2023 Unadilla National Motocross Fantasy Tips [8 Fast Facts]

The long break is over, and it’s time to get back to the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross National Championship Series. There are three rounds to go in the National series, which leads up to the first-ever SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs. However, we’re here to discuss your RMFantasyMX.com picks, as there’s nothing more important than beating your friends in various leagues. It’s a bit more complicated after the break, so let’s get our 2023 Unadilla National Motocross fantasy tips to help you pick the top five and the ever-elusive Wild Card at the 2023 Unadilla National.

1. Jett Lawrence is undefeated and likely to stay that way. Picking anyone else to win is going for a long shot.

2. Just as Lawrence is the rider to pick to win, Chase Sexton is a lock on P2. Sexton has finished in P2 in seven of the last eight motos, and in P2 overall at every race he has been at this 2023 AMA Pro Motocross National Championship Series.

3. Dylan Ferrandis has been a great P3 choice for a while, but Jason Anderson ended that streak at the Washougal National. Anderson has only been back for two rounds after a broken neck suffered during the Supercross season. Yet, he hit the overall podium at the last round. Given that Anderson should be improving and Ferrandis seems stuck, I’m going with Anderson for P3 and Ferrandis in P4.

4. Aaron Plessinger should round out the top five. Plessinger has been in the top five at seven of the eight rounds in 2023. Adam Cianciarulo always seems like a top-five possibility, though he has only finished in the top five overall in half the races.

5. Justin Barcia joins the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross National Championship Series for the first time. How he will do is anyone’s guess. The top five is made up of proven talent this year, so Barcia will have to prove himself to me before I slot him into a top-five position. 

6. The RMFantasyMX.com Wild Card is P15 at Unadilla, and that makes it a semi-educated guess, at best. Riders to consider are Kyle Chisholm (on a 14-17-14-11-17-12 moto run), Shane McElrath (15-14), Grant Harlan (14-15), Romain Pape (15-16-18), and José Butron (15-10-12-13). Your guess is as good as mine, and maybe better. I’m going with Pape, with pretty much zero confidence.

7. Going into the final three rounds, I’m in the top quarter of RMFantasyMX.com players. That’s not great, but not horrible, either. Of course, Ultimate Motorcycling Associate Editor Kelly Callan’s fantastic streak continues. She’s in the top one-fifth of one percent of the players—63rd out of 34,833 competitors. Unfortunately, she refuses to write this column. 

8. The 450MX class starts the day on Saturday, so check the starting time on our 2022 Pro Motocross Television Schedule. You don’t want to miss Barcia’s comeback and see if Jett remains undefeated.

Photography by Align Media, Octopi Media, et al

2023 AMA Pro Motocross National Championship Series Standings (after 8 of 11 rounds)

1. Jett Lawrence, Honda, 400 points (8 overall wins; 8 overall podiums; 8 overall top 5s)
2. Dylan Ferrandis, Yamaha, 305 (5P, 8 T5)
3. Aaron Plessinger, KTM, 280 (1P, 7 T5)
4. Adam Cianciarulo, Kawasaki, 236 (1P, 4 T5)
5. Chase Sexton, Honda, 218 (5P, 5 T5)
6. Ty Masterpool, Kawasaki, 190
7. Garrett Marchbanks, Yamaha, 174 (1 T5)
8. Fredrik Norén, Suzuki, 169
9. Cooper Webb, KTM, 147 (2 P, 4 T5)
10. José Butron, GasGas, 132
11. Grant Harlan, Yamaha, 129
12. Lorenzo Locurcio, GasGas, 110
13. Jason Anderson, Kawasaki, 108 (1P, 2 T5)
14. Phil Nicoletti, Yamaha, 86
15. Derek Drake, Suzuki, 85
16. Kyle Chisholm, Suzuki, 82
17. Romaine Pape, GasGas, 73
18. Jerry Robin, Yamaha, 69
19. Luca Marsalisi, Yamaha, 43
20. Jeremy Hand, Honda, 40
21. Ken Roczen, Suzuki, 36 (1P, 1 T5)
22. Ryan Surratt, Honda, 33
23. Marshal Weltin, Suzuki, 32
24. Chris Canning, GasGas, 27
25. Jace Kessler, Honda, 24
26. Shane McElrath, Yamaha, 23
27. Brandon Ray, Honda, 23
28. Colt Nichols, Kawasaki, 22
29. Max Miller, KTM, 22
30. Lars van Berkel, Honda, 21
31. Gert Krestinov, Honda, 18
32. Kaeden Amerine, Kawasaki, 18
33. Bryce Shelly, KTM, 16
34. Dante Oliveira, KTM, 15
35. Chandler Baker, Kawasaki, 15
36. Christopher Prebula, KTM, 12
37. Anton Gole, Husqvarna, 12
38. Tyler Stepek, Honda, 11
39. Henry Miller, Honda, 9
40. Jed Beaton, Honda, 8
41. Brandon Scharer, KTM, 7
42. RJ Wageman, Yamaha, 5
43. Kevin Moranz, KTM, 5
44. Trevor Schmidt, KTM, 4
45. Josh Hill, Yamaha, 4
46. Jacob Runkles, GasGas, 4
47. Luke Renzland, Husqvarna, 4
48. John Adamson, Husqvarna, 4
49. Carson Brown, Yamaha, 3
50. Bryce Hammond, Honda, 3
51. Dominique Thury, Yamaha, 3
52. Karel Kutsar, KTM, 3
53. Cody Groves, GasGas, 3
54. Scott Meshey, Husqvarna, 3
55. Izaih Clark, Honda, 3
56. Anthony Rodriguez, KTM, 1
57. Sebastian Balbuena, Yamaha, 1
58. Jeffrey Walker, KTM, 1
59. Bryton Carroll, Yamaha, 1
60. Richard Taylor, Yamaha, 1