In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out in the 17th round of the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship at Salt Lake City.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) – Fifth:
Obviously, I wanted to finish on a high note but it was a tricky track. I was able to win the heat race, which was satisfying. In the main, I just wasn’t able to get up front. Off the gate, I was pretty far back and I got myself up to fifth but I spent a lot of energy trying to pass some guys and I lost some time. Overall, I’m happy with my season even though there were a lot of ups and downs. We were able to learn a lot with the bike and we still are. We can definitely be better but it was a learning year. The highlight of the season was winning the Triple Crown in St. Louis. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to do that at 32 years old, it’s special for me. I actually made up quite a bit of points in the championship and I was getting closer to getting third but they were strong and consistent. I’m healthy at the end of the season, I always want to do better, but I have to be happy with what I’ve accomplished.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – Sixth:
Today was a little bit better for me and the riding was pretty good. I was able to lead some laps in the heat and ended up second. I got a good start in the main event and it felt good to be up front. I made a few mistakes but I had a good fight all the way to the end. I ended the year healthy and at all 17 rounds, so we’ll re-group and get ready for next year and try to go after a championship.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – First:
This has been an amazing season for me. Taking home seven wins is the best I’ve ever done in a single season, and I have everyone at Monster Energy Kawasaki to thank for helping me reach such an accomplishment at this point in my career. Yeah, I wish I could’ve taken the title fight to the very last round but to finish second my first year with a new team is still an amazing achievement.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Third:
I’m happy to end the supercross series with a podium finish here in Salt Lake City. Obviously, tonight’s racing was intense but we were racing for third in the championship and I was going for it. All-in-all, I’m stoked with how the season went, we had a lot of fun together as a team and we definitely have some positives to take away and bring into the outdoor series.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Second:
At the beginning, Jason [Anderson] and I had a really good pace going. I made a few mistakes and kind of lost my flow a little bit, and once I lost touch, there was no getting it back; he was riding really good. Lappers did come into play, but he had to deal with them just like I did. It was a tough racetrack. I struggled in the dry, slick parts, but I was happy they put a lot of water down for the night show; it plays to my strengths when there’s ruts on the track. I’m happy to end the season on a somewhat high note. Minus three races where I didn’t finish, everything else was really good. I was in the top five pretty much every race, and eight podiums and a win is big progress from last year. That was my goal coming into this year; I wanted to be a little bit calmer. I still had a few moments out there, but I made a lot of progress with my riding and mentality. I just want to keep progressing. I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I feel like I’m on the right track. I’m looking forward to the outdoors and next year racing supercross. It’s going to be fun.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Fourth:
The night was great honestly, and I was riding really good all day. In the main event, I made a pass for third and got into it with Barcia and he shuffled me back a couple positions. I was able to make my way back up and run him down again, all the way to the last lap, but I had a lapped rider in front of me and made a little mistake. The big goal for us was to end on a high note with third in the series and we accomplished that, so I can’t thank the whole team enough for a great year! We’ve been solid and we’ve been smooth, so let’s take this thing outdoors!

Brandon Hartranft (H.E.P Suzuki) – Eighth:
Round 17 was strong for me. I really jelled with the track. It was my best qualifying all year with P7. Going into this weekend another rider and I were battling for eighth in points. He was three points back, so my goal was to secure eighth overall in the standings. It’s been such a great year for me and the team. In the main event I honestly rode my best all year. The whoops were super challenging, but it was definitely one of the better Salt Lake City tracks.

Justin Bogle (H.E.P Suzuki) – 12th:
I had a good weekend in Salt Lake City. It was nice to get up front in the main event and take the last holeshot of the season. I am looking forward to the outdoors and see what we can do.

Adam Enticknap (H.E.P Suzuki) – DNQ:
It was a really tough race with getting hurt the weekend before and popping my ribs out. I was dealing with that all day. Qualifying went well. I ended up 23rd overall. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the starts I needed. I just didn’t make it happen. It was a tough weekend for the last round, but we did the best we could with being hurt.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fifth:
I’m happy with another top-five finish this season. I was hoping to podium or maybe win because I have experience doing well here from last year, but it wasn’t our night. Now that the supercross season is over, I’m shifting my focus to Pro Motocross and focusing on improving my results from last season.

Austin Forkner (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Sixth:
I was feeling really good all day, especially after taking the win in my Heat Race. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the start we needed in the main event and had to battle through lots of traffic to get up to sixth. I would’ve liked to be fighting for the win and I think I had the speed today, but the start hurt us. As we head into this two-week break before we start racing Pro Motocross, I’m going to prioritize working on starts so we can have a better chance at competing for wins and podiums.

Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Seventh:
It was a tough night for me to cap off a season with a lot of highs and lows. I think my season just spoke a lot to what supercross is – both challenging and difficult – but also, there is glory to be fought for. There were a lot of great moments and building moments, and some of the struggles are only fuel to the fire. I can’t wait for the outdoor season!

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Third: 
It was a good day. I had a tough heat race, I made a couple mistakes and got together with a couple riders but we pulled it together for the LCQ. In the main event, I trusted myself and committed from the outside gate and ended up top-five in the first couple laps. I passed a few guys and ended up third on the night. I was the first east coast guy and that felt good also. All-in-all, I’m stoked on the season, we clinched third in the series, which is my best supercross season yet, and I’m really excited with how we grew all season with the team and I’m just stoked for more!

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Fourth:
We started out a little bit of a struggle but we salvaged that main event. We got a good start from the outside and I felt like I rode pretty solid for the second half of the race and gave ourselves a shot at the podium. I’m stoked to end the season on a good note, a healthy note, and second in the championship. I can’t be too bummed, especially with how it started, so just to be here at the end is a huge improvement for myself and the team. Another series coming up, so I’m excited to get it going again.

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 10th:
It was super muddy in the heat race and I didn’t have a great start, so that was kind of a struggle and it put me on the outside in the main. I actually had a really good start and was coming into the first turn as one of the first bikes and I got hit and went all the way backwards. That pretty much ruined the night when it comes to a track that’s really tight for passing. I think the speed was a lot better these last two rounds than all year, so we’ll take that and get some more comfort in the off-season so we can come out swinging.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Second:
On the first few laps, I was jumping through the whoops, which I lost a lot of time on. I didn’t have that extra bit of energy and strength tonight, so I was watching the clock, trying to time gassing myself out. It was tough, a good race. [Nate Thrasher] was really close in a few spots, and I thought if I went a little more it may have crossed the line and put both of us on the ground. I just kept it clean, and it was a good race. Every year you see what’s kind of trending with the champions that win the class; the first thing that comes to mind is you obviously have to win, but also be on the box every round, so that was one of my big goals this year. I did that at every race I finished, bar A3 where I crashed out. That’s huge to tick that box in my book, so a lot of positives. We fell short a little bit, but I’m still not mad on the season. I proved a lot to myself and to other people. I left it all out there and tried my best every race.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – First:
I felt pretty good all day. I’ve been working on my starts quite a bit and finally came out in the top five in the heat race and got into second. Christian was a little too far ahead to go and make a run for the heat win, but I matched his times, so I felt like I had the speed coming into the night. Then in the main event, I had the speed early and was way faster than anybody else. I moved through and just tried to get to the front as quickly as I could. It was tough with Christian having a championship to win and I didn’t want to get in between that, so I tried to get around him as quickly as possible. After I got around him, I then tried to chase down Hunter (Lawrence) and knew that the best thing for me to do was go and beat him, and that’s what I did.

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Eighth: 
Obviously, there was a lot of pressure throughout the day with the championship on the line and being the last round, but I feel like I handled it all pretty well. I just took it practice by practice and enjoyed every moment. I was treating it like any other race, but at the same time, I also knew what could happen. In the main event, I was riding a little tight, knowing where I was and where I needed to be, and finished eighth to clinch this title. This is something I’ve dreamed of and worked for my whole life. I’m just going to sit here and enjoy it.

Derek Drake (BarX/ Chaparral Suzuki) – 14th:
The last round was pretty challenging considering it was the East/ West shootout. But I made it into the main through the heat. Unfortunately, I had a bad start in the main and could only crawl my way back up to 14th. The track was really one-lined so it was hard to make passes. But I’m very pleased to walk away with 10th in points for the season!