Motocross' Good, Bad and Ugly | 2023 Fox Raceway

'Good, Bad and Ugly' reflects on miscellaneous points from the first round of the 2023 Pro Motocross series, Fox Raceway. What would you put beneath each subheading? Travel to the forum to join the discussion or share ideas on social media (@VitalMX on Twitter and Instagram). For now, however, read on for some thoughts on Jett Lawrence, Levi Kitchen and Jeremy Martin.

GOOD

It feels like Jett Lawrence is often done a disservice, because there is really not much to say about his performances. '18' was exquisite in that 250SX West class of 2023 Monster Energy Supercross – he never put a foot wrong. There were no peaks or valleys to discuss and so analysis of his performances was not overly zealous. Not much has changed, despite the fact that he is now partaking in the premier division, as he ripped to a perfect scorecard at round one of 2023 Pro Motocross. The weird thing is that it was not shocking in the slightest and so many people reacted with a shrug emoji.

If the same happens this weekend, then there will be shock factor. Chase Sexton fired a warning shot of sorts in that second moto and so Lawrence's reaction at Hangtown will be so interesting. What will happen when he is frequently challenged? No one really knows, because once he started winning on the 250F then he never stopped. Again, as mentioned at the top, it was all rather routine. What does this scribe expect to see? The Honda stablemates were so close at round one that it seems like it will be a game of who can start at the front.

BAD

Speaking of starts, Levi Kitchen needs to find a way to get a good start. '43' started in thirteenth and eleventh in the two motos, which he pointed to as the reason for his subpar day. "The story of my life today was bad starts in both motos," Kitchen stated in a press release from the squad. "I fell that first moto but felt like I had good speed. The second moto was another bad start, but then I never really felt like I had good speed in that. We are going to put our heads down and focus on next weekend."

The first moto was actually better than it appears, because of that fall, but there was really nothing of note in moto two. It's odd because his starts were perfect in the latter stages of supercross. Sure, the grate is different outdoors and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing said that they were not ready for that. One would think that it will be an easy fix and Kitchen, as well as his teammates, will be so much better at Hangtown. There is no way that he can continue on the cusp of the top ten.

UGLY

When you have title aspirations, taking seventeenth overall is not ideal. Jeremy Martin knows that only too well. How can his crew lift his spirits? Well, Trey Canard was fifty-seven points down after the fifth round of 2010 Pro Motocross and yet he still won the championship. Martin is only thirty-eight points adrift and so there is hope. It seems that he is a realist though and is well aware that the title will not land in his lap.

The fact that the field is so deep (and it really is) could be seen as a positive. There should be a lot of variety in the rankings, but that also means that there are many riders who are also in title contention. It seems highly unlikely that Martin will be operating at his best when gates drop at Hangtown anyway, because the issues that he faced at Fox Raceway are far deeper than simply having an "off day" at the races.