In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at round 15 of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross championship, final race of the Atlanta Motor Speedway residency.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – First:
I have to give it up to my team, they gave me a competitive bike tonight – we went back and figured some things out. Honestly, I made so many mistakes and I really didn’t ride well at all but I dug deep. I saw Kenny out front and he was riding awesome. I was trying to do everything I can and when he made that mistake, I saw blood in the water and I went for it. I just wanted to win.

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) – Ninth:
It was a very tough track; super high speed and I was losing a lot of time in the whoops. I had a bad gate pick in the main and I actually had a great jump but the bumps got me. I got into seventh and had a gap there with no one in front of me so I could ride a little bit better but I couldn’t catch up to the guys in front of me unfortunately and then got passed by two guys and got ninth.

Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 14th:
My day was good all the way up to the Main Event. I was P1 in qualifying, won my heat race and in the Main Event I got a good start but someone got into me on the first lap and I ended up getting shuffled back. All in all, it was a positive day and I’m just going to work on it next week.

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Eighth:
My day wasn’t too bad, I ended up with my best finish of the season. In the main, I didn’t execute the start like I should have but I made a few passes, got into seventh and Ferrandis got me with five laps to go, so I ended up eighth. It’s not a great finish but it was nice to be in the battle. I’m looking forward to Salt Lake and I’m ready to keep improving.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Fifth:
I definitely missed out on the podium, which was a bummer, but all-in-all salvaged what I could. I just need to keep it on two wheels. I’m really looking forward to the last two rounds in Utah, I really want to get another win before the season’s out. Two wins would be even better, so we’re going to give it our all in Salt Lake, full GasGas!

Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Fourth:
It started off a little hairy. I qualified thirteenth, but we made quite a few changes throughout the day, and we turned it around after practice. We went out for the heat race and got a good start, and ended up third. So that put me with a fifth-place gate pick for the main. I knew I had to get a really good start, and that’s what I did; I pulled the holeshot. Kenny [Roczen] got me after the first lap. Then at the end, I was right behind Eli [Tomac] in fourth. It sucks that I couldn’t get back up there for the podium, but I’m happy with my riding, and I’m happy with the way I started the race. The track was so rough, and the whoops were gnarly. There was one little rut, a little goat trail through the whole set that I was staying with during the race. It definitely was demanding, but my fitness is pretty good, and I stayed up there. I wish I could’ve got Eli in the end, but we can only build off of this and bring the momentum into Salt Lake City.

Malcolm Stewart (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Sixth:
It was definitely a big improvement from Atlanta 2. We came into this race not really sure if we were even going to be able to race, just because I was in so much pain after my crash on Tuesday. Wednesday morning, I was like, ‘uh oh, we’re in some trouble.’ I just want to say hats off to Dr. G. for helping me get back in this race. So actually, I would say the day went great. We got to go back to the basics and just tried to have fun. Sometimes not feeling 100% can kind of take the pressure off of you, too. We had a good practice, and the heat race went well. The track was pretty tough, especially the whoops. It was really easy to make a mistake out there, so one of the key things tonight was definitely trying not to get too fatigued. I think Atlanta treated us fairly well. Again, we had some crashes, and we had some bad luck, but it’s good to leave here with a better result. Now we’ve got two races left in Salt Lake City, so let’s go out there and have some fun again and end this season on a high note.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Seventh:
I felt good all day. Having one more day to recover was great, so I felt better physically compared to Tuesday. The whoops were really difficult tonight. I kind of found some good solutions with the bike and on the track. I got the holeshot in my heat but had a small tip-over. In the main, I had a really good start from the outside, so I was really happy with that. On the first lap, Jason Anderson rolled one jump when I expected him to jump. I jumped behind him, and I hit his rear wheel, and we both crashed. That pretty much ruined my Main Event, but I came back and fought until the end to seventh. I felt that I had the pace and the bike tonight, so I’m really disappointed, but that’s the sport. The 450 class is very difficult. We will keep learning and working hard to get the result we are looking for.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Third:
I feel like I was riding a lot better in the main event than I was during the heat race or practice. This track layout had the longest whoops sections we’ve seen all year and it took me a while to get them dialed. Before the main event, I had the team make a last-minute change to the suspension and that slight change made a world of difference that showed in the main. I was cornering faster, skimming the whoops and able to make up time on the riders ahead. I’m satisfied with the podium today, but we’ll look to improve on this come next weekend.

Max Anstie (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) – 16th:
The track was definitely tough, but we’re learning. We’re learning each time we’re out there. The team and I are definitely making steps forward. I would have liked to have been further up, obviously, but we pushed as hard as we could. We’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and get ready go again for the Salt Lake races.

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – Second:
Atlanta three was pretty good to us. The track was really, really tough, with the whoops being super long, big, and cupped out. In the main event, we did exactly what we needed to do–grabbed a good start and made the pass for the lead happen pretty quick. I put a 12-second gap between me and second, just to throw it away in the whoops when I got kicked sideways and then it bucked me. Afterward, my handlebar or my triple clamps were just a little bit tweaked, and it kind of took the wind out of my sails a bit, and [Cooper] Webb made the pass happen with a couple of laps to go. I ended up second and lost three points, but the team and I did a great job and almost won. I want to hang onto the positive, meaning I rode really well, and am going to come in strong in Salt Lake City.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – 10th:
Atlanta 3 started off pretty good; I was P2 in qualifying, which was obviously not first, but I was still pretty happy with it. I felt good on the bike and felt like I was riding well, and then in the heat race I got a decent start and made some quick passes, made my way into first and actually rode really well. I thought I rode probably the best I have all year, so I felt comfortable going into the main event. However, I didn’t feel comfortable in the whoops on the sight lap, and it kind of went downhill from there. I didn’t get the best start, made a few quick passes, but then got hung up on someone’s bike and went backward–ended up going off the track in the whoops. It wasn’t the main event I wanted, and I didn’t ride to my standards, but overall we had a really good showing in Atlanta and are looking to top that in Salt Lake City. We’re going to go back to work this week and get ready for the last two rounds.

250SX West

Image: Octopi Media.

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Sixth:
It was a mediocre day but it showed flashes. I feel good and healthy going into the last round – leaps and bounds better than last season – so I’m just going to keep my head down, get good training in and end the season on a solid note in Salt Lake. I’m ready to keep moving forward and hopefully get that good last race and full send into outdoors.

Stilez Robertson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – DNS:
The Main Event was chaos in the first couple of turns. I got into the whoops and just missed my mark, went down and felt my knee pop. I tried to give it a go again and I just didn’t feel strong or stable, so I went to the medical unit and they said I dislocated my fibial head, so hopefully, we’ll be back soon.

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 14th:
The result didn’t show but my riding in the heat and the main was the best it’s been in a while. I left everything I had on the track to charge back through and I made it up to seventh but on the last lap, I got sideways in the sand section and fell, ending up 14th. The result was nowhere near what we wanted or are capable of but the riding was really good, so onto the next one.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
I have been pretty happy with the progress we’ve made so far this season. I’m learning every round, making it a priority to hit my marks and put in good laps. The tracks here were tough and I’m looking forward to a small break before the final round. I’d love to close out this rookie season strong and healthy.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 13th:
I’m disappointed obviously with how things turned out in Atlanta. The race on Tuesday was tough after the crash, but today was probably harder. We were on the ground too many times in the main to even have a shot. We’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves but be proud of how we got up each time we were faced with a challenge. We’ve got one more race to fight in Salt Lake City. I’ll always fight to the end and we’re going to keep digging at that final race.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – First:
It was amazing! The LCQ wasn’t part of the plan, but I went down after the start of the heat race and just kept chugging away to get back into 11th to get me a good gate pick for the LCQ. I grabbed the holeshot and just tried to stay calm and cool because the LCQ is a little nerve-racking. I put some solid laps in and tried to keep myself from getting super tired because I knew I had a long Main Event coming up next. We had a red flag, but I ended up getting a great start both times. Then Justin made a little mistake, and I capitalized on it and tried to put in solid laps and ended up with the win. It feels so great. We have got to keep it going.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Second:
The last one here in Atlanta went pretty good. The track was pretty tricky, especially the whoops. It challenged us all day, and it was hard to find my flow, so second place is awesome. I’m glad to get out of this one safe and that I was able to get two good starts tonight with that red flag to put myself in a good spot. I made that mistake early, so I was just riding behind Nate and didn’t really feel the need to push tonight. He was riding awesome, so hats off to him. It was a great night for us points-wise! We get a weekend off before the East-West Shootout. I’m excited for that and am looking to go to Salt Lake City in two weeks to try and wrap this thing up.

Jarrett Frye (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – 15th:
The day started out pretty good. I had a better qualifying and was able to get a good start in my heat and finish fifth. I just struggled with this track and ended up finishing 15th in the main. We get a weekend off before the finale, so we’re going to go back to work and try to end the season on a high note.

Mitchell Harrison (Muc-Off Honda) – Eighth:
Overall, I am happy with the last three rounds, but I do want to finish stronger. I didn’t ride to my full potential tonight and the crash I had in practice left me with a tweaked ankle so that made things a little tougher. It’s been a full-on championship with many ups and downs and I think we have proven ourselves competitive against other factory teams.

Dilan Schwartz (BarX Chaparral ECSTAR Suzuki) – Ninth:
Yesterday was a step in the right direction. I struggled all day with the track but got a good start in the main. I was able to run up front in the main and I ended up with a top-10 finish. I’m looking forward to Salt Lake!

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth:
My weekend was bittersweet. I was looking very promising with P1 in both qualifying sessions and a heat-race win–looking really good for the main. On the first start I put myself in a great position and moved into second right behind [Justin] Cooper and was feeling really good, but then unfortunately we got red-flagged. After the restart, I came through the pack in fifth and then Cameron [McAdoo] nearly fell off his bike going into the sand section. I don’t think he was where he needed to be, mentally or physically. He swerved right in front of me, and my only options were to either land on him or try to scrub off the track and miss him, and that’s what I did and ended up landing in the Tuff Block. I’m pretty frustrated about that; with that crash, to finish two seconds behind third place, I think I could’ve won, considering how good I was in the whoops and how good I was feeling. I’m pretty bummed with how the night ended, but stoked with how the team and I operated during the day and how my riding is going, so I can’t wait for Salt Lake City.