Phil’s Finale
Okay, Unadilla won’t be the final AMA Pro Motocross Championship race of Phil Nicolett’s career, but it will the site of his last hometown race. The Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha rider is from Cochecton, New York, which is less than two hours from Unadilla Raceway, so the contingent of local support for Nicoletti should be huge. Will this unique, hometown swan song scenario boost Nicoletti to his best result of the year? -Aaron Hansel
Roczen Returns
After bowing out of the end of supercross due to a broken tib plateau, foot, and toe, Ken Roczen will return to action this weekend at Unadilla in the 450 Class. Usually when a rider jumps into a season late the results aren’t great, but we’ve seen it work out differently for Roczen before. When he made a one-off appearance at High Point last year he led a ton of laps, something not many people other than Jett Lawrence were able to do in 2023 and finished second overall. Can Roczen be that competitive again at Unadilla? Who knows, but it’ll be fun to watch! -Hansel
Clawing Back
Washougal had the potential to be an extremely crucial race in the battle for the Pro Motocross 450 national championship and it delivered, although not in the way Hunter Lawrence would have liked. The Honda HRC rider had an off day at Washougal, going 5-4 four fourth overall, and gave up 15 valuable points to Chase Sexton, who now leads Lawrence by 28 points. Lawrence needs to get a chunk of points back at Unadilla or this thing will be out of his reach soon. -Hansel
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL  | 504 |
| 2 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 462 |
| 3 |  Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | 403 |
| 4 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 371 |
| 5 |  Jason Anderson | Edgewood, NM | 362 |
On the Verge
Aaron Plessinger has had some fantastic performances this season, and if it weren’t for that pesky teammate (Sexton) of his, Plessinger would definitely have a few more dollars in the bank. He had another extremely good moto going at Washougal, where he led the first 13 (of 16) laps before stalling his motorcycle and gifting the lead to Sexton. Sooner or later these rides are going to produce a win for Plessinger. Will it happen at Unadilla? -Hansel
Late Season Surge
Not all of Ryder DiFrancesco’s finishes have been great this year, and most of them have been outside the top ten. But as of late, the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas rider seems to have figured something out. He was fifth in the second moto at Spring Creek, and at Washougal he put in what is easily the best Pro Motocross performance of his pro career, going 4-6 for fourth overall. It wasn’t easy, either, as DiFrancesco had to battle all the way to the checkers, repassing Joey Savatgy on the final lap. If he keeps trending up, is there a chance we could see him on the podium at Unadilla? -Hansel
- Motocross
Unadilla
Saturday, August 10- QualifyingLiveAugust 10 - 10:00 AM
- QualifyingLiveAugust 10 - 10:00 AM
- MotosLiveAugust 10 - 1:00 PM
- MotosLiveAugust 10 - 1:00 PM
- Motos (Re-Air)August 12 - 2:00 AM
Surge X2
You can add Jo Shimoda’s name to the list of riders who are pinning it late in the season. Shimoda has been absolutely flying lately, and aside from a 35th in the second moto at Spring Creek, has been turning in his best results of the season, including a moto win at Southwick, in the second half of the summer. Shimoda doesn’t have an overall win yet this season, but if he gets good starts at Unadilla that could change. -Hansel
The Enduring End
Let’s face it, the battle for the 250 national championship, barring injury, is over. Haiden Deegan leads Tom Vialle by 54 points and isn’t slowing down. But, while Vialle’s title hopes are done for the summer, there’s still meat on the bone in the form of race wins. Vialle showed life at Washougal too, winning the first moto (his first moto win since Hangtown), and going 1-2 for second overall. Can he dress up his season by snagging a few wins in the homestretch? -Hansel
Thumbs Up
Of the three riders out of the 450MX Championship with thumb injuries (Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence, and Cooper Webb) it looks like Cooper Webb will be the first to return to action as he is signed up for Unadilla. Getting gate drops before the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) playoffs is the main goal, but how will he fair against the guys who have been racing all summer? -Sarah Whitmore
Green Machine
No you are not seeing things and you do not need to get your eyes checked, the #12 of Shane McElrath will in fact be on a green bike not a yellow one this weekend. He has parted ways with HEP Motorsports Suzuki and will be a part of the Madd Parts Kawasaki Team starting this weekend. Here’s hoping he remembers he has a start button or else he will be looking for the kickstarter for a while. -Whitmore
Break Or Brake
For most riders a two-weekend break in the schedule will give them some much needed time off. Whether they use it for a little R&R, or spend all of the time testing, each riders’ needs will be different for the break. Then there are the riders who were just starting to come into their own, and this break could literally stop their momentum. So, the question is, who will this break benefit the most? -Whitmore
