We fired off questions to long-time pro Jason Thomas to get his take on Unadilla’s round of Pro Motocross, from Jett Lawrence’s strategy to Dylan Ferrandis’ improvement, Justin Cooper’s bad and good day, and much more. Here’s JT after a day of reporting from the race track.
Unadilla is known for its ruts, and as usual, they looked nasty on the broadcast. How tough is it to try to navigate them at race pace, and do 450 riders attack them differently than 250 riders?
It’s strange for me to think about Unadilla being known for ruts. This track has undergone so many changes over its history. Fifty years ago, this track was known for its grassy loam that turned into rolling bumps. That slowly transitioned into a rocky, hard base that riders skated across with trepidation. That sketchy surface is how I remember Unadilla but around a decade ago, it changed once again. Topsoil was reintroduced and the rutty Unadilla we now know is here.
As for how to attack the track, it is a tricky ask. This track doesn’t reward outright aggression. Precision and carried momentum are the preferred themes. Staying in the middle of ruts so that the rear wheel isn’t climbing the side (and losing traction) is also very important. All of those require small input from the riders. Less braking, less hard acceleration, more continuance of established momentum. That’s a hard style to execute but also wildly effective if achieved.
Speaking of classic Unadilla, it’s always been known for being a rocky track, but it didn’t seem like that was much of a factor this time around. Have riders gotten better at combatting the rocks, or is Unadilla not quite as rocky as it used to be?
The organizers have done a good job of filtering rocks. The rocks have been removed over time and that’s purely out of effort and dedication. The damage that those rocks can do when flung from the rear tire of a 450 can not be understated. I’ve seen goggle lenses blown to bits, helmet visors broken and ejected, and number plates broken in half. That’s not to mention the thousands of bruises sustained by riders’ arms and exposed areas. Any effort to lower the rock count is noticeable and appreciated.
Not quite the day Justin Barcia, who went 40-14 for 19th, was probably hoping for in his return to racing. How hard is it to rebound and get back in the game for the second moto when you DNF your first moto back?
The simple fact is that Barcia was not ready yet. He knew it coming in but he also realized that there is no better preparation than going through the race day evolution. If you are willing to swallow your pride and understand it’s going to be a hard day, there is a lot to gain. He hasn’t done many, if any, long motos yet, so there wasn’t any reason to think he would have a great day at his home race. He will progress quickly, though, and I would expect him inside the top ten by Ironman. His muscle memory will kick in and talent will prevail.
Jett Lawrence came into Unadilla with both the 450 national championship, and a perfect season, on the line. Did you notice the pressure of either affect the way he rode, or did it seem to be business as usual to you?
I didn’t notice any real change. I don’t think he sees Unadilla as a strong track for himself, so he was likely managing the situation as it came. At a track where he feels confident, I think we would see him pushing the envelope a bit more and try to stretch his lead. On tracks where he doesn’t have the best resume, he seems to do just enough to get the job done. Washougal and Unadilla were both examples of situational management and yet again, perfect execution.
Time and time again we’ve seen Lawrence withstand immense pressure from Chase Sexton, and Unadilla was no different. Who do you think is learning more in these situations? Is Lawrence benefitting from Sexton’s pressure, or is Sexton learning from having to chase someone with seemingly limitless speed?
I think Jett is learning more than Chase at this point. Chase took Eli Tomac the distance last summer and nearly won the whole thing. He has more experience than Jett and is 3-4 years older. For Jett, every race is his first appearance there on a 450. He’s learning how the bike responds and how to generate the most from himself. He’s also exploring where his ceiling may be. He’s overcoming different types of challenges both physically and mentally. It’s truly remarkable how versatile his skill set is. We are watching greatness. That doesn’t mean he can’t be beat, it simply means that he won’t be beat often.
Do you like what you’re seeing from Jason Anderson? A fourteenth in the first moto isn’t great, but that was in part due to a first-turn crash, and he came back swinging to take fourth in the second moto.
He’s nearly back to full speed and fitness now. The same process that Justin Barcia will undergo is the one that Anderson is emerging from. I don’t think that’s good enough to deal with the likes of Sexton or Jett (and maybe this version of Dylan) but he will be a solid top 5 guy through the final four motos. It’s reminiscent of Anderson late in 2022 where he was great but the gap to Sexton and Tomac was too large to navigate.
Justin Cooper was clearly a better rider in the second moto than the first. Can his improvement be attributed completely to the team taking the steering stabilizer (or whatever it was) off his bike? It seemed to make a drastic difference. Can you really not know the viability of a part like this without testing it in an actual race?
As he mentioned in the post-race show, he felt like the possible upside performance of trying that new electronic steering assist/stabilizer was worth the risk. He took a shot and it didn’t work out. The tough part is that tracks in Florida are absolutely nothing like what Unadilla presented. It’s difficult to replicate those conditions anywhere, really. The ruts, rocks, and varying degrees of traction make Unadilla a unique beast, so what felt good on Wednesday simply didn’t work on Saturday. The rub here will be if the title is decided by five or so points. Then we will have to look back on that choice with much more scrutiny.
Haiden Deegan didn’t have the same speed in the second moto as he did in the first and finished tenth. Was there anything you saw about his riding that could have caused this, or was it simply a matter of dealing with the mental challenge of suffering a mechanical DNF in the first moto and knowing the title is now probably out of reach?
It had to be tough mentally, but he also started on the very outside gate and had terrible track positioning in the opening laps. That was the biggest factor, as starting with the 38th gate pick is tough to overcome. Remember, Hunter Lawrence had a tough second moto at Southwick after his bike broke and handed him a bad gate pick. Haiden has never raced Unadilla before, so he was learning the track’s tendencies as the day progressed. I believe he would have struggled in the first moto, also, had he not been able to lock onto Hunter’s lines. When he was surrounded by 10-15th place guys in moto 2, he wasn’t able to find the leader’s pace like he did the first time out. That’s a typical outcome of a first visit. He will learn from it and be much better there in 2024.
Dylan Ferrandis seemed happier with his bike over the weekend, and he looked quicker. Did he look more comfortable to you out there, or do you think there was something about Unadilla that just suited his style?
He mentioned on the podium after the first moto that they made big strides with the motorcycle. He seemed to have much more front end confidence and it showed. Dylan is a rider that needs to have everything just right to unlock his potential. He can be a top five guy when battling settings but when everything is perfect, he can win. That first moto charge was a reminder of who he can be.
