In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at round six of the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Spring Creek. 

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – First overall:
It was good to get back on the podium. I felt good all day and my confidence was up. I’ve been working on my starts and everything, and it all came together today getting two holeshots and being able to get out front quick and ride my own race. The first moto was wild, lots of pressure, and second moto I made a push behind Kenny and tried to get him but he rode a good race. I’m stoked for the whole team, it’s great to get this win and we’re definitely going to be looking for a lot more.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Third overall:
It was not the best day for me at Millville. I didn’t have a good feeling in practice. Then in the first moto, I got a good start and was fighting for the win but couldn’t find a way to pass (Justin) Barcia and finished second. In moto two, I got a bad start and then crashed after the downhill on the first lap and had another crash on lap two. I had to dig deep to come back to fifth and managed to finish third overall. It was a good day for the points, but I’m not really happy with myself. We’re going to get back to training next week to be ready for Washougal.

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Fifth overall:
I had a pretty good day at Millville and was able to ride more like myself and be towards the front. I had some good battles in both motos to come away with fifth overall. I’m excited to keep this momentum going for Washougal!

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – Eighth overall:
Millville was looking to be our weekend. We had the fastest qualifier in the second one, so pole position going into the start, and I was able to pick my gate. I had a pretty good jump right out of the gate, but we just got clobbered in the first turn. I had somebody ride straight into the side of me and really had to catch my breath and make sure that my ribs were okay. My bike was actually pretty destroyed too, so we couldn’t finish the first moto. It was a tough one and I’m really banged up and bruised up, but we were going back out for the second moto. With the 40th gate pick, I actually got a halfway decent gate on the inside; it wasn’t ideal, but I was making it work. I got off to a pretty decent start, snuck around the inside a couple of times and was in third, then second, and made quick work of [Justin] Barcia on the first lap and pretty much led the whole way through. I was pumped after a really hard get-off and being super sore. To come back and take that second moto was the one thing that we could do after a big crash, so I’m really pumped on how we at least ended it. It definitely hurt the championship, but at the same time we have to be glad that we’re healthy and ready to go again in Washougal.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Second overall:
First, I want to thank the Monster Energy Kawasaki team for all their hard work. We’ve tried a few different setups this year, but today was the most comfortable I’ve felt on the bike, as you can tell by my second moto performance. We didn’t change much from last week, other than slightly dropping the forks, but that seemed to make all the difference and I felt like a completely different rider during moto two. We’re in a good spot and will look to carry this momentum forward to be upfront in both motos moving forward.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth overall:
Round six at Millville was a step in the right direction, for sure. I qualified well and felt a lot better on the bike this weekend – more comfortable. In the first moto, I went down with Kenny in the first corner, which was unfortunate after we qualified first and third. After that, I put my head down and made it back to seventh. I wasted a lot of energy coming from the back of the pack. In the second moto, I was able to find a good flow with the track and made my way back up to third and stayed there for fourth overall. Hopefully, we’re trending in the right direction now and can keep this going into Washougal.

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 10th overall:
Today was one of my better days. I do wish I was a little healthier to give it a little bit more but 10th was the best I had today. My starts were good but I just need to try and get better and get my health better as well but we’ll take it and just try to keep getting better.

Brandon Hartranft (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) – 13th overall:
It was a solid day. In moto one we had an issue and missed the gate drop. The race started and we took off about 20 seconds later. I came from literally last to 14th, so I was very happy with that ride. In moto two I had a great start, I think I was sixth; it was great battling up front with those guys. About 10 minutes in I had a problem, let some guys by, and dropped back to about 13th. I ended up passing for 12th with two laps to go. I feel like I’m riding really well so we’ll just take the positives and keep moving forward.

Max Anstie (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) – 11th overall:
Here at Millville we did well. I think we made some progress. I’m happy with my performance today. In the second moto I was riding well, and I actually tipped over, then I came back to 11th, which was okay. We’ve been searching, we’ve made a few steps, and we’re definitely on the right track and closer – closer to being in that race [at the front]. We’re looking forward to Washougal next week and we’re going to give it to them there.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 21st overall:
It was a tough day all-around, not what I was looking for but I live to fight another day. In the second moto, I was up front and moving forward a couple laps in and I collided with RJ Hampshire and as I was going to get my bike, I got hit by a couple riders. That was scary – my legs went flying behind my back and I hit my head. I wasn’t really sure how I was physically, so the Alpinestars Medics took me to the rig and went over everything to make sure I’m okay and unfortunately, that was the end of my day. Health-wise, I’m a little banged up but all good to go, so that’s one positive to take from the day and we are hoping to rebound in Washougal.

Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Second overall:
So stoked for GASGAS, it was good to run up front and secure a double podium for the team! This is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit and I think it showed today. I felt good all day and the bike was super-fast and handled really well. I’m excited and looking forward to building on this momentum.

Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM) – 11th overall:
Today went pretty good. I qualified P8, which was my best qualifying position so far this year, and it gave me a good spot on the gate. I ended up starting second in the first moto and was running up front for the majority of the moto but I made some mistakes and went back to ninth. Second moto, I had the opposite start and worked my way up to 13th. I’m looking forward to Washougal.

Kailub Russell (Red Bull KTM) – 36th overall:
In moto one, I was around mid-pack off the start and I had a slide-out on the first lap that dropped me way back. I tried to get a flow and put in some good laps, but I was having a hard time and struggling with being a bit under the weather. I didn’t feel it was a good option for me to just go out and burn fuel in moto two with not being able to fully recover physically from moto one.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 13th overall:
Honestly, I felt pretty good on the bike today and I felt like we were in a lot more control. I didn’t get great start first moto but I felt pretty solid. Second moto, I got a little bit better of a start and made some quick passes but I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We’ll go to work this week and be better at Washougal.

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 10th overall:
Today was not so good compared to how the rest of the season was going, I’m battling some old injuries right now. We’re going to use this week for some fuel and try to come back firing at Washougal.

Stilez Robertson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 15th overall:
First moto, I got a pretty good start and honestly just didn’t ride all that well. I got a pretty good start in moto two and was running seventh and I ended up getting caught up in the pileup with RJ. I got a little banged up but I went back out and was coming forward, passing for 20th, and tipped over and another rider didn’t see me and just ran straight over me. I got some bumps and bruises but we’ll be alright and we’ll get ready and healthy for Washougal and come out swinging.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Seventh overall:
I think this weekend went okay. I went out for the second qualifying session and set the sixth fastest lap, which was solid. It proves I have the speed to be up near the front; all I need now is to be more consistent with my starts. Overall, we finished seventh with 8-9 moto scores. It’s a good result, but I know I can do better. The team and I will regroup this week and come back ready for Washougal.

Austin Forkner (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Eighth overall:
I didn’t get the best start in moto one and made some small mistakes which made for a tough race. In moto two I got off to a much better start and ran with the top three riders for the first lap. Racing with those guys up front forced me to pick up my pace as well, and around the 10-minute mark, I really started to find my flow, which helped me fight off pressure from riders behind me. It felt great being up near the front again. I know that’s where I belong, and the second moto proved that. I’m pumped on the performance today and will carry this momentum into next week.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Third overall:
The track was super tricky and hard to find a good flow on, but we had fun today and did what we could. It definitely got rough for us and we struggled a little bit with the bike but scored some good points to leave here with the red plate. We will keep working hard to be better each weekend.

Colt Nichols (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Sixth overall:
It was a tough day. The track was difficult but it was really fun to ride. I felt like I had good speed but I just ran out of steam in both motos. I’m a little disappointed with that, but we’re going to keep plugging away to get better and keep our head high!

Jeremy Martin (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – First overall:
It’s always special to get a win in front of the home crowd. I haven’t been doing some motos because of my wrist and broken fingers, so it was about 20 minutes into the first moto and I was definitely hurting out there. I was also getting tired in that second moto, but the fans were so awesome; they really kept me going. I’ve been through the wringer this year, but the one thing I’ve learned is that sometimes the cards you are dealt aren’t always ideal, but you’ve got to push through it. It feels really good to get this win!

Jarrett Frye (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – 14th overall:
I had a better day going at Millville. I qualified 11th and then had a good start in moto one and finished 10th. In the second moto, I got caught in that pileup and that was it for the day. I’m taking the positives from the day and moving on to Washougal.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – 43rd overall:
I’m just so bummed. I got a great start but had some more bad luck and I hurt my shoulder. We’re going to keep our head high and go get looked at when we get home and hopefully will be back stronger than ever.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Fifth overall:
Not an ideal weekend in Millville. I struggled personally and with the bike all day. Trying to get to the front was tough. I didn’t get the best starts and my gate picks could have been better for sure. We’re definitely back to the drawing board. We’ll just reevaluate, cross our t’s and dot our i’s and check everything over to make sure that we’re going to be ready to rock and roll and put ourselves in the best position for each moto at Washougal.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth overall:
Millville was not the best round. I came in feeling really, really good–really excited for this round. First qualifying went well; I was second and battling for first. Going into the first moto, I felt confident but messed up my start really bad; I was focused on really wanting to get a good start and just focused too much on that one thing and then ended up messing it up, so I screwed myself there. I came all the way back to fourth and was really hoping I’d get a better start in the second one, and I did. I felt like I got everything good on my behalf, but not the greatest gate pick, but it is what it is. I was making my way through and then got into some carnage, and I ended up running into [Pierce] Brown. I didn’t see him until the last minute and was like ‘Oh gosh,’ so I hit him. I feel bad for full-on hitting him, so hopefully he’s not too hurt or can at least race next weekend. That set me back to 12th, but I made my way through. I kept on charging and made my way through to sixth. It wasn’t the best weekend, but we’re going to go into Washougal with an open mind. We’re going to go back to some other settings that were better and really come out swinging and hopefully start getting on top of the box again to make sure the points leader doesn’t get too comfortable with the red plate.

Dilan Schwartz (BarX Chaparral Suzuki) – 12th overall:
Today was a step in the right direction. The past few weekends have been rough, but we are starting to turn it around. We just have to keep improving and gaining experience. I really enjoyed this track and had fun today and am looking forward to next weekend!