- 6 weeks ago
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00:00It's funny, but these guys were struggling, especially in this new section, in the woods.
00:04A lot of ruts there with the shadows, so manage the heat, don't get caught in a rut.
00:08That's my KTM Keys and Rays.
00:10Here's someone who must have followed it in qualifying.
00:12The Monster Energy Fast Qualifier is Seth Hammett on the gas.
00:16Yeah, a couple weeks off, did a lot of these guys.
00:19Some guys rose, some guys tested, but whatever Seth did is working out.
00:23Let's see if he can get a good start.
00:25As his goals get an overall podium before the year is up,
00:27that shouldn't be too tough with that kind of speed.
00:30Now the Yamaha trackback for Ironman.
00:32Some big changes here at Ironman.
00:34They made a change last year going into the woods,
00:36but of course you got the big fan favorite Monster Launch and then the Hoosier Hole.
00:41But back over there, right before the finish line, they made some changes.
00:44Used to do a 180 and switch it up.
00:46Now it's a lot faster.
00:47These guys get into 290s before they head back up towards the finish line.
00:50So look for some passing.
00:52Interested to see how it plays out.
00:53It's going to be a good day of racing to see how this track plays into it.
00:57Now the Godzilla jump is still there, but it's a lot shorter than it used to be.
01:01We'll point that out at the top of the hill in this first moto.
01:05And a lot of these changes are actually done to fit more fans of the facility
01:08because of the crowd they anticipate for Motocross the Nations,
01:11which will be hosted here in October.
01:13That's then.
01:14But right now we resume Pro Motocross and a 45-point lead for Deegan in the standings.
01:20I think if you quiz a lot of these fans, it seems like he's got a giant points lead
01:23that is still within one race.
01:26And Shimoda usually gets better as the season goes on.
01:28Plus you have Hamaker and Marchbanks 1-2 in qualifying.
01:31So a lot of guys to watch here.
01:32Here it is.
01:34For the first time today in Ironman, the revs are up.
01:37Gaze down.
01:38One rider with a fight problem.
01:44Didn't even start.
01:44Another great start of the triumph.
01:46It is going to be Jalink Swole.
01:48He'll shot photo one last time out of Washougal.
01:50I think it might have been Shimoda who just edges him.
01:53Here it is.
01:54Into the woods.
01:55Shimoda to the lead.
01:56Well, that's exactly what Joe wanted.
01:57Even Levi and the Kawasaki, they got good jump.
02:00They got pushed out.
02:01So Joe Shimoda coming off that win at Washougal, this is exactly what you want.
02:04Get out there.
02:05We know vision is going to be an issue at least the first few laps for these guys to get adjusted going through this wood section.
02:11Better place to be.
02:12Good to see Jalink Swole back as well after that crash at Washougal.
02:15You see Julian Balmer back on the 23.
02:17And that's Dax Bennett back on the 34.
02:20That break allowed a lot of these riders to heal up.
02:22And then Deacon comes to Dex.
02:24Yeah, you can see Joe already getting away.
02:26And I think that's a lot of cause for him being that clear vision.
02:29These guys got to pay attention to everything going on with those runs.
02:32So good start for him.
02:34And there's the Godzilla uphill jump.
02:37Lux Turner is also in the mix in the 65, battling with Deacon, whose sister won WMX Moto 1 yesterday.
02:44And then the WMX will be racing, will have the coverage as soon as these first motos are over for 250s and 450s.
02:51Lux hanging out at the front.
02:53Yeah, Lux don't have to look too far to find some motivation.
02:56His sister put on a great show, that first moto yesterday.
02:59But looks like Hayden goes around the outside, which is going to put him down on the inside.
03:03Now he has his teammate, Dax Bennett, right in front of him.
03:06So we'll see how he plays it out.
03:07I'm sure this track put down a little bit of water.
03:10So these guys got to be careful.
03:11But overall, number one's already moving up.
03:13You can see these guys coming back.
03:15It was a back injury for Fettick in Supercross.
03:19That put him out.
03:20He's finally back to racing.
03:21Deacon looking to make the move here.
03:24Yeah, this is that new section that they changed.
03:27You remember, it used to be a lot slower.
03:28So Hayden makes his way around his teammate because he sees that number 30 trying to get away already.
03:34And it looks like Levi Kitchen got around Lux Turner.
03:36So Levi's there as well.
03:38Yeah, a lot of talk about starts for that monster pro circuit Kawasaki team.
03:42Still didn't quite solve it here.
03:44Let's see if Kitchen can follow Deacon through as they close on the 22 of Swole.
03:50Send it to Kidd even more.
03:52Yeah, you're talking about pro circuit Kawasaki.
03:54And Levi Kitchen actually was taken to California over the course of the spree to work on those starts.
04:00They said they did find something that is just a little bit different.
04:04Obviously, it paid off all of them in qualifying.
04:06We're in the top 10.
04:07And now we see with Levi Kitchen.
04:09I also talked to Mitch Payton about Levi Kitchen.
04:11And they said he just has to get this early speed going.
04:14And he hasn't done that this season.
04:16But they know they have more in the tank.
04:18You know he has the speed.
04:19And they're hoping that here early, he can turn it on.
04:22Yeah, absolutely.
04:23And just expanding more on that, I spoke to Levi.
04:25And he feels confidence.
04:26He has the pace to run with Hayden Deacon.
04:29You go back a couple races ago where Levi was the fastest one on the racetrack in a lot of these motos.
04:34So for him, it's hard to get that early lap speed when you're in the back of the pack.
04:37You don't got that clean air.
04:38So it's a pretty decent start for him.
04:42And he's battling with Benek.
04:43And then here's Deacon putting the pressure on Swole.
04:45Picking up where he left off.
04:47He hole shot and led on lap one at Washougal.
04:49And then crashed.
04:51And then that was the end of his day.
04:52He wanted to stay out there.
04:53But the AMA actually black flagged and pulled him out.
04:57Had a week off like everybody else.
05:01And obviously it looks healed up and rested right now.
05:04Yeah.
05:04Good to see Jalik back.
05:06Now Levi's got a round.
05:07Daxton Bennett.
05:08So he's following the number one up.
05:09He knows how important that is.
05:11And ahead of those guys, Joe Shimoda is four and a half seconds ahead of all of them.
05:15So let's see how Hayden plays this.
05:18Does he take consideration at points league?
05:20We know how strong Hayden is as he can make the pass around Jalik.
05:23Oh, no.
05:24Jalik got him back.
05:25Yeah.
05:26Yep.
05:26Earlier today they were jumping all the way.
05:28At least Hayden was jumping all the way into that dip.
05:30So probably won't do it now with the track conditions.
05:34Deacon in the sand rollers trying to get Swole.
05:37Switches to the inside.
05:38And then right here to the finish line we go.
05:42Deacon going to try again.
05:43And it worked.
05:44Yeah.
05:44A little surprised.
05:45Jalik went out on the outside right there.
05:46Maybe just missed his mark.
05:48But costly pass.
05:49Now he slides down to third.
05:50He's going to have Levi behind him as well.
05:53And Shimoda 5.7 seconds to gap.
05:57And there you see what Deacon has to work with.
06:00Yeah.
06:00Still early in the race.
06:02It's hot out.
06:03We know how strong both these guys are.
06:04So it should be a good part of the moto.
06:06And I have to say if anything the struggle for Joe
06:10is these early parts of the races.
06:11So for him being out here that gives him a lot of confidence
06:14moving forward because we know how strong he is at the end.
06:17Yeah.
06:18That's the thing with Shimoda.
06:19It always ends the races and ends the season strong.
06:22This year trying to show a little bit more early.
06:25Won the opening round of Monster Energy Supercross
06:27back at Anaheim.
06:28And the start in this moto and those early laps.
06:31Darn impressive.
06:33Get an idea if Deacon can close.
06:36And his average lap one for Shimoda is a 10.2.
06:42Oh, no.
06:42Pierce Brown, another rider returning from injury.
06:45He has gone down.
06:46Now back up.
06:47Set it down to JT.
06:49Thank you, Jason.
06:50And, well, for Hayden Deacon, it's really hard to ignore
06:52that there's been a big momentum shift.
06:54And, yes, the injury was really the catalyst for that.
06:57When he went down at Redbud, it really felt like the door opened
07:00for everyone else.
07:01And Joe Shimoda is the one that walked through it.
07:03And had that rear brake not gone out for him at Spring Creek,
07:06we could be looking at a three-race win streak for Joe Shimoda.
07:09So coming off the brake, that was, I think, the main question.
07:13Was it a permanent momentum shift?
07:14Or would Hayden coming in healthy be able to reclaim the status
07:18that he had early in the season where he was the clear-cut guy?
07:21Now, we have an opportunity to answer that question.
07:24But so far, I think Shimoda's making a statement here pulling out this lead.
07:28Yeah, and I would say, even though Hayden lost those two overalls to Joe,
07:32I still think Hayden was the fastest rider.
07:34And so if I'm Hayden, I still have that confidence.
07:36He was injured.
07:37Joe was – the difference to me, Joe's just been more consistent
07:40as he gets better at the end of the season.
07:43So he wasn't making those mistakes going, you know, 1-7 or whatnot.
07:47So he's more consistent.
07:48But Hayden was always the fastest.
07:49So I don't think he's worried about just getting that speed back.
07:52But he just knows Joe has that confidence and we can see what's happening.
07:56Kind of surprised to see Levi going the other way.
07:58Tom Vial, who's also back from injury, makes the pass around the outside.
08:04Oh, Kitchen not quite going to give him the inside.
08:07He finally has to yield.
08:09And Vial moves up.
08:10Yeah, if Levi watched last year's race, he knows Tom,
08:13especially in that corner, Tom will lean on anybody.
08:15He did that to Hayden Deacon last year.
08:18So good to see the number six team back.
08:20It's been a struggle for him this pro motocross season.
08:23So see if he can wrap this thing up for the playoffs.
08:27So he's up to fourth.
08:28Swole holding his own here in third with the power players of this class.
08:33Swole only came back from injury about midway through after a torn Achilles.
08:37And he's hanging with them right now.
08:39Had a podium earlier in the year.
08:41So he has been a revelation since coming back.
08:44The gap, it was 5.7 between Shimoda and Deacon.
08:47And it remains just about that.
08:50Maybe a few tenths better for Deacon.
08:52But he's not making up grounded chunks.
08:55Yeah, he's not really losing time as well.
08:57I think a lot of that came from Joe having that hole shot going through the shadows.
09:01Because we saw that gap was four and a half seconds the first lap.
09:03So it's been about five seconds after Hayden had to get around a couple of riders.
09:07So that gap is going to stabilize.
09:09Sure, it's probably going to close up as this race goes on.
09:14And the starts have really been a key for Shimoda.
09:16He was riding great really all season.
09:18He was the closest to Deacon early in the year.
09:20And then the starts fell off.
09:21And the results followed since he has moved back to the front early.
09:26Well, the results obviously have been talking about having great.
09:30Shimoda actually, his deal was up.
09:31Hasn't said much about it at the end of this year.
09:34He's a free agent.
09:35I just can't imagine why he and Honda wouldn't feel like this is a combination that's working for both sides.
09:41But nothing is signed as far as I know yet.
09:44Yeah, I'd be surprised if that doesn't happen.
09:46And especially the bike changes and improvement they've made.
09:49Joe's finally comfortable on that Honda.
09:51So probably going to see the best of Joe Shimoda moving forward.
09:54And with Hayden Deacon moving up, Joe probably is that guy that you would look at next year.
10:00You've got a couple of rookies that was injured this year.
10:02It's going to be strong.
10:03But so far, so good for the number 30 HRC Honda.
10:08Yeah, don't forget.
10:09We mentioned the 45-point gap.
10:11But that will, for the most part, reset even if Deacon wins his title.
10:15The playoffs move.
10:16And Shimoda and Deacon went at it in the first World Championship SFX season of 2023.
10:23Could be a rematch this year.
10:24Biao on the Red Bull K-10.
10:27He has caught and swole for third.
10:30Yeah, you can see the gap that these guys have lost to Hayden and Joe.
10:33They're about 12, 13 seconds behind him.
10:35But Jalik's riding really good.
10:38Holding his arm.
10:39And Tom, from coming off that injury again, the season hasn't been where he wants.
10:44So I'm sure it's going to be a good confidence booster if he can just continue moving up,
10:47maybe get on this podium for this moto.
10:48And they sneak their way into the tree.
10:53He sent it back down to Katie.
10:55One thing to note about that Achilles injury earlier today in qualifying,
10:58I just talked to the team manager, Skuba,
11:00and he was saying how Jalik may have moved some scar tissue in his Achilles
11:04in that qualifying session.
11:06And that's actually why he did pull off track there.
11:08Bike is good, he said.
11:09But the break was exceptionally good for his body.
11:12What was good, that pass by Tom Biao right there up the inside,
11:15just de-boated his way up there.
11:17I like the aggressiveness I see from Tom, you know,
11:20when he leaned on Levi and even just moving his way up.
11:23So good for him.
11:25It's going to be a hard, hard ask for him to catch up to Hayden and Joe,
11:29losing that time that he has.
11:30But still a good ride right now coming off the injury, being a running third.
11:34Meanwhile, Deegan has done it.
11:35He has taken a little bit of time out of Shimoda's lead,
11:38about nine-tenths closer than where he was two laps ago.
11:43Catch up with March Banks, who has been catching up all year.
11:46Wow, power move around the outside of Max Voland.
11:50But yet again, March Banks having to make tracks from the back.
11:54The starts have not been there.
11:55The results have been.
11:56He's actually third in the championship.
11:59And that was his first ever career overall last time out at Washougal.
12:05So everything except the starts are trending for the 36.
12:07Yeah, I'm surprised.
12:08I thought they were a little bit farther up than what they were off the start.
12:11But that wood section and not being able to see maybe something happen to Garrett.
12:14Because him and his teammate, our fastest qualifier, are really far back.
12:19So we see how it goes.
12:20But this is what Garrett's been doing all year long.
12:22You know, super fast, really consistent, strong at the end of the races.
12:25But he can't compete for that lead because he's always making passes coming from the back.
12:29Yeah, I talked to him yesterday, even clarified.
12:31I said, didn't you have one good start, like round one of Halle?
12:34He's like, no.
12:35There hasn't been a single one.
12:36This year it's good.
12:37We talked about him going past the 100 mark of passes made this year.
12:42That was a few weeks ago.
12:43Probably like 130-ish at this point.
12:46150 passes he's made.
12:48Somebody's down there.
12:49I'd say it's Katie in a minute.
12:50Katie, what do you got?
12:51We're going to try to figure out who just tipped over.
12:52Go ahead.
12:52Yeah, earlier, Garrett Marchpanks has passed 147 people up until this race.
12:58Today, I can't even fathom what that's like.
13:00I was talking to Mitch Payton about Garrett Marchpanks and what he brings to the table.
13:04He said weight-wise, we do know it's a disadvantage for those starts.
13:08He did have the tall blocks for his start, though, today.
13:11And earlier, I thought it would help.
13:12It obviously didn't help with this moto.
13:14Meanwhile, Mitch did say, though, his advantage is his fitness.
13:16It is what we are seeing.
13:18He's still good.
13:18He's still moving up.
13:20He's not getting tired.
13:21And that is a plus for Garrett Marchpanks.
13:23Yeah, and the daylight today is going to really help him.
13:26I mean, he's already up in the sixth, only a couple seconds.
13:28You can see Levi right in front of him.
13:30So he has an opportunity.
13:31But Garrett, his pace, I believe he can actually win one of these races.
13:35He gets in there and be able to fight.
13:38He's probably strong enough to be able to do it.
13:40But he can't be starting from the back.
13:42I mean, you already see almost 30 seconds back behind these guys.
13:44And 17th was the start in this one.
13:48He now has Swole in his sights.
13:49That would be fourth.
13:51That was Levi we saw fall.
13:52Oh.
13:53He's seeing Tommy's going, dropping down.
13:56And then we mentioned that Pierce Brown went down.
13:58He's in this shot right here on the number 20, gaggle of Yamahas.
14:02And that's further back, trying to figure out what spot that is for Brown.
14:09And then Bennett, who had a good start.
14:10He is back to 24th.
14:12That was actually the very back of the pack.
14:14Pierce Brown is 39th.
14:15Avery Long is 40th.
14:19As we check in with Beaumair.
14:21Hit his head in a crash at high point.
14:23Didn't realize how bad it was.
14:26Wasn't quite a concussion, but didn't feel right at the next couple of races.
14:30He got 16th at Redbud.
14:31And he said, you know what?
14:32Something is not right here.
14:34I need time off.
14:34And now he's going after Lux Turner in his return from Racing Turner.
14:41Actually, Beaumair was up there early.
14:43This is actually for 15th.
14:44So these are two riders that started up front.
14:45They're still battling.
14:46But about 10 positions further back than they were on lap one.
14:50Yeah, well, do you have trouble to see before?
14:52He just always make his way around Lux.
14:55But, yeah, I know Julian wants to be better in this.
14:58But that just shows you how deep this field is.
14:59Especially when these guys are, how many guys are coming back.
15:04So with this battle now, with the kitchen going down,
15:07it's these two swollen march banks for fourth.
15:10Teagan has actually lost some ground to Shimoda.
15:13It's back to 6.4.
15:15Yeah, Joe is looking a little bit more comfortable out front.
15:19Just ran his 205 to Hayden's 206 that last lap.
15:22So got that.
15:23And now Garrett's making his way.
15:25Hopefully, if he can get around Jalik, he might have a chance to go out to Tom Bial.
15:28Because Tom's only a few seconds in front of him.
15:30And we know how strong Garrett is.
15:32And with Tom missing that time, Garrett might have
15:34a chance to be able to get in that third place, this moto.
15:38Swole getting a little crafty, I'm going to call it, going up that hill.
15:42He swelled up on him.
15:43He just saw it happen when Tom got around him.
15:46So he ain't going to let that happen again.
15:47Nope.
15:47Locking March banks.
15:49So March banks has to put the attack on again.
15:51The rider out of Utah.
15:52It's the rider from Florida.
15:54Another attack.
15:56Yeah, Jalik ain't about that life right there to go around.
15:58But he knows.
15:59Now I notice this year they put a burn on outside.
16:02Guys can actually bank off that.
16:03Years past, they wouldn't have been able to do that.
16:06So Garrett's marching his way up for sure.
16:10And that's what he does.
16:12March banks.
16:13Again, third of the championship.
16:14Probably underrated because you don't see him battling for the lead.
16:17But the big man from Utah, riding well.
16:22I don't know if he can get any further forward than this.
16:24Let's check in with the fast qualifier.
16:26That is Hamaker on the 56th.
16:29Battling rider DeFrancisco.
16:31But this is for 12th.
16:35Yeah, and that's hard when you think about Seth.
16:37You know, he was your fastest qualifier.
16:39Said he felt good.
16:40Felt refreshed coming in here.
16:41But now, you know, he's battling for where we're at right now.
16:44He's 12th place, 13th right now.
16:48Yeah, so the results, I've got to say, how he's been riding.
16:51But nice move by him, getting up.
16:55Rider DeFrancisco.
16:55Yes, Rider De.
16:57I was thinking that was Lux, but he already got around him.
17:00Yeah, so the start's not there for that Pro Circuit team.
17:02I know they've been trying a ton of different things.
17:05It's a different engine in that motorcycle this year compared to last year.
17:08And just like that, we've reached the halfway point of this moto.
17:13Reminder that Monster Energy is available now.
17:17Deegan, the gap is 7 seconds between himself and Shimoda.
17:23So Joe has answered the call, at least in the first half.
17:27And we'll see if it changes later in this race.
17:29Check back in with Bolin.
17:30He's been solid 8th in the championship for Bolin.
17:33Another muck-off FXR Club MX Yamaha.
17:35That's the top non-factory rider.
17:38They do get help from Yamaha.
17:39They get bikes.
17:40They just don't get all the factory parts.
17:41Oh, he's battling it out.
17:43This is the 107.
17:44He's been great all year.
17:46Mikkel Haram.
17:47And that section is going to get so difficult.
17:50You can see that bike dancing around.
17:52You're talking about another rider, Mikkel Haram.
17:55Rod really good this year, breaking out on the triumph.
17:58Got Jordan Smith right in front of him.
17:59But nice fight.
18:01Yeah.
18:02Back and forth they go, yeah.
18:04And finally, let's say Haram, able to make the pass.
18:07And yes, Jordan Smith, teammate of the triumph on the head.
18:11Yeah, you got three triumphs in a row.
18:13You got Jalik Swole, Jordan Smith, and then Mikkel Haram.
18:17So, triumph doing what they have been these last few races all year.
18:20No disimprovement.
18:22Battle of the teammates.
18:25You see that a lot.
18:26The bikes, it's like they come in waves.
18:29So, we got three triumphs in 56-7.
18:32You see that with the Kawasaki guys.
18:34And Haram now might put an attack on Smith.
18:38Yeah, well, usually you don't because normally you got their teammates.
18:41Somebody's out hurt.
18:42So, when you have them in waves like that, they're all pretty close.
18:46They just showed you how healthy everybody is.
18:48And you really are going to have a three-way battle for teammates in a moment.
18:53It's been great to have Haram here this summer.
18:54The Danish rider who aged out of 250 racing in Europe at MSGP.
19:00They have a 23-year-old Cap.
19:02Supposed to race a Triumph 450 in MXGP, but the bike wasn't ready.
19:06So, he said, hey, you want to spend a summer in the United States.
19:10It's been great to have him here, Katie.
19:11Yeah, it absolutely has.
19:12I'm talking with Skuba, the team manager over there at Triumph.
19:15He actually said this was supposed to be a one-and-done season for Mikkel.
19:18And they thought he was going to come, learn some things, take him back to Denmark.
19:21But with how well he's done, how he's shown up, how he's learned the tracks,
19:25how comfortable he's been on the bike,
19:27they're obviously are very much reconsidering things.
19:29And, in fact, talking about being here in the States,
19:32he said on his vacation time over the last couple of weeks,
19:35he went to Clearwater, Florida, and he said he was very surprised
19:38with how vacation-like it was.
19:41He said people in the States seem to work so hard,
19:42and they're always working, but he was stoked
19:44because he really felt like he was actually on vacation.
19:47Oh, wow.
19:48Okay, so he already wanted to stay before he got the vacation.
19:50Nobody did that.
19:52That might just seal the deal.
19:54Yeah, that was being here.
19:55No, and I think they probably should look at maybe putting him on the 450 next year.
19:59He's a bigger rider.
20:00He is.
20:00And, yeah, he's impressed a lot of these guys.
20:02So he went to Clearwater, Florida, realized how clear water was.
20:06It's like on vacation out here.
20:07Back to business, though, because he has caught Smith.
20:11This is a rare good start in motocross for Jordan Smithers.
20:14Honestly, one of the hottest things.
20:15And Supercross is a good starter.
20:17In motocross, he is not.
20:19And he's been just waiting for his opportunity to run toward the front.
20:22He's doing it right now on the 19, JT.
20:25Yeah, just, you know, James mentioned that 450,
20:27and I think that's been the plan.
20:29You know, Triumph has been working to get this 450 out
20:31in the race team to follow with the 450.
20:34And you mentioned there the size.
20:36Everything makes sense for Mikkel Harvon.
20:38He really just didn't have any place to go
20:39while that 450 was still in development.
20:41So it could be one of those things where opportunity needs necessity,
20:45and it sets up perfectly for Mikkel and the 450 program to move forward.
20:48And more trips to Clearwater if that works out.
20:51And he's about to earn one.
20:52Trying to make the move on the outside of Smith.
20:55Yeah, and as I said, the lap before,
20:57you're going to have a three-way battle of teammates.
20:58Oh, yeah, there you go.
20:59Poster shoot.
21:01Yeah.
21:01Jordan Smith almost made the move on Swole.
21:05These guys probably going to put in the fast laps of the race.
21:07You know, when you get around your teammate, they all want to battle.
21:10Look at this fight.
21:12Three wide with the Triumph right now.
21:14Smith got the pass on Swole.
21:17He's in fifth.
21:18Yeah, Jalik looks back.
21:19Another teammate.
21:23Be tough on Jalik right now.
21:24Jalik comes back from the Achilles.
21:26He actually then tore that UCL, the ligament in his thumb,
21:30has not been able to ride as much during the week as he would like.
21:33And he just got zapped real quick.
21:35I don't know if that's the factor or not.
21:37But Smith and Harrop are by.
21:39Yeah, you probably have to think that has something to do with the last couple of injuries.
21:42Because when Jalik came back, he's been pretty strong throughout both these motos.
21:46And it's hot out here today, but at the same time, not hugely different than the last few races on somebody.
21:52So Jalik, you know, struggling with something going on.
21:55It's not normal for him, but nonetheless, still a top ten at the moment.
21:59Smith's like, man, I did it.
22:00I got around the guy.
22:02That's surely going to help.
22:03Nope.
22:03He's still got Harrop right behind him.
22:06And now Harrop goes to the pass.
22:09Let's see what happens here.
22:10Southside's a long way around, but sometimes you get stuck in this run right here.
22:15See if Jordan can get down and get towards the inside, but it looks like his teammate got him.
22:19Yes, he does.
22:21That was a dino test for the team.
22:23That uphill, both bikes wide open together.
22:25Mikkel Harrop doing it again.
22:27Up to fifth.
22:30Most of the usual suspects in this group.
22:32These have really been.
22:34And I've got to put Harrop in that group.
22:35They've kind of been the fast guys all year.
22:38That'll push Smith back to six, Katie.
22:40Yeah, the number 19 of Jordan Smith.
22:41He said he was actually a huge fan of that break and needed it more than he thought.
22:45He was expecting to get on the bike and ride quite a bit.
22:49He said he only rode one time during the whole break.
22:52He went on a beach vacation and then he got sick, in fact.
22:54So coming out here swinging, he didn't know what to expect having had a couple of weeks off.
22:58But I wanted to speak a little bit about the Triumph Racing team and talking to Jalik about that.
23:02He said it is really important to have these guys out here.
23:05Remember, last year Jalik was kind of running solo and he didn't have anybody to debrief with,
23:10no one to talk about the bike with.
23:12And having a couple of teammates now who are all doing well within the series,
23:16it really helps elevate the game for everybody to Triumph.
23:18Oh, no, Pierce Brown, thanks for the report, Katie, who is coming back from injury, a bad one,
23:26broken vertebrae back in Tampa, and now he has crashed out of this race.
23:31Hope he's okay.
23:31Now, the back, he said he was 100% healed, so I don't know if there's a fear of re-injury there,
23:36but definitely just took a big hit.
23:38Yeah, I'm not sure where he is on the racetrack, but he's kind of in a rush.
23:43And any time you see a rider laying on the racetrack, even though he's kind of off the side,
23:47that means they're probably feeling it.
23:48So, bummer for Pierce.
23:53Okay, he's back up on his feet here.
23:55And it was such a road back for Pierce, leading the opening main event of the year,
23:59250 East Supercross in Tampa, and then crashed.
24:03Good day for the Triumphs to have a good day.
24:05They got a sponsor for the day.
24:07Pristine Auctions is their title sponsor for this event.
24:10See some of the red logos on the bike.
24:13Deegan has closed in on Shimoda as we look at timing and scoring,
24:17so we might have a battle for it before it's over.
24:20Hey, folks, have you ever wanted to walk the track before the big race
24:23or hang on next to the world's best racers at an SMX World Championship event,
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24:34You can do all that and more.
24:35Go to smxexperiences.com for full details on how to become a VIP at an upcoming race.
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24:47So, Boland also getting around small.
24:53Let's check back in with the leaders.
24:55We mentioned that Deegan had cut the gap down,
24:57and now he can see Shimoda on that red Honda HRC progressive machine.
25:03Oh, Deegan off the track there.
25:05As you look at the lap times, Deegan is definitely closing.
25:07Yeah, I think Joe made a pretty big mistake because it was around four seconds,
25:11and he lost two seconds at last lap.
25:14Deegan's been going about a second faster over the last few laps,
25:17so I wouldn't be surprised.
25:19Looking at his body language, he's kind of cheating out the window.
25:21It seemed like Hayden was really relaxed at the early part of the moto,
25:24but I wouldn't be surprised if he's like, you know what?
25:26Everybody talks about how strong Joe is at the end of the moto.
25:29I'm going to wait, and I'm going to get him at the end of the moto
25:31and beat the guy where he's the strongest.
25:33If that's how Hayden operates, and that's kind of what I'm seeing right here
25:37because he's closing the gap pretty quickly.
25:39Capital moto right now.
25:40Again, it seems like Deegan has this massive championship lead,
25:44but 45 points.
25:45Joe is still in it, so that makes this a critical juncture
25:48for Deegan to try to reestablish himself as the guy.
25:54And Shimoda, he won here in the past,
25:58so he's good at this track at Iron Man,
26:01but he's going to have to fight for this one.
26:02Yeah, he's going to have to fight.
26:03Hayden's got the hook in him,
26:05and what Hayden's had the luxury of doing
26:07is seeing where Joe, now that he's closed.
26:09Hayden probably had to change his lines
26:10because Joe was getting away,
26:12so by changing his lines, he probably found some good ones.
26:15We'll see how that plays out.
26:16Looks a lot more comfortable now
26:17than he did in that early part of the race.
26:21Gap a little closer now.
26:231.6.
26:24Yeah, he's on him.
26:25Yeah, this is going to be interesting.
26:27Let's listen in.
26:28There's that big jump.
26:36Oh, it's coming now.
26:37Listen to the crowd pick up as well.
26:41Yeah, Hayden's got some really good lines.
26:45Still like this outside.
26:46Joe's getting...
26:46Hayden hasn't been able to get over this double,
26:48but he got it to that lap.
26:50Oh, look at that.
26:56Five laps.
26:57Don't wait.
26:57Big push.
26:58That's the word for the mechanics.
27:00Joe's probably saying,
27:01what do you think I've been trying to do?
27:03So, at this point, Joe knows he's got a battle.
27:05He might have been prepared for the fight
27:07because he's coming.
27:07And it's what you love to see.
27:12The two title combatants going at it.
27:17And it's still the graphic on the screen.
27:18As they run, it will be a 42-point lead for Deegan.
27:22Because Shimoda would gain three if he wins that moto.
27:25But it is a big if right now.
27:27Deegan has cut what was once a seven-second gap
27:31down to about one.
27:32Yeah, but Hayden's got decided to try and figure it out.
27:34But his lines, if you watch him,
27:36he's not stopping through these corners.
27:39So, some of these things he'll square up,
27:40jump over some of these bumps.
27:42So, let's see how that works out.
27:44He's going outside here.
27:45Now he'll switch back to the inside,
27:46jump over this thing.
27:47So, to me, he's got it figured out.
27:51Joe better watch out.
27:52Otherwise, Hayden's going to sneak up
27:53on the inside of him really quickly.
27:57Almost showing a wheel right there.
28:01Headed toward this big monster launch.
28:03Deegan going to run the outside.
28:09He's right there.
28:12Ah, it's fantastic action here at Iron Man.
28:16And Deegan loves this smooth right side.
28:20Flirting with those track markers.
28:23Almost there.
28:24Yeah.
28:24Now, Joe's still in front of this next lap.
28:26You'll see Joe switches line.
28:27He should go to the inside because Hayden will pass him.
28:30It's another opportunity.
28:32We saw in the last lap, Hayden crisscrossing.
28:34So, he might have another opportunity here.
28:35If he stays a little bit wide, jump back to the inside.
28:38He should be able to get up the inside of Joe.
28:41And Joe jumps into the sand to try to fend him off.
28:44And it worked.
28:45Now, Deegan around the outside.
28:47What you put him on the inside right here.
28:49Hayden's going to go outside.
28:50There you go.
28:51And the slow race cuts him off on the brakes.
28:56Deegan to the lead.
28:57Now, you can look at that part out of two.
28:59But I think a lot of that was Hayden wanted to stop Joe from squaring up the inside of him
29:03and doubling that jump and getting back around him.
29:05So, what a race.
29:08Oh, boy.
29:09Can Shimoda respond?
29:11Statement time from Deegan if not.
29:12As a rider, the best thing you can do right now is to get around Hayden.
29:20You don't want him to lead even a lap.
29:21So, you got these lap riders in front of you.
29:23Hayden has some good lines.
29:25So, you got to get him.
29:26Why he's stuck behind him.
29:28It's the teammates.
29:29Turner and Long.
29:30Oh, Deegan was tucking in the front.
29:32I don't know how he kept it up right.
29:35Yeah, Hayden knows how important it was to get around both those guys.
29:38He's pushing it.
29:38In the woods, you like Deegan's lines back here.
29:44Yeah, I just like it.
29:44It's his momentum.
29:45But Joe's obviously pushed up the pace.
29:47And Joe's a smart rider.
29:48He'll probably start following Hayden if he can.
29:51If he feels like his lines are better, you can see how much harder Joe is pushing him.
29:58Up to the Godzilla uphill.
30:00And they're both doubling to the inside.
30:02No, Shimoda does triple.
30:03Oh, Shimoda's throwing everything he has at it to keep Deegan in sight.
30:18He takes a little bit of a look back.
30:19Probably trying to figure out whether he goes inside or outside this next one, depending on how close Joe is.
30:25Look at those ruts.
30:26Every one of those inside looks so promising.
30:31But they are not easy.
30:32And now look at Deegan getting away.
30:38With Deegan, what kind of comfort do you get?
30:41You know you can spend a few laps to maybe experiment with the lines and have that kind of patience.
30:47Yeah, I don't know.
30:48I mean, I would be curious to see what JT thinks.
30:50But I think Hayden, Joe was just better.
30:52Joe had better lines.
30:53Yeah, Hayden probably had to let the track work in.
30:55So maybe not necessarily to experiment it.
30:57He probably had to switch it up to find that pace to catch Joe.
31:01Because Joe was on it.
31:02But I'm not sure, JT.
31:03Yeah, I agree with you, James.
31:05I think Hayden was looking around.
31:06Like, he was back there trying to figure out why he wasn't able to close.
31:10And that opened up those lines that he's used.
31:12And for Joe here, he has to keep an open mind.
31:14And he needs to just walk in and follow Hayden.
31:17Because what he was doing stopped working.
31:19And this track changes.
31:20Lines come in.
31:21They start to go away.
31:22And for right now, Hayden has a track to dial, just as James said.
31:25And Joe has to respond mentally and change it up.
31:30Tom Pial is going to have to respond here soon, JT.
31:32Because March Banks has caught him.
31:34And that is a battle for thirds.
31:36So this is going to be interesting if March Banks can unseat him.
31:39Shimoda keeps going to work.
31:43Trying to solve this riddle.
31:45But Deegan.
31:46Yeah, it's important for Joe.
31:47Even if he's not able to beat Hayden as Moto,
31:49he's got to stay close to him so he can see these lines
31:51and start regrouping for the next Moto.
31:53Because I agree with JT.
31:55There's lines that Joe are running.
31:56He's still running those things.
31:58And it's changed.
31:59So now you see him switching things up.
32:03This race ain't over.
32:04If Hayden gets caught in these lap riders,
32:05Joe gets that confidence in not losing that much time.
32:08He'll put another push back into him.
32:10It's going to be two to go next time around.
32:17Here comes the big launch.
32:20Even though the outside is a longer way around,
32:23I like it because you stay lower off this jump.
32:25So you carry a lot more momentum.
32:27And Hayden's running this outside.
32:28So he's not breaking hard.
32:30Just keeps that flow.
32:31I like going down straight in these corners
32:33instead of trying to round it off,
32:35especially with these hooks into it.
32:36So to me, Hayden's definitely got a better flow right now
32:40around this racetrack as he's changing.
32:43Well, stopwatch doesn't lie.
32:45He has now opened it up over Shimoda.
32:52You know, we have not heard the traditional trash talk
32:55from Diga this summer.
32:56It's been much quieter than he has been in previous seasons.
33:00I wonder if he does pull off this comfort behind win
33:02against Shimoda.
33:03Well, here's something to further put that momentum
33:07back on his side, back to March Banks,
33:10was battling the alleys, lost a little bit of time
33:12in this fight for third.
33:14Yeah, Tom responded.
33:16I'm not sure if it was a mistake by Garrett.
33:18Tom was a little bit, Garrett was a little bit closer
33:20in that earlier, the last lap, I mean.
33:23But Tom looked like he was responding.
33:25Now Garrett's on his back foot.
33:26So Tom's got a lap, try to pull the thing,
33:29two laps to pull this thing off, hold on for third place,
33:31which would be good for coming back from the injury.
33:35And Diga now starting to get it in control.
33:39Nearly a four-second gap between himself and Shimoda.
33:43And that's a heck of a ride.
33:51Seven seconds he had to make up at one point.
33:55Yeah, it gives you a lot of confidence if you're Hayden figuring this part out.
33:59And Hayden's been really good his whole career.
34:01When things are challenging for him, he goes to work.
34:04And the track like today is going to play out probably the same thing in that 450.
34:08The guy that's going to be able to adjust to this racetrack
34:11because it's changing every lap, it seems.
34:14It's going to win this race.
34:15And Hayden so far has been the best one at doing that in this moto.
34:18If Diga wins this moto, he'll actually move into the top ten all time
34:23and moto wins their old friend Blake Baggett, former champion of the series.
34:27They'd be tied for tenth all time and moto wins in this class.
34:32Who's at the top?
34:34At the top of that list.
34:35That's my guy.
34:36That's my guy.
34:36I'll hook you up.
34:37I'll hook you up, man.
34:38We won't talk 450s and all that.
34:40Jet Lawrence is starting to catch some people.
34:41But in a 250 class, let's be honest, 125 two-stroke for you.
34:45Nobody did it better.
34:46So this is Hayden Deacon with a white flag coming out.
34:50So just suck that up, James.
34:51That's why I'm not saying anything.
34:52I don't even want to start the next conversation.
34:54Look, Deacon's already said, I'm racing a 450 motocross next year.
34:58He's not catching you.
34:58Get out of my class, son.
35:00Get out of my class.
35:02As for the rumor that was put out there by me
35:06that Deacon could be racing a 450 at the last race of this year,
35:11that apparently came from the team owner, Bobby Regan, not from the Deacons.
35:15I talked to Brian this morning.
35:16They said they have no intention of doing that.
35:19That's next year, 450.
35:20Because remember, if he wraps this title, and that's an if,
35:25because mathematically Shimoto's still there.
35:28Still three 250 races to go at the SMX playoffs and World Championship.
35:32Still a 250 at motocross the nation.
35:34So 450 is very much a 2026 thing.
35:38Yeah, and it would be a mistake to me if they race it.
35:42And it's not saying that Hayden couldn't jump on it and compete with these guys,
35:45because he has the talent.
35:46But I think motos like this is going to help him to compete against Jet Lawrence,
35:51to be able to figure out how to go faster.
35:54And Hayden, this is an impressive moto to me, to be able to go to work on the fly,
35:58figure out Joe has got that confidence.
36:00So we know how strong Joe is at the end of the motos.
36:02Hayden figured that part out.
36:03So that's going to help him compete in the 450 class,
36:06because it's not all about speed.
36:07It's about adjusting.
36:09So Hayden's got three races left.
36:10Let's see if he can wrap this title up,
36:13back a three-peat for the X-Mex World Championship.
36:17There's a lot on the line for him still.
36:18And what's also on the line is if he can get it to about a 50-point gap
36:22at the end of the next weekend race at Unadillo,
36:24then he would wrap up this championship early.
36:27And that's kind of that Mendoza line.
36:29Shimoto would at least like to stave it off,
36:31take it down to the finale at Bud's Creek in two weeks.
36:34It'll be very close, depending on how these next four motos play out.
36:39But Deegan certainly making his best case to wrap it up early right here.
36:45Yeah, but I think the good thing about Joe Shimoto,
36:48his attitude, you know, he's going to be bummed, you know,
36:51really disappointed on how this moto goes,
36:53but it's not going to deter him.
36:54He'll come back and fight, and that's been his whole career.
36:57He never gives up.
36:58So out of all these 250 guys, I like Joe's attitude to go to come back,
37:02and I wouldn't be surprised if he wins the second moto because of that.
37:05Yeah, we saw a couple other races this year.
37:07He did that out by Shugle.
37:08It was a 1-2, 2-1.
37:11And one more leap through the Hoosier hole here at Indiana
37:15and then back into the sand rollers.
37:18And Hayden Deegan showing the break, did him some good.
37:21Yeah, it was that crash we saw him qualifying at Red Bud.
37:25That maybe held him back for a few weeks.
37:27He's clearly rested, ready, and ready to win again.
37:31Hayden Deegan takes Moto 1 at Ironman 2025.
37:35And a big statement there.
37:42Shimoda had the drop on him.
37:46Back to business.
37:47Back where he belongs.
37:48Yep.
37:48And you see Deegan, you're going to see someone with a camera running to film him.
37:53That's his specialty as well.
37:56He's not.
37:57There you go, James.
37:58Look at that list.
37:58Let's just, fans, just read the graphic.
38:01Yeah, well, he's closing in.
38:02He's only 30 back, so he's all right.
38:04Almost halfway there.
38:07He's there.
38:07Very impressive.
38:09I'm glad I don't got to race him, so, yeah, good job, Hayden.
38:12You're still able to be humble.
38:13Well, I, I, every.
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