In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at the third round of the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship in San Diego.

Image: Octopi Media.

450SX

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – Fourth:
It was a struggle today, to say the least. Practice didn’t go great and we fought hard in that main event giving it everything we had. We’re only one point out so I can’t complain about that, but we’ll get to work this week. I wasn’t feeling great last week and I didn’t perform very well. We’ve got some work to do on the motorcycle and myself, so we’ll fight until the very end.

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) – 10th:
We got better throughout the day, which was good, and I put myself into a good position for the heat race. I had a good ride in the heat race, I charged up to Cooper and got close to him for second. In the main, I had a great gate pick and I pulled the holeshot, which was amazing. I got passed by Chase [Sexton] and lost rhythm and everybody behind started passing me to the inside, that was a unique track with those 90 degrees turns. After that, I started racing backwards and thinking behind instead of forward and unfortunately it killed me.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Sixth:
It was kind of a tough day – I just couldn’t really get into a flow on the track. I had an outside gate pick in the main and I made the best of it. I came around maybe 10th or so, and just kind of clicked off lap after lap and then I passed some people and worked my way up to sixth. As bad as I thought it was, sixth is still a pretty good result for points, so we’ll go back this week and do our homework and come out swinging at A2.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Eighth:
Man, I was feeling really good on my KX450SR out there today. I really think I had the speed to battle for the lead, but these things happen. The track was tricky tonight, lots of tight corners and a long whoop section that caused a lot of problems, but I think these difficult types of tracks kind of fit my style and I’m happy I got a chance to showcase that tonight. There are still some small things I want to clean up before next weekend, so it’s back to work on Monday

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Ninth:
San Diego is a wrap and honestly, for a bad day, it was a good day. I got an average start in the main but I was riding good and then I ended up having a crash. I had to re-group and put a charge all the way back up to eighth. Ninth definitely wasn’t where I wanted to finish but I salvaged it. I felt like I rode really well, just came up a bit short of where I wanted to be. All-in-all, I’m looking forward to getting back to Anaheim, a place that treats me well, and I’m ready to get back on the podium!

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 14th:
On paper my night doesn’t look very good but I actually felt good with my riding. I actually got a pretty good start in the main but my clutch broke on the first lap and I stalled it. It took a minute to get the bike going and I was kind of riding without a clutch for the whole race. A little bit frustrating because I felt really good physically and I felt like I could have done the whole main event at a good pace but it is what it is and we’ll come back next weekend.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Fifth:
The night was great! Another P5 and moving in the right direction. We had a nice little battle going – I think it was Ferrandis, Cooper and myself. The box is right there – a little bit better of a start and we would’ve been in there but we’re moving in the right direction and I’m really stoked on the way I’ve been riding. I can’t thank the whole team enough, everyone’s been putting the effort in. It’s all about being consistent and just learning each and every race.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Third:
To finish on the box is great, so it was a good night for sure. We had some ups and downs, though. The practice was really good. I felt great on the bike and almost had the fastest lap, but in the heat race I got a bad start and didn’t finish up front, so I had a bad gate pick for the main event. I still managed to get a decent start, which was a lot of help, then I just charged my best to the front. I’m happy to get my first podium of the season, and to be on the box with my teammate is really cool. I think all the work that we did with the team and on the bike is paying off. We know what we need to work on, and if we can improve a little bit where our weaknesses are, I think we have a shot at the win at the next race.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Second: 
It was a solid night. We have been improving every weekend, and we put ourselves in the game tonight with that start. It’s so nice when your work during the week pays off. I executed a good start in the main and was riding well; I was just consistent tonight and felt solid everywhere. It’s really cool how we’ve been improving every week, and now we’re on the podium and leave with the red plate. We are going to keep improving, keep getting better, and with a little bit of fine-tuning, we’ll be there. Consistency is going to be key this season, and we’re going to try and keep it going.

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – Seventh: 
My day was rough; the track was different. We’ve been on super-soft dirt, and then we come here and it’s gravelly and hard-packed. I was kind of chasing my bike setting, so we tried a bunch of stuff that I had previously tried; every practice, I was riding something different. We made the right choice for the main event, and I felt good on the bike. I was able to charge forward and everything was running smoothly until [Jason] Anderson took me down. I had no idea he was even there, but that was probably my worst run through the whoops. I got sideways and went wide, and he just didn’t turn and just took my front wheel. My grip was all peeled off. Afterwards I couldn’t get that flow back anymore and kind of just hung around in seventh the whole time. It is what it is. Back in the day with those results, I would’ve been 30 points behind, but I’m seven points behind right now. It’s crazy – exciting even for a racer; there’s still a lot that could happen.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – First:
Tonight couldn’t have been much better. Obviously winning the heat race would’ve been nice, but tonight was a dream come true. I finally got a solid 20-minute moto in me on race day. I had a good start and just kind of clicked off my laps. I’m excited and it’s hard to put into words, but I want to do it again; it’s addicting. I’ve been in those positions so many times late in races that I’ve kind of gotten used to it; I hadn’t won a race, but I’ve gotten used to having a lead near the end. Tonight I finally got it to close and I wouldn’t say it was harder than I thought, but it obviously wasn’t easy. I felt really good with the track tonight. It was easy to make mistakes, but I’m just stoked with the testing we did this week; it all paid off. I did have one little bobble at the end of the whoops; I slid a little bit but it wasn’t anything to increase my heart rate. I was just trying to nail the whoops every lap. That really was the main part tonight and just being consistent. We did a good job and I’m excited to go back to work.

Brandon Hartranft (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 15th:
The whoops were gnarly and I was hitting them great all day. There were a lot of positives today and working hard during the week is showing race results. I still have a lot more in me and I’m ready to show it next weekend.

Adam Enticknap (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – DNQ: 
The suspension and the chassis were working really good here in San Diego. In the LCQ I wheelied on the start, then in the third corner I connected with another guy and he stood me up and a few more riders got by me. I rode the best I could, but just couldn’t make it happen here in San Diego. I’m looking forward to Anaheim 2; that’s definitely my home race so I’m excited for that weekend.

Justin Bogle (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 22nd: 
I got a pretty nice start in the main. I wasn’t really riding my best, but I was still up there, then I got cleaned out hard. It took me a while to get up and get going. It’s not the season I was hoping, but I’ll just keep on keeping on.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fifth:
Overall, I think today was a good result. We qualified in fifth, finished fourth in the heat race and were trending upwards all day. I think without the first turn crash in the main I could have finished on the podium. My goal is to compete for wins, but we fought hard today and came away with a season-best finish. Thank you to everyone on the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team for the support. I’m going to work on a few things this week and be ready to go for Anaheim 2.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Second:
San Diego was cool and another good night with a really good race on our hands. I was really happy with how everything was going and then unfortunately it got tough, trying to navigate with all the lappers. Obviously, they’re in their own race and I’m also trying to fight for a win, so it’s a tough situation to be in. I probably could have navigated a little better, but all in all we’re still happy. We’re fit and strong, and our speed and fitness are great in the mains. I was able to unfortunately crash but pull back four-and-a-half seconds, so that shows I’m in a great place. I’m really looking forward to next weekend. The bike has been great. The team has been really helping me during the day, and we’ve been working together so well. Everything is coming together.

Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – First:
It’s a huge blessing to get the win and even what that means for the points now. It feels awesome to re-pay all the good people who have believed in me for so long – and to prove them right – feels really good. It’s been a long time coming and it’s a long journey, I’m just stoked to be able to pull it off. I can’t thank my team enough!

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Third:
It was a crazy night, a crazy ride, for sure. There’s nothing worse than laying on the ground in the first turn. I’m not really sure exactly what happened. I came together with another rider, and I clipped someone’s back tire and went for a ride. After that, I just put my head down and kept reading the board. I saw P5, P4, and then I saw third in sight, and I knew it was possible. So yeah, 22nd to third, I’ll take it. We minimized the damage tonight from a first turn crash, dug deep from lap one to the checkered flag, and got it done. You never want to do it like that. You always want it to be easy like the first two, but that’s not how supercross goes. It’s a crazy sport, and anything can happen, so you’ve just got to try and make the most out of it.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Eighth:
It was a tough night in San Diego. I felt good throughout qualifying, but a few costly mistakes made for a long night. We made some progress on our starts, but I’m not satisfied. I’m going to continue to put in the work to be where I want to be.

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Seventh:
I know where I should be, so seventh-place kind of stings but it’s my first week back so I’ll take it. I’ll get some laps in this week and work on getting my starts back and I’ll honestly be just fine. I feel like I’m in a good spot speed-wise, so I feel really confident going into next week and I know I’m going to turn it up.

Carson Mumford (BarX Suzuki) – Sixth:
It was a great night for me getting another holeshot and leading my first ever laps in the main. I got another strong start and was riding well for over half the race. I just made too many mistakes, but still ended up with a new career-best sixth!

Dilan Schwartz (BarX Suzuki) – 17th:
The day was going really well. I started riding more like myself and I felt way more comfortable. Unfortunately, in the main I cross-jumped and couldn’t get to my brakes and rode into the tough blocks. It was a bummer, but you live and learn and I will definitely take the positives into next weekend.