In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out in round 14 of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship at East Rutherford.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
It was an exciting night of racing, and you really never know what you’re going to get with these mud races. The most important thing is to ride loose, have a good flow, and start the lap clean. That was a big focus of mine – to get off the start clean and keep my vision clear. We were able to do that, so that was huge. Then after that point, it is all about managing your motorcycle, and I was able to do that. Overall it was a good day. I was able to gain some points on the night, and I’m happy with second.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 12th:
The day started off on the right track with the fastest lap of timed qualifying and second in the heat race. When the weather came through it was apparent the start was going to be a critical aspect of the race and unfortunately, I spun a little bit when leaving the gate. I was in the middle of the pack going down the start straight so immediately the mud and water just completely showered over me. From there it was an uphill battle and a crash through the whoops on lap two put me clear out in last place. I kept my focus forward for the rest of the race, but it’s really tough to come through the field and get back in touch with the front group when the conditions are that severe. All in all, we’ll take the positives from earlier in the day and look forward to racing next weekend in Nashville.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – Fifth:
What a crazy turn of events with the insane weather tonight, making racing conditions extremely tough. Not the way I’d hoped tonight would go as my goal was to close in on the championship and not lose points. We at least made it out in one piece and given the horrible racing conditions, I guess fifth overall wasn’t too bad. I need to rebound and throw everything at this championship next week in Nashville.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – First:
I don’t remember practice. I don’t remember the heat race. But I remember that main event! I got out there and was battling with the boys, took the lead, rode away, and took the win. It was very special. The team crushed it, mud-prepped quickly, and it was an awesome race. I don’t really know what else to say because I’m very happy!

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth:
Mud races are always kind of an unknown, but it’s still a bummer the way this one went down. I was riding well all night and got a good start, so I was excited to see what I could do. Anyone who has crashed in those conditions knows it’s hard to ride well after that because mud is everywhere, but I just did the best I could. All we can do is get back on the horse and come back fighting next week in Nashville.

Colt Nichols (Team Honda HRC) – 16th:
It was a wild and chaotic night here in New Jersey. With the rain delay and the track pretty much being underwater, all bets were off. I just struggled all night, I couldn’t get going, and being on the ground didn’t help… Just a super difficult night in the mud.

Dean Wilson (Fire Power Honda) – 10th:
It was almost a very good finish! I ran in the top five and then sat in a solid sixth, but a fallen lapper was in the main rut. I went to go around them and slid in the mud. I struggled to pick the bike up, seeing as my hands were in the mud, and went back to 14th. I finished 10th. Gutted about the result, as it was almost a good one, but that is racing. Congratulations to my teammate and the whole team on the win!

Ken Roczen (Progressive Ecstar Suzuki) – Third:
We had a lot of fun and were going really well all day on a super-tough track. It was extremely rutted, notchy, and tight. The main was delayed big time and we ended up racing a bit later with a track completely underwater. We got the bike prepped as well as we could, and it held absolutely solid. I never had to adjust the clutch or anything like that. I’ve been really happy with some of the changes we’ve made to how the bike felt today. We ended up on the podium in third place after a couple of mistakes and little mishaps. Overall, it was a super solid night because it could also have ended up a lot differently.

Shane McElrath (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – Sixth:
I had a really good start but just couldn’t get stopped or turned in the first corner. I got blasted with some mud and couldn’t see, so really felt like I went backward over the first couple of jumps. I tried to regroup and get around the track efficiently and cleanly. The mud was really heavy, and honestly, I just stayed in first gear the whole way around the track and was able to double my way through the whole track. I made some really good passes, and some other riders went down and gave up some spots. I ended up sixth, which is a career-best. That’s a good way to end the night after really not knowing if we were going to be able to race.

Kyle Chisolm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 13th:
I had a really strong start, got myself in a good spot, and then made a few little mistakes. I went off the track, had a little tip over, and just shuffled back. I’m disappointed I wasn’t able to capitalize and get a better finish, but we’ll try again next week.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Second:
The ending of the race changed pretty quickly. I tried to cut down on Max [Anstie] but ended up spinning. I figured that was gone but at least I had second locked up. In the last turn I just saw this giant wave come towards me, I had no chance to react. Luckily, I kept the bike running and could get going right away. Tonight was a race where taking a risk for two points could cost you 20 points, so I just wanted to race my race and stay off the ground. We’re happy to make it through to the checkered flag.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Third:
My mechanic had put on the board ‘P5, calm,’ so I knew to just take it easy where I was. The worst thing to do in a mud race is to fall, your gloves get all muddy and slippery and just make riding a nightmare. I saw RJ [Hampshire] and Jett start to battle a little and just capitalized on how it all unfolded somehow. I’m pretty happy to stay off the ground and finish the race.

Max Anstie (Fire Power Honda) – First:
I’ve had a lot of faith in Fire Power Honda since I first signed with the team. It is so good to share this experience with them and be a part of their history. I knew what I had to do in order to execute in those conditions and we did that. It is just amazing! We will get back to work this week to see if we can do something similar in Nashville!

Jordon Smith (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 18th:
It was a disappointing day overall because it started off well. I was fastest in the first qualifying and then had a couple of crashes in the second one, but I was still second. I had a good heat race, so I was so bummed when they pulled us off the gate. When we came out from the tunnel, the track was underwater. I got splashed with a bunch of water off the start and fell back a little bit. I was kind of making some passes and then went off the track. It was like ice. It was so slick, and it took me some time to get back on the track. It wasn’t the night we wanted by any means, but it is what it is. We’ll go to the next race and come back stronger.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
That was a sick race! I made a mistake and ended up sixth, but I’m happy overall. It was my first supercross mud race and first East-West Showdown, and I was able to set the fastest lap. We’re making progress, and I’m looking forward to racing next weekend.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 12th:
I felt off all day in New Jersey. I was really looking forward to the muddy conditions, but I guess I forgot how to ride in them. In the end, I was riding cautious and ended up 12th. We’ll go back to work and look to finish the season out strong.

Chris Blose (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 10th:
I had another strong qualifying and heat race which I think reflect the continued work I’ve been putting in with the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team. We are still pushing to get as much as we can from the last few rounds of supercross racing and I’m not settling. I believe we can secure a top-five finish in the coming weeks and, despite the crazy weather conditions and the gnarly mud, I think a top-10 finish in the East/West Showdown is indicative that we’re progressing toward our goals.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Ninth:
The track was pretty tricky with a kind of softer dirt that had ruts and some sharp transitions as it broke down. When the track is like that it is super important to be precise with your riding and hit your marks each lap, so that was my focus when it came time for racing. In the heat race, I had a strong start and led the whole race for my first heat race win. Even though I’ve won a main event, I had never won a heat race before so that was awesome, especially because it’s still only my second race back and against all the riders from 250SX East. For the main event the track was super muddy and that made it tough to come through the pack but, I just did my best to salvage.

Carson Mumford (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Seventh:
Truthfully, my result from this weekend is a little bittersweet. I’m so proud to be representing the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team and, while I know that seventh in the East/West Showdown is a solid finish that shows our recent progress, I still wanted more. The next two riders ahead were within striking distance at different stages of the race, and I feel like I could have pulled off a top-five finish with just a couple of key moves in the middle of the race. All that said, it was a crazy mudder and I’m glad to have earned another solid top-10 result.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 13th:
I started off pretty decent in practice and felt good. I got the holeshot in the heat race and won that. Then the rain came. It was different. We were waiting down there for an hour and a half, almost two hours. Finally, when the gate dropped, I got a decent start and just rode in third for a while. The track was brutal with the puddles. It was getting worse and worse as it went on. I saw an opening there at the end in the last corner and went for it. There was nothing else to it. I thought I would have had a good line. As soon as I cut underneath, I lost the front and I was just along for the ride there. Just hydroplaning across the water and took us both down. It’s a bummer to end it like that where I couldn’t even finish the race. I’m bummed about that, but overall, for how the race went and the whole day was, it was pretty solid. I’ll look forward to Denver and hope that I can get a win in these next two rounds.

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 11th:
It wasn’t an ideal night in New York. I did all right in the heat, with a fourth-place finish. We had a couple of hour delay before the main event. It rained hard, so the track was pretty wet when we got out there. I got off to an okay start, midpack. I was trying to go through the pack and collided with a rider about three or four laps into the race and fell. That set me back pretty far. I think I got up in last or second-to-last. After that, I put a charge on and did all I could do and ended up 11th.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) – 14th:
We had to wait quite a while tonight before the start of the main event, and then off the start, I spun really badly, which meant I started last. From there it was tough with lots of water on the track making it hard to pass, which put me in 14th place overall. I didn’t do much after the start, it was about survival after that, so I’m looking forward to Nashville now.

Maximus Vohland (Red Bull KTM) – Fourth:
It was a good day overall for me, third in qualifying and third in my heat race. Being the showdown, the heat is like a mini main event, so to get third there was great. I was thinking we’d get a dry main event, and then we had a weather delay where we were waiting for an hour to go out, the track was just getting worse and worse, but yeah, in the position I’m in I had nothing to lose, so I went out there and had fun. I knew I needed a good start, which I got, and then I was flirting around that podium spot, although the way it turned out I finished in fourth. So I’ll take it, made some good points, feel confident in my riding, and am excited for Colorado.

Dilan Schwartz (Progressive Ecstar Suzuki) – 16th:
I qualified pretty well, P9, which is my best this season. I had a little crash in the heat race and had to go to the LCQ. I made it stick in the last turn and got into the main. It was pretty muddy out there during the main, we just tried to make it through it and get it to the finish line, and that’s what we did. I’m looking forward to Denver in a couple of weeks.

Marshal Weltin (Progressive Ecstar Suzuki) – DNQ:
I had a good qualifying overall on the day, I was happy with how I was riding, I just couldn’t quite execute in the heat races and in the LCQ, I rode tight, and I couldn’t seem to let go, roll my turns, and ride like me. But I’m ready to fight next weekend

Robbie Wageman (BarX Suzuki) – 20th:
The day started impressively. The track was great and had some good rhythms with different options. I was super happy with getting into the East/West Showdown straight out of our heat race with an eighth. I was looking forward to the main event. Unfortunately, the weather turned the main into a mud race. Overall, it was super fun and an awesome experience with a lot of positives from the weekend!

Derek Drake (BarX Suzuki) – DNQ:
I felt off all day, I wasn’t gelling at all and didn’t have the speed, but I’m healthy and ready to go for the next round.

Brandon Scharer (BarX Suzuki) – DNQ:
It was a good building weekend for me. Overall, I am happy with my riding and improvements with the bike. Qualifying went well. I ended up 11th in the heat, it wasn’t the result I wanted, but on the other hand, I was happy with it considering it was like a west coast main event. In the LCQ I just got a poor start and got stuck in the pace of those around me. As always, I take the good and the bad, learn from them, and then focus on the next round. I’m looking forward to Denver!