00:00And again, I think it's big picture here, and with this 250 East division, I feel like you don't have
00:08a guy like Hayden Deegan who would be the clear favorite.
00:11It really opens up him and gives him a chance to be able to just come out here and see
00:16what the night gives him, and then continue to build from there.
00:19He has more of a chance to perhaps get this championship.
00:23Yeah, how will Shimoda play? Will it be a points run, or is he going to go for the W
00:28here, look good off the start?
00:30But that was just a snippet, because they've got to go and do it again with the restart after the
00:35first-turn crash.
00:36And I think one of the big things, too, for Joe, being a little bit older, a veteran of this
00:41250 division, is going to help him being in a situation like this, and also racing against guys that are
00:46a bit younger here.
00:48He's certainly been through a lot in his journey, not just coming over from Japan to be able to make
00:53a living racing in America, but in that championship fight we talked about last year.
00:56He had some downs in his career, even some doubters, I would say, but he really started to put it
01:01together last season, ended with that title, back now, and the restart is ready.
01:06Let's go.
01:06Oh, that is confidence right there, and that factory HRC Honda team has that bike ready to go, but look
01:23at here, Hammacher's going to have the inside.
01:25Got it.
01:26Got it.
01:26A little earlier, he was attacking Joe from that spot the first time around.
01:29How about Dax Benick?
01:31Rockstar Husqvarna taking second.
01:34Shimoda gets him back in the whoops.
01:39Yeah, what a pass by Seth Hammacher, and again, I go back to how well Hammacher did in the championship
01:45last year, coming oh so close to locking up that 250 East Division title, and man, he had a breakout
01:54year.
01:55It was a lot of fun to watch his progression and just, you know, mistakes that he would make in
02:00years past, get rid of those and perfect his craft.
02:06It's spectacular.
02:08Joe starting to reset here and go back after Hammacher.
02:11Well, you talked about it.
02:12He had a little bit of a fear, possibly, but I think that fear has gone to the wayside.
02:18Well, he was worried about it.
02:19He said as soon as he rode, within three laps he was doing all the jumps, and he's like, I
02:24guess I'm good.
02:24He went away real quick, and he's riding very well right now, pressing Hammacher, two laps in the books, a
02:32little bit further back, you got Brown, not a good start, seventh on the 163.
02:37I think the biggest thing, like the progression and the improvements that Hammacher made last year compared to years, well,
02:45I said that he makes a mistake, but there were times in past where I felt like he would override
02:51the bike.
02:51He might maybe not anticipate what the track was like or certain conditions, and he would end up going down
02:56where he wasn't that guy last year.
02:59And, man, just looks rock solid down there at the Dog Pound ride with the Lawrences.
03:04And with Joe, actually.
03:05That's right.
03:06And with Joe.
03:07Although they haven't seen much of him.
03:08Again, Joe only riding for about two and a half weeks at this point.
03:11But, yes, huge strides for Hammacher last year.
03:14A lot of credit to his coach, Michael Byrne, and Darren Lawrence, the Lawrence brothers' father, riding the tutelage.
03:19You see a little bit further back is Brown working on Derek Kelly, Luke Clout.
03:25As you watch Hammacher try to get away, Will, what are you thinking on the number 10?
03:29Well, they say nobody knows you better than your family.
03:31And speaking to his mom earlier on today, I just kind of wanted to find out what Seth's headspace was
03:36and whether this was somewhat of a redemption tour here, like you said, came up incredibly close to winning that
03:41championship last year.
03:43And she said, no, he's not in a redemption space at all.
03:46But what he does want to do is finish what he started.
03:49Ricky, you talked about the changes that he'd made going into last year with his program.
03:53And that proved to him it was validation of all the work that he had put in meant something.
03:58And he was obviously improving and he came that close.
04:01So he said, I need to finish, this is my words, what I've started here.
04:05And Seth Hammacher, if you've never met him, is a very mellow individual, as we know, guys, very laid back.
04:09But she said, underneath that is a guy who is extremely determined to win this championship.
04:17Thank you, Will. Battle on now.
04:20Schock has moved around Benick.
04:21Schock on the 22, the Club MX Yamaha.
04:24And Derek Kelly riding well, another rider on that MX-6 Kawasaki team, hanging right now with Benick.
04:30Keep your eyes on the 22 of Cody Schock, okay?
04:33We talked about it in the East Division, Chad Reed helping this Club MX team.
04:37And I feel like a guy where Cody Schock is in his career could really benefit from the knowledge and
04:43experience that a guy like Chad Reed has.
04:45And really take Cody to that next step.
04:48Watch, he's going to go triple, triple.
04:49Quad.
04:51Woo!
04:52Massive section.
04:53I'm going to tell you right now, there is a lot of air time in these rhythm lanes here and
04:57this track in general in Arlington.
05:03Here's the pass.
05:04Here's how Schock got around.
05:06Benick.
05:06Yeah, Benick starting to jump through the whoops.
05:09And Schock just turns it loose.
05:11He's doing the blitz options.
05:13That is faster right now.
05:15But I do believe at the end of the night, on main event time, as those whoops start to tear
05:21down, that jumping is going to be pretty consistent.
05:25Maybe the most consistent.
05:27Because when you're blitzing, they're getting so slick.
05:30Guys are going to be going sideways and they're getting edgy as well.
05:33So maintaining a straight line is going to be extremely difficult for these athletes.
05:38Darcy, you mentioned Schock two years ago, third ranked in this championship while on this team.
05:42So probably more capable than some realize.
05:45Yes.
05:45And he's in the hunt right now as he makes some moves, gets up to third, starts to close a
05:50bit on Shimoda.
05:51And he starts jumping now.
05:53The track's starting to go away right there.
05:55So keep an eye on all these guys and 450 races coming up as well.
05:59But Cody Schock, he is so close and on the verge.
06:03Remember last year, he won a couple of heat races.
06:06And I've talked about it many, many times.
06:09Those heat race wins eventually comes to podium finishes in the main event.
06:14And, you know, thirds become second.
06:16Seconds become first.
06:17So it's been fun to see his improvement here throughout his career.
06:21Oh, yeah.
06:22He was not heralded as an amateur racer or even a young pro at all.
06:25I never knew the guy until he was in the pro ranks.
06:28Right.
06:28And I just love who he is as a person.
06:32He's a hard worker.
06:34It's like Pierce Brown's made a couple moves.
06:37He's gotten around both Kelly and Clout.
06:44There's Hardy Munoz, 67.
06:46Remember how I talked about the bike?
06:47These whoops are like ice.
06:49That was a perfect example.
06:50Great, great camera work.
06:52That bike started dancing around on the rear end.
06:56This is going to be the money spot for these guys when it comes points pay and position later on.
07:03Yeah, Munoz just inside a qualifying spot now at 9.
07:06You picked up on that in qualifying.
07:08We were watching next to the Woods.
07:09Right.
07:09Big separator tonight, you're saying.
07:10Yeah, 100%.
07:11That's where the money's going to be made for sure.
07:14I think they're going to start jumping.
07:16A lot of riders are going to because of how difficult they are.
07:20And it will be the most consistent way around there, especially if you're not comfortable blitzing whoops.
07:25Here's the difference in triple-triple quad.
07:29Not much different.
07:31I know you talked to someone earlier today what the difference was between quadding and not quadding.
07:36No, but they thought the corner out would be better leading to the whoops.
07:40And it works for Brown, who overhauls Dax Benick.
07:44And he didn't even need that section to get it done.
07:48So Brown moves up and now to fourth.
07:52Rider out of Utah.
07:53Told that story before the gate dropped.
07:55Starts have been a problem throughout his career.
07:56A little bit, probably less than he wanted off the start in this heat race.
08:01See if he can rectify that because he was definitely high speed in qualifying.
08:05Oh, battle for the transfer spot.
08:07You got Clout on the one-on-one in green.
08:09And John Short, the veteran out of right here in Texas.
08:13That's the number 90.
08:15Short outside looking in.
08:16Oh, no.
08:17Is that Munoz again?
08:18That is Munoz, I think.
08:21Uh-oh.
08:21Oh, man.
08:23Checkered flag.
08:24It is going to be Seth Hamaker winning in Heat 2.
08:27And that might be very costly from Munoz.
08:32Short could be the beneficiary here on that number 90.
08:36Yeah, I believe he's going to be.
08:39And two crashes from Munoz.
08:41They will always give you everything out of the track.
08:43And that cuts in both ways.
08:45See if Short can bring this one home.
08:48A pilot point Texas still right there with Clout.
08:52So Derek Kelly is going to put it through in fifth.
08:54Kyle Peters, a multi-time arena cross champ.
08:56Back in Supercross sixth.
09:00Clout and Short are in.
09:04Been about three years since Clout has made a main event in the United States.
09:08He's in.
09:09And Seth Hamaker, yep.
09:11Trying to finish it this year.
09:12Starts it right with no victory.
09:13Keep busy, keep busy, keep busy...
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