In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at round nine of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross championship at Daytona International Speedway.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – Second:
It was a great night. I was trying to hang with Eli [Tomac] but he was hauling butt. I definitely rode pretty tight that main event but is what it is, I put my head down there at the end and made some good lap times and I was able to get AP [Aaron Plessinger] there at the end, which was nice to get another podium tonight. It’s always fun coming to Daytona, it’s always a great event.”

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) – 21st:
I was glad to be back at Daytona after only being able to watch last year. The riding was good today. I made a mistake and got passed by two guys but I fought my way back up to Ken [Roczen] and Cooper [Webb] and unfortunately, I started hearing noise in the engine. I didn’t know what was wrong and I couldn’t keep going and take risk with that without knowing what was going on, so, unfortunately, I had to DNF. It’s heartbreaking, I can’t believe it. Those situations are tough to accept but we’re moving onto Dallas for a week of racing and it should be good.

Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Seventh:
My night was pretty mediocre all around. I was P7 in qualifying today and in the heat race, I fell in the first turn and got up to eighth. That gate position didn’t put me in a good spot for the main but I made it up to seventh and that’s where I ended up.

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 10th:
My night was a bit eventful. I was in qualifying position in the heat race and I tried to make a pass in the last corner and crashed in the rhythm section before the finish, so I had to go to the LCQ. I was far outside gate in the main and didn’t get a good start at all but I just plugged away and ended up with a top 10. It’s not great but it’s a starting point and we’ll just try to build and get better from there.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Sixth:
Daytona was a tough day. I kind of struggled with the track a bit and trying to find the comfort, which unfortunately didn’t happen. I’m going back to California this week to do some work, get more comfortable so we can head into Texas and crush it. I’m definitely not pleased with the results today so I’m trying to put this one in the past, move forward and regroup next week to come out swinging in the next three races, I’m looking forward to it.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – First:
That was fun! I always enjoy riding at Daytona and it’s always been good to me. I was pretty strategic when picking my gate in the main because I was watching the other class and heat races and realized the inside might be my best shot at getting up front, which is exactly what I did. I fought for it too. Once I got out front, I wasn’t looking back. We’re still in this championship, so I’m not going down without a fight. I think we’ve found a good groove and I’m looking forward to our next stop in Dallas. I’m grateful for all the hard work and support from my entire Monster Energy Kawasaki team, I couldn’t have done this without them, especially five times!

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth:
Daytona was a fun race! Obviously, that track is always technical. The dirt was super black, and the lighting just made it more difficult than if we were racing in a normal stadium. In the main event, I got a good start but was pushed wide and dropped back a few spots. I really had to be aggressive early on and make some moves happen to move forward. I made a little mistake toward the end of the race and Malcolm Stewart got by me. I had to pass him again and I tried to charge forward, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get on the podium. I feel like I rode really well, and we’re in a good spot. We still have the red plate and most importantly, we’re safe and had fun. I already can’t wait to go to Arlington and put in the same effort, just sharpen up a little bit and see where we are.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Eighth:
My first race back here in Daytona was a rough day overall. I fell in the first practice, and in second practice I tried a wall jump but landed hard in the next jump face; I put a hole through my lip and chipped my tooth really bad, which was frustrating. The heat race was okay; I got a good start but got caught up in the second corner and then came back to fourth. I got a good start in the main event but then went backward. I got freight-trained and just didn’t feel like I was racing out there. I’m pretty frustrated with the ride, but it’s a start and we’ll go only up from here. I’m looking forward to Dallas.

Max Anstie (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) – 14th:
It’s always been a dream to race the Daytona Supercross with the best guys in the world. The team made progress all day and we learned a lot. I rode my laps in the main event and came away with a 14th. I’m looking forward to heading to Texas next week.

Brandon Hartranft (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) – 19th:
I had more of a flow here all day. My heat race start was dialed. I came around in second. My main event started from the outside. I went in well, but I got pushed off the track. During the main I was pretty solid until about the halfway point, then I got a bit of arm pump. I just need to work on preventing that, train hard during the week, and show up to Arlington ready to go.

250SX West

Image: Octopi Media.

Stilez Robertson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Second:
My first qualifying was not that great but the second one came around and I was feeling good. In the heat race, I actually felt pretty good and made the decision to go back to the knobby for the Main Event and I ripped a start! I put down a good eight minutes out front and started thinking about it too much and that’s when [Cameron] Mcadoo got around me. I didn’t want to make any rookie mistakes so I decided to settle into second and learn.

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Eighth:
It was kind of a poor performance on my end, to be honest. I had to line up really far on the outside, which was not the best start. I worked my way up to fifth for a while but I got into some hay bales, which lost me three positions, and couldn’t find a flow after that. I’m going to take the steam from this race and use it next weekend to hopefully get on the box.

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Third:
I had some highs and some lows during my downtime and thought it would be a while before I was back up here but first race back and a podium – this is awesome and I’m so stoked! I had a really good start, I got shuffled back for the first couple of corners but I got into my pace, started making passes, and next thing I know I was in third. I saw the white flag coming and I knew Justin [Cooper] was right on me, so I knew I had to make it happen.

Ryan Sipes (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 21st:
The day was cool! We had some rain and it made the track perfect. My hand was pretty sore but adrenaline kicked in and I was able to mix it up with those guys for a little while in the heat race, so that felt cool. The adrenaline wasn’t quite there in the main, and I had a lot more swelling, so I was having a hard time hanging on. I went and got X-rayed and no broken bones, just some bruising, so we’ll go back and recoup to be back for Atlanta.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – First:
That is what we worked for. When I got the win, I instantly started to think about how many people have stood behind me since I was an amateur and believed I could be up here. I have an amazing support group that consistently pushed me to be better and now we’ve got a win. It’s an unbelievable feeling and I don’t want it to end. We’re ready for more.

Jordon Smith (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawsaki) – 10th:
It’s obviously not the result I was hoping for having done well at this event before, but we were able to make the most of a tough day. We’re about to run our first time doing three races in one venue and I think we can adjust and get back up to the top of the results.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawaski) – 11th:
The result doesn’t show how I felt on the track but that’s racing sometimes. I can take away a lot from this weekend that will hopefully help me as we head to Texas. I ran up front in the heat race and overall felt good. I’m learning every week and ready to check off my first goal of a top five.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Fourth:
The day started off really well. I was fastest in both practices. I spun off the gate in my heat race, and that didn’t go too well. I just kept pushing to get the transfer and brought it home in fourth. In the main event, I got a top-five start, and then in the third turn, a hay bale got kicked out in front of me, and got stuck under my bike and put me on the ground. So I started around 21st. I did what I could. It was really hard to pass out there. I only made it up to fourth, but I charged the whole way, and my lap times were pretty consistent. It’s not what I was hoping for, but that’s all we had tonight. We definitely got challenged here in Daytona. We’ll learn from it and come into these Texas rounds ready to win again.

Jarrett Frye (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – 12th:
I struggled all day in practice. I couldn’t really find a flow and put the track together. In the heat race, I finished ninth to transfer into the main, but I still had a hard time finding my flow and ended up 12th. It’s not where we want to be. We’re going to go back to work and try and be better next weekend in Arlington.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – 20th:
It was an okay weekend in Daytona. We struggled a bit in qualifying, but in the heat race, we rode well. I felt like we had good speed. I came from way back and ended up sixth, so I was happy with that. In the main, we got a decent start and started moving through the field, but then we started to have an issue. I was trying to baby it, but we didn’t finish. We’ll do better next weekend.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Seventh:
This weekend was pretty good. We had a solid heat race and got my first ever heat-race win, which was really cool. My body is starting to come around and I’m feeling better and better. I made one mistake in the main event that really let me down in the sand section. I was in a good position to fight for a podium spot, so I’m bummed about that. All things considered, my body is feeling healthy, my shoulder is coming around and I feel great on the bike. This is a good, calm way to head into Arlington for three rounds back to back, which I am really looking forward to.