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I don’t want to be that guy, but I will be for this topic. It appears Jett Lawrence has finally figured out 450SX. No matter the conditions that are thrown at him, this 20-year-old figures it out and wins.
He’s won the last three races of the season and he’s won five out of the ten races this season. In Indy he became the only second rider to ever sweep a 450SX Triple Crown. It’s not like the other riders in this deep field haven’t had their chances to beat the kid straight up. Jettson has taken control of the races when he has needed to and that has been quite impressive to watch.
For instance, in the third main event in Indy, at one point Chase Sexton started pressuring Jett and it would have made a difference in the overall scores. Jett picked up the pace and made the move on Ken Roczen within the next lap and that was it.
My question for you guys today is, what rider will be stopping Jett’s reign? IS he in the class right now? Is he in the 250 class? Is he even pro yet? Deegs?
Let’s look at the ages of every rider that made the 450 Triple Crown Mains this past weekend and break it all down.
Ken Roczen
Age 29 (Turns 30 on April 29th)
Chase Sexton
Age 24
Jason Anderson
Age 31
Cooper Webb
Age 28
Aaron Plessinger
Age 28
Eli Tomac
Age 31
Justin Barcia
Age 31
Malcolm Stewart
Age 31
Justin Cooper
Age 26
Hunter Lawrence
Age 24
Shane McElrath
Age 29
Kyle Chisholm
Age 74
Colt Nichols
Age 29
Adam Cianciarulo
Age 27
Mitchell Harrison
Age 26
Cade Clason
Age 29
Derek Drake
Age 24
Devin Simonson
Age 22
Justin Starling
Age 31
Freddie Noren
Age 31
Benny Bloss
Age 26
The reason I bring this age thing up is obvious. Jett is 20. Let’s say he races another ten years. All of the top guys now have a good few years left in them at this level. I can’t see the now 31-year-olds wanting to race when they’re 34 or 35. I’m not calling anyone old here. I want to reiterate myself here, ELI TOMAC, TROY DOG IS NOT CALLING YOU OLD.
Yet, in a couple of years we’re going to see a tremendous flip in 450 class talent. All of the factory riders now will be retired and new guys will fill their spots. Can any of them stop Jett? Like seriously, who can go bar-to-bar with him once Roczen, Tomac, Webb, Anderson, and crew retire?
Obviously Chase Sexton is suspect number one to give Jett a run, but beyond that, who will be racing with them? I think it’s going to be Hunter Lawrence who will fill those podium spots. He’s learning at his own pace right now in supercross and I think outdoors will be better for him. He’ll figure this out and will be able to give little bro some challenge here and there. Right? Justin Cooper seems to be figuring this 450 class out pretty quickly as of late. He may be a sleeper to start battling Jett as he progresses in his career.
Then you’ll have the emergence of Haiden Deegan when he moves up to the class. We also should see Jorge Prado here in America soon. He will challenge outdoors, but will he have enough in SX? Tom Vialle will be another rider to watch when he moves up.
As we look toward the future and try to pinpoint the progression of these riders, it’s basically impossible to guess. Injuries happen and take toll on the riders physically and mentally, so you truly never know what will happen. All we can do now is play the waiting game and see who will fill the shoes of the great champions that we have in the 450 class at the moment.
The good news is that someone always does and someone always will.
Main Image: Octopi Media
