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

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First: 
That second [moto], it took me a little bit to find my flow—and it was the worst time for that because Dylan was right there! I didn’t even know he was there at first – I saw my pit board with the gap and was like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to step it up.’ Once I found my flow, I could go back to just trying to time things, and stuff like that. It’s been an awesome season so far. It’s Chase’s first race back since round one, so he’s going to get better and better—and the same with Dylan, he’s made progress from the first race to now. We’ll just try to make sure we keep those starts good, because it makes it a lot easier on myself.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Third: 
It’s definitely good to be back. This race is super special for me, just growing up only two hours from this place; the fans were yelling the whole track, no matter what position I was in, so that was awesome. Obviously, it wasn’t the result I wanted. I didn’t get great starts, and I ended up falling over in the second moto, which is on me. I’ve just got to be better than what I was today. I knew coming in that I’ve got to build back to where I was in Supercross, that’s the reason I came back, and hopefully we can get there by the end of the year.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second: 
It was a good day at RedBud. I struggled a little bit in qualifying and never really found a good lap. Coming into the race, I felt good and got a good start, but I struggled a little bit earlier in the first moto and finished third. In the second moto, I got another good start and tried to fight for the win, and ended up second for second overall. So it was a good weekend and one more step in the right direction. For sure, I would like to win, but we’re getting closer, so let’s keep working and try again next weekend.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 10th: 
Not the weekend I was hoping for after our last few rounds, but I’ll take it. I’m leaving healthy and with a good mindset, and I’m ready to keep building on my KX450SR and get ready for the rest of these east coast races.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Fifth: 
First round back was rough, but I’m stoked to be back on the bike. My Monster Energy Kawasaki team and I know what we need to do and we can improve from here and be ready for the remainder of the season.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Fourth: 
Practice and qualifying were pretty rough for me, but I sent it in the opening moto! I got a pretty good start and battled my way up to fourth, then second moto, pretty much the same deal… Got a good start, was third for a little bit, and then rode a pretty lonely fourth for 30 minutes – that was crazy. I was a little sore out there, but 4-4 on the day, fairly happy with it, and now we’ll go home and do some homework before Southwick.

Derek Drake (BarX Suzuki) – 20th: 
In the first moto I had a bad start, then started to work my way up, then a rock got in my chain which caused the rear wheel to lock up. By the time I was going again, I was a lap down and my clutch started to go away. In the second moto, I worked my way up again, but had clutch wear so I just had to ride it into the finish.

Freddie Noren (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – Seventh: 
I’m super-pumped on the day. Still, I didn’t feel like I was having a perfect, flawless race. I had two solid motos, going 7-8 for seventh overall, but what I’m really excited for is moving up to sixth place in the championship. It was fun at RedBud. I felt comfortable all day, no incidents and it was pretty much drama-free, which made it a perfect day, in a sense. I did have a few moments on the track here and there, but I think everyone had a few of those moments on this track today. We did make some small changes on the bike throughout the day. I have a lot of testing this week before Southwick, so I’m excited about that as well. Southwick is a good track for me, and I like it there. We’ll keep the momentum building and hammer down!

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Ninth:
It was a bit of a hero-to-zero day here at RedBud. We executed perfect for our first-moto holeshot and rode good laps, well within my limits. The second moto was a bit of chaos after the start. I’m not entirely sure where it went wrong — I didn’t holeshot, so I guess that’s where it started. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is part of the sport. I’m thankful it’s nothing major; we’ll buff her out, and should be good to go.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
I would say overall it was a really good day – the speed was there even though the starts weren’t. I had to work my way through the pack quite a few times and made some passes. I think if we got off the gate better, we could have done more damage, but that’s all we could do today – a 4-4. I definitely tired myself out, making passes in moto one, falling, and then making the passes again. Moto 2 wasn’t special, but yeah, it’s a good weekend coming off of what happened at High Point. Now we can start building back to where we were before it.

Daxton Bennick (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 10th: 
It was a good first pro race. I came into the weekend with no expectations, really. I was in the B Group for qualifying, so I knew the track was going to be good, and I took advantage of it and qualified first, which was pretty cool. I knew the motos were going to be a challenge and long, but I got a pretty good start that first moto and ended up 10th. Then in the second moto, I did not get a good start, and I had to fight hard through the pack and ended up ninth. So 10-9 on the day – I’m really happy with how I rode.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First: 
It was a big day. Qualifying went pretty well, and we were able to get a good gate pick. I realized that here at this track, a good place to start would be on the inside, but everyone was going to go down there. So I picked a good gate and got a second-place start in the first one and finished second. That’s a good finish, so I was hyped about that. In the second moto, I pulled the holeshot, and Levi and I were P1 and P2 for most of the race. Then in those last couple of laps, Vialle got me, and I ended the day with a 2-3 for the overall win. Consistency was key in this race, and it paid off. So yeah, first overall win at RedBud and an American P1. I’m pretty hyped about that.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second: 
It was a good day at RedBud. Qualifying was okay, and then my first moto wasn’t the greatest. I got a bad start and worked my way up to seventh. I needed to turn it around for the second one, and I got a good start and passed Haiden pretty early. Then I got a pretty good gap up front and rode it in for the win. I’m pretty happy with the day, and I’m going to take this momentum into Southwick.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Seventh: 
I always love coming to RedBud because of the fans and success we’ve had here. I’m disappointed I’m not where I know I can be, but I know my Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team and I will get everything in order and ready for the rest of the season.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 13th: 
Bummed to say the least about this weekend. It’s never fun to be in the ground, but I am happy to see my speed is there. My KX250 was on rails, I just have to minimize the mistakes. We’re getting there.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Eighth: 
Overall, I’m happy with my results this first weekend back. I felt good all weekend mentally and physically but made a mistake that cost a lot of positions. Can’t thank my Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team for their support, can’t wait to finish off the season strong.

Jett Reynolds (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 16th: 
Moto one went well and I felt consistent. Then moto two came and the crash at the start made it hard to come back to the top 10 again. Therefore I tried my best to stay consistent and make as little mistakes as I could. We will reevaluate and be ready for next weekend.

Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Sixth: 
It was a good day today for me at RedBud. I started outside the top 10 in both motos, but was able to work my way forward for sixth in each moto. I feel strong, the bike is working really well, though I will shift focus to starts this week. I’m looking forward to carrying good momentum into Southwick.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Fourth: 
Another weekend finished here at RedBud, where I had some difficulties in the first moto with a couple of crashes and could only finish in ninth. Second moto was again way better, I finished second in that moto after some good fights, so lots of positives again, and now we’ll go back to Florida this week to get as prepared as possible for the next race in the sand at Southwick.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Fifth: 
In the first moto, I got out to a decent start and used the whole moto to climb up to third. In the second moto, I got another decent start and was inside the top ten, but I ended up getting caught up in my teammate and went down early. It’s really tough to keep having these weekends where we don’t figure out these second motos. We did have a big points break in the championship today, and I need to be better next weekend to get back into this thing.

Talon Hawkins (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 15th: 
It was very bittersweet. We showed some speed and I’m really grateful for that. I had a good start in the second moto after a not-so-good start in the first moto, but I fell both motos on the first lap and was back in about 30th in both. I worked my way back up to two 15th-place finishes. There’s a lot to build on. I’m happy with my riding, I need to get up there early, stay there, and keep pushing. We’re going to get up there in these upcoming races. I’m looking forward to it.

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 14th: 
I felt good but had certain things holding me back a little bit. I had a bike mishap in the first moto that was a freak accident. I brushed the P40 off and in the second moto, I got a pretty good start from the outside…maybe around the top ten. I moved up to sixth for a while and made a couple of mistakes which cost me a couple of positions. Considering how the day started I’ll take it. It could have gone a lot worse. We’ll take the positives out of it. I feel like I’ve been doing a lot better this year mentally and just maybe maturing with these kinds of things. We’re trending in the right direction. It was kind of a tough weekend, but I’m motivated for next weekend, so it’ll be good.

Caden Braswell (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 18th: 
It was a good day at RedBud. I’m super-excited to continue and improve. There are a lot of positives to take away from the experience. I had a lot of fun with the Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas Team. I’m looking forward to Southwick and the sand and the heat. I’m going to put my head down and continue to push.

Dilan Schwartz (BarX Suzuki) – 12th: 
RedBud was great! We had a super consistent day, going 13-13. We just need to fix a few things to run more toward the front, but we aren’t far off! I’m looking forward to next weekend.