- 5 months ago
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00:00This is going to be one of the hardest days of your career and next to a year ago here where you had your race injured, temperatures are up. Eli Tomac is trying to build momentum. The biggest thing now is you have to try to answer in Moto2. You need to try to stem the momentum before Eli Tomac picks it up. It's going to be a really tough ask. You can see how much he was laboring in Moto1, but if you want to be champion, moments like this are crucially important.
00:26And I'm Eli Tomac. I didn't come this far just to come this far. So if I'm him, I want to finish this off with a 1-1. We got him on the ropes. Let's see if Beast Mode can come out. It's hot. It's brutal. That track is rough. Just like I like it. Eli Tomac, let's get it done.
00:44And always fun to see this squad back, Lorenzo Licurcio and his Wildcat Racing Team, third year that they have been racing with us, the veteran out of Venezuela.
00:56So thanks to those guys, that'll be our Rocky Mountain ATVMC team profile. They have other riders that work under the tent, but he runs the team along with his mom, finds the sponsors, gets to the races.
01:07Always a good guy to talk to as well. So we wish the best of luck with the help of Rocky Mountain ATVMC for the 74.
01:14And this is it. A 25-minute and two-lap Moto. They've taken five minutes out of the traditional race duration due to the heat. It's over 100 degrees.
01:24Eli Tomac showed in Moto1. He excels in those types of conditions. Fly racing. 30-second card is up.
01:31Early momentum. Confidence in the championship. As Tomac looks to reestablish himself, the four-time 450 Pro Motocross champion. Missed the season at 23 and 24 with injury. Back now. So much on the line.
01:49Rebs her up. Gates down.
01:51And the Hondas back to their usual tricks. Hunter Lawrence, Jet Lawrence. And where did Cooper Webb come from?
02:02Yeah, and Eli got a terrible start. I think he got caught up with Jorge Prada, but nonetheless, Eli was almost dead last going into that first corner.
02:10Not the start that he wanted and not what he wanted to see with that 18 out front.
02:14And that's the usual position for Jet, who's going to try to jet away from Webb and Hunter.
02:21Then it is Justin Cooper, Jason Anderson. Next, Tomac is 26th.
02:30Oh, man, that's going to be tough for him. And we talked about the difference between Jet Lawrence being out front, dictating the race.
02:38Man, this is going to be a tough moto for Eli.
02:39Yamaha is battling here. Webb and Cooper. And look at Hunter Lawrence.
02:47We might have, on the right side of the screen, watch this replay, the start for Tomac.
02:53Yeah, it didn't get the best to jump. And then, yeah, there you go.
02:56It gets cut off. And, man, he went in that first corner. He was dead last.
03:00Man.
03:01And he started up front at Moto 1. And he's got five less minutes to work forward here in Moto 2.
03:07He's 21st now, as you watch Webb.
03:10Yeah, depending on where him and Aaron gets up, Jet Lawrence can end up winning this overall.
03:14But it's a long race. And you've got to remember, it's five minutes shorter, so he won't have as much time.
03:19But if Eli, after that confidence he built in that first moto, I suspect he'll be able to come up through this pack.
03:24Kind of reminds me of the beginning of Monster Energy Supercross when Tomac was there and healthy.
03:28He was super fast, but he had bad starts.
03:30He's kept him off the podium quite a bit.
03:33Got to make up for it now.
03:36Yamaha boys still fighting.
03:38Yeah, I got a chance to talk to both of them yesterday.
03:41They were up here watching the guys rot.
03:45So, Cooper Webb, Supercross champion out here.
03:49He's like, man, it's too hot. I'm ready to go back indoors.
03:51And it looks like Justin Cooper has made the move on Cooper Webb.
03:56Watch RJ Hampshire here in the replay.
03:59He gets caught up on Jorge.
04:01Yeah, just falls over.
04:03But, yeah, he ran in the back of Jorge right there.
04:05Costly, especially in the beginning part of these races.
04:07You lose so many positions.
04:10Man, this track's got brutal.
04:11Sorry, Tomac is now up to 18th, trying to make as many passes as he can.
04:14Early.
04:15It's Justin Cooper.
04:17Pours it on from second.
04:18And, yeah, Plessinger for the second in mode of one, starting sixth here.
04:23So, this is falling back into the hands of Jett Lawrence for the overall win.
04:27Yeah, and I'm just going to be curious to see the difference between Jett,
04:30how he rides his race being out front.
04:33Now everybody's got to dictate, I'm assuming him,
04:35he's wanting to put a little bit of gap between these guys and manage it.
04:39So, Eli's goal is at least get up in that top three to try to establish his overall.
04:45Yeah, if Tomac could get to second,
04:47he could still win the overall with a 1-2.
04:52Lawrence would be looking at a 3-1.
04:53There is Tomac, bottom box, 18th.
04:55Got a pack of riders in front of him.
04:58Let's move up to inside.
05:00Eli's got to be careful because these guys are all over the place.
05:03And when it's so hot like this, you almost, you want to be aggressive.
05:07As RJ has issues in the same corner, almost goes down again.
05:11He's being aggressive.
05:13Yeah.
05:13He's passed three, four riders right there.
05:15Yeah, these guys, he's passed them before they even recognize he's there, so.
05:19And we'll keep watching this with the drone.
05:22He's ahead of Patcheril and Hampshire, 14th.
05:27Terry Koulos here, he's actually backed by the Michaels Reno Power Sports,
05:31the same group that sponsors this race.
05:33So, a little home cooking for him and his squad.
05:35Let's send it down to JT.
05:37Watching Eli, and he's headed up towards the mechanics area where I currently am.
05:41And this is one of those moments for Eli where you don't even care what the mechanics board's going to say when you come by.
05:46You just press forward.
05:47You know, no matter where you are, it's not far enough forward.
05:50So, he has essentially 21 minutes and a couple of laps to minimize the damage here on what's otherwise been a fantastic day so far.
05:59Yeah, absolutely.
06:00And you don't have to look back too far.
06:01You remember what Chase Sexton was able to do a year ago.
06:04So, yeah, different circumstances, different heat, five less minutes.
06:08But I like what I see from Eli.
06:11I think that first moto, he's riding like he did in practice with that confidence.
06:14And you know he believes, man, I don't want this thing to slip away.
06:17Let me try to make my way up.
06:18Yeah, a year ago, Chase Sexton went down right here and then came from last to first in an all-time ride.
06:26And Tomac's trying to challenge some of that.
06:27But how about Licorcio, who we talked about before the moto, not making it easy on Eli?
06:32Yeah, he's definitely not.
06:34Eli, he's going down the inside.
06:35They made some work.
06:37He gave the business right there.
06:39Yeah.
06:40The younger Eli might have slammed into him, but.
06:43That's Aaron Plessinger, the bottom box.
06:45He has caught Webb and Hunter Lawrence.
06:48And a fight for third behind Justin Cooper.
06:51Yeah, you know, I mean, again, it's a big move for the overall standpoint because Aaron's really in a tough spot because the 2-2 won't beat a 1-3 or 3-1.
07:00So he's really going to have to go up there and get Jet Lawrence.
07:03And that's going to be a tough ask.
07:04So it really comes down to Eli and how quickly he can move up.
07:07But still, good route by Aaron moving his way up to third place at this point.
07:10Can Tomac get to that group?
07:12He must get to second in the moto.
07:14He can still win the overall, even if Jet Lawrence wins it.
07:18And how much does he have left?
07:20He's going to just leave it all out there on the racetrack right now.
07:24Patrell right in front of him.
07:27That is 11th place.
07:30Yeah, if he just keep that being aggressive, he'll make his way up just because these guys are going to start to fade.
07:36So he'll make that time.
07:37He just doesn't want that second place position to get too far away from him.
07:41It's actually Colt Nichols, sorry, Patrell's teammate on the Twisted T, Suzuki, who Tomac's working on.
07:49I feel like at these points in the races, if you're Eli, anytime you're coming up through the pack,
07:53the one thing you want to just keep going is momentum.
07:56You don't want to get stuck behind a guy because then you'll start riding behind you.
07:59And it's that belief of being able to think that you can get up there is going to keep him going.
08:03And if he doesn't feel like that, then it's going to be a tough race for him.
08:06But it's 15 seconds between Tomac and the second place rider, Justin Cooper.
08:11That is a huge gap.
08:12But as we saw last year with Chase Sexton, late in these second motos,
08:17if one guy's charging and everyone else is laboring, can make up big chunks.
08:21That's what Tomac's looking to do right now.
08:23Yeah, there'll be some points in these races.
08:25The difference between a guy that's winning or a guy that's charging in second and third place
08:30could be five seconds of lap towards the end.
08:32So at 15 seconds on most weekends, it's going to be hard.
08:35But maybe not in this heat if he can keep that momentum going.
08:39And now working on your brother there, Malcolm Stewart.
08:41This would be 10th.
08:46And it's a long championship.
08:48So even if he doesn't get all the way there for the overall win,
08:51every position is a championship point.
08:55It's been all counts right now for Eli.
08:57Yeah.
08:58This outside has been working for him.
08:59If they can try to get over that hump, there he goes.
09:04Not losing that momentum.
09:05Now he's got Joey Savace right in front of him.
09:09Then Cody Shock.
09:10So he's closing in.
09:15Savace on the quad lock Honda.
09:18That is 9th.
09:19So track position, he's making up positions quickly.
09:23It's all about the clock.
09:25He's 22 seconds off of Jet.
09:28And that's going to make him about 18 off of Justin Cooper.
09:33Yeah.
09:34But as you mentioned, championship-wide, every point matters.
09:37And at this point, you know, you were able to gain five points on Jet Lawrence at first moto.
09:42So big picture, you want to just make your way up, not throw it away.
09:45But, of course, emotionally having a chance to be able to win an overall straight-up.
09:49Hattis pointed to the year, second race of the season.
09:52It would be huge for him.
09:53So he can keep going.
09:55The bottom box there.
09:56Plessinger catching Hunter Lawrence.
09:59That is for third.
10:00They have put Cooper Webb behind them.
10:03And Tomac working on Savace.
10:13Oh, just listen to him go.
10:14Yeah.
10:18That's two laps in a row he jumped out the racetrack still, but Eli don't care.
10:24Aaron looks like he's trying to get up the inside of Hunter Lawrence on the bottom for third place.
10:30It's going to be tight.
10:31Hunter able to get to the left and block it.
10:35And they head downhill.
10:37Tomac next on his list.
10:38Cody Schock.
10:40Yeah, Eli's got a good pace because even though he's getting caught up behind these guys,
10:43he's still in the 159s and spot a little over a second off of Jet Lawrence out front with clean air.
10:49So, yeah, he's about matching Justin Cooper.
10:52He's not losing too much, but he's not gaining.
10:54But that could change.
10:56We have not even run 10 minutes of this moto yet.
10:59Oh, wow.
11:00Walking the tightrope.
11:01He's been making the pass on shock.
11:03Yeah.
11:04And you wouldn't think making a pass for eighth place to give you a lot of confidence.
11:07But the way he's making these passes is going to keep him going because it's a good feeling to blow around somebody on the outside of second moto.
11:16It's hyped you up.
11:17It's hyped me up in the booth right now watching this guy ride.
11:19It's giving some 20-24 Sexton feels coming through the pack, no doubt about it.
11:24And now it's Jorge Prado next.
11:28Plessiker still trying to solve Hunter Lawrence.
11:31They battled like this a week ago, doing it again.
11:33Yeah, he's on a revenge tour, see if Hunter can keep that gap behind him.
11:38But Rodden definitely a lot better than he did that first moto.
11:41So you've got to wonder, is that just bike changes or track position?
11:45Either one.
11:46For Hunter?
11:47Yes, for Hunter Lawrence, yes.
11:49Okay, so now Tomek to the rear wheel of Prado.
11:52And then it's Webb up ahead.
11:53It's a big pack.
11:53And he has caught them.
11:57Yeah, I don't think these guys are fighting them too much.
12:00Once Eli gets close to them, they know what's on the line.
12:03And you can feel when a guy's just rolling.
12:05Either move or be hit.
12:06Either one.
12:07Oh, I think also with this heat, he's motivated to get to the front.
12:12They might be motivated to just get to the finish.
12:14Back to this battle.
12:19Plessinger made the move.
12:20Yeah, Aaron's riding really good, so.
12:25Hunter tries to fight back at the inside.
12:27Can't do it.
12:28So Plessinger now looking at a 2-3.
12:32That would be second overall for the moment.
12:34Justin Cooper would be third overall.
12:36But Tomek is going to keep climbing.
12:42Chet Lawrence back to his old tricks.
12:44He's managing the gap.
12:45Six seconds over Justin Cooper.
12:48We're going to show you the pass.
12:50Plessinger over Hunter Lawrence.
12:57AP is going around the outside.
12:59I love this thing at Hangtown because it makes you have to choose.
13:02Now, whether he gets on the inside here, Hunter Lawrence would probably try to sling up the inside.
13:06But AP had just different plans.
13:08They put a little bit of water down so they have more traction up there.
13:10Great move by him.
13:12How about this battle?
13:13Two teammates and another two teammates.
13:15Cooper Webb, Eli Tomek, Jorge Prado, Jason Anderson.
13:18Two Yamahas, two Kawasaki's.
13:21This could be the critical juncture for Tomek right here if he can make quick work.
13:24Oh, no!
13:25He goes down!
13:26Yeah, tough one.
13:27He was trying to get on the inside.
13:29You could see all those breaking bumps with that sand on.
13:31That was just more impressed with Jorge Prado because the last lap he was right in front of Eli Tomek and he was able to get around all those guys in front.
13:40So, maybe the tire situation helped him out.
13:43Hey, look.
13:44You know Tomek was going for it.
13:45He was going for it.
13:46That's the bottom line.
13:47He's hanging it out.
13:48And this happened.
13:49Yeah, I mean, you could see the front tire just starts pushing right here.
13:52Just starts sliding.
13:54And with this heat, man, that's definitely a momentum killer.
13:57Now he has to refocus and think about the championship.
14:00And that's where he's at.
14:01So, tough break for him.
14:03And Chet Lawrence looking to regain control in 450 Motocross.
14:11Let's send it to JT.
14:13Well, guys, this is what Jet Lawrence does.
14:16Let's think about that first moto.
14:17I would argue that's the most vulnerable I've ever seen a healthy Jet Lawrence was in.
14:21Moto 1 couldn't close the gap.
14:24Didn't have the pace.
14:24It looked like the heat was definitely getting to him.
14:27And here we are in Moto 2.
14:29He gets the start.
14:30Eli Tomek doesn't.
14:31Eli makes a mistake.
14:32And now it looks like Jet's on his way to finding a way to win this overall on a day
14:37where it just didn't look like he quite had it.
14:39And that has been the struggle that Chase Sexton has faced.
14:42That's what everybody's faced.
14:43And now Eli Tomek is having to deal with what Jet Lawrence does.
14:47And that is exert endless and relentless pressure through perfection.
14:52It hasn't been a banner day for Jet Lawrence.
14:54I think he would say the same.
14:55But at the end of the day, he might end up winning the overall,
14:58which is the same story we've seen so many times for the last two and a half years.
15:02And to further that point, JT, Tomek might move back forward again after getting up from the crash.
15:06But he's currently in 12th.
15:08Right now, he's going to lose 10 championship points to Lawrence today.
15:13Lost a couple last week as well.
15:16And this is on a day where Tomek might have been better than Lawrence.
15:21Halfway through this one.
15:23A reminder that Monster Energy available now.
15:26So for Tomek, you said he's got to shift the championship mode.
15:30Yeah, and I think for Eli, okay, if I'm going to set it up,
15:33I don't really think this finish right here, wherever he finishes, is really going to change him.
15:37I think he was able to find some confidence in himself,
15:39the way he won that first moto and the way he was riding his second moto.
15:43So for Eli, it's not going to change that much.
15:45But what it does change is this guy because at some point,
15:49he had to start worrying about, okay, Eli, beast mode, the way he rode.
15:53Okay, I'm not going to be able to beat him on fitness.
15:54This guy's back.
15:55So if I allow him to get that confidence, he's going to continue to grow.
15:59But really, now I just think it changes Jett Lawrence.
16:02Oh, these guys are good, but I'm still able to win this race.
16:06And what he said in between the motos was that, hey, you know what, I wasn't there.
16:09I lost that toe.
16:10So because he comes out here and wins his second moto, if he's able to hold on to it,
16:14he can literally say that I didn't get the toe.
16:16That's the reason he was able to beat me because once I was out front,
16:20I pulled away from these guys, and it looked like everything else back to normal,
16:23and I'm going to win this overall.
16:25So I just think from that mindset, it really changes his attitude going more
16:30than Eli Tomek's moving forward in this race because of what's happening.
16:33He said that at the very beginning of the show,
16:36how these riders will tell themselves what they need to to make the situation positive
16:40so Jett can take all the positives out of this now.
16:43Yeah, you can absolutely.
16:44And it is one of those situations when you have the champs on the road,
16:47you've got to knock them out.
16:48You can't, you know, get him down for the eighth count and he gives back up
16:52because he's going to still believe he has a chance.
16:54So you've got to knock him out, and this might be that opportunity
16:56that might be missed on this if it finished the way it is.
17:00Tomek 11th right now, Haley.
17:03What I'm seeing on the pit board to Eli Tomek on the last lap was regroup.
17:07On the second to last lap by, it said need P6.
17:11So regroup and need P6, that's the message from his mechanic to Eli Tomek.
17:15Yeah, we would assume that P6 is just the math to get on the overall podium.
17:20Hey, here's what's odd.
17:21Actually, right now, if you look at the championship points, he's third.
17:24Plessiger would actually be second to the championship, so that's the problem.
17:27Eli has ridden great in these first two rounds, but if it ends like this,
17:32he's 19 points behind Jett Lawrence already.
17:35He's going to salvage some right here.
17:37Let's see how far forward he can go.
17:38Yeah, it's going to be a tough one for him because now that heat's going in
17:43and being five minutes left, I mean, he's still riding really good.
17:47The position might be harder to get to P6, but still, a good day of riding for Eli.
17:53Looks definitely better than last weekend, but it might be an opportunity to miss,
17:56especially if he ends up 19 points down.
18:00So we'll keep tabs on Tomek.
18:02Meanwhile, we'll watch this one, 17, Savace, the 24 of Hampshire.
18:06This is 8th and 9th.
18:08Yeah, a good ride by RJ.
18:10He went down early in that first lap, and when Eli got around,
18:13he almost went down again, so he's made his way up.
18:15Now he's going after Joey Savace, which has been riding really good all day long.
18:22And it's riders like this in this pack that make it that much tougher for Tomek.
18:27We've been mentioning how deep the field is.
18:29I mean, these are great riders that are battling for 8th and 9th,
18:33and those are the guys he's going to have to pass back.
18:35Send it to JT.
18:36Just watching this battle, and the funny part of this, you know,
18:39Joey's a 450 veteran, RJ making his second-ever 450 pro motocross race.
18:44He tries to make the pass, and that slippery inside there.
18:47It would seem like Joey's the older guy and RJ's the new kid,
18:50but that's anything but the case.
18:52They're probably around the same age.
18:53RJ might even be older than Joey, so it's just an interesting wrinkle
18:56in what it doesn't feel like is there's the rookie versus the veteran.
19:00It's anything but that.
19:01No doubt about it.
19:02Hampshire's 29 years old, but just jumping into the 450 class,
19:06full-time now and making the pass.
19:08Yeah.
19:09RJ has been riding really good all year, and as you said,
19:12whenever you can think around doing anything, it's obviously going to help you.
19:16Like what I see from RJ, and I think riding the 250 helps him out a little bit,
19:20just being aggressive, and those guys are just aggressive in that class.
19:23So we'll see.
19:24Haley?
19:24It's worth noting that Justin Cooper, he has not faltering.
19:29He is maintaining his position and not letting Jet run away from him,
19:33and this isn't the first time we've seen this kind of scenario from Justin Cooper this year.
19:37Not just maintaining that position, but again, not letting the leader
19:39or the guy in front of him run away from it.
19:42So I think that's worth noting.
19:43I'm impressed.
19:43Yeah, thanks, Haley.
19:44Here's the 32, and he did go 159.5 the previous lap, which is faster than Lawrence.
19:49Now, I know people are going to hear that and say that that's what Jet does.
19:53Jet manages.
19:53But what's really impressive is he's only a second off, Justin Cooper,
19:58from his best time of the moto.
19:59He is not fading in this heat.
20:02No, Justin, in that first moto last weekend, he rode good.
20:05It just really comes down to start for all these guys,
20:09and Justin is able to get out here, and he's seat at somewhat pace,
20:13and I don't expect him to get beat by 30 seconds by Jet Lawrence.
20:17He's fast enough, as Eli's uncalled Cody Shock, and this would be for 10th place,
20:22so he's got a little bit of work to do.
20:25Should make a little bit of light work with him.
20:29He's there, and Shock not fighting him off, so that will put Tomac into 10th.
20:35And it hammers down again.
20:38There is no one in the 450 class that abuses a motorcycle, clutch,
20:43and throttle like Tomac.
20:44Hop on the bumps.
20:46Looks to be back up to pace.
20:48Yeah, he seems riding good.
20:50There's Savace up ahead at the top of the hill.
20:53And you know when he fell over that heat, got to him.
20:56Sandy Park, just the...
20:58Yeah, explain that.
20:59The riders always say when you stop, that's what gets you.
21:01Yeah, no, it's the sudden stop on one when you hit the crash,
21:05but all that heat, you get that air flow.
21:07So everybody always asks, like, are you hot in the motorcycle outfit?
21:10Only when I'm sitting still.
21:12So when Eli falls over, the bike is hot.
21:14He's got to pick it up.
21:15It's in the sand.
21:16And so now he's standing in 103 degree weather with all that gear with no air.
21:21That's when it really catches up to you.
21:24Gutsy ride by the four-time 450 motocross champion.
21:28Can he get to Savace?
21:30It's just pure point salvage at this point.
21:37And if you're a towback fan, we know there's a lot.
21:41Some more good news coming up.
21:43Going to his home track next weekend in Colorado.
21:50And he catches Savace in a hurry.
21:52Yeah, you can tell Eli's moving forward.
21:55Joey probably won't fight him too hard.
22:02He did not.
22:03And Tomek, now ninth.
22:05That start and a crash.
22:09Nice recovery by Eli.
22:10Just a little too reminiscent of those early Supercross races where he was arguably the fastest guy.
22:19I think he ended up with one podium in four races or five races because the starts were doing him in.
22:24It happened again today.
22:25And mentally, it eventually gets to you because no matter how good you're riding, if you're losing points,
22:30I mean, you think about what he was able to do that first moto win and the way he won.
22:35Then you come out in the second moto.
22:37I'm sure he felt good.
22:38I mean, obviously, he's riding like a guy that should be out front.
22:41And I'm sure he probably feels like he can.
22:43And you end up losing points to Jett Lawrence.
22:46So we know how consistent he is and how hard he's going to be to beat.
22:50You can't be giving these points away.
22:51I feel like the same thing happened in the Supercross.
22:54Too many opportunities where you lose those points just mentally just changes your whole season.
22:59So hopefully that doesn't happen for Eli.
23:02He's ninth.
23:03Hampshire would be next up the road.
23:05But that's a pretty big gap.
23:06About six seconds.
23:07Webb, seventh.
23:08Anderson, sixth.
23:09And a nice bounce back for Prado, who is outside the top ten in moto one.
23:13He is fifth now.
23:15And Chet Lawrence back in control, JT.
23:19He sure is.
23:20And I just wanted to add, you know, Justin Cooper does deserve a ton of credit.
23:23He has a fantastic moto two here.
23:26But honestly, you know, Weed, you touched on it there.
23:29Like, Jett with a six-second gap.
23:31I'm probably more nervous when I'm making my morning coffee than Jett is with a six-and-a-half-second lead.
23:36So it's just one of those things where it seems like the gap is tight.
23:39And it seems like Justin Cooper is still in the battle here.
23:42But this is just what Jett Warren does.
23:45Like, he likes, you know, a two-and-a-half to three-second gap.
23:48Any more than that feels excessive for him.
23:50So incredible bounce back ride.
23:52But I'm just not sure that we've ever seen someone who is more comfortable with a small gap.
23:57And this isn't even a small gap.
23:58Well, guess what, JT?
23:59I'm glad you said that.
24:00I got a story to illustrate that point.
24:01I was talking to Darren Lawrence, Jett's dad, earlier.
24:05Remember last week there was that one inside line that Tomac had where he's making up a ton of ground.
24:10And I said, did Jett not know that line was there?
24:12And he said, no, he knew in the next turn Tomac didn't have any room to pass him.
24:16So he wasn't worried about it.
24:17Yeah, I mean, the kid's smart.
24:18And the thing with Jett Lawrence, we were always, especially when he was going 22-0,
24:24we were always wondering, did he have more?
24:27You know, has he got more?
24:29Because he's just managing his gap.
24:30And I was always like, no, he's actually rotting at the level.
24:33Like, he's trying really hard.
24:34Like, it's not like he's going to drop two or three seconds.
24:37And, yes, he could, but he'd be taking a chance.
24:40No, he's doing exactly what he needs to do at the level that he feels like he can do it.
24:44And that first motor should prove it because I don't really see much difference in the way he's rotting
24:49except for he's out front, he can take his own lines, and he's not having to run anybody down.
24:55So he's able to run these same lap times, which makes this gap at six seconds might as well be 30
25:00because it's going to be hard for a lot of people to go much faster than him, let alone catch him.
25:05And I think overall, it just, if you had any questions whether the kid had more,
25:10I just think it's more about him being so smart when he's out front.
25:14And then also the level of all these other guys because they're very close.
25:19Just shows you what a start does with them.
25:20And I think the question is being answered here today.
25:22So if I'm Eli Tomek and all those other guys, at least I found the ceiling for him.
25:27I found that, hey, he's not going to drop it down three seconds and come it up.
25:31So he doesn't have more.
25:32That's his level.
25:33But clearly his level is still good enough to win these races convincingly.
25:38You just got to be in front of it and make him push above it.
25:41And here's a startling stat as Jet is closing in.
25:44Again, he is, he holds on for this.
25:46He's going to have won all but one 450 pro motocross race he's ever been in.
25:50He is going to move ahead of Jeff Emig on the all-time win list in this class.
25:56And Emig had a great long career at Jet, who's not even two full seasons in.
26:04He missed a bunch of races last year.
26:06In his sophomore year, he's going to the beginning of his third year.
26:09Has already, if he holds on, surpassed Emig.
26:11So that just gives you an idea.
26:12But when you start out, I believe this would be 17 for 18 in wins.
26:17You're going to start passing people quickly.
26:20Yeah, I'm going to be pretty close on that list, too.
26:22Oh, you got 20.
26:24Yeah, I'm glad you guys didn't highlight me.
26:25This is just active routers that's highlighted, so.
26:28Okay, all right.
26:29Well, we'll check in in a couple weeks if Jet keeps winning when he gets to 20 and maybe 21.
26:34But, yes, I like that point you make.
26:38Kind of wondering for a while, like, could he drop the hammer and find something else?
26:44When he had to do it in that first mode, it didn't quite materialize.
26:47So that's something.
26:48You watch this battle between Shock and Malcolm Stewart.
26:51And that is for 10th of the Moto.
26:5310th is Shock right now.
26:55Yeah, I was talking to my brother last weekend as he makes a nice pass by Cody right there.
27:00They were really struggling in that first race on the bike setup.
27:03They made some changes and got some new parts.
27:06Kind of got thrown at them at the end right before Paula.
27:09So very uncomfortable.
27:11So this weekend, I'm wondering how much of that change did he go back to his setups?
27:14Because, to me, I believe Malcolm should be a little bit farther up right now.
27:18I mean, today, it's hot.
27:20So there's a lot of things going on.
27:21But knowing that he was struggling with his motorcycle, they've got to continue to work on it.
27:26Because, clearly, he should be up there with RJ, his teammate up there.
27:30And it's not today.
27:31So we'll see what happens as the races go forward to get more comfortable.
27:36Yep.
27:36And ahead of them is Tomac 9th.
27:39And I don't know if Tomac's got anything left to go after Hampshire.
27:42He'd have to gain six seconds on him.
27:45And you can see, upper left of the screen, three laps to go.
27:49Can he get any further?
27:51Incredibly, if it ends like this, Tomac is going to end up not on the overall podium today.
27:55And third in championship points, even though he's ridden incredibly well.
27:59Yeah.
28:00As you mentioned, reminiscent to the Supercross season.
28:03Yeah.
28:03Yeah, the guy, like, wait, he's only had one podium?
28:06You know, like, all these wins and how he won San Diego, just passing Jett straight up in a while.
28:12So it shows you how that margin is so close out here if you go down and how good these guys have been.
28:19But I don't think he's going to catch RJ.
28:21Actually, RJ is pulling away from him.
28:23So.
28:25Yeah, I think Eli's going to save it for another day.
28:28And, again, that's the problem.
28:29This field is so much deeper than usual.
28:31You've got RJ Hampshire in eighth, Cooper Webb in seventh, Anderson and Prado sixth and fifth.
28:36And, again, these are good riders.
28:39Yeah, mentally, it's just a little tough for Eli because, again, you know, he wants to be out here racing for wins.
28:44And when he went down, as I was talking earlier, just that momentum, if he was able to wait, he was passing people, keeping that, you know, enthusiasm about him.
28:52Now he lost that, and that's kind of what you see.
28:54So he's out here to win races, not be in, you know, ninth place.
28:59But still, overall, a good day for Eli.
29:01I'm proud of him and looks good.
29:03He's going to be here to fight for this championship.
29:04Yeah, this is going to be what could have been because that was fifth place in his sights.
29:09This was three riders right in front of him, Webb, Anderson and Prado.
29:13And had he been able to get there before the halfway mark, could he have marched all the way up to second and got the overall win anyway?
29:21Shades of that ride from Sexton last year, not going to happen.
29:24Lawrence in control, JT.
29:26He is in control.
29:27We got it exactly right.
29:29And that's the toughest part about today for a guy like Eli Tomac to swallow because this was a racetrack where there was an opportunity.
29:37This track has not been very kind to Jet Lawrence.
29:39And now the question that all these guys have to pose, namely Tomac, who wants to win this title, is if I don't beat him at a track that has been very good to me and not so good to Jet, how am I going to beat him at the tracks that he rides incredibly well?
29:53That is the toughest part of this scenario, not necessarily the points, not necessarily the crash.
29:58It is that question where Jet's going to have his good days and on his bad days, you still couldn't capitalize.
30:04Yeah, and one other rider that's going to leave here with a little bit better news, Jorge Prado, not great last week.
30:13Fox raced way out of the top five and then went back to, I think, 13th in Moto1 today or 12th, but fifth now.
30:21Is it an improvement at least?
30:22No, I actually think it's a big improvement from what I saw, the first Moto going backwards.
30:26And this is exactly what he needs, this little bit of the way he was able to, when Eli caught him, because right before Eli went down, Jorge was right in front of him.
30:34And then one lap, Jorge was able to get around his teammate and Cooper Webb and move forward.
30:41So good steps by him, hot day.
30:44Everybody wondered his fitness and how he was going to do.
30:46Well, he's riding better this second motor than he did the first motor.
30:49So for the two-time MXGP champion, this is good signs to see, and this might kickstart his year to keep moving forward.
30:57Yep, they have said it'll be a learning year all season long, but this is a rider who is never not at the front, really not.
31:03His entire pro career is battling for a GP wins as a teenager in the 250 class over there, what they call MX2, won two titles there.
31:11MXGP was a title contender right off the bat and then eventually locked down back-to-back titles after a few seasons.
31:17And that's another battle people would like to see.
31:20You know, he didn't come over here to finish it way distance off of Jet Lawrence.
31:24He wants to fight him, see if he can get there.
31:27Jet has it right now on the last lap.
31:31Very impressive, the rebound like this and still all but one.
31:38It's the starts, and he didn't have it in Moto 1, and that's been rare to not see the Hondas leap off of that gate.
31:43Rectified it in Moto 2, and nothing to worry about after that.
31:49Maybe the saving the energy in Moto 1, that probably helped a little bit.
31:53Whatever it takes.
31:54Yep, this is it.
31:57Tomac, Plessinger had Jet Lawrence on the ropes early.
32:02But Jet wins Hangtown anyway.
32:05He gets it done, Jet Lawrence, 2-0 to start the year.
32:08Justin Cooper, yeah, what a ride.
32:13Hank's second.
32:14Yeah, Howie's always at just quiet second place.
32:19And for Eli Tomac, it's the one that got away.
32:22Bad start in Moto 2.
32:23He had to hustle.
32:25Ends up crashing.
32:27And it is going to go down as a 1-9.
32:30And that doesn't tell the story really at all.
32:33Of Eli Tomac at Hangtown 2025.
32:37No, definitely not.
32:38I said after the first Moto, Baby was getting a new crib.
32:40Well, he might put it on Lelway for another week.
32:43Get back on the podium.
32:44We just stay with the diapers.
32:46But good ride by him.
32:48Star racing Yamaha.
32:50They got a teammate, Justin Cooper, on the podium.
32:52Justin Cooper Webb, top seven.
32:56I like Eli.
32:57He's good.
32:57He'll be back.
32:58I would say normally that he can take confidence out of that first Moto.
33:02Does a guy like Tomac, does he need that?
33:04Does he use that?
33:06Yeah, no, he will.
33:06Okay.
33:07Yeah, he will.
33:08All right.
33:08Well, something to look forward to as he goes to his home state race next weekend.
33:12Tomac going to go 1-9 for fourth overall ahead of Hunter Lawrence behind.
33:18It's going to be Chet, Aaron Plessinger, and Justin Cooper, top three today.
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