The AMA Pro Motocross Championship is finally here. Round one kicked off over the weekend at Fox Raceway with Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan both going 1-1. But anyone who saw the race knows there was so much more excitement that went into the day. So, we sent over a list of questions over to retired racer turned pit reporter, Jason Thomas, to cover the battles, track, weather and anything else you might want to know from Pala.
The temperature was fantastic at the season opener, with conditions far milder than normal. How did these conditions contribute to how the track shaped up? Did it tend to hold moisture better?
It did help but this track is a difficult one to maintain in prime condition. Even with low temps, the ruts hardened in the back section and created a treacherous racetrack for the second motos. The base at Fox Raceway is incredibly hard so when the topsoil blows off the main line or hardens under the sun, that dynamic dominates. Being completely honest, this is not a track that I would enjoy riding on or be efficient on. It looks like a land mine ready to pop up and take you down at any moment.
Same question as above, but with rider performance. How much easier is it to go harder, longer, for 30+2 when the sun isn’t baking you?
It’s much, much easier. When it’s really hot, riders are simply trying to get through the second moto. The emphasis changes from raw speed to just maintaining a competitive race pace. Conditions like Saturday allow riders to just empty the tanks on intensity. The only caveat is that it was the first round and riders aren’t at peak fitness or acclimation yet. If weather like that landed in August, it would be full sprint for most of the moto without any hesitation.
Haiden Deegan gapped Levi Kitchen pretty quickly after Kitchen had to slow down late in the first moto to dislodge a track marker from his boot. Do you think Deegan would have been able to make the pass if that track marker hadn’t been a factor?
I think it would have been tough. Kitchen hadn’t really shown any weakness and didn’t have a glaring slow spot on the racetrack. It’s impossible to know and maybe Deegan just gets wildly aggressive but if I had to choose, I would guess Kitchen hangs onto it.
In Deegan’s podium interview, he said he’s been training with Kitchen for years, and that he knew he was going to fade a little and that he’d get him at the end. Do you think that’s actually true, or was it a bit of gamesmanship on Deegan’s part?
It’s likely more of the latter but there’s no doubt that he knows Kitchen’s prior tendencies. The funny thing about fading is that it isn’t a constant. Kitchen has fundamentally changed everything in his program and is having his best year ever. To think he would be exactly the same rider he was before is not prudent, but Deegan knows how to press buttons, too. If Kitchen did have that tendency, maybe Deegan could plant a thought mole that will eat at Kitchen down the road. I always assume that anything said in a podium interview is not to be taken lightly. It is easy to just give a vanilla sentence and thank sponsors so when riders branch out from that and give real info, take note. There’s likely a reason.
Joey Savatgy had some bad luck in the second moto when he went down in the first turn, but he was tremendous in the first moto, taking fifth and nearly getting Chance Hymas for fourth. What were you expecting of him, and how did that first moto stack up to what you thought he’d do?
I thought he would be a podium contender. The amount of prep he had for this series far surpasses anyone else. The question marks were with a new motorcycle in new conditions. I am sure they learned a ton on Saturday about how the motorcycle will react when pushed to the limit under changing conditions. Joey will be up front soon enough. His speed in qualifying showed me all I needed to see. The real question will be whether or not he can sustain a true championship effort.
Chase Sexton put in a tremendous charge in the first moto after going down early and having another problem later in the moto to take fourth. What’d you think of his moto?
Chase is phenomenally good at Fox Raceway. He’s great everywhere but I believe that track to be one of his best. His issues in the first moto were a real bummer because it robbed us of a fight for the overall win. He battled hard to get back to 4th but if you offered him a 4th before that first moto, there’s not a chance on God’s green earth that he would be ok with that. He’s miles better than 4th and everyone knows it.
The second-moto battle between Jett Lawrence and Sexton was unreal, with Sexton showing amazing grit to not let Lawrence get away. Do you think we finally saw Lawrence get pushed to his limit in this one?
I think it was a mirror image of 2023. Sexton could stay with Jett but just didn’t find a way to get the job done. Chase is still searching for that breakthrough moto. It’s going to happen if he keeps the pressure on, but the problem is that the championship might be an afterthought if he can’t do it early and often. Sexton is incredibly gifted and likely in or near his prime. To think we have to speak poorly of that in light of Jett is a tough thing to square. The pace that those two had in moto two was nothing short of spectacular.
On the broadcast you noticed a jump section that Jett Lawrence found a line that nobody else was doing. What was so special about that line? Were there benefits other than the added speed?
In a word, everything was special about it. He was using so much body english to wheelie and then lift from the rear wheel to get that height. No one else even tried to do what he was doing. When everyone sees something is faster yet no one else even tries it, that is more defining that I could ever put into words. It wasn’t that it was incredibly dangerous, it was just not a jump that most could ever put together. Jett is winning in many ways but his ability to find time in unexpected areas is just another coup.
Aaron Plessinger took off after Jett Lawrence with urgency in that first moto. Was that just early sprint speed or was he trying specifically not let Lawrence get away like he has so often in the past?
He was going for it! His comments before the race (on Thursday) led me to believe he thinks he can win. I was surprised to hear the confidence but realistically, what is he supposed to say or think? He has to believe in himself or why would anyone else? I was impressed by his early speed and that bodes well for this season. I don’t believe that’s an “AP track” so he might have some serious speed when we get to a location he is able to really lean into things.
