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00:00I think he can do it. Why? Because he is a master when it gets technical in doing everything the
00:07same way for 20 minutes plus one lap.
00:11The 54th heat race win for Roxen earlier as 13 years that he's won a heat race. That's the longest
00:16streak ever.
00:17All these riders are racking up numbers. Eli Tomac just picked up another one as well with his 189th start.
00:26He's catching this area's own, the Pacific Northwest's own Larry Ward and Race Day Live host Justin Brayton.
00:33If he races one more time, presumably next week in Arlington, he'll be in a tie with those riders.
00:38But Tomac's not here to rack up just start numbers. He wants win numbers. Not a great heat race for
00:44the three.
00:45Can he get it back going? Here it is in Seattle. Kick drop.
00:50Oh, Lord, it's a terrible launch. And Tomac leads them into turn one.
00:54Webb's there as well to grab the lead.
00:58Chase Sexton up there as well.
01:04Plessinger battling Tomac.
01:06And takes second away.
01:09Tomac right back to it.
01:14Plessinger's so good in these running conditions, but Webb, who won this race the last two years, leads.
01:18The cowboy.
01:21Kenny makes the move on Sexton.
01:26We say it every week how good Roxen is in the early laps, and you're seeing it now.
01:30Yeah, I mean, he's just so explosive.
01:33Look, it's going to try to get by the cowboy. Tuck underneath him here. Nope.
01:37Aaron rides that middle line.
01:40Kenny isn't able to tuck underneath him.
01:42Oh, look at Hunter trying to get by the four of Chase Sexton.
01:47And this is this rhythm lane that's going to be key right here.
01:51Kenny triples.
01:53Triples.
01:55Is it enough?
01:56He's going to try again.
01:58Now, if you're Hunter Lawrence, you cannot waste any time behind Chase Sexton.
02:03If you want to contend for the win here tonight.
02:08That's not normally something we're used to say.
02:11No, you don't, but this is where we're at right here.
02:13He's all over him.
02:14He's got to make the move.
02:20Looking for running road in the 96.
02:23Oh, yeah, he stops it in the corner right there.
02:27Chase always really good in the whoops, so no surprise there that Hunter wasn't able to make up a move.
02:32Hunter triples on.
02:34Yeah, you saw that.
02:41Hunter cuts from outside to inside the sand.
02:43Here's a different line.
02:49Almost enough.
02:50Yeah, he's just right there.
02:51Just can't make it.
02:52That just shows you how good these guys are.
02:54Oh, but he triples.
02:55Comes up short.
02:57And Justin Cooper takes advantage.
02:59Oh, that's costly.
03:00Oh, Hunter almost down.
03:01What a save.
03:01He almost goes off the back of the bike.
03:04Hits the rear tire of Justin Cooper.
03:07Wow.
03:11And this is the danger of this field.
03:13It is so deep.
03:14One little mistake.
03:14And Lawrence back to seven, although he's riding well.
03:19A lot of racing left here.
03:22Talk about the 23rd rider today.
03:24And that's this racetrack right here.
03:27And it is going to get absolutely brutal.
03:30About the halfway part on.
03:33How about Cooper Webb?
03:35Opened up a good gap.
03:36Now Tomek closing a little bit.
03:38You know they're exchanging mistakes up front, back and forth on this track.
03:41And what can Sexton do?
03:44And what can Sexton do?
03:44Needs a rebuild after a tough seventh place finish last weekend.
03:50This is where an opportunity where Chase Sexton can kind of turn around his day.
03:56And while the track's relatively fresh before it goes completely away, he's so good at having
04:00forward momentum and drive through the rhythm lanes.
04:03Use these conditions to his advantage.
04:06Tomac is starting to close on Webb.
04:10And Roxen has made the move on Plessinger.
04:11He's in it as well.
04:14This is going to be a tough race right here.
04:16Definitely a nice rebound for Eli Tomac compared to what we saw from him in that heat race.
04:22This is going to go down to the wire by two absolute legends, veterans of the game.
04:28You've got Roxen right there as well.
04:31These three have put on some of the best duels ever in this championship.
04:35And it could be another classic tonight.
04:38Roxen starting to close on Tomac.
04:40But I have a feeling it's going to be like that all night.
04:42One rider makes a mistake.
04:43They close.
04:44They pull back away.
04:44It's totally unpredictable at this point.
04:46Yeah, and the guy who's able to make the least amount of mistakes tonight is the one who's
04:51going to come out victorious.
04:53Who can do these rhythm sections the most consistently all night long?
04:59Got to keep patience.
05:03And not overrush this racetrack.
05:11Let's go all loaded fourth.
05:13The damage is done for Lawrence.
05:14He is several seconds back even of Sexton and stuck in seventh place.
05:19Cooper is around Sexton.
05:21Yeah, I think for Eli, just keep the pressure on right here.
05:25And really, I mean, you go back to Houston.
05:28And then obviously last week, I think for Eli, man, if he can just get out of here a good
05:33night,
05:33be on the box, and then take that momentum and start rolling forward,
05:37I think that'd be a good night for Eli.
05:41Yeah, you've talked big picture quite a bit with this team field.
05:45Yeah.
05:45Tomac looking good here, Will.
05:47And Ian Harrison, team manager, told me a very similar thing to what you just said, Ricky,
05:52in between the heat race here and this main event.
05:55The heat race, they were, after the heat race, they were making some adjustments to the bike
05:59to make it, as he described, sort of a little less reactive.
06:02So that heat race, what we saw there from Eli, Tomac, he described to me was him really just
06:06throwing the risk versus reward, kind of judgment there.
06:10You know, as a veteran, he knows when he can and can't push, and he just didn't feel like
06:14he was in the right spot.
06:15But Ian did tell me that he thought, you know, a podium would be incredible tonight, a top
06:19five would be great.
06:20So running in second right now, this is everything that they were hoping for.
06:27Okay, this is Justin Cooper closing on Plessinger from fourth, Sexton, and Lawrence just trying
06:35to hang in there.
06:36Yeah, remember that.
06:37We talked about Justin Cooper for the heat race and why around the berm and why this would
06:43play into his hand as the track slows down and gets more difficult.
06:46He likes those conditions.
06:48And he's riding well.
06:50Look at this.
06:50The championship points as it is right now.
06:52Oh, mistake by Plessinger.
06:55Roxen and Hunter Lawrence would be tied for the points lead.
06:58Tomac would be one back.
06:59That's if the race ended like this.
07:02And Webb, five points between four riders, but a lot left in the action in Seattle.
07:08And here comes Justin Cooper challenging and getting around.
07:11Plessinger in the rhythm lane, JT.
07:13He still makes the move with Sexton trying to go with him.
07:16But think about this, Jason.
07:18Leaving Anaheim 2.
07:19Cooper Webb was down 24 points.
07:21He even made a comment.
07:22He did think it was more points.
07:24He made a comment that, hey, it's pretty much over.
07:27He's gone from 24 to 17 at Houston to 15 last week.
07:31And as they run right now, it would be down to five points.
07:35And we go into a race where he's the all-time winningest rider ever in Arlington a week from now.
07:41Yeah, not too shabby here either, JT, as he leads.
07:44This could be three years in a row, Webb winning the Seattle Supercross.
07:49But he's got to deal with Tomac, Roxen, and more.
07:52So watch Sexton trying to hang on the back of Cooper.
07:56And there's Hunter Lawrence making the move off Plessinger for sixth.
08:01Oh, that was a good line that they're taking.
08:03Jumping to the outside.
08:05Then diamonding the corner.
08:07Jumping back to the inside.
08:08But look at, we talked about this rhythm lane.
08:11Hunter slips up there.
08:12Loses back the position to Aaron Plessinger.
08:20Brutal conditions here.
08:23Man, just a few critical mistakes have cost Hunter Lawrence dearly as to go back to work on the Cowboy.
08:32He's going to have the preferred line here on the inside.
08:36Great pass by Hunter Lawrence.
08:37Now, Justin Cooper's been jumping through the whoops here tonight.
08:41Oh, and now look, Hunter Lawrence jumps through him.
08:44That's going to save him some time.
08:45He's been a little bit slow through that section.
08:47Look, jump on the triple, or jump on the tabletop, pardon me.
08:51He's right to the rear wheel of Sexton just with that whoop run and jumping onto the table.
08:56Yeah, fighting hard, fighting hard for that position to keep that red plate.
09:02Ah, neither of them able to grease that rhythm the way they would have liked to.
09:06That just shows you how difficult these conditions are.
09:09These are the best guys in the world on a motorcycle.
09:12Lap traffic in the way.
09:14I think there was Cartwright down.
09:16Lawrence and Sexton.
09:19Sexton's mechanic, Jason Montoya.
09:24Hunter tries again.
09:26Same pass that he made on Aaron Plessinger.
09:29Watch the difference here.
09:31Chase has been blitzing the whoops.
09:32He had a good comparison.
09:37Just a bike length, half a bike length, quicker to do that.
09:41So Lawrence up to fifth.
09:43Sure why Chase isn't tripling onto that table, Todd.
09:48Another bit of a struggle night for Sexton.
09:51There's no doubt about it.
09:52He told me yesterday is a joke, I believe.
09:54Well, I hope I'm better than seventh.
09:56He is sixth.
09:58But that's not where the 2023 champion you know wants to be.
10:02Eli Tomac back in it.
10:03Man, the Lappers right here.
10:05It could be so frustrating.
10:08Hopefully that they will be paying attention to that.
10:15I mean, JT, you talk about a guy who has improved and needed to improve in the whoops.
10:21And that's Cooper Webb over the last year.
10:24Well, I think Ricky, you know, he saw that he had a weakness there.
10:27And they have worked so hard to alleviate that weakness.
10:32And furthermore, think about this year after San Diego.
10:34They plan to stay in California, continue training there.
10:37Their team called an audible and said, hey, we're heading to Florida.
10:40We need to be better than we are right now.
10:42We need to be better in the whoops.
10:43We need to be better on the starts.
10:45And guess what?
10:46They're running one and four now, just a couple weeks removed from that.
10:51Strong last week, too.
10:52And he's right there also.
10:55Man, oh, that was close.
10:58Tomac almost hit Mitchell Harrison's rear tire.
11:02Oh, you're not kidding about Roxanne.
11:04He is right there.
11:05The lap traffic not helping.
11:06Well, actually, just hurt Roxanne now.
11:07Oh, he did.
11:12Incredibly.
11:13Only halfway through this main event, RC, as Tomac closes.
11:15Monster Energy available at Amazon.
11:18Tomac and Roxanne have arrived.
11:21Man, Moran's really messed up Cooper Webb right there.
11:26Slowed him down big time, allowed Eli to close in.
11:30A few bike lengths.
11:32Look at that low line that Cooper Webb is taking.
11:35That's what he's historically done, especially at this racetrack.
11:38And it really, this is how this racetrack develops.
11:45This is...
11:46This is how he was looking forward to.
11:48Great racing the last two years at this race between Sexton and Webb.
11:52But now this race run in February, you still have the full field.
11:55We didn't get Tomac at this race last year.
11:58Roxanne, last year, was injured.
12:00And now we've got three of the best of their generation ready to duke it out.
12:04And we're only halfway through.
12:07Oh, look at Cooper.
12:08There's a triple.
12:09Tomac to the lead.
12:15Iain Coop's starting to get a little bit tight in the forearms.
12:19Looks like he's lost some of his drive.
12:22Look, it overjumps that rhythm lane.
12:25Easy to do when you start getting pumped up and you don't have good grip on the motorcycle.
12:31Kind of tell him demeanor of his riding style.
12:33He's kind of not in the attack position like he was the first couple laps, or the first half of
12:39this race.
12:41Hunter Lawrence has caught Justin Cooper trying to salvage a fourth.
12:45I didn't realize we're already eight minutes into this race.
12:48It's flying by.
12:49Time to go.
12:49Yeah, it's happening down.
12:54It's going to be a point salvage job for Hunter.
12:58Cooper staying in.
12:59And what happened to Roxanne?
12:59He lost some ground.
13:00He's there.
13:01He's losing a little bit of ground.
13:02But look at...
13:04Tripling on his huge time gap.
13:08Explain the challenge of why that's so difficult for Webb and the rest to do that.
13:12Well, I think it's line dependent as well.
13:14Uh-oh.
13:14We got yellow flags going.
13:19See who that is there.
13:20I think was it Cartwright, maybe?
13:21It's March Banks.
13:22Oh, no.
13:23Ah, tough one for Garrett, who is 14th.
13:26Anyway, what makes the jumps as you watch Hunter challenge Cooper through the Red Cross situation?
13:32Yeah.
13:33What makes it so tough as the race goes on?
13:36Well, I think because, you know, as you're turning down out of the corner early,
13:41and that preferred line that you would take over time just keeps getting deeper and deeper.
13:46The transition starts to change.
13:47But then if you've got a guy like Eli who's doing it from another line, and it stays better longer,
13:53well, then there's going to be the gap.
13:54And Cooper's not willing to go see where that line is that Eli's taking, then he's not aware of it.
14:02So there's the difference.
14:04Yeah, there he is.
14:05All over him.
14:07Great battle here between Cooper and Lawrence.
14:10He's at two half paddled so many times.
14:14There you go.
14:15Watch the pass.
14:17Cuts back and makes it happen.
14:20Man, he has been acing that corner.
14:24Oh, that's good news.
14:27Red Cross flags are gone.
14:31Hopefully March Banks is okay.
14:32So Hunter Lawrence, a couple of key mistakes early and not the traditional good start.
14:38Puts him back to fourth.
14:42Yesterday, team manager for Hunter Lawrence and squad, Lars Lindstrom,
14:46was talking about the strengths of his rider.
14:50Yeah, I feel confident.
14:52He's been really, really consistent, like you said.
14:54His starts are really good.
14:56His mental approach is probably the thing that keeps him at the front.
15:01You know, even right now, having the red plate, I don't think that really is something.
15:04I think you can kind of mentally, you know, weigh some riders down,
15:09and I just don't think that's the case with Hunter.
15:12He knows.
15:13We all know it's a long series.
15:15Red plate at round six out of 17.
15:18You know, it's awesome, but it's not something to kind of like dwell upon.
15:23I think you just need to try to do the best you can every single week and easier said than
15:26done.
15:27Look at this.
15:28Hunter is closing on Roxanne.
15:30But Webb is closing on Tomek.
15:32He has joined the party.
15:35He's all over Eli.
15:37Eli not getting much help from the lappers.
15:40Freezy cutting right in front of Cooper Webb.
15:45Let's see if Eli is still able to triple on.
15:47Yep.
15:48There you go.
15:48Oh, look at Cooper.
15:49Saw the line.
15:50Wasn't able to do it that lap.
15:52Be interesting to see now that he saw Eli's line,
15:55if he'll be able to pick up and do the same thing.
15:59Look at the gap from just that one jump alone for Tomek.
16:03That's like an eternity, and it's so hard to close that gap back in.
16:08Jeez.
16:08Yeah, we're getting to that.
16:10Oh, back at that foot ripped off the peg.
16:12I think he dragged his knee like a road racer.
16:14That's how deep that rut was.
16:16He did it again.
16:20It's a great race between these two titans in 2023.
16:25Webb won the last two, as mentioned.
16:27The last four years, they have won two apiece.
16:30Marvin Mooskow won back in 2019.
16:33Didn't race here during COVID times.
16:36Oh, hold on to it.
16:38Eli getting buck wild through the beginning of those whoops.
16:41Those whoops are so gnarly right now.
16:43I think jumping is the safest line and just as fast.
16:51Trier is if Webb was able to get that jump onto the table there.
16:54Tomek did it.
16:56You mentioned this line.
16:57That wasn't the preferred line earlier in the day.
16:59I mean, and JT, I think these lines are forever changing lap by lap.
17:04Yeah, and, you know, we were off screen there for a second.
17:06But that is how Webb closed in.
17:08Tomek missed that jump onto the table two laps in a row,
17:11and Webb had gone back to it.
17:12That's how he closed it down, and that lap you guys were talking about
17:15was so critical where Tomek jumped in and Webb missed it.
17:18So it's a lot of this.
17:19You either hit the rhythm or you don't.
17:20That's what this race is coming down to.
17:22Look at Eli is able to extend his lead right there.
17:27Down three minutes left to go, plus one lap.
17:32Coop was keeping him honest, but he's lost that toe.
17:36Yeah, and there's that jump again.
17:38Maybe he's realized, hey, man, let's just ride this thing out to the checkered flag.
17:41Still a great point stay for the three-time champ and a great comeback ride
17:46considering how the last two weekends have went for this man right here at number three.
17:53Yeah, absolutely.
17:54I mean, big crashes two weeks in a row.
17:55We thought he might have been hurt, but Tomek marches back.
18:00It's tough for these lappers as well to get out of the way when the track is really ruddy like
18:06this
18:07because obviously when it's ruddy, you have to hold that line.
18:09It's not like a flat track where you can move around from left to right at will.
18:15So that's challenging.
18:22And now Tomek really starting to pull a lead.
18:25Well, let me tell you something.
18:27Hunter Lawrence was the fastest guy on the track last lap at a 53, okay?
18:32And Ken Robson was at a 55.
18:35Hunter Lawrence is only two seconds behind Ken Robson right now.
18:41And we've got three or four laps left.
18:44Crowd coming in line for Tomek.
18:46You picked up on that a few laps ago.
18:47He had made up three seconds in one lap on Robson.
18:50He's all over him.
18:54Different sequence through the rhythm lane right here.
18:58He is flowing right now.
19:00Here it is.
19:00Three in.
19:01He told me he was going to save that for late in the race when the line started to go
19:07away.
19:09The three in.
19:10Yes.
19:11Well, he might have a passing spot there.
19:13He is up to the rear wheel of Robson with a minute and a lap to go.
19:17And this is for the podium.
19:18Yeah.
19:18Kenny needs to grid it out right here.
19:20Dig as deep as he can.
19:22Hold this podium position.
19:26Loop section.
19:28There you go.
19:28Remember, there's the jumping.
19:30And it worked.
19:32Robson fights back.
19:33Yeah, he's on the limit.
19:36Ken Robson is right now holding on as tight as he can.
19:42Fatigued probably.
19:43Oh!
19:44Hunter!
19:45And they both go down!
19:48It's the line he used on Justin Cooper, but Robson was there.
19:52How long will it take to get up?
19:55Robson's got to kickstart the bike.
19:57Costly mistake for Hunter Lawrence.
20:00I got to be honest with you.
20:02That was poorly mistimed.
20:05Surely he was anticipating for Ken to be there.
20:08Maybe got ahead of himself late in the race.
20:12Running low on steam.
20:14Here's a replay.
20:15Okay, now he knows.
20:17He knows where Kenny is.
20:19Hmm.
20:21Hmm.
20:22Yeah.
20:24Ugh.
20:25I mean, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt there, but I just think that Hunter is
20:30such a smart rider that he would have thought that those two lines would collide, JT.
20:37Yeah, and the toughest part of that for me, Rick, is I think he would have gotten him anyway.
20:40Yeah.
20:40I really do.
20:41You think his line choice is he's doing this triple end right here.
20:44I think he would have gotten him without that, and that's the most unfortunate part of the whole thing.
20:50Yeah.
20:51Yeah, 100%, JT.
20:53I mean, that's what I said.
20:54I mean, he caught.
20:55Look how far he came up from behind, and, you know, and this is the part about you got to
21:00stay focused, and as you get down to the wire, these races and series keeps clicking along.
21:06You got to stick to your roots, and what got you into that position, and maybe he just got ahead
21:12of himself because he isn't that kind of rider.
21:14He's more calculated than Matt Romo.
21:16Yeah, yeah, you rarely see that type of error for the 96.
21:19Man, this track has totally gone away.
21:21And Tomek rolled into that section.
21:25He singled in where he was tripling on earlier.
21:27He's got a giant lead now.
21:29Track is rough, but listen to this crowd.
21:31Last lap.
21:36This building is designed to amplify the noise, be it for the Seahawks, for the Deegan Kitchen showdown in the
21:42250s, or for the legend of his sport who is second all time in Supercross wins and about to get
21:48another 56 career wins.
21:50Eli Tomek takes Seattle.
21:56What a strong ride.
21:58How about this guy right here?
21:59He got by.
22:00Justin Cooper, he got by him.
22:02When they were in the sand, he's going to salvage a podium.
22:05Webb second, Justin Cooper third.
22:09And that was costly.
22:11Yeah.
22:12Hunter Lawrence fourth.
22:14Bit interesting to see what he has to say.
22:16Well, even worse.
22:18Roxton is all the way back to 10th.
22:20That could have been a third or fourth for either one of them.
22:24Yeah.
22:24Obviously, it wasn't Roxton's fault, but, man, he's coming down to the margins now.
22:29Look at that.
22:3056 career wins, and, man, he is creeping up there.
22:34That's incredible.
22:36A strong ride right there.
22:41Wow, look at that.
22:43Three wins already.
22:47And Webb has to give it to him.
22:49That was hard fought.
22:49Oh, yeah.
22:50Those two guys are aces right there.
22:52I mean, so much respect.
22:55So much respect for those two guys between each other.
23:00Oh, yeah.
23:01That was a gritty, tough race.
23:05Gnarly, gnarly conditions.
23:08And a heartbreaker for Roxton, who will take 10th place after running in a podium spot most of the evening.
23:19And at one point, we thought Roxton might be the point leader.
23:21Right.
23:23Yeah, I think he was in a tough spot.
23:25He was struggling.
23:27Yeah, he was hanging on by a thread there, and Hunter was just chewing him up.
23:32And like J.T. said, he was going to get him, but just maybe got ahead of his skis there.
23:38Yeah, that could have been the difference between a fourth and that tenth.
23:41And that shoves Roxton to third in the standings.
23:44And hopefully they're both okay as well.
23:46That was, you know, anytime you go medal to medal in a hard impact like that, yeah, see him.
23:53Hopefully.
23:54Yeah, he's not happy.
23:56These guys are.
23:57Ha ha!
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