In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at the latest round of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship in Anaheim.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
We put ourselves in a good spot going into the third main and then obviously made a huge mistake. I went for a triple onto the tabletop and pulled a little bit to the outside when I went onto the ramp and jumped onto the tuff blocks. Honestly, my bike was just wiped away from me and I kind of folded over it. When I cartwheeled, thankfully my body landed on the tuff blocks again, so I came away unscathed. The bike was pretty beat up, but thankfully I was able to keep going and salvage that sixth overall. So, it was a bad scenario but also a good scenario because it was a Triple Crown, and the points damage wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. That’s the way I’m looking at it – to take it as a positive and learn from my mistake and come back next week.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fifth:
I had a good first main event and had a very good start, so I was happy about that. I lacked a little bit of pace in the beginning but ended up fourth, which was very good for the first race. In the second moto, I was struggling a bit. It was very rough, and I couldn’t really find my flow and finished sixth. In the last race, I got a good start again and was fourth until the very last lap. There were yellow flags, and the thing on the side of the jump was blinking. I didn’t want to jump on the red cross flag, so I rolled it, and Roczen jumped over me and passed me, so I ended up fifth. Overall, I think it’s my best Triple Crown in the 450 class, and we keep moving forward. We made a big step in the right direction with the bike. We have a good bike to win races, so I can just focus on myself for the next round.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Second:
The first few races this season didn’t go as planned so there’s a sense of relief to get the first podium out of the way. I feel like the team and I are making great progress throughout the week, but for one reason or another, we weren’t getting it done on Saturday nights. We got it done tonight and it goes to show all that extra work on starts was worth it. It felt great getting to lead laps again and getting the win in the second main event. Tonight was a great night for us and I look forward to keeping the momentum rolling next weekend.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Ninth:
All-in-all it was a good night for us as a team, I had three good starts tonight and got to mix it up front with the lead group once again. It’s promising to see that I can consistently start up front and hold my own with them for a good portion of the race. I’d say tonight was another successful night of steady improvement. I’m ready to get back to work this week and put on another good ride for the fans next weekend in Houston.

Christian Craig (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 11th:
A2 started off better. I put in better times in qualifying. I’m just struggling a little bit mentally, just trying to get more comfortable. I’ll keep working on that and try to improve for Houston. All-around I’ll just try to take the positives from the night, know that I’m capable of more, and try to keep working toward my goals.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – Fourth:
It was an up and down night. In the first race I had a run-in with another rider and ended up on the ground with a banged-up hand, which is never great. After a fourth in the second race, I got a much better start in the last one, rode up front, and ended up second. There were some weird racing incidents tonight, but we’ll take fourth overall. I’m looking forward to heading back east and moving forward to Houston where I’ll try and get our first win of the season.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Seventh:
Seventh overall isn’t horrible, but it isn’t what I wanted and I know I’m capable of a lot more. In the first race I fought my way back through the pack as far as I could after a bad start. I got a good start and was riding well in the second main event, but I washed my front wheel out while fighting for second. It’s a shame I hit the ground, as I was really happy with that performance to that point. In the final race I got run high in the first corners and got stuck behind some riders, which slowed me down. I know what we need to work on for next week and it’s going to be nice to get back home and work with the team who we spent all off-season with.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Eighth:
Wooo! A2 was a wild, wild day. I had a really good practice, running up in the top five for a while, but I had a little whiskey throttle incident. I had to bail off and damaged my tailbone pretty good, so it was difficult, but I got better and better as the night went on. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the best gate picks and struggled a little, but in the last race, I rode really well. I’m looking forward to getting back on the podium in Texas. The boys did a good job with the bike, and I’m healthy…somewhat…so let’s go.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – First:
It was kind of exciting, all of us were within one point coming into the last race, so any of the four of us could’ve won. I got a good start, I had some good lines and I felt really good through the whoops. It’s fun to be back in this position in the points; I knew I had to stop the bleeding coming into this weekend. I’m stoked on the bike changes we made this week, and I’m really looking forward to Houston and going back East.

Colt Nichols (Team Honda HRC) – 12th:
I was looking forward to the Triple Crown, just because I had been getting out of the gate really well, but today I couldn’t quite pull it together on the starts. I was on the ground a little bit tonight as well, and didn’t quite have it – it was a bit frustrating, from practice on. We need to be a little better. We’re struggling to find comfort in some areas, and I was too timid in some spots and too aggressive in others. We’ll figure it out.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) – Third:
We had a pretty good day of qualifying; I was on the board in both qualifying sessions with a second and third which we haven’t done yet this year. We made some bike changes as well which helped. Going into the first main event, I had a really good start position, I almost holeshotted. Going into the second main event I kind of locked elbows with someone off the start but was able to sneak around the inside, so it made for another solid start. I was riding really well in second had some battles going on. I went back and forth with [Eli] Tomac a couple of times and was able to fend him off. I made a mistake before the finish and slid out, I ended up third for the second main event. Heading into the final main event, three of us were really close to first overall. So, I really botched the start and had to work my way up. I was battling with [Dylan] Ferrandis and was able to make that pass happen and finished in fourth. It was the very first podium for me and the first podium for the team in 2023. That shows that hard work really pays off – taking steps in the right direction going two-three-four, I’m really curious and excited to see what the future holds for us.

Kyle Chisholm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 17th:
Triple Crown events are always interesting. Qualifying is really important because they only take 18 riders straight into the main events and I’m not the best at putting down one fast lap so it was stressful. I was good though, I made it out of qualifying straight into the main events. The first main was terrible for me, I got stuck behind a down rider off the start, so I was so far back by the time I got going. That was a bummer for me. The second main was better. I made progress and made a few suspension changes. I had a better third moto. Still, not where I want to be overall, but we are making progress.

Shane McElrath (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 16th:
Doing maximum laps, going through the LCQ, I really don’t like that. Until I fix my qualifying that’s kind of what I get. I’m struggling a little bit, but we are definitely making progress. For me that’s all I can ask for, I’m trying to lean on the team and my teammates. I’m trying to make progress every time I’m on the track. Definitely still learning the bike and getting used to it in different situations. I’m ready for a good week of progress. We got some big things lined up and we are moving forward.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
It was a good night. I just knew that I needed to get some good starts, and that’s what I did. I rode consistent laps and just tried to forget about what was going on behind me; a lot of guys were falling. It feels good to get this overall win, but it also feels a little weird because, in my book, I didn’t win a moto or anything today. I want to win and be the first guy to the checkers, but I’m stoked to bounce back after last weekend. We’re going to keep working during the break. I’m still hungry.

Stilez Robertson (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
The first main event was definitely not what we were looking for. Honestly, I did not ride well at all, but I talked to the team, and they pepped me up. I came out and won the second main event, which was really good for my confidence. In the third main, I didn’t get as good of a start as I should have, but I still ended up on the podium, which is a big turnaround for us. So, I think there are a lot of positives to take away from today, and it will be good to go into this break on a high. We’re going to get ready and come out swinging at Oakland.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Sixth:
I felt really confident coming into this weekend, so the crash was tough to swallow and started things off on the wrong foot. It ended up being a survival night, but we made it happen. I am thankful that nothing was broken and now we have a few weeks to get back to 100 percent to come out swinging in Oakland.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 11th:
Man, what a brutal day. The track just had that feeling where it was a bit off. In the first main I started out good and got a holeshot and won. Then the second main was chaos from the beginning. I think it was about the third or fourth lap I just lost my hand in the sand and I had a big one. Thanks to Dr. G we were able to tape my shoulder up and gave it all we had for that third main. It’s not ideal, but I think we’re still in it. It could have been much worse and we have a little break now, so we’ll be ready for Oakland in a couple of weeks.

Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM) – Fifth:
Tonight was a good rebound from last weekend for me. In the first race I got a mid-pack start and moved my way up to seventh. I got off to a good start in the second race, but made some mistakes that I felt could have cost me a really good shot at the win. In the final race, I almost got the holeshot and found my way into fourth, where I finished. I’m happy with the way I was riding all day, and now that we’re into a two-week break on the western region, I’m going to work hard to try and get on the box at my home race coming up.

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Eighth:
The day started off on the right foot. Qualifying was good, and the first main event was great. I just had some bad luck in the second main event. I fell, then collided with another rider and fell again. It was on me. The night kind of went downhill from there. In the final race I had a good start but tangled with the same rider, which cost me a bunch of spots. I’m super-disappointed on the night because I felt like I was riding so well and I was finally riding like I know how to. But I’m just going to roll with the punches and get back to work and be ready when the 250 West resumes in Oakland.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Second:
The first two mains were pretty much chaos—I had some bad starts, made some mistakes, and that was pretty much it. Luckily, in the third one I was able to get a good start and stay out of the carnage for once. I’m looking forward to having some time off, playing some golf and getting ready for Oakland.

Dilan Schwartz (Progressive Ecstar Suzuki) – 18th:
First Triple Crown didn’t go the way we wanted. I did the best I could, but I ended up not feeling that great. We are learning a lot and figuring out what we need to do to get better. I’m happy with that, we are going to keep moving forward and building each weekend.