00:00It's still very close between Levi Kitchen, Max Anstey and Ryder DeFrancisco for second and third and fourth.
00:07So there's a lot to look for, there's a lot still to race for, and it gets even more complex
00:12and challenging and difficult because of this being an East-West showdown.
00:16But first of all, you've got to make that East-West showdown main event.
00:20And this West Division race will show us and who is going to do it.
00:26That red X there, that's the race that got taken away from Hayden Deegan for short-cutting the track, but
00:33not in his mind.
00:34He's still won almost all of the races this season.
00:38Here we go. Deegan right on the inside, Levi Kitchen.
00:42Oh, that was McAdoo who slid out.
00:45Great start by Hayden Deegan on there.
00:49He got a good jump. He started slowing down, and then look at that gap that he's able to get
00:52through those whoops.
00:53I mean, the last few weeks, this is what this guy's been doing.
00:56I mean, pretty much all year, number one back out front with the green light.
01:00Caden Meneer is in second place.
01:02That is his young teammate from Monster Energy Star Racing, who made his pro debut just last weekend, and he
01:08got a top five from it.
01:10It's really good going.
01:11Yeah, from the last chance, it was absolutely an incredible ride, and it was a lot of fun to watch,
01:17and a lot on the line for this young guy right here, working hard to get a position at this
01:22race team next year,
01:23and what a great showing that is, given the bosses at Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha some opportunity here.
01:33I'd love to see it.
01:34It's Cameron McAdoo ahead of his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammate in Levi Kitchen.
01:40So a good start from McAdoo, and keep your eyes on that graphic on the left.
01:45You've got to be in the top nine if you want to automatically go through to the last East-West
01:49Showdown main event of the year.
01:52Yeah, you can tell this track's drying out.
01:54Those guys are starting to lose a little bit of traction, and it's only going to get worse,
01:57but at some point, that loose stuff would get off, and it would just be more of a hard base.
02:01It's kind of been the story of Levi's, you know, year.
02:04It's been fast, but he doesn't get that start.
02:06You see that number one pulling away in the distance, a long distance.
02:11Yeah, and it's tough, too, with these heat races, and again, now, this is like a main event.
02:15Normally, these heat races, you know, you have half of the fast guys in the first one,
02:20the other half in the second heat race.
02:22Well, now they're all in one heat race, and this is basically a main event,
02:25so it's going to be much harder for guys to move up the pack here
02:29if you get a bad start in these heat races.
02:32Now, you often hear us talk about how important the start is.
02:35James was just mentioning it as Cameron McAdoo's starting to zero in on Kaden Maneer.
02:40Well, guess what?
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02:45That's right, the prop market is live now.
02:47Scan the flow code or visit nxtbets.com slash playsmx to claim a bonus
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02:55Good luck.
02:56I feel like in this 250 class, since we're at elevation, the bike's going to be down on power,
03:01so a lot of the passing opportunities you normally would have at sea level
03:04might not be here as much when you try to go up the inside of a guy,
03:08try to get out that rhythm section or into the whoop section.
03:11You're going to pay attention to just keep that bike rolling forward,
03:13otherwise you will lose a lot of time here.
03:15That's right.
03:16They don't have the torque, obviously, like the 450s do,
03:19especially the low RPM torque, and have that grunt getting out of the corners.
03:24So, as far as Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna is concerned,
03:29Daxton Benick has been forced to go to the last chance qualifier.
03:32Ryder DeFrancisco, who is racing tonight to try and finish top three in the championship,
03:38is way down in 15th place.
03:41It's crazy, rough night for these guys, for sure.
03:44See, Ryder De, he is 14th on the first lap,
03:48and he's lost a position as well, a lot like his teammate, Dax Benick.
03:54Yeah, you've got to probably assume as he goes up the inside up here,
03:58you've got to assume that at some point he probably went down again.
04:01You know, obviously he's making passes, closing in.
04:03I know the track's difficult to pass on, but I feel like they should be able to rise up.
04:07He's got a long ways to get to number 9th, which is Max Anstey.
04:12And you may have seen the news, and if you haven't,
04:16it was quite shocking, actually, this week,
04:18to learn of Factory Husqvarna's exit.
04:24And that hits close to home for you, James,
04:26because that's going to have an impact on your little brother, Malcolm.
04:28Yeah, I mean, I think it's, you know, you look at all these guys, you know,
04:31just having that opportunity and just the way it happened,
04:33so I'm not really sure of the details as the camera goes up the inside of Cade.
04:38Yeah, it's a shock in all of them, but I'm sure they'll find their feet somewhere.
04:42End of the season, a departure from the sport.
04:46Big guy, hey, Ricky, big week, massive week for Cade and Munea.
04:49It's just a teenager, convinces his boss to give him a shot and go pro last week.
04:53Has to go via, he gets caught up in a controversial rule situation
04:59where he was, he should have finished in the top three,
05:01and he said he gets forced to go to the last chance qualifier.
05:03He crashes, then comes back, finishes fifth in the main event.
05:08And then now he's going to go on his first east-west showdown
05:11against the best 250 riders in the world.
05:13That's quite a week.
05:14Yeah, that call was tough.
05:15I understand what the rulebook said.
05:20Ryan Villopoto and I talked about it on Title 24.
05:23That rule might need to be revised.
05:24He really came out on the short end of the stick for sure.
05:28And I'll tell you what, in his resilience, just to go into that last chance,
05:32make it happen, and then put in a fantastic ride says a lot.
05:36I think his future's bright.
05:38Yeah, I agree with you.
05:40Mechanics, which he's going to let Levi by, but he'd be pretty good.
05:43JT.
05:45Yeah, just to add to what you guys were saying, Ricky,
05:47this is no less than an audition for a job in 2027 and beyond.
05:52He needs rides like this.
05:54The SMX Next program didn't go the way he planned in 2026.
05:58He made the most fit last week.
05:59He gets a top five.
06:00This type of ride, though, he's battling guys that are going to be winning races in 2027.
06:06They're trying to replace the likes of a guy like Caden Deegan.
06:09This is a big moment in the story of Caden Muneer.
06:12JT, obviously, it's an audition on the track,
06:15but there's more to it than that, guys, as we know.
06:18And Caden Muneer, for his age, you said he's just a kid there, Lee,
06:21but he's incredibly level-headed.
06:23We've had the opportunity to sit down and speak to him
06:25when he was riding the SMX Next races, and he knows exactly.
06:30He said, I know what the job is.
06:31I know what I am hired to do.
06:33And really, his maturity on and off the track is above his age.
06:39I think that, you know, what he's doing, like you talked about, Will, and then, of course, JT.
06:44I mean, exactly right.
06:46Just think this has given reassurance to the Monster Star Energy Yamaha team
06:50that they want to re-sign him, but also what it's doing for other teams.
06:55I mean, the stock option is going through the roof right here.
06:58And I tell you what, it's been impressive to watch.
07:02Final lap coming up for Hayden Deegan, who has an incredible eight wins from eight heat races this year.
07:11Look at the teammates going at it here.
07:13Good stuff from Cameron McAdoo, Levi Kitchen.
07:16Meanwhile, further back, Hunter Yoder holds the ninth and final transfer position.
07:21Ryder DeFrancisco is still back in 12th position, never gone to a last-chance qualifier.
07:27He'll join his teammate in that LCQ if things don't change on this last lap dramatically.
07:31I'm actually shocked about that, especially as well as Ryder DeFrancisco has been riding.
07:36But that just shows you how good the other riders, Parker Ross, Hunter Yoder, Anstey, Bolin,
07:42all these young guns having breakout years, what they're able to do.
07:46They're a testament to their hard work.
07:48Whoa!
07:49McAdoo getting bucked wild.
07:51Yeah, that's been a couple times his feet came off.
07:53I think now he gets passed by his teammate.
07:55Hayden Deegan throws a little knack-knack over there.
07:58Nice move by those bucks.
08:00Good save on this Cameron.
08:01So Deegan, Kitchen, McAdoo, the top three from the West Division.
08:06Hayden, we'll see them again in the main event.
08:08Meanwhile, check this out on the inside.
08:11Sixtar of Hunter, Yoda.
08:14That was okay, though.
08:16He didn't need to do that because he's in the shot.
08:18Wow!
08:19What is happening here?
08:21That was Josh Fariz.
08:22Yeah.
08:23Wow.
08:25What happened?
08:25I just saw the bike flying through the air.
08:30Hopefully he's all right.
08:32Yeah, glad to see him.
08:33Yeah, he's...
08:33Get up.
08:34Let's have a look at this again.
08:35Watch the Kawasaki, third bike in shot.
08:38Oh, the bike.
08:39Oh, oh, oh, did you see his bike smoking as it was taken off?
08:42Yeah, that bike...
08:43Check that out.
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