In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at the latest round of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship in Tampa.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fifth:
It was a bit of an off day for my riding. I struggled with finding a comfort zone during the night show, with the conditions being on the edge of slick and decent traction. Overall we learned a lot about those conditions for the future, and I’m happy to still have the points lead.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Seventh:
It was another solid day. I think for my first two races to be inside the top 10 – seventh in both main events – I can’t ask for much more than this. It’s a really good start. These guys are really fast, and I’m just happy to be where I’m at in my first couple of races. It’s definitely something to learn from and build on for the future.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Sixth:
The track was actually really good tonight. The little bit of rain we got made the dirt tackier, which I think is an advantage for me. I definitely believe I had the speed to win. However, I still think I learned a lot about my race bike tonight. After the crash, I set out to make up as many positions as possible in as little time and didn’t know I could ride the motorcycle that hard. I just need to tap into that flow state earlier in the races and we’ll be back on the top step in no time.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 12th:
Overall, the result tonight wasn’t what we were aiming for, but I think we can still take some positives from the day. I once again qualified close to the front and even held the quickest lap time in the second session momentarily. My starts were also again on point, allowing me to get valuable time racing with the lead group. The team and I are thinking big picture right now and focusing on improving little by little each weekend, which I believe we succeeded with again tonight.

Christian Craig (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 10th:
Tampa was a step in the right direction, I just need to execute my starts in the main event. I felt like I did everything positive throughout the day. I put myself in good positions. Qualified good, and the heat race was solid. I just didn’t execute in the main event. I came from behind, had a small hiccup and fell over early on, and that kind of took the wind out of my sails. But I just tried to put my head down, click some laps off, and ended up tenth. I know I have more in me, we’re improving and I just need to do it when it counts.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – First:
I came into today knowing I needed to execute a good result, but the day didn’t start out that special for me, as I struggled in qualifying and my heat race. In the main event, I really focused and went to work – I got a good start and rode really solid laps, although the sand and the lapped riders were tough. I saw the leader go down and I was able to take the lead and the win. It’s been over a year since I’ve won a race, so now that I’ve got that winning feeling again, I now have the confidence, equipment, fitness and speed to do it again. From a championship standpoint, we’re in a great spot and confidence is key for me, so I look forward to Oakland.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Third:
This was a big confidence-booster for me. I’ve been working on my starts and that’s definitely been showing. It felt good to get out front and run with the front guys, although I made a couple of mistakes during the main event that meant I couldn’t really latch onto them. In saying that, I’m pumped – third place is the best result I’ve had in a while and it’s given me more confidence as we head to Oakland.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Eighth:
I was stoked to have a home race in Florida and it was nice to be back this week. I felt good on the track, and the bike was feeling really good. I was riding in a good position and making passes, unfortunately, I had a little incident. I came from the back of the pack up to eighth. It’s definitely not the result I wanted, but I was riding well and I’m looking to redeem myself in Oakland.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Second:
I feel like my racing keeps getting better, and tonight was some of the best main-event riding I’ve had. Cooper and I were going back and forth on who could go faster each lap, and the lappers were causing us both problems. I made up some points in the championship, but I still have to fix some mistakes. Overall, I’ve been having fun, I’m happy with where I’m at, and I’m looking forward to the future.

Colt Nichols (Team Honda HRC) – 11th:
It was an interesting day, to say the least. Qualifying wasn’t the best, placement-wise, so I put myself behind early in the night. I got a decent start in the main from where I was, but I was just kind of stuck. There’s a big group of us that are pretty much the same speed, so I need to put myself in a better position early on. I feel like the bike’s in a better position, and I’m in a better spot. We’ll try again next week.

Dean Wilson (Fire Power Honda) – 15th:
The end result is a shame, but I made more progress through the day and was happy with my speed. We are definitely getting closer to that top ten – it is just a shame that the result does not show that at all. Thanks to the team for helping me get more comfortable each week. Hopefully, we can put the pieces of the puzzle together in Oakland!

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Image: Octopi Media.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First:
My starts weren’t the best, but in the main event I went into a zone where I didn’t even notice it was raining – I just put my head down. Honestly, I don’t really remember coming through the pack; there wasn’t a lot of thinking involved. I’m super-stoked on how the night ended—probably the most hyped I’ve ever been after a win. This one was special and I’m excited about where we’re at.

Chance Hymas (Team Honda HRC) – Eighth:
It was a better day for me. I qualified better in the daytime program and got second in the heat race, which was good. Then I got a bad start in the main and struggled. I ended up with another P8 and go home with a little bit more knowledge. We’ve got a two-week break, and then I’ll come out swinging at the Triple Crown in Arlington.

Max Anstie (Fire Power Honda) – Third:
We did it again! I knew that we had to back up what we did in Houston and my team made sure that we were prepared for whatever the weather was going to throw at us. It was a consistent main event and I know that I have got more in the tank, so I cannot wait to get back to work with the crew and race in Arlington.

Jordon Smith (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 15th:
It was a good day up until the main event. I qualified second today and felt really good. We made improvements all day, but unfortunately, things didn’t go our way in that main event. So, we’ll go back, regroup, and come back swinging for the Triple Crown in Arlington.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth:
It was a super-awesome day. I didn’t feel that great in qualifying, but the track changes a lot, so it’s a lot different in the night show. I ended up getting the holeshot and winning my heat race, and I was like, ‘this is awesome!’ It feels so good to win again. Then in the main event, I got a good start and came out second. I was able to run in fourth and was smooth and consistent. I had J-Mart [Jeremy Martin] pressuring me until there were a couple of laps to go. Then I was able to open the gap up a little bit and finish fourth for the second week in a row.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
It was a good night. I won my heat race, then came into the main event and didn’t quite get the holeshot, but I made some passes early and got into the lead. I was just putting in solid laps after solid laps, but I wish the end was a lap earlier. It was a tough pill to swallow, to lead the race until the last corner, but it’s just going to keep me hungry for more. We’ll come back to the next round in Arlington and get on the top step.

Chris Blose (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 13th:
It was a challenging day for me, but we left everything out there on the track in that main event, the track was technical and my mistakes didn’t help me put us where I know we can be. We’ll keep putting in the work over the next two weeks and think we can be much more aggressive when we show up in Arlington.

Talon Hawkins (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 19th:
It started off pretty good. I know what I need to work on… I’ve got to work on some sprint laps. I put it into the main right away out of the heat race, so I was pumped on that. I was feeling super-good on the start of the main event. I was pushing and trying to stay up there. I just made some mistakes in the sand and one thing led to another. I’ve got a lot to work on and I’m excited for the next race.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) – Sixth:
My day was pretty good overall and I had a good heat, where I finished P3. I didn’t get the best start in the main, but I was running near the front through the first few corners before I tipped over when I tried to pass a rider in the sand. I was quite far back and managed to come back through to sixth. I’m quite happy with the last few laps of the race where I made up a number of positions. We’re now only a few points off third in the championship, which is good. We’ve got a short break now, so we’ll work on the bike and myself to keep improving before Arlington.

Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Seventh:
I had a better start in the main event and I was right there where I needed to be. I had good speed and felt calm under pressure. I got taken out – I probably would have done the same – you hate it, but you’ve got to respect it and move on.