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Round one of Pro Motocross! I prefer watching MX over SX but that is just my personal opinion. You see more flaws in riders in MX and there is just more to dissect as a fan in MX. I am here for it and am excited to get the first 2024 Pro Motocross “Daytime” kicked off right now!
Jett Lawrence: Picking up where he left off is the number 1, but it wasn’t an easy 1-1. Both Hunter and Chase were as fast if not faster than Jett at times but they could’t close the deal. Jett was complaining about some side to side deflection on the rear of his CRF450R but you couldn’t tell from watching him ride. It looked like it may have been a little stiff on some parts of the track but with that fluid style he is able to mask some problems that the bike is having. Imagine being so good the you can fix some of your bike’s problems with the way you ride. WOW! We can sit here and say Jett doesn’t go 22-0 this year bu I am not willing to take that bet. Yes, the other riders are good but Jett has this crazy sense of when to push and when to back it down.
Hunter Lawrence: How about this guy’s starts? Holy hell! Shot out of a cannon was the 96 of each moto! Having your brother in front of you has to be the ultimate dangling carrot for Hunter. Knowing all of your brother’s strengths and weaknesses can make you become a dangerous competitor this summer. I will say that it looks like (even with a set up issue) like the factory HRC Hondas are the best looking bikes so far this season. Engine looks strong enough to get out of the hole as well as hav enough rear wheel traction to allow these brothers to be aggressive on the throttle in nasty bumps. Yes, Hunter can win this summer and it might be sooner than later.
Chase Sexton: I heard Chase was freaking out a little a week or so before Pala as he wasn’t quite happy with his set up but from the looks of things from Saturday it looked pretty damn good to me. I heard KTM and Chase have really went outside the box a little on their outdoor set up and didn’t really hear much complaining from the number 4 over the weekend. I just think Chase needs to figure out the starts and he can beat Jett. We also need to make sure that front end sticks better in the corners.
Dylan Ferrandis: Surprise, Surprise. Dylan is basically on a production Honda CRF450R with some special Factory Connection bits on it but Dylan REALLY loves this Honda set up and it shows. Ferrandis had a big crash and almost didn’t make the second moto but gutted it out for an impressive overall. Don’t be surprised if we see Dylan’s bike change a little as the season goes on. I have heard some parts might be coming his way soon!
Phil Nicoletti: I honestly don’t know how Phil hangs onto this bike! Phil loves A LOT of motor and he wants a holeshot so in order to get that you have to have a lot of front side and Phil’s Club MX Yamaha has A LOT OF THAT! It also looks like Phil can have some fun early on with the boys and then he places himself nicely where he “thinks” he needs to be or where he can ride the full 30 plus 2! The dude can still ride a dirt bike really well and will be a consistent top 10 ride this summer! A 9-9 for tenth is soooooooo Phil though!
Haiden Deegan: Cudby and I shot Deegan’s bike on Friday and Brent Duffe broke a lot of interesting things down about the 38’s bike. Haiden is on a spring fork and likes his rear end super high (like in the 80s for a sag reading). This all stems from riding at Tomac’s place and adopting some of his bike set up ways. In order to get a bike that is stable outdoors with a sag reading like that you have to have a stiff fork and it’s stiff! You can tell from how Haiden rides that his bike is meant for aggressive riding. We witnessed this on Saturday! WOW! Oh and last thing, if Vialle was docked, Haiden should have been docked, but I think Vialle shouldn’t have been docked ,so NONE OF THEM SHOULD BE DOCKED!
Levi Kitchen: Levi and an AH-CHAIR-BEES track marker got into a relationship with a couple laps left and that was it for Levi! I don’t think we have seen the best of Levi as I feel his best tracks are coming so look for a more aggressive 47 come back east. Soft, rutty tracks are Levi’s jam and he will be better after round three.
Chance Hymas: Talking with Chance on Friday it seems that being with the Lawrences has not only helped his riding but has helped his diet as well. We spoke about how he had some bad allergies with yeast and gluten and ever since he has went away from these eyes of foods, his health has improved as well as his arms. Chance was getting some arm pump earlier in the season and some of that had to do with what he was eating. As fans we sit and judge these guys while riding but it’s all of the other life choices (not on the bike) that make up a GREAT racer.
Jalek Swoll: I have been in Georgia quite a bit so I know how much this kid has been working. Jalek has been shredding and his fitness has ever been better thanks to Brownie. The Triumph team have worked hard to give Jalek as much power as they can find and it showed at Pala. A top five in So Cal is just what the team was looking for and Jalek delivered. I also think Jalek’s best tracks are ahead of him as he excels in ruttier conditions. Kudos to all of the team for working together to get this bike competitive. Zero data on all of these tracks and to compete against other factory teams with A LOT of data is not easy to do.
Ryder D: I think this was a great ride by Ryder! Good starts and he hung in there for more than 20 minutes. I know some people question his fitness but it looks like this is improving. His speed is also better in 2024 and having Wil Hahn around for guidance as well as to keep you calm all has to help. Ryder had a lot of pressure on him when coming to the professional ranks but it takes time and to me I like the way the TLD Gas Gas team is slow rolling this kid a little. A top then at Pala is a good start!
