get more comfortable.
06:21And if he stays here past halfway, then we might have a shot.
06:23One guy who's not trying to stay there is R.J. Hampshire.
06:26This goes on the inside of Jorge Prado.
06:29I like that switch section right there.
06:32Nice move by R.J.
06:34And he has Justin Cooper catching up to that battle.
06:37Set it back to Jason Thomas' track side as Chase Sexton looks to get away.
06:41Well, watching Jett Lawrence in pursuit of Chase Sexton and watching this track come in a little bit, too.
06:46Remember, these 450s, they typically race second, so there's not a lot of water down.
06:50But the preparation before this, this is a wetter, a little bit muddier racetrack than they're used to.
06:56The track will come in.
06:57And some of those shiny sections, if you're looking at the track, where's the slippery spots?
07:01It's going to be the lighter color, the shiny sections of the racetrack.
07:03That's where they have to really be careful.
07:07And ahead of him, JT there, Chase Sexton up in front there.
07:12I've just talked about the work that's gone in from Star Racing Yamaha.
07:16Well, a lot of work going in from the Red Bull KTM team, too.
07:19After last weekend in Millville, the one thing that Chase said that he felt the bike wasn't there on was the downhills.
07:24And here, as we see here, we've got a lot of undulants here at the Washougal track as well.
07:29So they took a test rider.
07:31They went to work in California.
07:32Chase lives in Florida.
07:34No Hill's in Florida.
07:35So they took a test rider, went to work in California this week.
07:38And they said they came up with some settings that they were hoping he was going to be happy with.
07:41I believe they stuck through the first two qualifiers of the morning and seems to be translating here on the track today.
07:47Yes, well, the test rider, Marvin Muskan, one of the old greats for that Red Bull KTM team.
07:53They put him to work in California this week, and they put those settings on Sexton's bike yesterday here.
07:59Loves it and obviously riding well, although it is starting to tighten.
08:02Lawrence on the 18 has cut the gap to under one second.
08:07Yeah, I'm not too concerned about that.
08:09I think Chase just needs to calm and just keep the same flow because, one, it's a hard racetrack to pass.
08:14And as I mentioned, he hasn't been out front, so he'd probably be a little bit nervous just wondering when the 18 is going to come up here.
08:19But if he stays here, we're going to have a real race for the battle for the lead.
08:25And Eli Tomac is only a couple seconds behind these two.
08:27James, you've been talking about this.
08:28When a rider like Lawrence is on a run like this, then even when you're all alone out front,
08:33say a little piece in the back of your mind is wondering where he is, even if you don't see him or hear him.
08:39Yeah, you just know when he's going to come.
08:42And just like Goff, when you see Scotty Shefford on the leaderboard, you just have some point he's going to be up there.
08:48You're going to have to deal with him.
08:49Well, these guys know they're going to have to deal with the number 18 no matter when this race is there.
08:54And just start riding behind you.
08:55But Chase is doing a good job.
08:56And as I said, I think as he stays up here, he'll get more confidence.
09:00And he'll start to believe.
09:01And that's all they need to do here.
09:04Listen to the crowd.
09:05It's the battle they've wanted to see.
09:07Lawrence so often leading from the start and controlling it.
09:11Now it's going to be a fight.
09:14Yeah, you see Chase take a little look over his shoulder.
09:16I like Jet Lawrence's line in that early part of the section.
09:19And what it does, it opens up this whole next lane where you're just starting to see him close in.
09:24Because he's cutting that corner, if he has a straight shot, he's really making up a lot of time on Chase Sexton, that is.
09:30Lawrence about to get into that roost zone where the dirt coming off of the tire is going to get him.
09:34Yeah, he's not going to stay there.
09:36But if Jet's this close, he's going to try to pass him.
09:38It might be another opportunity of going up Horsepower Hill before you start funneling down to that section.
09:43And probably after that, the next opportunity will be in that split lane.
09:46So we'll see what they decide when they get down there.
09:49So here it is.
09:50Sexton versus Lawrence.
09:52The battle for the lead begins.
10:002023, Lawrence, the champion of this series.
10:03Sexton, the champion last year.
10:05And listen to the Valley.
10:06The crowd loving it.
10:10Sexton able to hold on.
10:11Yeah, Chase is doing a good job.
10:15Just be consistent.
10:17And maybe he feels more comfortable riding in second.
10:19I doubt here he's probably going to feel that way because of the roost.
10:23But nonetheless, Jet's in a perfect spot because he's seeing where Chase is better.
10:27And he's following his lines.
10:29And you can start to cut in.
10:30I like Jet's lines.
10:31But he's going to have to go to work to get around number one.
10:33Not only are these two the last two champions of this class, but also of this race.
10:39Sexton dominated it last year.
10:41And then Lawrence dominated it in 2023.
10:44So now consider that the rubber match.
10:47Who's going to be the better one this time?
10:48Feed off the pegs for Lawrence.
10:50Do that rut back there, James.
10:51Yeah, I mean, he's trying.
10:53Now you're seeing that gap stretch out a little bit.
10:55He's trying to, one, in these shadows.
10:57It's very hard to see.
10:58But, two, he doesn't want to be that close to him.
11:00But coming up here is where I believe Jet's been a lot better at.
11:03This next section, he's got a better line where he's squaring up the corners
11:07and making his slingshot.
11:08So we'll see what happens.
11:11And they're approaching a new obstacle on the track.
11:15This section has been around for ages.
11:17And they're going to hit a new jump that they built.
11:20New for 2025.
11:22Yep.
11:22Now let's see.
11:23Watch Jet cuts on.
11:24And now he squares his corner up.
11:25See how far there inside he is than Jay Sexton.
11:28And what that does, it puts him on the outside.
11:30And he usually has a better line in this next section.
11:33So he'll close up on the number one as he does right there.
11:44Tomac in the distance, hanging in there.
11:48If these two hook up, maybe one makes a mistake.
11:50Tomac could be right back in it as they go uphill.
11:55Lawrence closes again.
12:02Yeah, but with this section, Chase is not too worried about him.
12:05He knows he won't be able to pass.
12:06So I don't think he's, you know, stressing too much.
12:09Now, when you get here, you know, once you get to that split lane,
12:12you've got to get out of that corner pretty good.
12:13If I'm Chase Sexton, I'm going outside, then inside.
12:16Because if anything, even if Jet gets beside me, I'll have the inside in this next corner,
12:20as you can see right here.
12:22Jet makes the pass, but Chase has the inside.
12:24He'll close that gap off.
12:25So no worries.
12:27Lawrence is going to make a run.
12:29He knives to the inside.
12:31Wheel to wheel.
12:33Sexton able to win the race out of the corner.
12:35Yeah, that was pretty close for Chase.
12:39I don't think he thought Jet was going to be able to get to him.
12:41Jet almost did.
12:42But you notice when Chase went up that next step, he closed that line off
12:46because he knows he won't be able to get him.
12:48It's another section.
12:48Chase needs to get through this corner, get down this hill,
12:51and make sure Jet doesn't go around on the outside because it funnels back into one line.
12:55But this is a chest, not checkers, right now.
12:57Now, this section of the track, we've seen a few mistakes out of Lawrence on that 18,
13:02and Sexton has been able to get away.
13:04Let's see what happens now.
13:06Yeah, a few mistakes.
13:08You see these shadows out here, so very hard to see.
13:10Chase has been strong through this wood section.
13:13Here are the woods.
13:16Twelve bumps in a row.
13:18And Sexton is able to distance himself just a tad.
13:27Oh, it's just classic between two of the best of their generation.
13:33Can Sexton be the one that can beat Jet Lawrence straight up in a duel?
13:38Here's that big jump, 105 feet.
13:41That's 10 feet further.
13:42That's jumping an entire NBA court plus 10 feet.
13:47That's new this year.
13:48Nothing for these riders.
13:49They don't even think twice about that, do they?
13:51They ain't even thinking.
13:52I mean, I didn't even think twice.
13:53I'm like, man, that's big.
13:54I guess Jet makes a mistake as he kind of jumped off the racetrack.
13:57But you can see that number one starting to change up his lines a little bit.
14:01He's getting a little bit more comfortable, a few mistakes.
14:03And now he's starting to know where Jet is quicker at
14:05because Jet is showing him that, and he's going to start blocking it.
14:13And then one of the great features, they go over that hill.
14:16The fans aren't really back here.
14:17There's a handful of them.
14:18But then they'll emerge back into this valley.
14:20And when you have a battle like this, you'll hear it when they jump back down.
14:25Sexton riding well, pulling away a bit.
14:30Yeah, I think Chase is just getting more comfortable.
14:32We're almost halfway here, and he's still in front.
14:34So good job on a number one.
14:36Now Jet switches his lines up.
14:37Now he's going to follow Chase.
14:40Do another counterattack.
14:41Halfway through a 30-minute and two-lap race.
14:47Chase Sexton, the 2024 champion, returning from injury and riding well,
14:51holding up the phenom, Jet Lawrence.
14:54If you're watching on Peacock, enjoy motocross at the break.
17:27Live super motocross on NBC and a huge shakeup.
17:42If you're looking at the number 18 in the yellow jersey, that's Jet Lawrence.
17:46Series leader goes down while chasing Chase Sexton for the lead.
17:51Now Eli Tomac, the legend, has moved up to second, pushing Lawrence to third.
17:56Rare moment of adversity for Lawrence.
17:59James Stewart, what happened here?
18:00Yeah, well, Chase started changing his line up, where you mentioned a couple laps.
18:03Jet was trying to get to the inside.
18:05And simple mistake here in Washougal.
18:07The back tire never got in that rut.
18:09Jet went to go get on the gas.
18:10Try to avoid that roost.
18:12He'll be on the inside of it, and he slid out.
18:14Super easy mistake to happen.
18:16And you can see that rear tire just slides out.
18:19He's trying to get on the gas to avoid that roost and get that bike straight up and down and just loose at the rear end.
18:24Costly right now.
18:25Now you say avoid that roost.
18:26So you think he was adjusting his line to try to avoid the dirt from the bike in front of him?
18:31Yeah, he was trying to get back up and get that tire squared up on the meat of the knobbies.
18:35But he wanted to be just on the inside of that roost.
18:37Otherwise, he was going to have to deal with it.
18:39So, yeah, I believe if he was out front, he wouldn't have took that line.
18:42So he was trying to avoid the roost.
18:43And now a huge shakeup, not just back from Sexton, but Tomac has passed Lawrence and has pulled away.
18:52Now, James, how difficult is it after a mistake like that to regroup, find the rhythm again?
18:56That's what Lawrence has to do now.
18:57Yeah, well, I mean, the last couple weekends we've seen Jet make a couple mistakes just, you know, similar as that.
19:04Haven't been that costly.
19:05But today I saw him take a look after the mechanics there.
19:07He took a look back.
19:08So you're starting to wonder, he might be just settling down for the second place or third place in this moto.
19:14Washougal, he knows it's a hard racetrack to make up a lot of time.
19:17And as easy as he went down, he can go down again.
19:20So for him, he's got two motos in this thing, but new position for Naveen.
19:24See how far there out he is?
19:26Now that he's not, he doesn't have to worry about that rut or where he went down.
19:30He cut that corner down, trying to stay on the inside.
19:32And that's why I said if he was ahead, he would run the line that he had right there.
19:35Halfway through, it's a 30 minute and two lap moto.
19:40A reminder of Monster Energy available now at Fred Meyer.
19:44And you mentioned also halfway through the day in motocross.
19:48As we check back in with the leader, Chase Sexton, you run two races a day.
19:52Check it out on Peacock to see the second half, the second moto.
19:57As for moto one, Chase Sexton looking for his first victory of 2025.
20:02Can he hang on?
20:03Enjoy the sounds of motocross on Peacock as we go to break.
20:06Let's go.
20:16Let's go.
20:17Let's go.
20:18Let's go.
20:19Let's go.
20:19Oh, my God.
20:49Oh, my God.
21:19Oh, my God.
21:49Oh, my God.
22:19Oh, my God.
22:49Live Pro Motocross on NBC from Washougal, Washington, just outside of Portland, Oregon, the Fly Racing, Washougal National.
22:56This rider of the number one, Chase Sexton, deep in lap traffic, but leading the way on a track that has maybe been the best of his career.
23:05The 25-year-old from Illinois withstood some pressure from the dominance so far this year, Jett Lawrence.
23:11Lawrence went down while running second.
23:13And it would appear, James Stewart, that Sexton's in position to cruise this one home, but you think it might be a little more complicated.
23:20Yeah, it's a lot more complicated.
23:22And the reason that is because Jett Lawrence has won everything, and no matter how good Chase is and how many races he's won, he hasn't been able to beat Jett since he's really been on the track, and especially at this level.
23:32So Chase is still racing, like, even though he's got six seconds over Eli Tomac, he doesn't feel like this race is over until it's over.
23:40Give it a few more laps, then he'll be able to calm down, but this is a huge race for Chase Sexton, and especially if Eli Tomac can stay in second.
23:49I believe it'll help Chase be more relaxed, because now you're talking about an overall possibility, even if Jett wins the next moto.
23:56Yeah, James, it's the mental part of this game that's coming into play for Chase Sexton.
24:00Now, I was talking to Ian Harrison, team manager at Red Bull KTM there, and he was saying how they just need that confidence from him, that confidence in the bike, that feeling that he can put it anywhere.
24:10And that's just about getting him as comfortable as possible.
24:12And we talked about all the testing that was going on.
24:15That's where that is, and he gave me a great analogy for it.
24:18He said, you know, if you're driving a ship towards an island and you're one degree off, you're going to completely miss that island.
24:23He's like, that's the sort of tiny differences that we are talking about that can make the huge difference that translates into the confidence.
24:30Well, that work they've done has helped today.
24:32And the Super Motocross playoffs are set to return with racing September 6th, Charlotte, North Carolina, September 13th, at the Dome in America's Center in St. Louis.
24:42And then the World Championship Final in Las Vegas, Nevada, where champions are crowned.
24:48For tickets and info, go to SuperMotocross.com.
24:52And that's where the points for the Monster Energy Supercross Championship and this Pro Motocross Championship are combined to create playoff seating for a three-round World Championship runoff.
25:02Pride and big money on the line.
25:04You get a lot of credit to Chase Sexton for leading this one, but a nice bounce back.
25:10Eli Tomac, 6th and 9th in the two motos seven days ago and now running in second.
25:15Yeah, this would be a huge win for Eli Tomac, even though if he doesn't win this race, he can somehow hold off Jet Lawrence.
25:21It would be a huge confidence booster for him.
25:24But Jet's starting to close up.
25:25Eli really got stuck in a worse position behind those lappers where he caught him in the racetrack.
25:31Really one-line section, so for Eli Tomac, if he can hold on another four and a half minutes, it could be a huge win for him and maybe a lot of motivation moving forward.
25:41And the fans love Tomac everywhere he goes.
25:45The five-time Pro Motocross Champion who's been out as a professional since 2010.
25:50So every one of these fans has a story for the number three of what they call beast mode.
25:55Late in the race, the son of one of the greatest mountain bike racers of all time, John Tomac, has fitness.
26:01And that has led to epic late race charges.
26:04But now it's in reverse because it's Jet Lawrence starting to close on Tomac with four minutes and two laps left.
26:11And the fight for the runner-up spot.
26:13Let's see if Tomac can hold on.
26:19That's been fun to watch, this clash of the arrows between Tomac and Lawrence.
26:25Now, shout-out to this guy, the 35 of Marshall Welton.
26:28Bikes all banged up.
26:29Obviously had his trouble in this moto.
26:31The veteran out of Michigan is running 17th.
26:33But last week, a sportsmanship performance.
26:37Ryder from Italy, Tony Corolli, went down and was actually pinned under his motorcycle, being burned by the exhaust.
26:42Welton pulled over to actually get off his bike and save Corolli.
26:48Now, Welton just got passed, actually, by your brother, Malcolm Stewart.
26:52But Welton was rewarded with the FMF Privateer Power Award trophy this morning for that gesture.
26:58So well done, Marsh.
26:59He's had better days battling back here with that bent-up motorcycle just inside the top 20.
27:06Mentioned Jet Lawrence a lot today.
27:07His older brother, Hunter, has not been off the podium since round three about a month and a half ago.
27:14But outside the top three right now in fifth.
27:17Yeah, Hunter didn't get the best of starts.
27:19And you can see this racetrack in Wyshugel, like, you can make up time.
27:23You can lose a lot of time here, especially in the opening part of laps if you don't get that gap.
27:28But it's hard to make up time, as you can see what's happening up front.
27:31So Hunter Lawrence didn't get that start.
27:33RJ's riding really good, and he was able to get a gap on him.
27:36And nothing much Hunter can do.
27:38But he got around Justin Cooper.
27:39I don't know if Justin went down because he was ahead of him.
27:41But nonetheless, still another top five by Hunter Lawrence.
27:45But not used to what we're seeing, especially after the last few weeks for both of these guys.
27:48Yeah, the brothers have been 1-2 in the last four races.
27:52Now, a moment ago, we saw your brother, Malcolm, make the pass on Marshall Welton.
27:57But then watch this, center of the screen.
27:59Yeah, it goes in there.
28:00It's like he starts losing the front end, and the rear starts pushing.
28:03And kind of the same thing with Jett Lawrence in the sense of how slippery this racetrack is.
28:07But I believe Malcolm went down off the start because I saw him dead last.
28:11He did a good job getting back up in the top 20, but that's going to be costly at the end of the race.
28:16Check back in with Hunter Lawrence deep into the lap traffic here.
28:20And just looking for an opening.
28:27It looks like a great battle, but they're not lead lap.
28:30Hunter in the red 96 with the white-red gear.
28:33Trying to get through.
28:35Yeah, well, sometimes it's hard where you catch these lap riders.
28:38It might as well be battling them because they can't do anything.
28:40As you can see, it's hard for these guys to get around.
28:43But, Jason, I mean, what can you say about this guy to come out here, withstand that pressure,
28:48and he's starting to look better and better as this race is going on, especially at the end of this.
28:52The lap times have dropped back down.
28:53But I know in the bottom of his heart, he'll have about three laps to go.
28:57He wants those three laps to be over so he can prove to himself that he is as good as he is
29:01with that number one plate on there.
29:02But nice rebound by Chase Sexton.
29:04Yeah, and that has been the book as far as the speed, the talent, the ability.
29:08A lot of people believe Chase Sexton can beat Jett Lawrence.
29:11He's proving it in this moto.
29:13Yes, Lawrence went down, but he was behind Sexton when it happened.
29:16Meanwhile, we check in with the Monster Energy athletes in the running order.
29:20It's Tomac in second, Cooper in sixth, Jorge Prado now back to seventh.
29:25But can Eli finish in second because Jett Lawrence is going to fight him again?
29:31Yeah, Eli, once he got dropped earlier, you can start to see the lap times start slowing down.
29:36But when Jett Lawrence went down, it's like it revamped him.
29:38And Eli got caught in those lapers a couple laps ago, and Jett got really close to him.
29:43So Eli's picked up the pace.
29:44He's got a lot more to fight.
29:46It's going to be a hard two laps for him, but it can be huge.
29:48Just as big as for Chase Sexton to win this race.
29:51Eli's able to hold on to him, and it felt like a win to him.
29:54And win and win in the sails after out of the top five over the last couple of weeks in this championship, Tomac second.
30:02But he's got to clear these two lap riders in front of him.
30:06There's Tomac on the three on the blue bike.
30:08And you just heard him rev the engine explain that.
30:10Yeah, that was Jett Lawrence revving the engine.
30:13Well, Eli's always revving the engine, but Jett was revving to let these guys know.
30:17Now you can see Jett's going to be stuck behind his lap rider in this position.
30:20And watch that gap that he loses.
30:22But he's revving the bike to let him know that, hey, I'm coming up here.
30:25And as a rider being lapped, you know that sound when you see the leaders,
30:29especially when you see Chase Sexton and Eli Tomac.
30:31You've got to figure that 18 is coming as well.
30:33But look at the gap that Eli was able to get in.
30:36Wow. Huge difference.
30:38And again, with the two-moto format that you've alluded to,
30:41the riders will be back for a second race in an hour.
30:44Even if Lawrence gets third, even if he wins the second moto,
30:48Chase Sexton won't have to beat him.
30:49Sexton could go 1-2 and get the overall.
30:52And that is so key because, again, Lawrence has won every overall for the weekend this year.
30:58And now wiping the goggles.
31:00What does that mean?
31:01Yeah, so when these guys, they start, they have these little laminate tear-offs
31:05and they pull them.
31:06So they usually start about 21.
31:08And when you see a rider wiping his goggles,
31:10that means that at some point he's pulled all of them.
31:13He has no vision.
31:14And it's like having a bug stuck on your windshield
31:16when you drop down the car and you're out of wiper fluid.
31:20He's out of wiper fluid when those tear-offs.
31:22And now he's got to wipe it to go through with his hands.
31:27Oh, this would be huge for Tomac
31:29if he can rebound like this, hold Lawrence off, get back into the podium position.
31:33After a huge struggle a week ago with the 6th and 9th place finishes.
31:40Henry, no, that's a Max Miller actually under pressure.
31:44It's like...
31:46Lawrence able to get around him.
31:48That's a lap rider.
31:49Yeah, rough one for Jett.
31:52Yeah, and it's nothing he's done.
31:54It's just where he caught these lap riders were.
31:56I mean, he was right on Eli Tomac in this same section a lap ago,
31:59but lost about two seconds depending on where he caught him.
32:02So I feel like if Eli can keep this gap another half a lap,
32:06Jett will probably just back it off and take third for this next moto.
32:11This moto and regroup for the next one.
32:13I see a little shaking of the head there.
32:16He's frustrated.
32:17And probably not anything that's going on with the motorcycle,
32:20but just probably a lap riders.
32:22And he knows how close he was to Eli Tomac.
32:24And he also understands first moto, second as good as the first.
32:27So it can be big if he doesn't get around Eli Tomac.
32:31So just a little frustration.
32:33More lap traffic to deal with.
32:34And honestly, seeing Sexton do what he's doing, winning this one.
32:38And Tomac, it only underscores how impressive Lawrence's run has been.
32:42And this is not a weak field by any means.
32:45Sexton dominant as a champion last year.
32:48And then Tomac on the all-time list, one of the best ever.
32:53And these are the guys that Lawrence has been getting the better of,
32:56especially the last few weeks, even with Sexton coming back.
32:58So it shows you how deep the field still is.
33:02Yeah, but it also shows you how close these guys are.
33:05And that's what's even been really impressive about Jett is how he's been winning.
33:09It seems like every weekend we're coming here, like,
33:10about Chase Sexton and Eli Tomac, they're so close because they are.
33:14But eventually, you keep getting beat down.
33:16These guys, Eli and Chase Sexton, they start believing, like,
33:20they stop believing in themselves.
33:21And that makes that gap even bigger.
33:23But that's Jett Lawrence going out there and executing every single moto
33:27and putting those guys in that position.
33:29Clearly, when Chase Sexton has the confidence he can do what he's doing right here,
33:32we see Eli bounce back.
33:34He's finding that confidence.
33:36And Chase Sexton's one lap away from getting his first win of the year.
33:39And it could be huge as far as him just mentally moving forward.
33:42Well, that was going to be my next question.
33:43Getting one under the belt.
33:45This would be the first moto win of the year for Sexton.
33:48How much easier would it be to replicate this in an hour for moto two?
33:51Well, whether he replicates it or not, this is going to be a huge win for him.
33:54I know when he shows up this next moto, he'll be a lot more relaxed,
33:57especially if Jett Lawrence ends up in that third spot because he'll have a little bit of wiggle room.
34:01But Chase believes he can beat Jett Lawrence.
34:04He does feel like that in his heart.
34:06He clearly knows he has his feet, but until he goes and does it, it's only a belief.
34:10Now I feel like that's going to be that belief, and he knows he's been close to him.
34:14See?
34:17Welcome back is the sign from his mechanic, Jay Dungy.
34:21He has not won a moto since the finale of last year in August.
34:26Crashed in the very first moto of this year.
34:29Was out for about a month and a half.
34:30Returned two races ago.
34:32He's been good.
34:32Got third last week.
34:33But this is the welcome back.
34:35This is the Chase Sexton that he and his team want to see.
34:39The number one being number one.
34:41And that just shows you how big it is just to be able to get this one hurdle beaten Jett.
34:46You know, it's welcome back.
34:47Normally you only see those kind of signs when you get an overall or a championship.
34:51But they understand this is huge for him moving forward to have that belief.
34:54And also shows you how dominant and great Jett has been for these last few couple years with these guys.
35:02And we mentioned that second moto again.
35:04You can watch that on Peacock.
35:06So subscribe.
35:07If you are a subscriber, just stay with it all afternoon.
35:10We're not done on NBC, though.
35:11So the 250 class with the sensation, the 19-year-old Hayden Deegan will be up next here live on NBC.
35:18Smaller engine, bikes, and Deegan has been absolutely dominant in that field.
35:24And he'll be one to watch.
35:25But right now, the story we've mentioned.
35:28Jett Lawrence nearly unbeatable in the record book the last couple of years.
35:33Today, at least early, Chase Sexton's going to get the better of him and everyone else.
35:38Yeah, and you're talking about how confidence with a rider.
35:41If you look or just listen, you're going to hear that number three Yamaha really close to Chase Sexton.
35:46So he's got four and a half seconds, a lot closer to that.
35:49But all that belief is starting to happen.
35:51And we're going to have a great second moto.
35:53Guys better come back and check it out.
35:55Watch out on Peacock.
35:56Here it is.
35:57Chase Sexton wins the first moto.
35:59I watch Shugal.
36:00His first of the season.
36:01And Tomek hangs on for second.
36:04And it did not happen for Jett Lawrence in the end.
36:07A huge gap.
36:08Here he comes on that red Honda.
36:11Saw that fist pump by Chase Sexton.
36:16Third for Lawrence.
36:18That ties the worst he's had this season at third early in the year.
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