One of the biggest races of the year, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, took place over the weekend at the Matterley Basin Grand Prix track in the United Kingdom. There was plenty of excitement too, as Australia took their first MXoN victory and Team USA, who'd undergone a ton of last minute changes, stayed in the fight until the end to take second overall. To get a better understanding of everything that happened at this international event, we sent questions to former pro, Jason Thomas.
Pressure and nerves are things that often come up in conversations regarding the MXoN. But with Team USA undergoing so many last minute changes this year, they weren’t expected to go out and crush this event. Were things lighter for Team USA this time around, or was it still jitter city?
Jason Thomas: There are always jitters at this event but I do think there was a bit less pressure in 2024. The expectation of winning was not as prevalent and most fans were happy with the last minute efforts of all involved. That goodwill gave the team more of a, ‘Let’s go shock the world,’ attitude. There is usually a heaviness around the team due to such a storied legacy of success. That was replaced by light hearted excitement and in a word, fun. The will to win was the same but the “win or failure” mentality wasn’t as engrained.
If you had to liken Matterley Basin to any of America’s national tracks, which one would it be?
I put it somewhere in between Unadilla and High Point. The green grass contrast with the black, rutty dirt feels a lot like Unadilla. The slippery base with off-cambered corners has a bit of High Point to it, as well. It’s one of the more American style tracks of the MXGP regulars. It doesn’t have any incredibly unique aspects to it that American riders would find difficult to adapt to. Tracks like Lommel, Trentino, or Loket have their nuances that would take time to sort out. More time than a weekend would allow, anyway.
Was there any advantage for regular MXGP riders, or was the track, layout, and program pretty even?
Not as much as normal, as discussed above. This track is fairly easy to learn. The tougher conditions were on Saturday, but Sunday was more down the middle. I think some of the clever lines employed were an advantage (think Romain Febvre before the finish line, and Tim Gajser’s last ditch angle pass on Jett Lawrene ), due to hundreds of laps over the years, but overall, it was a pretty fair fight.
There was a short downhill section right out of the gate. How different is it launching downhill like that, and did you notice anyone struggling to adapt?
It’s more that it’s not what these guys practice upon that makes it difficult. Everything in this day and age is robotic when it comes to starts. The launch device is set to perfection, the ECU’s create the perfect fuel map for start execution, and riders don’t have to do much other than focus on their reflexes. The goal is to have a repeatable process time and time again. That downhill changes all of those variables a bit and adds more volatility to what is usually a rinse and repeat execution for the rider. The one change I would make if I was the rider would be to ensure a more forward lean as the bike dips down the hill. Taller riders are going to have an advantage there, as they will have more leverage due to their body length (it’s easier to lean over the front if you have more body to lean with), but no one ever said life is fair.
There was some rain throughout the day at Matterley Basin. How did the moisture affect the racing surface? Do you think it had an effect on outcome of any particular team?
It could have been so much worse, like in 2017. It made it a bit slicker than it otherwise would have been, but the bigger problem was vision. There were so many goggle problems it would be easier to list the riders who didn’t have an issue. The rain and sticky mud caused roll-off film to stick, and some even had busted canisters due to the lime rock coming up throughout the afternoon.
Cooper Webb was back on a 250 for the first time in years and went 17-9. How’d he look on the little bike?
He got progressively better as the weekend went on. Logically, that makes sense, too. He found a more comfortable setting on Sunday and started to push the 250 in the ways it wants to be ridden. I would venture a guess that eight years of 450 habits are hard to break in a couple of weeks. That second moto top-ten ride was a huge reason that Team USA was in the fight. For him to swallow his pride and eat roost all weekend, knowing it was going to be a frustrating experience, says a lot about who Cooper Webb is.
Jorge Prado went 4-14. Were you expecting more from him? If so, what do you think was holding him back?
I was. One of two things happened there. He either struggled with the conditions or he had an emotional low after the weight of winning his second MXGP title was lifted. He didn’t have the typical burst that he usually does and really had nothing to fight back with. I’ve watched him race all season and that was the flattest performance of his campaign. I would guess he struggled to find any intensity after months of championship stress.
What’d you think of Kyle Webster’s performance? With teammates like Hunter and Jett Lawrence, the pressure on Webster had to have been immense.
He needed one heroic moto and he did it. That first moto of the day, he got the start and fought valiantly for an 11th. If Jett or Hunter had faltered at all, it would have looked very differently with his final moto being a struggle, but having one strong one was a must. The MX2 class is often where the podium is made or lost, the score variance can be brutal with poor starts and less experienced riders. Webster had to get it done and he did just that.
Recommended Reading
Tue Oct 8 Plessinger: "I Don't Want to Talk About My Riding Too Much. I Just Want to Say Thank You to These Two." 
Tue Oct 8 The Proud Warrior 
Mon Oct 7 Team USA Scores Second Overall at Motocross of Nations 
Mon Oct 7 "An all-out Transatlantic war that saw both riders taking maximum risks for supremacy!" Were you surprised Tim Gajser put such an aggressive move on Jett Lawrence and the end of the final moto? Was it close enough that it had the potential to end in disaster for both of them?
I was surprised but for Gajser, he truly had nothing to lose. He lost the MXGP title in Spain a week prior after the Chinese round went completely off the rails. He must have been bursting at the seams with frustration that needed to be expressed. When Jett made a few mistakes in the final lap, Gajser didn’t hesitate. I believe Jett felt he had more room than he did, not knowing that Gajser was going for absolute broke on that final lap. The window was very small but big enough to cram a works CRF450 into it.
As for potential disaster, that’s a fair assessment. If Gajser mistimes that, they are both on the ground. Australia possibly loses (depending on how quickly Jett can remount), and Honda loses the 1-2 spots in the race. I understand Gajser’s motivation but if I’m Australia, Jett, or HRC, I would have mixed feelings on how all of that transpired. As a fan of the race with no vested interest, though, it was incredibly entertaining! Narrow misses are almost always a part of legendary races and this was no different.
