The third round of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship took place over the weekend at the Toyota Thunder Valley National, and from the successful visit of the Coenen Brothers, to Haiden Deegan’s constant improvement, to another winner in the 250 Class, we were left with plenty of questions. To make sense of it all we tapped former pro and NBC on-track analyst, Jason Thomas.
The weather was pretty mild at Thunder Valley, with highs in the mid to upper 70s. How much of an affect, or lack thereof, do these favorable conditions have on the riders?
It was amazing! With the elevation, there is already a big burden on riders and motorcycles. If temps pushed into the 90’s (or even 100+ like 2005), the meter redlines for everyone. It was pleasant to be outside and simply an easier task for everyone involved. Hydration is not as critical, fuel doesn’t get as hot, and riders don’t overheat as easily.
The weather was mild, but it was also pretty windy at times. How does that affect the dirt? Does it make hitting any of those big jumps sketchy?
The wind did kick up a few times and I was watching riders closely to see if anything was awry. Mostly, riders will adjust to this by jumping as straight as possible so they can manage the direction mid-air. The winds died down fairly quickly, though, and I didn’t’ see too much ill effect.
Haiden Deegan shadowed Jett Lawrence for multiple laps in both qualifying sessions. Do you think he was watching Jett’s lines?
There are two things going on there. First, yes, he’s learning Jett’s speed and approach. He wants to see where Jett is quick and how he’s attacking the track. Their approaches are very different so he can try to incorporate small improvements. Second, he is attempting to get Jett off his game. Deegs is great at the gamesmanship stuff. He has owned most riders in this arena. Time will tell if he ever gets Jett to respond but so far, nothing.
How gnarly was that track for the second motos? There were places where the guys could barely do anything without getting bucked around!
It was tough but I would say less than other years. 2023 was super tough in comparison. These tracks are always going to be challenging and that can’t be discounted but this wasn’t one of the tougher Thunder Valley tracks I’ve seen. The most difficult part was that the bumps got very hard and slippery in the second motos. The inconsistent traction had riders skating all over the place.
Lucas and Sacha Coenen lined up at Thunder Valley, with Lucas going 2-2 for second overall and Sacha winning his second moto despite several crashes in the first. Did you expect them to be this good? And did you expect them to go as hard as they did considering they’re both leading the points in the MX1 and MX2 classes in MXGP?
I did expect them to be very good. I felt that Lucas’s job was much tougher as he had to contend with Jett, Hunter Lawrence, Deegs, and Jorge Prado. That’s a tough list to square. I felt that Sacha was on an equal bar with many of the 250 riders and if the starts were there, the sky was the limit. Lucas benefited from crashes and penalties but regardless, he was amazingly impressive. Both of them have white hot futures in the USA.
Jo Shimoda endured a crash in the first moto and worked his way into second in moto two for the overall. Even though he didn’t win a moto, is this the spark he needs to reinsert himself into the championship?
This has been a bit of a slow burn for Jo. I do very much think he will be there at the end of this championship. He is notoriously better in the second half of seasons than the first half. Now that he’s back in the fight, the setup is looking awfully good. Do not count Jo out for this title.
There were some crashes on the start of the second 250 moto, with Levi Kitchen and Seth Hammaker getting the short end of the stick. Were you surprised Kitchen was able to charge back up to eighth, and still get second overall?
Not really because he has done this several times now. His riding is beyond reproach. The starts are a real issue, though. He can’t be forced to come from 30th over and over. That’s not a sustainable equation for success. The trouble is, I don’t see his starts magically becoming more consistent. Something has to give here long term.
Nick Romano has been so good this season, and it culminated in a podium, his first, at Thunder Valley. Was there anything about his riding that stood out on Saturday, versus the first two rounds?
It’s really just been steady improvement and improving his ability to stay up there. His speed has been kind of the same, it’s been remaining up there that has gotten better. This is the feel good story of 2026. If you can’t root for someone who lost it all and is fighting with his entirety to get it back, I have nothing to say to you.
Haiden Deegan looked great in the first moto, giving the Lawrence brothers all kinds of pressure before crashing his way out of the fight. How far off do you think he is from being able to maintain that pace indefinitely?
It’s coming. It might be track dependent on certain weekends but he’s going to continue improving. This is what they do. They attack vulnerabilities. This weekend was a big step in the right direction. He wasn’t stoked but there was progress.
Hunter Lawrence crashed multiple times at Thunder Valley, which is very out of character for him. What can we attribute these crashes to?
He just made silly mistakes. The track was super slick as the base was very hard and it wasn’t ripped deep. These guys are pushing really hard and are constantly on the edge of the tire and traction in general. Uncharacteristic, yes, but understandable. Deegs suffered the same issues.
Lala Turner went 1-1 again, despite crashing in the first moto and having to run down Charli Cannon. What’s she doing that’s giving her such a definitive edge?
She was on a different level this weekend. The crash didn’t help but if you look at the lap times, it wasn’t even close at round 2. She’s much more aggressive and is attacking the track. Time will tell if this is the norm or was an anomaly but that was a lights out performance.
