The seventh round of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship took place over the weekend at the Spring Creek National in Millville, Minnesota, and what a day it was! Big track changes, intense battles, pileups, and more left us with plenty of questions after the final moto of the day, so to get answers we tapped former pro and NBC on-track analyst, Jason Thomas.
There were some pretty big track changes on the huge up and downhill sections of what’s known as Mt. Martin. How did those changes affect the attack plan in that part of the track, and did it affect the 250s more than the 450s?
The goal was to slow the section down a bit and make things a bit safer. The downhill part of this section is gnarly to say the least. Riders grab a big handful of throttle at the top and really tempt fate on how long they’re willing to accelerate before the necessary deceleration. With the steep slope and braking bumps ever-growing as the day goes on, it felt like a problem waiting to happen given enough opportunity. The bikes are faster than ever, the scoop tires are a little less predictable than the standard tire of yesteryear, and the pace has never been higher. All of those things mean adding a little safety precaution into the equation where possible is likely a positive thing. I am all for this sport being very hard. These are the best of the best. But, in the same thought, I very much realize what can go wrong in the fastest, most risky sections. This one was on the verge of something bad happening with the speed and descent involved. This was a good call.
There was absolute chaos in the opening lap of the first 250 moto a few turns in. What triggered that pileup, and what’s it like finding yourself in the middle of a situation where bikes are flying all over the place and you can’t see why?
This was youthful exuberance gone bad. Carson Wood is an absolute ripper with a bright future ahead of him. He’s also inexperienced at this level and was taking big chances with his championship leading teammate right next to him. Not only did he push the limit until it broke in turn two, he nearly did the same in turn one. It’s difficult to tell a rider to slow down, especially a 16 year old phenom. This was very much a result of his age and inexperience, though. Caution is at times the better part of valor but good luck telling that to a kid with endless talent and ambition. Riders at the top level value trust like gold. Being able to trust other riders at speed is mandatory for longevity. That trust is earned, though, through smart decision making and situational understanding. You can’t swerve across the track in that situation, even if completely on accident. There are too many riders around you that will be put in harm’s way. Predictable, well signaled moves are paramount on lap one.
The incident above claimed both Levi Kitchen and Cole Davies, and both were forced to race for the championship coming from way back. Davies eventually DNF’d due to a hole in his fuel tank, but before that he and Kitchen were battling for the lead, from the back. Are you more focused on moving forward, or beating your main competitor in this situation?
It’s a little of both. They were certainly aware of where each other were as they moved forward. They want to beat each other but gaining points is of course the main goal. Both can be true. They needed to beat each other but Julien Beaumer isn’t that far out of this thing to completely disregard the big picture points.
Can we talk about Julien Beaumer’s fitness for a moment? Yes he’s riding great this summer, but he’s paired it with immense staying power. Any chance he wins that first moto without his ability to push late?
He is super fit. He’s shown that a few times now and I have tried to shine a light on that on the podium. His moto one win was a direct result of that elite fitness. The ability to close the gap and push into the red on the last lap is notable. He had to push deep to simply get to Michael Mosiman, let alone empty the tanks to make a pass. I think the second moto lull was likely a result of having to redline the first moto for so long. If we get hot races in the final few, it’s advantage Beaumer.
After the first 250 moto Mosiman mentioned he didn’t know Beaumer was that close behind him. How is this possible? Wouldn’t he have been marking anyone coming up behind him?
This track isn’t as easy to mark other riders because there aren’t many parallel lanes. Take a mental lap around this course and think about where he would be able to see him peripherally. You’ll likely struggle to find places for it. This is abnormal amongst most tracks as there is typically a 180 corner that runs alongside the other lane which is perfect for “marking” the other rider’s progress. It’s a unique dynamic for this track. The sand whoops offer a possibility but once they get within five seconds or so, it’s too close for that section to work, either.
We had some breakout rides in the 250 Class, most notably from Chance Hymas, who won the second moto, and Carson Mumford, who battled his way into third to go 11-3 for fifth overall. Both riders are great, but those finishes are better than they’ve had all season. How can these forward leaps be explained?
Some of this was due to the chaos behind them. Jo Shimoda being out, Sacha Coenen going back to Europe, Davies’ multiple crashes, Kitchen’s leg injury, and Ryder DiFrancesco going down all contributed. That’s not to say these results weren’t earned, as there are always if’s and butt’s when it comes to results. The important thing is stepping up to the plate and swinging for the fences when you get a fat pitch. There are always outsized opportunities if given a big enough sample size. The big question always is, can you walk through the door when it opens.
On the start of the first 450 moto Haiden Deegan went a little wide and got into Jorge Prado, which forced Prado off the track. Was this a result of Jett Lawrence, who was on the inside of Deegan, also going wide, or was this all on Deegan?
Jett was definitely a factor here but he didn’t do anything wrong, per se. They were all fighting for position and the inside always has the leverage. This corner is notoriously high speed and with ripped, soft dirt in the first corner, it’s very easy to go down. This is not a place where Jett would intentionally make contact or try to knock Deegs down. The speeds are way too high for that type of nonsense. Jett’s inside leverage was important and he forced the issue which had consequences for both Deegs and Prado.
Justin Barcia put a block pass on Deegan late in the first 450 moto that sent Deegan off the track, but Barcia conceded the spot a few turns later without a fight. What was that about?
This is boys being boys. Barcia knows Deegs invites bar banging. Further, this is a bit of a welcoming party to the 450 rookie. Passing Barcia on the outside has always been and will always be a gamble. You just have to know that you’re likely to be introduced to the water truck lane. Once Barcia knew the pass was inevitable, though, you saw him relent and give the good line to the kid.
Hunter Lawrence dominated the first 450 moto, beating Jett by over 15 seconds. Was Hunter that good, or did Jett simply concede the win when he wasn’t closing on Hunter early?
It was both. Jett was trying early but Hunter just had rhythm and Jett didn’t. At some point in a moto, all riders realize what is likely to happen even if they hammer 100 percent to the checkers. Once Jett realized his best wasn’t good enough that moto, he saved energy for moto two. These guys are very adept at reading the situation and each other. They aren’t going to needlessly do things that won’t change the outcome. Hunter had the same realization in moto two and didn’t even know that Jett went down. He had basically given up the ghost once Jett took off. I think we will see this tit-for-tat back and forth winning all the way to Ironman.
Jett went down while leading in the second moto and his handlebars hit him in the leg as the bike was bouncing around, which took him down. How’d that crash even happen, and what are the odds of getting taken into custody by your own machine like that?
He lost the front end in the new dogleg lefthand corner. That section was a mix of hard-based clay and loose powder from the sun’s drying effect. The front tire pushed first, then caught in the powder and high-sided him. The unanswerable question is how much do we think the inability to weigh his outside peg caused the front to push. His right leg doesn’t have the strength or flexion to add stability to the outside peg like would be desired. It’s impossible to say if he would have saved it with a healthy ankle but it’s an interesting question to pose.
