The 2025 Elf Lubricants Unadilla National went down over the weekend, and there’s plenty to get into. From Jett Lawrence’s championship ride to the way the soil shaped up, and everything in between, we had plenty of questions about the day’s action. To get answers, we fired off emails to former pro and NBC on-track analyst, Jason Thomas.
New soil has been brought in over the last several years at Unadilla. What was the consistency of it and how did it shape up as the day wore on?
The newer dirt helps but they missed the mark on prep this year. Early on in qualifying, the track was in great condition. That early perfection gave way to a hard, dusty surface as the sunshine did its thing. I thought it had a chance to be an all time Unadilla day but the second motos turned much more treacherous than hoped. Many of the riders commented that the ruts got very hard and the dirt turned to silt, adding to the trickiness of the square edged bumps.
In the first 250 moto the track was pretty wet due to the water the track crew put down. How did this affect the way the track developed from that point forward?
Honestly, it would have been best for the rest of the day if they flooded it during the intermission and then ripped it again. That was the only way to save it at that point. Once the base gets hard, adding water to it without the disc penetrating the top layer just makes it similar to an ice skating rink. The disc is the best thing to happen to tracks since running water. I would love to see it used more.
The steep uphill section following The Wall is tricky in terms of what line to use to either make a pass or maintain momentum. What line seemed to be the best on Saturday?
The biggest key was carrying momentum through the turn without losing traction. The base was so hard down there, and covered by a layer of silt. Many mistakes were made down there and riders paid the price the entire way up The Wall. Adding insult to injury, the sun creates a brutal shadow, disallowing vision as riders climb. Justin Cooper talked about this on the Weege show and it took me back to so many laps of my own career trying to blindly navigate that same uphill.
Ken Roczen was back! His day ended early in the second moto, but before that, what’d you think of his off-the-couch performance? Above, below, or right in there, in terms of what you were expecting?
It was right about where I expected him! To ask him to go beat Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, Eli Tomac, or Chase Sexton (if he had been there) is a bridge too far at this point. I did think he could battle with Dylan Ferrandis, Justin Barcia, and many other riders who are working to get back to 100 percent, just as Kenny is. Remember, Kenny is ahead of schedule for his return so any success should be emphasized. I think he will be a lot better at the playoffs opener in Concord because of the steps taken at Unadilla.
Hunter Lawrence finally got that elusive 450 overall win last week at Ironman. Did you notice any extra swagger and confidence in his riding at Unadilla as a result?
I don’t know if Hunter works like that. He seems to just trudge along, working within his process. So, to this specific question, no. But, he is continuing to progress both physically and mentally, which is the bigger point. He isn’t flashy but he is definitely effective.
Eli Tomac caught up to Hunter Lawrence in the second moto, and for a moment it looked like the two were going to put on a show. But then Tomac lost the tow. Was this Tomac’s pace slowing, or was did Lawrence simply up the intensity?
I think Hunter picked up the pace because Tomac picked up the pace. On a track as tricky as Unadilla, riders will typically be as cautious as the situation will allow. Tomac raised the urgency which forced Hunter to respond, which in turn forced Jett to also add some pace. It’s a domino effect where riders begrudgingly take more risk because someone is forcing the issue.
Titles were on the line in both classes. Jett Lawrence sealed the deal, while Haiden Deegan will have to wait another week to get it done. Did you notice any difference in the way that either rider rode that could be attributed to championship pressure?
I didn’t notice anything different for Jett, but Deegan simply didn’t have the pace to beat Jo Shimoda on that track. He didn’t qualify particularly well and wasn’t able to match pace in either moto. Given that, Deegan didn’t do anything silly and jeopardize what seems to be a likely championship. I would bet it was difficult to swallow his pride and bring home solid points, but it was the prudent move. I will be very interested to see if Deegan locks up the title in the first moto. If he does, I think he might unleash some fury in moto two.
What got into Shimoda!? He’s been great this season, but at Unadilla he was out of control. He was dominant early and dished out a beatdown of epic proportions, especially in the first moto, where he won by 40 seconds.
He’s been very good at Unadilla historically. This was talked about going in, so to see him win wasn’t a huge shock. That first moto was surprising, though. I think most of the field was uncomfortable on a tricky surface and Shimoda somehow felt at home. He was able to push the limit where most seemed reluctant. The second moto, I believe he backed it down some, knowing he could pick it up if needed. Doing just enough to win is something we see often from his teammate, Jett, but it’s also a sign of maturity and confidence. Most riders want to build the biggest lead possible to reduce stress. When they’re comfortable with a smaller lead, that typically means they aren’t super concerned with anyone being able to capitalize on the proximity. They have more in the tank if needed, but would prefer to not take more risk.
What’d you think of Caden Dudney? He was pretty special in his debut, going 7-13 for 11th overall. He would have been even better too, if not for a tip-over in the second moto.
That was incredible! I didn’t see that coming. His starts and ability to ride at the front were notable. He fell over in moto two or he would have been much better overall. These first rounds can go so many different ways (ask Landon Gibson), so this had to feel good for everyone in his camp including him. Historically, it bodes well for what he will do moving forward. Really well.
Drew Adams was fastest in qualifying, but it didn’t translate in the motos, where he went 18-21 for 15th overall. The motos are a different animal than qualifying, but even so, were you surprised some of that qualifying speed didn’t bleed into Adams’ racing?
Starts are so critically important to success in the 250 class. Many of the riders are going a similar speed, so passing from 20th to fifth is a tough thing unless you are one of the very best.
Also, the track was incredibly different from qualifying to the motos and I think Adams suffered from the deterioration. He mentioned he liked the long ruts and tackier dirt. That dynamic shifted to harder, less conducive soil in the motos and it didn’t seem that he was able to capitalize like he could early on.
