In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out in the third round of the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Thunder Valley.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Ryan Dungey (Red Bull KTM) – Sixth:
Today, I was pretty happy. In the first moto, I got a decent start and the pack didn’t just break away – we were all kind of right there for the first 15-20 minutes and that was encouraging. Even at the end of the race, the gap is shrinking. Second moto, I didn’t get the greatest of starts and I was trying to come through the pack. I got up to [Shane] McElrath for fifth and I just got stuck at his pace and those guys got away. Two good solid motos, I just had to dig really deep but all-in-all, a positive day.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – 11th:
I didn’t have the best day. I struggled in practice but going out for the motos, I felt pretty good. I made some good passes and came back but struggled with keeping it on two wheels. Overall, I’m kind of bummed about the way I rode but we’re good and we are ready to go for High Point and hopefully we can get the bike a little bit better this week and go from there.

Tony Cairoli (Red Bull KTM) – Fifth:
I’m really happy about the race. Of course, I know that with my conditioning, all those guys in front are prepared for racing and winning the championship, and last moment only a month ago, I started to really work out to be here and it’s not enough. I felt today, I was a little bit worse off with the altitude. We have already a big improvement from the first round so I think we are in a good way and let’s move on from here and let’s see on the week and next week.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Seventh:
It was a little better day, 6-8 for seventh overall. I was happy with the first moto, I definitely rode really well. The second moto, I struggled a little bit but all-in-all, it was definitely a big improvement. I’m looking forward to heading to the east coast with some good tracks and some good ruts.

Shane McElrath (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Eighth:
Much better today and a much better week all-around. We had a couple good riding days this week – actually my best ones yet – and we made really good progress on the bike. I think I’m just growing confidence every time I’m on the bike. It took me a while to get going today, so I need to work on that, but we’re taking big steps and I’m happy.

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 12th:
It was a rough day at Thunder Valley. In the first moto, I crashed in the first turn, so I had to come from last and was able to make it back to 10th. In the second moto, I was running with the top guys and had a pretty big crash down the hill. Unfortunately, my bike was all twisted up, and I had to pull into the pits to fix it up. I was only able to get back to 12th, which was disappointing, but we’re going to take the positives and move on to High Point!

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
It was a good weekend. We were really close to getting the overall, but not quite enough. I was really happy with our first moto this weekend. It was our best first moto of the year that we’ve had, and I was able to make passes and push through the guys, so that was nice. Then in the second moto, I was really close to getting that overall. I made a couple of pass attempts on Kenny but couldn’t make anything fully stick. So, like I said, we put up a great fight, but it was just not quite enough this weekend.

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – First:
Obviously I’m really happy with how today ended up. I’m getting better. I’m not the fastest out there, but I’m applying myself, I try really hard and I stay in it. I actually thought we got kind of lucky today with the weather. I feel physically pretty dang good compared to what I’ve been in the past. It seems like somewhere around halfway, when I start hitting lappers, I’m kind of searching a little bit and losing a lot of time. Once I make a mistake and get passed, I find myself and charge forward again. I’m going to try to work on that, to not get out of the flow. We always have little improvements to do, but I’m super happy with what we’ve done this weekend. Obviously, Chase [Sexton] went down, so it was kind of given to me on that point, but I also had to battle really hard with Eli [Tomac] to stay in second place or else it wouldn’t have happened. I just got rewarded today, and I’m taking it. I’m just having fun with everything right now and trying to figure out these little pieces. Nothing’s ever perfect, and I’m good with where we’re at right now. I dedicate this win to everybody that’s behind me, especially my team. They keep believing in me.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Third:
My starts were very subpar today; I was probably about 10th in both motos, which isn’t great. I had my work cut out for me. The first moto was pretty muddy, and I ran out of tear-offs before halfway – I was wiping my goggles and that was kind of a struggle. The second moto, minus that last mistake, was probably one of my best motos of the season. We’re in a good spot. It’s been fun racing these guys, and overall I feel like I’m in a different spot than I have been on the 450. The speed’s there, the bike’s pretty good, I’m in a good spot mentally and I’m having fun—that’s the key to it. We’ll take that and try to build off of it. I look forward to High Point.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Fourth:
I believe me and my KX450SR were capable of winning today, but that mistake early in moto two really cost me. It was good to grab another podium in moto one and shows that we’re in a spot to compete consistently at the front of the field so that’s encouraging as we head into next weekend.

Joey Savatgy (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Ninth:
I ended up with the same overall result again this weekend but, I definitely feel better about my riding today. Overall, it was a strong day for me on the track and I’ll look to get more seat time this week so we can improve the result at High Point.

Brandon Hartranft (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 14th:
It was a solid day. I was 15th in practice which was mediocre. In the first moto, I battled with my teammate for 14th the whole moto and then got by him with about two laps to go. He was riding great. In Moto two I had a really bad start and had to come from far back. I caught up to 13th then another rider got past me with about five laps to go. I’m not happy with the result, but we made some progress. We’ll keep fighting and hopefully, we can squeeze into the top 10 soon.

Marshal Weltin (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 13th:
This was my first round with the Twisted Tea HEP Motorsports Suzuki team. Everyone’s got a very positive mindset. The race went really well. I had some decent starts, and the bike was on point all weekend. I’m really happy with my set-up. I was comfortable right away after jumping on the bike and I’m happy with the results. We definitely want to keep building but I think it’s a good platform. The track was just absolutely brutal today. I went 15-13 on the day for 13th overall and ended up getting my personal best overall finish in the 450 class.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Ninth:
In moto one, I battled up at the front for the whole race and finished fifth. In moto two, I started up front and was looking to compete in the top-five again but, after I crashed with another rider on the opening lap, I had to pull into the mechanic’s area briefly and came out close to last. I was hoping for a better finish than 15th but, I made a tough charge to pass most of the field and minimized the damage after that crash on lap one.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fifth:
I came into the day feeling pretty under the weather with a cold, so I knew that would be an extra challenge on top of the heat and altitude. I fought hard to make the most of the day and I came away with fifth overall. Now I’ll get some rest and come back next week ready to fight at the front again.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Second:
It was a good race. The first one, I was kind of frustrated with myself because my start didn’t give me the best opportunity to be where I wanted. The second one, I was pretty much like, ‘Screw it, I’m just going to hold it wide,’ and it worked out really well. Trying to get rid of this cold, we didn’t do any laps or such during the week—just worked on starts and different clutch delivery and stuff like that. The first moto I didn’t give it enough rpm, and the second moto, I said, ‘screw it, I’m just going to send it’. I held it wide, and it worked out pretty good. I got out of the gate, and I’m like, ‘I don’t see anyone—it’s like a dream’! I was like, ‘alright, I feel trash, but I can’t drop the anchor’. I pushed as hard as I could, and it wasn’t too bad. I haven’t had a holeshot outdoors in a long time, so it was good; it made it easier. We’ll keep working on it—hopefully two more holeshots next week.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First:
I’m happy just to get through this day; I just went flat, and my speed wasn’t there, although I’m better than last weekend. It obviously helped getting really good starts today, but I didn’t think my sprinting was that great because Levi [Kitchen] and Hunter both were able to gap me. I hate to keep using the sickness, but last year I was fine here with the altitude. Hunter and I didn’t do much this week, just mainly starts. I think our bodies are working twice as hard during the moto because they’re fighting off the sickness and then riding. It’s annoying, but I’ve been lucky to put myself in pretty good spots with my starts. That first moto when Levi was out front, he was a bit of a new one because I haven’t got to race with him much. I had four or so laps where I tried to see if I could break him, but he pulled out even more. I ended up going, ‘alrighty, I just need to keep second here and just try to get another good start in the second one’. Then Hunter ended up pulling a holeshot, and I thought, ‘oh gosh, this isn’t going to be fun trying to get around him’. I’m hoping this week we can finally get rid of this cold, but I got the overall win, so I’m pumped.

Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Seventh:
I’ve been looking forward to this round all year, I love riding this track and I always feel comfortable here. We went to work this week and made some improvements on the bike and qualified P1, which is a personal best for me. It felt really good to have the opportunity to pick my own gate. First moto, I didn’t get the best of starts, made some quick passes and then made a mistake but I really was riding good. I started having some bike issues toward the end, which left me kind of limping it home for 13th. Second moto, I had a better start and was riding even better – I felt like I could have gone for a win but unfortunately had more bike issues. The speed is certainly there so I’m looking forward to putting all the pieces together.

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 11th:
It was a rough day today. I was on the ground most of the day and just couldn’t get a flow. I’m pretty bummed on it but I guess you’re going to have those days. Hopefully we can be able to bounce back at High Point next week and try to put this one behind us.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth:
The day was good overall. We had a consistent day, but the speed wasn’t there the whole time. We felt really comfortable towards the end of the moto, which is a good feeling. That’s when the track is at its worst, and we were able to feel good pushing. So, that’s something to take away from today, but we’ve really got to start challenging at the front more and be a little bit more aggressive. We’re going to take it from there, work on that, and show up next week ready to go.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
It was a good day in Colorado. I got a great start in that first moto and ended up winning it! Then in the second one, I got a mediocre start and then fell on the first lap and charged back up to fifth and got third overall. It’s my first podium, so I’m stoked! It’s a little bit easier than I thought it would be, to be honest, and I can’t wait to race again next weekend.

Nick Romano (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 10th:
It was an up-and-down day. I was P19 in qualifying, which wasn’t good, but I put that behind me. I finished ninth in the first moto, which I was happy about, and then 13th in the second moto, which I’m not really happy about. I made a bike change that didn’t work out, and that’s on me for the second moto. We live and learn, though, and I’m leaving here healthy and ready to go for High Point.

Matthew LeBlanc (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Eighth:
It was a good day and a big step in the right direction. We went 10-9 for eighth overall today. We’re learning every time we go out there, and I’m happy with the improvements. I’m excited for the rest of the season. It was kind of my goal to prove that I should be here for all 12 rounds. I accomplished that, and now it’s time to keep this thing going. I’m looking forward to High Point next weekend.

Stilez Robertson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Sixth:
Today was pretty good, I went 6-7 in the motos, so it was the best day ever in outdoors for me. Six motos down and 18 to go, so let’s keep it going! I’m having fun and the team is killing it, so I’m looking forward to the rest.

Derek Drake (BarX Chaparral Suzuki) – 17th:
Thunder Valley was tough, I got altitude sickness and couldn’t keep any food or liquid down between motos so I was really weak. In the first moto, I went down on the first lap after the start. I got going and pushed back up to 15th. I had nothing in me in the second moto. I did all I could to finish the race. The good side is that the bike felt good so I’m excited to rebound next week in High Point!

Preston Kilroy (BarX Chaparral Suzuki) – 22nd:
I came into the weekend with two weeks on the bike since my injury during Supercross. I wanted to just start racing and learning as I went, I had a crash off the start in the first moto that left me with bent handlebars, but I was able to come up through the pack pretty good. In the second moto, I didn’t get a very good start, but I just tried to push as long as I could. I’m glad to be healthy and we’re going to work hard to be better for next weekend.

Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM) – 15th:
It wasn’t a terrible day. A little unfortunate in the first moto – in the second corner, the bike quit out on me and I had a little bit of a mechanical failure. It sucks to miss a moto and lose some points but I got a good start from the outside in Moto two and worked my way up to eighth. I tried hard. I could have ridden a little better in the second moto but it was still good enough for eighth and I’m still sitting ninth in points.