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

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) – 14th:
It was a crazy day and unfortunately I just didn’t perform today, even though I was leading the first main event and doing great until I stalled the bike and lost momentum. I just need to be better. It was a tough day physically and the feeling with the bike was just not good, so it’s especially tough when it’s a Triple Crown with three races. In the last race, I ended up going down off the start with someone else and got burned on the back a little bit and from there, it was done.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – Third:
I felt really good in that last main event, I feel like we made some great bike changes for it and that’s what we live for – to go into the last one tied. We all got bunched up in the first-turn and unfortunately ended up going down, but I charged really hard, which I’m happy with. Today I was in the fight and I got my first [Triple Crown main event] win but overall, I’m bummed – I felt like I had it tonight and really wanted to go win, so we’ll work hard this week and we’ll keep fighting.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Second:
All-in-all it was a good night for us as a team, I won two of the three main events and came away with second overall. I’m happy with the momentum we have right now and I think we’re in a really good place as far as the bike goes. My results have been great lately but, my focus is still on taking it one race at a time and staying on my toes because this 450SX class is stacked with talented riders that all want to win.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Sixth:
It was a tough one! The first race was good, I felt good on the track I made some great passes and was pretty fast. As the track broke down, I just struggled a bit, and I didn’t get the best of starts in the second and third races, which made it really difficult. And when you get stuck in a little bit of groove, you just get stuck there. We need to go back to the track, do some training and come back swinging at Daytona. I love it there, it’s a fun place and I know we’ve got a good bike, so we’ll have a good time with the crew and be close to home, so that will be fun!

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 10th:
My night wasn’t too bad, I felt like my riding was good and my starts have improved, which is something I’ve been working really hard on. Unfortunately, I washed the front in a slippery corner and ended up getting 13th in the second race, so that really hurt my points but we have some positives and we’ll keep working until we get up there

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Fifth:
It was a good night. We managed a fifth overall and it could have been better but honestly, it could have been a lot worse. I felt good in the first one but I got tangled up with another rider and finished fifth. I had a really bad start in the second one, completely my fault, I blinked on the gate and put myself in a bad position. The lapped riders were kind of tough and I came in with one and stalled my bike going through the finish. In the last one, I had a decent start and just managed the race. The good thing about the Triple Crown is that you can kind of save yourself – it’s like a throw away – so I think we’re just learning. We’re on a good streak and there are a lot of positives, so we’re looking forward to Daytona, a home race for me.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Seventh:
I had another good qualifying, but I struggled a bit at the Triple Crown with some crashes and mistakes. The bike was awesome, though, and I look forward to next weekend. We’re going to go back to work and get ready for Daytona.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – First:
It was a night of consistency to win the overall. In that first race, it was a big fight back to a podium spot, and I was just charging. Then in the second one, I had a really good battle with Jason (Anderson). We passed each other multiple times, and I ended up finishing second. I took some good momentum into race three, so I knew where we were at and what needed to be done. I had a really good start and felt like I pretty much had the holeshot, but not quite. Then I tried to push and kept going, but Jason got by me. At that point, I was like, ‘I’m going to try and lock on to his rear wheel and maybe try and make a move later on in the race,’ but didn’t quite make it happen. Overall though, it was a good night for us with another win and some more points in the championship.

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – 13th:
The race here in Dallas was a better start to the day. I felt a lot better about myself and was able to put in some good qualifying laps. I haven’t been that far up on the board in a long time, so overall this was probably the first race where I was actually having fun. Come the night show though, that all turned around because of how slick the track was – they watered pretty heavily. I was really struggling with the bike and with traction, resulting in a lot of crashes which is very unlike me. It was another very frustrating weekend. I’m looking forward to Daytona, as it usually changes things up and makes for a fun track.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth:
Round eight in Arlington I guess was okay. I finished fourth overall with 4-3-5 moto scores. It wasn’t ideal but I’m happy to be back racing after last weekend. I felt fine on the bike all day, but I didn’t really execute that well with my starts, which didn’t put me in a great position. In the second race, I didn’t ride that well. I’m excited for Daytona since it’s near home for me in Florida. It’s going to be nice being back in the warm weather, and it’s just time to get after it.

Brandon Hartranft (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 12th:
We were way more consistent tonight compared to the last Triple Crown. In the last main event tonight, we ran ninth or 10th until about the halfway point. I’m just a little bit off the top 10 guys. I know I say it every weekend, but I still think there’s more in me. I just gotta’ pop this little bubble and then I’ll be right there. Next week we race at Daytona so I’m looking forward to it.

Justin Bogle (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 19th:
I’m feeling a little bit better on the bike as far as practice and qualifying go, but I’m still struggling. We have a few things to figure out; just to get more comfortable and get faster. The mains were rough. I had a crash and didn’t finish the second one. Not my best day at the office. I definitely belong further up in the pack than where I’ve been, so we’ll keep working to improve.

Shane McElrath (Team RMATV/MC) – Ninth:
Tonight, I felt good out there. I had the pace all night and I’m happy to end the night with a top ten. We’ll head back and get ready for Daytona next weekend.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – First:
It’s always special to get a win, especially considering the depth of the field out here. I had consistent rides tonight and that last main event was such a blast. Getting out front early gave me a chance to just lock in and focus on running my own laps. I was able to stretch out a comfortable lead and secure the overall win. It really feels great to achieve this with a team that puts so much into always being their best.

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 12th:
It was a tough day but we didn’t quit, so I think we ended it off on a good note. We started the day off a little rough. In qualifying one, I crashed and knocked the wind out of myself, and it took me a little bit to get up. That kind of snowballed into Q2 and I had some mistakes in the first two races, so it was a tough day until moto three when I finally got off to a good start, put my laps down and rode like myself. Overall, it’s not the day we wanted but I’m just happy to rebound from the tough day that we had. Onto Daytona and let’s just get back to work!

Stilez Robertson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 10th:
It was an okay day, we’ll definitely take the positives and keep going with it. We definitely have the starts down and the riding is getting better. The team is coming to Baker’s [Factory] this week to work on some things and try to get a bit better for Daytona and hopefully we can go there and redeem ourselves from last year.

Jeremy Martin ( Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Second:
It was a bit of a rough day, to be honest. I think I was ninth in the first free practice, but I kept getting better every session. The team worked very hard, and I let them take the lead on some stuff with suspension, and it really paid off tonight. I got off to a decent start in the first race of the Triple Crown, but I had nowhere to go when a rider went down in front of me, and I had to make my way from last to ninth. The second one was better, and I finished second, just behind Jett (Lawrence). In the third race, I was ready to see what we could do to finish out the night. I went to make a pass and hit the guy in front of me and went down in front of the mechanics’ area. I got back up and kept pushing and was able to make it to third in that race for second overall. It feels good to get on the podium. We’ll keep working on getting to the top spot.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – 22nd:
It was a tough first Triple Crown for me, but that’s racing. I’m going to rest up this week and hopefully line back up next weekend in Daytona.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Third: 
I was feeling really good all day today for my second round. I really gelled with the track, and the bike was feeling awesome. I made a few stupid mistakes, and I’m really disappointed in myself; I’m not happy one bit. The only takeaway is that the bike has been great. I’m just very disappointed and looking forward to the next round. Thankfully I’m okay but very, very sorry. My riding was good and the track was awesome. I made too many mistakes, and if I didn’t make them, there wouldn’t have been carnage. Obviously the main topic from tonight was the [Austin] Forkner crash. I’m truly sick to my stomach that it happened. I’ve never intentionally wanted to take anyone out like that or hurt someone. I’m sorry to Austin, his girlfriend Rylee and the Forkner family. I’m truly, truly sorry. I have nothing much else to say besides that. The rest of the night was great. The bike is handling awesome, and the team was awesome. I just need to tidy up my mistakes if I want a chance at the title.

Derek Drake (BarX/ Chaparral Suzuki) – 13th:
The first Triple Crown of the season was hectic so I’m glad to get out of there safe and move on to the next round in Daytona. I know what we need to work on so I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.