Ryan Nitzen | October 5, 2022
Cycle News The 411
COLUMN
State of the Nations
Attending my first Motocross of Nations is something I’ll never forget. As cliche as it sounds, it really is a rite of passage for moto fans. Being held on home soil made it that much better and seeing Team USA end their 11-year drought was the cherry on top. The atmosphere is unmatched, and if you ever get a chance to attend, here or abroad, definitely do so. Fans go crazy, everyone is in some type of costume, and any kind of worldly issue is simply nonexistent. Now that I think about it, maybe we should petition the Motocross of Nations to become the United Nations? Anyways, this week I wanted to touch on a few things that went down during the weekend.
Justin Cooper had a few doubters going into the race, but he certainly proved them wrong. Photo by Ryan Nitzen
First up is Jett Lawrence. The Aussie hotshot jumped up to a 450 for the first time at ’Nations and gave us all a glimpse into the future. Jett won a moto against some big names and backed it up with a second to take the Open class overall. Not bad for your first go-around. He was the youngest rider on Team Australia but arguably the strongest, posting the most consistent scores for the team. Jett’s likely to defend his 250cc title in Supercross, but all signs point to him jumping to a 450cc outdoors. This is exactly what Chase Sexton did a few years back, too, and it seems to have worked out all right. With Ken Roczen up in the air in regard to his Honda contract, we could see The Jett on a big bike sooner than expected.
Next on the list are the Yamaha GP riders Jago Geerts and Maxime Renaux. Geerts was a wildcard for me this weekend. After coming heartbreakingly close to winning the MX2 title a few weeks back, I admittedly had low expectations, as he also jumped up to the 450cc for MXoN. The Belgian rider had a point to prove at RedBud, checking out from the field in Saturday’s qualifying race and keeping Eli Tomac honest all moto one on Sunday. Geerts will be a threat in the coming years in the GP’s or stateside. Renaux, on the other hand, is wrapping up a breakout 450cc season in the MXGPs and carried that momentum into RedBud. The French rider won the final moto of the day and even held off Jett Lawrence in the rain. Renaux also took home the MXGP class overall. Clearly, Yamaha’s talent scout in Europe is doing his job quite well.
This year is all about Eli Tomac. ET3 adds another feather in his cap by winning the Motocross of Nations and putting Team USA back on top. Until this year, he’d never won an individual moto at the event. Tomac quickly checked that off the list in moto one and cruised it in for a sixth in the final race of the day. In 2022, he won the Supercross title, the Pro Motocross Championship, an ESPY, and now the ’Nations. Talk about a career year. Seeing Tomac visibly excited doesn’t happen all that often, but his expressions on the podium spoke volumes. It feels like we’re just now seeing the most dominant version of the number-three, and whether he calls it a career soon or not, he will certainly go down as one of the greats.
We’ve got to talk about some standouts, too. How about Hardy Munoz?! The Chilean rider was the first 250cc rider we saw to huck LaRocco’s Leap on Saturday and put in a top-10 ride during the MX2 qualifying heat. 27-12 scores didn’t exactly go his way on Sunday, but Munoz showed strong promise on the track. Another is Team Estonia’s Harri Kullas, who placed eighth in the second race of the day. As the team’s Open-class entry, Kullas logged 8-17 finishes against the best riders in the world. I don’t know much of the Estonian rider, but results don’t lie.
This year is all about Eli Tomac. ET3 adds another feather in his cap by winning the Motocross of Nations and putting Team USA back on top.
Chase Sexton deserves acknowledgement, too. After battling tooth and nail with Tomac all summer, the two joined forces for this event and stuck it to the rest of them. Sexton became the anchor for Team USA, and despite fumbling on Saturday he came through when it mattered most. In fact, his maturity on Sunday by not rushing the races showed veteran maturity beyond his years. As Tomac is likely to be Supercross-only in 2023, it just might be the number-23’s time to shine.
Last but not least is Team USA’s Justin Cooper. J-Coop was another wild card coming into the event but proved the world wrong as he rose to the occasion and became the strongest rider on the American team. He dominated the qualifying race, took fourth in the MX2/Open moto, and claimed the day’s overall for the 250 class. It seems like those extra two weeks after Pala were enough for Cooper to continue training and come out swinging. After duking it out with Hunter Lawrence all weekend, Cooper will be a serious threat in 2023.CN
 
