SX After-Party From Salt Lake City 4

450 Class

Cooper Webb - 1st

"It was a great race; I almost got the holeshot and led every lap, which is the first time I've been able to do that this year. Kenny was riding really well at the beginning. I made a few mistakes, and we battled there for a second, but I regained focus, and I was able to ride my laps and ended up getting a decent lead, which is nice. I feel like the first three [rounds] we've been battling down to the last lap, so it was cool to be able to enjoy that one a little bit more, not so stressful."

Zach Osborne - 2nd

"I feel like we're building some momentum here," Osborne said. "I've been enjoying this Salt Lake trip, and I feel like I'm in a good headspace, which is good. I managed two good starts tonight and was able to come away with my second podium of the stretch here. I really felt like I was in a good position tonight, and we had a good result, so I'm pretty happy with it."

Eli Tomac - 3rd

"I had to claw my way back once I was really buried off the start. I really need to work on getting better starts so I’m not challenged with tracking down all of these really fast guys in this class. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to catch up to a podium position, but I just kept charging.  I'm happy with a third-place finish and glad to pick up a point toward the championship which is the goal. We're going to stay focused and get ready for the next one.”

Blake Baggett - 4th

"Today's race was much better. My speed was there all day, and I felt good battling inside the top three in both the heat and the main. We made a few adjustments on the bike, and it has helped tremendously. We will keep this momentum going into Sunday's race."

Ken Roczen - 5th

“Coming back after two days of trying to get everything lined up again following a tough race, I had a lot more fight and felt a lot better today. I had a good heat race and was able to put up a fight at least for some of the race. I’m not 100% yet obviously, because two days unfortunately is just not enough to get everything lined up, but it was much better than the last race. We’re going to just continue fighting because this stuff is out of our hands and we have the speed and good starts and everything. We have to get my body right and I think we can be on the top step much more consistently.”

Jason Anderson - 7th

"I felt really good in my heat race, I was riding really good and ready for the Main Event," Anderson said. "My start in the Main was actually a good start, but I just got shuffled back, and then I ended up falling. It wasn't the best finish, but I worked my way back up to seventh, and I'm just looking ahead to the next round." 

Dean Wilson - 8th

"Qualifying was pretty good; it has been recently," Wilson said. "In the Main, I had a really bad start, and I just made slow passes – coming from 17th up to eighth. It's not a great result, but the good thing is we get to try again on Sunday. I just really need to work on my starts, and I think we can be in the top five."

Aaron Plessinger - 9th

"The bike started off in a way better place today. I was very happy with what we did to improve the setup. I was going through the whoops a lot better; it wasn't kicking me around at all. The track definitely got rough for the Main Event, and the sun was shining in our eyes in parts of the track, and some parts were really dark. It also got pretty slick, but I just kept charging. I came across the first lap in 16th and ended up ninth. It was a better day for me. I broke the top 10. All we can do now is keep pushing forward."

Justin Brayton - 12th

"It was my roughest one yet. I'm not really sure what went on, but today was just kind of a struggle most of the day. The best thing about this format is that we race again in a few days, so I’m going to try and forget about that one. Overall, I honestly can't really pinpoint anything other than kind of a stomach bug for most of the day; I didn't have the energy I needed for that main event. Definitely a bummer, but it's all good and we'll come back fighting in a few days."

Broc Tickle - 17th

"Today was a lot better than Sunday's race for me,” said Tickle. “I felt better on the bike. I’m looking forward to making progress with my hand over the next couple days before Sunday, and gaining some confidence during these last three rounds. Thanks to the whole JGR crew for all their hard work."

Kyle Cunningham - 19th

“I’d say yesterday was a bit of a struggle,” said Kyle Cunningham. “Riding felt good, but I got in a pile up in the heat that ended up putting me in the LCQ. We had a mechanical issue happen, but luckily, I was able to cruise it to the finish and still get into the main. The whole team did a great job with the motor swap and we barely made it to the line with one second on the board. Unfortunately, I went down in the first lap, but overall after thinking I wasn’t going to take off, I was pumped just to finish and get some points. I’m ready for the next round.”

Justin Barcia - 21st

"I was having a pretty good day, better than it has been. Qualifying went alright. I was searching around a bit for sure, just trying to find that good flow. Aaron finished right behind me in the Heat race, so it seemed like we were kind of starting to figure it out a little. In the Main Event I was battling pretty hard with a lot of the guys. I got a little sideways in the whoops, and then it just kicked out too crazy, and the bike went flying. I dinged myself up a little, but I'm alright and will be back on Sunday. Unfortunately, my bike was broken after the crash, and I wasn't able to finish the race. So that was unfortunate, but I will definitely get them on Sunday."

Freddie Noren - DNQ

"It wasn’t the day I was looking for,” said Noren. “I was sitting in a transfer spot in both the heat race and the LCQ but I fell in each. I’ll regroup and come into Sunday good. I want to say a big thank you to the whole crew.”

Ryan Breece - DNQ

“I’m loving the power off the starts from the RM-Z450 Suzuki,” said Ryan Breece. “I wish we could figure out the turning radius. Hopefully we can make some changes to get set up for rough track conditions on Sunday.”

Adam Enticknap - DNQ

“Starts we’re my downfall in the 4th round,” said Adam Enticknap. “Qualifying was decent but my heat race wasn’t up to par. Going into the LCQ I knew what it would take. I pushed as hard as I could until the checkered flag. Falling one spot short two rounds in a row is frustrating. I will be doing whatever it takes to get a start next round.”

250 Class

Austin Forkner - 1st

"I had a solid day, and it was a great first race back. The track was pretty good after the rain, but with the heat and altitude, this was one of the hardest races of the season. My training during the break paid off, I was happy with my riding, and my starts were on point. I'm happy to be back racing and can't wait to get back out here next week and fight for the championship."

Dylan Ferrandis - 2nd

"It was a difficult day for me. I kind of struggled to set up the bike. We had too much power, and I needed to try different things to get the bike the way I wanted. The crash in Heat race didn't help too much, and I got a bad gate pick in the Main. I just put my head down and gave everything I had to finish second, which is not too bad in the big picture of the championship."

Cameron McAdoo - 3rd

"I worked really hard during the downtime with the team, my trainer Nick Wey and Adam Cianciarulo, who is arguably one of the best riders in the 450SX class. I was so excited and ready to get back to riding, and even more excited to grab another podium. That's my second career podium, and I'm looking to continue that success. I'm really happy with how I rode and excited to get back at it on Sunday."

Justin Cooper - 4th

"The conditions were very tough today. I need to rebound on Sunday to try and close the points gap. I'm definitely disappointed in my day, but we will regroup, and I will come back ready and do better."

Michael Mosiman - 5th

"It's good to be back to the races!" Mosiman said. "It's a stacked class right now with everyone healthy, and it was pretty hectic out there today. Fifth on the day, I'm a little bit disappointed in my riding, but I'm stoked that we get to race again soon, and I'm looking forward to the next round."

Alex Martin - 6th

"It felt awesome being back at the races again,” said Martin. “I was frustrated with my riding in practice, but I managed to turn things around in the night show with great starts and stronger riding. I'm excited to build off a great ride in the main and get that JGR Suzuki up front on Sunday.” 

Christian Craig - 8th

"Everyone was so hyped after watching those East rounds, and you could see it in everyone's riding style and aggression," said Craig. "I think we were just cooped up. Everyone was! Those three rounds we watched got everyone fired up. I think there are a lot more fireworks to come."

"First race was a bit of a struggle for me," said Craig. "It wasn't until the main event that I got my bike feeling comfortable. There are so many different variables when you throw in the higher altitude, but I'm happy we got it better by the end of the night, and I know the bike setup will be good the rest of the rounds here. In the main event, I had a dumb tip over which left me second to last. I was able to work my way up to eighth, and I felt really good actually. Despite the result, I'm happy with how I rode during the main and my fitness. It's nice we get to go back racing in a few days!"

Jett Lawrence - 11th

"The vibe was good, I felt really good the whole day, and I was consistent in qualifying, around p3 and p2," said Lawrence. "Heat race, feeling good, made a mistake in the whoops and crashed. The whole main event I was struggling to find a flow. I had a really good start, I was a little off balance, but I kept it pinned, I even had one leg off just to get balance. I just struggled with lines, and I wasn't flowing. I was definitely disappointed with my performance. I wasn't pushing much, I was in a comfortable spot, my heart rate wasn't too high, I was feeling good, but the whoops just caught me, and I crashed. 

At my level, being a professional, I shouldn't be making those mistakes. I definitely wasn't happy—what I got, I shouldn't be getting."

Hunter Lawrence - 13th

"So good to be back at the races," said Lawrence. "At one point, I went six months with no riding due to back-to-back injuries. Being able to race these events is awesome, and it was fun to dip my toes into supercross for the first time. We had a few problems with the crashes, though. I think I was up to fifth in my heat race when I went down, and then in the main, I hit neutral when I was trying to avoid two guys stopped at the end of the whoops. Had to come from last. Can't wait to get more time under my belt and tidy a few things up so I can run up front!"

Team Personnel

Erik Kehoe - Team Honda HRC Manager

“Overall a much better day for Ken. In the main event he had a really good start; he was right there in the corner for the lead and battled for that lead for over half the race. He hung on a lot better than last week. There was big improvement, so I think this is something to build on. Justin unfortunately had a rough night. He was sixth on the start for the first lap, then got banged around a little bit. He struggled to get comfortable after that and rode tight. Now we get to regroup for another couple days and then come back at it.”

Jim Perry – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

"The track conditions were much better than they have been past few events, the heavy rains last week seemed to help that. Both guys showed better speed in practice and looked more comfortable, which was great. They had a good finish in their Heat, with Justin in fifth and Aaron sixth. They didn't get the starts that they wanted in the Main Event, but both rode well. Towards the end of the race, Justin had a nasty crash. His bike went off the track and was unable to finish, but thankfully he's okay, just sore. Aaron put in a strong Main Event and finished inside the top 10, which was a plus. We'll move on to the next race on Sunday and keep working to get back on the podium."

Wil Hahn – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team Manager

"Today started out great with Justin and Dylan qualifying 1-2, then we had two challenging Heat races. We came out of the gate strong for the Main, but we just lacked the intensity when it counted. We're going to go back to work and come back stronger on Sunday."

Jeremy Albrecht, JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Team Manager

"Alex rode solid all day. He made a few mistakes that kept him from a top-five finish. We have positives from today and some things to improve on. Starts were good, we just need to work on consistency and race management."

"Freddie showed speed, but mistakes and crashes held him back tonight. Freddie just needs to smooth out and he will be where he wants to be."

Jordon Troxell - Mechanic, Ken Roczen

“As a whole, today was a decent turnaround from Sunday for Ken. He was able to have a really good heat race with Cooper [Webb], good qualifying, and even in the main event he had a lot more fight in him and was able to go quite a bit harder than Sunday. Ultimately, it’s not the final result that we wanted, but definitely a step in the right direction with only two days’ time for recovery. I’m proud of him. Hopefully we’ll get one of these before it’s over.”

Brent Duffe - Mechanic, Justin Brayton

“Today was a weird day. Justin started off really comfortable and fast in the first practice, but the comfort level went away and he never really rode like himself. We tried a couple different settings, but unfortunately he just couldn’t come around. It’s easy to get upset over something like this, but since race days like this are pretty rare, I’m just going to give him a free pass and clear our head and move onto the next one.”