SX After-Party

Get our pics of the week, plus post-race thoughts from the riders.

450 Class

Cooper Webb - 1st

“I got into the lead early, and then Adam [Cianciarulo] made a good aggressive move on the inside, and I just kind of let him go. The track, I knew it was going to be hard to pass, and I knew it was going to be a long Main Event, so I was just kind of riding in there. I tried to make a pass a few laps earlier, but we played cat and mouse, which allowed Blake [Baggett] to catch up, and I didn’t want to do that. It feels good late in the race to get that pass and the win tonight.”

Cooper Webb (1).

Adam Cianciarulo - 2nd

“I’ve been waiting and working for this my entire career, to ride in the premier class and get on the big stage. I’m still learning, still improving every day, and I feel like I rode really well tonight. I led nearly every lap of the race but unfortunately got passed at the end, so I’m a little disappointed I couldn’t hold Cooper [Webb] off just a little longer. Honestly, I’m just excited to be up front with such a talented group of guys and prove I can compete.”

Adam Cianciarulo (9).

Blake Baggett - 3rd

“Tonight was a good one. I finally put it all together and had great starts all night. Feels good to be back on the podium and we are moving in the right direction. We will be ready to battle for another podium next weekend in Tampa.”

Blake Baggett.

Eli Tomac - 4th

“Well, I was challenged tonight after having to fight my way towards the front in the main. I didn’t have the best start, but we’ll get back to work with the Monster Energy Kawasaki team this week and hope to improve for Tampa next weekend. I do feel I rode well tonight, and I’m proud we were able to make up quite a few positions to finish fourth on the night.”

Eli Tomac (3).

Justin Barcia - 5th

“We struggled a little bit in practice, but overcame that. I finally felt like I rode like myself in the Heat race, but in the Main Event, I didn’t get the greatest of starts. I charged really hard the first few laps and diced it up in there. We ended up fifth, which was a really solid ride coming back from 15th. I felt like I rode well, the bike felt good, so I’m definitely proud of the ride. The goal this week is to keep working on the riding stuff and shoot for getting another win here soon. We will keep moving forward. I’m definitely looking forward to Tampa.”

Justin Barcia.

Justin Brayton - 7th

“Today was pretty good. It was about standard for this season so far, but I do think my starts were better. They were good in the heat race and in qualifying; I just kind of messed up the main event start and was a little wide. I was next to the box, which is normally good, but I think this time it was too wide. I feel like I executed the start good but just got pushed out. Overall I rode pretty well. Once again, I had to pass some good guys, and it’s really hard to come through the pack, so I only made it up to seventh. I just need to put myself in a better position in the beginning, and I know I can run up front and get a better result.”

Justin Brayton.

Malcolm Stewart - 8th

“I had a decent start and got through the little bit of carnage, but then a couple of guys got around me. It wasn’t my best night and dealt with a little arm pump, but I was happy to get through it. I know we’re close to getting in the top-five,” Stewart expressed at the end of the night. “I’m excited for Tampa and for the things that we can work on because we are getting the ball rolling. I’m happy with where I am at, and things will start to click off. Florida is home, and I will see all of my friends and family, so that should be a good race.”

Malcolm Stewart.

Justin Hill - 9th

“I had good speed in the free practice and really felt like it was going to be an awesome day, but then I hit the ground hard in the first qualifying session and jacked some stuff up. I had a lot of confidence coming into the night and thought it was going to be a good time to press forward, but it is what it is,” Hill noted of his crash. “I fought hard every step of the way and tried the best that I could, which was ninth place. That’s better than the first four races, and I can’t complain because I have two good legs and one-and-a-half good arms that I’ll rehab and get ready for Tampa. I have a lot to look forward to right now, so this is a minor setback that will fuel the fire. I have a taste for things, and I’m ready to back it up by taking the early risks to make things happen. I put it in the top-10 and am walking away. If I heal up perfectly and feel good by Tampa, we can flip it around and pick up the feeling I left off.”

Justin Hill (46).

Aaron Plessinger - 10th

“San Diego was a big step in the right direction. I was kind of struggling in practice, but then we got the bike working really good in the final session. We went out for the Heat race and rode pretty well, ended up fifth. Then I got a great start in the Main Event. I was riding right with Cooper Webb and made a little mistake and went down right before the whoops. That cost me, but it’s good to get up there and run with those boys. Now I know I can do it. I’m looking forward to this week; we’re going to get back to Tallahassee and go do some more work to get ready for Tampa. I’m excited for it and looking for more up front rides like that.”

Aaron Plessinger.

Vince Friese - 15th

“Today didn’t really go my way. I felt good in qualifying and all of that. I would do a lap that felt like it was enough to get on the board, but I’d come around to the mechanic area and see that I was in 15th place. Everyone is going so fast, and it’s all within a half-second of each other,” Friese explained of the close pace. “In the Main Event, I started in the top-10, but got pushed off the track at one point, went down to 14th or 15th, and just stayed there. Everyone is going very fast and not making many mistakes, so it’s going to take a lot to put myself in top-10 or the top-five, which is where I want to be. It’s back to work this week, and I’m excited for the East Coast. I need to get a little more of everything this week, more speed and starts, and carry that to Tampa.”

Vince Friese.

Kyle Cunningham - DNQ

“Definitely not happy with tonight’s results,” said Cunningham. “I know I belong in the main event. I had a few things not go my way, and that’s part of racing. I am excited for these upcoming rounds and look forward to putting it together in Tampa.”

Adam Enticknap - DNQ

“San Diego was a great breakthrough,” said Enticknap. “We did some suspension changes this weekend that really made me feel one with my motorcycle. This weekend brought a lot of positives, but we still have a bigger goal to achieve. Look forward to attacking Tampa.”

250 Class

Dylan Ferrandis - 1st 

"I’m really happy. I felt good all day and got the fastest lap. It was another nice race with a big fight for the win. I’m glad I took it and am going into the break with the red plate and more points. Last year, I didn’t have this advantage leaving San Diego, so that’s really good. I’m in a good situation."

Dylan Ferrandis.

Austin Forkner - 2nd

“Second is obviously not where I want to be,” said Forkner. “I’ve been leading laps and know the speed is there, but have missed it the past two weeks by just the tiniest little bit. I know I led more laps this week. It still doesn’t take away from wishing things had gone differently. We have a chance to regroup for a few weeks and see if there are any places that we can improve to make the outcome different. Because you can always improve.”

Austin Forkner about a wheel ahead of the pack heading into the first turn of the 250 main.

Justin Cooper - 3rd

"It was a good day overall, but I was a little bit off the pace. I felt like I got it together for the Heat race. I was riding well, but I bent my shifter about halfway through. It was kind of scary for me because I was going in and out of gears, and I didn’t want to mess up and get hurt. I lost Dylan there and had to take second. In the Main, I was right behind him but lost the pace a little bit, and they got away. We were close, but we will keep working. I’m really looking to get out front in one of these Main Events and see what I can do."

Justin Cooper.

Alex Martin - 10th

"San Diego was very up and down. I had some positive moments in practice, but I also had some pretty big crashes," said Martin. "The main event was going decently as we were near the top=five, but towards the end, a lapper cross-jumped me, taking me out. I was able to salvage a top-ten. I'm looking to take advantage of this six-week break then capitalize on the last four rounds." 

Alex Martin.

Cameron McAdoo - DNF

“It’s a bummer that I wasn’t able to see if I would have been able to get inside the top ten tonight, but things happen,” said McAdoo. “If anyone is looking forward to the break, it’s me. I’m ready to get back to 100 percent so I can prove that I am able to run up front with my teammate and those guys. I’ve had a lot of positives that will keep me motivated in the off-weeks.”

Cameron McAdoo.

Team Personnel

Erik Kehoe - Team Honda HRC Team Manager

“I think we started off the night really well. We’ve been working a lot on starts, and I think they both got good starts and rode really strong in their heat races; Kenny killed it in his heat race. In the main event, both guys’ starts weren’t great, and I think the pace of the top guys was so fast, you had to get a good start to race up front. Ken started with a lot of good intensity but being mid-pack, there was a lot of banging going on. It looked like he charged really hard, really quick, and might have blown too much of his energy, so he had to maintain the rest of the race. Justin was kind of the opposite. Toward the middle of the race, he started to settle into a rhythm and find his pace and was really strong.”

Jordan Troxell - Ken Roczen’s Mechanic

“Tonight’s main event was a challenge. Ken didn’t get the start he wanted and was back in the chaos. He made some good passes in the beginning but then got stuck behind [Justin] Barcia. I think he just exerted a lot of energy in the start, and when it took him too long to get around a few people, he started riding tight. He just wasn’t comfortable for a combination of reasons, and it showed. We still have the points lead and are now heading east, so hopefully, we can get back on the podium next week.”

Brent Duffe - Justin Brayton’s Mechanic

“I hate to say tonight was an average result, but it’s been average for this year. Justin’s speed shows that he should be further up in the results and standings, but unfortunately, we keep having a recurring theme—decent qualifying time, good heat race, and then a bad start in the main event. The pace is so fast this year that if you don’t have a good start and a good first lap, then you’re buried. By the time the field spreads out, you can only pass people one at a time, and you just run out of time. A 20-minute main goes by so fast that the starts are so important. We just need to work on making every one count. Bike-wise, Justin’s been on a new setting the last three rounds, and it’s significantly different than what he’s been racing the fast few years, but he’s found a lot of comfort in it. We’re not making major changes on race day anymore, just little tweaks here and there to find comfort with the track conditions.”

Jim Perry – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“Tonight was a great night for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team. Justin Barcia rounded out the top five with a solid performance, and Aaron Plessinger started up front and was challenging for a podium finish. He tipped over, but got up and raced to a tenth-place finish. Both guys definitely took a step in the right direction, and both had speed in the Main Event. The team worked hard all day with the bike setup. We wanted to be on the podium and challenging for the win, but we had a good outing. We will take what we learned from tonight and head back east as the series picks up in Tampa next week.” 

Tony Alessi - SmarTop | Bullfrog Spas | MotoConcepts | Honda

“It was a pretty good night, and we had two guys in the top ten,” noted Team Manager Tony Alessi. “Malcolm had a little better start tonight and rode solid to get an eighth-place finish. Justin had a crash in practice and was riding wounded for most of the day, so I’m proud of him for his riding in the Main Event and making a last-ditch pass to get ninth. Vince struggled with the whoops all day, and he did the best that he could.”

Jeremy Albrecht - JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing

"The San Diego round was a cool opportunity to honor the military and run some special graphics with a NAVY theme," added Jeremy Albrecht, Team Manager. "Alex had speed in the whoops this weekend but had some crashes that made it tough. Alex still has more races after the break to get the JGR Suzuki on the podium." 

Wil Hahn - Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team Manager

"Tonight was a great night for the team with another double podium. Dylan’s back-to-back wins are great momentum before the break. I’m really proud of our West guys. We had either Dylan or Justin on the podium at every race. Now we’re heading East and will look to come out swinging there, as well."

Dustin Pipes - H.E.P. Suzuki Team Manager

“Happy to host Robin, Zeb, and Tony from WD-40 this weekend,” said Team Manager Dustin Pipes. “San Diego was our last West Coast round for a while. I am looking forward to going East. The team’s pit presence has been really great. Our autograph lines are growing each week. Ryan got food poisoning before the night show and was lucky to be able to line up, let alone make the main event. I’m very proud of his resiliency.”


0 comments

The Latest