The Weekend Breakdown | 2025 Unadilla 5

Unadilla added another chapter to its rich history on Saturday, providing a stage for Jett Lawrence's fifth premier-class crown and a collection of standout rides. As the paddock filed out of New Berlin's rolling countryside, the weekend left behind storylines as sprawling as the track itself.

STILL MORE IN THE JETT'S TANK

Jett Lawrence poses a conundrum for reporters; the risk of running out of superlatives exists with each inevitable triumph. The nonchalant manner in which he assessed his most recent title would hint that he too is running out of ways to frame success. Fortunately, lap ten of Unadilla's first stint was a timely illustration of his brilliance.

Hunter Lawrence (second) and Eli Tomac (third) had made inroads from laps seven to nine; the latter took almost two seconds out of Jett on the ninth lap. It was a critical blow – one that posed the question of whether Eli could have led with a better start – but paled next to Jett's response. With the track at its trickiest, he acknowledged the challenge and slashed two seconds from his previous two times and recorded the fastest lap of the entire race. It was, in turn, seven tenths quicker than what Eli mustered up on the lap prior.

It stopped his rivals in their tracks, reminded everyone that he is rarely operating at full capacity and caused the chasing pack to assess the harsh reality whilst navigating Unadilla's famed square-edged bumps. It also shines a positive light on previous moments, like the tussle into turn one with Chase Sexton at Ironman. Those highlights where Jett is a raw racer, rather than one methodically working around his competition, are few and far between, and they should be celebrated.

Just as impactful are the times from the seventh sector (turn two to the finish line) in moto two. Jett was brilliant there – the pass for the lead caused jaws to fall – and held the seven fastest times of the race in the sector. All of those came in the first seven laps before he undoubtedly calmed down, playing to the pace of those who ran in pursuit. Needless to say, Jett is a deserving champion. Those words will be said time and time again, maybe even next month…

Verdict: It's so hard to comprehend such brilliance.

ELI DROPS CARDS ON THE TABLE

Despite the eventual outcome, the ninth lap of 450MX's first moto would have inspired Eli's zealous fanbase. It proved that he too has another level of pace that he can unearth but, in harsh contrast to Jett, underlined the fact that it is sporadic and strenuous to maintain.

It is bizarre that he went from being seconds faster to a second slower than even Hunter a lap later. The tow was lost from there and he limped over the finish line some twenty-two seconds in arrears, but that was not an accurate representation of what he achieved in moto one. There were some similarities in moto two; his times on laps five and six were brilliant but what occurred around that was not on par. Encouraging in a sense yet deeply frustrating as he pursues a single win.

The stark reality that even he is struggling to chew on is that it's likely that he'll be winless in Pro Motocross for the first time since 2011. "I feel so-so because I have not had an overall win yet," he reflected. "The level of competition is high and I've been all over the place, searching for my one setup. I have taken big swings." It has been twelve rounds since his last outdoor win, making this is his second longest run without hitting the top step (winless in twenty-three rounds from 2010 to 2012 is the reference point).

Verdict: The bar that Eli's measured next to is high.

GASGAS' BATTLE WITH BALANCE

Justin Barcia's climb from ninth to fifth across his first three Pro Motocross rounds was impressive, but then the advancement was halted and he has featured in the lower half of the top ten ever since. Why? Justin has battled the balance of his bike

"I was on air forks for a while, but then I had to go away from them and I'm back on those spring forks," he told me. "I've been trying to find the balance and comfort. It seemed like I was moving forward then I had to change the forks and that is it. I didn't get that option [to move to full-factory WP forks like RJ Hampshire] so I went to the fork that I was on in supercross. Chase [Sexton] is on the same fork but he runs a really soft setting, so I cannot go off his specs."

Justin's not had an option to move to the factory forks that RJ has come to love, but simply because there are not a lot of those parts in the United States. It's a 'supply and demand' problem – the demand now doesn't match the number of pre-ordered parts. The next question is why he had to jump off the air forks that he was content with, but the answer for that is less clear. Perhaps pointing to the lack of durability and consistency with the OEM fork is the best bet?

Verdict: Another relationship limping to the finish.

KEN'S TELLING SUZUKI INTENT

Ken Roczen has moved to silence rumors about a potential departure to Kawasaki, confirming that he has a very attractive offer to remain with the Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki team that he has called home for three seasons. The offer was received in the week prior to Unadilla's Pro Motocross fixture.

"I just received my offer a couple of days ago, so we will go from there," he stated with some refreshing honesty. "I still haven't signed anything. I have a very good idea – you never know – and I will most likely stay with my current team. I have been really happy with that and all of my other sponsors; Red Bull has been really happy and I am too. I will jump on a couple of calls after this race and get my ducks in a row to see what we are going to do."

Kawasaki's interest in Ken stems from the likeliness of Jorge exiting his contract after just one season – the latter could still come to fruition. It's true that a discussion occurred with '94' before the Suzuki offer arrived, but that appears to be the least likely outcome now. What could Kawasaki do if Jorge leaves? That is a question that has been pondered internally. Malcolm Stewart is yet to receive the final version of his Husqvarna contract, but most other negotiations within the paddock have been finalized. Kawasaki would likely promote from within.

Verdict: Ken's the attractive option for both brands.

JORGE JUMPS INTO OBSCURITY 

"We made an improvement now and I am happy. I'm happier," said Jorge after Ironman. Ironman was just seven days ago, yet the contrast in performance from that event to Unadilla would lead one to believe it was a different lifetime.

"It was not the weekend I was hoping for, but we have some positive results to take away," Jorge said in a Kawasaki statement. "I got fourth in qualifying, which helped set me up with a good gate pick for moto one. I was able to get the holeshot in the first moto and ran up front for a bit, but the track was very dry and hard-pack, making it difficult to ride and I dropped back to fifteenth. In the second moto, I got shuffled back off the start and had to work my way up to finish twelfth. We'll focus on next race and closing out the season strong."

Unadilla was not the lowest that the partnership has fallen; Thunder Valley, High Point and Washougal stand as horrid examples of how bad this could be. Unadilla's twelfth overall is particularly tricky to swallow, because of the positivity that radiated from the 'green' corner seven days prior. If a small uptick is followed by such a drop, how can those involved be excited about future advancements? This points to a larger consistency issue with the rider and motorcycle.

Verdict: Unadilla marked the last nail in the coffin.

SEEING'S LITERALLY BELIEVING

There is renewed hope that Julien Beaumer could become more of a threat, indoors and out, now that he can see. It's rare to unearth a new advancement for a rider – troubleshooting the same tired 'issues' to improve results is what this industry is built upon. Beaumer, however, has flown in the face of that claim.

"I knew I needed to figure something out after RedBud," he admitted. "My concussion was a priority then I went to the eye doctor who pretty much told me that I can't see. I had some contacts fitted and this is my second week with them. The first week was a bit iffy but I am more used to them now. I didn't realize [it was that bad] but my vision wasn't great. If I had contacts six months back then maybe [it would've been better] – especially with east coast ruts and being able to f**king see them. Even today, there were ruts and it was just nice to see!"

It seems ludicrous, but it's entirely possible that Beaumer adjusted to his new 'view' in Indiana and then took full advantage at Pro Motocross' penultimate stop. The west-coast nature of the hard, slick dirt could have helped his cause too as could his midweek switch to the supercross track. There are a multitude of reasons but perhaps all are irrelevant and this is just where he belongs? Remember that he started this campaign with a fifth and a fourth at the opening two rounds.

Verdict: A criminally underrated talent in 250SMX.