The fifth round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship took place over the weekend on the sands of Southwick, and while the results up front were no surprise, the action still left us with plenty of questions. For answers we tapped former pro and NBC on-track analyst, Jason Thomas.
Southwick is a sand track, but the amount of sand has varied over the years. What was the sand quantity like this year, and how did that affect how the track shaped up?
They have been bringing in sand to return Southwick to the softer, rougher Southwick of old. Rains precluded the 2024 event from seeing that sand play a role but this year was different. There were sections that were much softer than recent years due to the additional sand. Not everywhere saw this effect, and some areas got hard and choppy, but overall, I thought this was a great version of a legendary racetrack. If you go back and watch YouTube of Southwick in the 90’s, it has slow, rolling sand bumps as well as fast, choppy straightaways. Those characteristics are reminiscent of 2025.
The color of the racing surface varied from darker soil to light soil. What do those colors indicate about the dirt in those spots, and how do riders handle that data?
The brighter areas are drier and softer. They’re almost “fluffy” and riders have to be attentive to how the bike will get deep in that softness. The darker sections have more moisture and are harder based. All riders with sand experience know this visual tip-off and will choose lines accordingly. Further, the darker spots will have sharper bumps which needs to be considered late in a moto when riders are desperately searching for smooth lines.
There are lappers at every round, but at Southwick it sure seemed like the leaders were ripping by lappers at an astounding pace. Is there an even larger separation between the top tier and the bottom twenty at Southwick?
It’s very difficult to carry speed across deep sand. Momentum is at a premium because rolling off the throttle will basically bring you to a standstill. So the visual representation of those with pace and those without will be more stark. Also, the lappers are simply less fit than the leaders. That’s just the nature of motocross and by the time the leaders are into the lappers, many of the back markers are absolutely smoked. What would be a six-second per lap advantage when both tiers are full bore could easily be ten-plus when fatigue sets in.
Southwick is insanely rough, and that takes a physical toll. What areas of fitness are especially tested at Southwick? Is strength or cardio more important?
It’s all of the above. It’s tougher to go fast in sand and unless you’re a freak show sand guru, the toll is higher. For most, the muscle fatigue is where it’s felt. Riders are fighting the motorcycle more as it won’t just coast around like it would on hard packed surfaces. Almost every rider would wake up a little more sore on Sunday than normal. If you’re looking for a specific area of emphasis, the lower back takes an oversized dose of torture in sand and would be hurting for most. Muscle wise, quads and overall leg fatigue is very common as riders try to stand around almost the entire racetrack.
Tom Vialle still hasn’t gotten a win yet this season but he looked like he was being more aggressive at Southwick, where he went 3-3 for second overall. What’d you think of how he attacked the track on Saturday?
That first moto was phenomenal. His charge was the best we have seen of Vialle in 2025. The second moto lull is normal, though, as that burst takes more to produce than most realize in the moment. When Tom wanted to get going in moto two, his body just didn’t have that fire that he had an hour or two prior. I have felt this many times and why I proposed it as a possible reason for the lesser intensity in the second moto. The mind is saying, 'Let’s goooo,' but the body is struggling to repeat that last one percent of fire. It’s often why you see riders lay up at the end of the first moto if they can. They want to save that violent burst if they can.
Haiden Deegan went from Southwick being a weak link in 2023, to being really good in 2024, then mind blowing in 2025. He’s getting good at an astonishing rate. Do races like this make you wonder how high his ceiling might be?
He’s taken a huge, monumental step in the sand. I appreciate he and his team’s dedication to mitigating weak spots in his repertoire. Who knows if he will always be able to fill the gap in a place of weakness but they’re dead set on doing just that. His starts are better, his sand skills are better, his fitness is elite, and his confidence is peaking. I still believe he has another step to take to battle with the 450 contenders, but he has time until that needs to be proven out. The key is to continue improving. If the goal is Jett Lawrence, he needs to stay on this path and not get complacent. He’s easily the best 250 guy but the top five 450 guys would also be the same.
We’ve seen Eli Tomac get trapped into settling into the pace of the rider in front of him when he needs to get around and go after the leaders. Did you see any of that happening with Tomac at Southwick?
Oh yes, this is a thing now. It happened at Thunder Valley, High Point, and again at Southwick. He looks to have pace to push forward and when he gets stifled, he falls into the pace of those he’s trying to pass. It’s a very common theme in racing but historically, Tomac has been able to simply break out of that and go “beast mode” when needed. Whether it’s age or lack of comfort or the other riders are simply better, that’s not for me to decide. What is easy to see, though, is that he’s struggling to clear riders when he very much needs to.
Is it demoralizing for a guy like Tomac to be getting beat by nearly half a minute at a track that he’s especially good at?
I was watching him very closely when he pulled into the tent after each moto. I wanted to try to glean his raw emotion before there is time to compose oneself. He didn’t look too angry or demoralized. I think he just accepted the fact that he wasn’t able to do what his mind was telling him to do. He’s 32 now and that comes with level headedness. I am sure he is burning with desire to win but when you watch the leader systematically pull away, what can you really do or say? He was within the top seven on both starts and would have been able to see Jett on the first lap. At some point, you just shrug your shoulders and understand that your pace wasn’t quite good enough that day.
On the same vein as the question above, Jett Lawrence looked like he had a more intensity than usual on Saturday. Is it possible he rode with extra enthusiasm in an attempt to shut Tomac down on one of Tomac’s stronger tracks?
I do think there is some of that but I also think he is getting closer to, or arrived at 100 percent strength and form again. The weekend off allowed his body to fully recover and that’s a godsend when you’re chasing recovery from an injury. I think we saw what a fully fit Jett looks like and that is a very scary thing for anyone with hopes of beating him. It may not look the same as MC, RC, JS, or whoever, but we are watching greatness. Make no mistake about that.
Who was riding Jorge Prado’s bike at Southwick? It sure didn’t look like the same rider we saw on that bike at the first four rounds! Prado was exponentially better at Southwick! How can this be explained?
This was finally Jorge Prado, that’s it. I would phrase the question in the opposite manner. Who was riding his bike at the first four rounds? This was much closer to the Prado I have watched for a decade. Speed, starts, prowess, it was all there. He didn’t finish the deal but this was a huge step. He needed this on so many levels. His confidence was completely shot. Just being able to see the leaders and match pace likely did more for him than anything else in years. I think he was frustrated with not being able to close on the potential but man, I thought this was a huge coup.
