This summer has been incredible, with more twists and turns than a grade school pencil sharpener. A muddy Budds Creek wasn’t any different either, with Hunter Lawrence retaking the points lead one week after a disastrous second moto at Unadilla saw him lose it. To get some insight into what really happened at Budds Creek we tapped former pro and NBC on-track analyst, Jason Thomas.

There was a lot of rainfall leading into Budds Creek. It stopped before the motos, but the damage was done. How sloppy was it early, and how did that affect the riding and how the track formed?
There was rain on Thursday night which was a factor because it saturated the dirt to a point where it was very good for riding but wet through several layers. That becomes a net negative if a lot more rain comes, though. Typically, if track crews know heavy rain is coming, they will try to leave it as dry as possible on the front end of the weekend. Dirt can only absorb so much moisture before it turns to soup and standing water. The less saturated it is beforehand just means it can handle more rain on race day. So, the rain Thursday and Friday night left the track vulnerable to the mid-morning deluge. That’s why it turned to a disaster so quickly.

Qualifying was a monsoon, and it’s one of the only times I have ever seen when riders all exited the session before it was over. It was also pretty wet on the opening laps of the first 250 moto but by the end of that moto, it was clearly getting good and fast.

The sun came out later and conditions did improve. How much better did the track get for the second motos?
The track was in great condition for the second motos. The only real downside is that the usable lines became very narrow. An already hard-to-pass Budds Creek became nearly impossible. Beggars can’t be choosers, though, and this was a huge win as far as what could have been.

The riders didn’t have a parade lap, although some of them opted to take it easy on the first lap while others went for it immediately. Which do you think was the more effective strategy?
I think that’s a situational thing. If you’re mid-pack, there’s no reason to go crazy on the first lap. You’re likely not going to have anywhere to go, as the usable lines were narrow and limited. If you were up front, though, I think pushing early and building a gap over those mired in the pack was the prudent approach. It didn’t work out for Levi Kitchen but I still believe it to be the better approach. The riders up front could turn lap times 10-20 seconds a lap faster than those stuck in 25^th simply due to traffic.

What a race for Landen Gordon! Before Budds Creek the best finish he’d logged was 11^th overall, but on Saturday he went 3-7 for third overall. How can this be explained?
He was fast all day! This could just be a Budds Creek thing (this was also my best track) or it could be a wetter conditions thing. His breakout ride in SX was in Cleveland in similar conditions. These types of “flash” rides are important, especially at Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing because they don’t typically waste time if things aren’t going to work. Proving you can indeed be a podium guy goes a long way to maintaining a spot on blue.

Levi Kitchen was one of the riders who went for it right away and he ended up crashing, which later ended up causing him to ditch his goggles before the halfway point of the race came. Why didn’t he come in for new goggles? He was clearly suffering from a lack of vision.
It just comes down to a decision about how much time you’re going to lose by stopping. I believe the hard-to-pass factor was also important. If he gave up 5-10 positions by stopping, those would be very difficult to recoup. If it were Unadilla where he was blowing by riders at will, maybe the decision would be different. This felt like he decided track position was the most important variable.

Haiden Deegan was as good, or better, than we’ve seen him all season in that first 450 moto, staying about a second off Hunter Lawrence for quite a while. Was there something about this track that suited him, is he simply getting better, or is it a combination of both?
I very much believed that this track would be good for Deegan. He wants to ride with high RPM and attack the track, both of which Budds Creek will reward. He knew this going in and that fed into his good start and confidence to chase Hunter with a belief that he could remain at the front. Riders often know before a weekend if they will be their best self or not. The track, weather, conditions, etc., all play a role. This setup was prime for Deegs and when he nailed the start, it was game on.

In the second 450 moto Jett Lawrence found himself trying to navigate past a fierce battle between Justin Barcia and RJ Hampshire, while also feeling the heat from Deegan on his rear wheel. Is there a more precarious place to be than that?
I don’t think he was too worried about Deegs because he never really showed him a wheel. Had that changed, it would have made life much tougher. The problem was that Hampshire was trying pass Barcia at the same time as Jett trying to pass both of them. That reduces the possible line choices and further, you have to be mindful that Hampsihre is going to be crossing back and forth. If Jett made an aggressive attempt on both, there was a very real chance of Hampshire or Barcia’s line crossing in front of Jett and taking out his front wheel. That was something that he absolutely couldn’t afford. Once he cleared Hampshire and it was one-on-one with Barcia, the job became much more straightforward. It still wasn’t easy, but at least he could choose a line and push it with less worry of someone crossing in front of his approach.

Jett closed on Jorge Prado in the closing stage of the second 450 moto but didn’t make the pass until the final lap. Why didn’t he do it sooner? Was this strategy or was Prado just not allowing Jett to put a move on him?
He was trying! Prado was riding really well and the track was tough to pass. Jett didn’t get close enough until well into the final lap. I think he would have loved to pass sooner if possible. Leaving it to the last lap puts so much pressure on to get it exactly right. One failed attempt and you fall back a second or two and it’s likely over. He still made it happen, but this was not strategy, this was just what he was forced into.

Deegan and Barcia battled hard for what seemed like an eternity in the second 450 moto. Were you surprised it took Deegan so long to get around Barcia?
Credit to Barcia because he was riding very well. Those conditions suited him. Deegan mentioned that he overheated his bike and that could have been a factor. I would guess he was frustrated that Jett rode away from him, also. Barcia is so experienced and probably knew well beforehand the places Haiden would try to make a move. If you’re on a similar pace and you know the vulnerable spots, you can make life very difficult for the following rider, especially if everyone knows you will smash them for fun.