That sounded familiar in that last weekend one of the greatest tennis players ever, Novak Djokovic, said a similar thing about the latest phenom in that sport—Carlos Alcarez, who put it to Djokovic in the finals of Wimbledon. He basically said in the post-match press conference that what makes Alcarez such complete a package is that he's taken the best traits from tennis' GOATs, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic himself, to became this new super talent, and that makes him incredibly difficult to beat. I'm not really a tennis fan, but this stuck out to me because Stewart (who has been doing a fantastic job as the race analyst for Peacock this summer) basically said the same thing about Jett Lawrence, and he seems spot-on.

Of course the lack of depth at the top of the 450 field is an unfortunate thing this summer, as defending champ Eli Tomac is out, as is Justin Barcia, Ken Roczen (who will hopefully line up again at Unadilla), Cooper Webb, and all of Husqvarna's 450 riders. And then we've seen Sexton sidelined with injury for part of the season, as well as Jason Anderson, and that has made the path to 22-0 much easier for Lawrence than it might have been with those guys out there. But 14 straight moto wins to start your 450 career is still wildly impressive. Jett's creativity, consistency, strength, and race craft are all working in perfect harmony, just as it did for Jeremy in his dominant days, Ricky in his 24-0 seasons of '02 and '04, and James at his peak. The thing is, Jett's gotten there sooner. In my opinion (and I've had a front row seat for all of them), none of the GOATs were as good or were as complete a package at 19 years of age as Jett Lawrence is right now. (Check out the cool List that Weege put together earlier this week comparing Jett's season to date compared to those of James, Ricky, and more.

Turning to Washougal, Lawrence won here last year with 2-2 finishes in the 250 class, dropping motos to his brother Hunter and Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha's Justin Cooper. Those two are still in the 250 class, battling with rookie phenom Haiden Deegan, who had his second off-day in a row. Hunter got back on track after DNFs at both Southwick and Spring Creek wiped out his huge points lead, winning for the fifth time in seven rounds to date. But those bad motos tightened things up considerably and now just 21 points separate the top five of Hunter, Deegan, RJ Hampshire, Jo Shimoda, and Cooper. That's less than a moto between them all! So, while we have a run at perfection in the 450 class, we're seeing a real Battle Royale shaping up for these guys in the 250 class. 

This weekend we will be awesome when we hear more two-strokes buzzing than normal, as the Washougal Two-Stroke Challenge will be a race-within-a-race. The concept is simple: Anyone on a two-stroke who beats local hero Carson Brown on his two-stroke in the 450 overall results gets a huge bonus that's been posted by friends and sponsors of Brown, and the event. I know Jerry Robin has parked his 450 to give it a go on the Vital MX-suppled YZ 250, and Team Tedder put the rig on the road to bring Josh Hill's KTM 250 to the party (though it sounds like Justin Hill won't race due to a recent crash). There will be a few others for sure, so keep your eyes (and ears) on this sideshow. 

Meanwhile, over in Europe, MXGP will be racing this weekend in the notorious sandbox that is Lommel, and with a new course design. We still won't see Jeffrey Herlings out there (more on him below), but we will see our friend Lars van Berkel. The Dutchman is back in Europe after his North America "Flight 787" adventure, where he raced RedBud and Southwick, as well as Gopher Dunes and Sand Del Lee in Canada, where Honda-mounted Dylan Wright is having a RC-like winning streak with 16 straight overall wins. (We may see Dylan in AMA Pro Motocross on an upcoming off-weekend, stay tuned.) 

Finally, congratulations to privateer Ty Masterpool on earning his first-ever Racer X Illustrated cover.  Ty has had a fantastic summer since moving up to the 450 and has been in the mix ever since. Check out his story in the September 2023 issue. In the meantime, here's more on Masterpool from Weege.

And finally, Happy 50th Anniversary to the Yamaha YZ like, which Yamaha celebrated today during Washougal's press day. Look for this very cool out on the track tomorrow at the Washougal National (as well as the MXGP of Flanders round overseas as well).

Read: Yamaha Celebrates 50 Years of the YZ

Jeffrey Herlings (DC)

As you probably know, the 2023 season was almost completely washed out for MXGP stars Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings, as Honda HRC's Gajser broke his leg at a preseason race in Italy and Herlings injured his neck at the German Grand Prix at Teuschenthal. Gajser, the defending champion, finally made it back out on track last weekend in the Czech Republic, finishing a modest seventh as he begins his on-track comeback. As for Herlings, who missed all of last season with an ankle and heel injury, there were rumors that the five-time world champion might show up again at the Ironman National as he famously did in 2017, but according to the ADAC MX Masters series in Germany, Herlings has made plans to race with them in August. First at Gaildorf on August 6, and then again at in Tensfeld on August 27. That is the same weekend as the Ironman AMA Pro Motocross.

When the ADAC MX Masters folks announced Jeffrey's plans, they also asked how the Dutchman was doing: "I'm doing pretty well now. Next Monday I have another check-up appointment to get permission to start motorcycle training again. In everyday life and during fitness training, I can already do everything again without restrictions, such as cycling, rowing, swimming, and these things. So, I hope to be back on the bike next week.”

While it's bad news that we won't see Jeffrey Herlings back here in the states for another cameo appearance, the good news is, he should likely be ready to go at the 2023 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in France the first weekend in October. That would in turn mean that he will likely be going up against Team Australia's Jett Lawrence in a matchup the world can't wait to see. And both the Netherlands and Australia will be strong contenders in that race, as Herlings would likely have the veteran Glen Coldenhoff and current MX2 championship contender Kay De Wolf, and Australia will have Hunter Lawrence in MX2 and probably MXGP rider Mitchell Evans as their third. They could also go with Jed Beaton, who is actually here getting prepped with Honda HRC for his run at the Australian National Championship, and will be wearing #104 tomorrow under the Honda tent, as he asked team manager Lars Lindstrom if he could enter Washougal, and they were able to get him signed up in time. And while we're at it, think about what a French team would look like with Romain Febvre and maybe Dylan Ferrandis on 450s and Tom Vialle as the 250 rider...

So what about us?

TEAM USA 2023 (DC)

(This is from my Reason for Being column in the September issue of Racer X Magazine.)

Roger De Coster has a very difficult set of decisions he has to make by the end of summer. The director of racing for the KTM North America Group, De Coster is also Team USA manager for this country’s annual entry in the FIM Motorcross of Nations, which will take place on October 6-7 in Ernee, France. Team USA is the defending champion in this “Olympics of Motocross,” having won it at RedBud last September with the trop of Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton (450s), and Justin Cooper. Earlier in the season it seemed like the obvious play for Team USA would be to bring all three riders back, but that’s no longer in the cards.

First, and most unfortunately, Tomac suffered an injury to his Achilles tendon that not only cost him another Monster Energy AMA Supercross title, it kept him from defending in AMA Pro Motocross or even participating in the new SuperMotocross World Championship in September. At this point no one knows for certain if the veteran Tomac is going to return to competition in 2024.

Next, Monster Energy/Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper informed De Coster that due to the fact that the FIM had moved the date of the race from its original October 20-21, he and his fiancée Jillian O’Grodnick had already locked down October 6 as their big wedding date, so he is not available for Team USA either.

Finally, there’s Sexton, the ’23 AMA Supercross Champion. It’s been a badly kept secret that he is leaving Honda HRC at the end of the season, and almost certainly headed to Red Bull KTM. His Honda deal takes him through September, and Honda would almost certainly extend him for an extra week if he wanted to ride for Team USA, but riders switching teams are often loathed to wait to do an extra race—even one as big as the MXON—when they have so much work to do in testing with their new team. So Sexton’s a question mark at best for one of Team USA’s two 450 entries.

So who else can De Coster turn to? It seemed like his own Red Bull KTM rider Cooper Webb might be a wise choice, but then midway through AMA Pro Motocross the team put out a surprise press release that they were severing ties immediately, rather than waiting for the off-season as planned. Webb hasn’t confirmed it, but he’s probably going to line up for the SMX Playoffs in September with his likely new team, Star Yamaha. He could be available for service, but would De Coster want him after such a tumultuous and sometimes acrimonious season?

There’s also Aaron Plessinger, but he’s been dealing with a back injury and has not been on top of his game. And Husqvarna’s Christian Craig and Malcolm Stewart have both been out for most of the season with injuries. 

Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson has ridden for Team USA twice before, and he even won a moto outright over the Dutch rider Jeffrey Herlings in 2016, but he’s also been hurt since April and is just getting back to the racetrack. At this point his teammate Adam Cianciarulo might make a better bet for De Coster.

There’s also Red Bull GasGas rider Justin Barcia, a veteran of Team USA, though unfortunately never on a winning one. He’s also coming off an injury he suffered in April at the Nashville SX, but he’s quietly let Team USA know he’d be there in a second.

Turning to the 250 Class, the rookie Haiden Deegan seems like the best bet after his popular win at the RedBud National, making him the first American to win a national this summer. He’s got the support from Star Yamaha, he’s got a great bike, and he definitely wants a shot. Closest to him as far as homegrown riders would be Husqvarna’s RJ Hampshire, but he honestly might make a better 450 rider for the race at this point, given the lack of available talent.

Like I said at the top, Roger De Coster has some big decisions to make here. Amazing that earlier this season we were talking about the dawn of another era of domination for Team USA, but now we’re just looking for three guys that will give us a fighting chance.

ITS TRICKY (Matthes)

Round Eight of the motocross series heads to the Pacific Northwest, then a much needed two-week break for the racers and teams. I can't tell you how many times, as a mechanic, we'd get to this race and the riders on the various teams I was on complained about their suspension, traction, and vision back in the trees. The riders are so used to the east coast stuff that the slick, harder-packed Washougal throws them for a loop. I can remember cutting tires here back in the day. Washougal is its own unique animal to the series and to me, a welcome one. We need variety in the series and this track offers that. You can't go balls-out at this place, it's measured, smooth power control here. Maybe one reason the "steer with the rear, hammer the throttle" riding style of hometown boy Ryan Villopoto only won once here. 

Speaking of hometown boys, Larry Ward is the grand marshal of the track this weekend and he'll be a guest at our 10-Barrel Yamaha live podcast show at the track around 7:30 tonight. Looking forward to talking with Big Bird, who moved away from WA pretty early in his pro career but won the Seattle SX twice, and got on the podium at Washougal as well. Yamaha had a little media opportunity today where they celebrated 50 years of the YZ model with some ex-factory guys hanging out. Then there's the Alpinestars ride day on Sunday for the media, where A-Stars will drop their 2024 riding gear. Busy weekend for everyone at Washougal and we couldn't ask for it to be in a better spot.

FLY FORMULA S (Matthes)

The guys at Fly Racing dropped a super cool update to their Formula helmets today. It's something they've been working on for a long time and are super proud of it, as they should be. So basically the Fly Formula S helmet comes equipped with their "S"mart technology and once you download the Fly S app, you can see that your helmet connects with Blutooth to your phone and enables you to track and analyze your crashes on the helmet. It's also got an emergency response and beacon built into it for when you're by yourself and crash (it'll call your emergency contacts, as well as alert the local medics), it's got ride analytics in it, and more. Super cool idea by the Fly guys and for, like, seven bucks a month you can get even more features. They'll have more features down the line, including connecting with most smart watches and actual lap times and stuff, but even right now, it's impressive. It's truly the launch of a "smart" helmet. 

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

Washougal is calling! This one was a mixed bag for me. The trip up to the PNW was long and arduous coming from Florida. The scenery once arriving though, was worth the haul. The humidity reduction and cool mornings were refreshing reminders that not all of Earth is a boiling inferno during the summer. I very much enjoyed the drive alongside the river and up into the Washougal area mountains. Life is better with variety, and for a kid born and raised in the Florida flatlands, this was a nice change of pace. 

The pendulum swung the other direction when it was time to go racing, though. The track gets hard and slippery, and roost absolutely pelts riders along the way. It was difficult to find comfort on the ever-hardening surface. Some likely excelled in the low traction environment but again, Florida roots run deep and I was constantly in search of a loamy berm to unload upon. Washougal rewards throttle control and tactful momentum. I was proficient in neither. 

The other difficulty that Washougal presents are the shadows created by the tree canopy. Several of the back sections are completely covered by trees. While beautiful, the contrast from bright sun to what feels like pitch black is incredibly difficult to adjust to. Riders are literally riding blind for a second or two while eyes catch up to the immediate loss of sunlight. Navigating ruts and bumps at speed is hard enough with vision, let alone without. As you watch Washougal this weekend and you see riders entering the shadowed areas of the track, know that riders can't see much if anything at all. 

Overall, Washougal is a great event. It has its challenges, sure, but I love the unique aspects of the venue. This championship should have differences to separate skill sets. To know who is truly superior, there should be several types of tests involved. Being able to adapt and employ new skills is what it's all about. Roll on, Washougal!

Ride Red (Keefer)

Matthes and I are headed to Washougal this weekend (albeit I won't be at the race Saturday) to ride Chase Sexton and Hunter Lawrence's factory Honda race machines! YES, that's right! Matthes will be riding a 250! Of course I am excited to ride a factory Honda, but what I am really excited about is to see how each rider likes their machines. This test isn't about what it does great or what it doesn't, but more about how each rider chooses to set up their machines. I have always been fascinated with little intricate details like Hunter's lever placement and why Chase's chassis setup is different than Jett's. Well, we will be able to break down all of this and more on Sunday, the day after the nationalm as we get to spend some time on these bikes at the 2024 Alpinestars Gear Launch Ride Day. We will have our hardworking guy, Kellen Brauer, behind the camera to get all the action and hopefully Matthes can throw down some heaters so he can show Lars and crew he is worthy of a factory bike come World Vets. Sunday, it goes down! 

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LVB FLIGHT 787 EP. 6 - ON THE PODIUM IN CANADA!

Can Jett Lawrence Complete the Perfect Season? | Bench Racer X