In Quotebook, a selection of riders from 450MX and 250MX detail round two of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 16th:
That track really threw a lot at us today. It took everything I had just to keep it on two wheels and charge forward. I had decent starts in both motos. A lot can happen in a mud race, so I knew I just needed to keep charging and make up positions. Obviously I’m really bummed with the way it ended, but we’ll move on to Ironman and get back to where we belong on the podium.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Second:
I’m pretty stoked with how today went. I was able to put together a couple of solid motos in absolutely brutal conditions, but I was so motivated after crashing and losing my lead last weekend. I would say all the work over the week and that motivation paid off after grabbing my first 450 Class podium in Pro Motocross with second overall on the day. I can’t thank the entire Monster Energy Kawasaki team enough for all their hard work today.

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Third:
I’m pumped to be back on the podium for the second race, it’s been a while. The conditions were tough, so it was my goal to be up front battling and I was able to do that in the second moto. I would have liked to be more consistent in both motos but that’s racing, everybody was having issues and crashing. Also, you have to save the bike and my bike was running well today, I had no issues.

Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Ninth:
The weekend was kind of rough but the second moto went much better and I was able to work my way up to fourth. I’m ready to move on to the next round and keep pushing.

Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – First:
It was a lot of turmoil to start off the day but we turned it around with a 5-1 and kept the red plate, which is really a testament to what we have as a group. Overall, it was a great salvage and a great day for myself and my team.

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – 18th:
It was a very tough weekend with the muddy conditions and really hard on the bikes so I tried to slow the pace down in moto two and save the bike as much as I could. I’m looking forward to some dry conditions where I can actually show what I can do. It’s been tough but we’ll keep plugging away.

Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) – Seventh:
We had a great day going. I got the holeshot in the first moto and checked out to over a minute lead at one point. I won the race by a lot. It was a really good race. I felt awesome and everything was working well. The track conditions were brutal, it was super difficult. In the second moto, I had a little crash so I had to pull in and get some fresh goggles. I was putting on a good charge until we had an issue with the bike which was definitely a bummer. We won and then had a DNF. We need to work on that to give ourselves a better opportunity for the championship fight. I’m definitely looking forward to next week in Indiana.

Broc Tickle (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) – Fourth:
Loretta Lynn’s 2 was a huge step in the right direction for myself. The track conditions were really, really gnarly. The conditions in the second moto got a little better, but it was tough out there in both motos. I’m stoked with the progress we made throughout the day and during the week with the team. I’m getting more comfortable on the bike and learning what I like about it and what I need to do to make it more comfortable for myself. I trust everybody that I’m working with on the team. I think that’s awesome to have the same goals and the same desire to keep pushing forward. I’m looking forward to Ironman as well. I’ve had decent results there in the past. This weekend was awesome. It’s going to be good to build off of it. I’m hoping for dry conditions, but if not we’ll make the best out of the wet conditions. The goal from here on out is to show up and be the best we can each time we hit the track.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – 13th:
Today was an up and down day. It was pretty muddy from the rain the days before. In the only practice we got, I qualified sixth. I had a little bit of a get-off, but we were all good. In the first moto, I got a great start and was running second. I went down a couple times, putting me back to 11th, and then I made my way back up to sixth at the end, so overall, not too bad of a first moto. Going into the second moto, I picked a gate that I thought was good, but I couldn’t see the bottom of it – the gate was full of water. It ended up being a big hole and I sunk, so I didn’t get that great of a start. I made my way up but ended up getting stuck for a lap. After that I was just trying to get back up as many positions as I could and got all the way back up to 13th. On the last lap my bike malfunctioned though, so it was a little bit of a rough day for me. I obviously wanted more, but we’re just trying to learn this year. Going to Indiana, one of my favorite tracks, I’ll try to get on the podium; I look forward to getting back to work this week and coming back swinging in Crawfordsville.

Christian Craig (Team Honda HRC) – Sixth:
My day started off really good. I was able to qualify ninth, which was better than last week. I felt good on the bike and we made some improvements during the week, so I was pretty happy going into the first moto. It rained before that and was pretty sloppy, but I had a decent start. I was fifth or sixth and then passed up to third and was pretty much riding on my own around there for a while. I ended up tipping over, got stuck there for a bit and that was kind of the end of that. I fell three more times, just little tip-overs that took a lot out of me. Somehow, I still got 10th with four falls. In the second moto I still got a pretty decent start and made some quick passes. I got up to sixth, battled with a couple good guys and ended up sixth overall, which was pretty good. It was one of my best results on the 450 overall, so I can’t complain even with with how muddy it was. I was happy with my riding in the second moto. It’s good to get a decent result and have something to build on for next week.

Joey Savatgy (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki) – 14th:
It was a tough weekend for me. My riding in timed practice was a step in the right direction speed-wise, but overall I’m still far from where I’d like to be.

Fredrik Noren (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki) – 11th:
I’m pumped with my first moto. I got a great start and had my career-best moto so that felt really great. In the second moto, I had a crash at the start but I got going good after that and made a lot of passes quickly. Unfortunately I had some issues due to the track conditions, but I felt like we went in a good direction this weekend and have something to build off for sure, so I’m happy about that. I want to give a massive thank you to everyone on the team!

Max Anstie (HEP Motorsports Suzuki) – Fifth:
I’m really happy to get a third in moto two after leading most of the way and earning a fifth overall in our second race of the season. My team has done a great job to deal with the tough conditions and with the bike’s set-up. I’m looking forward to a new track next week and to keep building from here.

Blake Baggett (Team Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS) – Eighth:
The track was tough today. It was some of the worst track conditions we have had in a long time and had issues in both motos. I didn’t let the track beat me and battled to a top 10 at the end of the day. The main thing is we leave healthy and ready to battle for a top five at Ironman next week.

Justin Bogle (Team Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS) – 17th:
I’m excited about my second moto ride. It’s been a long road back and having a second moto like that feels like we are headed in the right direction. I want to thank the team for their support and I’m ready to fight for a top 10 overall next weekend at Ironman.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Second:
It was a difficult day in the mud, but I was still able to save some important points. The track was really difficult. I was hoping for another win, but I managed to keep the red plate so I’m really happy about that. On to next one!

Shane McElrath (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Fifth:
It was a difficult day just to get around the track. We had a few crashes in the motos and had to come in for some goggles changes, but I came away with both holeshots and a moto podium. We will keep working and keep moving forward.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – 11th:
It was very difficult conditions, with the track and the vision. There were a lot of pit stops for goggles today. It was a pretty disappointing day but we will keep staying positive, brush this one off and focus on next weekend to be where we belong.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Sixth:
It was a brutal track today but I was pumped to hold on in Moto 1 to get my first moto-win with the team. After going down in the first turn, I put on a charge and climbed as much as I could but the bike ended up letting go with a lap and a half to go. It’s not the final result we wanted, but I’m looking forward to battling up front some more this season.

Stilez Robertson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Eighth:
Overall, it was a pretty good day but it was brutal out there, probably the muddiest track I’ve ever ridden. The first moto I made too many mistakes and had too many little tip-overs. The second moto, I rode pretty good – I didn’t make that many mistakes, stayed on two wheels and kept my bike running.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fourth:
Today went well for us. It was a tough day all around for the entire team, especially the mechanics but they all pulled together and did a great job keeping me going. We did exactly what we work to do, which is to improve on each performance. We improved this week with 4-5 moto scores for fourth overall and we’ll continue to build off of that. I’m happy to leave here healthy and finish the motos strong with these tough conditions. We’re already excited to get going at Ironman and keep this momentum flowing.

Mitchell Harrison (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Seventh:
Well, it was a crazy day for sure. The first moto was decent, and I was able to grab sixth place, but it was really muddy and gnarly out there. I think I had the worst first lap anyone could have in the second moto. I got off to a bad start, had to throw my goggles because I got water all in them so for a whole lap – I was basically blind – and then just before the finish line I got stuck so I was there for a minute. I managed to wiggle my bike out but then I even fell a few times. I guess that’s a lesson in not ever giving up because I kept charging and accomplished 10th for seventh overall. It’s pretty good, but it’s still not where I want to be, so we still have work to do, but I’m looking forward to next weekend for round three.

Jeremy Martin (Geico Honda) – First:
I was like, ‘oh boy, this is going to be gnarly’. I got halfway down the start straight and I couldn’t see nothing going into the first turn. I’m like, ‘where do I turn?’ I just had so much water in my goggles and stuff. I went down twice in the first moto. I had one glove off, one glove on, no goggles and I managed a third somehow. I was pretty blown away, so going into moto two, I just conserved the bike as best as I could. I was like, I hope to god I can make this. Sure enough, I did and I was able to get the overall. Not a win today, as far as a moto win, but got the overall and that was a big deal. It’s been a long road to get back to the top step of the podium.

Jett Lawrence (Geico Honda) – 34th:
Most people see I am a pretty fun, easy-going person, but honestly these walks from the track after slugging your guts out through the week and race day takes everything in you to not smash your helmet on the ground or scream in frustration! My mistake was one tip over in each moto and that popped the radiator protector thingy out which spiked the engine temp. I felt it right away, so I tried to nurse the bike the best I could, but the bike overheated. I had two DNFs late in both motos – a lot of work just to end up with disappointing results. That’s what can happen in mud races, but it’s so frustrating!

Jo Shimoda (Geico Honda) – 25th:
Timed qualifying went better than usual but I just didn’t find good line to keep momentum. Moto one I was riding good until I crashed after a single, and that broke my front brake. I crashed two more times because of that and really, I was just trying not to get stuck in the mud. Moto two I had a really good start, I was in fourth until the third corner. I actually endoed coming into that corner. I couldn’t get my bike out of the mud for two laps. It was a bad race and turned into a DNF.

Carson Mumford (Geico Honda) – 10th:
All I did was send it and hope for the best. The track was so muddy I couldn’t pick a line. I just held it wide open all day!

Alex Martin (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki) – Third:
To be honest I was just kinda in my own little world out there. It seems like every moto at Loretta’s so far, these last two weekends, I’ve crashed every moto. Like last weekend, twice in the first moto, once in the second moto. And then that first moto today I crashed; I had the holeshot and then I crashed like three times, still finished seventh. I’ve been feeling really good coming in and the JGR Yoshimura bike has been on point, it’s just up to me to keep it on two wheels. We did some testing this week up in Charlotte with the team and I feel the results reflect the changes made. I’m very excited to grab a moto win and come away with a third overall on the day. We’re looking forward to keeping the momentum going heading into Indiana.