Round 11 of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship saw Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) back on the top step in 450SX, while it was once again Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) who was victorious in 250SX West as the category returned to action. Both riders were available to the media following the races for this Debrief feature.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

About halfway through the race it looked like something changed, you dropped the hammer and found a line in the whoops. Did the track just come to you?

Well, it was honestly when I just got out of the mess at the beginning of the race, we were all riding in a train, I think me and Kenny [Roczen] passed each other about three times, so that was the beginning of the race I was just stuck. Once I got free of that, what started working for me was left side of the whoops, that’s where I made up the majority of the time and made some passes. As usual, it was tricky but it raced well.

You had a great line out of the first turn into that rhythm too. Was that a combo that you’d planned? Because it was completely different but you were making it work.

It was a pretty conservative line, I knew I could do it every single lap. I was actually making some time at the end of it. It was good cause I guarded the inside too. That lane specifically, was probably the sketchiest one, you were dragging footpegs.

After giving up points to Cooper [Webb] the last two weeks, did you come into Seattle with a sense of urgency to get back on top?

Absolutely, losing points two weeks in a row is not fun. Either way, we were so close anyway that it’s good to not lose points for a third week in a row. It was a good bounce-back for us.

You tied James Stewart with 50 wins. When you’re in a tight championship battle like this, do you get time to enjoy that?

It’s special for sure, but you know we’re obviously neck and neck right now and I have to stay focused on that.

With the way the last few weeks have gone. Was there ever a moment of concern? Or did you know you would get it back?

The most important was that I stayed in a decent position, I wasn’t too worried but. Most important was staying within basically one position.

This would be a third championship if you get it. Can you talk about what that would mean?

Yeah, it’s just cool that we’re tied right now. That’s cool for everyone to see. Yeah, I don’t want to talk about the end, but I think it’s cool right now for everyone to see us this close.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Let’s talk about the heat race crash. Physically were you okay after that?

Yeah, it was definitely a wild heat race, but thankfully we both came out of it okay. I landed on his bike and just clipped his foot peg with my butt cheek, luckily it didn’t go anywhere else [laughs]. The bike was pretty banged up, they get pretty hammered when they both collide, so luckily we were okay.

In the main event, you took a little while to get to the lead. You pulled away once you got there but it started to yo-yo, how’d that main event go from your perspective?

Yeah it was a bit of a struggle getting to the lead, Stilez [Robertson] was riding good, he had his lines down and in all fairness, I wasn’t my best riding, so I struggled to find my lines and took a little bit to get close enough to make a move on Stilez [Robertson], but I ended up getting that. I kind of struggled to find the flow through the race, so I was just trying to get through each section. The boys were on it tonight, they were keeping me honest, I had to make sure I kept pushing the whole race.

Take us through the track conditions. It looked tough out there, what did you think of it?

The track was most of the day pretty sticky and soft, but once it got to the main, the rhythm stayed pretty much the same as far as the ruts go, they’d kind of grab your foot pegs, so it was a tricky one to get the rhythms and push, you didn’t want to go too hard and start clipping the foot pegs, but the turns were loose and dry so we weren’t getting many ruts. It made it difficult cause you couldn’t get into a flow of hitting the same rut each time.

You spoke about the boys keeping you honest tonight. But it really looks like when you come off the track you’re not really breathing heavily, did you have any more in the tank if they did catch you?

I don’t know to be honest, maybe, but it was kind of more that I could’ve gone faster, I just never really got my lines down. I was a bit all over the place. I think if the boys caught me, fitness-wise I would’ve been fine, but if they had better lines it would’ve been a bit of a struggle.

A the end of the main when you were rolling to the podium you were shaking your head a little bit, it looked like you weren’t happy. What was the story there?

I was just frustrated with myself, I didn’t feel like I rode my best in that main. I was just making silly mistakes that I feel like I shouldn’t be making. So, I was kind of beating myself up, it was almost a quick brief to myself after the race. Obviously, I ended up winning, but I always want to make myself better, so if I feel like ride bad I want to make sure I work it out.