That's What HE Said 1

450 Class

Eli Tomac (1st)

“It was a night of good starts,” said Tomac. “After that is was all about being consistent. After qualifying, we found our pace and we were feeling it all day. The win feels great and we’re just looking forward to next week.”

Marvin Musquin (2nd)

“The track was really challenging tonight, especially the whoops. I was trying to be creative and consistent. It was tough with the lappers and I thought I could capitalize on that but there was nothing I could do. I was catching Eli just a little bit but nothing to put a charge on him. Getting 7th in the heat race is not good for start position and I was all the way outside but I got a great start in the Main Event. I put myself in a great position and that’s what we needed to do to get on the podium tonight. A 2nd place is good but we want more for sure.”

Blake Baggett (3rd)

“The track was tough tonight. It was one of those weekends where I had a big crash on Thursday and wasn’t even planning on coming but last minute we jumped on a flight and made it happen. I have to give it up to the team and everybody that’s behind us. Our goal is to win races but we’re three-for-three on 3rd place, so now we have two spots to go.”

Jason Anderson (4th)

“I made it happen this weekend,” said Anderson. “I qualified third and was second in my heat. I was second in the Main then tipped over and made it back to fourth. I was able to make up some points and now I just need to keep the ball rolling."

Cole Seely (5th)

“I’m obviously frustrated because I want to be further up there and on the podium, but tonight was the hardest-fought fifth I’ve ever had to work for. I think I rode a lot better than the result shows. I was also happy with how I managed the race, my energy, and effort. I came from seventh and had to battle with riders on the way up, then [Jason] Anderson was charging and we battled back and forth a bit until he got by. Then I went straight back to being pressured by [Cooper] Webb until the end. I laid it all out there, especially on that last lap because I knew Cooper was behind me and was going to try and stick a wheel in anywhere he could; I was just trying to ride defensive but still be fast. It was a hectic night of racing so I’m happy to get out of here uninjured. We did a lot of work to the bike this week, even though it’s risky because things are pretty different when you show up to the race versus the test track, but I was pretty confident in what we had found. I’m happy to take a step in the right direction. It feels validating that we made a good change, and I have a good direction to work in and fine-tune.”

Weston Peick (7th)

“Practice went really well. I qualified sixth, which I was happy with. I didn’t get the start I was hoping for in the heat race, because I got tangled up through the first turn. There were a few times where I had to get aggressive in order to get around riders, but it worked in my favor. It was nice winning the heat race and having that momentum heading into the main. I didn’t realize how rough and choppy the track was going to get. We went a bit too stiff with the rear shock setting, which wasn’t the right choice when the track developed into what it was. Regardless, I showed good speed. I need to capitalize on those situations, and am looking forward to next weekend.”

Dean Wilson (8th)

“I definitely had a better weekend,” said Wilson. “I finished one position better, had better starts, a better heat race, and I was better in qualifying. I’m definitely getting there, but I’m still not where I want to be as far as my health goes. I’ve never had an injury that takes so long to heal. I’m getting better every weekend, though, and I just want to keep fighting. I know I can get on the podium once I’m feeling good."

Broc Tickle (9th)

“I knew the track was going to be tough tonight and I’m normally really good in those conditions so I kind of relied on knowing that. I tried to put myself in a good place on the start – especially after watching the 250 start – but I got hit from one side and the holeshot device was locked down so it made me knife the front and I fell over. I came from last to 9th and I was trying to make a pass on Dean but couldn’t make it happen and knifed the front and fell by myself. Overall, it’s the best Main Event riding I’ve had all season. I’m excited to go back to Florida and start riding with everyone again and get back on the regimen that we had before Christmas.”

Malcolm Stewart (11th)

“There was some good racing in Arlington. I ran eighth the entire main, until I decided to jump off the track and into some Tuff Blocks. That dropped me to 11th. Overall, I can’t be too mad about it. I’m going to keep moving forward.”

Kyle Chisholm (13th)

"It was an awesome day here in Texas and a great starting point for my 450 debut," said Chisholm. "We made quite a few changes through out the day which payed dividends in the night show. For my first start of the year I'm satisfied with a 6th in the Heat and 13th in the Main. I'm going to be working hard to improve my results and keep progressing on the East Coast."

250 Class

Zach Osborne (1st)

“It was great to be back racing today,” said Osborne. “I’m happy to start the series on such a high note. I had a decent day in qualifying and came through the pack in the heat to get second. I got a good start in the main but ended up sliding out and going down. I was able to come back and get the win and carry the red plate into round two. I’m just going to keep the momentum going."

Jimmy Decotis (3rd)

“The day started off super good. I was very comfortable all day long on my Suzuki RM-Z250. My expectations were to get through the first round, have fun, and do my best. When I saw my times up on the board in practice I knew that I had the speed. I haven’t felt that comfortable on a race track in a long time. With the work I had done through the offseason, and after struggling with Lyme disease, it made me stoked.”

“The main was insane! I’ve never been that happy to get a bad start. I hope everyone involved is okay. I struggled to get off the gate and missed my shift. Then I saw everyone flying, and I started working through the pack. All of a sudden, I was in fifth place. I kept my lap times down and scored my first career podium. I went back to the rig and got a round of applause. It was unreal! That feeling makes me want to work hard every day so I can do it again.”

RJ Hampshire (4th)

“I was riding so bad all day, I shouldn’t have been leading,” he said. “Even the second lap, I almost endoed off a dragon’s back, had to roll the whole section. It was just sloppy. To be leading with three minutes and thirty seconds to go, I was just like ‘Dude, what is going on?’ I kind of got comfortable in the middle a little bit and was kind of clicking them off. By the time Zach [Osborne] into second I should have had a ten-second lead. But I had a two-second lead. I should have held it together and shouldn’t have made those mistakes. But I’ve never led laps before and I’ve never gotten a holeshot in the main event, so that’s something. We’re going home next weekend.”

Jeremy Martin (5th)

“Really enjoyed finally being back on the gate for GEICO Honda on the 250 in Dallas,” said Martin. “Felt like things weren’t coming easy for most of the day so the team and I worked hard to get me comfy for the main event when it really mattered. The main was basically total damage control since I went down in the first turn coming back to fifth place. Looking forward to Tampa and hopefully everybody calms down a little.”

Jordon Smith (6th)

“That was a crazy race,” said Smith. “From the first turn having to get up and get going again to the final lap, I’m just glad to get out of Texas without any major injury. We can walk away and look forward to a solid weekend in Tampa next week.”

Austin Forkner (7th)

“The first lap was very chaotic with the riders going down in the first turn and everyone trying to settle in,” said Forkner. “I made a mistake and went down, costing me some time. I was able to get in a groove and start picking off riders, but the front group was already pretty far ahead. I almost got the next two guys who connected on the final lap, but just missed out."

“The results don’t show how good I was riding today but I’m proud of how I was able to battle back,” said Forkner. “We have a lot of racing to do and I’ll work hard to be out front next week.”

Sean Cantrell (9th)

“It’s an unreal experience to be under the lights for the first time,” said Cantrell. “I am so thankful for the opportunity and to be able to see what it takes to run up front will definitely help me as we move forward throughout this season. I’m really looking forward to proving myself in the upcoming weeks.”

Cameron McAdoo (13th)

“Dallas was a crazy one, and not how we had envisioned round one going,” said McAdoo. “I got together with another rider on lap 1, and was stuck in his bike for about a half of a lap. I ended up with a small fracture in my right hand, but did everything I could to fight forward and ended up 13th.”

Kyle Peters (15th)

“I never felt like I got going all day long. For some reason I was hesitant, which was probably due to the first race jitters. Practice went okay, but things fell apart. In the heat race I rode cautiously and wasn’t aggressive enough. After the first turn crash in the main event I was pushing to get through the pack. I had a big crash while trying to pass [Cameron] Mcadoo. I got going again, but crashed again all by myself. After that it was survival mode. There’s no quit in me, and I’m fired up to get out there and do better.”

Martin Davalos (22nd)

“If I said I wasn’t frustrated with what happened, I would be lying,” said Davalos. “We qualified fastest, we got the start we wanted in the heat race and I was feeling really good. Unfortunately, things happened that were out of our control. We’ll get back on the bike and look forward to Tampa.”

Team Personnel

Erik Kehoe (Team Honda HRC Team Manager)

“Considering Cole’s start, I think he had a really solid ride. The first lap was a little hairy and there was a lot going on, so for him to avoid any mishaps during that was good. I know he wants to be up there on the podium, so we came up a little short this week. Still, we made some progress with settings and getting him comfortable so that's positive. I think tonight was an improvement, especially with him under pressure the entire race. He had someone on him from the beginning to end, and his lap times stayed pretty consistent the entire time.”

Rich Simmons (Cole Seely's Mechanic)

“I think Cole rode awesome tonight. He made some good passes in the beginning, and then he and Cooper pretty much raced the entire race. It’s an improvement from last weekend, both race-wise and bike-wise. He thought the bike was a little better after some testing this week, so we’ll just keep working in that direction.”

Jeremy Albrecht (Autotrader/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Team Manager)

“Peick had an awesome heat race and looked great. In the main he was pushing really hard, which caused him to make mistakes. Still, he’s gaining ground. Stewart had a good ride going, but then he went off the track. He will be testing in North Carolina this week, because he’s planning on being on the RM-Z450 for the rest of the Supercross series. Since he’s going to be on the bike for the long term he wanted to do some testing.”

“In the 250 class, Decotis did a great job. He was where he needed to be as far as times all day long. We’ll work on his starts this week, because he had the pace to battle with the leaders. I think Decotis will get even better with each passing week. As for Peters, he suffered from bad luck. That’s how it goes sometimes.”

“It was cool to get a podium and heat race win with the Toyota employees in attendance. We went to Toyota’s facility on Friday to check it out, and we were blown away. They have a state-of-the-art facility that’s like a whole city inside of a work place.”