In 2023, it happened too fast. It’s not like fans didn’t know Jett Lawrence was going to be good, but he wasn’t supposed to be this good, this quickly. People didn’t want a new sensation, yet. They were in mourning. Eli Tomac was the hero they wanted. His Yamaha-powered renaissance in 2022 created the rare reminder: know what you’ve got before it was gone. Yeah, the Kawasaki-era Eli Tomac was the best 450 racer and had piles of titles to prove it, but his overall buzz with the fans was just… okay. Beast Mode was awesome, but he also was carrying that pressure tag of still not nailing down a Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. He finally got it, but unfortunately no one was there, literally, thanks to COVID. Then Eli suffered through a title dry spell (by his usual standards) after that. Looking at the trajectory of past greats, it looked probable that Eli would retire soon. Later, everyone would recognize his legacy and greatness, but by then he would already be long gone. Like Ryan Villpoto, to name one.
Instead, Eli flipped the script. He switched teams and bikes, and it actually worked! He was as good in 2022 as he ever was, but this time everyone knew to embrace it. He was playing both that 2010s Kevin Windham style “old guy who has been a part of your life forever” role while also still being the best rider, overall, on the track. Spotlight glow with the rose-colored tint of nostalgia. Perfect. He had a new rival, too, in Chase Sexton, via an epic 2022 50th Anniversary Pro Motocross campaign. The legend and a new rival. Here we go.
What came next hurt too much. Tomac, at his home race in Denver, was about to clinch yet another supercross championship, the culmination within the culmination of the culmination. The roar for Eli during Denver opening ceremonies was probably John Elway level. The living legend who still had it. How could you not love it?
Hours later, one of the worst-timed injuries in the sport’s history: a torn Achillies not only cost him the title, but set up a real, sobering thought: would this race, right there, be the very last race of Eli Tomac’s career?
The kickoff for 2023 Pro Motocross could have been a resumption of the amazing Sexton/Tomac throwdown of 2022 with the added fun addition of a fresh-faced rookie. Instead, people were still shell shocked. Then Sexton soon had his own issues and was soon out, and Lawrence was off to a perfect season in his first try!
That’s insane. Absolutely insane. Unlike previous perfect seasons that were set by well-established legends Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart, this one felt too sudden. The torch passing is supposed to contain a brief overlap of eras and careers at the top. These become legendary races which breed respect for both warriors. RC had to topple McGrath to begin a supercross win streak. Stew had to battle RC before he had a perfect season of his own. With Lawrence, no one had time to get conditioned for a run. It just…. poof, happened.
So instead of celebrating it, they poked holes. Was Jett Lawrence really this good or was Eli just not there? Was he really deserving of the accolades? Maybe he was cocky or rude. Something. Just find something to detract from it while taking the time to process it.
People were looking for a flaw of any kind, just something to assure that the kid wasn’t already “the guy.” Jett helped. He made a few missteps, publicly, and he did it in an environment rife with traps. Pulled over for Ken Roczen and called it a baby present. Talked about chasing McGrath’s sacred record of 72 supercross wins. Bought expensive cars and showed them off. Said Tomac wasn’t “the beast he used to be.” Got into it with Jason Anderson, who at that point knew how to execute a narrative perfectly in the public eye.
On it went. Jett had been a delightfully unfiltered teenaged Australian for four years in the 250 class. He once offered AMA Director of Racing Mike Pelletier a donut on the podium. People loved it. I could make a bunch of excuses for him here and say sometimes the words just didn’t come out the way he intended, but none of that really matters. People were looking for a way to poke holes in his reputation. He wasn’t perfect, but it would have been nearly impossible to be, anyway.
When it comes to riders saying stuff, I always say this: people want out-of-the-box-unfiltered until they actually get it. Then half the time they hate it. Especially in the 450 class, even more if you’re winning. Carmichael and Stewart went through the awkward transition, too. They got booed, and they weren’t yet savvy enough to know how to fix it. Yet.
The winning, sometimes, is the simplest part. Jett kept doing that, through a supercross championship as a rookie in 2024. The accolades were there, but the reception didn’t match.
Hard to remember now, but Carmichael’s rep didn’t really turn until he missed a season of supercross with a torn ACL. A brief moment away let the fans cool a bit, and he was aces with the people after that.
Jett’s trajectory is actually pretty similar. Injuries prevented a 2024 Pro Motocross defense and his Monster Energy Supercross campaign ended with ACL surgery. If he could return to win again, it would at least mean he overcame some hard luck and adversity to do it. It also meant everyone had two years the process the reality of it all. Plus, other guys were back, like Tomac, and we finally got to see the battles we were supposed to get in ’23. Tomac beat Jett, straight up, a few times this year. That actually made Jett’s victories feel a little more earned. Tomac is there, Tomac is still great, but Jett is able to win.
Even Tomac can’t say a bad word about it.
“It all starts with the racetrack,” says Tomac. “Of course, we’re competitors and we’re racing hard, but there’s certain people that you’re comfortable racing around, and these guys [Hunter and Jett] are totally respectful. It’s been fun racing. Of course I want to beat them a little more, but in the big picture it’s just respectful racing, and it’s fun.”
Jett Lawrence already had a 450 championship in each class. The summer of 2025 is the year when he started to get the respect and the reputation to match. Is the kid now the guy? It’s getting harder to find arguments against it.
