2024 Ironman National Motocross - 450MX Moto 2
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SportsTranscript
00:00Well, the number three of Eli Tomac is back.
00:04Now he's been here, he's done that.
00:05He's a four-time champion in pro motocross.
00:08He knows exactly how to go out and win races.
00:10The question is, here in Moto2, just like it was at Budge Creek, will his body allow
00:15him to do the things that his mind knows how to do?
00:18That is the question.
00:19It will come back eventually.
00:21The question is, is it today?
00:23Well, today might be your day.
00:26You got third at first Moto.
00:28You said it was on you.
00:29The bike was fine.
00:30Look, you're close.
00:32Close today.
00:33I know chase has been strong in his second Moto, but Hunter Lawrence, represent for the
00:37Lawrence family.
00:38Go get you one today.
00:39And today could be the day for this man.
00:41Somehow Aaron Plessinger, still not a Moto win or an overall win as a 450 pro motocross
00:47racer.
00:48A great ride, second in Moto1, and this is the track where he won his first ever race
00:53on a 250.
00:54Maybe today is the day.
00:56As we mentioned, those playoffs coming up, it's not just riders like Plessinger and Lawrence
01:00and Sexton trying to build momentum.
01:02How about these privateers spending their money to get in.
01:05Harry Kulos, the very likable rider out of Estonia, wasn't supposed to race nearly as
01:10much as he ended up doing.
01:11He's been solid every time he shows up, finished 12th, and he's been making deals, staying
01:16in people's houses.
01:17We mentioned last week that he sends his wife home with parts, and then she comes back with
01:21new parts for him to test, flies back to America for that.
01:24But living in New Jersey the last couple of weeks, got to figure out how he can get his
01:28bike to the playoffs.
01:30That is great stuff.
01:31Great stuff.
01:32You've got a lot of commitment right there.
01:35Yep.
01:36Because those guys are going to make a lot of money if they can score well in the SMX
01:41playoffs and world championship that starts in two weeks, and those playoffs are part
01:44of the reason the racing today has been so good.
01:47These guys are still motivated.
01:48They're definitely motivated.
01:49I thought you were going to say they're going to score a lot of money because the wife is
01:53happy.
01:54Yeah.
01:55Yeah.
01:56Keep it going.
01:57Yep.
01:58Last moto of the year.
01:59Can chase Sexton continue to run this thing off into the playoffs, or will it be somebody
02:03else that steps up in these second motos?
02:05Yeah.
02:06Can he ride off with the 1-1?
02:07Man, if you're a plasticer, you've been so close so many times to getting one of these
02:12moto wins.
02:13For Hunter, been so close to the overall wins.
02:16They have one more chance at it.
02:21We'll see if Sexton is still locked in after locking up the championship in moto one.
02:27One last 30-minute and two-lap battle.
02:30Here we go.
02:31And it's going to be close here.
02:45I'm not sure if they're going to give the whole shot to, oh, that is Tomek Oregon.
02:51Or Cooper that got kicked sideways.
02:53Cooper got kicked sideways.
02:54No surprise.
02:55Out front, Hunter Lawrence, Aaron Plesinger again.
02:56Plesinger to the lead.
02:57Aaron Plesinger, wise move.
02:58That was a lot of stuff.
02:59That was Justin Cooper.
03:00Good save by him.
03:01Yeah.
03:02Eli was on the outside.
03:03A little bit farther back.
03:04But Aaron, exactly where he wants to be at.
03:05Unfortunately, the number four is probably exactly where he wants to be at, too, right
03:06behind him.
03:07Yeah.
03:08He's fourth behind Cooper.
03:09There's Lawrence in the 96th fighting Cooper.
03:10It's going to be three wide.
03:26Racing NASCAR right here.
03:27Three wide over here.
03:28It's like a photo shoot.
03:29Scrubs on both sides and then in the middle.
03:30It almost happened again there.
03:31Yeah.
03:32This track is starting to open up with some of these lines.
03:33You know Hunter Lawrence wants to get to the outside.
03:34He's got a lot of speed.
03:35He's got a lot of speed.
03:36He's got a lot of speed.
03:37He's got a lot of speed.
03:38He's got a lot of speed.
03:40He's got a lot of speed.
03:41He's got a lot of speed.
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04:00He's got a lot of speed.
04:01He's got a lot of speed.
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09:00He's got a lot of speed.
09:01He's got a lot of speed.
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09:03He's got a lot of speed.
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09:05He's got a lot of speed.
09:06He's got a lot of speed.
09:07He's got a lot of speed.
09:08He's got a lot of speed.
09:09He's got a lot of speed.
09:10He's got a lot of speed.
09:11He's got a lot of speed.
09:12He's got a lot of speed.
09:13He's got a lot of speed.
09:14He's got a lot of speed.
09:15He's got a lot of speed.
09:16He's got a lot of speed.
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09:18He's got a lot of speed.
09:19He's got a lot of speed.
09:20He's got a lot of speed.
09:21He's got a lot of speed.
09:22He's got a lot of speed.
09:23He's got a lot of speed.
09:24He's got a lot of speed.
09:25He's got a lot of speed.
09:26He's got a lot of speed.
09:27He's got a lot of speed.
09:28He's got a lot of speed.
09:29He's got a lot of speed.
09:30He's got a lot of speed.
09:31He's got a lot of speed.
09:33Does he have it?
09:34He's got to close Hunter off before Hunter gets back to inside.
09:36His outside's been faster.
09:37There you go.
09:38There's the pass that he couldn't get done in the first moto.
09:48So Eli Tomac up to third.
09:51Can he get even more?
09:59This is a vintage ride.
10:00I know it's not for the lead.
10:02But this is much more competitive.
10:03He's in the battle.
10:05He was not there last week.
10:06Got fourth in moto one.
10:08But now he's seeing the front runners both motos today.
10:11Yeah, Eli, he's riding good.
10:12I mean, he's still doing that same part in that section.
10:15He's looking at it in between races.
10:18And he's losing a second and a half in that one spot over there.
10:22Yeah, you actually look at the segment times.
10:23The gap was that big in that one sector?
10:25It was that big.
10:26Eli was actually in the top three, one and two, every other segment except for that.
10:32And he was the fourth fastest or fifth fastest in that.
10:34About a second and a half slower than Chase Exlin.
10:37Now that Tomac's rolling, I want to ask you about the head movement that I hear you mention a lot with him when he's on.
10:42What are you looking for as a sign with Tomac?
10:45Well, yeah, if you just notice, like, when he's turning, it's almost like his head, like, he has no neck muscles.
10:50Like, they just can't stand straight up.
10:52And I think he does that, obviously, to let him turn.
10:55Because wherever your head goes, that's where your bike goes and your body goes.
10:58So when he's on form, he'll have his legs on the bike, gripping the motorcycle, kind of like that corner.
11:03And then he allows his head to dictate where he's going instead of putting his foot out.
11:07So when I see Eli doing his thing, you see that head laid over like a baby trying to go to sleep.
11:14Are you seeing it a little bit in this photo?
11:16There's a baby out there.
11:17All right.
11:18A baby tire.
11:23We will see if Tomac can hang on to this.
11:26This would be an overall podium for him.
11:28He has to hold off Lawrence all the way to the end.
11:30How much endurance does he have in only his second race back from an injury?
11:35Send it to J.T.
11:37Well, you see Eli Tomac going in his split section to the right, which will then bring him back to the inside through this next section.
11:44This is where he passed Hunter Lawrence.
11:45But it's like a chess game through here because the inside turns into the outside, which then will become the inside again as he climbs this hill.
11:53When you think about how to make a pass, you have to think about how they built the racetrack this year.
11:58And you almost have to be two or three chess plays ahead to actually make a move.
12:05And it took a couple laps for him to find that line to make it happen.
12:13So Eli Tomac making that pass on Hunter Lawrence.
12:18But the KTM boys are gone.
12:20Sexton with a one-second lead over Plessinger.
12:23But look at that.
12:24Tomac looking at a podium today, if he can hang on to it.
12:28That's your overall positioning.
12:31Yeah, I mean, he still looks pretty good.
12:32And I think, Eli, if he can just keep going and maybe just get a little bit of confidence to be able to just close in on those KTM guys.
12:40And I think he's still right there.
12:41He's doing a little whip and the bike kicks around.
12:44Let's see how he plays this out.
12:46But yeah, that head's leaned over.
12:47I like it.
12:49As for Lawrence, once again, the second moto not as good as the first.
12:54We asked him yesterday about that process and trying to get stronger.
13:00It seems like it's such a simple thing, right?
13:02We all see it's just the second moto not being as good as the first moto.
13:08They're still good, just lacking that, you know, few percent.
13:11And I think it's just, I think I'm managing it well, not riding above my ability and over my head to force, you know, the second place into a worse, you know, maybe a crash or something like that, resulting in a fifth or a sixth.
13:26So I think there's two sides of the story.
13:28You can just go, hey, look, I'm not quite there yet.
13:31I'm not quite on the level of one ones yet.
13:35And, you know, the number one guy at the moment, Chase, has put together, you know, the whole puzzle this year.
13:40And he's a really strong competitor.
13:42So I'm still working to get there my first year.
13:44I think I've done extremely well.
13:47Yeah, he's done extremely well.
13:48And actually talking to him yesterday about that, how much he's grown from A1 to now back in Supercross.
13:53And now he said it's been a head down, butt up, trust the process kind of a season.
13:57In fact, I was actually asking him and Darren Lawrence's dad just about the practices and how it could change with Jet getting back on the bike.
14:05And they said, you know, yes, there's a camaraderie and a chemistry between the two.
14:08There's a lot of fun had when they're out on track.
14:10But Hunter has during the week been so focused on his own ride and his own plan and his own strategy that he hasn't necessarily missed Jet riding with him side by side.
14:21But he hopes that it elevates the game, obviously going into SMX.
14:25Yeah, I mean, to that point, I mean, who would want to miss riding against Jet Lawrence?
14:29I don't care if he is your brother.
14:31But no, I mean, I think the one thing it will help him is when Jet comes back, maybe some of the pressure of the team, they'll have another guy focusing on.
14:39But Hunter's been doing great all year long.
14:41And I would even say since he's been on this 25 bike, the second moto's haven't been that bad.
14:46You know, he got a bad start at Unadilla.
14:49And then last weekend, he could almost blame it on a tire choice.
14:52This is probably the one moto since he's been on this bike that's kind of been more previous to him switching over.
14:59And you just got to think, it's got to be a little bit frustrating to see these guys pull away from him.
15:04Yeah, Tomac now has about five seconds on him.
15:08Tomac, second all time in podiums in this class.
15:12And he'll add another one.
15:1471 total.
15:16And Carmichael has the most with 84.
15:19Here's Phil Nicoletti in eighth again in his final pro moto cross start.
15:24He will race the SMX playoffs, but this is his final race season.
15:27Had him in the press conference yesterday.
15:29It's a little bit of bonus time.
15:30He thought he tore his ACL at hang town.
15:33So he does have some knee damage, but the ACL is intact.
15:36So he's able to make it to the end of the year and right where he wants to be.
15:40Eighth is generally the spot he's shooting for, and there he is.
15:46And after Nicoletti comes Freddie Norton.
15:48And those guys battle during the week.
15:50They ride at Club MX together.
15:51They've had some great battles in the motos.
15:53Wait a minute.
15:54Look at this.
15:55Aaron Plesinger is caught.
15:57Chase Sexton.
15:58Yeah, Chase must have fell because I was just thinking he just put in those hot laps.
16:02And now AP, let's get some.
16:06Oh, he might have him on the inside, James.
16:09Now he's just getting over that wall.
16:11Eli Tomac going around the outside.
16:12There you go, AP.
16:13Oh, couldn't quite.
16:15He's got the championship wrapped up.
16:17A little knockdown.
16:18He'll be all right.
16:19He won't be too mad at you.
16:21Man, Sexton put two seconds in him the previous lap, but now it's back to even up.
16:25Yeah, I think Chase must have fell right after the mechanics there.
16:29Must have tipped over in the corner or something.
16:31Here it is.
16:33Going down.
16:34Everything looks good.
16:35Going to outside.
16:37Losing the front end.
16:39No, just stalls the motorcycle.
16:41Oh, yeah.
16:42That's pretty easy to happen because there's braking so hard.
16:45That's a pretty tight 90 corner.
16:47So we've seen Chase do that a couple times in supercross where he was stalling up in
16:52Seattle.
16:53But no harm, no foul.
16:54At least he didn't have to pick up the motorcycle or kick it.
16:57That's right.
16:58And that orange carrot just dangling in front of Pressinger still working on his first career
17:05moto or overall win as a 450 racer.
17:08It's right there in front of him.
17:11Yeah, this was that moment for him.
17:13Now you start to see Chase get back away because I was just looking up.
17:16I'm like, all right, this is Chase Sexton's time.
17:18Halfway second moto.
17:19It's hot outside.
17:21He had that gap.
17:24Well, that has really been the story this year.
17:26The fitness of Sexton late in the race day.
17:29Send it to Katie.
17:31Chase and talking with him earlier today about Aaron Pressinger as a teammate.
17:34He said he is the best teammate I have ever had.
17:38The positive attitude he exudes, the fun they have, the warm-ups they get together.
17:42It's just a blast riding along with Aaron Pressinger.
17:45Yeah, I agree.
17:47I think this whole move for Chase has been great since he moved over to the KTM team.
17:55I call it the APing.
17:57In a great mood.
17:59I just feel like I'm APing today.
18:01I'm in a great mood.
18:03Having him as your teammate.
18:05See that out of Sexton?
18:08Okay.
18:10It is halfway through.
18:12Monster energy is available now at Kroger.
18:14Back end stepped out for Sexton.
18:16It's still not over.
18:18Here comes Pressinger again.
18:24It's a chess game that JT was talking about.
18:26Outside to inside is the choice for the four.
18:30Yeah.
18:32You see how Chase was on that inside jump.
18:34He didn't roll over that single.
18:37I keep talking about.
18:39You can see the gap he's able to get over AP right there.
18:43Now the bottom of the screen.
18:45We've been joking about the two likable vets.
18:47Kyle Chisholm and Dean Wilson battling for the final guaranteed spot into the motos.
18:5220th in the standings.
18:54They're battling on the track right now.
18:56Chisholm 13th.
18:58Wilson 14th.
19:00The problem is Wilson needs to make up about ten points on Chiz in this moto.
19:04Even though they're fighting hard, it won't be enough even if he makes the pass.
19:08He's going to have to Chiz on the Chiz.
19:10He might make it around the outside.
19:15Dino gets it.
19:20And you see that bubble battle, that nine-point gap now.
19:24And that's a lot of it because Wilson did come back last week at Butts Creek.
19:28Got tangled with the rider in the first turn.
19:30Broke his wheel.
19:33That might be the final difference maker of Wilson going to the last chance qualifiers of the playoffs.
19:39Chiz going straight to the motos.
19:41Yeah, he is.
19:43Just admiring chase here.
19:45It never seems like this outdoor season there's been a point where he's been so in sync with his motorcycle JT.
19:52Yeah, and you're just watching Sexton.
19:54He's made a few mistakes while we've been watching him here.
19:56Had that stall.
19:58But, you know, I love to watch him.
20:01He has so much flow around this racetrack.
20:03And he's putting the sections together without really having to get on the brakes.
20:06Without really having to slow down too much.
20:08And it's allowing him to carry momentum.
20:10And when chase Sexton is firing on all cylinders, that's the type of riding you see from him.
20:14It's not disjointed.
20:16It's not a lot of stop and start.
20:18He puts the track together deliberately.
20:20And it's pure magic to watch.
20:22And this is back to the form that we used to see from chase Sexton.
20:26It's no wonder he's our champ.
20:28It looks like the chase Sexton of old.
20:30Yeah, absolutely.
20:32And there's a couple parts of this racetrack where chase is really killing these guys.
20:34And one of them is right here.
20:36Just that little bit right there.
20:38Not rolling the inside of that jump.
20:40Just kind of jumping out.
20:42And he was a little farther on the inside.
20:44The lap before he had it right.
20:46And what he's doing, as you just mentioned, JT.
20:48He's not stopping going around the racetrack.
20:50Another part where he's really killing these guys is coming up here.
20:52Same thing.
20:54A little single on the inside.
20:56Continuous momentum out.
20:58Just jumping out.
21:00Doesn't do it as good as for me as I'm talking about it.
21:02But that's where he's making the time up.
21:04And it seems small.
21:06But what he's doing is continuing that momentum.
21:08And there's no stop and go.
21:10And he just makes it all the way down the straight.
21:12That's why he's out front and pulling away from these guys.
21:16If you're watching this today, you've got one more chance.
21:18Flip over.
21:20Go to the Telemundo Deportes YouTube channel.
21:22And you can listen to this Spanish race call with Edgar Lowe.
21:24And Tommy Rios.
21:26Or if you miss it today, you can listen to the United States.
21:28Same thing.
21:30Telemundo Deportes YouTube channel.
21:32At the S.M.X.
21:34World Championship in Las Vegas.
21:36Or if you're outside the United States.
21:38And you're watching on S.M.X.
21:40Video Pass.
21:42You can just select to listen to the Spanish language broadcast every week.
21:44All right.
21:46The alarm is off.
21:48It was getting dicey there for a bit.
21:50But it's up to 3.2 seconds on Plessinger.
21:52He looks good.
21:54Looks like he's well in control.
21:56He knows exactly what the motorcycle.
21:58And as I was saying earlier, ever since he's been on the KTM,
22:00especially halfway through this outdoor season,
22:02it seems like they figured out the bike
22:04to where it almost looks like it's lower.
22:06It's really center.
22:08It's close to the ground.
22:10He's got a lot of feel on both ends.
22:12And chase is really putting that bike
22:14exactly wherever he wants.
22:16And has a lot of control.
22:18He's got a lot of control.
22:20Almost like in a sense,
22:22if he's riding a mini bike.
22:24And that's the way he's riding.
22:26He can put it where he wants.
22:28It seems light.
22:30And they have found the package for this guy.
22:32And it shows even with the number 7 right behind him.
22:34The only thing they have not nailed,
22:36hole shots.
22:38We'll give you the motorsport.com
22:40hole shot replay.
22:42Hunter Lawrence.
22:44I think he's going to get another one here.
22:46He's got to get on the gate.
22:48Just like chase feels like
22:50he's going to win.
22:52They got it dialed in.
22:54And a lot of it comes down to mental.
22:56But I think it might be Cooper.
22:58Look at that.
23:00Don't forget about Mr. Cooper.
23:02Watch his driver on the outside.
23:04Nicely done.
23:06And that's what we're used to seeing with Justin Cooper.
23:08Especially on the 250 class.
23:10Hasn't been quite as much of that
23:12with Cooper in the 450.
23:14Solid season for him.
23:16And he was third in points for a while.
23:18But Plesinger's flurry here at the end.
23:20He's going to take third in the championship
23:22if it ends this way.
23:24I asked Plesinger if there's bonus money
23:26in the line for that. He's like, I don't know about that.
23:28But it's a nice resume bullet the next time
23:30your contracts are up.
23:32Say you once got third in a 450 championship.
23:34Plesinger's already locked in
23:36for at least one more year with KTM
23:38next season.
23:40Yeah, there's a lot of bonus.
23:42And the biggest bonus might be just the pride.
23:44And winning these guys.
23:46Yeah, I'm almost getting caught stuck
23:48in a rut watching Chase
23:50just kind of admiring him. I think this is the best
23:52I think I've ever seen the guy ride.
23:54In this moto right here.
23:56We've seen some great rides this season.
23:58I'm not saying it's the fastest I've ever seen him ride.
24:00It's just the most, like he just knows
24:02exactly where that bike's going.
24:04And as I mentioned, it looks like he's riding
24:06a mini bike. Knows exactly where it's at, JT.
24:08He just has so much flow.
24:10You see him kind of going inside
24:12and outside, putting the bike wherever he wants.
24:14Just like you mentioned, and I don't know if it's just a racetrack.
24:16Certainly he's familiar here.
24:18But I think part of it is confidence.
24:20Part of it is they've gotten the bike sorted out.
24:22But this is him at his best, right?
24:24And it's so important for him
24:26to carry this momentum and to be his best self
24:28entering the SNX playoffs.
24:30So, who knows, right?
24:32We start over, it's a brand new championship,
24:34a three-round championship, but boy does he look good
24:36here leading the pro motocross championship.
24:38Yeah, 100%.
24:40Ever since Chase
24:42came to this track the first year,
24:442020 or 21,
24:46he's always had a pretty good flow, but
24:48yeah, I just noticed he's got a lot more lean
24:50on this bike, and that's when you know he's doing good.
24:52And even this guy,
24:54he lost a toe, you know,
24:56the two in front of him, but Aaron
24:58Plessinger and Chase Exton, they're riding
25:00good. I mean, I think this is the best I've seen Aaron
25:02ride all day. I don't know if the KTM
25:04just works well on this racetrack,
25:06but Eli's doing really good.
25:08I think it's a huge improvement from last weekend.
25:10He looks like Eli Tomac, and a
25:12guy who hasn't raced outdoors for a couple
25:14years, I mean, to come back in
25:16in his second race and be on the podium,
25:18you'd be all happy.
25:20Just, unfortunately for him, I know he wants more.
25:22Kid's doing good.
25:24Yep, he'll have his chance. Playoffs
25:26looming. Did not get to see Eli in those
25:28last year he was out with injury.
25:30Really fun to see him in the mix this time,
25:32building off the base
25:34he's built with these
25:36four final pro motocross motos,
25:38and same thing for his teammate
25:40who will be coming through
25:42next. Yeah, you see how much time
25:44Eli's losing right there?
25:46There it is.
25:48Wood section has been tough
25:50on the number three.
25:54Okay, so that's Tomac in
25:56third. You can check in on
25:58Cooper. That's a huge gap.
26:00Almost 20 seconds back
26:02to Cooper in fourth.
26:04Let's go to Katie with more on the
26:0632. Justin Cooper saying that
26:08now he's feeling comfortable with the bike.
26:10He wasn't always comfortable with that bike
26:12here mid-season. He now knows the
26:14competitors as well.
26:16He does feel like he's been a little lonely, but now
26:18having Eli back, having Cooper Webb back,
26:20he feels like he's back in the groove
26:22with the team. In fact, looking at his
26:24pit board right now, it says two sprints.
26:26So the mindset right now for Justin Cooper
26:28is get through this, two sprints,
26:30got to get on that podium.
26:32Cooper, yesterday, Katie, to take stock
26:34of his rookie 450 season.
26:38Yeah, it was a tough one.
26:40That one definitely hurt and
26:42just took the wind out of my sails, basically.
26:44Yeah, it was a
26:46tough situation, kind of a racing incident,
26:48but I didn't really see it coming,
26:50so I was kind of just focused
26:52on racing forward and
26:54didn't really expect that
26:56type of crash to happen.
26:58Obviously, a little bit bummed about it,
27:00and yeah, we're just going to move on
27:02from it and come into this
27:04weekend and try to give it our all for the last round.
27:06Oh, he talked about
27:08that crash last week when he got
27:10into the back of Hunter Lawrence.
27:12Yeah, I mean, there's moments of any
27:14championship and races that you're like,
27:16whew, I got lucky, and Justin's riding
27:18great. As I mentioned,
27:20Jet Lawrence, I'm sure you're at home watching it.
27:22Thanks for ruining it for all these rookies out
27:24here. You've got big
27:26shoes to fill, but just like your
27:28brother and Justin, they're riding great, man.
27:30Great year.
27:32Yeah, by any other standard,
27:34solid 450 debuts
27:36for Hunter and for Justin.
27:38Hunter, last couple laps have
27:40not been kind to him. He just ran
27:42a 2.25 lap time.
27:44Sexton's running
27:462.13s right now,
27:48so not sure what has happened down the
27:50stretch for the 96th.
27:52Cooper got him,
27:54and Anderson could be next.
27:56He's closing in quite a bit, and I
27:58noticed over the first
28:00couple laps when he jumped that
28:02tabletop, he took his arms off and
28:04wasn't adjusting the clutch. His
28:06fingers out, which tells me
28:08he might have been dealing with a little bit of arm pump
28:10or just tightness, and that's kind of what it looks
28:12like right here because he's definitely laboring a little bit,
28:14and I know Hunter
28:16is really strong.
28:18It is hot. It is at the end of the championship,
28:20but you can tell he's
28:22struggling right now.
28:24The battle we're watching
28:26right now is Kulas
28:28with Chiz, so that's
28:30one more point to the good for Wilson.
28:32Wilson's going to need Chiz to drift
28:34out of the points-paying positions, and that
28:36might just barely be enough.
28:38It would actually be one point short
28:40if that were to happen. That is unbelievable.
28:42Kulas started this moto in 30th.
28:44That's what this dude
28:46does up to 15th right now.
28:48Harry.
28:50Impressive.
28:52Fighting along.
28:54Chiz probably knows in the back of his head
28:56he does some good calculations
28:58just like these guys in overalls.
29:00He knows what he needs to finish.
29:06This is the SMX World Championship
29:08final round of pro moto across.
29:10Harry Kulas, one of the many riders
29:12putting together a schedule to make as many
29:14races as possible to qualify for the
29:16SMX playoff center coming up.
29:18Very friendly veteran
29:20out of Estonia,
29:22and actually sold his bikes,
29:24gave it back to the dealer that helped him
29:26go back to hang town.
29:28That race was the Michaels-Reno
29:30power sports hang town classic round two.
29:32They gave him a bike,
29:34rode it as much as he could, gave it back
29:36after Washougal. Got a new bike
29:38from them, put it together at Unadilla,
29:40and he's riding that bike today.
29:42That's the cool thing about motocross. You take them off the showroom
29:44floor and you can compete at a high level.
29:46JT.
29:48We asked Harry,
29:50how do you actually pronounce your name?
29:52He said, well, it kind of depends.
29:54Where are you from?
29:56One of his parents is from Finland,
29:58and the other is from Estonia.
30:00He claims dual citizenship, but both
30:02of them pronounce his name differently.
30:04I just threw up my arms and gave up.
30:06At that point, if his parents can't agree
30:08on how to pronounce his name, how am I
30:10ever supposed to know?
30:12Glad we finally have an excuse when we get this done
30:14incorrectly.
30:16Harry Kulas, or whoever
30:18you say it, riding well right now from
30:2030th up into
30:22the top 15.
30:34Promoto cross finale in Indiana.
30:36There is Harry Kulas
30:38in the top 15. Got around Kyle
30:40Chisholm in 16th. Derek Kelly
30:4217th. Devin Simonson
30:44is in 18th.
30:46It's his sixth career
30:48start. He didn't even
30:50qualify for the motos last week
30:52on the Club MX 450
30:54at Butts Creek, so much
30:56better now. Simonson is
30:58in a point-paying position in 18th, and he
31:00is from Indiana.
31:02Good for Devin.
31:04Preston Kilroy
31:06rounds out the top 20.
31:08Henry Miller is
31:1021st.
31:12Sexton continues to
31:14lead, and now it's up to 11 seconds
31:16over Plessiger.
31:18Yeah, you got to believe.
31:20Now that's at a stall, too.
31:22Good ride.
31:24Man, just a way to have him
31:26fun as we're watching Harry
31:28do his thing and Chase
31:30do his.
31:32Track actually looks really fun
31:34right now.
31:36You kept saying earlier in the day, this is one of the few tracks
31:38on the circuit you have not ridden, so
31:40I think everybody is going to have the same thought
31:42after that. Get out here, bro.
31:44That's why I'm probably saying it looks fun.
31:46No bad memories.
31:48I'm like,
31:50I'm Chance Hymus in Unadillo.
31:52What are y'all talking about? Track's awesome.
31:54Yeah, sometimes
31:56not knowing is the best way to know,
31:58and, yeah, it looks easy
32:00in the booth, right?
32:02It ain't that hot, but 65 degrees out here.
32:04Feels that way
32:06in here. So Kulov's
32:08going to finish the season strong. He's going
32:10into the playoffs. Be fun to watch
32:12the battle. Chisholm in.
32:14Welton.
32:16Nicoletti.
32:18Those guys are going to be fighting.
32:20I call it the Colt Nichols.
32:22Colt Nichols got, I believe, ninth last year
32:24in SMX points and made about $100,000.
32:26That's the type of positioning
32:28these riders are hoping for,
32:30but it's going to get harder.
32:32Webb will be back. Jet Lawrence will be back.
32:34Down the line we go.
32:36Here's another one of these likable
32:38vets.
32:40Roman Pate. You think about the story
32:42we were talking about with Harry,
32:44different bikes,
32:46suspension, wide-framing suspension,
32:48going back and forth.
32:50For all these guys, really,
32:52imagine what some of this money from the playoffs
32:54can do for Harry and
32:56all these guys.
32:58Romans and all these guys.
33:00This rider here, he's on the privateer
33:02journey team. That's a long-running team operated
33:04by Teddy Parks.
33:06You look up Texas in the dictionary,
33:08you see a picture of him. He's as Texas as Texas gets.
33:10Old Teddy Parks, his privateer
33:12journey program, he hauls bikes to the
33:14races. Essentially,
33:16it's a lot less money to have everyone
33:18do it as a unit than for each
33:20rider to do it individually.
33:22Teddy's been helping riders get their bikes to the
33:24track and race for years, but he is
33:26going to end that program this year.
33:28He wants to retire and hang out with the grandkids.
33:30Well done, Teddy.
33:32A lot of riders, literally
33:34hundreds of them, through the years.
33:36And that's who Pate there on the
33:3868 rides for. Kulas
33:40is going to make the move.
33:42But, although Teddy's supposed
33:44to be done, since he's from
33:46Texas, he's still going to
33:48help Kulas get his bike to Texas.
33:50That's cool. There's heroes all out
33:52here, whether they're in motorcycle gear
33:54or all around.
33:56The sport really is a family.
33:58Cool to see.
34:00Yeah, everybody
34:02pitching in.
34:04And that's a really cool deal there
34:06for all these riders. Pate out of France,
34:08by the way. And there you see, Wilson
34:10has cut the gap down to six points
34:12on Chisholm. That final battle
34:14to be guaranteed into the motos.
34:16Chisholm has
34:18to hold on.
34:20Wilson would have to get McElrath.
34:22And then hope Chisholm
34:24doesn't make it, or Chisholm
34:26drifts out of the top 21
34:28in this moto.
34:30He'll be going to the LCQ otherwise.
34:32Yeah, it's going to be a tall
34:34hope.
34:36As you mentioned, last week at Bloods Creek
34:38really got to
34:40Dean, that is.
34:42Yep, that's a bad luck there.
34:44Dean riding with
34:46litany of knee injuries through the years.
34:48It hurts to go these 30 plus
34:50two motos, but he wanted to make his way into the playoffs.
34:52He still showed up for a bunch.
34:54Looks like Anderson has passed Hunter
34:56and this is a rough second half
34:58of the final moto for Hunter.
35:00Anderson, fifth now.
35:02Cooper, fourth. Tomac, third.
35:04And that will be third overall for Tomac.
35:06Plessinger,
35:08second.
35:10A couple of one-twos
35:12for the KTM squad lately.
35:14Yeah, and then winning that 250 class.
35:16Went one-one today, so
35:18obviously it's working good. But yeah, just
35:20thinking about Hunter and just his ride,
35:22I think this is what Daz was talking about,
35:24keeping him focused, the championship being
35:26out of sight and now
35:28having a race like this.
35:30This is one of those ones that
35:32you don't have anything to fight for. You're bummed that you lost
35:34the tow. Maybe you're not feeling good.
35:36So, you know, tough one.
35:38But Hunter's had a great year. He's going to finish second
35:40in his championship and
35:42I know he's going to get a win
35:44next year or possibly in this playoffs.
35:46He's not done for sure.
35:48So what will it look like when the playoffs
35:50begin? It's going to be different than this. Those tracks
35:52are hybrids. There is a motocross
35:54section, for example, when you watch
35:56as the white flag comes out,
35:58the playoff opener at Charlotte.
36:00There's a motocross section. The people
36:02that built this track, Jeff Russell, Randy Poulter,
36:04they'll be there to build the outdoor section
36:06at Charlotte. But
36:08even Sexton himself, even though
36:10he rode well and won at Charlotte last year,
36:12he admits he's not
36:14sure what they're going to do for the playoffs.
36:16It's really that thin line between do you want
36:18the ultra-stiff supercross
36:20suspension for the jumps? You kind of have to have it.
36:22But how do you get through the smaller
36:24bumps?
36:26And that's what everybody's
36:28really going to be guessing. It's going to be different than what
36:30we have right now. Yeah, that's
36:32the cool part. It's a huge challenge for these
36:34guys, but I think they'll be a lot more prepared
36:36this year than they were last year.
36:38And, I mean, everybody's coming in
36:40to it completely different than where they were
36:42last year. Aaron's going to
36:44end this thing on a good feeling, obviously
36:46with Chase wrapping his championship, feeling
36:48like he can beat anyone, and
36:50Jet Lawrence coming back from injury, Eli
36:52coming, so it's going to be different for
36:54a lot of these guys, but I'm excited to see
36:56it, and I'm just
36:58going to see if it's a continuation of
37:00his motocross series or
37:02different feel, different results.
37:04Well, with that thought,
37:06we were wondering, as J.T. said, you know,
37:08you're going to get the best of Sexton in this moto,
37:10where now that he's wrapped the title, maybe not. But
37:12for him, is it a little bit larger goal to
37:14just keep that gas pedal down?
37:16I mentioned, I've been saying
37:18this all year, once Chase figured out how to go fast, he
37:20was just going to always be fast, and
37:22I don't think Chase, the way he's riding,
37:24it's coming too easy for him
37:26to not do this. I don't think he's doing
37:28anything besides going out there
37:30and riding. He is comfortable, the KTM
37:32has figured it out, so for Chase,
37:34this is who he is
37:36now. Like, this is going to be that guy,
37:38and if somebody's faster than
37:40him that week, they're just going to be faster.
37:42Well-deserved champion.
37:44No doubt about it. He's working
37:46on his 13th career overall
37:48win. That'll move him to 18th
37:50all-time.
37:56Oh, this is something cool. James
37:58just jumped out of the booth. He's going to cheer
38:00Chase Sexton on. You're going to see this
38:02right now.
38:04Little James going to do his big James
38:06impression, like his dad.
38:08Watch closely on the right
38:10side. That's James
38:12right there.
38:14I got to carry this home myself.
38:16Chase Sexton,
38:181-1 at Ironman,
38:20and the crowning moment
38:22on a 450 motocross
38:24title, and he throws the
38:26ghost ride. Well, that looked familiar.
38:28Saw that last
38:30year from Jet Lawrence.
38:32James has still got some fitness jumping
38:34in and out of here. You're back.
38:36A round like that, a championship like that,
38:38that man deserves respect. Had to go out
38:40there and give it to him.
38:42Did you miss the ghost ride,
38:44or did you see the ghost ride? I missed the ghost ride
38:46out there.
38:48It's unprecedented. That's the first time
38:50we've ever had one of the broadcasters
38:52jump out of the booth, out on the track,
38:54and back into the booth.
38:56And it's time to celebrate
38:58Kyle, the mechanic who got, as we said,
39:00called off the bench. He was
39:02working in-house at KTM,
39:04not on the road, and then became
39:06Sexton's mechanic late in
39:08the day. Here's the ghost ride.
39:10Ghost ride, the whip.
39:12Man, I bet that feels good.
39:14Now it's sinking in. I mean, he probably
39:16had the last five laps of this race
39:18thinking about it and
39:20what you call in-the-zone people.
39:22Analyze the guy
39:24on the right here. What are you going to see?
39:26Some nice chocolate man out there
39:28looking pretty good. No, I just had to go out there
39:30and chase Sexton,
39:32give him props out there.
39:34I was hoping that he wouldn't mess up
39:36and fall down in front of me, but
39:38man, great ride.
39:40Respect right there,
39:42baby. Respect.
39:48Teammates.
39:50That's so cool.
39:52That is really cool.
39:54Plessiger tried hard.
39:56Wanted that win
39:58so bad. That's Plessiger's wife there
40:00cooling him off with the water.
40:06We're going to talk to all these guys.
40:08Don't forget Eli Tomac on the podium
40:10today. Big part of his
40:12comeback, but the story begins
40:14and ends with Chase Sexton,
40:16the champion.