This is it
Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton have put on one of the wildest and tightest 450 title fights of all time, and it’s been an amazing thing to watch. Seriously, when is the last time you’ve seen a couple heavyweights trade blows this hard, late into the season?! It’s been a while! It’s going to come to an end this weekend though, with one of them taking home the crown. It’s impossible to predict who it will be, but one thing is certain—the battle is going to be one for the ages! -Aaron Hansel
Dungey vs. Craig
If you’re looking for another points battle worth watching, you’ll find it in the battle for fifth between Ryan Dungey and Christian Craig. Dungey currently trails Craig by just three points and could easily bridge that small gap at Fox Raceway. After all, he’s beaten Craig plenty of times this summer, although you could say the same thing about Craig. In fact, he bested Dungey just this past weekend at Ironman by going 5-5 for fifth, one spot ahead of Dungey’s sixth overall. Who will get the nod for fifth in points when the dust settles this weekend? -Hansel
Crushing Heat
To say it’s going to be hot at the finale this weekend is an understatement. Current weather reports are calling for a high somewhere between 102 and 106 degrees! And with so many riders already pretty much set in the points, you might expect a bit of complacency to manifest itself in the scorching temperatures of the final round. On the other hand, it could be difficult for riders who go hard in the first moto to rebound for the second moto. We’ll see who phones it in, and who’s able to manage the conditions to their advantage this weekend. -Hansel
The Clincher
The title is still technically up for grabs in 250 Class between Jett Lawrence and Jo Shimoda, but barely. Lawrence leads Shimoda by 41 points, which means, barring disaster, he’ll almost certainly wrap up the championship in the first moto. All he has to do is avoid giving up seventeen points to Shimoda. What does that look like in the results? Well, if Shimoda wins Lawrence could finish as far back as twelfth place and still clinch the title before the gate even drops on the second moto. Jett’s brother, Hunter, is still technically in it too, but isn’t a factor. Look for Jett to get this thing done in moto one at Fox Raceway. -Hansel
Still Winless
If you’d have said Hunter Lawrence wouldn’t win an overall in the first 11 rounds of the 2022 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, you probably would have gotten your bench racing license suspended. Yet, with eleven rounds now down, here we are, with Jett Lawrence, Jo Shimoda, and RJ Hampshire being the only riders who’ve earned overall wins this summer. Hunter’s fast enough to do it, he’s done it before, and he’s won three motos this season too. Will he finally light the torches for the overall this weekend at Fox Raceway? -Hansel
Hello Hymas
Honda HRC has another bike under the tent this weekend as their amateur star Chance Hymas will make his professional debut on Saturday. Hymas, who is fresh off a 1-1 performance at the Scouting Moto Combine at Ironman Raceway, is the 2022 Supercross Futures Champion and will get his first taste of professional action at Fox Raceway. Similar to fellow debutants this year in Haiden Deegan and Ryder DiFrancesco, the expectation is just there to get his feet wet and see where he fits into the fray. Look for the #832 factory Honda on the gate Saturday. –Kellen Brauer
Moving Down Marv
Speaking of another bike under the tent, Red Bull KTM will welcome the return of their longest tenured rider Marvin Musquin who took the summer off from racing as the 32-year-old Frenchman will race this weekend. However, Musquin will be racing the 250 class instead of his familiar 450 machine as Musquin prepares to race the 2022 Motocross of Nations for Team France in the MX2 class. Musquin explained he’d only have about five days on the bike and isn’t expecting much but needed this weekend as a building block towards racing at RedBud in three weeks. Let’s see how the former 250SX champion does against the young kids! –Brauer
There Goes My Hero
Saturday will mark the end of Alex Martin’s professional racing career, at least as a full-time racer. “Troll Train”, as he’s become known, will bookend a lengthy career hopefully with two strong motos after he missed last weekend’s Ironman National with a shoulder injury. Martin has become one of the most likeable riders in the paddock with his friendly demeanor and will certainly be missed behind the professional start gate. Be sure to cheer a little bit louder for the #26 if you’re at the track this weekend. –Brauer
Try Again
Haiden Deegan’s pro debut last week at Ironman didn’t exactly go to plan as the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider went down hard to DNF the first moto and crashed on the first lap of the second moto taking home zero points from the day. Despite that, his riding and pace looked solid, and he’ll get another chance to show what he’s really made of at Fox Raceway this weekend. This track is also only just 20 minutes away from the Deegan’s former California home, so Haiden has turned many laps around this place as well. Perhaps that “hometown” boost can help him even more as he seeks his first points paying finish of his career. –Brauer
Doesn’t Feel Like Home
Even though Fox Raceway is a regular practice spot for many of the athletes on the gate this weekend, the track on race day is anything but familiar. A usually lightly ripped and smooth Fox Raceway turns into a deep, loamy, bumpy racetrack when Pro Motocross comes to town and many riders admit they end up a bit lost with setup thinking the track may feel a certain way. Even Eli Tomac had a testing day about nine days ago here at Fox Raceway as he tried to dial in settings for this final round showdown. Will that testing actually translate or will more guys feel left out in the dark with their settings? We’re about to find out!
