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00:00Because it is Jett Lawrence on top with the fastest lap time qualifying today, powered by Fred Meyer.
00:06So that's the rider they're chasing. He's won all the races. Of course, he has the championship points lead.
00:11He was the fast qualifier. Can Jett Lawrence, the 21-year-old out of Australia, keep this incredible run in his career going?
00:19There's a lot of talent on the gate that like to end it right here.
00:30And Lawrence going to get edged out by the Spaniard, Jorge Prado, known for his good starts, has the lead.
00:35Lawrence in second as they head up hill. And now Chase Sexton, the series champion from 2024 to the lead.
00:42What a move by Chase. He played that absolutely perfect by just slowing down, sliding up underneath.
00:47Looks like Eli Tomac slides up into third place or trying to get around Jett Lawrence.
00:52But 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.
01:01Prado does his best work for the front. He's there on the green 70. Lawrence has some work to do.
01:06Yeah, now it's going to be interesting. They put a little bit of water down. This track has dried out.
01:10These guys were first today, so the track's going to be a lot different.
01:13Now, 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.
01:21And look at Eli Tomac on the number three, challenging Lawrence.
01:24This is what the fans wanted to see. The living legend Tomac, the five-time pro motocross champion, putting pressure on the 18 of Lawrence.
01:32Yeah, this is what Eli needs to do. Last couple weekends haven't been the normal Eli Tomac.
01:37But anytime this guy gets around the lead, and especially at this racetrack where he's never finished off worse than second, you know he feels comfortable.
01:45And Chase Sexton already starting to get away.
01:47The race duration will be 30 minutes and a lap.
01:51And in motocross, these riders will return in a little over an hour for a second race.
01:56Lawrence are on the outside trying to pass Prado.
01:58Yeah, this is a difficult spot. This 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. Jet Lawrence slides up into second place.
02:08He's trying to go after that number one.
02:10And Tomac looking to follow him past Prado and makes the pass.
02:14So every move Jet Lawrence makes, Tomac is talking to shadows.
02:18He is Lawrence's shadow right now.
02:20Yeah, Eli knows he doesn't want the 18 to get comfortable.
02:22He almost goes down, loses the front end.
02:25Let's see if Jorge Prado gets up the inside of him.
02:28And that could make a huge difference.
02:29No, Tomac just able to hold off Prado, who's based in Europe in his career until this season,
02:36has moved to the United States in SMX for the first time.
02:40It has been a rough adjustment for him and that Monster Energy Kawasaki team that he rides for.
02:45Let's see if he can run with this very well-established top three in America.
02:49No, I love this.
02:50Our top three, this 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.
02:56So good to see.
02:57I love the fight from Eli Tomac because he clearly has a different attitude coming here today
03:01than he did the last couple weekends.
03:03And again, he knows he has to stay with that 18 to give a shot at the end of the moto.
03:10Flying off the top of this hill.
03:13Tobac, the 32-year-old legend out of Colorado.
03:15Will, looking good today.
03:17He's looking good today.
03:18But as you said, Jason, the last couple of rounds have not been great for him.
03:23And everybody was throwing out theories.
03:25What could possibly be the problem?
03:26Well, he talked to us yesterday at Media Day, and he basically said, leading into Millville last weekend,
03:33they kind of swung on the settings there.
03:35They were trying to get better, try something different, and he called it a fail.
03:39That did not work.
03:40So I asked him, where are we this weekend?
03:42Are we back to some kind of base?
03:44And he said, nope, we're on another swing.
03:46And talking to the team about that process, they said, look, we know what Eli's capable of.
03:51We have to help him get there.
03:53That is our job.
03:54So if he asks for something out of the motorcycle so he can get more comfortable, we'll give it to him.
03:58We know that Eli Tomac, over the years, does not push too hard if he doesn't feel comfortable.
04:04That's why he has longevity in the sport, and it's working for him.
04:08But guys, I'll tell you, talking to him yesterday, the fight is still there.
04:11The will to win is very much still there.
04:15Well, it's there for Chase Sexton here on the number one as well, Will.
04:19And Sexton has been fast.
04:21Maybe the rider most likely to challenge Lawrence for wins,
04:24but we rarely see this scenario where Sexton starts in front of Lawrence.
04:29This is going to get interesting.
04:30No, it's going to get interesting.
04:31And like I said, this racetrack, you've got to be very patient on this track,
04:35and I think that's going to help Chase Sexton since he's been back off of the injury.
04:39He's been a little lax-a-daisy, I would say, early in the moto.
04:42So I think this gives him a chance to let this thing get into him while Jet Lawrence is behind him
04:46because normally Jet Lawrence is in front of him.
04:48He's already gone.
04:49Now R.J. Hampshire is trying to get around Jorge Prada.
04:53One of R.J.'s better tracks as well, too.
04:55And that's a great battle there for fourth.
04:57Hampshire on the white, 24.
04:59That's the Rockstar House, Marta, the veteran out of Florida, moving up to this big 450 class.
05:04It's a bigger engine size for the first time in his career this summer.
05:09And 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.
05:19Yeah, and unlike other tracks, this track, the roost is really bad.
05:24And 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
05:35and get pelted all day long.
05:37Yeah, that dirt coming off those rear tires, it really hurts here with the harder soil
05:41compared to some of the sandier tracks as of late.
05:44The bottom box is sexted.
05:46The rider out of Illinois missed the first half of Pro Motocross with some injuries,
05:52returned a few weeks ago, getting better each time out.
05:55And it's his best run thus far as Lawrence tries to close.
05:59Meanwhile, up top box, it's Prado versus Hepshire.
06:02Now, with Chase being out front, I suspect he's probably going to ride a little tight
06:07because, one, he hasn't been in his position.
06:08He has to lead a race all year long.
06:10And when you haven't been up there, it's just going to take a couple laps for him
06:13to just get the feel.
06:14And he's kind of wondering, when is Jack coming?
06:16Because you know he's coming.
06:18I believe as this race goes on, the number one will get more comfortable.
06:21And if he stays here past halfway, then he might have a shot.
06:24One guy who's not trying to stay there is RJ Hamshires.
06:27This goes on the inside of Jorge Prado.
06:30I like that switch section right there.
06:33Nice move by RJ.
06:35And he has Justin Cooper catching up to that battle.
06:38Send it back to Jason Thomas trackside as Chase Sexton looks to get away.
06:42Well, watching Jeff Lawrence in pursuit of Chase Sexton
06:45and watching this track come in a little bit, too.
06:47Remember, these 450s, they typically race second,
06:50so there's not a lot of water down.
06:51But the preparation before this, this is a wetter,
06:54a little bit muddier racetrack than they're used to.
06:57The track will come in.
06:58And some of those shiny sections, if you're looking at the track,
07:00where's the slippery spots?
07:01It's going to be the lighter color, the shiny sections of the racetrack.
07:04That's where they have to really be careful.
07:08And ahead of him, JT there, Chase Sexton up in front there.
07:13I'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.
07:20After last weekend in Millville, the one thing that Chase said
07:22that he felt the bike wasn't there and was the downhills.
07:25And here, as we see here, we've got a lot of undulance here
07:28at the Washougal track as well.
07:30So they took a test rider.
07:32They went to work in California.
07:33Chase lives in Florida.
07:34No hills 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
07:40that they were hoping he was going to be happy with.
07:42I believe they stuck through the first two qualifiers of the morning
07:45and it seems to be translating here on the track today.
07:49Yes, well, the test rider, Marvin Muskan,
07:51one of the old greats for that Red Bull KTM team.
07:53They put him to work in California this week,
07:56and they put those settings on Sexton's bike yesterday here.
07:59Loves it and obviously riding well, although it is starting to tighten.
08:03Lawrence on the 18 has cut the gap to under one second.
08:08Yeah, I'm not too concerned about that.
08:10I think Chase just needs to calm and just keep the same flow
08:12because, one, it's a hard racetrack to pass,
08:15and as I mentioned, he hasn't been up front,
08:16so he'll probably be a little bit nervous
08:17just wondering when the 18 is going to come up here.
08:20But 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.
08:28James, you've been talking about this.
08:29When a rider like Lawrence is on a run like this,
08:32that even when you're all alone out front,
08:34say a little piece at the back of your mind is wondering where he is,
08:38even if you don't see or hear him.
08:40Yeah, you just know when he's going to come.
08:42And just like Goff, when you see Scotty Sheffert on the leaderboard,
08:47you just at some point he's going to be up there.
08:49You're going to have to deal with him.
08:50Well, these guys know they're going to have to deal with the number 18
08:53no matter when this race is there,
08:54and just start riding behind you.
08:56But Chase is doing a good job,
08:57and as I said, I think as he stays up here,
08:59he'll get more confidence, and he'll start to believe,
09:02and that's all they need to do here.
09:05Listen to the crowd.
09:06It's the battle they've wanted to see.
09:08Lawrence so often leading from the start and controlling it.
09:12Now it's going to be a fight.
09:14Yeah, you see Chase take a little look over his shoulder.
09:17I like Jet Lawrence's line in that earlier part of the section,
09:20and what it does, it opens up this whole next lane
09:22where you're just starting to see him close in.
09:24Because he's cutting that corner, he has a straight shot,
09:26and he's really making up a lot of time on Chase Sexton, that is.
09:29It's Lawrence about to get into that roost zone
09:32where the dirt coming off of the tire is going to get him.
09:35Yeah, he's not going to stay there,
09:36but if Jet's this close, he's going to try to pass,
09:39so it might be another opportunity of going up Horsepower Hill
09:41before you start funneling down to that section,
09:44and probably after that, the next opportunity will be in that split lane,
09:47so we'll see what they decide when they get down there.
09:50So here it is, Sexton versus Lawrence.
09:53The battle for the lead begins.
09:592023, Lawrence, the champion of this series.
10:03Sexton, the champion last year.
10:05And listen to the Valley, the crowd loving it.
10:11Sexton able to hold on.
10:14Yeah, Chase is doing a good job.
10:16Just be consistent, and maybe he feels more comfortable riding in second.
10:20I doubt here he's probably going to feel that way because of the roost,
10:24but nonetheless, Jet's in a perfect spot
10:26because he's seeing where Chase is better in his following, his lines,
10:29and you can start to cut in.
10:31I like Jet's lines, but he's going to have to go to work to get around number one.
10:35Not only are these two the last two champions of this class,
10:37but also of this race.
10:39Sexton dominated it last year,
10:41and then Lawrence dominated it in 2023.
10:44So now he's sitting at the rubber match.
10:47Who's going to be the better one this time?
10:49Feed off the pegs for Lawrence.
10:51Do that right back there, James.
10:52Yeah, I mean, he's trying.
10:53Now you're seeing that gap stretch out a little bit.
10:56He's trying to, one, in these shadows, it's very hard to see.
10:59But, two, he doesn't want to be that close to him.
11:01But coming up here is where I believe Jet's been a lot better at this next section.
11:05He's got a better line where he's squaring up the corners
11:07and making his slingshot.
11:08So we'll see what happens.
11:09And they're approaching a new obstacle on the track.
11:16This section has been around for ages,
11:18and they're going to hit a new jump that they built.
11:21New for 2025.
11:22Yep.
11:23Now let's see.
11:24Watch Jet cuts on.
11:25And now he squares his corner up.
11:26See how far there inside he is than Chase Sexton?
11:29And what that does, it puts him on the outside.
11:31He usually has a better line in this next section.
11:34So he'll close up on the number one as he does right there.
11:39Toe-back in the distance, hanging in there.
11:49If these two hook up, maybe one makes a mistake.
11:51Toe-back could be right back in it as they go uphill.
12:01Lawrence closes again.
12:03Yeah, but with this section, Chase is not too worried about him.
12:06He knows he won't be able to pass, so I don't think he's, you know, stressing too much.
12:10Now, 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.
12:14If I'm Chase Sexton, I'm going outside, then inside.
12:17Because if anything, even if Jet gets beside me,
12:19I'll have the inside in this next corner, as you can see right here.
12:22Jet makes the pass, but Chase has the inside.
12:25He'll close that gap off, so no worries.
12:28Lawrence is going to make a run.
12:30He knives to the inside.
12:31Wheel to wheel.
12:34Sexton able to win the race out of the corner.
12:38Yeah, that was pretty close for Chase.
12:40I don't think he thought Jet was going to be able to get to him.
12:42Jet almost did, but you notice when Chase went up that next step,
12:45he closed that line off because he knows he won't be able to get him.
12:48It's another section.
12:49Chase needs to get through this corner, get down this hill,
12:52and make sure Jet doesn't go around an outside because it funnels back into one line.
12:55But this is a chest, not checkers right now.
12:59Now, 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.
13:07Yeah, a few mistakes.
13:08You see these shadows out here, so very hard to see.
13:11Chase has been strong through this whoop section.
13:14There are the whoops.
13:17Twelve bumps in a row.
13:19And Sexton is able to distance himself just a tad.
13:22Oh, it's just classic between two of the best of their generation and Sexton be the one
13:35that can beat Jet Lawrence straight up in a duel.
13:39Here's that big jump, 105 feet.
13:42That's 10 feet further.
13:43That's jumping an entire NBA court plus 10 feet.
13:47That's new this year.
13:49Nothing for these riders.
13:50They don't even think twice about that, do they?
13:51They're thinking, I mean, I didn't even think twice.
13:54I'm like, man, that's big.
13:55As Jet makes a mistake as he kind of jumped off the racetrack.
13:58But 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.
14:04And now he's starting to know where Jet is quicker at because Jet is showing him that,
14:07and he's going to start blocking it.
14:09And then one of the great features, they go over that hill, the fans aren't really back here.
14:18There's a handful of them, but then they'll emerge back into this valley.
14:21And when you have a battle like this, you'll hear it when they jump back down.
14:26Sexton 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.
14:35So good job, honor number one.
14:36Now Jet switches his lines up.
14:38Now he's going to follow Chase.
14:41Do another counterattack.
14:42Halfway through a 30-minute and two-lap race.
14:47Chase Sexton, the 2024 champion, returning from injury and riding well,
14:52holding off the feet of Jet Lawrence.
14:55If you're watching on Peacock, enjoy motocross at the break.
17:28Live super motocross on NBC and a huge shakeup.
17:43If you're looking at the number 18 in the yellow jersey, that's Jet Lawrence.
17:47Series 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.
17:57Rare moment of adversity for Lawrence.
18:00James Stewart, what happened here?
18:01Yeah, well, Chase started changing his line up where you mentioned a couple laps.
18:04Jet was trying to get to the inside.
18:06And simple mistake here at Washougal.
18:07The back tire never got in that rut.
18:09Jet went to go get on the gas.
18:11Try to avoid that ruse.
18:12He'll be on the inside of it, and he slid out.
18:14Super easy mistake to happen.
18:17And you can see that rear tire just slides out.
18:19He's trying to get on the gas to avoid that ruse and get that bike straight up and down
18:23and just lose it to the rear end.
18:25Costly right now.
18:25Now you say avoid that ruse, so you think he was adjusting his line to try to avoid the dirt
18:30from 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,
18:36but he wanted to be just on the inside of that ruse, otherwise 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,
18:43so he was trying to avoid the ruse.
18:44And 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?
18:57That's what Lawrence has to do now.
18:58Yeah, well, I mean, the last couple weekends we've seen Jet make a couple mistakes just, you know,
19:03similar as that, haven't been that costly.
19:06But today I saw him take a look after the mechanics there.
19:08He took a look back, so you're starting to wonder.
19:11He might be just settling down for the second place or third place in this moto.
19:15Washougal, he knows it's a hard racetrack to make up a lot of time,
19:18and 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 him to be in.
19:25See how far there out he is?
19:27Now 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,
19:33and that's why I said if he's ahead, he would run the line that he had right there.
19:38Halfway through, it's a 30-minute and two lap moto.
19:41A reminder, 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.
19:53Check 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.
20:03Can he hang on?
20:04Enjoy the sounds of motocross on Peacock as we go to break.
20:07Let's go.
20:37Let's go.
21:07Let's go.
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22:37Let's go.
23:07Let's go.
23:09Let's go.
23:11Let's go.
23:13Let's go.
23:15Let's go.
23:17Let's go.
23:19Let's go.
23:21Let's go.
23:23Let's go.
23:25Let's go.
23:27Let's go.
23:29Let's go.
23:31Let's go.
23:33Let's go.
23:35Let's go.
23:37Let's go.
23:39Let's go.
23:43Let's go.
23:47Let's go.
23:49second. I believe it helped Chase be more relaxed because now you're talking about an overall
23:53possibility even if Jet wins the next moto. Yeah, James, it's the mental part of this game that's
23:59coming into play for Chase Exeter. Now, I was talking to Ian Harrison, team manager at Red Bull
24:03KTM there, and he was saying how they just need that confidence from him, that confidence in the
24:08bike, that feeling that he can put it anywhere, and that's just about getting him as comfortable
24:13as possible. We talked about all the testing that was going on. That's where that is, and he gave me
24:18a great analogy for a histogram. If you're driving a ship towards an island and you're one degree
24:22off, you're going to completely miss that island. He's like, that's the sort of tiny differences
24:26that we are talking about that can make the huge difference that translates into the confidence.
24:31Well, that work they've done has helped today. And the Super Motocross playoffs are set to return
24:36with racing September 6th, Charlotte, North Carolina, September 13th at the Dome in America's
24:42Center in St. Louis, and then the World Championship Final in Las Vegas, Nevada, where champions
24:48are crowned. For tickets and info, go to SuperMotocross.com. And that's where the points for the
24:54Monster Energy Supercross Championship and this Pro Motocross Championship are combined
24:58to create playoff seating for a three-round World Championship runoff. Pride and big money
25:05on the line. 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.
25:16Yeah, this would be a huge win for Eli Tomac, even though if he doesn't win this race, he
25:20could somehow hold off Jet Lawrence. It'd be a huge confidence booster for him. But
25:25Jet's starting to close up. Eli really got stuck in a worse position behind those lappers
25:29where he caught him in the racetrack, really one line section. So for Eli Tomac, if he can
25:35hold on another four and a half minutes, it'd be a huge win for him and maybe a lot of motivation
25:39moving forward. And the fans love Tomac everywhere he goes. The five-time Pro Motocross champion
25:48who's been on this as a professional since 2010. So every one of these fans has a story
25:53with the number three of what they call beast mode. Late in the race, the son of one of the
25:58greatest mountain bike racers of all time, John Tomac, has fitness and that has led to epic
26:03late race charges. But now it's in reverse because it's Jet Lawrence starting to close
26:08on Tomac with four minutes and two laps left in the fight for the runner-up spot. See if
26:16Tomac can hold on. That's been fun to watch this clash of the arrows between Tomac and Lawrence.
26:26Now shout out to this guy, the 35 of Marshall Welton. Bike's all banged up. Obviously had
26:30his trouble in this moto, the veteran out of Michigan. He's running 17th, but last week
26:35a sportsmanship performance. Rider from Italy, Tony Corolli, went down and was actually pinned
26:40under his motorcycle, being burned by the exhaust. Welton pulled over to actually get off
26:47his bike and save Corolli. Now, Welton just got passed actually by your brother, Malcolm Stewart,
26:53but Welton was rewarded with the FMS Privateer Power Award trophy this morning for that gesture.
26:59So, well done, Marsh. He's had better days. He's battling back here with that bent-up motorcycle
27:04just inside the top 20. Mentioned Jet Lawrence a lot today. His older brother, Hunter, has not
27:10been off the podium since round three about a month and a half ago, but outside the top three
27:16right now in fifth. Yeah, Hunter didn't get the best of starts, and you could see him hit
27:21this racetrack in White Shugal. Like, you can make up time. You can lose a lot of time
27:25here, especially in the opening part of laps if you don't get that gap, but it's hard to
27:29make up time as you can see what's happening up front. So, Hunter Lawrence didn't get that
27:33start. RJ's riding really good, and he was able to get a gap on him, and nothing much Hunter
27:38can do. But he got around Justin Cooper. I don't know if Justin went down because he was
27:41ahead of him, but nonetheless, still another top five by Hunter Lawrence, but not used to what
27:46we're seeing, especially after the last few weeks for both of these guys. Yeah, the brothers have
27:49been one-two in the last four races. Now, a moment ago, we saw your brother Malcolm make
27:55the pass on Marshall Wilton, but then watch this, center of the screen. Yeah, it goes in
28:00there, looks like he starts losing the front end, and the rear starts pushing, and kind
28:04of the same thing with Jet Lawrence in the sense of how slippery this racetrack is, but
28:08I believe Malcolm went down off the start because I saw him dead last. He did a good job getting
28:13back up in the top 20, but that's going to be costly at the end of the race. Check back in
28:18with Hunter Lawrence deep into the lap traffic here, and just looking for an opening. It
28:28looks like a great battle, but they're not lead lap. Hunter in the red 96 with the white
28:32red gear, trying to get through. Yeah, well, sometimes it's hard when you catch these lap
28:38riders. It might as well be battling them because they can't do anything. As you can see, it's
28:42hard for these guys to get around, but Jason, I mean, what can you say about this guy to come
28:46out here, withstand that pressure, and he's starting to look better and better as this
28:50race is going on, especially at the end of this. A lot of times the drop back down, but
28:54I know in the bottom of his heart, he'll have about three laps to go. He wants those three
28:58laps to be over so he can prove to himself that he is as good as he is with that number
29:02one plate on there, but nice rebound by Chase Sexton. Yeah, and that has been the book as far as
29:07the speed, the talent, the ability. A lot of people believe Chase Sexton can beat Jet Lawrence.
29:12He's proving it in this moto. Yes, Lawrence went down, but he was behind Sexton when it
29:16happened. Meanwhile, we check in with the Monster Energy athletes in the running order. It's
29:21Tomac in second, Cooper in sixth, Jorge Prado now back to seventh, but can Eli finish in
29:27second because Jet Lawrence is going to fight him again. Yeah, Eli, once he got dropped earlier,
29:34you can start to see the lap time start slowing down, but when Jet Lawrence went down, it's
29:38like it revamped him, and Eli got caught in those lapers a couple laps ago, and Jet got
29:42really close to him, so Eli's picked up the pace. He's got a lot more fight. It's going to be a hard
29:47two laps for him, but it can be huge, just as big as for Chase Sexton to win this race. Eli's able to hold
29:53on to him, and it feels like a win to him. And win and win in the sails after out of the top five
30:00over the last couple of weeks in his championship, Tomac second, but he's got to clear these two
30:04lap riders in front of him. There's Tomac on the three, on the blue bike, and you just heard
30:10him rev the engine explain that. Yeah, that was Jet Lawrence revving the engine. Well, Eli's always
30:15revving the engine, but Jet was revving and let these guys know. Now you can see Jet's going to be
30:19stuck behind his lap rider in this position, and watch that gap that he loses, but he's revving
30:23the bike to let him know that, hey, I'm coming up here, and as a rider being lapped, you know
30:28that sound when you see the leaders, especially when you see Chase Sexton and Eli Tomac. You've
30:32got to figure that 18 is coming as well. But look at the gap that Eli was able to get.
30:37Wow. Huge difference. And again, with the two-moto format that you've alluded to, the Rhinos will
30:42be back for a second race in an hour. Even if, if Lawrence gets third, even if he wins the
30:48second moto, Chase Sexton won't have to beat him. Sexton could go one-two and get the overall,
30:53and that is so key, because again, Lawrence has won every overall for the weekend this year.
30:58And now wiping the goggles. What does that mean? Yeah, so when these guys, they start,
31:04they have these little laminate tear-offs, and they, they pull them, so they usually start
31:08about 21, and when you see a rider wiping his goggles, that means that one, at some point,
31:12he's pulled all of them. He has no vision, and it's like having that bug stuck on your
31:17windshield when you drop down the car, and you're out of wiper fluid. He's out of wiper fluid
31:22when those tear-offs, and now he's got to wipe it to go through with his hands.
31:25Oh, this would be huge for Tomac if he can rebound like this, hold Lawrence off, get back into
31:33the podium position. After a huge struggle a week ago with the sixth and ninth place finishes.
31:41Henry, no, that's a Max Miller actually under pressure. It's like, Lawrence able to get
31:48around him. That's a lap rider. Yeah, rough one for Jet. Yeah, and it's nothing he's done.
31:54He's just where he caught these lap riders were. I mean, he was right on Eli Tomac in this
31:58same section a lap ago, but lost about two seconds depending on where he caught him. So,
32:03I feel like if Eli can keep this gap another half a lap, Jet will probably just back it
32:07off and take third for this next moto.
32:11This moto and regroup for the next one. I see a little shaking of the head there.
32:16He's frustrated. Yeah, and probably not anything that's going on in the motorcycle,
32:20but just probably lap riders, and he knows how close he was to Eli Tomac.
32:24And he also understands first moto second as good as the first, and so it can be big if
32:29he doesn't get around Eli Tomac, so just a little frustration.
32:33More lap traffic to deal with, and honestly, seeing Sexton do what he's doing, winning this
32:38one, and Tomac, it only underscores how impressive Lawrence's run has been. This is not a weak
32:44deal by any means. Sexton dominant as a champion last year, and then Tomac on the all-time list,
32:52one of the best ever, and these are the guys that Lawrence has been getting the better of,
32:57especially the last three meets, even with Sexton coming back. So, it shows you how deep
33:01the field still is. Yeah, but it also shows you how close these guys are, and that's
33:06what's even been really impressive about Jet, is how he's been winning. It seems like every
33:10weekend we're coming here, it's like, ah, Chase Sexton, Eli Tomac, they're so close, because
33:14they are, but eventually, you keep getting beat down. These guys, Eli and Chase Sexton, they start
33:20believing, like, they stop believing in themselves, and that makes that gap even bigger, but that's
33:24Jet Lawrence going out there and executing every single moto, and putting those guys in
33:28that position. Clearly, when Chase Sexton has the confidence he can do what he's doing
33:32right here, we've seen Eli bounce back. He's finding that confidence, and Chase Sexton's
33:37one lap away from getting his first win of the year, and it could be huge for him just
33:41mentally moving forward. Well, that was going to be my next question. Getting one under the belt,
33:45this will be the first moto win of the year for Sexton. How much easier would it be to
33:50replicate this in an hour for moto two? Well, whether he replicates it or not, this is going
33:54to be a huge win for him. I know when he shows up this next moto, he'll be a lot more relaxed,
33:58especially if Jet Lawrence ends up in that third spot, because he'll have a little bit
34:01of wiggle room, but Chase believes he can beat Jet Lawrence. He does feel like that in his
34:06heart. He clearly knows he has the speed, but until he goes and does it, it's only a belief.
34:11Now I feel like that's going to be that belief, and he knows he's been close to him. See?
34:18Welcome back is the sign from his mechanic, Jay Dungey. He has not won a moto since the
34:23finale of last year in August. Crashed in the very first moto of this year, was out for
34:29about a month and a half, returned two races ago. He's been good, got third last week, but
34:34this is the welcome back. This is the Chase Sexton that he and his team want to see. The
34:39number one being number one. And that just shows you how big it is just to be able to
34:44get this one hurdle beating Jet, you know, with welcome back. Normally you only see those
34:48kind of signs when you get an overall or a championship, but they understand this is
34:52huge for him moving forward to have that belief and also shows you how dominant and great Jet has been
34:59for these last few couple of years with these guys.
35:03And we mentioned that second moto again. You can watch that on Peacock. So subscribe. If you are a subscriber, just stay with it all afternoon.
35:11We're not done on NBC though. The 250 class with the sensation, the 19 year old Hayden Deegan, will be up next here live on NBC.
35:19Smaller engine bikes and Deegan has been absolutely dominant in that field and he'll be one to watch. But right now the story we've mentioned.
35:29Jet Lawrence nearly unbeatable in the record book the last couple of years. Today, at least early Chase Sexton is going to get the better of him and everyone else.
35:38Yeah, and you're talking about how confidence with a rider. If you look or just listen, you're going to hear that number three Yamaha really close to Chase Sexton.
35:47So he's about four and a half seconds, a lot closer than that. But all that belief is starting to happen and we're going to have a great second moto.
35:54Guys better come back and check it out. Watch out on Peacock. Here it is. Chase Sexton wins the first moto. I watch Shugal. His first of the season.
36:02Tomek hangs on for second and it did not happen for Jet Lawrence. In the end a huge gap. Here he comes on that red Honda.
36:12Saw that fist pump by Chase Sexton.
36:17Third for Lawrence. That ties the worst he's had this season at third early in the year when Tomek won a moto.
36:25This is huge for that 25 year old rider out of Illinois. Last year's champion getting back to fourth and back on top in SMX.
36:35We'll talk to him after the break.
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