The first round of the 2025 SuperMotocross Playoffs took place on Saturday, and as usual, the action was wild. The difficult track produced all kinds of mistakes and crashes, and the second motos were even cancelled due to lightning. To get some insight into how it all played out, we tapped former pro and NBC on-track analyst, Jason Thomas.
A tremendous amount of rain fell on Thursday night. How much differently did the track shape up because of the additional moisture?
The rain was a giant factor in how Saturday’s race track shaped up. The track crew has been adding in softer dirt to add texture which also absorbs moisture. When excess moisture (rain) arrives, that sends this dynamic into hyperdrive. The result is a spongy, rutty, difficult racetrack. Normal jumps become death defying feats.
Concord featured a hybrid track, making setup difficult. Were riders better off running a supercross setup due to the long rhythm lane, or was a motocross setup more appropriate?
I think most stuck to the SX setup because of the huge jumps and tough transitions. That setup caused a lot of difficulty as the track got rougher and rougher. Supercross setups don’t absorb bumps very well so it was a rough ride out back in the motocross section. Setup for this level of racing is always a compromise on all fronts. The hybrid tracks take that compromise to another level.
The winds kicked up toward the end of the 450 moto. How hard is it to launch jumps when there are strong and unpredictable gusts blowing?
It was not ideal. Thankfully, the fury didn’t last too long. Also, the grandstands blocked the wind near the biggest jumps. Had we been in a more open area, that would have been much more difficult to manage. Riders have to avoid the scrub type style in that scenario because there is very little foretelling of what the wind will or won’t do while in midair. Riders revert to more of a “dead sailor” type of jumping style when winds are whipping.
The track looked quite rutty. Did that make passing more difficult?
I think the ruts actually increased passing opportunities but specifically because of the plentiful mistakes made by everyone. Every rider made multiple mistakes on every lap. That was just a fact. If you could be in striking distance and in the right spot, a pass would happen organically. That’s not a typical dynamic for racing at this level.
Lightning and torrential rain cancelled the second motos. Who were the winners and losers in this situation?
The obvious answer here for the winners are those who did well in the one race. As for the losers, the name that comes to mind is Justin Cooper. His first lap crash relegated him to a poor finish (11th). Had he gotten the second moto to average out the score, he would have likely moved up several positions. Remember, points are paid on an overall basis for these playoffs, not per moto. His 11th would have likely been followed up by a top 10 in moto two and moved him up overall, thus earning more points.
When Haiden Deegan passed Seth Hammaker it almost looked like Hammaker intentionally took a slower line to let him by. Is that fair, or was Deegan just that much better in that section?
Seth went outside to try to carry momentum through that corner (same line Deegan used to pass early). The issue is that Deegan recognized this early and knew all he needed to do was push hard toward the exit of that line and Hammaker would have to let off. The outside is longer and the upside isn’t realized until far past the apex of the corner. Deegs knew if he could negate that exit speed, the pass would take care of itself. Many passes are simply about beating them to where they will be, not where they are.
Jo Shimoda was pressuring Hammaker for the lead before Shimoda went down. What led to Shimoda’s crash, and do you think Shimoda should have been more patient early on?
Shimoda felt an opportunity to get to the front and took it. The trouble is that Hammaker is not a guy who backs down in this scenario, especially when he’s fresh. Shimoda ran it in deep and then had to brake hard. When he did so, his rear end stepped out, bringing the front end to the left and that change tagged the Tuff Block on the inside. This happened incredibly fast with no real warning. He was on the extreme inside so any marginal movement by body or bike, further inside, was going to result in contact with the barrier. I believe Shimoda wins that moto if he doesn’t go down.
Max Anstie was back! He was quick in qualifying, finishing fourth fastest, and took 13th on the night. Was he better, worse, or about where you thought he’d be?
I thought he looked good! The 13th wasn’t exactly ideal but I think he showed that he’s going to be the same guy we saw early in the east coast. I would expect him to get better from here. He will win again in 2026.
Lap times started dropping after the halfway point of the 450 moto, despite the track deteriorating. How were Jett Lawrence, Eli Tomac, and Chase Sexton able to push harder in tougher conditions?
For one, they are freaks of nature. Also, they started ramping up the intensity as the race progressed. They feed off each other’s energy and will usually be patient until one of them starts pushing. Jett was gauging Sexton and was going to be as cautious as possible until he no longer could. Riders at their level are experts at reading situations and they can tell when urgency and intensity get raised and they have to respond.
What’s it like inside the helmet in these situations mentioned above, when you’re being pushed harder than you’re ever pushed on your practice laps?
They train for this stuff. Interval training is all about being able to respond to the ups and downs in intensity. 20-minute-plus races are not just full sprints. There has to be a sustainable pace coupled with sprint laps when needed. That’s just the reality of racing. The tough part is if you can’t find any intensity mid-race or if the sprint laps last to the checkers. That’s when we learn who are the fittest of the fit.
Was Tomac’s crash just a regular crash, or was it because he was trying to match Jett’s pace?
I would categorize this as a bit of both. Not necessarily trying to match pace, but also remember, this was when they dropped to their best lap times. They were pushing, and when pushing, the risk for mistakes goes up. Riders are less careful about where they put the front tire and when they pick up the throttle. That increases the likelihood of losing the front end or spinning the rear tire. Tomac’s front tire missed the rut by a matter of inches but at their speed, and an incredibly high ask of the front tire, it doesn’t take much. Once that front tire is out onto the flat and he is caught off guard, putting him out of position on leverage and control, the chance of saving it is very low. A rider like Tomac knows what’s going to happen long before it does. That’s how he goes so fast. When he’s surprised is when things go sideways.
