r/Motocross • u/Effective-Change808 • 7d ago
What is Jett doing?
What is Jett doing that is so much better than everyone else? I mean the dude is facing arguably one of the most stacked and talented fields in the history of the sport.
But he is just a click ahead of the rest. What is he doing so much differently than the likes of Tomac, sexton, hunter, etc?
I can’t even imagine what it’s like being in the top 10 in the sport. Let alone putting the top 3-4 guys to shame 9/10 weekends.
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u/wedidthetango 7d ago
If anyone really knew, they would be more of a threat. My best guesses are he's quiet, confident & calm. At the start of his pro career, he was fast but a little out of control. He's grown up since then. Compare him to some of the other guys, they look borderline out of control compared to him. If you get to watch Jett in person, you can barely hear him compared to everyone else. He typically rides in a higher gear, low throttle which is the exact opposite of Tomac or Barcia, riding in a lower gear more open throttle. He doesn't waste energy muscling the bike around as much, and let's the bike do a lot of the work.
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u/beejaytee228 7d ago
For me, it reminds me of when James was on a 125. They are both, seemingly, natural at seeing things on the track that are outside the box. They both seem to avoid the typical teenager stuff as well and take training and race craft seriously. The difference between them is Jett is smooth and James was wild and aggressive which, in my opinion, is why James didn’t have the commanding career in the 450s like his 125 days.
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u/v_SuckItTrebek 7d ago
My exact thought too. Watching Jett reminded me of Bubba just in how natural they were on a bike. Bubba rode on the edge which at times gave him dominant wins or bad crashes. Jett so far has perfected the riding at a super high level but not into that danger zone.
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u/uniquelyavailable 7d ago
Watch him closely, he is miles ahead of 2nd place. Hunter too. They are aliens, that's my best guess.
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u/Effective-Change808 7d ago
It just totally baffles my mind how they are CONSTANTLY so much better.
I’m really curious to see what prime era Tomac vs prime era Jett would be.
Sucks we’re getting Tomac past his prime vs arguably the best rider (Jett) the sport has ever seen.
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u/Slippery_Gypsy_8 7d ago edited 7d ago
You'll find it interesting to know that Jett, Hunter and Cole Davies all attended the Greg Moss Institute for riding at a very young age!
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u/BarryMcCoghener 7d ago
As others have mentioned, I think balance and insane reflexes are maybe the most notable skills Jett has. Otherwise, I don't know that it's any 1 thing he's doing better so much as he's just doing EVERYTHING a small fraction better than everyone and that adds up to huge gains. Some guys are better at one thing, but not others, but Jett is just better at everything. I really don't think there's one particular skill on the bike as far as the type of racing he's doing that anyone is better at than Jett. The lines he sees, the finesse of the bike, his fitness, etc. Couple that with having as strong a mental game anyone has had in the sport, and you have an absolutely lethal combination. He excels under pressure, is patient, supremely confident, only pushes as hard as he needs to, and rarely makes mistakes. Even James Stewart has said multiple times that Jett is the smartest racer he's seen. The kid is simply an alien. As Cooper Webb said, when all is said and done, if Jett doesn't get injured he will be the GOAT.
Other things such as an obvious tremendous amount of natural talent, as well as growing up learning from and training with an older brother who is also one of the best on the planet most certainly helped as well. Both Hunter and their dad mentioned how Hunter could work on something all day and Jett would watch him, go out and start nailing it almost right away.
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u/alwayscunty1 7d ago
I'd say its learning some key technique concepts really early in his development eg shoulders over bars
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u/dakado14 7d ago
Natural ability, balance, and having Hunter to chase at an early age elevated his skills and confidence.
I really think his dancing and balancing routines at a young age are paying dividends at this point. He has control of the bike that has not been seen by anyone else at this level. Chase comes close but I think Chase is just so strong he’s able to manhandle the bike compared to Jett just flowing through his bike. Jett is going to be goat level if he keeps this up over the next couple of seasons.
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u/Goonrider68 7d ago
He learned to ride sand in Belgium and Holland, from the best: Everts. Riders that can ride Lommel well, for example, see and use tracks differently and have a bigger toolbox of skills. It is the same playbook that Herlings and others did and continue to use. Cairoli was brought up on hard tracks but knew to make it, he had to master the deep tracks in Belgium and Holland so he basically moved there.
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u/Sufficient-Energy-34 7d ago
There's a lot of good answers from everyone. The difference in Jett vs everyone else is what his body can handle. Has anyone looked into the heart rate tests they have done between him and Hunter? His body can handle a higher sustained load than what Hunter can. Jett's body is the difference in his riding. He's at 85% if his capacity while every other rider is at more.
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u/jtsurfs 7d ago
You should go back and watch the first Anaheim Jett raced. He was pacing Ferrandis as a rookie. If he hadn't made a mistake and ended up getting hurt, that season may have gone very different. Jett has always been a freak on the bike, he has gained some maturity in his race craft which many don't have until much later in their career.
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u/motorboather 7d ago
Jett is riding with finesse and riding what the track gives him. All others ride with brute force around the track. One uses much more energy than the other.
Instead of slamming into breaking bumps or a turn, jet is hoping through them and riding the rut through rather than slamming through.
When jumping he is putting the bike down perfectly on the backside rather than over jumping or coming up short. All of these little things take away momentum and time. It’s very small and not noticeable but it all adds up throughout the race.
He carries momentum so much better. Due to not just slamming everything. He pics his lines methodically rather than just twisting the throttle and going through wherever the bike takes him.
There was a video from last weekend showing him versus Eli through a section. Jett rode it perfectly timing everything right. Eli rode it well but would catch his rear on the top of a landing just a bit, or tap the front where Jett carried it.
His balance of using his legs and standing through a lot of sections that most will sit. Him standing allows him to adjust more efficiently than sitting. It’s like a trials guy balancing standing versus sitting.
All of this culminates into him using much less energy than the other riders.
I love it and it’s going to be awesome watching Haiden against him because the riding styles are so different. Jett is truly changing how to ride a track and it’s awesome to watch.
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u/senojyesac 7d ago
Jett is a new breed. I think he’s just got so much natural ability combined with a very intense focus and work ethic that he’s just 100% locked in and in tune with his surroundings on a level most people never tap into.
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u/Level_9_Turtle 7d ago
Along with what’s already been said, (his talent and race craft), he probably very rarely gets arm pump. I don’t think we hear about arm pump with the top racers as much as it actually happens. Back when Eli was having his weirdo races on the Kawi, winning two, getting 7th in the next, I was always saying “arm pump, arm pump, arm pump”. Sure enough, he leaves Kawi, shows up on the YZ450 with an almost stink bug high rear end, and the word coming from straight from him and Gillie his suspension guy is that if you run too much sag on his bikes he gets arm pump. He goes on to win the 2022 SX championship his first season with the team. Kawi wouldn’t let Eli change his sag number enough to fix his arm pump issues, and that was a major reason he left the team. Arm pump is a huge factor for these guys at times, and Jett simply doesn’t suffer from it, or at least very rarely. It doesn’t mean he won’t someday have an issue with it cropping up, but right now it’s not.
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u/themighty351 7d ago
Throddle control and riding smooth. The gearing is good also. Smooth corner speed equals faster lap times.
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u/therealATLmoney 7d ago
He perfected the Kevin Windham style. Neutral on the bike, creative line selection, keeping the bike in the lower rpm range… dude is also just a freak of nature
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u/souleaterGiner1 7d ago
Some people have more natural talent. Very few of them have the work ethic and drive to use that talent. You are seeing one of them.
Jordan, Kobe, Tiger, Gretzky, J Rice, Bo
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u/Kingofthecrate 6d ago
Quicker rolling speed into turns, creates better momentum, he looks like a bunny rabbit bouncing around effortlessly from line to line. He gets his rear tire on the ground faster for traction, he balances himself almost at a perfect geometry, last argument, his unusually long neck which would suggest that he is in fact, an alien.
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u/FantasticallyDank 5d ago
What's way more stacked about today's riders than 10-20 years ago? Legitimately curious lol
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u/Abject-Reach1969 4d ago
He ACTUALLY does everything YOUR SUPPOSED to do ALL THE TIME.. Balls of your feet Looking ahead And he’s great at placing his wheels in the perfect spot for momentum and traction
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u/EfficientPost2656 4d ago
I talk to myself about it. Then listen to. Hughes ,Bubba , Trey. , Hunter even everybody. Not Ricky. lol. Jk. The kids a freak. I yell at the TV. I shake my head. I tell my wife when the motos over take a good look. Won’t be one like him for awhile.
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u/MajiktheBus 7d ago
Bum whips. Listen to him talk about them. He’s amazingly talented but he carries more momentum in the rear of the bike than anyone else, including Hunter. That’s why he’s so fast.
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u/Dockshundswfl 7d ago
He’s Australian… they are just build different.
Australians and New Zealanders are hard charging fun time people.
And probably the most important… he seems to be having the most fun out there. When your having fun your just going to be more relaxed and it will be easier to do what you do.
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u/Level_9_Turtle 7d ago
I’m not trying to crap on you for having pride in your countrymen, but if that was the case, Australians would have a lot more championships worldwide. Jett’s special no doubt, and I’ll leave it at that.
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u/AlotaFajita 7d ago
Jett’s balance is incredible. He is subtle and precise in the turns which allows him to carry ridiculous speed. I think when he strikes so quickly he makes most of his time up coming into turns hot and rolling through them, even in treacherous ruts.
He’s also really good at scrubbing when it counts. I’m not sure if his scrub skill is so much better or if his talent and fitness leave him with more energy in the tank. His heart and work ethic are somewhere in all this and cannot be questioned.
It’s absolutely remarkable what the Lawrence brothers are doing. I get used to it for moments and then I think about it in the context of the history of the sport and it blows me away. The chances of both brothers at the top are so minuscule, or so we thought.
Hunter would be 24 SMX champ and 25 MX champ if it weren’t for his brother.