2^nd |4-1 | #96 Hunter Lawrence | Australia | Honda CRF250R

Like his teammate Chase Sexton, Hunter’s day turned around with a dominant second moto performance as he led from start to finish and was hardly bothered by anyone. Great work by him and he just needs to get more of those second moto starts, and this thing could be a lot of fun!

3^rd | 1-5 | #59 Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | Yamaha YZ 250F

Well, look at this! The Chef was on the PulpMX show last week talking about his starts and how bad they’ve been. Myself and the 722 [Adam Enticknap] tried to help him and then look at this! Kitchen got the start in moto one and absolutely took off with the win in impressive fashion. Great to see and what a confidence builder for him. He was on the show again this past Monday and said that he didn’t take one thing from myself and the 722’s advice but I’m sure he’s just being humble and we’re responsible for most of his win. Second moto might’ve been more impressive as he went down early and had to dig deep to get into that top five. Could be a cool story brewing here, folks.

4^th | 3-3 | #32 Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | Yamaha YZ 250F

Cooper was good on this day but not good enough as he ends up 3-3 on the day for fourth. Yes, 3-3 for fourth. Talk about a kick in the gonads.

5^th | 7-6 | #30 Jo Shimoda | Japan | Kawasaki KX 250

I heard Jo was under the weather (2022 is becoming the year of the sick rider BTW) and so this performance had to be one that anyone would take. Couple of quiet motos for Shimoda.

6^th | 6-7 | #50 Stilez Robertson | Bakersfield, CA | Husqvarna FC250

Good day for Robertson, career best as a matter of fact. He’s been solid to start the season and he just needs to string these motos together and he can get closer to the top five which seems to be sort of settled right now. The Lawrence brothers, Shimoda, Cooper, and Mosiman have 23 out the possible 30 top five spots available through the first three rounds. So that’s the goal, break into that mix.

7^th | 13-4 | #29 Michael Mosiman | Sebastopol, CA | Gas Gas MC250F 

How bummed is Mosiman? For the second year in a row the TLD guys had issues with the bikes at Lakewood. He was on it in moto two also moving into podium position before it struck again. First moto he was way back from a crash before starting his charge. Not a good day for him and what’s weird is these Austrian bikes have some issues here, while the other ones seem ok? And at times, we’ve seen Husqvarna’s have ECU issues while the Gas Gas and KTM’s do not? Weird, man.

8^th | 10-9 | #329 Matthew LeBlanc | Breaux Bridge, LA | Yamaha YZ 250F

Leblanc and his rookie teammate Nick Romano had similar days at Lakewood and Leblanc, in particular, has really improved from his opener at Pala. He’s improved so much that he’s racing all summer long in fact!

9^th |5-15 | #47 Seth Hammaker | Bainbridge, PA | Kawasaki KX 250

Great first moto for Hammaker who, with his past overheating issues, was under watch by me and others at this race. Second moto he torpedoed Nate Thrasher and had to fight forward from there. Big summer for Hammaker and he’s showing he’s the real deal.

10^th | 9-13 | #411 Nicholas Romano | Bayside NY | Yamaha YZ 250F

Romano and Leblanc are kind of like Thrasher and Jared Fyre previously for the team. They’re making their debuts in the nationals and they’re showing speed here and there. They’ll get better and figure things out for sure, but the jury is still out so early in their career. Before the year, I don’t think many amateur moto “experts” would have Leblanc beating Romano overall at a national but here we are.

11^th | 11-12 | #44 Pierce Brown | Sandy, UT | Gas Gas MC250F

I don’t know if Brown suffered from the same bike issues as Mosiman but I do know that he was on the ground in one if not both motos, which makes it tough to have a great day.

12^th | 14-10 | #74 Derek Kelley | Riverside, CA | KTM 250 SX-F

Kelley rode really well at Lakewood, coming off his career best at Hangtown, and we might be seeing a bit of a breakout for the privateer here. He’s been fast in the 450 class before, here and there, but he might be putting it all together now. First moto he was way back, worked up pretty close to the top ten, fell and had to pass the same dudes again. Second moto was that tenth. Good start for Derek in the nationals so far.

13^th | 12-14 | #38 Joshua Varize | Perris, CA | KTM 250 SX-F

Varize is on the AEO KTM team along with Kelley and rode pretty well on what I imagine is basically the same bike that he had with Husqvarna. What don’t I get is the Husky guys were keeping him around in case of injury (from what I understand) and now they don’t have Hampshire, but Varize leaves anyway for a KTM team? Also, anyone know what’s up with Ty Masterpool? Is he hurt, is he coming back anytime soon?

14^th | 17-11 | #533 Josiah Natzke | New Zealand | Kawasaki KX 250

The Kiwi privateer rode well again, that first moto 17^th was coming from last after a crash. Solid right? Second moto was his best finish yet here in the USA and Natzke gets the honor of being the first guy in the results out of a van!

15^th | 40-8 | #36 Maximus Vohland | Granite Bay, CA | KTM 250 SX-F FE 

Tough day for Mad Max, as a bike issue knocked him out of moto 1 and then he had the 40^th gate pick for moto two. He made the best of it for sure but it’s never good when a factory bike goes out with a mechanical. I know Hangtown went well for Vohland but man he’s had a tough 2022 so far.

16^th | 8-40 | #49 Nathanael Thrasher | Livingston, CA | Yamaha YZ 250F

Thrasher was fifth in the second moto and looking great after a good qualifying time (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing is very good at Lakewood FYI) before he collided with Seth Hammaker early in moto two. I’m not sure what Nate was supposed to do there, he was ahead of Seth and dove to an outside rut and was hauling ass, they were too close for Nate to have seen Seth. Most times, the rider in front who can’t see what’s going on behind him is in the right. And with that collision, Thrasher’s day (and my PulpMX Fantasy day as well) was over. I saw him walking out of the track with a sling on.

17^th | 15-16 | #331 Derek Drake | San Luis Obispo, CA | Suzuki RMZ 250

Drake’s been hot and cold here. He had a good qualifying time last week and one good moto/one not so good. This week it probably wasn’t what he or team manager Larry Brooks wanted. The team did welcome back Preston Kilroy from injury and will soon have Carson Mumford back as well.

18^th | 16-20 | #194 Lance Kobusch | Newflorence, MO | Honda CRF250R

Kobusch has had two good rounds in a row and he had a couple of good SX rides also. But both times I picked him in Pulpmx Fantasy, he was a DNQ and honestly, I’m having a hard time embracing Lance out there. This is what Pulpmx Fantasy does to you people. Nothing against Lance, but I’m still hurt.

19^th | 39-17 | #444 Romain Pape | Morlaix | Kawasaki KX 250F

I had to Google “Morlaix” and found out it’s a part of France, which then made me question why Pape doesn’t have “France” next to his name like the Lawrence brothers have “Australia” or any other foreign rider? What’s so special about “Morlaix” that it needs its own designation? I had to text DV934 [David Vuillemin] and he was as confused as I was about this and just kept telling me it’s in France.

20^th | 20-18 | #388 Brandon Ray | Fremont, CA | Husqvarna FC250

Didn’t watch much of Ray out there but he had his best race of the series and looking at his sponsors, there’s no doubt that he and they were inspired by being out there in the rocky mountain high.

450MX

1^st | 2-1 | #94 Ken Roczen | Germany | Honda CRF450R

You just can’t count this dude out. Ever. Roczen’s so good at Thunder Valley and he showed it again this weekend becoming the third race winner in three rounds. It was hot, it was at high elevation, and sure, he got a bit lucky to win the overall thanks to Chase Sexton’s mistake, but he was much better this week than last. As he told me afterward, he was comfy with the bike and that made the difference. I’ve never seen a rider (and I was on a team with Chad Reed for three years) so in tune with his bike like Kenny. But he does back up his complaints about the machine with wins so the team can’t get that frustrated with him, right? He told me afterward that at one point he wasn’t sure he wanted to race next year so he didn’t engage in any contract talks but now yes, he’s all in again and wants to win next year so he’ll be back for what I would guess (he didn’t say) a 450 supercross only deal next year with Jett racing the 450 outdoors.

2^nd | 1-3 | #3 Eli Tomac |Cortez, CO | Yamaha YZ 450F

What a battle for Tomac with Roczen in that second moto! That’s what motocross is all about right there. Tomac admitted that this was most likely his last Thunder Valley national, and he really wanted to win the overall. What was weird to me was that when he was in third and Sexton was leading, he had the overall, but he said he didn’t know. I mean, he’s been at this a while…surely, he knew that a 1-3 beats a 2-2? Guess not! I know he lost this race, but that moto one ride was a usual great ET3 run, and he was super close to winning the overall. Don’t look now but I think Eli is going to start heating up here.

3^rd | 4-2 | #23 Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL | Honda CRF450R

Oh man, the only good thing about Sexton’s last-lap tip-over was that it gave the overall win to Honda and not Yamaha. Maybe that’s about it? I know we get on Chase for mistakes, and this was one for sure, but I don’t think it’s something to dwell on. It was a silly little crash, but I’ll focus on him being fourth in moto one and not really having much for the top three and then the second moto rebound. He figured things out, get the bike changed a bit and Chase basically won the next moto. That’s what champions do, you know? Even with the crash, it was nothing but another encouraging moto for the 23 IMO.

4^th | 3-6 | #21 Jason Anderson | Rio Rancho, NM | Kawasaki KX450SR

Anderson had a great first moto and seemed to be content with his third. Second moto he had just gotten into second when he laid it down and was forced to do some more work. But he dropped back late in the moto and I had heard it was due to a sore hand that he had hit on a track marker in moto one. Let’s see if that becomes something more serious as they can sometimes be.

5^th | 5-4 | #222 Antonio Cairoli | Italy | KTM 450 SX-F FE

Two more holeshots for Tony as he stuck with the Pirelli scoop tire and it showed. He said he would deal with the tire on the rest of the hard pack track but wanted to get the start which he did. Pretty awesome to have him here and he scored his best result yet with that fourth. He’s getting paid as a KTM ambassador but not for racing in terms of any race bonuses. He’s just getting the purse money and that’s it. So, I think he’s heading home after High Point and that’s a real shame in my eyes. He’s been KTM’s best rider, the fans have been loving him here, his kid has an American flag bandana on and might be the cutest kid ever in the world. Like, why not find some money to keep him here, KTM? I don’t get it.

6^th | 7-7 | #5 Ryan Dungey | Belle Plaine, MN | KTM 450 SX-F FE

Dungey was under the weather this week, so it was a tough one for him, but afterward he seemed happy about his ride and that it was closer to the front than the other two races. I have to say, this was the first national for me this year and I can’t believe how stoked Ryan seems to be to be back. Whether it was his interactions with the media, the fans or whatever, Ryan Dungey just went 7-7 and was happy. Just a change in perspective for him, right? I have to say, it’s cool having him back.

7^th | 6-8 | #51 Justin Barcia | Greenville, FL | Gas Gas MC450F

Big bike changes for Bam this week included the return of the frame brace! Yes, the brace across the front of the frame that Cooper Webb removed last year and suddenly improved. Hey, you never know. Also, he got a start, he fought for a podium spot for a while, and it was a much improved weekend for Justin. He mentioned that he got COVID after the last SX and wasn’t 100 percent ready to go for the nationals, and his testing was behind. This is probably the start of a better Justin Barcia I would think.

8^th | 12-5 | #12 Shane McElrath | Canton, NC | Husqvarna FC450 RE

Great second moto for Shane, his best so far of the nationals. He held off Anderson and then pulled away late. I know Shane said on Pulpmx show that he was here for the first four but with no Stewart or Wilson and his respectable results, he for sure keeps racing, right?

9^th | 8-9 | #17 Joseph Savatgy | Clermont, FL | Kawasaki KX450SR

Savatgy’s chest was so red and beat up from roost it would make anyone reconsider the occupation of a pro MX’er I would think. Anyway, Lakewood has been a good track for Joey over the years and these two motos were pretty good, I think he can get up to fifth or so soon once he’s feeling 100 percent ready. His second moto battle with Barcia was intense and afterward in the interview corral, Barcia and him were talking about it. Of course, Justin thought it was awesome, I’m not sure Joey did though! They were going at it for a while before Bam secured the eighth spot.

10^th | 9-11 | #35 Garrett Marchbanks | Coalville, UT | Yamaha YZ 450F

Three solid races in a row for Garrett in his debut 450 season and he seems to have avoided the crashes or mistakes he made in the 250 class. He’s a bigger dude and maybe he felt like he should be closer to the top five in that class so when he wasn’t, he tried harder and made more mistakes? Whereas in this class, he’s calmer inside the top ten and he’s able to just relax more? This is just my theory. He hasn’t been re-signed yet for 2023 so that’s a bit interesting to me.

11^th | 11-10 | #7 Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | KTM 450 SX-F FE

A crash in moto two was probably not ideal for AP, he had another so-so day for him and as he told me walking into the track, he’s not quite where he needs to be just yet after a pretty serious wrist injury. Also, I have to say he went to the track solo this weekend and that’s pretty impressive for a dude like AP. He told me how peaceful it is to just chill by himself after having a kid!

12^th | 10-12 | #28 Christian Craig | Temecula, CA | Yamaha YZ 450F

Well, not what Christian wanted for sure but he does get the award for most passing points on the day! First turn crash in moto one and then a tip over (maybe two?) in moto two and it all added up to a day to forget for Craig. Not an easy track to pass on either but Craig made it work.

13^th | 15-13 | #285 Marshal Weltin | Ubly, MI | Suzuki RMZ 450

Last week Weltin was the highest placing dude in a van but not this week! Marsh got a promotion to Justin Bogle’s HEP Suzuki machine for the rest of the summer and on Bogle’s suspension, went out and had another career best ride. I wouldn’t have a dude with less than a week on the bike beating his teammate, but he did just that (to be fair, they did tie but technically, Weltin got it!). Good job to Weltin out there.

14^th | 14-14 | #41 Brandon Hartranft | Brick, NJ | Suzuki RMZ 450

This was a better race for Hartranft than Hangtown in my opinion but still think he should be up higher than this, right?

15^th | 17-15 | #129 Henry Miller | Rochester, MN | KTM 450 SX-F

So with Weltin promoted off the island, the top dude out of a van goes to Miller! Making his season debut, the district 23 rider did his usual thing with two good motos.

16^th | 16-16 | #55 Justin Rodbell | Prince Frederick, MD | Husqvarna FC450

I don’t know man, Rodbell got on a Husky at Hangtown and showed some speed but definitely looked to go backward a bit late in the motos. So, one would figure that Lakewood would be a tough race for him but full props to Rodbell, he hung strong in both motos to log respectable moto scores. Summer of Rodbell coming?

17^th | 13-32 | #26 Alex Martin | Millville, MN | Yamaha YZ 450F

Troll Train Nation went down hard in moto two while he was eighth or so. Like, it was a massive highside and most riders would have quit. Not Troll though, he pulled into the mechanics area for a bit to regain his composure and think about his life before heading back out there and trying to finish the race. What a hero. Way to dig deep. I swear I’m not on the payroll….