The 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship kicked off over the weekend and there’s plenty to talk about, including Jett Lawrence’s dazzling 450 debut, RJ Hampshire’s wild day, Hunter Lawrence’s win, and more. To get an inside look at the action we tapped former pro Jason Thomas to break down the first race of the season.
What was your initial take on the 250 Class, in terms of who impressed?
Jason Thomas: I believe it delivered as advertised. We knew it would be a deep class with a great chance for parity all the way to the top. I thought RJ Hampshire’s first moto was a great sign of what he is capable of. The second moto was unfortunately a warning sign that the variance is still present. He is fast enough to win this championship but the crashes have to be minimized. Not only are they too damaging to his points each weekend but crashing leads to injuries, and that’s simply a numbers game. Crash enough and you’ll eventually find yourself on the sidelines.
Hunter Lawrence came in as my personal pick to win the title and he didn’t disappoint. His 3-1 score was more of the same after the best supercross season of his career. He looks like he’s in the zone right now and truly believes he’s the best guy.
The other rider I wanted to mention was Haiden Deegan. This is his third AMA Pro Motocross race and he looked like a veteran. He overcame a crash in the first moto but his third in the second moto is proof he isn’t just a supercross specialist. He seems to have the total package: fitness, speed, equipment, and a gigantic social presence. The sky is the limit for that kid.
Guys were crashing all over the place. Name someone who avoided the mayhem and killed it out there who we might not have noticed on the broadcast.
Guillem Farres turned in an 8-5 score and didn’t get the credit he deserves. With the storylines unfolding and constant change within the top ten, it was difficult to focus on every quality performance turned in. Farres wowed all of us at Budds Creek last year but that was no fluke. A relative unknown from Spain who got his shot on a factory bike is making the most of it. Kudos.
We all knew Jett Lawrence was going to be good. But c’mon, THIS GOOD?! Thoughts, please.
Early on, I didn’t think this was the outcome, or even possible. But, for the last 18 months at least, I have been on board. I have a theory that it’s okay to be wrong—everyone is wrong sometimes. But, and this is critical, don’t stay wrong for long. I flipped on my perception of and expectation for Jett’s career trajectory. He does things that others can’t. He has a real chance to be one of, if not the best, to ever do it. That statement isn’t one I make lightly. He’s that good.
What is Dylan Ferrandis thinking? He won this championship two years ago and was nowhere near Sexton and Lawrence at Pala this time around.
He knew this was going to be a very difficult day. He didn’t ride for two full months after Daytona and knew he would be working his way into this series. His team manager Jeremy Coker shared that they were more relying on Tomac to lead the way early on as Ferrandis got up to speed. That plan changed at Denver with the torn Achilles and Ferrandis needed to lead much earlier than he would like. A 3-3 day to kick things off was about all he could ask for. He was absolutely exhausted on the podium after fighting AP7 for 35 minutes. His body will respond quickly, though, after putting it through that first test. There’s a lot of muscle memory when it comes to performing at this level and it won’t take long before he’s ready to be aggressive rather than defensive late in the races.
Chase Sexton stalked Jett Lawrence for a while. Is he thinking about last year when he’s out there? He wasn’t the hunter last year. Role reversal?
I don’t think so. I believe both of them were on the limit for what that track would allow. He was chasing Jett with everything he had but Jett didn’t make a mistake. Their pace was similar, each having stronger sections of the racetrack. They have only raced each other once before on the 450, last year at the MXoN. I think they were both learning each other’s tendencies in the opening salvo of what could be a very long scuffle. These two have a real chance of taking the sport to a higher level for the next decade.
What was the biggest surprise of each class?
My surprises were to the downside, but offer bounce back opportunities at Hangtown. I expected Justin Cooper to be on the podium at minimum and a factor to win. He came in prepared, spending the last two months setting up for this series. He wasn’t able to get his patented holeshots and then struggled to find the leader’s pace in traffic. It was better than last year’s opener so maybe he can find a silver lining there. I have him as a multi-race winner in 2023 but he just seemed a little rusty once that gate dropped.
The other rider I thought would do a little better was Adam Cianciarulo. We know that AC is dealing with an arm issue but I was hoping the outdoor tracks would offer some relief. Maybe it was the tricky Pala layout and he will find solace moving forward. I hold AC in a very high regard, especially on an outright speed basis. I didn’t see that flash in the motos and with the opportunity at hand, hopefully he can bring that elite level to Hangtown.
