Greetings! I hope everyone had a great weekend. As I mentioned last week, September almost always produces some excellent riding weather right across the Country. It was a little chilly and wet in Ontario this past weekend, but the next seven days look amazing. Hopefully, you’re able to get out and enjoy some Fall riding.
I had an exciting weekend as we headed down to Charlotte to take in the opening round of the SMX Playoffs. We had been planning this trip for a while but, it got even better when Cole Thompson announced that he got a last minute invite to come and race the three SMX Playoff rounds. Also, young Mason Murdy was entered in the 65cc World All-Star Class so, at least there was a couple of Canadian riders to cheer for on Saturday. Having only watched the SMX Playoffs last year on television, I had no idea what to expect. Usually, things look bigger on TV and then when you get to the event and you’re surprised at how tight the track or playing field is. Well, for this race I was actually surprised at how large the track was, and how big everything appeared. Other than the ticket prices being a tad on the high side, these SMX Playoff races are extremely entertaining and great for fans. On both Friday and Saturday, fans could walk freely during the day from the stands to the paddock by passing through a security gate. There were food trucks everywhere, camping was available all weekend, and at any time, you could see your favourite rider walking around. If you’re looking for a great event to attend in September, and you want to see some of the best riders on the planet close up, these SMX Playoffs provide an incredible experience for fans.
It was great to see Cole Thompson on the starting line this past weekend. Obviously, with being away from racing all summer long, Cole was a little rusty when it came to racing against riders that were fresh off the Pro Motocross Championships. However, he improved each time he took to the track, and as always he looked smooth and precise. Cole also caught a break after finishing the LCQ in 6th, and missing the transfer to the main event by just one spot. Thankfully, the SMX Playoff rules state that if a rider cannot make the second main event race, even after starting the first one, the next rider in line from the LCQ can line up. This unique rule allowed Cole to line up for the second race, and get some more seat time. Unfortunately, Cole would have a couple of crashes in the second main event, and would leave Zmax Dragway a little banged up and sore. I spoke to him briefly after the race, and he said that it was great to be back at the races and that after another week of riding he knows he’ll be better in Fort Worth. As for Mason Murdy, he got to a bad start in the 65cc main event, and then ran out of time as he was charging through the pack to an eventual 17th place finish. I’m sure Mason would’ve liked to have finished better, as it was such a high profile event. However, he rode strong against some very good riders and he should be proud of his performance.
The 450 class saw the return of Jett Lawrence to the starting gate after his thumb injury. We also saw a very fast and intense Eli Tomac, who appears very motivated to get back to his championship winning ways. Tomac took off in the opening 450 main event and never looked back. Lawrence, who got off to a somewhat slow start, eventually made his was to second, but was unable to make time up on Tomac. The second main event was a different story as Tomac spent the opening two laps trying to find his way around his teammate Justin Cooper. Once Tomac did that, he began to pull away, and it looked as though we might see a repeat of the previous race. However, two things happened that allowed Jett to quickly close the gap on Tomac. First, Tomac began to struggle with jumping the quad in the rhythm section. This was something he was doing each lap in moto one, while Lawrence wasn’t bothering with it. It was slightly faster, so Tomac began losing a small amount of time there. Also, since this was Jett’s first race on the new 2025 CRF450R model, he was constantly adjusting it throughout the day. In main event two, he found a comfortable setting and his old confidence began to return. In one lap, he made up a few seconds on Tomac, and was soon on his back tire. With a few laps to go Lawrence made his move with a gutsy pass in the roller section. It honestly looked like it surprised Tomac, as all day he was very good in that section. Anyway, Lawrence made the pass and rode off to the main event win and overall victory on the day. Something that you just cannot see while watching these races at home on TV, is the amount of momentum Jett carries around the track. Obviously, all of the riders do at this level, and they all have at least one thing they do very well. Watching Tomac when he’s charging hard is very cool, Sexton is smooth and precise, and also has incredible corner speed. But to watch Jett once he gets comfortable and his lines come together is truly amazing. He stands up more than any other rider so he finds a way to soak up even the smallest bumps, and then in the most technical sections he has the ability to search out a different and faster line. I think it was promising to see how good Tomac rode on Saturday, but you have to give respect to Jett for finding a way to win, even when he didn’t have to. After all, this was his first race back in two months, and on a brand new bike. He could certainly be excused if he didn’t push for the overall win!
As I mentioned above, these SMX events are great for both the serious and casual fan. If the Triple Crown Series AX/SX events ever return I think they should be exactly like this. Build a tame hybrid SX/MX track at Gopher Dunes and have two back to back weekends. As long as you don’t make the SX track too technical then riders wouldn’t need both great SX skills, and full SX suspension. With a proper hybrid track even more amateur riders might want to line up and compete. If you have the opportunity to head south and check out one of these SMX Playoff events I highly recommend it.
Well, that is it for me this week. If you live in Ontario, Walton Raceway is hosting not only a TVR race this Sunday, but they’re also open for practice, camping, and they’re having a big 70% off sale all weekend long on bikes, parts, and merch. The weather looks great, so it should be an awesome weekend in Walton. AMO Racing is also back this coming weekend with the first of three Fall races. There was supposed to be a race this past weekend at Auburn Raceway, but it was postponed and moved to the end of the month. Finally, on Wednesday it’s once again time to pause and honour everyone who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 23 years since that terrible day but, we must never forget. Thank you for reading and please have a great week!
