The seventh round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship is in the books, and once again it was a race to remember. The fans were in for a show all four motos, which is pretty much unheard of, that is until this summer. Jason Thomas was once again the pit reporter for the broadcast which, along with his years of knowledge gained as a racer, gave him an up-close view of the action. As such we fired some questions over to JT, here is what he had to say:
Let’s start with the racetrack since a lot of guys said how much harder the surface was compared to a normal Millville. How much different was it?
I raced this national twelve times and have been to it for somewhere around twenty national events. I have seen it in many different conditions. I think this year’s harder base was due to the rain that came in on Thursday evening and the last-minute salvage job for amateur day on Friday. When it rains that late in the prep stage, the track workers are forced to scrape much of the dirt away to get down to something ridable. Instead of having that topsoil that the Martin family trucks in for the event, it’s now been pushed to the side of the track in an attempt to save the Friday race. Even after trying to push that same dirt back onto the track for Saturday, it’s just not the same. The harder base has been exposed and will rear its ugly head when lines get worked in on Saturday. It wasn’t super evident to the naked eye but nearly every rider mentioned it. Also, those crashes by Joey Savatgy and Ken Roczen just before the mechanics’ area were perfect examples of a deceptive base catching riders out.
How the heck can Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton do two motos at that pace and for the most part, aside from Sexton’s tip over, neither one really makes mistakes?
It was incredible to watch. We don’t often see riders able to push the limit for 35 minutes without either making a key mistake or getting tired. They were both on the limit for the entire moto, feeding off each other’s intensity. Their fitness was very impressive because it was certainly tested. Neither of them were willing to let up and I would bet that both of them expected the other to give some sort of reprieve that never came. Amazing stuff.
Related: The Tomac vs Sexton Battle Was as Good as It Gets
What is it going to take for Sexton to flip the script back into his favor now that he’s lost the championship lead?
He has to win races. Tomac seems to have every detail dialed in this summer, not opening the door like he has in series’ past. The only way to beat Tomac is to do exactly that. Go beat him. There won’t be any easy button here.
Hunter Lawrence was maybe one misread lapper and one red flag away from a 1-1 at Millville, but instead he’s now 27 points down. If you’re in his position, what is your current mindset?
I think the best rider won both motos at Spring Creek, personally. Now, did I expect a fifth in that second moto from Hunter? No, definitely not. I was surprised to hear him say he got tired in that second moto. The laptimes would agree but he hasn’t really shown any signs of being tired before.
As for his mindset, he is going to have to take it to Jett for any chance. Similar to Sexton’s plight, Jett isn’t going to leave the door open. He will have to win down the stretch and hope for help, a la RedBud.
Jo Shimoda said he started using start blocks for the second moto at Millville and got two great starts. If his starts are now “fixed”, what else do you think he needs to clean up to win motos more consistently?
Beating Jett isn’t going to come easily. Jett’s starts are on point, his fitness is beyond reproach, and he’s capable of dropping the lowest laptime of the moto seemingly on command. I don’t know that there is a recipe for winning consistently right now. I think he needs to be opportunistic and when the door is open, make sure to take advantage of it. That means no tip-overs or getting caught up in other people’s problems and being in the top five on the first lap.
Max Anstie finally had the crash everyone fears having down Mt. Martin. How gnarly is it on a downhill like that to fully commit to not letting off and braking as late as possible?
It’s definitely a test of nerve. Casual fans may think that riders are coasting down that hill. The fact is riders are hard on the throttle even while descending a super steep downhill. If you decide to take it easy and allow gravity to do its thing, you will get passed every single lap. Riders need to have confidence in themselves and their suspension to send it down Mt. Martin and expect things to go well. It’s not a section for the meek.
Watch Justin Barcia go up and down Mt. Martin starting at the 1:07 mark below:
Thoughts on Alex Martin’s final go at his home track?
Troll Train told me he had a very emotional day, and he couldn’t really focus on what he was doing. Too many memories were flooding his thought process and breaking his concentration. I think that’s a normal thing and very understandable. He was riding pretty well when I saw him, but I know he wanted that elusive top ten overall. These last few races of your career are a huge internal struggle between wanting to end on a high note but also wanting to stay injury-free at all costs.
If you had to bet right now, what are the odds neither class sees the red plate change hands in the last five rounds?
I think the 250 series is set. The only reason it switched hands before was a faulty engine at RedBud. Jett has been the best guy all summer and will continue to be that guy.
The 450 is much less certain, though. Yes, Tomac is on a roll and has won seven motos in a row and four overalls. Still, he’s only five points ahead and Sexton is the best we have ever seen him. It may not happen, but I could absolutely see Sexton steal it back before this thing is over. The gap between the two is thisclose.
