In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out in the 10th round of the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Budds Creek.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Ryan Dungey (Red Bull KTM) – Fifth:
Today was a good day. I got really good starts all day. I came out second in the first moto and I rode a good race – I rode efficiently and I was able to push it to the end. The second moto, I got a good start again in third and then got into the lead. I led a few laps, which was really nice, and ended up fourth again. Not ideal on the overall but we’re definitely making progress.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Eighth:
Not the weekend I was looking for. I had the speed but I didn’t put myself in the best position at the start of each moto to battle for a podium spot. I’m ready to come back swinging at my home track next weekend in Crawfordsville!

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 14th:
Budds Creek is one of my favorite places to come to and the fans are awesome! I had two pretty good starts in both motos, I just really struggled with making a lot of mistakes, getting into a good flow and I just didn’t ride like myself today. We’ve got two more rounds, so I just need to go home, do my laps, have some fun, relax and let it come to me, because today I overrode and made a lot of mistakes and let myself down. Definitely need to regroup and go out and have some fun because I have nothing to lose.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Ninth:
I think the day was good. Overall, I got ninth, but I think that was a lot better start than it was for Unadilla. The whole team is working hard, so I’m just glad to get some gate drops – I think just getting that race-mode back in me is definitely helping a lot. Let’s just keep digging, we’ve got two rounds to go and we’re getting close to that top-10 so let’s just keep moving.

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 15th:
It was a challenging day for me. Unfortunately, I got collected in a pileup off the start in the first moto and came from last to 18th. I didn’t ride great but it was good to come through the pack and learn different lines. In the second moto, I got a better start and made some pretty good passes at the beginning. Mookie and I had our own battle the whole moto – he got around me and I tried to get around him again but just couldn’t make it happen. It was good for me, just building my speed and fitness.

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was a good day overall. I didn’t ride to my full potential, but I was able to put in two solid motos and have some good battles! We’ll keep working and come back stronger at Ironman.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
The first moto was awesome for us. I was able to make some passes early and get to the front before halfway, which allowed me to settle into my own pace. In moto two, I was farther back on the start and was not finding the best lines to get by guys, which was a little frustrating, but in the end, it was a good day for the points.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 13th:
It was a tough day for me. I had a very bad start in moto one and came back to sixth. I was struggling a little bit with the bike set-up, and we made some changes for moto two. I got another bad start, but I was feeling better on the bike, and then I got T-boned by another rider, which ended my race

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – Third:
We’re trying! We seem to take these for granted, but I’m super-excited to be back on the podium! It was a hard battle the whole second moto, and I was excited I stayed in it. I’m pumped for my team too; it was a little bit of a drought, but we’re back on the box. That’s a step in the right direction, so we’re going to continue and hopefully finish out these last couple rounds strong.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth:
Man, today was not my day. Even from practice, I never felt that good—just too many mistakes. In the first moto, I hit neutral and went over the bars, and then I ran into another rider and had my work cut out for me. I had a big effort and knew I had to bounce back and amass points in the second moto. I got it done—fell over but still knew I could win and just kept fighting. You don’t win championships on your good days; it’s your bad days you win them, so if we can manage the points and come back strong next weekend and ride a lot better, we’ll be in a good spot.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – First:
My day was pretty awesome. I was kind of feeling off in practice and qualified in eighth place, which is not where I expect to be. But I was able to turn it around in both motos and work my way up to finish second in each of them. It would’ve been great to get the win in the second moto but 2-2 was enough to get the job done and claim the overall. It’s nice to get another win under my belt and if I can just get a few more before the end of the season that would be the cherry on top of my year.

Joey Savatgy (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Seventh:
I had a good start to my day setting the fastest lap in first practice session and followed that up with a solid sixth overall in qualifying. The track was super dry to start the day so it took some time to adjust to the changing conditions once they watered the surface, but I was still able to put in two solid performances. It was really cool to get the holeshot in moto two and seventh overall is where I was expecting to be, so it was a good day. The team and I are still working hard on getting better each day and we hope to get another moto podium before the season ends.

Marshal Weltin (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 42nd:
We just had a tough go at it today, I was comfortable and I’m really happy with the bike overall. Unfortunately, I had a pretty bad crash in turn one of moto one. I got caught up in another rider’s rear wheel going down the straightaway and slammed really hard. I was not able to finish out the day. I feel like I’m okay, I just have a lot of really bad bruises. I’m going to come back next week and be ready.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Second:
The weekend was good! The first moto start wasn’t the best, it was like the old me, but I had a good charge and came back to finish in third. The second moto started much better and I had a nice battle with (Justin) Cooper for first place. I passed him early and held it to the end to win the moto. It’s a good feeling getting the win but next weekend I’ll be going for the overall victory.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 14th:
It was a tough weekend, for sure, but I can hold my head up high knowing I didn’t give up in either moto. Getting 14th overall isn’t where I expect to be but we’re playing the long game and slowly improving on the bike each week. I’m going to work on cleaning a few things up in practice this week so I don’t make the motos so hard for myself during the race and hopefully, we can get back inside the top-10 and start battling for a top-five by the final round.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Eighth:
Really tough day. I felt like the riding was really good, but if there’s anything that prevented me from having a good result, I probably could point at the four crashes. [laughs] I think that may have had something to do with it. We’ll go back, keep training, keep pushing, and we’ve got to come back next weekend and the following weekend to finish out strong.”

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Third:
It could’ve been better, obviously, but it wasn’t a terrible day – honestly, it was better than last weekend. Qualifying went well, but my starts weren’t the greatest today, especially the second one; I just got closed out. I definitely need to work on those because my starts have gone downhill since Washougal. My riding was really good, and the second moto I felt really good; I had some good lap times and felt really strong. It was the first time in a while that I had to push all the way to the end. The goalpost was RJ [Hampshire], but I wasn’t close enough to make any moves on the last lap. It’s good to be back on the podium.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fifth:
It was a pretty good day for what it was. I haven’t been able to ride all week because I’ve been feeling sick. I made the decision late in the week to race… I wasn’t sure if I would be able to try it, so considering all of that the day went pretty well. I had the crash in the first moto that sent me back to basically last, but other than that we pushed through the day. In the second moto, I didn’t have much energy and I think that showed. Hopefully, I can regain that over the next week and bring something more to Ironman.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
Budds Creek was a fun day for me. It was another new track, but we had a solid day and took a step in the right direction. I’m going to keep a positive attitude and look to keep building next weekend at Ironman!

Guillem Farres (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Ninth:
It was a new experience for me, never racing in the US before. The first thing I noticed that was different from Europe was the schedule, but we were able to have a good practice and was 10th in the combined times. In the first moto, I had a really bad start, but I made up a lot of positions on the first lap. I ended up making some passes and finished sixth, so I’m really happy about that. The second moto I had a little better start and was about 10th, but had a little crash and dropped down to 13th. Overall, it was a good weekend for my first time in America and I’m really happy with the bike and my team.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – First:
This is so special! We were fast from the beginning and we just took a gamble there and stuck with this paddle tire all day and that really helped. We got two good starts, rode well and got our first overall this season. I’m stoked for myself and for this whole team, we’ve been through a lot already just this outdoor season, so I’m just stoked to be able to give the team our first overall of the season. Let’s keep this going, I’m not just settled in here, I want more!

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 11th:
All in all, it was a good day for me, I got off to a good start around P3/4 and got tangled up with Justin Cooper early in the first one, so I came from pretty much dead last to around 13th. But I had no tear-offs and couldn’t see and ended up having a really big one on the straightaway. I re-grouped and got a good start in moto two, ran the pace for a while, but I was a little hurt at the end. I finished fifth – the best finish of the year for me – so I’m going to take the positives, try to heal up and better that score next week.

Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Fourth:
It felt really good to be back at the races after a good while! I felt good from the get-go, I took my time to be ready to race and not just to come out and ride, and I think that was a smart decision. I’m really proud of my start in the first moto and making quick moves to lead about half the race or so. It just felt good being out front and focused on me! I had a battle pretty much the whole time both motos. Second moto, I didn’t quite have it but I rode my heart out. I’m looking forward to next weekend!

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 16th:
This was a tough day. I started the day off good with second in qualifying and I was stoked going into the motos with some momentum. I got together with a rider early in the first moto and ended up slicing my elbow open. I had to get stitches before moto two and I hurt my ribs in the process. I had to fight through both of those and had to salvage the day for what it was. Not a good day but we’ll move on.

Carson Mumford (BarX Chaparral Suzuki) – 10th:
It was a decent day, but could have been a lot better. An issue at the start of the first moto caused me to hit the gate, then I ran into rear brake issues on the second lap. I also took a rock to one of my bottom teeth and broke my tooth. I was only able to catch up to 14th in that moto, in the second moto, I was only able to salvage a 10th. That isn’t bad, but I for sure had the speed to be near the top five.

Preston Kilroy (BarX Chaparral Suzuki) – 15th:
It was a decent weekend at Budds Creek, I didn’t get the greatest of starts in either moto but was able to get through the pack in the first few turns in both. I was riding a little tight all day. In the second moto, I, unfortunately, had a bike issue that cost me. We’re taking the positives from this weekend into next weekend at Ironman!

Dilan Schwartz (BarX Chaparral Suzuki) – 18th:
This was a better weekend, for sure. I was up front in moto one but had two tip-overs that cost me a better result. In moto two I didn’t get that great of a start, but still salvaged 14th. Onto next weekend!

Derek Drake (BarX Chaparral Suzuki) – 17th:
Budds Creek was a step in the right direction, but just doesn’t look that way on paper. My fitness is improving, so I’m happy about that. The motos were tough. I got two bad starts and in the second moto, I crashed on the first lap, which put me in dead last at the beginning of the moto. I’m definitely looking forward to next weekend.

Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM) – Seventh:
I had some confidence coming into the first moto – I was able to check a mark off on the book and get P1 on the first qualifying and I ended up fifth overall in qualifying, which was the best this year. Coming into the second moto, we had some bike changes and it helped out a lot. I almost got the holeshot, it was actually the closest I’ve gotten to getting it, and it shows that my starts were where I want them to be, which is what we worked on, so I’m looking forward to Ironman.