In Quotebook, a selection of riders from 450MX and 250MX detail round three of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Ironman Raceway.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – First:
It was a much better weekend for us out at Crawfordsville. We had somewhat normal conditions, it was still a pretty soft track with lots of ruts. I’d say half of the track was really nice and the other half was soft still and pretty technical. We started off a little slow in practice, but I knew once the track dried out a little, we would be good to go. Grabbing the overall today was huge for us. We’re taking it race by race and doing just what we did today by finishing on top. I appreciate the Monster Energy Kawasaki team for all their hard work this past week, that was a great rebound for us.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Third:
The day started off really good, especially with qualifying fastest. I had a lot of comfort on the bike from the start thanks to the great communication with the team; they really had my KX450 dialed. I kind of blew it off the start in the first moto but I was able to pass what felt like 15 guys in the first lap and finished third. I got a great start in the second moto, which was awesome, and it felt really good to lead some laps. Obviously, the goal is to win each time we get out on the track, but I’m proud of the effort we put out there today. I can’t be too frustrated because I had the speed and I gave it everything I had. I’m so stoked for the entire Kawasaki team. We’ll work to improve on some of those minor things and just keep proving I belong up front and on the podium.

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Second:
It’s huge right now to get a moto win and to be back where I am right now. Even though it’s a second overall and the second moto didn’t go as planned, that first moto was awesome – I was not tired or anything. In the second moto, the start was decent but I was behind the top guys and I knew it would be hard to pass those guys back. I wasn’t riding quite the same as the first moto, so I unfortunately lost the rhythm and contact with those guys – they were on it. Overall, I’m happy. It’s an improvement on last weekend with a moto win and second overall.

Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – DNF:
The day didn’t end up the best for me. I ended up having a decent practice and then went into the first moto and had a little mishap injury-wise and wasn’t able to finish out the motos.

Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Fifth:
It was a decent weekend. The first moto was a bit of a struggle for me, I just couldn’t find a rhythm from halfway on. The second moto, I was able to rebound and come out with a holeshot and get a third place. In the end, it was a decent salvage and I’ll keep plugging away.

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Eighth:
The third lap of the first practice I had a big crash and went over the bars, so it was a little rough heading into the motos. You have your good days and your bad days, but we never gave up and kept pushing through it. I’m looking forward to just improving every weekend.

Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) – Fourth:
We got a bad start in the first moto, but had a good charge to sixth. The second moto was another one of those not so great starts, but the charge was one for the books, for sure. I made a lot of passes on guys and had some great battles. Then the last few laps, Eli and I were up front and I was chasing him hard, but I just wasn’t able to quite get him. It was a really fun race though and I gave it everything I had. The bike worked really well today. The track was awesome. It was really rough. We had deep ruts, slick spots, wet spots – it was a little bit of everything. We needed that to see where the bike was actually at because the first two races were kind of different so you didn’t know what you had. This was a good race to show us that we’re here for the championship and we’re going for it. All in all, I’d say it was a positive day. We’re just going to keep plugging away and try to get some wins.

Broc Tickle (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) – Ninth:
I’m not 100 percent happy with my results overall today, but I felt like I rode my hardest. We made some changes throughout the day. In the second moto, I was able to push as hard as I could. I really made it tough on myself in both motos by starting way back, the first moto especially. The goal this week is to focus on getting some good starts at RedBud and throughout the rest of the season. I think I can put myself in a good position in dry conditions if I can do that. I’m a little bummed out because I left a lot on the table by being so far back in the first half of the race, but I’m stoked on my fitness and on the progress we’ve made with the team and the bike. I want to thank them and I also want to thank my sponsors and everybody who has been supporting me over the last three years. It’s awesome to come back and be competitive. It’s kind of a surreal feeling for me.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Sixth:
Today was a much better day for me. I was a lot more consistent and had two solid motos, a fourth and fifth. Overall, I’m making progress and learning a lot every race. My goal was to jump on the podium and win races by the end of the series, so we’re on the right track. Hopefully at RedBud we get up on the podium and mix it up with the top guys.

Christian Craig (Team Honda HRC) – 10th:
I went into the motos really confident and ready to show what I had, but unfortunately I had a bad start again. Bad starts have kind of been my thing all season, so I need to turn that around. I was ninth until the second-to-last corner. I tipped over and ended up 11th, which wasn’t terrible, but not great. I got off to a better start in the second moto, but fell in the first turn and then tipped over again. I ended up being dead last coming around the first lap. I put my head down and charged as hard as I could after that and actually rode a lot better. I made my way up to 12th. I ended up with 11-12 results and 10th overall. It wasn’t a terrible day, but I know I belong in the top 10 consistently, so I look forward to RedBud.

Joey Savatgy (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki) – 14th:
It was a tough weekend for me. These first three rounds haven’t gone according to plan at all. On paper it doesn’t look like much, but I am improving slowly. I just need to keep going in the right direction.

Fredrik Noren (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki) – 11th:
My speed was good this weekend and I’m excited to continue to work on that as we race on this summer. I had too many smaller mistakes that I need to clean up but my starts were good and the speed is there so we’re looking forward to the next race at RedBud to improve.

Blake Baggett (Team Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS) – Seventh:
I felt good out there today. My starts were there and I had the pace in both motos. We will put in the work this week and make a few changes to the bike for a top five finish at RedBud next weekend.

Justin Bogle (Team Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS) – 19th:
Not the day I was looking for. I felt good coming in and had a great jump off the gate in moto one. It was unfortunate I went down the way I did, because I rode well in the second moto. We are making progress and looking forward to the double-header at RedBud next weekend.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Second:
The morning was really muddy, but we had the best conditions that we could have for the afternoon moto. The track was really, really good today. Everything that we want to have on a motocross track was there today. So it was really good. I got the holeshot in the first moto and won. It was an easy moto. I felt awesome. In the second moto, I crashed at the start, in the first corner. Then I had to come back, so I gave it everything I had. I really tried my best to finish third and second overall and we salvaged some points. That’s a little bit frustrating to have to salvage points. I wish I could have been far from the trouble and just do the 1-1. That’s what I want to do again. Next week we will bounce back.

Shane McElrath (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Seventh:
It was tough conditions out there today. I started off the day better as the fastest qualifier, but two bad starts put me in a hole from the beginning. The track was super technical and hard to pass. Some lines were very good and some were very bad. I was trying hard not to follow but line choices really hurt me as well. I learned a lot today and I’m taking every piece of momentum I can get.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Fourth:
Overall it was a good day of progress. I’m still making changes with the bike to find what works for me. I haven’t had much time to test with the team because of the injury I’m coming back from. I made a good change for Moto 2 which put us back on the podium. Like I said, we’re making good progress. I’m looking to keep moving up the chart and I’m feeling better and better each time out.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – 12th:
My day started off with a big crash in practice and kind of spiraled from there. I crashed mid-way through the first moto but I felt pretty good on the bike and was able to come back to fifth. I’m looking to have good starts at RedBud and stay on the bike.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 13th:
Today was a rough day overall for us at Ironman. I had a bad start in moto one and struggled a bit in the beginning, but I ended up coming through to ninth place. I got tangled up in the first turn in moto two and I was doing my best at charging back, but I ended up falling over again mid-way through the moto, so it was just a bit of a struggle. I’m already looking forward to redemption next week and taking on the doubleheader at RedBud.

Mitchell Harrison (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Ninth:
Overall, Ironman was okay for me as I started the day off struggling a little bit with finding my groove in qualifying, which didn’t exactly give me the best gate pick. However, in both of the motos, my Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki KX250 just rocketed out of the gate and both times I was fighting for the holeshot. I felt like overall I rode really well and showed the speed to run with that front pack of guys for the first 20 minutes of each race. A couple of the top guys in the class started to catch me both times. The good news is I know what I need to work on next week and I know that I have the speed to be up front, so we’re in a good place overall. I couldn’t be happier to be returning back to my home state of Michigan this coming weekend for the doubleheader at RedBud. I’ve had some of my best career rides there, so I am looking forward to returning.”

Jeremy Martin (Geico Honda) – First:
Third-fastest qualifier, and then in moto one it was Dylan and I off the gate. I got to give credit where credit is due. He was the better man in moto one. I was just trying to do what I could to learn from him at that point, and then I was like, well, we’ll go into moto two and see if we can improve on it. Got the holeshot. I didn’t actually know what happened to Dylan, but I just rode my race and raced forward and managed to gap over Justin Cooper and was able to go 2-1 for first overall.

Hunter Lawrence (Geico Honda) – 16th:
It was pretty rough. Really, I’m happy to be able to race after last weekend but bummed on the results. We’ll just keep working on the physio and getting the shoulder stronger. Looking forward to next weekend.

Jett Lawrence (Geico Honda) – Fifth:
I just wanted to get out two consistent races with no mistakes, which I did pretty good. I just had a crash in the first race trying to pass for third, but it’s definitely better than last weekend’s race so I’m pretty happy with it. Really, I just need to get my passing down cause I could not pass even if my life depended on it!

Jo Shimoda (Geico Honda) – Eighth:
I was feeling good from time qualifying and the whole day, I was P2 and P6 in the two sessions and I was able to get a good gate for moto one. Good jump on the start, but I got pinched which got me into mid pack, and four laps in I accidentally put it in neutral and fell in the corner and finished 12th. Moto two, good start, I was fourth into the second turn, but, my mistake, I stalled the bike. I started from 12th and caught up to fifth but at the end of moto got passed by two guys for seventh. Still, I’m much happier this weekend. I was frustrated really bad with last two races so approaching into this race I felt much stronger mentally.

Carson Mumford (Geico Honda) – 10th:
It was tough for me to learn a new track while it was muddy in the morning. I really didn’t even feel comfortable until the second moto when it got rough, then it was really fun and my type of track. My starts weren’t good, but I made something of the day. Racing these longer pro races, one thing I’ve learned is that it’s really important to charge every lap with little mistakes. You can’t give up, because there will be guys that are 30-40 seconds in front of you in the beginning of the race and then by the end you’re right on them, where in amateurs the race is normally over in 15 minutes. You just have to keep charging!

Alex Martin (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki) – Sixth:
We had some good speed this weekend with a fifth in qualifying. Unfortunately my starts were just not what they should’ve been and I spent all day passing other racers. I was able to salvage a sixth overall and I’m looking forward to RedBud!