In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at the fifth round of the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship at Glendale.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) – Seventh:
I knew the Triple Crown was going to be tough because you have to execute three times, but I did pretty good. I never got a holeshot but I was right there in the mix and that was my goal – to be consistent and top-five. The riding was okay today but I’m glad I was able to fight to stay in front of some of the good guys and being in the mix, this championship is tough, there are a lot of good guys and we’re trying our best.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – 11th:
This was not the night we wanted or needed. I spent the week off the bike – I tried to ride but couldn’t really – and it kind of showed here tonight. I didn’t really get the starts I needed out there and I was struggling in some places but I’m going to go back do some homework, be healthier this week and just try to come back strong at A3.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Fourth:
It feels good to be back in Glendale, my hometown race of sorts. Overall, I think we had a good weekend and made some big steps both on and off the bike. I was struggling to find my groove early again this weekend, but knowing I have the support of such an incredible team helps me build more confidence as the day goes on. We’ll take the fourth place overall this weekend, learn from the mistakes in race two and on Monday it’s back to work.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Sixth:
It was a difficult day – my starts were pretty frustrating and just not very good riding for me. We made some changes going into the last race and I feel like I had a better start. Going into next weekend, I feel like we can be in a better position than where we started today, so that’s good news. All in all, I’m happy to be healthy and going into the race strong. My bike feels good and we’re ready to go out there and do work!

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Ninth:
My night wasn’t too bad, I just need to work on my starts. I had some good rides coming through the pack and made some good passes but I need to give myself an opportunity to battle with these guys and see where I’m at off the start. I think my pace was pretty good, so I’m going to keep working and I’m looking forward to next weekend.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Second:
This is my first-ever podium for a Triple Crown and I’m beyond stoked. I can’t thank the whole team enough. We’ve all been grinding and we’re starting to see things pay off and I think this only builds more momentum for everybody.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) -12th:
Yesterday wasn’t a good day for me at the Triple Crown. I had a great qualifying but had a crash in the third main and couldn’t finish the race. It’s really frustrating, but let’s move forward and onto Anaheim 3 next weekend.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – First:
The win means a lot to me and puts us in a great spot for points position in the championship. My motorcycle was just so good the whole day, especially in the first two mains. My game plan was to go out and really just try to get the first race win and really set the tone for the night. It’s really important with the Olympic scoring that they use for these events. So in my mind, I knew I wanted to go out and win the first one and try to back it up. Obviously, we wanted to get all three, but I didn’t get the holeshot as I did in the others. I just felt good and had a good ride tonight in front of the home crowd. I’m not sure how many ended up down here, but we had a lot of people from my hometown, and of course, that makes it special.

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – Fifth:
The Glendale Triple Crown was another rough one on my end. My starts were mediocre at best, and with those types of races, it’s tough to make something happen. I feel like I wasn’t riding like myself, and in general I wasn’t feeling comfortable out on the track. I’m still working to try and get everything together, but Glendale was definitely not it. I got fifth overall, so it was actually nice to make it through the mains without going down. We definitely need some work. I’m trying to get consistent during the week and gain some confidence, but we’re still figuring out the bike a little bit. We went back to my setup from last year; it’s good in some areas but also creates problems in others, and my starts with it weren’t that great. I’m still working on myself and with the team to bring it on the weekend. We haven’t really had the greatest test days during the week, so then going into the weekend and trying to be super-confident and trusting in my abilities is really tough to do. We simply have to be better, and we’re working on it. We’re going to go into another week of training, figure some stuff out and head on to Anaheim.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Third:
The first race was definitely not pretty. I actually did the exact same thing when I was a rookie in the 250 class, in my first Triple Crown — got a good start and I think I crashed like three times. I was hoping not to replicate that, but I was having a hard time with the track and all day I was pretty much off. The second race I felt like I had a little bit more of a flow, and then the third race I pulled the holeshot and tried to sprint away. I was actually having fun again; it was nice being out front, able to control it. Obviously Eli didn’t have to win, so I knew that going in, but I just wanted to go out there and put my best foot forward, and I feel like that’s what I did. Any time you cross the finish line first, it gives you a bit of confidence. I felt like tonight I proved to myself that I can rebound and get back in it. It gave me a little boost of confidence, and now going into next week, it just makes everything easier.

Brandon Hartranft (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 15th:
I felt like I rode really well in practice, hitting the whoops good, and just overall feeling solid. In race three I got a decent start and hung with the boys up front. It’s so different up front, and just honestly a lot safer and it’s easier to ride. I showed potential tonight that I can run top ten so I think it’s something to build off of.

Justin Bogle (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 16th: I had a little mishap in practice and honestly kind of struggled through the rest of the day. No excuses, I just have to be better. I’ve just had to keep putting in the time. It’s been a struggle, but now we can start putting in laps during the week and we’ll get there.

Adam Enticknap (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – DNQ:
In the LCQ I had a pretty strong start, about sixth place and moving forward. Then I had a little run-in with another rider. He came in on me and I got a little squirrely on the double before the triple. I cased the double and I couldn’t make the triple. That was pretty much the end of my night. I’m looking forward to A3. I felt really good last week and I’m just nailing the starts, and my starts were definitely better today.

250SX

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Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
It feels good to be back on the podium. I’ve put so much time and effort into my training that I know I should be up here every weekend but there are still some small things to work on for me. Racing three main events for the first time in two years was a challenge but with the support from everyone at Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki I was able to keep the mistakes to a minimum this weekend and get back on the box. I hope this is the start of a podium streak for us!

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First:
Great weekend here in Arizona! I had no idea what to expect going into it because it was my first Triple Crown. It was exciting with the three races, but at the same time I thought it was going to be tougher on the endurance side of things – it was really just three sprints. We worked on starting our day better, and we did so, going P1 in both qualifying sessions, and then winning the overall was awesome. It’s weird when you go 2-1-2; right off I didn’t feel like I actually won it because of the moto scores, but it was a crazy night. We ended up staying out of trouble for all three races, which rewarded us well! Massive thanks to the team! I’m looking forward to next weekend. Obviously I want to do it on a proper night as well and I want to get a holeshot!

Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Ninth:
What a wild ride that was! Three races and three different experiences. I rode really well and I had a lot of great things happen but some things didn’t go my way. We’re going to move forward and continue to do the things we’ve done well, learn from what we haven’t and move onto Anaheim and see if I can’t get another win. I totally believe I can, so we’re going to take this week to do a little bit of healing and go knock it out of the park!

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Second:
It was a crazy day for sure. I always like these Triple Crowns because I feel like I’m good at that format with the shorter races and being able to sprint away. After the first one, I was smiling because I felt like this could be a sweep and extend my points lead. I think everyone saw what happened in the second main – I got taken out by another rider. I was really mad about it, pretty sour actually, just because of where it happened and how it happened. I had to rebound from that and somehow got back to fourth from last. Then I got back out there for the last one and pulled the holeshot, and got another win. The 1-4-1 wasn’t quite enough for the overall win, but we’re close, and I think I put a stamp on how I’m riding. So I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Seventh:
I had a fun time at my first Triple Crown! I felt strong all day going into the night show, but I made a few mistakes early on in the first main. That kind of set me back a little, but we fought until the end! Overall, I’m happy with the progress we’ve made, and I’m looking to be better at the next round in Anaheim.

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Sixth:
I feel like this Triple Crown helped me catch up on a lot of time that I was missing. It could’ve been a lot better if I would have nailed the start when I needed to in the last one but it is what it is. I felt like I was making good progress throughout the races but I was just losing too much time in the whoops and obviously you can’t do that when you’re up front with these guys, they’ll take advantage of the weaknesses early. We’re going to work on the flaws this week and I’m going to try to end A3 on a banger.

Carson Mumford (BarX Suzuki) – 22nd:
It was a rough night for me. Practice went well. I qualified eighth, which was my best yet. I was feeling great on the track all through qualifying, doing all the big rhythms, but I had a big crash on the first lap in the main and that ended my night early.