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2026 Supercross Round 10 450 Qualifier 2
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00:00Talk about calm, cool, collected. That guy may be the best we've seen in a long, long time,
00:04the 96 of Hunter Lawrence. He is as calm as they come. There's no roller coaster ride with the 96.
00:10Whether he wins, loses, nothing. Not too high, not too low. And something we haven't talked about
00:15with Hunter, and Jet does the same thing, but if you look at his levers, his clutch lever,
00:21his brake lever on his motorcycle, they're pushed into the inside closer to his bar pad,
00:28so his finger sits on kind of the far left side of the clutch and the far right side of
00:34the brake,
00:34and that allows him to have a little bit more control of the clutch, which is just another
00:39reason why he's probably, if not, he's one of the best starters in the class.
00:45Absolutely. He's been automatic this season. We took a look earlier here on Race Day Live at his
00:49average first lap position. It's much, much better than everybody else. I think it's just over 2.
00:55I think it's 2.4. Eli Tomac over 6, so that could be the difference there. Also, look how close
01:02Hunter
01:02Lawrence is to the actual gate. Some guys will get up right close to the gate. Some guys will back
01:07way up, so different strategies there from different folks. Yeah, I always like being a
01:12little bit further back because I felt like more of that, the more great I could use, the better,
01:17the faster I'm going to launch, but whatever Hunter's doing, he's been doing a great job of it.
01:24It's so important to get elbows on the guys next to you right away, so I think that's probably the
01:28thinking with being a little bit closer to the gate. And it looks like guys are going to be around
01:33the
01:33box, maybe even towards the inside. Let's see how Hunter Lawrence comes out here as Cooper Webb gets a
01:38huge launch from the inside right there. Left hand, 180 degree turn, and then we also pay attention to the
01:45next turn, and that goes left as well as we're fueled by Amazon. We get 450 Group A Qualifier
01:50number two underway. And I think for the most part, say 90% of the Supercross races, there is so
01:57much
01:57traction in front of the gate. It's very difficult to keep the front end down on a 250, but especially
02:03on a 450. And so these guys are used to being as far forward as they can. And right now,
02:09you can see
02:09the start straight is very dry. So I think watching Hunter Lawrence's start right there, he got caught
02:15off a little bit by the lack of traction on the other side of the gate. It almost feels a
02:20little
02:20counterintuitive when you have to stay further back longer when these guys are so used to being as
02:26far forward as they can. Second half of the season, down 25 points. Don't you just feel like
02:32the number one at Cooper Webb is just, he's here, he means business here today in Birmingham.
02:37He really needs one race where he wins and stuff gets very chaotic behind him. If he can have
02:44one of these races in the next two or three events that gives him, say, a 7-point, 10-point
02:51chunk,
02:52if he smells blood in the water going into, say, the last three or four races, it's game on for
02:58the
02:59number one. But as of late, hasn't had the pace, hasn't had the pace he needed to battle for the
03:05win.
03:05So it's a lot of added intensity for him. We've seen it since he's been on the track. He's been,
03:11seems like, lap after lap, very aggressive, intense. He's riding with, my favorite word,
03:18he's riding with some conviction. Absolutely. He goes outside right there. That's that split section.
03:22Then he's going to go inside. If you go outside right there, you can go triple out of the turn.
03:27You go inside, you have to go double single. He launches out right there. You mentioned this
03:30earlier. This is the line. We really haven't seen many variations in this rhythm lane.
03:34No, they jump. They're able to jump over that first five-footer, a little double into the corner.
03:39Sometimes when you triple into the turn, you have a little bit too much pace, especially when you're
03:44going so low in that next turn. So guys sticking with that one. You see him going inside, jumps a
03:50little bit too far to the inside, doesn't get both tires in that little rut.
03:53And really difficult to get that angle right. His angle with the rut wasn't correct either.
03:58So guys kind of playing around with that. Seth Hamaker is still the only one that we've seen
04:02on air to get that properly, but clearly faster to go triple, double to the inside.
04:08This man's been fast all day long. Second in qualifier number one, the 51.5.
04:14Always impresses the 94.
04:15I love watching these guys steer with the back tire. You saw Ken carry so much speed through
04:20the whoops. Broke the rear loose. It's a good lap for him. And I love that. I love that right
04:27side of the whoops. We saw Cole Davies there skimming. Gets up the inside of Vince Freeze.
04:32He is not happy. He got into it. I just saw a video when we were in break. He got
04:36into it
04:36with Mitchell Harrison in the first practice. A couple words exchanged with Vince Freeze
04:41right there. So I actually like it for Ken. I like him a little fired up.
04:45He goes, whoops, that second run, clicks up to third gear right there.
04:48And watch this. Just look at the footwork right there.
04:50Watch this. Oh, just steers with the back.
04:54Lines himself perfectly in that rut on exit. That's the way to do it.
05:0094. Some of the best technique we've ever seen. And good to see Red Bull KTMs, the number
05:0526, O'Jorge Prado, back out on track after that big crash in Q1 earlier today.
05:13Eli Tomac.
05:14Got to give a shout out to Justin Hill on the top of the board right now. 52.3.
05:19We've seen a couple sessions in the last few weeks from Justin Hill showing that speed.
05:25This guy's been on the podium in the premier class in Supercross Salt Lake City 2023.
05:31He knows how to get it done. Great day for Justin Hill so far.
05:35Eli Tomac, fastest overall from Q1 earlier today was a 50.9.
05:42That inside just isn't happening. It's tough, right? It's really not.
05:47You going 2-3 outside all day? Every single day of the week.
05:52Or you go single like that, slow the speed down a little bit, I think doubling into that corner
05:57and trying to get into that little rut, asking a little bit too much of the tires.
06:02This is where Hunter Lawrence, these types of track conditions right here, as he goes to the top 52.1.
06:07And we go to Cooper Webb once again on a fast lap.
06:10Seems like every time we show the one on screen, he is aggressive here today in Birmingham.
06:16There's no doubt about that.
06:17In point A to point B this season for Cooper, all the little things in between the jumps,
06:22in between the last jump, in the start of the corner, all that stuff,
06:25he's pushing these lanes harder than he ever has before in his life.
06:29He's always been so good in the corners.
06:31Let's see if anybody's going to make this work.
06:33It's Cooper Webb and gets hung up a little bit.
06:36But I still think that's better than drifting outside of the rut.
06:40Let's see what this time is for the defending champ.
06:4452.1 nearly matches Hunter Lawrence's.
06:47Hunter's a 52.1 as well.
06:49You like Justin Cooper here today.
06:51You think this tracksuit, Tim?
06:52I love Justin Cooper here today.
06:54This is a corner track right here.
06:56That's where you're going to make the time up.
06:57He goes to the top.
07:0051.9 would not surprise me at all.
07:03I've just had this feeling.
07:05I've just had this feeling for the last few days that this is going to be a spectacular night for
07:09Justin Cooper.
07:10And I've been wrong before.
07:12I'll be wrong again.
07:13But I think this track suits the style because he is so good in turns,
07:17a smaller whoop section, kind of eliminating a lot of his weakness.
07:21He's a great starter when he gets hot off the gate as well.
07:24Here's what's interesting, and I don't want to relate Justin Cooper to me at all.
07:27He's an incredible rider.
07:29But my first win was a triple crown in Atlanta.
07:31The very next weekend, I win Daytona.
07:33Could this be something that Justin Cooper does as well?
07:36Wins a triple crown, gets that extra confidence that I needed then.
07:40Maybe that's just what he needed.
07:41Gets his first career, 450 victory.
07:44This man could get it done as well.
07:46Look, injury just a few weeks ago in Seattle.
07:49Missed a race, came back in Indianapolis, was solid sixth place there, which was very impressive.
07:54But when you think about starts, whoops, technique, how about that right there?
07:58Wow, standing up all the way through that turn.
08:00It's been so difficult to stay balanced on the bike.
08:03When you're making that much of a turn, you have the bike that far leaned over.
08:06Saw how he kept his head perfectly over the handlebars, dead center.
08:11That is very difficult to do, as you know, JB.
08:16But I'm kind of interested.
08:17There was a little bit, just a little bit of controversy between Hunter Lawrence and Jorge at Indianapolis.
08:24Hunter felt like Jorge kind of let Eli by and then jumped in front of him a little bit.
08:29And there was a couple comments back and forth on social media.
08:31So, for Hunter, you know that Jorge, this guy, he's probably the only one that holds a candle to Hunter
08:40out of the gate consistently.
08:42You know Jorge's going to be up front.
08:44So, I'm interested to see how much will Jorge try to get in between his teammate, Eli Tomac, and Hunter
08:51Lawrence.
08:51I don't think he'll do anything too crazy, but something to keep an eye on.
08:55Absolutely.
08:56There's been a little comments back and forth on social media as well.
09:01Let's see if he can get this inside right there.
09:03He does not.
09:03But he hits it pretty good there.
09:04Misses the rut, but still able to get some front-end grip on that ripple.
09:08KTM stands all the way around.
09:10Love his technique.
09:11Jorge Prado, let's see what he does here.
09:1352.1 is his fastest.
09:15That last lap around 53.2.
09:19So, a little bit off.
09:19Hop out.
09:22Eli Tomac at the top of the board right now.
09:24Only one in the 50-second range.
09:2650.9 as we watch Cooper Webb.
09:29He's going to, oh, he just finished up a fast lap.
09:3352.3, that last lap around.
09:35Now, a lot of these times on the left side of your screen are from Q1 other than Hunter Lawrence.
09:4051.3, that came from this session here today.
09:4350.9 from that man, Eli Tomac.
09:46That came from session one earlier here today.
09:50Hunter Lawrence on another fast lap.
09:51And like I mentioned, these track conditions, these are very similar main event-style conditions late in the race.
09:58And he's a closer.
09:59You talked about it earlier.
10:00Hunter Lawrence loves this type of track.
10:02And you can kind of tell watching him ride.
10:05It's like there's more energy in his riding style when the track gets broken down like this late in the
10:13day.
10:14So good.
10:15Sets his bike up for the end of the race really well.
10:17As I mentioned earlier, Drift's just a little wide in that turn.
10:23Still a 51.7.
10:25That's his second best compared to his 51.3.
10:27But is Tomac going to go on one here?
10:29He looks like he's pretty aggressive.
10:31Goes to that low rut right there.
10:32Wow.
10:33On to the table.
10:34On, off.
10:35Triple to the inside.
10:38Let's see what he does here in the split lane.
10:39Does he go outside or does he go inside?
10:41He's going outside in.
10:42But you've got to watch the top of these turns.
10:44It's not very round.
10:46So you've got to keep your head looking up to see which part of the turn has blown out.
10:50So you know where to make most of your turn in those outside berms right there.
10:56But pretty good lap for Eli so far.
10:58A couple little mistakes.
10:59But it's going to be very difficult to be perfect around this racetrack in its current condition.
11:05Good in the whoops right there.
11:06Comes out triple, triple.
11:08Then he goes quad.
11:09Let's see if he can nail this inside.
11:10Does he get the rut?
11:11Got it.
11:12A little short and he got it.
11:13We saw it.
11:13Oh, it drifts a little wide though.
11:15He's going to go low in this turn.
11:17Can he beat his best time?
11:19He is aggressive as we've seen him.
11:22Tomek, that last lap was a 51.6.
11:26So still a little bit off of Q1.
11:27But I think that's just track conditions.
11:29But then I say that, but Hunter Lawrence faster in this session here.
11:33And I love is a great example of why Justin Cooper is so good in the turns.
11:37And that left-hand inside option, he's so smooth.
11:41When he gets on the gas, he doesn't upset the balance of the bike.
11:45It doesn't get low in the back.
11:46He's able to finish his turn completely.
11:49He's just so patient in the middle of his corners where he needs to be.
11:52And on a track like this, it's going to pay off in a big way.
11:55He likes to go double-double, single to that inside.
11:58He's not messing with the triple-double to the inside.
12:01Doesn't want to make another mistake.
12:04Kind of likes to lay up towards the end of that lap.
12:06Must not have been his best as he's going to go on a fast one.
12:09The 94 is on a fast one right now.
12:11You can always know in Kenny, a lot of body English, a lot of movement,
12:14trying to get the power to the ground.
12:16Remember, this is a game of inches here, a game of tenths.
12:22So clean.
12:23You cannot hit that rhythm lane any better.
12:25And we've talked about it today.
12:26You have to do all those little things well.
12:29Just timing.
12:29If you're just a little bit off, if you're clipping, overshooting,
12:33it could add up in a big way.
12:34You see, gets into that inside, gets hung up just a little bit.
12:39That's potential to be a good lap here.
12:41His best so far is a 51.5.
12:44Can he better that?
12:45That last stop round, 52.2.
12:47He shook his head, I guarantee you,
12:49because he made that mistake in that left-hand turn before the mechanics area.
12:52He felt like he had a good lap going and then just let it get away at the end.
12:56Frustrating.
12:57Loved watching Eli Tomac through a lot of these turns.
13:00He leads with his head.
13:01He looks really far ahead.
13:02Oh, makes a mistake right there.
13:04Comes up way short on that triple, but just got his back tire,
13:08stepped out of the rut a little bit there,
13:10and he knew as soon as he left the face that he was going to come up short,
13:14but lands in the correct body position.
13:16A lot of times when you case a jump like that,
13:18you kind of land on the brakes and the clutch at the same time
13:21to try to keep the bike from kicking you over.
13:23No harm, no foul for Eli.
13:26Cooper Webb, double, double, single.
13:27Looked like he wanted to get out of that turn early,
13:29but there's a rider there on the inside.
13:31He's on a fast one, though.
13:32He's fourth right now, 51.5.
13:35Let's see if he can better that time.
13:37And these guys did not better the time, 52.0 that time around,
13:42but these guys are sending it right now, J.B.
13:44I did not think they would be able to go this fast late in the session.
13:47They're absolutely going for it.
13:49Hunter Lawrence, fastest in this session so far.
13:52As he goes inside out, able to get that triple.
13:5551.3 is his best.
13:57Going down the right side of that,
13:59then he's going to open up this next left-hand turn right here.
14:02Does he go high or does he go low?
14:04He goes, elects to go low, jumps over the starter wound there.
14:08Love that line.
14:09Gets a little out of control towards the end.
14:11He's going to back it down.
14:14Still, what a session for the 96.
14:16The Honda HRC progressive ride fastest in this session.
14:20Cooper Webb, second in this session and fourth overall.
14:24Hunter Lawrence is going to be second overall.
14:26And Eli Tomek from that Red Bull KTM.
14:29I mentioned earlier that he has had 99 session wins
14:33and 48 fast qualifiers overall.
14:35Let's make that 49 in his career.
14:3849 fastest qualifiers for Eli Tomek's career.
14:42What a career he has had and keeps breaking records weekend after weekend.
14:47It's crazy he has more wins than fastest qualifiers.
14:50Was he on 57, 58 wins now?
14:53Unbelievable.
14:53Yeah, and more to come.
14:56Haley's down with Eli Tomek.
14:58Back to back in qualifying for today.
15:01Once again, Eli Tomek fast again in Birmingham.
15:03Eli, to the average eye, that looked like calculated aggression out there.
15:07Was it that or was it patience or something else?
15:09I really wanted that last lap back, but just spun a little bit
15:12or got a little cross-rutted or maybe hit a rock on that rhythm section
15:16because I think the start of that lap was good.
15:18But not surprised that the first session was faster.
15:21It just got a little more dried out, a little more beat up,
15:23and the ruts were pretty tough down the rhythm there.
15:25So we'll take it, take this first-place gate pick,
15:29and roll into that night show.
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