In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at the second round of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship at Hangtown.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First: 
It was interesting to learn the track on a 450, finding the spots I could be aggressive and where I had to take it easy. Both motos, I got great starts and could focus on keeping a comfortable pace and keeping a gap behind me. The first few laps, I could pin my ears back and really go for it. Once I had a five-second gap or so, I was able to search for some new lines for later in the day, without giving up a spot. Thankfully, I was able to ride my own race and focus on keeping my lap times stable. I’m really happy with where our level of preparation has been, and I think we’ll continue at this level at Thunder Valley.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second: 
We made improvements to the bike all day. This track isn’t what I normally like, and it was hard to find places to pass. Second overall is good on paper, but we need to work a little more to be there for the win. We’ll work to get back there as soon as we can.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Fifth: 
I can’t say I’m super stoked on my results, but I am happy with the progress my Monster Energy Kawasaki team and I are making. This is always a brutal track, so I’m glad that we were able to hold a steady pace. We are going to continue to put in work and get back to where I know I can be.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – Third: 
I’m stoked! Second moto was great for me, I was able to latch onto the pace there and see where it’s at, and we made big improvements from last weekend. The track was difficult to pass, but all in all, happy to stretch my outdoor legs again and finish where we did today, as it was only last weekend that I was a distant fourth. I’m really excited about the result today.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Fourth: 
We had a good first moto, got stuck behind Dylan [Ferrandis] for a while and wasn’t able to make the pass, but second moto I was able to get around Cooper, which was good. Then a mistake hit and I lost my clutch lever, so after that, I was just working my way home for the last four laps. I need to stay off the ground and I’ll be okay! We’ll be back in Colorado.

Derek Drake (BarX Suzuki) – Seventh: 
Overall Hangtown was good. I didn’t have the starts I wanted so I had to come through the pack in both motos. I’m happy to walk away with two solid motos.

Freddie Noren (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 11th: 
The day started out really good. I was sixth in timed qualifying, and I set myself up really good for the races. In the first moto, I had a decent start. I made it all up in the first corner, ended up in eighth or ninth place, and worked my way up to sixth place. I really rode my own race in sixth place. I had a big gap ahead of me and in front of me. I am pretty happy with that. I think I should be in sixth place shouldn’t be anything less than that. In the second moto, I did not have a good start, got tangled up with a few guys, went off the track, bent my bars, and twisted my front tire. I had to kick my front tire to get going again, and then literally a lap later, I fell in a sinkhole or something off the wall jump, and that took me a while to get back going. I was able to get back up to 15th, so it was a rough race. I’m happy considering everything, but at the same time, I’m not that stoked I shouldn’t be back there or outside the top ten. I have to regroup and get better.

Kyle Chisholm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 14th: 
Honestly, it’s the same as last round. 12-13 in two motos for 14th overall. My starts were pretty good again. I didn’t feel that great on the track. We made some little adjustments on the bike throughout the day and some testing during the week. The bike was really good all day. I just didn’t ride my best. I got arm pump in both motos. I struggled to get in a flow and really race. It wasn’t a terrible day. I just didn’t ride my best. We have to put in some work this week and come back next Saturday and do better.

Marshall Weltin (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 17th: 
I had a couple crashes in the first laps of moto one, and I charged back to 15th place. In the second moto, I crashed, and I was off the track, and that was it; I really don’t know how it happened. It’s a bummer. This was a weekend to capitalize. I’m just going to keep working.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First:
Today was really tough. The track was really one-lined and made coming through the pack super difficult. It was really wet outside of the main line, so you had to decide whether to follow someone or risk it where you didn’t know how it was. In the first moto, I passed up to where I could and focused on myself, I didn’t want to cost myself the day in the first race. I got the start in the second moto, and once I got into the lead, I just wanted to keep some good distance. I’m excited to head to Colorado and see what our bike does at altitude.

Chance Hymas (Team Honda HRC) – 12th: 
My day was alright. I had a terrible first moto; I went backwards and finished 18th. It’s definitely nothing I’m proud of, but in the second moto, I got a really good start. I pretty much ran fourth for about 25-ish minutes. I got passed by [Haiden] Deegan and RJ [Hampshire] and just tried to grind it out to the end. I had another pack behind me, coming, but when I got the two-lap card, I knew if I hammered the last two laps, I’d be fine. I finished 12th overall again; I really need to get inside that top 10, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
I’m probably the most happy about my starts. I was second in the first moto and grabbed the holeshot in the second. It was a major focus this week. We did about 60 starts, and I put a lot of pressure on myself to execute there. The track was really tough. It was really high speed – I would say a lot faster than years previous. I think that caught me off guard a little bit, to begin with, and I did make a few mistakes that didn’t help me, but overall I was second best today. We got some good points today, and we’ll keep fighting.

Jordon Smith (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 14th: 
It was a hard-fought day, and the results don’t show the improvement in my riding this weekend. We will get back to work and try to be a little better in Colorado.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third: 
It was a good day. Qualifying was good to get familiar with the track. I focused on getting my lines down and learning what we needed to do for the race. In the first moto, I pulled the holeshot and stayed out front for the full 35 minutes. I stayed strong the whole moto, which is what we train for, and was super amped on that. In the second moto, I made a mistake on the start and had to work through to get up to fourth. Third was so far ahead that I couldn’t really do anything, but getting up to fourth helped with another podium, and I’m hyped.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Eighth: 
I turned it around a little bit. The first moto was pretty bad and not really where I wanted to be. I struggled, but in the second moto, although I didn’t get a great start, I worked my way up. The track was really hard to pass today, but I ended up seventh that moto and eighth overall. I felt much better in that moto. I really like the track that we’re going to next weekend, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there.

Guillem Farres (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Seventh: 
The weekend started out well. In practice, I was feeling good and ended up sixth overall. That gave me a good gate pick for the first moto, and I got a good start. I made some passes and was running third for a while, but I ended up sixth. In the second moto, my start was not that good, and I made my way back to eighth. Overall I’m happy with my progress so far.

Carson Mumford (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 13th:
I’m not the most happy with my performance this round. A few mistakes on my end kept me from being consistent, but I can’t thank my Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit team for sticking behind me and pushing me to be better. We’re heading to the next round healthy and ready and will keep building each week.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Sixth: 
I felt great mentally and physically. My stamina and energy is there, I just need to start limiting my mistakes. Although there were some issues out of my control, I feel good knowing that we have the pace to be up front. Time to reevaluate for the next round.

Jett Reynolds (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 22nd: 
It was going great until it wasn’t. I had awesome starts in both motos, but moto two I was a caught in the pileup in the second corner. I felt like I was running at a great pace on my KX™250 until I started making mistakes that sent me to the back. It’s a long season, I have a lot to learn but even more to offer. I’m ready to recuperate and be ready for the rest of the Pro Motocross season.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 10th: 
Round two this weekend and I feel solid with our overall result. I’ve raced up here my whole life so it was cool to come back. The track being hard packed and mixed with the hot weather definitely tested my stamina, and the heat is what we will have for the rest of the Pro Motocross season. My KX250 handled this brutal track flawlessly, and I’m ready to continue putting in work to be on top.

Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – 11th: 
ough day here at Hangtown for my home race. First moto, I had a bad start and broke my shifter on lap three after a collision, which left me in second gear for the moto. Moto two, I had a better start and made some passes, however, I tipped over mid-moto, which put me in 12th for the race and 11th overall. Not what I was after, but I’ll be back in Colorado.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Fourth: 
Same as last weekend with 7-3 results, so I just need to improve the first motos. I was top three in the opening moto, but just lost my rhythm, and then the second moto was much better. We’ll go back to Florida, do more training, and then come out and fight for the podium at Thunder Valley.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Fifth: 
I felt really good on the bike, I just had two terrible starts that kept us off the box. My riding was really good all day, from qualifying through both motos I felt awesome. But you can’t do much when you start outside the top 15. It was probably the hardest 5-5 I’ve ever had in my life. We’ll go back home to Florida after this weekend and we’ll look forward to getting some better starts in Colorado and being where we should be.

Talon Hawkins (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 18th: 
It was pretty good. There’s definitely a lot to work on. I need to be doing more motos and the cardio needs to be a little better, so I’m ready to get back out to the Baker’s Factory this week and work on that. There’s a lot to work on, but it was a step in the right direction. I did better than last weekend, and that’s all I can ask for is to do better every weekend. I’m looking forward to this next weekend out in Colorado with the high elevation. We’ll be ready to go.

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Ninth: 
I’d say it was a step in the right direction. I wish I could have gotten a good start in the first moto and learned more of that pace, but I had a mid-pack start and got ninth. It’s something to build off. In the second moto, I felt pretty good in the beginning. I got a really good start and ran third about half the moto. I had a pretty close call where I went off the track and lost a few positions. After that it was survival. But I hung around fifth for a while and had a tip-over and it put me back to tenth and that’s where I finished. It sucks to fall and have a little mishap off the track, but it’s good to see some light at the end of the tunnel and some progression. All is well and we’ll keep the building blocks going.

Caden Braswell (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 19th: 
Out here at Hangtown, we had a progressive day. We’ve got some things to look back on, and also some good things to take away. My confidence is growing on the bike and with the team. I’m surrounded by great people and I’m looking forward to the third round in Colorado with a big old fire in my belly.

Dilan Schwartz (BarX Suzuki) – 15th: 
In the first moto, I had a decent start but was pushed off the track and lost a bunch of positions. I had to fight from the back. In the second moto, I had another decent start, passed a few riders, and rode a smooth race. It was a big improvement from last weekend so I’m looking forward to Colorado next week!

Chase Yentzer (BarX Suzuki) – 36th:
In the first moto I started on the inside and I came out of the first turn in the top fifteen. I tipped over a few turns later. I got up, regrouped, and was riding really well until I dabbed my foot and tweaked my knee at the halfway mark. After that, I tried to ride my own race and finish the moto. For the second moto, we made suspension adjustments. I started on the inside again and I came out of the first turn in 12th. I rode very conservatively and fell back to 23rd. With two laps to go, I had an issue and could not finish. I learned a lot this weekend and I made steps in the right direction. I’m excited for Colorado next weekend!