In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail round seven of the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship, in Tampa.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Second:
It was tricky all day and it was easy to make mistakes out there. I’m happy with a second, obviously I wanted to be up there for that win tonight, I felt great all day but it’s a good night overall. I felt like I rode good and I just need to be better on my starts.

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Sixth:
The main event went pretty good, I think it was a step in the right direction. It’s been pretty tough coming back from injury to a class that’s so stacked but I’ve been pushing through and it’s nice to see a half-decent result. I’m going to use this for next weekend and build off of it and keep it going.

Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) – Fourth:
I had a pretty scary crash in practice so it was good to walk away from that. My hand just slipped off the bar over the triple and I went flying. This track was a difficult track. I wasn’t expecting it to be so hard packed. We made some good changes going into the night, but I got another one of those bad starts in the main. I was able to charge through the pack and got fourth place. My bike was working well on the track, it was awesome. It was hard to pass out there, but I was able to make it work. All in all, I gained some confidence going through the pack like that. I’m looking forward to being back at home this week before the next round in Texas.

Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) – 16th:
I felt good in practice, flowing well. In the end, the dirt was a lot different down here than what I thought it would be. I thought there would be a lot more ruts. I didn’t get great starts which cost me. And then me and the whoops weren’t getting along much today and I ended up going down there. When I got up, I was staying at pace with the guys at the front. I know the speed is there. I just need to put myself in a good position from the start. We’ll get them next week. I’m excited for the Triple Crown next weekend. It will be a good change.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Eighth:
Man, I wanted that 1-2 Kawasaki finish so bad. I felt great all day long and obviously with it being somewhat of a hometown race for me I wanted to put on a show for my friends and family. Finishing in eighth is tough pill to swallow because we had that podium finish in our hands. My team and I have already made a plan on how to clean up these errors and will be ready to get our sprint on next week in Dallas for the next Triple Crown event.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – First:
Today could not have gone much better. All day I felt comfortable on Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450 and it showed. Our starts tonight were as good as they have ever been, which put us in a good position right from the start of the race. I was able to follow Adam for the first part of the race and the difference maker for me and a lot of riders out there tonight was the sand section. It could either help you or hurt you depending on the lap or if there were lapped riders in the way. I was able to get through there cleanly one time to get past my teammate and from there I was able to ride my own race. It is always nice to have the points lead, but we will not settle for anything less than wins from this point forward.

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – Third:
It’s a bummer to lose the points lead but there’s a whole lot of racing left, and overall I’m happy with how my day went. I was pretty consistent throughout the day – I just didn’t get the starts I needed. I lifted my body up too much, so I was a bit deeper in the pack and had to work my way up to the front. Then, ultimately, I tucked the front off the triple, which cost me a lot of time. I’m still happy to be back on the podium. I appreciate being up here because on weekends like last weekend, when I’m far away from it, it’s not so nice. No red plate for right now, but I’ll keep trying to fight back for it and keep a positive mindset. We’ll keep working during the week to get some consistency in and try to be up there from the beginning, because the lead guys were just too far gone by the time we got into fourth or fifth.

Justin Brayton (Team Honda HRC) – Ninth:
Up until about four laps to go, it was looking like we could get a top five finish, but right about then it kind of all unraveled and I ended up in ninth. I’m pretty disappointed with it to be honest. It’s been a challenging week for my family, with everyone kind of having the flu. Now my head has been pounding all day, so it’s been tough to focus. I kind of ran out of gas with four to go, but that’s racing and you end up ninth or 10th. The race was okay up until that, but the reality is that you get judged by your end result and it doesn’t matter how you rode through the middle.

Broc Tickle (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) – 12th:
My first race back in almost two years was filled with emotions. I’m very happy with how smooth and calm I stayed throughout the day. I felt like I haven’t missed a beat overall being away. I will improve each week as a racer and get more comfortable. I want to thank JGRMX/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki for all the hard work over the last three weeks preparing for Tampa. I’m looking forward to getting more quality riding and training in this week to show up to Dallas a step better than this round.

250SX East

Image: Octopi Media.

Shane McElrath (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – First:
This win was a big relief to be honest. All off season we’ve been steady, we’ve been working. Anything I could improve on, we’ve worked on it. I’ve changed everything having to do with my racing, so it would be easy to question it. I had to trust in those changes and believe we could be up here. I worked as hard as I could and in the end it paid off. The track was not easy. It was technical. But that’s what we have worked for, so I felt prepared for this.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fourth:
I was really hoping for a podium this weekend, but I made things a bit hard on myself when I started outside the top 10. Starts are going to be crucial next week with the triple crown so we’ll look to work on those this week to come better prepared. Overall still a good night and glad to be in the top 10 on such a tough track.

Jordon Smith (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fifth:
This wasn’t exactly the finish I had in mind when we made our preparations for the start of the season, but I have to look at the positives and we are out of here healthy. Sometimes that’s half the battle when you face a track that is tough. After so much time away from a race track, it’s great to be back and we plan to make the most out of the triple crown next weekend.

Chase Sexton (Geico Honda) – Second:
There’s obviously a weight to the number one plate, but to me it’s an honor that I dreamed about when I was little. You just want to perform for the people that support you, and we made big strides this off season. Last year at the opener, I didn’t feel good at all. I didn’t have any race pace. I finished fifth. This year, the bike feels really good. I just want to leave my bike, focus on myself and my riding. Feeling a lot better going into Dallas than I did after the first round last year.

Jeremy Martin (Geico Honda) – Third:
Wow did it feel good to be back at the races lining up on my GEICO Honda. Felt pretty fast all day long in practice, but I didn’t expect to qualify P1. Come the night show I struggled a little bit in the heat race and main event with small race-craft mistakes which led to arm-pump, so I did my best to manage my race coming home to third place! It’s fine, all those things will come, I haven’t raced in a situation like that with points on the line, racing for a championship, for a long time. A year ago, I was working at a dealership for a buddy of mine! I feel like this is my second chance at racing so I’m happy to be here. Really excited about this 2020 east coast series and building off this first round.

Jo Shimoda (Geico Honda) – 10th:
Yeah my day went pretty good until the night show. I was seventh and sixth in for my timed practice sessions, but when the night show started I was riding so tight! I still was able to get through some sketchy moments, made some saves. In the main event I had good start running fifth for five laps, but I couldn’t find the best line through the sand section, which made me slower each lap. Went back to 12th with mistakes, no crashes, just small mistakes. I got better at the end, I passed two guys to get into 10th.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Sixth:
I was pretty nervous coming into it. In the main event I had a better start but I got caught up in the first turn. The opening laps were rough but once I got into a flow I was feeling the best I’ve felt all day. I made a pretty good charge but I crashed with two laps to go while going for the podium. We made a lot of improvements throughout the day and I think we’re in a good spot.

Jimmy Decotis (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) – Ninth:
The first round of 250 east coast racing was a challenging task for me and the JGR team. We fought hard all day, pushing through an injury and we ended up with a ninth-place finish. I’m thankful for my crew and everyone who kept me positive through the adversity. I’m excited for a few days of rest so I can let the body heal and then head to Arlington, Texas healthy and ready to challenge up front.