MX After-Party: Fox Raceway 1

How about one more blast from the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season?

450 Class

Chase Sexton – 1st

"Final round here in Pala, California--I'd say it went pretty well! I qualified fastest and finished third in the first moto. I didn't feel that great, so I told myself we have one 30-plus-two-laps, and I put it all out there and came out with the win I've been searching for all season. I waited until the last moto to do it, so it feels good and is a good way to go into the off-season and start testing on the new bike. I'm super happy with how everything went this season. I feel like it was pretty successful, and I'm looking forward to the future and getting on this new bike and testing with the team."

Chase Sexton.

Eli Tomac – 2nd

"Man, first off, I want to say thank you to MX Sports for making this season happen, it was really cool to see everyone come together to make it through all nine rounds and it sure beats sitting at home on the couch. Next, I'd like to congratulate Zach (Osborne) on a hard-fought and well-earned championship this season. The competition was tough all year long, and I'd like to think we put on a good show each and every weekend for the fans. We fell short of the goal this year of winning another championship, but we finished third overall in the series, and I am proud of how my Monster Energy Kawasaki team never gave up. We'll take about two weeks off and start getting ready for supercross."

Eli Tomac (1).

Adam Cianciarulo – 3rd

What a year! My rookie year of racing was one I will never forget, not just because of the global pandemic and unique racing schedule, but more importantly, it has shown me that I belong in this class. I love this sport and, as a kid, dreamed of one day being up here competing against the best in the world. If you told me I'd be fighting for the championship in my rookie season and finishing second overall a couple of years ago, I would not have believed you. This sport has a way of kicking you when you're down, but it's about how you get back up and the people you surround yourself with. I truly believe that I have the best support system around me and a team and company in Kawasaki that has never stopped believing in me. I can't thank them enough for that. My Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450 was a rocketship all season long and always put me at the front of the pack each moto to fight for the championship. I am already fired up and ready to get this sophomore season of racing started!"  

Adam Cianciarulo.

Christian Craig – 4th

"This weekend was great. Pala is my home track, so I knew I was going to be up front and be comfortable. I started off qualifying third, which was my best all season. In the first moto, I made my way up to fourth and then third at one point. After that, Chase [Sexton] got me with two laps to go, so I was pretty frustrated with that one; I almost got that moto podium and ended with fourth. In the second moto, I came out second, which was my best start all season, so that was nice. I followed [Adam] Cianciarulo around for a while and got close, but Chase was on a mission. He caught us both, passed me, and then was on Cianciarulo; then, Cianciarulo fell, so me and Chase just rode it in for first and second. I ended 4-2 for fourth overall, unfortunately, but got my first moto podium ever in an outdoor series, especially in the 450 class, so we'll take it. It was a super fun season, and I'm looking forward to next year."

Christian Craig (62).

Marvin Musquin – 5th

"It's good to be here and to see that the season happened. For me, I got lucky that we started the season later in the year because I had a big knee surgery done in December, and it took me a very long time to come back. It was a tough season; I ended up fourth overall, so I'm disappointed on my last three rounds, but I gave my best, and at least I was behind the gate and trying to battle. It was definitely a big challenge for the last three rounds after having two big crashes, but I'm glad I finished the season. I'm ready for a break, but I'm looking forward to coming back healthier for supercross."

Marvin Musquin (25).

Zach Osborne – 6th

"I considered actually retiring in March after I broke my back and my wife gave me a pep talk, and we decided against it, went to Salt Lake, and that went well, and it just carried into this outdoor season. I came out swinging and was able to take home a national championship, which is something I never ever dreamed of doing; I felt it was way out of my league – so dream big is the moral of the story, and don't ever give up. Find people that believe in you even when you don't and keep pressing on. It's such a relief to win this today. What an incredible day. Thank you to everyone who has been behind me."

Zach Osborne (16).

Max Anstie – 7th

"It was nice to round out the pro motocross series with a 9th in the championship and 7th on the day at Pala Raceway," said Max Anstie. "The whole team and I grew and learned at each event. We stayed solid and was in the race each week. My whole crew did a great job for our first outdoors! I'm looking forward to whatever the future holds and making steps towards the podium."

Max Anstie.

Justin Bogle – 8th

"This was a good ride to end the season. I'm happy with how I rode today, my speed was there, and I was having fun out there. It feels good to end this season on a high note.  I want to thank the team for all their hard work and believing in me through this season."

Justin Bogle.

Broc Tickle – 9th

"Summing up the season after Pala, I would say it wasn't what I was hoping for. I had a couple of bad motos this season and missed, honestly, four motos. That being said, it was a solid effort after not having raced in three years, and in the end, we were able to finish the championship inside of the top 10. I'm grateful for this opportunity with the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing team and thankful that I was able to come out and race and enjoy being with the team I was around. I'm hoping I can get things in line for next year and give myself another shot to accomplish some of the things I haven't yet."

Broc Tickle.

Isaac Teasdale – 12th

"After learning I was the lone JGR Suzuki rider, I was ready to get my best result." Teasdale told, "In moto one, I had a great start but got pushed wide. I had a fast pace but rode tight and finished 13th. In my second Moto, I felt better throughout and was close to the top 10, but finished 11th, which is my best finish to date. I really wanted to be in the top 10 this weekend; I was right there, but I'm content and happy with the progress I made in these last four races! It was so awesome to be with JGR and Suzuki, and I grew a lot. I'm excited for the future."


Adam Enticknap – 26th

"It was a crazy 9 round season," said Adam Enticknap. "The last round at Pala was not the way I wanted to end, but we did our best. The entire team was top notch, and I think we learned a lot. The experience I gained during the outdoors will help me to be better in the future. I am looking forward to improving my weaknesses and applying the new things I have learned on what's to come!"

Joey Savatgy – DNS

"I wasn't able to race the final round, unfortunately." Savatgy said, "A nagging injury from the previous round stayed around longer than I thought it would. I was glad to be back at the races, but it was a tough year."

Fredrik Noren – DNS

"I was told that I definitely shouldn't race, so decided not to. After the race, new X-rays showed nothing. It's frustrating, but I'm also happy I'm not injured," Noren explained. "Overall, I've had a great time with the team, and I had some good highlights this season; I'm especially happy about my first holeshot and career-best moto finish. I want to give a big thank you to the team and all of our sponsors that have made this happen. I'm happy that we could race considering these crazy times."


250 Class

Jett Lawrence – 1st

"It definitely feels good," said Lawrence. "That's what we work up to, is to be on top of the box. This year I was shooting to be on the podium as much as I can, just to get on the podium. It's funny that my first-ever podium is an overall win. It definitely feels great to finally get this done and under my belt. Everyone has told me the first one is always the hardest. The next one is a lot easier because you mentally know it. It puts you on a very good mentality for next season. Definitely, my progress from the start of the year to now is a big difference. I'm glad that we improved. If we didn't, we would be scratching our heads."

Jett Lawrence.

Jeremy Martin – 2nd

"I knew that I could be competitive for a championship, I knew that I could win races, I knew Dylan was probably going to be my hardest guy to try to crack and beat, which ended up proving to be so," said Martin. "He beat me in the championship, and I was second. But I felt like for what I've been through; I knew that the fight that I have, I feel like a lot of the guys that are out there are really fast. They're really talented, especially the guys coming up like my teammate, Jett. But I feel like for what I've been through, I got a resurgence of fire and motivation to be able to try to come back and try to win. So I felt like I was probably more motivated than a lot of guys on the line, and I was willing to suffer and fight. Obviously, we didn't win it, but I think I showed that motivation throughout the entire summer." 

Jeremy Martin.

Dylan Ferrandis – 3rd

"Winning this U.S. motocross championship is another dream goal accomplished. I really put a lot of work to get it, and it was not easy at all. To finish my 250 career with the supercross and motocross championship the same year is so big that I never imagined myself to do it. It's so awesome. I'm feeling in paradise right now.

"It was good to race in California close to home. Unfortunately, the track was really tough to ride. I felt strong in Moto 1 and got P2 to put myself in a safe position for the championship. In the second moto, I had a small tip over and was ninth. I came back then rode easy at the end to enjoy those last laps in my 250 career."

Dylan Ferrandis.

Shane McElrath – 4th

"I'm glad to be finished racing for the year. It's been a very long year, but it's also been the best year of my career. I've loved my Yamaha all year long, and I'm looking forward to what's next!"

Shane McElrath (12).

Jo Shimoda – 5th

"Podium in the moto felt so good!" said Shimoda. "In qualifying, I felt good. I was running around top four for a while, but some guys passed me on the last lap in both practices. I was eighth overall, which I was okay with. First moto, I crashed in the first corner from hitting someone and went from 38th to 8th, which was good, kept me pushing. I got a sixth-place start and made a pass on Shane [McElrath] and [Jarrett] Frye for third and again kept good speed. I had a mistake three laps before the end, stalled my bike, and had to repass Shane for my first podium. Really happy to end the year with the podium!"

Jo Shimoda.

Jarrett Frye – 6th

"It was a good way to end the season with my best race of the year. I felt good all day, qualifying sixth and finishing 8-6 in the motos for 6th Overall. I had a lot of fun these last four races, and I'm pumped with the progress I made each race."

Jarrett Frye.

Mitchell Harrison – 8th

"The field in this class is stacked, and while we didn't get it up the podium, we stayed consistent all year," said Harrison. "That's something we can be proud of as we go into the off-season. I'm very honored that the team chose me to help fill the shoes of some very fast guys."

Mitchell Harrison.

Carson Mumford – 9th

"So I made a mistake in qualifying and jumped during the first lap, with the wheels on the ground flag," said Mumford. "So they took away my fast lap, and I was 28th after the first session. I knew I just had to put in solid laps in the second session, and then on the first lap, they had put some water down, and I got wheelspin and endoed so hard on the step up. I popped my jaw out of place, and my hearing in one ear was messed up, sounded like I was underwater. It really hurt bad. I was sitting there just trying to regroup and get a lap in; I got 17th overall in qualifying. There was no way I wasn't going to race. I've pushed things aside before. First moto was good, it was tough with the bad gate pick, but I charged really hard, I think that's why I just had a little low energy in mid-way through moto one, but I felt better at the end and made some passes. Second moto, I gave it everything I had. I wanted to hold off the 14 [Ferrandis], and I did my best to hold him off. I think I used a little too much energy riding that pace; that's why [Brandon] Hartranft got me late in the race. I just tried as hard as I could. I really wish we had three more races, I feel like I was learning and progressing every weekend, and maybe I could have been around the podium with a few more."

Carson Mumford (220).

Cameron McAdoo – 10th

"I was really happy that my hand was not as bad as originally thought, and I was able to line up for the final race," said McAdoo. "We weren't even really sure how today was going to go, so to get a top-10 is a nice way to end the season. I'll be making sure my hand heals properly so we can start working hard in the off-season to be a threat in 2021."

Cameron McAdoo (29).

Justin Cooper – 11th

"It was a really good day for me. I just wish I could have given it my all for the last race of the season. It's definitely not how I wanted to end it, but that's racing. We will just have to wait for the Supercross season to roll around so we can get back to where we want to be."

Justin Cooper (32).

Nate Thrasher – 12th

"My day went pretty good overall. I had top-10 starts in both motos. Unfortunately, in my first moto, I got a flat front tire and salvaged what I could to end up 12th! In the second moto, I broke the top 10 to end the day 11th. These past two races have been awesome. I'm looking forward to this offseason with the team and putting in the work to come out swinging next year!"

Photo

Alex Martin – DNS

"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to compete at the final race because of a practice incident leaving me with an injury to my right leg." Martin continued, "I'm pretty disappointed, but we had many positive races this year, and we were in the hunt for a top three in the championship down to the last race." 


Team Personnel

Steve Westfall - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team Manager

"We couldn't be more proud of Zach and everything he's accomplished this season despite the ups and downs we've been dealt in 2020. He has shown a tremendous amount of heart, determination, and grit to get to where he is today. Congratulations to Zach, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, and everyone behind this program; there isn't a more deserving group."

Erik Kehoe – Team Honda HRC Manager

"This was an amazing day and finish to the MX season for the entire team! Chase starting off the day as the fastest qualifier, winning his first 450 event overall, and finishing with a strong fifth overall in the series as a 450 rookie was a perfect way to finish his season! And Christian qualifying third and ending the final moto of the season second, proving he belongs on the podium. We're very grateful that Christian helped the team by filling in for KR [Ken Roczen] and finished a strong sixth place overall in the series. The Team Honda HRC riders and crew all worked hard throughout the uncertainty of the season, and it paid off."

Jim Roach – Yamaha Racing Department Manager 

"Today's finale at Fox Raceway didn't go as we had hoped it would. Justin still had some lingering injuries from last week's crash. He was able to make it through both qualifying sessions but, unfortunately, did not race. Broc got a great start in both motos today. He finished ninth in the first moto. In the second moto, he got another good start but then had a crash in front of the mechanics' area. Broc picked up the bike and was able to charge back to ninth for ninth overall. 

"Justin and Broc finished the year seventh and ninth, respectively, in the championship. I want to say thank you to both riders and the team for their hard work during a tough season. Congratulations to MX Sports for getting the season in under the challenging conditions of 2020."

Jeremy Albrecht – JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Team Manager

 "I'm bummed the last race did not end like we planned," was how JGRMX Team Manager Jeremy Albrecht summed up the season. "I am happy we had some good races and were able to get nine rounds in. It was nice to have fans at our events, and we tried to end 2020 the best we could. Now it's time to work on plans for 2021. Thank you to everyone who helped us go racing, especially Coy Gibbs and Suzuki."

Dustin Pipes – H.E.P. Motorsports Team Manager

"That's a wrap for the teams 2020 season," said Team Manager, Dustin Pipes. "I felt we left a little on the table this last round. The track was tricky, and soil was very slick not providing much traction. We played catch up until the final moto with bike setup, and that affected our end results. Clark made some integral suspension changes going into the final moto that allowed Max to ride more towards his potential with 6th place. I am very pleased with our ability to adapt and overcome deficiencies throughout the race day. Adam continued his progression, but I was hoping for a season-high result. We will sit down and put a plan together to further his development leading into next season. All in all, I was very pleased with our team's first outdoor season. Max was coming off a crushing torn Achilles injury, and we were green to the series. As soon as our round 2 podium performance, we established our place as a contending team. If not for a hard fall and ultimately last lap DNF, we would have been higher up in the points. Placing top 10 in the most grueling championship in the world is not an easy task, and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else in our corner. The team truly came together to work as one and made race days run with ease. Cheers to Max, Adam, Clark, Aaron, Chase, Todd, Dave, Lawson, Ryan, Louis, Milly, and all the team partners that made 2020 a success in uncertain times."

Wil Hahn – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team Manager

"It was a heck of a day for us! We capped off an amazing year for the entire team with the 250MX Championship! I'm thankful for everyone involved, our riders, our crew, and our sponsors. Everyone works so hard, and that hard work paid off."

Jade Dungey – Mechanic, Chase Sexton

"It was an unbelievable day for Chase and the team. We had a great couple of days testing suspension this past week, and I think that showed in how confident Chase looked on the track today. It was a team effort, and it was nice to see him get his first overall win in the 450 class. I'm very proud of what Chase accomplished in his rookie 450 season and am also very proud and lucky to be part of such a great team and company. Now it's time to shift our focus into supercross testing and look forward to riding the all-new 2021 CRF450R!"

Jordan Troxell – Mechanic, Christian Craig

"What an amazing day for Christian and Honda to end on. I'm really proud of Christian for showing what he's capable of and believing in himself all day. Battling for the lead and running the pace all day proves that he belongs up there. I'm bummed that 4-2 moto scores didn't give him an overall podium so he could hold that trophy up to show his hard work all year. It was still a great day, and I wish he and his family the best in whatever is next for them!"

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