As big as the team trophy is, the battle to beat Jett Lawrence outdoors for the first time in 2022 is one of the biggest storylines going into the 2023 MXoN at Ernee.
Sexton tried, Anderson tried, Plessinger tried, even Ken Roczen gave it a one round whirl at High Point but no-one could quite get the job done even if Sexton and Roczen came close to defeating the new superstar of the sport, Jett Lawrence.
Now the whole world gets a shot at Jett Lawrence.
Roczen is back for more and after their battles in SMX, motivation will be high, especially with both riders having very strong Nations teams, every place could matter. Plessinger is pumped up for team USA but for most of the field this is their first chance to beat Jett Lawrence in 2023.
New MXGP world champ, Jorge Prado, is the obvious choice who could do it, but with a late move to the Open class, the two champs and the two smoothest, most precise riders on the planet, won’t actually race each other until the last moto of the year, which is a big shame. But if they come out of that first turn 1-2, get ready for the ultimate technical riding clinic, because Lawrence and Prado are the closest the modern era will see to Stefan Everts, they are the bar for how to ride a bike perfectly and Prado has the stuff to go toe to toe with Jett Lawrence and beat him.
But he isn’t the only one who will think they have a shot. Maxime Renaux was the last guy to beat Jett Lawrence outdoors winning the final moto at Red Bud and despite a tough last couple of MXGP rounds, his raw speed and ability to be mistake free under pressure can’t be ignored. But, like Prado, Renaux will only race Jett in the final moto as he is in the Open class.
Fellow Frenchman, Romain Febvre, is a guy in great form, probably some of the best in his career. Second in the world with six GP wins, Febvre went 1-1 at Ernee back in 2015 and will be very, very motivated for this race. If Jett Lawrence is in his way for a French victory, Febvre will do whatever it takes to pass Lawrence, and with France and Australia the two favourites coming in, it could well come down to these two and their results for the team championship not just the individual, so for motivation, Febvre has it from every angle, team and individual – and that mega home crowd. There could be fireworks!
In contrast, Tim Gajser has no team pressure, and with Jan Pancar at a really good level, Slovenia should qualify fine on Saturday, to hopefully give Gajser a good enough gate pick to get away with Lawrence and the rest to go for the overall win in MXGP, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain, and if he rides like he did at Matterley, Gajser will be on pace give Jett big competition.
Then you have Jeremy Seewer, a good mate of the Lawrences! Seewer is fast, with great starts and riding really well at the minute and, with a strong Swiss team who are aiming for top five, Seewer could end his career on Yamaha by beating Lawrence as the overall winner of his class – what an end to the year that would be! His teammate Glenn Coldenhoff has been known to be the man at the Nations before and he has been strong recently too, you can’t ever write Glenn off at this event.
Jago Geerts is yet another Yamaha rider who has the talent to win. We saw him run with and beat Eli Tomac last year at Red Bud, and Geerts as of ten days ago, is now a full time 450 rider, he says he loves the new Yamaha more than the old one and had already ridden it a couple of times before Matterley Basin, if his shoulder is strong enough, Geerts should be a contender for the class win and a guy who has the speed and the talent to challenge Jett Lawrence.
Ruben Fernandez has been sneakily good the last two weeks as well on the factory Honda, now that he is fit again and able to ride during the week. Spain have two elite riders now on a 450 and Fernandez wasn’t scared to bang bars with Jett last year and he will be even more confident now!
Lawrence will have more competition at Ernee than he has had all year in the USA for first place. It’s not just Chase Sexton or Ken Roczen this weekend. It’s Jorge Prado. Jeremy Seewer, Tim Gajser, Romain Febvre, Jago Geerts, Maxime Renaux, Fernandez and more who will all believe they have the talent and speed to not just challenge but beat Jett Lawrence.
But can they actually deliver under pressure? Lawrence is special but this will be the biggest test of his 2023 season, let’s see if he can remain unbeaten on the 450 in motocross! It’s one of the biggest and intriguing stories of the weekend!
Article: Jonathan McCready
Image: Honda
