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Pirelli press release:

For the second consecutive weekend, the Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship visited Camping World Stadium in Orlando for Round 8 of the 2021 season in front of a limited capacity crowd. The Orlando 2 round served as the season opener for the 250SX Western Regional Championship, which saw a strong performance by Club MX/Jeffrey Homes/FXR/Yamaha Racing team rider Garrett Marchbanks who started the season with a podium finish. Marchbanks’ Yamaha YZ250F relied on the performance of Pirelli’s SCORPION™ MX32™ Mid Soft 80/100-21 front and 110/90-19 rear tires equipped with standard tubes.

“I’m really happy to start the 2021 season on the podium,” said Marchbanks. “It has been eight long months since I was last behind the starting gate, so I couldn’t be more proud of the effort and work that we’ve been able to achieve since I joined Club MX. The track conditions were tricky all day and my SCORPION™ MX tires did a great job of making sure I had the traction that was needed. I was able to get the win last year at Daytona, so I’m really looking forward to heading there for our next round.”

When the gate dropped on the 250SX Main Event, a downed rider on the opening lap resulted in race officials throwing the red flag and caused a complete restart. On the restart, Marchbanks would find himself just inside of the top-10 as he circulated the opening lap. He would make quick work of the riders in front of him as he made several passes to move into fourth place by Lap 4. As the race approached the halfway point of the 15-minute-plus-one-lap moto, Marchbanks used his SCORPION™ MX32™ tires to take control of a podium position. He would cross the checkered flag in third place to secure the fourth podium finish of his career.

“A podium is a great way to start our relationship with the Club MX racing team,” said Nick Walton, off-road manager, Pirelli. “During the off-season we had the opportunity to go out testing with Garrett [Marchbanks} and Club MX and they tried several tire brands head-to-head before making their decision. Tonight showed that the SCORPION™ MX range was the right choice and Pirelli is proud to be partnered with such a dedicated group of individuals who share the same passion to succeed.”

Pirelli fielded six riders in the 250SX Main event. Marchbanks Club MX teammate Jace Owen recorded a strong ride to round out the top-10, followed by FXR/Chaparral Honda Racing’s Coty Schock and Club MX’s Joey Crown in 12th and 13th, respectively. Muc-Off Honda’s Mitchell Harrison rebounded from a crash to finish 15th, while BarX/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki’s Dilan Schwartz took 17th in his supercross debut. Pirelli continues to stand by its motto “we sell what we race, we race what we sell”, offering everyone access to the exact tires used by Pirelli’s professional racers across the globe.

The Monster Energy Supercross Championship will return to action on March 6 for the iconic Daytona Supercross and an event that Marchbanks returns to with confidence as the defending 250SX Class winner.