So many injuries have led to so many conversations about what we’re doing as a sport as a whole. Are the modern bikes too much for the tracks and stadiums we race upon? Are the obstacles too busy or sharp? Is there a specific place on each track where the most accidents happen? Are the athletes being pushed too hard by the calendar of racing/testing/training/traveling? It’s time to really take advantage of the data we have and the cooperation that exists between OEMs, series promoters, track builders, the AMA and AMA Pro Racing, as well as the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP), where they’ve also had a string of top names out of action the past couple of years. Because there’s not just one thing anyone can really point to as a fix-all, but some combinations of things—all of the shareholders working together for a better, safer sport—is what needs to happen, now more than ever.

I’m out here at Hangtown for this weekend’s race, and we are just getting press day underway. Let’s get into the rest of the week right here.

Jett: Before and After (DC)

For Team Honda HRC's Jett Lawrence, the results from day one of the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship speak for themselves: 1-1 for first overall in his first 450 Pro Motocross National. Jett's starts may also speak for themselves, with two holeshots in his two motos. And even his race craft could attest for his day: #18 led every inch of the way and didn't really make any mistakes. But there were two other moments, which came before and after the race, that you may not have seen. 

First, there was absolute heater he laid down on the last lap of the second timed practice—hardly the time or the place to see the fastest 450 qualifying lap of the day, by 2.5 seconds! It was what longtime pro and race-watcher Jason Thomas called, "the single best lap I have ever seen someone do on a 450."  Jett was just brilliant on a track that had been already roughed up by seven full qualifying sessions before the second 450 A segment. He was blitzing down the hills, hitting every berm and rut perfectly, and seemingly effortlessly throwing his CRF450 around with absolute confidence. His 2:20.539 came one lap after his teammate and rival Chase Sexton's impressive 2:23.053 and two laps after Jett's second-best time of 2:22.893. By contrast, the fastest 250 lap came on the fourth lap of the first session, a 2:21.308 by Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha's Justin Cooper. Justin's best time in the second session, on a slightly rougher track, was more than a second slower.

The thing that happened after the race that few may have seen was the fact that as soon as Jett was done with his initial interview with Jason Thomas for TV, he went back to the cooldown zone to download some settings with team manager Lars Lindstrom, and then walked out behind the podium and up onto the tunnel jump before the signaling area to look at the lines that had formed during that last moto. Lawrence, who is now a perfect 6-0 in his professional career at Fox Raceway, was already looking for a way to improve the next time around the circuit, which won't be until the 2024 season.

So how does Jett's 6-0 start at this particular track shape up against any other riders in Pro Motocross history? We can't find a motocross track where anyone won the first six nationals they attended, not even Ricky Carmichael, and in supercross there's only Bob "Hurricane" Hannah's 6-0 run through his first six visits to the Pontiac Silverdome doubleheaders, beginning in 1977. Hannah then broke his leg and missed the '80 Pontiac event, but he came back in '81 and won the first night, making Hannah 7-0 to start his career in the old home of the Detroit Lions.

Hangtown (Matthes) 

The Northern California track has usually kicked off or been near the front of the motocross series. Outside of that COVID-19 year when it was the last round (that was weird). There's maybe no track that's been more improved from back in the day when Damon Bradshaw told a Dirt Digger that the best way to improve the track was to put a "Closed" sign on the front gate. These days the place is sweet, rice hulls help with the soil, it has a nice layout, and it's sort of loamy track with some great racing. The hard packed dusty track of yesteryear is long gone. 

I'm looking for Justin Cooper and Levi Kitchen from the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing guys to step up a bit from their opening round results and other than that, I think the main players in the 250 class were all where we thought they'd be, right? Bad starts and crashes for Jeremy Martin hurt him (he was bummed after the race last week at himself and his bike setup) and he'll be better for sure this weekend. 

It's six days after the first round and I'm still impressed with RJ Hampshire's ride. Yes, he crashed three times in moto two after a bad start and he did go "RJ," but that first moto, that was impressive. If he can figure out consistency, and that's a big "if", he can absolutely win this title. We all know he can win motos and some overalls, but his bad days were bad in the past. He was on the PulpMX Show Monday and he swore he's calmed down from past years, and he even broke down the crashes in the second moto for us and the first one was BECAUSE he was trying to not be "RJ." Okay then! 

He's absolutely stoked on his new motor package he's got; he's got everything in front of him to win this title and wouldn't that be a "Zach Osborne-ish" thing if he did manage to pull it off? 

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

After a beautiful day in SoCal, we move on to Hangtown and with it, the first temperature test of 2023. Last season, we didn't have much in the way of heat until late on the calendar. It was, dare I say, pleasant at many of the rounds. Will 2023 be a revenge year for heat and humidity? If so, riders will need to stay on top of their preparation. It's possible to get away with questionable hydration when the high temperature is 72 (like Pala). When we see scorching highs into the 90's, miscalculations or outright laziness will be punished mercilessly. 

The number one key is hydration and that needs to start on Thursday at the latest. Guzzling water all night Friday is only going to lead to spending too much time in the restroom. It takes time for the body to absorb fluids. Further, absorbing electrolytes and the needed salt, etc., is critical. There should already be a hydration plan in place long before the weekend. Knowing what your body needs is learned through training, and also in hindsight analysis of prior races. Low energy in the second moto? Maybe try fewer calories, a caffeinated supplement, or more carbs. Everybody responds differently so knowing what to do, when, is incredibly important. If you can get access to an IV, I believe it to be the most effective way to prepare. There are timeframe rules around when an IV can be applied but mid-week should be fine (and immediately after the race). Food is important too, but on a hot day, hydration is the #1 factor in preparation.

Another detail to be mindful of is moving and keeping core temperature down. There's only so much one can do during the race (wearing vented gear is a must) but when off the track, every effort should be made to keeping your body at its natural temperature. If the body is left to cool itself without any help (AC, cool water to sit in, ice packs), it uses energy that is desperately needed during the motos. Sweating and self-cooling is a huge energy suck that can be prevented. Some believe that you should acclimate to the heat and remain in it all weekend so it's not a shock when you need to perform. I never subscribed to this. I was able to adjust quickly and save all of that energy for when it was time to perform. If I stayed in the heat all day, I felt sluggish. I only wanted to subject myself to the elements when absolutely necessary. 

This attention to detail will show up on race day. In the second half of the motos when everyone is hot and praying for the two-lap board, those that went the extra mile to save energy, stay cool, and understand what their body responds to will simply have more to give. I have been in both positions, and I can promise you it's much more fun to be blowing past tired competitors in the final laps. It all comes down to effort in the end. Working hard is always important but when conditions are extreme, working smart is just as critical.

Family Affairs (DC)

Congratulations to Dazzy and Emma Lawrence, as well as their other son Tate, on accomplishing something no other parents or family has ever done in AMA Motocross or AMA Supercross. Their two sons, Hunter and Jett, won their respective classes on the same day, at the same race. It's something that racing families have been trying to do for years. Going all the way back to 1972, the first year of AMA Pro Motocross and the original fast brothers in Dewayne and Gary Jones, this was an unprecedented feat by the family Lawrence. The Jones boys did not do it (though they finished 1-2 at a national in '73), nor did the Grossi brothers, Bob and Billy, though they each won an outdoor national, just not on the same day. The Wanket brothers (Pete and Tony) never quite made it to the top level in racing, and while the Pomeroy (Jim and Ron) and the Sun (Chuck and Ron) brothers were good, only one in each family was fast enough to win an AMA National. Like the Suns and the Pomeroys, the Larson brothers (Mike and Phil) were fast northwesterners, but never quite winners at the elite level. Later on would come the Hill brothers, Josh and Justin, out of the PNW and each would win races in AMA Supercross, and both had top-ten rides this season, but not anywhere near what the Lawrence brothers just did. The closest in America is probably the Stewart brothers, as both James and Malcolm won 125/250SX titles, and James is among the all-time greats, but Malcolm has yet to win a big 450 race. The Hahn brothers, Tommy and Will, each had good success and race wins, with Tommy winning an outdoor national and Will several small bore supercross races and a title, but they were also a notch below the Lawrence brothers. Each of the Vohland brothers from NorCal won 125SX races, and Tallon and Tyson were the first brothers to share a podium ('91 Houston), and while Tallon went on to win multiple GP races and 125 Nationals, older brother Tyson did not have the same success (though Tallon's son Maximus seems to be on the verge of winning on the Red Bull KTM team). The Alessis, the Storbecks, the Bowens, the Hinkles, the Bigelows... Some shining moments, but nothing like what we're seeing now. 

The closest brothers at the level of the Lawrences come from Europe. There were four Geboers brothers from Belgium, all of whom raced, and two of them were exceptional. Sylvain Geboers is on the very short list of fastest men to never win the FIM World Championship, along with Jaroslav Falta, Vladimir Kavinov, Andre Vromans, Kurt Nicoll, Clement Desalle, and most recently, Jeremy Seewer. But Eric Geboers was a five-time FIM World Champion and one of the all-time greats. Both Geboers brothers won multiple GPs, and then added even more when they started up their highly-successful race team.

And then there are the only brothers who ever did something comparable to Hunter and Jett, and that's Sebastien and Christophe Pourcel. On the same day in 2007 they won their respective classes in the Grand Prix of Italy at Faenza, Sebastien topping the MX1 (450) class with 1-1 scores while little brother Christophe went 2-1 to top Antonio Cairoli in MX2 (250). No other brothers have ever won their respective GP classes on the same day, and until last Saturday, no brothers had ever won an AMA Pro Motocross race on the same day. 

BTW, this was also the first time Australians topped both classes at an outdoor national. 

Lorettas Time 2023 (Keefer)

I can't believe regionals are already here! The 2023 Loretta Lynn's Regionals have begun and ours starts this weekend at Fox Raceway. Aden will be qualifying in the 250B, 450B, and Schoolboy 2 classes, and since I apparently lit 2K on fire last weekend, why not try and qualify with some cracked ribs in the Senior 40 class right? My plan was to make it in the fast 40 at the first round of the AMA Pro Motocross Series so I could actually force myself to sit still at Loretta's this year, but that went about as well as my first go around in 2019. Maybe worse? Anyhow, it will be nice to sit back and see what Aden can do this year in the competitive B class, as he actually has some structure going with Alex Martin and Troll Training. Hopefully Aden can get qualified so the family and I can head to Thunder Valley to hopefully give this outdoor national thing another go (depending on if the ribs hold up). I took the week off from riding to try and heal as much as I could but next week is a heavy week of testing so no matter what, back on the bike I go! One thing that I have been wondering is if Loretta Lynn's will ever go to a grate start like AMA Pro Motocross has? I have been to the ranch a time or two and to me, I think the event could benefit from a grate start as these kids will eventually have to get used to starting on one sooner or later, right? Either way, we will be traveling to the ranch once again and are looking forward to one of the most fun weeks we can have as a racing family. We hope to see you this weekend at Fox Raceway and good luck to ALL of the kids, parents, women, and older dudes trying to make it to Tennessee this summer! 

(DC Note to Keefer: No plans this year or anytime soon for metal-grate starts at Loretta Lynn's. Good luck at Regionals.)

Stark (Matthes)

Well, the PR for the Stark Varg was released last year to much acclaim as the electric dirt bike had a lot of cool features and things going for it. Media types went to Spain to go test ride the bike and all the "buzz" (get it?) was positive for the machine. And then, well, we waited. And then we waited some more.

And we waited some more.

Supply chain issues and maybe some other things held the Swedish-owned, Spain-based company from coming out with any bikes but that's all changed now. Well, at least for (what I heard) four people out there in the world. The first customer to lay a deposit down was Southern California's Bryan Haskell (who told me that a Tweet from me was what he saw and then he did some digging and found the website to lay down a deposit was up a day early) and he was delivered a Stark Varg a couple of weeks ago. I called Bryan up for a podcast about what life was like for a Stark owner and he had four rides on it when we spoke.

I like the electric bikes, I rode an Alta a few times and I think, just like e-MTB's, there's a market for them out there. I don't think, unlike Bryan, that the gas powered bikes will be replaced one day, but there's definitely potential for these machines. The Stark sounds pretty cool with the adjustability of power and engine braking. There were a few things that were over-promised with the bike but hey, all in all the guys did a great job with getting the bike out to Bryan. Let's hope the production line is fired up over there!

Hey, Watch It!

2023 Fox Raceway National | Best Post-Race Show Ever

Shimoda's Cross-Rut Fall, Turn 2 Crashes, & More | Fox Raceway Race Examination

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week

"Oregon golfer Greg Solhaug withdraws from NCAA championship after a tee goes through his foot" - CBS Sports

"New Zealand Pizzeria Offers "Pay When You Die" Promo" - Barstool Sports

“Media Alert: Team Honda HRC Takes On an Escape Room”—Honda PR