00:00And Ricky, I know your mom would harp on this stuff so much,
00:04and trainers talk about this so much,
00:06is how critical it is to get good starts.
00:08And it's not just about the result.
00:10It's about staying out of situations that are out of your control,
00:14just like what happened to Joe Shimoda there.
00:17It's so pivotal in a championship to get good starting positions,
00:21and it just goes to show you get a bad start,
00:23and you are almost a victim to what happens around you
00:26versus where kind of Seth and Davies were up front.
00:28All right, the bike's getting fired up.
00:31Let's revisit what happened.
00:33The 30 is Shimoda.
00:34There's Gavin Towers.
00:35He goes a little wonky and comes up short with Nate Thrasher there.
00:40And here comes Luke Cloud.
00:41He's got nowhere to go, and he and Joe collide,
00:44and down goes the Japanese rider.
00:46Daxton Benick did a nice job to miss him as well.
00:49I'm wondering if Joe hurt his leg when he actually made impact
00:53on the face of the jump.
00:55I don't think it had anything to do with Luke,
00:59and his leg getting caught somewhere in Luke's bike.
01:02So, yeah, I think just that impact and maybe it just twisted.
01:05Who knows?
01:05But regardless, I hate to see it.
01:08And, JT, you're exactly right.
01:10I mean, listen, all these guys are so good at starts,
01:12but unfortunately when you don't get the whole shot
01:16or you're not in that top two or three,
01:19things like that can happen,
01:21and it's part of racing always has been and always will be.
01:24Oh, man.
01:27So Joe Shimoda has arrived at the Alpine Stars truck,
01:31the medical center there,
01:33which is at each and every round of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship.
01:38So let's hit the restart button.
01:40Let's go again for the East Division.
01:46Who gets the best start this time?
01:47Seth Hamaker on the inside.
01:50Cody Schock on the 22.
01:52Now Davies is going to have to fight hard on the inside.
01:55Oh, does he try to go make the move for the lead?
02:00Okay, Hamaker's able to triple out of that corner,
02:02and you gain so much time.
02:04Oh, no.
02:04And again, a first lap pileup.
02:07Gavin Towers, unfortunately, in it again.
02:11Benick.
02:12With Derek Kelly.
02:14And Daxton Benick.
02:16Man.
02:19Here comes Cole Davies.
02:22Tried to set up the 22 of Cody Schock.
02:27Nice run through the whoops.
02:29No surprise.
02:30Gets on that inside line.
02:32Sets himself up perfectly to get a good run through there.
02:36These next couple laps are going to be a lot of fun to watch.
02:39Now, these two are very close to qualifying practice as far as time goes.
02:45Had an opportunity to talk to Seth Hamaker after qualifying practice,
02:49and he said, man, this track is sticky.
02:52Your track, your tires want to pull you to the left,
02:56want to pull you to the right.
02:57Just don't know where it's going to go,
02:58especially through these rhythm lanes
03:00as it becomes more rutted out on the face of the jumps.
03:03It'll be a very challenging racetrack.
03:06So, as you know,
03:07in East-West Showdown competition,
03:09these heat races are like a regular main.
03:12The riders relish the opportunity
03:14to go up against the other coast,
03:15the other division,
03:16and you've got to be in the top nine here
03:18in this heat to go through
03:20to the East-West Showdown main event
03:23without having to be forced to go to the last-chance qualifier.
03:27This is a really tough position to be in
03:30if you're Seth Hamaker.
03:31Not what you want to see.
03:34Your main competitor for the championship
03:36is absolutely reeling you in.
03:39And again, Seth,
03:41the only thing he can do at this stage
03:42is just ride his laps.
03:44What happens is what's going to happen.
03:46And if Davies is able to get by,
03:48then just follow in
03:50and see where Cole is a little bit faster
03:52and where he is making up time on you.
03:54We obviously know that's in the whoops.
03:56But at the same time,
03:58you have to maintain a safe pace
03:59through the whoops as well.
04:01That Hamaker told us yesterday
04:02after last weekend's runner-up pace,
04:04he said,
04:05look, I've been around long enough
04:06that I know when to force it
04:09and when not to.
04:10And he said,
04:11Cole was riding so well last weekend.
04:13It was one of those times
04:15where I had to take second
04:16through the area of strength
04:18for Cole Davies.
04:19He just blasts through those whoops
04:21and straight into the lead.
04:22Oh, so fast.
04:24No surprise.
04:24But again, I go back,
04:26so frustrating.
04:27If you are Seth Hamaker,
04:30there's nothing you can do, JT.
04:33Well, if you're Seth,
04:34you're hoping there's something
04:35you can do about it
04:36because a race like this
04:37where the whoops may not end up
04:39being the storyline of the race,
04:41even though that's where Cole made the pass,
04:43they haven't been what everybody's
04:44talked about all day.
04:46These are the type of events
04:47where Seth has to claw his way
04:49back into this championship
04:50because Cole has held such an edge
04:52at the races
04:53where the whoops have been so difficult.
04:56You just have to wonder
04:57if Cole starts to win
04:58and dominantly win
04:59on tracks like this,
05:01how are those other guys
05:02going to claw their way back in, Will?
05:04JT, you said the conversation
05:06hasn't necessarily been the worst
05:07because of the conditions here today,
05:09but wow, has it been the conversation
05:11throughout the 250 panic
05:12for the last few rounds
05:14and it really has.
05:15I don't think I've spoken
05:16to a single 250 rider
05:18that hasn't said
05:19I've been working on my whoops speed
05:21and that's been started
05:22by the speed that Cole Davies has had.
05:25And Ricky, is it even realistic
05:26the way Cole hits these whoops
05:28to think that any of these guys
05:30can actually learn that as a skill
05:32because everyone's kind of coming up short?
05:33I was just going to say, Will,
05:35that this is an opportunity
05:36and what I think is going
05:37to happen eventually
05:38and it's just like progression.
05:39They are going to learn
05:41how Cole is going through those whoops
05:43and they are going to progress.
05:45That's what happens
05:46in all form of sport.
05:48Well, we were just talking
05:50about it not so long ago.
05:51Whoa, Cody's shock
05:53got out of his rhythm
05:54and here comes his teammate
05:56Devin Simonson.
05:57It's a replay of last week.
05:59Side by side in the air
06:00when Devin Simonson
06:02had that wild ride
06:03and that wild experience
06:05and had just the most incredible save.
06:11Let's revisit it.
06:13I asked Devin yesterday,
06:15all right, talk me through
06:16how you did this.
06:17And he said,
06:18it was totally instinctual.
06:20I had no time to think.
06:21I just acted and reacted
06:23in the moment.
06:24And yep, I had quite a bit
06:25of luck on my side.
06:26And you think about,
06:27you think about the luck
06:29that it took absolutely
06:30of not colliding
06:32with another rider
06:33going the opposite way
06:34and thank goodness
06:35it worked out for him.
06:37But I haven't seen
06:38something like that
06:39in a long time.
06:40But hey,
06:40I got to tell you, man,
06:41Simonson has had
06:43a breakout here.
06:45Got his contract
06:46extended too.
06:47Yeah, he did.
06:48He's going to do the majority
06:49of the Pro Motocross Championship.
06:51Straight up earned it.
06:53And he will be back
06:54next year as well.
06:55Well, we always talk
06:56about the start
06:57and how important it is.
06:58Well, guess what?
06:58Now you can bet
06:59on the 450 main event
07:01full shot winner
07:02right now.
07:04That's right.
07:04The prop market is open
07:06and it's live right now.
07:07Scan the flow code
07:08or visit
07:10nxtbits.com
07:10slash
07:12playsmx
07:12to claim a bonus
07:13and make your
07:14whole shot hit.
07:16When we were talking
07:17to Devin yesterday,
07:18Lee, remember,
07:19he was telling us,
07:19I'm like,
07:20hey, what's some things
07:20that really stand out
07:22to you
07:23that Chad Reed
07:25tells you to do
07:26or be mindful of?
07:27And he's like,
07:28you know,
07:28he always tells me
07:29that I have the speed
07:30and I can do this
07:32and sometimes
07:32when I'm running up front,
07:33I just need to be me
07:35and not override the bike
07:36and he's doing
07:39a great job, man.
07:40It's so cool to see.
07:41I love seeing riders
07:42like him
07:43have breakout years
07:44and take that next step
07:46forward in their career.
07:48Here's Nick Romano
07:49on the 141.
07:50He is enjoying
07:52every single time
07:53he is on this bike.
07:55A call-up
07:56and a comeback.
07:57Somebody's gone down there.
07:59Who is that?
08:00It's Devin Simonson
08:00on the 89.
08:03But he's still
08:04in the transfer zone
08:05so no problem there.
08:07Nick Romano
08:07was holding off
08:08Henry Miller.
08:10Both Nick
08:10and Henry Miller
08:12coming off
08:12really good rides
08:13last week.
08:15But up front
08:18on the final lap
08:19it's going to be
08:20a Monster Energy
08:21star Yamaha
08:22victory victory
08:24in both the West
08:25Division heat
08:26and the East
08:27because Cole Davies
08:28has more than
08:29a four-second lead.
08:31And Cole's fastest
08:32this is a 54.4.
08:34Hayden's was a 53.8.
08:36Now granted
08:37the track is
08:37a bit ruddier
08:38and not as good
08:39as it was
08:40in Hayden's race.
08:43There you go.
08:44Another heat win
08:45for Cole Davies.
08:48Just like that
08:48that's his fourth
08:49on the season
08:51as we take you back
08:52and show you
08:53what happened
08:53to Devin Simonson.
08:55Yeah, he tries
08:56to go triple all.
08:57Yeah, remember
08:57what I was saying
08:59when I talked
08:59to Seth Hamaker
09:00and how the ruts
09:01can pull you
09:01from one side
09:02to the other.
09:03That is a perfect
09:03example of that.
09:05That's how sticky
09:05this dirt is.
09:07Just grabs
09:07the side knobbies
09:08of the tires
09:08and pulls you
09:09in any direction.
09:12So it's not
09:13the result
09:13that he was hoping
09:14for or headed for
09:15but still in the
09:17top nine
09:17to go through
09:18to the second
09:19East West showdown
09:21of the year.
09:22When we return
09:23of the year.
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