It. Is. On.
At this point it’s a good thing Jett Lawrence hasn’t lost any motos yet because the “will-he-or-won’t-he” is the main source of excitement in the 450 Class right now. J. Lawrence has yet to appear flustered this summer, and he’s won every moto, seemingly with ease. That said, Chase Sexton is getting closer, and at Washougal, he dogged him deep into the second moto before stalling his bike and going down. Up until that point it was one of the most exciting motos of the summer, and regardless of what the results look like at the end of the day, we’re all winners if things get tight like that again at Unadilla. -Aaron Hansel
Championship Math
In other Jett Lawrence news, he’s probably going to wrap up the title this weekend at Unadilla. Only Dylan Ferrandis and Aaron Plessinger are still technically in this fight, but really, they ain’t in this fight. Jett Lawrence’s lead over Ferrandis is currently 95 points, so if he puts an additional five points on Ferrandis at Unadilla, which he most likely will, it’s over. He’ll also have to somehow figure out a way to avoid giving up 21 points to Plessinger, but something tells us that won’t be a problem. Look for the #18 to seal this thing up at Unadilla. -Hansel
Barcia’s Back
After missing the first eight rounds of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship due to a complicated collarbone injury, Justin Barcia will make his return to racing this weekend at Unadilla. It’s unlikely he’ll be a factor up front, as he hasn’t raced since the Nashville Supercross, and expecting him to immediately match the unreal pace being set by Jett Lawrence and Sexton is unrealistic. Then again, Barcia will never cheat you on effort, and if he gets a holeshot, who knows what he’ll do! -Hansel
Anyone’s Guess
If you’re trying to predict how Aaron Plessinger will do at Unadilla, don’t bother. He’s had moments this summer where he looked like he was better than most, and he’s had moments in which it looked like he was struggling. Even at the last round at Washougal, afterward he joked that he was considering quitting after the first moto because he felt he was riding so bad. Then he went out and led multiple laps in the second moto and finished third! About the only thing we can be sure of is, if he ends up on the podium at Unadilla the crowd is going to go nuts, just like they do every time the cowboy gets on the box. -Hansel
And Then There Were Three
Points, that is. Hunter Lawrence, who once had a huge lead on the 250 championship before DNF’ing a pair of motos, now leads Haiden Deegan by just three points with six motos remaining. H. Lawrence, a vet in the class who isn’t prone to getting rattled, likely isn’t worried. After all, he’s demonstrated he is indeed the best in the class right now, and even after some horrible luck, he still leads! On the other hand, Deegan’s speed has been incredible, and just about the only thing that is just as impressive is his fitness. Be it lap one or lap 15, it doesn’t seem to matter to Deegan—he’s all gas, all the time! No matter what happens, this is going to be an incredible battle to keep track of. -Hansel
Mr. Runner Up
Getting somewhat overshadowed by the H. Lawrence/Deegan battle this summer is Justin Cooper. The guy has been very, very good, moto after moto, but somehow still finds a way to end up in second. In fact, he’s been second overall in five of the season’s eight races! The consistency is incredible, but if you’re Cooper, it’s probably starting to get a bit old. A win would also help Cooper, who sits 19 points back of Lawrence, strengthen his shot at a championship. Can Cooper break through and get it done at Unadilla? -Hansel
Back on Track
For a minute, things were really starting to look up for Tom Vialle. The Red Bull KTM rider’s results were trending upward, and after greatly boosting his confidence with an overall victory at Southwick, he seemed as if he was on the brink of unleashing some serious pain on the 250 class. It hasn’t panned out that way, however. He went 6-5 at Spring Creek, then crashed hard in the first moto at Washougal and didn’t line up for the second. Fortunately for Vialle, Unadilla is known has having a Euro feel to it, making it a great place for the two-time FIM MX2 Motocross World Champion to get back to his winning ways. -Hansel
New Kids On The Block
It's the first race after Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National which means riders will be making their pro debuts. Among the graduates are Daxton Bennick, Matti Jorgensen, Bryce Shelly, and Nicolas Israel. Even though technically the first three all raced one or two rounds to get ready for Loretta’s, now they are full time in the pro ranks. Look for more graduates to join for the final two rounds. -Sarah Whitmore
Mixing It Up
With the second motos airing live on NBC this weekend, and a chance for Jett Lawrence to wrap up the 450MX title early, the 450 class will be racing first this weekend. For the most part, the 250MX class has been more exciting to watch this summer anyways, and with the close points race in that class, it will bring the anticipation right up to the end of the day. -Whitmore
- Motocross
Unadilla
Saturday, August 12- QualifyingLiveAugust 12 - 10:00 AM
- QualifyingLiveAugust 12 - 10:00 AM
- 450 Class Moto 1LiveAugust 12 - 1:00 PM
- 450 Class Moto 1LiveAugust 12 - 1:00 PM
- 250 Class Moto 1LiveAugust 12 - 2:00 PM
- 250 Class Moto 1LiveAugust 12 - 2:00 PM
- 450 Class Moto 2LiveAugust 12 - 3:00 PM
- 450 Class Moto 2LiveAugust 12 - 3:00 PM
- 450 Class Moto 2LiveAugust 12 - 3:00 PM
- 250 Class Moto 2LiveAugust 12 - 4:00 PM
- 250 Class Moto 2LiveAugust 12 - 4:00 PM
- Monday Re-AirAugust 14 - 2:00 AM
R&R
Following Washougal the riders had a two-week break, the longest break since supercross started at Anaheim 1. Before the break riders said they were going to use it one of two ways; those coming back from injury tended to say they would use the break for bike testing and getting faster. Those who have been racing non-stop since January said they were going to give their bodies a much-needed rest, at least for part of it. Look for riders to have recovered and to come out swinging this weekend. -Whitmore
Bonus: New Faces on the U.S. Block
Amongst the recent Loretta Lynn’s graduates racing this weekend, we also have to note some overseas riders this weekend: Estonians Tanel Leok and Harri Kullas, as well as Austrailian Jay Wilson. Kullas told us at press day he is in for these final three rounds of Pro Motocross, as Leok (38 years old) is just in for this weekend—both crossing off a bucket list item of racing one Pro Motocross event in the U.S. Wilson, an Aussie who moved to Japan, is announced as a fill-in rider for Eli Tomac for the final three rounds. In a season with lots of new faces in the top 20, could these overseas riders find themselves in the mix as well? -Mitch Kendra
