If you want to watch exciting racing this year in the outdoors, stick with the 250's. The action and the story there is far from over there. Honda's probably going to take every round in the 450 class.
As far as Jett goes... All I can say is MXoN. Yeah, I know it was one race, but as I stood at the top of Laracco's leap on qualifying day with my buddy, we along with most of the people under the VIP tent, had our eyes focused on one rider specifically - Jett Lawerence. Not only was this his first real debut on a 450, but the pressure at MXoN is as great as any rider ever places on himself. This would be a real test with regards to just how good of a rider Jett was and if he could ride a 450.
I walked along the edge of the track and took a poll from the people watching qualifying before it started. "How do you think Jett will do?". The dudes from Estonia said "he's fast, but just a kid. The 450's a man's bike. Practice is one thing racing is another". The French guys predictably said "No one can beat us. It doesn't matter. France will win ..." The Aussies said "have you been watching racing in the states mate? Our boys are going to crush it. Jett and Hunter will
pull through". The Americans seemed to think we had the home turf advantage and even though they all loved Jett, said "we have seen this before. You step up to the 450's and reality hits you in the face. Jett's rocket is about to run out of fuel and he will come back to earth".
Qualifying started and it had been drizzling and the track was a little slippery. After the leap there was a sandy section with a tricky S turn that didn't allow the riders to get too far off the good line. When you did it really showed. It was muddy and had some holes off the good line even before qualifying started. The good riders stood out. They cleaned Larocco's leap easily and went through the tricky section visibly faster than most. Tomac and Sexton handled it fast and consistently, but looked a little cautious.
All eyes were on Jett . He made Larocco's leap look easy on his first lap, hit the S turn, set up, whacked the throttle and he hit one of the holes. His feet flew off the pegs and he swapped a little, went off the good line and into the deep mud. Second lap he smoothed it out a little, but he definitely didn't look anywhere near as comfortable as he did on his 250. Compared to the French and American riders he was visibly slower. I asked the same guys again and they all agreed, Jett was going to have his hands full, especially with the rain that was coming.
People kept an eye on Jett and something happened and it happened real fast. Each subsequent lap Jett got faster - and I am not talking a little bit at a time. The S turn was really getting tricky with the little holes becoming big G out holes and the mud getting deeper. Several rider's flew off the track and it was real obvious that if you got off the good line the holes and the mud would grab you and hold on to you as you had to chop the throttle to keep from crashing. But not Jett...
By lap 4 Jett not only had it figured out, he went from looking sloppy on lap two, to being visibly faster than anyone else by lap four. Lap after lap he was fast - blazing fast and flawless. Not just there, but everywhere else on the track.
I went back and polled the same group again. The reactions were identical regardless of what country they came from or whose team they were rooting for - Jett Lawrence was the stand out rider and was for sure the real deal on a 450. God help the 450 riders in America when Jett moved up.
Will Jett win all of the 450 Outdoor races? He definitely can, but motocross being motocross probably won't. Will he dominate the 450 class and win the Championship?
All I am saying is that if you are playing Rocky Mountain fantasy league you might as well go ahead and fill in Jett's name on number one and just figure out who your other pics will be.
tl;dr bro
Can we get a Jett sub-forum for all the Jett threads?
All this Jett attention is diverting from what really matters. Feeling dangerous.
I need a readers digest version.....
The Shop
Free shipping: VITALMX
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
So well written
100%👍
Definitely deserved it's own thread and couldn't have been posted in all the other Jett threads on the front page
Agree that it didnt really deserve a new thread but I appreciate the effort the OP made to paint a picture of his day at the MXoN.
Jett is definitely the real deal. But come and give Sexton some props as well.
Either people are in denial/don't use their eyes, so far in his career the eye test is as good as it gets, he's special he's one of those not just speed but the mental, people dismissing his MXdN results as if it was normal for a 18 year old to beat everyone on the world stage on a 450 as if it was nothing.
What is the most impressive thing about Jett was his learning year was when he was 16 since that SX crash with Ferrandis he barely has put a foot wrong from 16-19 years old, think about that for a second, there's no "learning curve" for this guy.
Debut on the world stage in muddy conditions and won, what else is there to say?
You sound exactly like a Jett fan boy lmfao!
Done.
Every Superman has his kryptonite. Jett's style and speed is unreal, but that hard core grit that got RC all them titles, and that pushed Tomac past Sexton last year,.....not sure Jett has it.
He made it look so easy on Saturday that I fear for a boring 450 series now
No. Jett will get a bad start or crash. Its those last to the front races that are the most exciting. He is not gonna beat a few guys if he has a mishap, but it will be entertaining.
Agree 100% resetjet, but I see something in Jett, that although while coming from the back of the pack is exciting, Jett makes it boring...
Remember when Bubba came through the pack? Exciting as it can get get! Same with Hampshire. What makes those charges exciting is the fact that both Bubba & Hampshire charged through the pack like a wild man. Taking chances, riding the edge... but we know how that works out. Exciting yes, but more than a few times it results in such a violent crash the body sends the head the 'ol reset and it's time to sit out a few races.
Jett's charges are different. He doesn't ride like a wild man, he uses his head and calculates the risk and seems to make solid decisions. Often his speed can get him to the front, but Jett seems to have figured out Carmichael's style of charging through the pack.
Let the race come to you and accept what you get. Don't throw it all away for one moto.
Post a reply to: NOT a Jett fan boy but...