- 6 weeks ago
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00:00Both Jett and Hunter going 1-1 with Webster in the fourth, so it's going to be an interesting race.
00:08But what I want to say is donations, from my experience, you always expect the unexpected.
00:13It's never straightforward.
00:14Three riders, it is never a straightforward event, so I think we buckle down and get ready to watch this.
00:21That's the 22, my good friend.
00:2322 sat next to me right here.
00:25The fly race in 15-second board goes up for the first time then.
00:28Three races of 30 minutes plus two laps.
00:30This first race is MXGP riders and MX2, so each country has two riders, one on MXGP, one on MX2.
00:38And, of course, one of the Lawrence's is going to be in a favorite position.
00:42The other one not so, but the gate about to drop in and charge down to the start straight.
00:46Cairoli on the inside, gate number four.
00:47But over here from the middle of the box, Jett Lawrence, can he get across?
00:50He's going to have to sweep the long way around on that number one.
00:53But it's Lucas Coonan of Belgium who's up the inside, riders down on the exit of the turn.
00:56It was a lot of green and gold, it looked like, on the first turn.
01:00So maybe Webster down.
01:02KB Roxton down.
01:04Coming out of that second corner, he gets hit as well.
01:07So the drama, the chaos that we expect, you know, the unexpected that you kind of learn to expect already happening here.
01:13Roxton picking himself up.
01:14Josh Gilbert down there as well for Team Great Britain.
01:17So not a good start for Germany or Great Britain.
01:19And maybe there was even a green and gold in the first corner.
01:22He said, maybe Hunter, we're not sure.
01:24Not Hunter, Webster.
01:25Webster.
01:26And I see the four of Eli Tomac up there.
01:28So, you know, USA getting ready to, you know, get crazy.
01:32Jett, they don't want to let this happen.
01:34I think Jett will, again, I think it's a race that you've got to go after Jett.
01:38But I think that sometimes, you know, he's a step above this weekend.
01:41Jett Lawrence sweeps around the outside of Lucas Coonan at the first available opportunity.
01:45Simon Langenfelder of Germany also down at the first turn, holding a left shoulder, left collarbone.
01:51And with Kenny Roxton going down at the first turn, that is pretty much Germany done and dusted, I would imagine, from there.
01:56Because it's not going to be easy to come through.
01:58And even if you do get a good result from the look of Simon Langenfelder holding that arm,
02:02that is, he probably will not be lining up for that second race.
02:05And that is Germany's chances done and dusted.
02:07There's the jump that you were talking about with the Lawrence brothers both being the only two doing it.
02:11And Jett setting the pace right now.
02:15Jett Lawrence on a charge there, just trying to distance himself.
02:20He was down by Australia during the break, and he said it's going to go down, to coin a phrase,
02:26with a few more choice words in there.
02:28So he was up for the fight right away from the first lap of free practice warm-up this morning.
02:32You know, and I think as fans of the sport, like, this is what you want.
02:35You know, you've got Lucas Kunin and Tim Geyser in second, you know, both not really getting to see Jett yesterday.
02:43And today they really get to see it.
02:45There's no excuses.
02:46They're right there in front.
02:47They can see and learn from what Jett's doing.
02:49And we'll see if we get to see the best guys in the world battle.
02:52Roman Favre launching past Eli Tomac, coming out of the final turn.
02:55He hit the Monster Energy finish line double as he moves in to that fourth place.
03:00Tomac over the United States down to fifth position.
03:03Great start for the new world champion in MXGP, Roman Favre.
03:06He's, this weekend, the shackles of the world championship have done it, Dustin.
03:13Yeah, now he gets to unleash.
03:14He's got his teammate in P12.
03:16So France always be in work.
03:19So keep an eye on that.
03:23This section's really slippery for, you know, TVD doesn't show that.
03:27But you see these guys fighting back there.
03:29You know, for our older generation, people that remember Namur, it's very much like that.
03:34Really hard pack, loose.
03:36You can see the full leaves starting to, you know, fall there.
03:40The difference is, like, this part of the racetrack there, you're probably in the shade for about 20 seconds.
03:45You're out in the daylight for about 20 seconds on a three-minute lap at Namur.
03:48That's the difference.
03:49You are fighting those, casting shadows on a bright, sunny day with the tree roots, the rocks, the hard slick off-campers, and trees as well.
03:56Let's not forget the trees.
03:57The trees, the drop-offs, the pubs, the pubs, the walls, the pavement, all the things.
04:03Yeah, the cobbled streets.
04:05Anyway, Jet Lawrence leads.
04:06He's got about a two-and-a-half second over Lucas Koonin.
04:08So it's Australia leading the way from Belgium.
04:10From Slovenia's Tim Geisser, Fevre of France is four, Tomac the USA in five.
04:14And then, look at that, a second Belgium in there in sixth position.
04:17Sascha Koonin, the first of the MX2 riders in sixth place.
04:21The next one is in tenth, and that is Kai de Waalp.
04:23And he's got Valan and Justin Cooper of the United States behind him.
04:25So 10, 11, 12, three more MX2 riders.
04:29And if you were to put the flag out now, this being the end of the race, Belgium have a, what, eight points?
04:34France on 16, USA on 19, and then the Republic of South Africa and Spain both on 30 points each.
04:40But that will all change come the first lap of race three later on today.
04:44But, yeah, no, it's going to be a long day, and we'll be watching that box of, you know, all the different nations and jumping around.
04:51I think it's underestimated how important a really solid 250, you know, rider is.
04:57I think Sascha doing a great job getting a good start.
05:01And, yeah, giving two guys in the top six is awesome.
05:04Yeah, well, Team Belgium haven't won this thing since 2012 or 2013 when it was in Belgium,
05:10and they've not been on the podium since 2019 at Assen in the Netherlands.
05:13So that's a long time for Belgium, the established, the, you know, the team that's right up there in the top three in the all-time win list.
05:22So for them to be leading at this stage at the moment with two twin brothers,
05:25Jett Lawrence in, sorry, Lucas Coonan in the second, and Sascha Coonan in sixth place,
05:30with the lowest score as it stands right now, that is a good start for Belgium, to say the least.
05:35Yeah, and you want to, you want to obviously, you know, obviously get up on the right foot, and that's what is important.
05:40And, you know, you look here at the eighth, you know, Kai DeWolf is racing for pride at this point, you know.
05:46It's the end of the year.
05:48He unfortunately doesn't have a backup teammate in this particular race, so he'll have it.
05:53You know, the Netherlands will not have an overall score.
05:55So he's just out there for pride and racing for his orange colors.
06:00Yeah, so in many respects, there's no pressure on him now.
06:02It's just, like I say, for personal pride.
06:04But with still plenty of time to go, 24 and a half minutes.
06:08In terms of the overall classification, Belgium on top with France, USA, Spain, and Australia in fifth.
06:13So, Australia down in fifth place.
06:27We saw Simon Langenfelder picking himself up after that fall in turn one to the outside.
06:32Chad Reid, you mentioned there was maybe a little bit of green and gold in there as well.
06:34That might have been Kyle Webster.
06:37And Kyle Webster now up in the 27th place, if that was the case, trying to help Australia climb the leaderboard.
06:43But they will be hoping that even anywhere outside of the top ten, that 27th place will get dropped later on today.
06:51And like we said at the opening of the show, we do drop our worst score.
06:58But Webster will definitely be fighting as he's now in 24th.
07:01And again, it's about the start.
07:04Anything happens.
07:05It is.
07:05It always.
07:06Donations never, ever disappoints.
07:08Disappoints.
07:09Anyway, let's go down to Lisa Leyland.
07:11She is with Team Australia, apparently, down there in Pitt Lane.
07:15So, let's go down to Lisa because, obviously, Jet Lawrence leading the way.
07:21Yeah, I'm just with Michael Byrne, team manager from Team Australia.
07:24Michael, the guys are coming in with a one, two, three.
07:27They had their targets on their back.
07:29What were their feelings ahead of this weekend?
07:31Were they feeling any expectation, any pressure?
07:35I feel like they were just trying to treat it like any other race.
07:38They felt like we were as prepared as we could have been.
07:41So, Saturday obviously went great.
07:44But anything can happen today.
07:46So, Jet's out front right now.
07:48Kyle was in the first turn crash.
07:50So, hopefully, next time we can rebound with Kyle and get the result.
07:54Okay.
07:55Best of luck.
07:55Yeah, Werner just confirming there that there was an issue with Kyle Webster on the first turn.
08:01So, race one then, MXGP, MX2.
08:16Jet Lawrence of Australia leading the way.
08:18It's two and a half seconds.
08:19From what you've seen from Jet Lawrence during the season, Chad Reed, and obviously with Lucas Coonan, what you've seen in MXGP, both phenomenal riders.
08:26Obviously, Jet a little bit more older and more experienced, but right at the very top of his game.
08:31Coonan on a 450 for the first year in MXGP this year.
08:34And also, right at the top of his game is a rookie in the class.
08:39They're first and second, only two and a half seconds apart.
08:41How much of this is Lucas Coonan, do you think, pushing full gas to try and keep Jet in his sights?
08:46How much of this is Lawrence just going, I'm just here, I'm just going to do enough?
09:04Well, Romain Fevre, without a visor, I'm assuming that because, obviously, he found his way into fourth with a move on Tomac, he's now down in sixth place.
09:23So, Romain Fevre has eaten the dirt, and that's not great for France, but in terms of their overall classification, they're going to still be there inside the top three or four.
09:31Six is not a bad number to drop if that's going to be your worst score in this event.
09:37But his teammate, Matisse Valin, he's there in tenth place at the moment.
09:41That's him on screen on that Kawasaki, number 14.
09:44They're about 27 seconds off the lead is the MXGP 2 rider for Team France, but it's Jet Lawrence leading the way.
09:51Romain Fevre fell, I think we may have it, because he was in fourth, and I wonder if it was through the first couple of corners here.
09:58There you go, look.
09:58Second rider now, over on the left-hand side, just folds up front, goes down, buries his head in the ground, and, obviously, Tomac having to take evasive action.
10:07For the USA, that is a significant one or two-point gain that they are going to welcome with both hands.
10:12So Jet Lawrence leads the way, Kunin here for Belgium in second.
10:27Geiser, three and a half, 3.7 seconds further back in third for Slovenia.
10:31Tomac of the USA in fourth place.
10:32And Sascha Kunin now in fifth for Belgium, the lead MXGP 2 rider.
10:37De Wolf still down there in ninth place.
10:39He was very good in morning warm-up.
10:41Kai De Wolf, first thing.
10:42In and amongst it was two French, two Dutch riders.
10:45Kai De Wolf was in there in second, behind Fevre, I think it was.
10:49So he was obviously good in that free warm-up session, but struggling to get past Ruben Fernandes and Gifting,
10:54that 250 versus 450 kind of battle that we see every year at this event.
11:19Take another look at the start then.
11:21And over on the, just in the middle, just behind Roxson there, you see the green and gold, the yellows of Carl Webster.
11:28He gets shunted over to the outside, and then Roxson goes down, coming through this next turn.
11:32He was well-placed in third, just behind Kenny, but then watch what happens here.
11:36Just lights up the back, front goes down, fresh water on the track.
11:39Of course, nobody can avoid him, but we get a better shot here of Webster, just behind the Team Spain.
11:46Yeah, he just gets up the inside of Andrea Adamo, and nowhere to go.
11:52But it was Langerfeld at the way, cartwheeling outside in Turn 1 of Germany.
11:57Roman Fevre, yeah, up the inside of Kunin, moves into fifth place.
12:15So France now in fifth with that five points.
12:17Kunin down to six.
12:18Six points for Belgium, even though he's leaving the class.
12:21Years ago, it used to be, even if we're looking at Sascha Kunin in fifth place, as the first MX2 rider, he would have got the one point.
12:28And if his teammate was first in the race, that would have been one point, two points per race would be the maximum score.
12:33But after 94, when Team GB won it, they changed that because of the way that the final race went out,
12:41where I think it was Kurt Nicol who decided, you know what, I'm not going to get any kind of battle with Mike LaRocco or anybody else.
12:49We're in a championship-winning position.
12:51And so when you're no longer racing for that because you're going to be only losing one point and not five or six or seven for your position,
12:57so they decided to change the format then.
12:59Everybody where you finish, one, two, three, four, five, they're the points.
13:02So that changes the complexity of the championship then, doesn't it?
13:05Yeah.
13:27Justin Cooper for the USA.
13:30He is in 11th place.
13:31He is the fourth MX2 rider.
13:32Of course, there's two kind of things up for grabs here, isn't there?
13:36You've got the nation's classification, then each group, MXGP, MX2, open.
13:40The lowest scores from those overall, their overall scores will win the individual class.
13:45And so Cooper is going to be eyeing up that as well, if he can,
13:48as well as trying to get the USA on the podium at the very least,
13:51obviously hoping to win it on home soil.
14:02Had a great start from 35th gate pick yesterday, came out third in the qualifying race just to kind of give the USA that little bit of buoyancy
14:12because Eli was ninth in the first race and obviously RJ Hampshire, who we'll see in the next race,
14:17he chose to go inside gates with his 35th gate pick and got squeezed to the inside with the Spanish rider,
14:22Francesco Garcia eventually came home in, what, sixth place?
14:25So from that side, they had a bit of a taste or, yeah, a bit of a taste of how to deal with that start.
14:33Hampshire was fourth, actually.
14:34The American finish with six points.
14:36But Jay Coop, a last-minute call-up.
14:39How would you have taken that?
14:40Get the call on Tuesday saying, guess what?
14:42Pack your bag.
14:43You're going to Crawfordsville.
15:13Well, we've had a significant change because Sasha Coonan is down in 10th place now.
15:27So he's obviously fallen from six.
15:28Ruben Fernandes now six, gifting seven.
15:30So the first seven riders are MXGP riders.
15:32The first MX2 guy now is in eight, Kai DeWolf.
15:35The Land nine, Sasha Coonan ten, Jay Coop in 11th place.
15:38Here is Sasha Coonan.
15:39So one thing that everybody said is if he can stay on two wheels, he will be one of the dark horses, especially for Belgium.
15:46And that loss of those points brings everybody else into contention because what was a six-point gap is now just two.
15:54There on 12, France on 14.
15:55You see that mistake there coming out of that turn.
15:57And he just needs to contain his emotions here now, doesn't he?
15:59Keep them all in check.
16:09For the second half of this year, we saw him being able to do that.
16:30Where he was getting his race wins and his GP wins and things like that.
16:34But now I think First Nations trying to race for national pride.
16:38You're there as the first MX2 guy.
16:40Maybe that sort of on-off switch has just got a bit of a jam on it because he was all on until he was off.
16:45And he needs to learn how to, I would say, balance that, kind of find the dimmer on it a little bit.
16:49And he needs to learn how to, I would say, balance that, kind of find the dimmer on it a little bit.
17:19Yeah, he's definitely found another gear.
17:30Seven seconds clear of Lucas Coonan now.
17:33And Kaido Wolf is up to seventh.
17:34He's found his way past Gifting as the lead MX2 rider.
17:39Here is number eight, the 2024 MX2 World Champion.
17:42He's going after Ruben Fernandez.
17:45Now he's got that clear track ahead of him.
17:46Be interested to see how long it takes to close down Ruben Fernandez.
17:492.50 versus 4.50 around here when it starts to break down, Chad Reed.
17:53Is there much of an advantage being on a 4.50 or not when it starts to break down like this?
17:57Do the 450s love and eat that up.
18:23So Roman Fevra here into that fifth place.
18:27Fernandez sixth, Wolf seventh, Gifting, Voland, Coonan, Cooper.
18:30And then Jeremy Seewa for Switzerland in the 12th.
18:32Italy's Adamo in 13, McClellan 14, Lopes for Brazil in 15, Carlos Racialis in 16, then Webster, the Australian.
18:39The last time we spoke about him until a moment ago, he was down in 27, picking himself up off the deck at turn one when he just tipped over on the inside.
18:46So he's trying to do his best to reduce that gap.
18:48So they are now on 18 points, Australia with a 1 and a 17.
18:52I love this drone's footage.
18:56I think it's the one thing where fans, you know, we never used to have this.
19:00But as a pass rider, it gives you the understanding.
19:03You see the racing lines.
19:04You see where they're picking it.
19:05You see the lines that they're drawing.
19:08We're starting to see Eli pick it up and find his feet here and hopefully can get after Tim.
19:12So Eli Tomac, only a second and a half behind Tim Geiser.
19:18We already saw Tim Geiser do great things at Matzli Basin last year when he did what many thought was unthinkable.
19:23Pass jet, not only to win the race, but on, what, two corners to go at Matzli Basin to take what was a class win for Slovenia.
19:31Battle of personal pride between the two factory Honda HRC riders on both sides of the Atlantic.
19:35But obviously Tim Geiser coming in now as a rider that's only, what, five or six races back from his injury.
19:44Still trying to find his feet, but he's not too far off if he's not there already.
19:48I see Tim and Eli as really similar guys at this point, you know, different in age.
19:53But both guys that have had injury during the season and coming back and finding their feet, both will be doing their last races for their current teams.
20:02So there's different, different vibes and different things and you just see him, you know, fighting for national pride right now.
20:10Matzli Basin, we can tell the difference between two French riders because one's got a visor on and one doesn't.
20:14But Roman Fevre is behind Eli Tomac as well.
20:18But that gap, nine seconds for the Frenchman to make up with about ten and a half minutes plus two laps remaining here.
20:24Valin is now up into eighth. He's also found his way past gifting.
20:27So we've got two MX2 riders in seventh and eighth.
20:30Kai DeWolf and Matis Valin. DeWolf of the Netherlands.
20:33Valin here for France.
20:35France sitting in second in the overall classification.
20:38One point behind Belgium at the moment.
20:39And when you think of Sascha Kunin in tenth place, the number 47, who was in sixth when he threw away that position, losing those four positions and four points.
20:51How telling will that be come the final race of the day when Germany, so when Belgium do make the podium or don't make the podium or win or don't win?
21:00That's going to be the telling thing, isn't it?
21:01Do we look to that race where that all fell apart really in the great scheme of things?
21:06Yeah, we won't know until that third moto, and that's what makes it fun for us as fans sitting and calling the race.
21:12But you've just got to take each lap and do your best.
21:15And, again, there's always a bigger picture.
21:17You've got to be clever.
21:18You see Jet navigating some laps.
21:20You know, the guy looks to his right.
21:22Jet's on his left.
21:23You just never know.
21:25You know, like there's a big difference in some cases.
21:27Obviously, there's a big difference in Jet Lawrence in general.
21:31But, you know, typically speaking, a lot of the different countries, they have different, you know, volumes of people.
21:35And you've got to – it's an interesting race to participate in and navigate and strategize.
21:42It's fun.
21:43Well, the gap between Lawrence and Kunin down to four seconds at the moment because Lawrence putting in a 207.2 that time around to the 204.1 of Lucas Kunin.
21:53So, did he get held up in traffic?
21:55Was there a slight bobble somewhere for the number one?
21:58But able to double, double through turn 10.
22:01Some riders not able to get that because it was breaking down so gnarly yesterday coming out of that turn that he could barely get over the double from the inside.
22:08But Jet Lawrence obviously finds a way to clear things and get things done.
22:12You see that over on the far side just after the GoPro step-up.
22:16Left, right, Liqui Moly plateau just jumping around the turn looking so silky smooth.
22:21Eli Tomac here has caught Tim Geiser but that gap not close enough at the moment to launch an attack.
22:28But psychologically for Team USA and the fans out there watching this, Tomac would love to get a top three finish.
22:35Just to sort of, you know, give everybody that little lift.
22:39You know, yeah, we finished third, first, second or third, fourth, fifth.
22:43Yeah, it's still great.
22:44But I think you look at the Australian dominance yesterday and, you know, on paper you're like, how are we going to beat Australia at this point?
22:52Then you come out here and you look at the points when they drop the gates and it gives you hope.
22:57Like, you know, as Team USA, you go back to the pits and I agree with you.
23:00I really believe that Eli needs to go on a tear here and pass Tim and try to get after Lucas and do the best that he can and put himself in the best position for Team USA.
23:11Yeah, because Kunin is eight and a half seconds clear of Geiser with Tomac another 1.5, 1.6 seconds further back.
23:19Here's Roman Fevre.
23:20He's in fifth place, still 10 seconds behind Tomac now.
23:24And Roman Fevre, he knows what this event is all about.
23:26He's got another race, the final race of the day, coming up later on, MXGP and MXOpen.
23:30So with time ticking down, less than 10 minutes plus two laps to go, there's no point in blowing himself out, thinking, I have to pass one more rider and it has to be Tomac that I have to pass.
23:41He'll get an opportunity later on in the day, not blowing himself out, smart riding in the greater scheme of things, as it is only race one.
23:48And I think it's just calculated risk, you know, racing is that in general.
23:53But this event, there's three riders that you're relying on.
23:57You've got to go forward, you've got to make passes, but you've also got to get to the finish and get the best position as possible so that you can narrow those points.
24:06So Chet Lawrenson leading the way.
24:09Australia currently fourth in the overall classification with his first and Kyle Webster's 17th.
24:15USA are on 15th.
24:16They're in third place with a fourth for Tomac and the 11th for Justin Cooper.
24:22Then we've got France on 13, Belgium on 12.
24:26And Tim Geiser is in third on borrowed time with Tomac breathing down his neck.
24:31And the majority of that lap, that lap over there on the opposite bank, you can hear them starting to get behind Tomac.
24:37Captain America here as he looks to move into that third place.
24:40Fantastic atmosphere here in Ironman.
24:42You know, I've been around Eli a few times this weekend.
24:45My kids are big Eli fans, as I am, but always super nice.
24:51But he's just, he seems really relaxed this weekend.
24:53I think he's embracing his Captain America.
24:55I think he's aware of his age and place in the sport.
24:59And it's just really fun for me to watch one of the greats of the sport, you know, being so comfortable and embracing such a special event.
25:10I'm sure Geiser knows by now that Tomac is there behind him.
25:14Five world titles under his belt.
25:19He will know how to deal with that kind of pressure with five and a half minutes to go.
25:22But Tomac, when he hits, as they say, beast mode, can become a different animal altogether.
25:26But this landing right here for everybody at home, I promise you, that is not comfortable doing that for 35 minutes.
25:32Yeah, it's brutal.
25:34So with five minutes to go, Lawrence, Leeds, Kunin, Geiser, Tomac, and Fevre.
25:39But it's Belgium, France, Australia, USA, Australia, and Spain, the top five.
25:51So less than five minutes plus two laps to go.
25:53Eli Tomac has done a great job closing down Tim Geiser.
25:56Geiser, I'm sure if he's ridden in the U.S. before.
25:59I don't think they were available as a team for Slovenia in 2018 or 2022.
26:04So even for him just to be here on American soil is something new.
26:08Something new for him.
26:09And again, what I said earlier about the guys, it seems like Eli can get there.
26:13And then whenever it comes, you know, getting alongside or trying to, let's say, set up for a pass, it seems like it's just really difficult to make that final, you know, get the job done really difficult.
26:26But talking of Slovenia, they're currently eighth overall at the moment.
26:29They finished seventh overall at Mattelie Basin one year ago.
26:32Their best ever finish for a country of just two million people.
26:34And they were hoping to do better than that today.
26:38So with Tim Geiser currently circulating in third place and Jakub Ekelai, not so great for him in 36.
26:46That's 39.
26:47So we've already got big scores for like six, seven, and eight.
26:4936 for Switzerland, 37 for Sweden, 40 for Team Slovenia.
26:57You would expect those things to change in race two when it's open in MX2.
27:03And you'd be hoping to throw away that big score of a 37 if you're Jakub Ekelai in Slovenia.
27:08So maybe it was just a technical issue.
27:10Who knows?
27:10Maybe it was a crash.
27:11We don't know.
27:11But hopefully he can line up.
27:13The fact that he's down there in 37 isn't boding well anyway.
27:1637 is never good.
27:17It's a lot of points.
27:20Getting closer.
27:21Eli Tomac, traffic getting closer as well.
27:24As these riders near the end of the race.
27:27Guy set into the side of the back marker there as well through that final turn.
27:30Trying to rough him up.
27:31And he doesn't get over the double.
27:32Tomac does.
27:34Two bike lengths in it as they charge down past pit lane at the start of lap 13.
27:42I was thinking he was going to cut back to the right there, but the line didn't allow it.
27:47Fans on their feet for Tomac.
27:49This is the third position.
27:54Guys are looking nice and cool.
27:55Very Everts-esque through there up on the pegs.
27:58The bulldog-like riding style of Eli Tomac just trying to boss that motorcycle through those deep ruts in that second and third turn.
28:05I like what Tim did there.
28:06He jumped down into that hole.
28:07Typically for our AMA national, it's really soft, and the guys kind of do that, and it seems a lot harder this weekend.
28:14Watch this.
28:14It's cool.
28:16Yeah.
28:17Guy set couldn't get over the double anyway because of the back marker to his outside.
28:21Tomac did.
28:22Saw the difference.
28:23I see how unpredictable the ground is there as well under the trees.
28:27Back end lighting up.
28:28Catching an edge.
28:28Wish we had comms.
28:31We could tell Eli what to do there.
28:33I feel like he's going to the inside, and he's given up the flow of the next turn, and it costs him a little bit of time there.
28:39So Tim Geiser just getting a little bit of breathing space over Eli Tomac there in those last couple of corners as their battle for third continues with just under two minutes to go in this first MXGP MX2 race.
29:01A bit of a lucky escape there from the Slovenian at the top of the hill.
29:04Oh, and two in two corners for Geiser.
29:07Just shows you how difficult the track is, you know, like we have one, you know, one vision of Jet Lawrence riding one track, and then these guys, it just shows you how wet it is still.
29:17There's a hard base, loose stuff on top.
29:20These guys are on their toes at all times.
29:22This section is also, like, you see the bike moving around a lot.
29:25When you see the best guys in the world making it look difficult, let me tell you, it's really tough.
29:30It's not easy being one of the best riders in the world either because you have to make it look so easy at all times.
29:35Just like the man leading the way, Jet Lawrence, does.
29:39These are the two mistakes that we just saw from Tim Geiser a moment ago.
29:42Top of the hill coming out of the turn.
29:44Just got the wrong side of the rut there, and it swapped across the backside.
29:47And then this one here just landing in a soft patch.
29:51Typ's skill.
29:51Had to use all that upper body strength to keep it up on two wheels, that's for sure.
29:57But Team Germany, no score for Simon Langenfelder, and Kenny Rockson in 21st place at the moment after he fell.
30:05Coming out of turn two into turn three.
30:08At the start of the race, when he caught a wet patch as well.
30:13Lost the front, lost the back.
30:15And from there, Germany, looks like there, Nations is done because Langenfelder holding his left shoulder, left collarbone,
30:22as he walked away from that first turn.
30:24Carnage.
30:26It's actually good to see Kenny back in 21st.
30:28Last time, the last pitchers we saw him being ran over, and we weren't sure what was going on, if he was going to rejoin or not.
30:36Ruben Fernandez here in sixth for Team Spain, and Sacha Kunin, the number 47, still in 10th place.
30:42But remember, he was in sixth place when he fell as the lead MX2 rider.
30:46Belgium and France now tied at the top.
30:49Belgium with a second and a tenth.
30:51France with a fifth and a seventh.
30:52USA on 15 with a fourth and an 11th.
30:56With Tomac and Justin Cooper.
30:59Australia with a first and a 16th.
31:00They're just two points further back.
31:02So I think really, realistically, we're looking at four teams, even now, even this far out,
31:07at potentially winning this Chamberlain trophy.
31:09And one of them is going to be disappointed not to make the podium.
31:12Three of them.
31:14Well, one not missing the podium, but you know, everybody comes here.
31:17I mean, when you talk about Australia, USA, France, and Belgium,
31:21they're all three teams that are, you know, Australia's new to the winning side of it,
31:25but, you know, they've got such a strong qualifying yesterday.
31:28They expect to win today.
31:30Two laps to go for Jet Lawrence.
31:35There's the Slovenian MX2 rider there, Jakub Pekalaj.
31:38So he is still out there on track, but down in 36th place at the moment.
31:42Just behind him is Dylan Walsh for Team GB, but he's three laps down.
31:49And GB's other rider in 23rd place.
31:54So Josh Gilbert, who also fell at the start of the race, I recall, with Kenny Rockson.
32:04He's got himself back to within a couple of positions of the German,
32:07but Sascha Kunin's brother, Lucas, up at the sharp end, six seconds behind Jet Lawrence.
32:13Still, an impressive performance from a guy who's still in his rookie season in 450,
32:18but when we talk about rookie seasons and how good they can be,
32:21this kid here went 1-1 undefeated in his first 450 outdoor season.
32:26And not a lot older than 18.
32:29So, yeah, really impressive.
32:31And it's great for Lucas to, you know, be young
32:35and still have the mentality to learn in his first year,
32:40and he'll be a real threat next year.
32:41Gifting is safe.
32:44So, the first seven riders are MXGP riders.
32:46Valin is now up to 8th.
32:47The Wolf is down to 9th.
32:49So, Valin is the lead MX2 rider.
32:51So, was there a mistake from Kaida Wolf,
32:54or is it just good riding from Matisse Valin?
32:572.0...
32:58What were the lap times last time around?
33:00Both in the 102s.
33:01Oh, hang on.
33:022.09 and 2.07.
33:05So, yeah, a bit of a gap.
33:07Three seconds faster, though.
33:11So, maybe Kaida Wolf just either running off track,
33:13getting caught with a back marker, or something like that.
33:16Maybe didn't expect Valin to be so close when he did make that mistake.
33:19But now you can see the body language from the rider in orange,
33:22Kaida Wolf of the Netherlands,
33:23who's riding solo.
33:24No Glenn Koldenhoff, of course,
33:26not being cleared by the FIM to race today.
33:28as Jet Lawrence moves into the final lap for Team Australia.
33:33He's led from the third corner, pretty much.
33:37Just trying to take out some of those braking bumps there.
33:40Climb in the bank past pit lane.
33:44But we've still got a battle going on between the MX2 riders.
33:47Four of them, 8, 9, 10, 11.
33:49Belin, DeWolf, Sacha Kunin, and Justin Cooper.
33:58Over the line here, there is number 34, Gilbert, for GB.
34:04GB in 16th overall at the moment.
34:06But they've got some big scores to throw away.
34:1023 and 37
34:11of Dylan Walsh.
34:14So hopefully they'll be getting rid of that 37
34:16and they can get some decent results on the board in the next two races
34:20from their side of things.
34:22But Kaida Wolf round the outside.
34:24Valin knows he's there, catches an edge.
34:27Should be an easy pass here in the final turn.
34:30And it is.
34:31But getting over the double on the X of the turn.
34:33Valin striking right back.
34:34They've got a back marker between them here.
34:36Three abreast over the wall jump.
34:38Valin still hanging on as they go into the final lap
34:40as the lead MX2 rider in his First Nations.
34:43Pressure for France.
34:44No pressure there.
34:45I think that this is such a Team France, you know,
34:48how they won their event for so many years is
34:50they just always answer the bell, you know.
34:53They come and show up with their guys
34:57and they fight every lap all the way to the end.
34:59And they have won this thing for the last little bit.
35:03Yep.
35:04Kaida Wolf just pushing hard there.
35:05A little too hard coming out of that left turn.
35:08Front end hopping out of the rut.
35:09Both feet off the pegs.
35:12Desperate to find his way by.
35:13Watch this here.
35:13Just chucks it in there.
35:15And a little bit untidy for the former champ.
35:18Just making it work.
35:20Manning land.
35:21No such dramas for this fellow, though.
35:24Two corners to go.
35:25And already in cruise mode.
35:28And Jet Lawrence and Team Australia,
35:31as it stands right now,
35:32yes, they'll be fourth overall in the classification,
35:34but they're only five points off the lead.
35:36But for Jet Lawrence,
35:37coming here as the defending champions,
35:39number one on the board,
35:40the Australian goes and wins race one.
35:43Oh, that's a bike.
35:43But there's a problem here for Sasha Coonan.
35:46His bike has let up on him.
35:48So, Sasha Coonan,
35:54and we didn't see his crash,
35:55so we don't know exactly what happened there
35:56and whether the bike got damaged
35:58as a result of that crash.
36:00But Jet Lawrence wins race one.
36:04Oh, so he's already gone down with another rider.
36:08Is that Coop?
36:09Coop with him.
36:10That is Cooper.
36:11So, did Coop land on him,
36:13or did Sasha Coonan go down by himself?
36:15Either way,
36:18Belgium, all of a sudden,
36:20now that's going to be flipped on its head,
36:22and it may be France who go into race two,
36:25leading the way.
36:25We won't know until we get Sasha Coonan over the line,
36:28but it didn't look like his bike
36:29was in a hurry to get going.
36:30Didn't seem like he was going to make it there.
36:33It'd be interesting to know if the bike failed
36:35and that was why he crashed,
36:36or if, you know, he had crashed,
36:38because it didn't seem like there was smoke
36:41or anything that you would typically see
36:42if he landed on a radiator
36:43or something like that.
36:44So, it was strange.
36:46So, Jett Lawrence wins for Australia.
36:47Lucas Coonan second for Belgium.
36:49Geyser, Slovenia third.
36:50Tomac, USA four.
36:52Fevre and France fifth.
36:53Fernandes, Spain six.
36:55Gifting Sweden seven.
36:56But, uh,
36:58De Wolf will be eighth.
37:00The lead MX2 for the Netherlands.
37:01Valand nine,
37:02but we wait for Coonan.
37:03He's going to now start dropping down the leaderboard.
37:05So, Justin Cooper goes tenth
37:07for the USA.
37:08Coonan out of the race,
37:10and that is not going to be great for Belgium.
37:12Of course, they will go on count back.
37:13He would have lapped some riders
37:14and he will still be classified
37:16with a decent result,
37:17one that they hope to throw away.
37:18Anyway, here's Lisa with Jett Lawrence,
37:20your winner for...
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