In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at round six of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross championship, the last of three races at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

450SX

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Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – Second:
It was a great day, a step in the right direction. I had good qualifying times and just came up short on the main event. It was a hard charge, so close but so far. Ken [Roczen] rode great and adjusted to the race as it went. I felt like I charged hard at the end and got close, but just not enough. I missed the rhythm with two to go and that kind of killed it for me but he rode a great race and beat me straight up, so we will go this week and try to get better. We made a huge step today with bike setup and comfort, so I feel like I am right there. It’s a long series so we will keep fighting every weekend and get back to that top spot soon.

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) – Third:
My goal tonight was to stay on two wheels and be patient. The last two or three rounds it’s been super frustrating for me, I’ve been very aggressive trying to make it happen in the first lap and ended up going down, so tonight I wanted to be patient. I was the fifth best guy tonight but it’s racing and the two guys in front of me went down so I got third. It definitely feels good to be on the podium, I’ll take it.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 19th:
The day was going good, I had my best qualifying position with fifth and I felt like we got the bike working really well and I felt really comfortable out there. The main event was going good, I was battling for the podium and unfortunately had a lapper come across on me and take me out and that’s pretty much how the night ended. It’s pretty disappointing but onto the next one.

Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Sixth:
My night went decent, I was just pumped to be able to do enough therapy on my finger to be able to race tonight. I had a better heat, which made myself feel a little bit better and we did some suspension work. In the main, I didn’t get that great of a start but I was able to get better and move through the pack. I’m slowly getting better but not where we want to be, so we’ll get there.

Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 10th:
It was a little bit of a tough night. I didn’t get a start in the main and it wasn’t one of my best rides of the season. Back to the drawing board this week, I have a few things I would like to really work on and focus on to be better for next weekend in Orlando.

Justin Brayton (Muc-Off Honda) – 12th:
Time ran out before the checkered flag was raised so I missed out by two positions on a direct to final qualifying position. I had to qualify through the last chance qualifier, which I was relieved to win. It was frustrating having to get into the final this way though, definitely not the way I want it to happen. I made things hard on myself coming from the LCQ.  Off the start, the right hand first turn was difficult, it was the long way around and I got bunched up with a group of riders. It is hard against these guys with a bad start.  I made sensible passes and managed a 12th.  There have been a lot of missed opportunities in Indianapolis. We have a few things we need to work on and I am positive we can turn it around.

Malcolm Stewart (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Fourth:
It was typical Indy, where you’re going into corners, and you think it’s there and it’s not. Overall I feel really good about how the night turned around for me. Indy has treated me well. I had a lot of great rides, and I rode well all day today. We just struggled a little bit in the first two [rounds]. In the main event, I told myself, ‘Bro, you have got to get a top-five in this thing no matter what, because the boss man isn’t going to be happy. I might be finding myself doing it on my own if I don’t put the results in. We put a lot of work into this. It sucks if you don’t get the results you want, but that’s part of racing. You live, you learn, and you keep moving forward. I definitely learned a lot. We’re going to keep working and do our homework. The team has never given up. I feel like every race we’re learning. I’m very thankful that I’ve got a great team with me. So far, the changes that we’ve made have gone in the right direction. We’ll be going for it in Orlando, my hometown race back in Florida. Let’s just go have some fun.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Eighth:
It was a frustrating night for me. I felt that I could do better than eighth. I made a mistake by jumping off the track and missed a good opportunity. It’s time to get back to work and get ready for Orlando 1.

Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – 11th:
I struggled today. The track was gnarly. It was hard on the base and slick around the corners. It was technical and took a lot of energy to ride. It was rough and rutted, so it was a tough one. I had the 14th gate pick for the main event and took a risk, and lined up all the way inside. I ended up not getting the jump off the gate, and it was a struggle from there. I did what I could. Dylan and I battled for a little bit, and I kind of just settled in where I was. We’re going to go back to work and keep trying to do better. We can take some positives out of today. I had good speed, and we made improvements to the bike. We’ll come back with a vengeance at Orlando.

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – First:
Indianapolis 3 was a fantastic night. We started off in practice with a little bit of a struggle – just not really getting along with the track very well. I felt fine out there, but I simply wasn’t fast enough. We went into the night show though, and I knew that I was a better racer and that we were going to get a good result. After that we took the heat race win and were able to get a good gate pick for the main event; sure enough, I got a really good start. Along the way, I came in contact with Justin Barcia, who hit me pretty hard and bent my shifter a bit; I wasn’t able to shift until like half a lap later. I held my lines and focused as much as I could and we did the three-peat, taking home another win on a track that wasn’t really my favorite. Those kinds of nights are when you get another step closer to a championship run, and it was really important for us to get more points and be gaining instead of losing. I’m so happy to finish all three Indianapolis main events in first, as I’ve never gone three in a row. This is huge for me and the team, and I’m looking to continue this streak when we come back next weekend in Orlando.

Adam Enticknap (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) – 20th:
In the heat race I got a decent start. I worked my way through on the first lap, which was really good. In the LCQ, I was proud of myself. Last week, I was pretty frustrated because I tangled up with another rider and I told myself if I can just stay up and stay out of that chaos and ride my own lines I can make it into the main no matter what. Coming out of that first corner, I think I was marked in 11th, and I made my way all the way to fourth place. My race craft was awesome, I made great decisions, and I did what I was supposed to do. In the main event I improved a lot for the first 11 to 12 minutes, but I made some mistakes after that. We talked about it with the team, we got it all squared away, and I’m excited for what’s to come in Orlando.

Brandon Hartranft (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) – DNS:
In my heat race I got a good start; I think I got pushed around and then I fell, so I had to go to the LCQ. I didn’t get a good start in the LCQ. I was in the back, but I fought hard and almost got fourth on the last lap. There are some positives to take away, but obviously I’m not too pumped on the night, so I guess we’ll have to go get ’em in Orlando.

250SX East

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Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – DNS:
I made a stupid move at the end of the last practice and I seem to have broken my hand in three places. I qualified third was riding great, looking to get my first win here tonight but looks like it’s going to need surgery so we’re going to do the work necessary and be back out there to battle with the guys. I’m super bummed and disappointed. Thanks to everyone sticking behind me and supporting me, we will be back.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Second:
My last podium didn’t really feel like I deserved it because of the circumstances, but this time I passed into second and rode a good race. I can’t control what goes on in front of me or behind me. I just have to ride my race and put in my best effort. I’m really happy to be back up here and hope we can do it again in Orlando.

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – First:
The day started off crazy. I just felt off all day and then had a mishap in one of the practices and couldn’t get my bike started. I had to miss a whole qualifying session. So that kind of set the tone for the whole day. I just kept my head clear and had a decent heat race. I went into the main event confident in my ability to do it. Colt [Nichols] made a mistake early on. I was able to capitalize on it and get away early to break away with a nice gap and then ride my own race. It felt good to get another win and to end this Indy series on a high note before moving on to Orlando.

Colt Nichols (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Third:
There’s not really much to say, I guess. It started out about as good as it could, though. I got a great start and was in the lead. I don’t even know what happened, to be honest. I just came out of that turn, and all of a sudden, I was on the face of the tabletop looking backward. It was just a big mistake. I can’t really give that away, but that’s racing. That’s why we line up. It’s frustrating for sure because I felt like I was on it today, and I did everything right after that point. It’s all right, though. We’ll regroup. I dug down deep all the way to the finish. I kept fighting and came back to third, so I’m happy with that. I just can’t make those silly mistakes. I’m looking for some redemption in seven days. We’ll try again.

Mitchell Oldenburg (Muc-Off Honda) – Fourth:
I am pleased to have finished higher up in round six but it’s bittersweet as I gave away third, I tightened up and started to make mistakes which ultimately cost us the podium. My lap times in the heat race and qualifying were solid, I just really tightened up in the final and threw away an opportunity. I am going to take away the positives. My bike is fast, our starts are strong and I am getting faster and I am healthy.  Indy threw everything at us that’s for sure. I just need to keep working towards consistent finishes in these last few races, as my goal is to be inside the top five overall at the end of the championship.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Fifth:
I was managing my injury all day, but I’m glad that my shoulder was good enough that I was able to ride. It wasn’t what I was hoping for in terms of results in the main event, but it felt good to be racing and to get a heat-race win, even if I wasn’t 100 percent. Now we get a full week before Orlando, and I’m looking forward to coming back and getting back on top.