In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at the 11th round of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship at Ironman.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First: 
I say this all the time, but we shouldn’t be here. For the way we were living in Australia and how much struggling we did there, there was no pathway to where we are now. To do what we’ve done, make history and be put alongside names such as Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart, it means the world. It was awesome to race Chase all summer, and I feel like we pushed each other to elevate. All summer, I knew I couldn’t back it down or make mistakes. I stayed focused all season long and it’s unbelievable to leave here with a perfect season.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Second: 
I came here a lot as an amateur and I’ve always felt that I jell with this track. I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the changes they made this year, but I still felt like I was right there all day. I rode pretty solid, and I gave it my all. I’d say the theme to my outdoor season was ‘never quit’. It was a trying outdoor season, but I gave it my all and put it all out on the track. That’s all we could do every week, and I know I did everything I could.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 11th
I was still not feeling my best after my illness from last week, but we gave everything we had, and I felt good on the bike, which is most important. In the first moto, I was struggling a bit physically, but a bad start didn’t help. I had to pass many good riders and come back through the field, so third was the best I could do in that moto. In the second one, we got a great start but had a big crash and unfortunately didn’t finish. I’m pretty sore, but fortunately, I’m okay. We’ll rest up and keep working to get back on top in these new SMX races.

Jay Wilson (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – DNS:
I twisted my ankle in Moto 2 at Budds Creek. I was hoping to ride today, but after practice, we realized it wasn’t possible to ride at the level I needed to. It was a difficult decision to sit out today, but I have to focus on the big picture. I have other jobs I have to stay healthy for. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity I’ve had here with the team, and I’m excited to continue working together in the future.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Fifth: 
It’s been a rewarding year with my Monster Energy Kawasaki team. Our work is far from done, but I’m happy with the progress we made this season. Next stop, Charlotte!

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Fourth: 
I made a few mistakes that kept me off the podium this weekend, but we have the speed to be up front. I’m stoked to be improving and now it’s time to switch gears to SMX.

Justin Barcia (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) – Seventh: 
I had a tough first moto. I got into a little pile-up and came back to 11th. It definitely wasn’t happy with that. In the second moto, I had a decent start and rode really hard. I found some decent lines, had a good flow going, and ended up fifth. I was definitely happier with the second moto considering where I was at a couple weeks ago to now. Not bad, but I definitely have a lot of work to do. I’m looking forward to SuperMotocross and getting back to my winning self.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Third: 
I’m pumped to finish this season’s outdoor championship on the box! We experienced a few ups and downs this year, which is all part of racing, although continued to fight and ended up with P3 overall in the championship. My first motos remained the difficult part of the day, which was the same deal today, although we rebounded well in moto two for third place. Onto the SMX playoffs now, I’m stoked and intrigued to see what the tracks will be like, and excited to take the sport to all-new venues also.

Freddie Noren (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 13th: 
I had a decent start in moto one, but I tangled up with another rider and bent my handlebars. I did my best to get through the pack, just trying to get the best gate pick I could for moto two. In moto two I had a good start and was riding in ninth place before I made a pass into eighth. I raced in eighth place for most of the moto, but with just a few laps to go two riders got by me. I’ve earned the most combined motocross and supercross points I’ve ever earned, so looking at the big picture it is the best season of my career. I’m super pumped on the whole crew. The team’s been able to provide a great platform for me, a great bike, and a great mechanic, and it’s been very enjoyable going to the races every weekend. They’ve done a great job and I’m really excited for the playoff rounds.

Derek Drake (BarX Suzuki) – 30th: 
Ironman was a struggle mentally. I couldn’t really ‘snap into it’ all day. I just struggled from start to finish. I’m glad to end the season healthy and I’m looking forward to the SMX races.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Fifth: 
Coming around the first turn in moto 1, I knew this was going to be a tough one. Once I saw Justin Cooper on the ground, I knew it would be a whole lot easier. I knew coming in, he was the only guy I had to focus on beating. I knew where he was all moto, and I knew where I had to finish to win the war. It was ours to lose, and I’m pumped we brought it home.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth: 
Our last race at Ironman was very up and down. We had a chance at the championship, and we were looking to at least push it to moto two, but I got collected in a turn-two pile-up. That was pretty unfortunate. It sent me right to the back from the start. I tried to work my way up as far as I could, but we were stuck back there. It was pretty hard to get through all those guys. From there, the championship was over, and we headed over to the line 13th. I had quite a bad gate but was able to manage a top-10 start. We started picking guys off and got all the way to second. I was trying to make a push for the win but wasn’t able to make it happen. Overall, it was a good last race. I rode really well in the second moto, and we finished fourth overall. The team did a great job, and the bike was working awesome. Now we’re looking to get ready for these last three SMX races.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second: 
Today went well for what I was dealing with. Qualifying went well. I just sent it and qualified second overall. The first moto was a hard one for me. We still got second, which was good, but I still didn’t have anything in me to catch Jo (Shimoda). We just tried to rest in between the motos and tried to come out swinging in the second moto. I got a decent start and came out seventh and made my way up to third for second overall. It wasn’t the result we were wanting, but overall, for what the situation was, we’re happy with second overall.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 15th: 
I’m happy with how the day started, but obviously not how it ended. I felt we had the speed to win today. It just didn’t go my way. We’ll get back to work and come back swinging for SMX.

Daxton Bennick (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 12th: 
It was a good weekend. I qualified pretty well, and then in the first moto, I was up there in the first turn but unfortunately got caught up in that pileup. I got back up dead last but came through the pack to 20th. In the second moto, I started around 10th, worked my way up to eighth, and ended up getting seventh. I was really happy with my second moto. This was a really good start to my pro career. It’s not really my rookie season, it’s more like my warm-up. I’m looking forward to moving onto supercross now and making a statement.

Stilez Robertson (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 10th: 
It was an okay day. I qualified 10th and went 12-11 for 10th overall. I got good starts in both motos, but I didn’t ride well in the first moto. In the second moto, I got a good start but ended up running into someone who was down, and that put me back to 20th. I came back through the pack to 11th and rode a lot better than I did in the first moto. I wish we could’ve eliminated the mistakes and put it all together for one good moto, but it is what it is. We’re healthy and ready to put in a really good off-season and get ready for supercross coming up.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – First: 
It’s funny because this victory comes at a great time this year. We normally are finishing out the year when the Pro Motocross season comes to an end, but now I’m excited to see three more races in the playoffs. I feel great and I think we’ve found something to bring to Charlotte in a few weeks. I’m so happy to give this win to the team. They’ve worked really hard and never gave up.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Ninth: 
It was a decent way to end the season, but I felt like I had more and it just didn’t come out on the track. I am thankful that the consistency I was able to put in got me into the playoffs and I still have another few races to showcase my speed.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Sixth: 
It felt so good to lead the pack around the first turn not just once but twice. I kind of knew my biggest competition to the front were my teammates but I felt good and made it stick. I had a few small things that cost me, but overall I was really happy with my day and excited to move forward to the playoffs.

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Seventh: 
It could have been a lot better with a start in the first moto, but it was an okay day. I feel like I kind of struggled with the flow of the track all day. It came around a bit in moto two, and I’m happy with it. P5, so not bad. It’s something to end the season on and carry into SMX. I feel like I need to get my starts dialed in and I can’t keep messing up the first motos. We’ll come out swinging for SMX and try to end the year on a good note.

Talon Hawkins (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – 16th: 
Wow. I definitely like to make it hard on myself in the second moto. But I got a top ten in the first one, and I was riding well all day. I had my best overall qualifying of the year, so that’s a positive to take away. I also matched my best moto finish, I just needed to put it together for the second one. Unfortunately, I had a crash on the second lap and pretty much came from dead last up to 19th. This is a tough game, but I’m ready to get back on the track in the next couple of weeks for SuperMotocross.

Casey Cochran (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – 37th: 
It was a rough weekend as far as the racing. I had too many crashes, but we’ll bounce back and learn from the situations that we put ourselves in.

Maximus Vohland (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Eighth: 
It was a tough weekend here in Ironman. I had to fight back to eighth in moto one after going down in the opening lap carnage, then in the second moto I really charged hard, was in sixth, and then an off-track excursion cost me a couple of places. Seventh overall for the championship, I would’ve liked for more, although I was happy with the improvements I made this year and now we’ll come back for the SMX playoffs next up.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Third: 
I really didn’t know what to expect this year, to be honest, racing my first season of Pro Motocross. Learning how these guys race, learning the tracks at every round for the first time, and then how to set the bike up over here too. Racing Supercross in the winter and motocross through the summer, this was all new to me, so I am very happy to finish my season here at Ironman with a podium, also to get the win in Southwick, and to come out of my first full season in America healthy.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – 21st: 
The weekend here at Ironman was decent for me. I qualified in 12th place and felt pretty good, before I got caught up in the opening lap pile-up in moto one, so I had to come back through the field, which I did before I went down again. I recovered to 15th and then in moto two, I got a great start, ran fourth and then dropped to seventh, where I was comfortable. Then I ended up having a crash, which took me out, but all-in-all I learned a lot these last two nationals, especially around the intensity these guys carry, and I’ll take these lessons into next year’s Supercross season. I’ve got a great team behind me, who have my back at all times, so I’m excited for the future.

Pierce Brown (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) – 13th:
The first moto was a little bit rough. I got tangled up with some riders after the start which was unfortunate. I had to start from basically dead last, and was able to make it up to 17th. Not a good moto, but I was happy with my riding. In moto two it wasn’t a great start or a terrible start, but I was able to make some passes and ended up tenth. So, for how the last couple motos have been I’m pretty happy with how I rode in moto two and how it went so hopefully we’re building some momentum for the SuperMotocross rounds.

Dilan Schwartz (Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki) 14th:
Ironman was a decent round for me. My starts weren’t ideal, but I managed to come through the pack pretty well for a 14-13 finish on the day. I finished 13th overall in points as well. That’s not exactly where I wanted to be, but we improved all summer, which I’m happy with. I’m excited to see how the SMX rounds will be in a couple of weeks!