When Ironman Raceway debuted on the circuit in 2014, it was universally loved by everyone. Well, it took a few years to get good weather at the event, but eventually it began to show itself as a really good track. So much so that I remember thinking that maybe, just maybe, RedBud’s status as everyone’s favorite track was in jeopardy. But the recent changes in track prep have started to kill the Ironman vibe. With the upcoming Motocross of Nations, the start has been changed, they took Godzilla out for VIP viewing (again for MXoN), they removed the big tabletop in the back, they shortened it for some reason, the new section in the woods kind of sucks, and yeah, many of the riders were saying it just wasn’t as good as it used to be.
I understand the lap time thing because of TV cameras, cabling, the number of cameramen needed, and all that—like, you just can’t do 3-minute lap times or longer like back in the day, but 2:30 seems okay, yeah? Why do we have to cut out the track to make it so damn close to 2-minute lap times?
[Editor's note: I asked about this and here's what I learned. The general idea is adding 20 percent more race track means 20 percent more track to maintain in the short window the track crew gets, plus 20 percent more cameras, cables and all that stuff you mentioned. The worst part is that TV time starts getting really short for podium interviews depending on when the 2-lap card comes out. So that's why the Nationals shoot for a time around 2 minutes. A 2:30 lap would make a significant difference depending on when the 2-lap card comes out and make the race much longer.
To me what happened here was the woods section was built to give fans a place to go over on the other side of the track, and again that's for MXoN where they expect a massive crowd. The woods section added time to the lap, so they cut out other sections to make up for it. Unfortunately, the riders don't seem to like the woods section as much as the section that got cut out. But the track wants to have multiple pockets where fans can watch, because before all the spectating was basically on one hillside. So I get the concept of wanting to add in some track over by the woods to add more spectator zones. Good concept...but the execution of it didn't result in any passing.-Weege]
And while I’m ranting, why do we have to change our starts to accommodate the MXDN? Who died and decided that MXGP starts with 180-degree turns and a pit lane next to the start was the BEST way to build a moto-x track? We have to use their fuel, their sound, their safety measures, etc., for this race, and we also have to change our awesome track? Like, can we compromise here, Infront?
[Apparently, no. If you want the MXoN, you have to go by MXoN standards.-- Weege]
The heat and humidity were tough. Like, I’ve been to 673 nationals in my life or whatever, and I’ve been to some that were INSANELY hot. I didn’t think this one stood out over some of the RedBud, Millville, and Budds Creek races I’ve been to where I thought I was gonna pass out, but maybe this week I just wasn’t in the sun much or didn’t walk as much as usual (still got in over 7,000 steps). But for whatever reason, when I was talking to riders at the end of the day, I didn’t think I would hear so much about how tough it was for them.
But it was! All the riders were hurting, which was a bit wild for me for reasons above and also because they’re coming off a two-week break, but hey, Ironman MX 2025 was tough!
I’m stoked for Hunter Lawrence to get his first 450MX overall. It’s been a long time coming, and this win will be lost in the drama of Jett’s penalty and Sexton’s crash, but hey, his check will cash, and this will be in the record books. Hunter’s been so close a bunch, as we know about his podium consistency since he’s moved up. I was a bit surprised he got caught in the first moto; he had a big lead halfway through it, but in talking to him afterward, he admitted that the heat got to him. He had to dig deep in moto two to get Tomac; he got closer, ET stalled it, and he snuck by. As I mentioned, the riders all had to really gut this one out; it was a hot one!
Yeah, Chase Sexton. I dunno man. Great moto the first time out as he passed everyone, but Jett, to take the win. His speed and fitness were, as usual, great, and he looked awesome. In the second moto, we saw what happened, and he walked off the track probably wondering WTF yet again. Kudos to KTM for being pretty transparent in its PR, saying Chase had developed a rear brake problem from debris on the track, which led to him launching off the single. It seems like he grabbed the front brake (not advised to do this in the air, BTW), and the crash jammed the front brake plunger, which led to what happened after. I mean, not too bad info, right? Either way, this led to Sexton dropping his bike and walking off the track. It also led to his motorhome leaving the track very early, as I imagine he split right afterward. Tough day for Sexton yet again leaves us shaking our heads at his misfortune, wondering how it all happened.
We all saw what Jett Lawrence did at the start, and also, we saw the penalty. The AMA has been trying to clean up the rule book for a while now, and we’ve seen improvements with the jumping on a red flag and red flag restarts at the nationals that, in taking a common-sense approach, have been fixed. This is another rule that will, I predict, get rewritten for next year. The draconian penalty of a DQ or a full lap penalty for fouling a gate off the start is worse than what guys get if they just hit the gate and rip it out. THAT deserves those penalties.
What Jett did definitely deserved a penalty, but not a full lap. He hit the gate, he hesitated, he went, and he came out mid-pack or worse. Then he did his thing to get to third. The AMA's punishment does not fit the crime here, and I and many others (including people at MX Sports, who does not enforce the rules) think that will be fixed for 2026.
But also, how about that brief Jett and Chase Sexton battle in moto one that saw Chase emerge as victorious? Two riders going at it for a brief second, charging into turns, moving over on the other guy—that was pretty cool racing there!
[Editor's note: The best part of that battle was in the pitlane/new start mandated by Infront and the MXoN. I kinda like it!-- Weege]
Also, in case you didn’t notice, Lawrence has now LOST two nationals in a row for the first time in his career. I remember for, like, years, James Stewart had never lost a SX that he didn’t crash in, and we all just stopped counting at one point. Then it happened with more frequency. I’m not saying that’s going to happen here, but we have history being made: TWO losses in a row for Jett Lawrence!
Eli Tomac’s first moto was a disaster as he led early and looked great but faded back to seventh. Afterwards, we found out that his pants broke and also, he was feeling a bit under the weather. With his good second moto, you have to think the pants deserve the majority of the blame for his move back to seventh, right? Also, in typical rider stuff, he didn’t want anyone to know that he wasn’t feeling great. So the media and fans were wondering as he dropped back in the first moto. Was this just a bad day like Millville or...? Somehow, Eli did find time about ten minutes after the moto to send me a tweet me, though. Stoked he pays attention to my attendance at the races, TBH.
RJ Hampshire did it. We’ve been talking about his ascension towards the front now for a bit. From Pala (where admittedly he was still battling a wrist issue) to this round, he’s gotten so much better. Great work for RJ to get on the box here, and yeah sure, Chase and Jett had some issues, but whatever, man. This has been a long time coming when you look at his improvement this season, and heck, also how long he had to wait for his chance on a 450.
Hampshire told me he got some forks that they’ve been using over in MXGP, and they’ve helped a lot with fading. His bike balance is now off, though, because the shock needs to be worked on to make him 100 percent happy, but whatever is going on there with the #24, it’s all good as he’s risen up the ranks.
In the 250s, it was the Deegs, Shimoda, and Vialle show. Vialle kind of rode by himself, going 3-3, while Deegs hunted down Shimoda in moto one in impressive fashion. Deegs was great in winning Ironman for the first time, and really, although Shimoda went 2-2, he kept up his impressive run over the last month or so.
Lars Lindstrom, in a rare interview, told me after the race that Jo’s got an HRC contract in front of him; they want him back, and hopefully, he signs soon. I’m not sure what the holdup is, other than a path to the 450s. At Honda Jo can do his own gear deal, his own energy drink deal, and that means he can make the most money. And he’s got a great team and bike…what am I missing here? Let’s get this deal done, Jo!
Some other news and notes:
- Levi Kitchen is fourth overall in the points—not bad, right? He’s also got four overall podiums, which is good. But why does it not seem like a good MX season for our friend Kitch? I suppose looking at the laps led, which is zero, is one reason. He had a weird Ironman, crashed in the first moto while up there, then in the second moto went backwards off the start and regrouped for a strong finish, passing a bunch of guys that passed him early. Weird deal for Levi and a weird outdoor season also, in my opinion.
- Hey, look at that! Jorge Prado had a good race! Fifth overall on the day for the Kawasaki rider, and he actually passed people and went forward. He credited some new bike settings for his day, he seemed happier, and the Kawasaki guys I talked to were happy. There’s never been a better fifth overall by a rider ever, right? This probably felt like a win for everyone.
- Dylan Ferrandis, Malcolm Stewart, and Justin Barcia passed a lot of riders all day in both motos. Factory riders are gonna do factory rider things. Good to see Ferrandis back after missing all the nationals so far. He rode pretty well.
- Drew Adams set a career-best finish with fifth overall, coming off his career-best at Washougal, so that was good to see. Drew said that having ridden Ironman last year definitely helped him out. Also, he mentioned that he didn’t really get that tired out there. #kids. Garrett Marchbanks has re-signed with PC for next year, so we can stop the #GarrettWatch we were on. He had a good day again, although he faded late in moto two and said he couldn’t really remember the last few laps out there. He said that he probably rode too hard on Friday press day, and it caught up to him out there.
- As Mike B from ClubMX pointed out on the PulpMX Show the other night, Maximus Vohland has been really good this year and under the radar as well. Vohland has defied the odds both indoors and out with his hand brake he uses, and what was once a career that was in question is back on the up.
Thanks for reading OBS; we’re onto Unadilla! Email steve@racerxonline.com to chat about this race or anything else.
