SX After-Party

Just another full-contact weekend of Monster Energy Supercross. This calls for a frosty beverage (before we head to Daytona.)

450 Class

Ken Roczen - 1st

“These wins just keep getting sweeter and more fun each time! I’m so happy with how tonight went and stoked to have the red plate again. The last couple weekends have been tough but I’ve managed to minimize the damage, which was huge for us because it put us in a good position for a situation like today. With all the chaos, we made up seven points in one night and now are tied for the points lead again. The battle continues for the championship.”

Ken Roczen.

Justin Barcia - 2nd

“What a crazy race. I started middle of the pack and made lots of passes in the beginning. I kind of got into a groove in the middle and was behind a couple guys waiting for some mistakes to capitalize on something. They started falling apart a little and I was able to move into second towards the end and just rode really solid. The track broke down a lot. It was the roughest supercross I’ve ridden in a while, but all in all, I felt really good and the bike was solid. I can’t thank the whole team enough for making good changes on the bike all day and always believing in me."

Justin Barcia.

Cooper Webb - 3rd

“That was probably the hardest race I’ve ever had. I was way back and just put my head down and tried to do the best I can. I got a few gifts from the guys ahead of me but man, it was painful. I knew it wasn’t going to be fun or easy, but that’s racing. It’s a long way out but the only thing keeping me going is this championship, so we’ll do whatever we can.”

Cooper Webb.

Eli Tomac - 4th

"The main event didn’t go as planned, but the good news is we live to fight another day and line back up next weekend at one of my favorite tracks, Daytona. There are still positives to take away from today; we were fastest qualifier, won our heat race, and we never gave up in the main event, and battled hard all the way to the very end to salvage as many points as possible. We are going to put this race behind us and be ready to rock next week in Daytona!”

Eli Tomac.

Justin Hill - 6th

“It was good, but it always sucks when it can be “great” and just ends up good. If you go from bad to good, you are happy, but if you go from a career-best to something you’ve already done, it’s frustrating,” Hill expressed after the race. “I have so much more in the tank in all ways, and I don’t think tonight was my night or my track. I didn’t feel great with any of it, a simple layout where everyone did the same thing, so it got chewed up and wrecked. I did pretty well for it being like that, but I need to work on that and further improve my shortcomings. Sixth is remarkable for this class. I want to win and battle those guys, and it’s there, but I don’t know if it was there tonight.”

Justin Hill (46).

Aaron Plessinger - 7th

“Atlanta was pretty good. It’s the best race I’ve had so far this season and we keep making forward progress. The track was gnarly. It got really rough, really rutted and the whoops broke down a lot. It was a really high paced race to say the least. I felt really good, but got a little off rhythm for a couple laps but got it back and was able to finish seventh. I’m pretty happy with that. We’ll go back to Florida and keep working, and head into to Daytona with high hopes.”

Aaron Plessinger.

Malcolm Stewart - 8th

“I felt really good today. Practice went well, I was sixth there, and in the Heat Race I rode good but made some mistakes and finished sixth,” Stewart shared at the end of the night. “In the Main Event, I got a good launch at the start but was closed off, then did a literal U-turn at the sand wall. I hit some people that were in that section and practically went to dead last, so I had to come back from that. This is the best that I have felt the whole season, energy-wise, and the bike is working great. I am very happy with the way things went.”

Vince Friese - 9th

“This was a better weekend for me. Practice and everything started similar to other weeks because the pace is crazy. I will lay down a lap that I think could be a top-five time, and it’s not. Although I didn’t qualify the best, the times are close,” Friese noted after the races. “In the Main Event, I got a great start and almost had the holeshot, then a couple of guys got me. That allowed Justin and I to get into third and fourth place, and we had a good groove going for most of the race, which felt good for me. Adjusting that that is tough and having Justin there helped me think that it was just like being at the test track, so I settled in. Anderson got by me and then made a mistake in a tight turn, I don’t know what happened, but he locked up in the turn, and I ran into him which dropped me back. I ended up getting ninth, and I’m happy with that, but it could have been a lot better. I have to take the positive that my riding was there with speed and intensity.”

Vince Friese.

Dean Wilson - 10th

“I’m a little bit disappointed with my night because I feel like I was in a really good position to get a top-five or even a podium,” Wilson said. “Unfortunately, a few things happened that kind of held me up and I ended up crashing but I feel like I rode really well and my fitness felt really good.”

Dean Wilson.

Jason Anderson - 11th

"The Main Event was just a battle out there and I didn’t get the good end of the stick most of the time,” Anderson said. “I ended up finishing not as good as my riding was but we’ll move onto next week.”

Jason Anderson.

Justin Brayton - 12th

“I’m pretty disappointed with tonight’s result. It seems like I can’t catch a break. Last weekend was really tough and I did everything I could this week to rest and recover my body. I felt good on press day, qualified okay, then got a good start in my heat race and finished third. I was hoping for a main event free from chaos, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. I didn’t get the greatest start, then got hit by Cooper [Webb] and went down in the sand. My results haven’t been reflecting my speed, so I just need to focus on getting better starts and staying out of the mess.”

Justin Brayton.

Blake Baggett - 19th

“A shame my race was taken away like that. I felt good tonight and my speed was there. It’s unfortunate how things ended here as we had a good shot at a top three. The main thing is we leave here healthy, focused on Daytona next weekend and a podium.”

Blake Baggett.

Adam Enticknap - 17th

“This week was better from the start,” said Enticknap. “I qualified the best I have all year and was determined to make it happen! In my heat, I came from 19th to 11th. In the LCQ, I got a good start and did my job. The main event was 10 times better than my last one. Looking forward to the progress we make in the next two weeks!” 

Adam Enticknap

Kyle Cunningham - 21st

“The weekend was going good until a big crash in the main,” said Cunningham. “Riding felt good and the bike was working well. I’m bummed, but honestly it could always be worse. I’ll be getting checked out this week to see what’s all going on. It happens, but once I’m 100%, I’ll be back! Huge thanks to my team.”

Ryan Breece - 22nd

“Very pleased on the progression of the Suzuki RM-Z450,” said Breece. “Each week I’m building confidence within myself knowing I can run the pace with the top guys.”

250 Class

Chase Sexton - 1st

“I feel like for the whole night show, it [the track] was pretty dry,” said Sexton. “They put a good amount of water down, but not enough. It was definitely tough to get that rhythm section after the start on my bike. I managed to do it every lap, but it was definitely hard, I think that was make or break. There was one turn with ruts in it and everything else was dry and marbled. It was about being patient. I wasn’t really a fan of Atlanta, this was my first pro race and I broke my leg. So I just wanted to get through it and be safe—it was good to get a win.”

Chase Sexton.

RJ Hampshire - 2nd

“Each week we’re going to continue to get better,” Hampshire said. “Getting those holeshots felt good and we had a good flow out there. I want to win but I also want to be in this thing [championship] a few weeks from now, so we’re going to continue to fight week in and week out.”

RJ Hampshire (24).

Shane McElrath - 3rd

“I felt really good during the day, even in the Heat race. We made a few bike changes for the Main that we thought was going to be good, which was kind of my call. I was struggling with the track quite a bit, but I’m learning a lot. It was tough to get third. I felt like I should have been able to win, but I was struggling with a lot of things. So we’ll work on those this week and we won’t make those same mistakes twice.”

Shane McElrath.

Jordon Smith - 4th

“It felt good to be so close to where I train and grew up,” said Smith. “I was ready to breakthrough and have a race track that I was meshing with. I wish I could have kept the front guys closer, but we’ll take it one step at a time and make our way onto that podium.”

Jordon Smith (54).

Jo Shimoda - 5th

“Yeah I was feeling really good on my bike but in the time qualifying couldn’t really put good lap in,” said Shimoda. “But I had a good start in my heat and I was able to bump up to second, but then I hit a tough block after finish line which put me down to fifth. In the main event, bad start, but I was able to get to fifth from 13th. That’s a big improvement for me. Main thing I have learned after the first two races was to be more aggressive at the beginning of the race. I made more moves early and that helped me move up.”

Jo Shimoda.

Garrett Marchbanks - 7th

“Seventh wasn’t what I felt like I had to give today, but sometimes that’s how racing goes,” said Marchbanks. “We’ve been making good progress testing during the week and I’m really looking forward to the outdoor style track next weekend in Daytona.”

Garrett Marchbanks.

Jalek Swoll - 9th

“I got a good start from the outside but I got hung up in the second corner and came out sixth,” Swoll said.“Two ninth-place finishes in a row isn’t too bad but I’m just missing a little bit of intensity in the beginning of the race. I feel like I can be a few spots higher but I need to get better starts.”

Jalek Swoll.

Jimmy DeCotis - 13th

"Atlanta is always a cool race for the JGR team as it’s the closest to our home,” said Decotis. “The track was awesome and my bike was working great. I’m bummed on my finish as I haven’t been riding much and it’s showing on the weekends. I’m really proud of everyone at JGR for sticking with me and believing in me. It’s an amazing feeling when a team supports you through your struggles. I'm looking forward to Daytona this weekend!"

Jimmy DeCotis.

Jeremy Martin - 19th

“It wasn’t shaping up to be a pretty night of racing after practice in Atlanta but I definitely turned my day around by ripping a holeshot in the heat to race to bring it home for the win,” said Martin. “I felt better, and I was excited for the main event and got off to a good start. Was patiently sitting behind Shane [McElrath, running in third] waiting to put in a late charge. Track was tricky so I knew you had to pick your spots. Then RJ [Hampshire] landed on a tough block and I unfortunately didn’t see it and boom, race over. That was pretty disappointing but at least I’m okay. Looking forward to Daytona.”

Jeremy Martin (6).

Team Personnel

Jim Perry – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“We couldn’t be more proud of the effort that the team and Justin put in throughout the day. They made small tweaks on his bike, getting it set up for the Main Event and it really showed. Aaron put in his season-best finish of seventh place. Both guys are happy at the end of the night with their performance. We’re going to go home, work on a couple of things and get ready for the 50th running of the Daytona supercross next week.”

Erik Kehoe - Team Honda HRC Manager

“I’m so pumped. Tonight was like a day at the practice track for Kenny. He nailed the start, put his laps together and finished strong. He should have a lot of confidence after that performance. Unfortunately, Justin had a tip-over and some other things happen, making for a tough night. He’s been showing a lot of speed but we just need to clean up a few things so he can get the result he deserves.”

Jordan Troxell - Ken Roczen’s Mechanic

“Tonight was incredible – I swear these wins just get sweeter and sweeter each time! It was a good day from start to finish. Ken was feeling good in practice, won his heat and then just dominated the main. He was super happy with his bike too. We made a few small clicker changes on press day but then didn’t touch anything on race day. He just went out there and did what he had to do. We’ve closed the points gap, are tied and have the red plate again next weekend, so we’re in a good spot.”

Brent Duffe - Justin Brayton’s Mechanic

“It was another chaotic night for Justin. He got a good drive out of the gate in the main event, but just got swallowed up by the pack in the first turn. He was about eighth on the opening lap. He got bumped by Cooper at one point, losing some spots. Then as he was working his way forward and had a good group of guys in front of him, he tipped over in the sand and fell outside the top 10. Twelfth isn’t what he wants, but it just seems like we can’t get a clean race. Unfortunately, you can’t start in the middle of the pack and expect to stay out of the chaos.”

Tony Alessi - SmarTop | Bullfrog Spas | MotoConcepts | Honda Team Manager

“The team was very strong in Atlanta,” shared Team Manager Tony Alessi. “Justin and Vince ran in the top-five for a good portion of the race. Malcolm got a bad started and came from the back of the pack, but when it was all said and done, we had three riders in the top ten, which is a great night for the team.”

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

"Jimmy was good early on in the day but was struggling from being banged up and not riding during the last three weeks. He was eighth in lap times during qualifying. He had a good start in the heat but crashed while running fourth and had to go to LCQ to get into the main. He should get better each week."

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

“It was an up and down race this past weekend in Atlanta,” said Team Manager, Dustin Pipes. “As a whole, I felt the team worked well together, and we didn’t make any big changes to the motorcycles throughout the day. That’s a testament to the direction the team is going. Adam rode well all day and I was happy to see that translate into the main event. Ryan got off the gate well and showed us that he has what it takes to go to the next level. He was on track to earn a career high in the main, but a crash in a tricky rhythm section forced him out of the race. Kyle has been steadily improving throughout the season and that was again the case this weekend. Unfortunately, he had a big crash just past the midway point of the main. It was a scary moment and I’m glad he was able to walk away. It is looking like a shoulder injury, but the extent of it will be learned in the coming days.”

Wil Hahn – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team Manager

“It was a good result on a tough night. I think Shane struggled to find his rhythm by not sticking the pass on Chase (Sexton) earlier in the race. We have got to improve on our weaknesses. We’ll get to work this week and come back in Daytona fighting for the win.”

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