Round seven of AMA Pro Motocross at Spring Creek featured several mixed results in the 250MX and 450MX classes. Quotebook features compiled comments from riders over the weekend.

450MX

Images: Octopi Media.

Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM) – First:
These last two races, I really wanted to capitalize on, because in the past I’ve been sluggish in the middle of the season, so I have been focused on keeping the momentum going. I had a pretty good start in both motos, just got pushed wide in the second one, so had some work to do. Overall, though, I had a really good flow, the track felt a lot better in that final moto for me, and I was able to put in some good laps. Thanks to the whole group behind me – this is fun, so let’s keep it going!

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Second:
It was a tough day in the office. I really felt the fatigue and had to push through a lot of pain. We’ll keep our heads down, bums up, and work away.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
It was a good day. Any weekend we get a podium, it’s special. It’s the first couple for me in the 450 class, so we’ll take every one that we can get. We made some changes to the bike in the second moto. I got the holeshot and led for around 15 minutes. I kind of ran out of steam there and had to regroup and start charging again and then I got close to Hunter. So yeah, a podium is a good day, kind of where we think we need to be every race. We’ll try to take it to next weekend.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Fourth:
Millville started off really awesome. Moto one, I got off to a great start and Chase went around me, then I kind of just stayed in third. Second moto, we got a mid-pack start and I was riding so good, but unfortunately, I lost the back end around one of the corners and lost a few positions. I got back up and was on it again, before I kind of hit a wall there towards the end. I wish I could have caught those guys, one more position would have landed me on the podium because I was tied for third but ended up fourth. It was a good weekend though, we’re coming out healthy, and I’m excited for Washougal.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Fifth:
felt great in the morning on my KX450SR and qualified first, which felt good heading into the motos. In Moto one, I got a good jump out of the gate and thought I had more pace on the guys in front of me, but a few mistakes caused me to stay in that fourth spot all moto. In Moto two, I had an even better jump out of the gate and maintained pressure on the top guys the entire race but stayed consistent and finished just outside the Top 3. Overall, I am happy with the direction we are going, and I am looking forward to more racing.

Christian Craig (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Seventh:
Today started off good with my best qualifying all season. All-in-all, I got better starts, was riding better all-round, and stayed off the ground. We put in two solid motos for my best finish of the season so far – I can’t be mad, but we’re always striving for more.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 10^th:
I actually had fun today. First moto, I went down, but made a lot of passes for eighth and that was great. Second moto, not a terrible start, and then I got together with another rider. I put a hard charge on, went down again, and – I’ll be honest – I kind of gassed myself out at that point. It’s part of racing when you’re on the edge and getting going again. We’ll take what we got and learn, so I’m looking forward to getting back to Washougal next.

Shane McElrath (Twisted Tea Progressive Suzuki) – 11^th:
Qualifying was a lot better for me today – a lot better speed, and a lot more intensity. I liked the track today. The hills and obstacles were definitely technical, and that’s where I felt like I was best. On the flat parts where the speeds were a little bit higher, that’s where I lacked a little. My starts need to be better; I’ve got to figure that out. We can be better at Washougal, so that’s what we will work on.

Kyle Chisholm (Twisted Tea Progressive Suzuki) – 13^th:
I felt good on my RM-Z450, and I felt good on the track. I had good starts in my motos. I wheelied a little bit on the first start, but I worked my way up to 12th and I was pretty happy with that, because I could see the top ten. My Suzuki was working really well. In the second moto, I had a good start again, and actually was around ninth or tenth for most of the moto. I used a lot of energy trying to work my way up in that first moto and was a little tired there at the end, so I lost a few spots. We could have had a top ten, but it just didn’t happen. I ended up 13th overall for the day. With Southwick, Redbud, and Millville, those are three pretty tough and rough tracks in a row, so we’re focusing on recovery this week and then have another good weekend at Washougal.

Max Miller (Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki) – 23^rd:
I had a better race weekend at Spring Creek than last week. We made some improvements. I qualified 23rd and was running 14th in Moto one, but I fell down and finished 26th. Moto two was a better race; I finished 20th, giving me 23rd overall. I’m excited to carry this momentum into my home race at Washougal next weekend!

250MX

Images: Octopi Media.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – First:
I finally made it happen! It has been a long time coming and ever since that third-place moto finish in Redbud, it was game time. I focused solely on intensity throughout the week coming up to Spring Creek and everything fell into place. In both races, I made crucial early passes and managed to keep up with the leaders, which allowed me to capitalize on my opportunities. Overall, I’m pleased with my bike’s performance and my fitness level, also excited to head back to my hometown to put on a show in front of my friends and family.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
Millville, that was a hectic day. In the first moto, I was leading and had a good gap, but I fell and got third. In the second moto, I crashed after the start and was dead last. I just had to ride my heart out, and I made my way back to fourth for second overall. That was cool. A lot of points gained today, which is all that matters. We’re going to keep fighting.

Casey Cochran (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Third:
I can’t even explain the feelings right now! I got a great start, amazing first laps, got a good lead, and I was just shocked… I’m looking back, like, ‘Where did everyone go?’. To cross the finish second, I was stoked, and then to come in third overall, it’s an unreal feeling. All the hard work is paying off, so I’m ready to keep building and to keep progressing.

Max Anstie (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth:
We made solid progress at Millville, and it was awesome to get a moto podium after just a few weeks with the new team. I’m happy with the performance but still have some things to work on to close the gap to the front guys. I’m looking forward to this week and to a different style of track in Washougal this weekend coming up.

Dilan Schwartz (Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki) – Fifth:
It was a good weekend for me. In the first moto I had a decent start and made some passes to end up P-10. In the second moto I had an even better start and rode really well finishing in P-6. I’m really happy with my riding this weekend and am going to do my best to carry it into next weekend.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas) – Sixth:
Millville was good. It started out rough but got better throughout the day. We need to sort out the first motos, because the second motos have been good – I just need to put the two together. Washougal is next and one of my favorites, so I’m excited to go back west at this stage of the season.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) – Seventh:
The first race was a fight, the whole moto, and I tried to push to the end – second was a good result. Unfortunately, the second moto was tough after I crashed, but we will keep pushing into Washougal next week.

Ty Masterpool (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Eighth:
Today was tough for me. I couldn’t find my groove in qualifying on this tough track. In Moto one, I got a good jump out of the gate and tried to maintain my position, but I kept making little mistakes here and there. The track was brutal all day and then the thunderstorm rolled in and made the second moto even more challenging. I got another good jump out of the gate but got caught in the first turn crash and had to start from way back. I stayed composed and made my way back up to 10th which I am proud of after being down on the ground for quite some time. Time to regroup and go for it next weekend. Thank you to the entire Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team for keeping everything dialed all weekend.

Jordon Smith (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Ninth:
It was another up-and-down day at Millville. Bad starts are really making it hard on me, but I feel that I’m riding really well and just need to keep pushing, and it will all come together soon.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM) – 10^th:
First moto, I was a little bit sluggish, couldn’t quite get back into that race pace that we’ve been doing, so it took me a minute to get going again. Moto two, I had a bad start, but came through to eighth and was happy with our progress throughout the day. It’s really good to be back at the races and I’m ready for Washougal!

Jalek Swoll (Triumph Racing) – 11^th:
It was a pretty tough day in the office. Qualification was not great for me, and I just did not have a clean day. There were some issues that appeared, which was frustrating. It feels like nothing went right today, but I salvaged what I could. Bring on Washougal!

Jo Shimoda (Team Honda HRC) – 13^th:
The first moto was pretty good. I made some good passes, but I made some wrong decisions around lappers. Unfortunately, moto two wasn’t as positive, but that’s racing—anything can happen. We’ll move past this and on to next weekend.

Pierce Brown (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas) – 14^th:
It wasn’t a good day here at Millville for me, unfortunately. I haven’t been feeling like myself lately with some sicknesses, so we will have to figure that out, but we did what we could today in the end. Onto Washougal!

Chance Hymas (Team Honda HRC) – 15^th:
It was not an ideal end to my weekend here in Millville. I ended up fifth in the first moto, just a little off the pace of the leaders. In the second moto, I got my leg run over off the start, and that was the end of my race. Thankfully, nothing’s broken, but my leg is a balloon right now. We’ll get it looked at this week and try to get healed up for Washougal.

Daxton Bennick (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 16^th:
It was a good day overall. Qualifying was pretty good. I ended up 10th, so I was fired up for Moto one. I didn’t get the best start, and then two laps in, I started having bike issues. I tried my best to manage it but wasn’t able to finish. That gave me one of the last gate picks. I got off to a good start, though, and ran third for half the moto, then ended up crashing up the hill, but still salvaged a seventh. I’m happy that Moto two was a lot better and looking forward to Washougal.

Joey Savatgy (Triumph Racing) – 17^th:
I struggled today – I feel like I am fighting a sickness. It was a fight. There was an issue in moto one, and then I did not have a great start in moto two. I kept it on two wheels and did what I could. I have had worse, so we will return home and continue to work hard with the team.

Nick Romano (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 20^th:
It was a tough day at Spring Creek. A rider hit me going down one of the hills in practice, and I tweaked my ankle and dealt with a lot of pain all day. So that was unfortunate. Then we had a bike issue in the first moto that caused me to DNF. In the second moto, I salvaged what I could from the last gate pick to score points. Some days don’t go to plan, but I’ll never quit. I’ll recover and be ready for Washougal.

Leo Tucker (Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki) – 37^th:
I put it straight in the motos from qualifying, so that was a big step in the right direction today. In the first moto I was running about 25th when I tagged another rider’s rear wheel and slammed into the face of a jump. Unfortunately, I was pretty banged up and decided to rest up for the second moto. In the second moto, I was in 19th and passing riders until I got cross-rutted after the finish line and went down. I kept charging but crashed two more times, but we made baby steps in the right direction this weekend!