SX After-Party

450 Class

Ken Roczen - 1st

"Tonight we did really, really good. I felt like I was able to go the full distance in the main, which was great. I knew it was just going to take a few extra days to get everything back lined up after the last couple of rounds and everything that's been going on with my body. We won our heat race, which was really stacked--I got a holeshot there, and it was great. I really felt good with the bike; we've been tweaking it a little bit here and there, and I was really gelling with it nicely tonight. I kind of liked the track; the whoops got really chewed up again, and I think that was one of my strong points tonight. We ended up getting the win, which was great because the last three rounds have been really tough on me and the team. It was good to come back and turn all that negativity around into something positive. Every time I go out and win for myself and my team, it feels like my first win back. We were the best tonight, which is awesome. The team is happy, and I'm happy and looking forward to the race on Wednesday."

Cooper Webb - 2nd

"The holeshot was huge tonight. Kenny was riding well, and I knew he was a little faster, so when he got by me, I was just going to try to pace him. I made a charge at the end, but we were so close in times it's hard to make those chunks up. The track was definitely tough – it had a lot of flat turns, which was a little different than what we're used to. We'll come back in a few days and try to get the top step."

Eli Tomac - 3rd

"Overall, it was a good race. I felt good and got in the groove up until halfway, and then I got a little squirrelly in the whoops. I tried pushing it for a while and realized it wasn't worth it to go too wild, and I know I need to reserve some of the energy for these last two rounds. It's not a win, but I'm happy with the result because we're thinking about the bigger picture."

Zach Osborne - 4th

"I came home with a fourth, it's a decent result, but after the last few weeks, I want more," Osborne said. "I do have to keep things in perspective and know that at the beginning of the season, I would have given anything for a string of results like this. So all-in-all, I'm happy but still striving for more."

Malcolm Stewart - 5th

"I felt really good in practice, but there were a few struggles for me, and I rebounded in the last session and got ninth overall. In the Heat Race, I found my groove and some lines that I felt really good with. In the Main Event, I got a bad start, but I made some things happen in the first turn with the carnage going on and shot through the gap. I broke free and felt really good all the way through the race with a pass on Osborne. I made one big mistake right before the dragon's back with a few laps to go, and Osborne got back around me," Stewart recalled of the race. "Fifth overall is something I'm very happy about, and with two rounds to go, I'm ready to keep moving forward."

Dean Wilson - 6th

"I feel like my pace was decent through the whole Main, and I think a few different line choices would have helped me throughout the race," Wilson said. "I think I had a couple of bad lines after watching it, and that kind of held me up a little bit. But other than that, I can't get too frustrated. I gave it my best, and that's all you can do."

Justin Brayton - 8th

"I'm proud of that one--that was pretty good. I didn't get the greatest of starts, but I made some good passes early. There was just a train of us--like six, seven, eight, nine guys--and I ended up eighth; I felt pretty good about my riding and my effort. The bike was great. I'd have loved a little better track position at the beginning of the race to play into my strength, which was whoops--I felt really good in the whoops all day. Overall, I'm fairly happy with it--not super stoked on the position, but my effort, the bike, and the way I was riding were really good. I'm stoked on that and super stoked on the team getting a win with Ken. It's awesome, and everybody here deserves it."

Justin Barcia - 9th

"I had a solid ride in the Heat race in third. It was the best I've ridden in a while. In the Main Event, I came out inside the top 10 and was riding really good. I feel like tonight would've been a top-five finish, it just didn't work out that way. I went into one of the ruts before the mechanic's area, and unfortunately, that was like the only soft spot on the track. The rut caved in, my front wheel hit it, and I ended up falling. I went all the way back to 16th and charged back to ninth.

"The result really doesn't show the way I rode today and the progress that we've made on the bike. So that was definitely a little disappointing, but I think overall, that's the best day I've ridden and the best I've felt on the bike. We just have to take the positives going into these next two races and try to keep it on two wheels, and just keep moving forward."

Aaron Plessinger – 10th

"I think today was pretty good, all in all. I got off to a really bad start in the Main. I really have to figure that out. I have got to get the jump on those guys and just bulldog my way to the front.  I was riding really good though and made my way back up to seventh. At about five minutes to go, I started struggling in the whoops quite a bit. The whoops were really slick, one side of them was cupped out, and the middle was really slick. I just kind of tightened up in the last few laps and (Justin) Brayton got by me, (Blake) Baggett got by me and then Justin got by me. So yeah, I was a little frustrated with the way I rode in the last five minutes, but I have to take the positives out of it and move forward. Come Wednesday; I will try and get a better start and just ride the whole race as hard as I can. I'm looking forward to the next one, and hopefully, we can get off the line and break into the top five." 

Broc Tickle - 12th

"Overall, it was a better day on the track today," said Tickle. "We made some changes in the right direction to give me more comfort on the bike. In the LCQ, it was good to get a holeshot and get some more laps on the track."

Benny Bloss -13th

"Overall, I am happy with my ride tonight. My speed was there all day, and to get my first-ever heat race win is so exciting. I was riding well in the main and felt I could have battled for a top five. It was unfortunate I tangled with another rider for position. Still, I am happy where we are at. I'm looking forward to the last two rounds and finishing the season strong." 

Justin Hill - 14th

"It was a tough night for me. These guys are going fast, and I'm struggling with things like arm pump that isn't allowing me to go as fast as I can," Hill explained of his results in Salt Lake City. "Tony, me, and Showa have been coming up with some things on bike setup to adjust to how the racing has gone. We're going to start with that at round sixteen. My starts have been good, and I have the speed, but I don't have the feeling to go consistently and put the speed to use."

Vince Friese - 17th

 "It was kind of a bummer of a day. My riding was a lot better, finally, and I think I had the starts and the pace to get a top-ten result. Unfortunately, I made a little mistake that wiped out me and Benny Bloss. There was a line that I wasn't taking, it was rocky inside the turn, and I tried to brake and turn," Friese noted of the Main Event miscue. "It was a bummer because we had made changes to the bike between the rounds, and it was working really well. I think it could have been a good result because my pace was good for the entire race, but stuff happens in racing. There are two more opportunities to get a good result and make something happen."

 Adam Enticknap - 18th

 "My main focus all day was to get a good start," said Enticknap. "In the heat race, I got a fourth-place start and passed Chad Reed on the first lap for third. That was a big personal goal for me. Transferring out of the heat is something I wanted more than anything. The main event had some progress, but I still have a lot of building to do."

Jason Anderson - DNF

"In the Main Event, I ripped a good start, and I went into the second corner in second, and then it kind of turned into a crazy night," Anderson said. "It sucks I wasn't able to finish, but at the same time there's a lot of positives to take away from how I was riding, and my starts, and stuff like that. I'm just going to look forward and try to prepare for the last two rounds and end on a good note."

Freddie Noren - DNQ

"It may not show, but I had some good improvements this race," said Noren. "We made some small changes to the bike that I really liked, and my riding is getting better. I'm really looking forward to finishing strong in the next two rounds."

Kyle Cunningham - DNQ

"This past round was a tough one for me," said Cunningham. "I felt really good all day on the bike, but the evening didn't go as planned. I passed for a qualifying position halfway through the heat, but I got cleaned out. In the LCQ, I got a decent jump but unfortunately got caught in a first turn pile-up and somehow split my toe. After some stitches and swelling, I'm doing everything I can to be ready for Wednesday." 

250 Class

Austin Forker - 1st

"After a few rounds where I was caught and passed by Dylan, it was my turn to catch him and get around him," said Forkner. "It felt totally different to chase him down, and there really weren't a lot of places to make a move since everyone was running pretty much the same lines. I had a small opportunity, and I knew I had to take it. I know he would have done the same thing and has done the same thing. It's awesome to be in contention for the championship as we head into the final race next week. We'll see what happens."

Dylan Ferrandis - 2nd

"It was a bad night for me. I got the holeshot from the outside in the Main, which was good, but I made a small mistake and missed a rhythm when I saw a yellow flag and (Austin) Forkner got me after that. I lost some important points for the championship tonight. We have a few days off from racing now before the last round next Sunday and will keep working."

Jett Lawrence - 3rd

"I was just too excited. Those were just words coming out of my mouth, really," explained Lawrence. "I didn't know what I was saying. I was just happy to be alive and to be experiencing that. I bet you no other sixteen-year-old is getting to do what I'm doing, traveling a world and getting to race with some of the fastest guys in the world."

"I was pretty pumped that there was whoops out of a turn, which I'm pretty happy about," said Lawrence. "They came into favor. I made a lot of my passes through there. I was really gelling with the track".

"It's definitely been a rough path to get to where we are now," Lawrence continued. "I got a little emotional after going over the line. Everything went through my head, all the hard times we had in Europe. Eating two-minute noodles in Australia just trying to survive, really. It definitely feels good to be finally here and with such a great team."

Cameron McAdoo - 4th

"It was tough to see that podium finish slip away because we've been working really hard to be up there every time we hit the track," said McAdoo. "I know I have been riding well, and I will take that with me to the final race, but another podium finish would have been sweet to push through the week. Now we'll have to get back at it and make sure we come out ready to fight for it next Sunday."

Michael Mosiman - 5th

"It was a tough day," Mosiman said. "I got into some lapped traffic in the Main Event and made some mistakes that really set me back. I'm disappointed that I had a podium finish going and to have that taken away, but I'm fired up for the last round!"

Justin Cooper - 6th

"I got a terrible start in the Main, which really hurt me. It made it really tough to come through the pack, and I was just not aggressive enough to get by the people that I needed to in the early laps. I can't expect to be up front battling when I start outside the top 10. We have one more go next Sunday. I'll come back try and to finish out strong."

Hunter Lawrence - 7th

"It was better, but the result didn't even reflect the progress we made," said Hunter Lawrence. "The team and I changed some things on the bike, which really helped out, and a better heat race put us in a better position for the main, so that was a big factor. I felt good in the main, and two mistakes cost me positions. I'm having fun out here in Utah, really looking forward to going downhill mountain biking this week to freshen up for one more race on Sunday!"

Christian Craig - 10th

"Not much to say besides I'm at a loss for words," said Craig. "I felt great. I qualified in a good spot and rode well in my heat to win. I made mistake after mistake in the main and was on the ground twice. I had a podium right there and lost it. Not sure what's going on with me in the mains, but I'll figure it out."

Alex Martin - 21st

"I qualified better in practice, and my intensity was coming around," said Martin. "My heat race was good with a strong finish. I'm very frustrated with the main but also motivated to end the series on a high note next weekend."

Team Personnel

Erik Kehoe - Team Honda HRC Manager

"Great day. Both guys showed a lot of strength and a lot of speed all day long. Kenny rode really well in his heat race. The start in the main wasn't all that spectacular, but he just made some good decisions in the first and second turns and came out right up front. He rode really strong, and that was a great finish. Justin had a better ride also; I think his starts were hurting him today, but there's a good adrenaline injection into the team, so we'll carry that into the next round."

Jim Perry – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

"It was a good day for the boys in blue. We definitely made a step in the right direction. We learned a couple of things from last Wednesday and changed a couple things in the bike setup. The guys were comfortable right off the bat. Both guys qualified in their Heat races with good rides, Justin finished third, so that was definitely a step in the right direction. In the Main Event, both guys struggled with the start but put in solid laps. Justin crashed early on and had to come from outside the top 15 to finish in ninth, and Aaron rounded out the top 10. We will keep working hard to get back up into contention for a podium. We're looking forward to Wednesday's race."

Jeremy Albrecht - JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Racing Team Manager

"Tickle was feeling good, but this track was tougher on his hand," said Jeremy Albrecht, Team Manager. "He kept pushing every race to do his best and ended up 12th in the main. I know Broc can do even better at these next two rounds."

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

"I'm excited for the final two rounds so everyone can see the team's hard work and effort pay off," said Dustin Pipes, Team Manager. "The altitude in Salt Lake City has proved to be an interesting factor for the team, but we found some settings we like and a hopeful solution to Ryan's sickness."

Wil Hahn – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team Manager

"It was another crazy night in Salt Lake. Dylan fought hard and landed another second tonight. Justin had a bad start right out of the gate and seemed to have a bit of an off night as a whole. We now have only one round to go in the West class, and Dylan leads by seven points. It's going to be a big fight in the showdown, so we will regroup and come back swinging next week."

Jordon Troxell - Mechanic, Ken Roczen

"What a turnaround for Ken here in Salt Lake City! The last couple were rough to say the least, but I'm really happy and proud of him. He was able to dig deep and make some changes and just tough it out tonight and get it done. To see that Cooper [Webb] was right there and just didn't have anything for him--I'm just really proud of Ken. We have a couple more, and we'll try to repeat before it's over."

Brent Duffy - Mechanic, Justin Brayton

"Today was a great day. It was nice to turn things around and have some good momentum. Justin was fast and felt really good. We tried a new setup that obviously worked really well. It was good to see Justin have speed late in the race. Even though he did fall off the pace in the middle of the race, he was able to regroup and fight to the end, which is what we're looking for."