That's What HE Said

Tampa had tongues wagging...and that's what WE said.

450 Class

Eli Tomac (1st)

"It was a tough race tonight," said Tomac. "A couple of guys got around me early on but I was able to find my groove and ride up to the front. I found a good line in the heat race and I used that to get by Marv (Musquin) and overall this was a good race track for us. A win in this 450 class is pretty hard to come by, and this feels really good."

Marvin Musquin (2nd)

"It's awesome to finish the day on the podium for 2nd place. We fought for the lead so that was nice to have a battle with Eli but I just missed a little bit to fight until the end with him. We showed some good speed overall - I was missing a little bit of time on the big rhythm sections but other than that I felt pretty good on the rest of the track. We corrected my whoops a little bit and my turns were good so I was pretty happy about my riding. And to lead some laps was definitely good and going in the right direction for the future. I know it's 2nd place but I'll take it, it's some good points."

Jason Anderson (3rd)

"My weekend went pretty average," Anderson said. "I qualified third, got a heat race win and, in the Main Event, came from the back up to third. That's all I had, but I'm looking forward to the next race."

Broc Tickle (5th)

"Overall I'm happy with the night. This week it was good to get back to the Baker's Factory and ride here in Florida. Practice went a little better today and we made some changes before the Main Event. I put my full trust in the Red Bull KTM crew and we made a change that was in the right direction to get me comfortable and I was able to go out there and put in a solid 20 minutes to end up 5th so it's a step in the right direction. We're making baby steps and making progress during the week to get better so for me, it's keep focusing on the things I need to do that can help me on the weekend and making it happen."

Justin Hill (6th)

"I was less than intimidated by the 450 guys. The speed was easier than I thought it would have been. I was comfortable at battling the front runners. The experienced guys seem to do less dumb stuff. Riding with the smart guys seems to work better for me. As I get more involved in the 450 class I feel like I could be the guy, because that type of riding style suits me well."

"The first few laps after I got up following the crash I was trying to regroup. I had a bent front brake lever, and it was hanging pretty far down. Then I started getting the quad jump again. There was no way I was going to do that section without a front brake. I'll have another week on the Suzuki RM-Z450 and head to Atlanta with new goals. I'm looking forward to it."

Dean Wilson (7th)

"I felt like my weekend was definitely more progress, and I'm feeling a lot better," Wilson said. "I got my first full week of training in two months, so that was nice. I feel like I have a lot more than what I'm showing, but I'm keeping it consistent and I know I can be running in the top five for sure. My speed is there, it's just believing that I can do it. I think that will get better every race, it's a work in progress and I'm still healing but it was definitely a better weekend.")

Malcolm Stewart (8th)

"What a night! It was so hot in Tampa that I thought I was racing the Nationals [laughter]. We had some good testing on the new Showa BFRC shock with the team before traveling down to Tampa. We got the bike more in tune and the results are starting to come around. Thanks to everyone for sticking by me my entire career. The next stop is Atlanta, which I'm really looking forward to!"

Blake Baggett (9th)

"Tonight was tough," said Baggett. "I felt I had the speed tonight. It was unfortunate about the incident early in the main, as I feel we could have been up front. We will regroup and look forward to getting back on the podium in Atlanta next weekend."

Weston Peick (12th)

"That was the first race at Tampa in a long time. It was nice to go somewhere new. It was a hot day, with a lot of humidity. Practice went well for me, despite not feeling very in tune with the track. I tangled with some people in the heat race and had to work from about tenth place to fourth by the finish. Before the heat race we softened up the shock a bit, because of the sand section and the ruts. I had a good start in the main and was around the top five for over half of the race. Then I made a weird mistake in the sand section. I cross-rutted off the face, landed, hooked left, and went over the bars. I hit my thigh, and it took a while to get the bike out of the sand."

Kyle Chisholm (13th)

"Today was great," exclaimed Chisholm after the race. "This is basically my hometown race and we were able to shake all the nerves out last weekend. A bunch of my family and friends were here today so the overall vibe was really fun. The bike worked great all day on the tough track and we were once again able to qualify directly from the Heat race. I'm happy to match my result from last weekend but would love to crack the Top 10 before the East Coast rounds are done."

Tyler Bowers (14th)

"Today went well," said Bowers. "I felt super comfortable on the factory Monster Energy Kawasaki as soon as I hit the track in the morning and felt I rode well all night. I had a great heat race, but didn't get the start I wanted in the main and ended up finishing 14th. Overall, I think it was a great weekend and can't thank Monster Energy Kawasaki enough for giving me this opportunity."

250 Class

Austin Forkner (1st)

"I am so stoked to get the win," said Forkner. "I felt the pressure coming, but I tried to hit my marks and pull a gap. I thought we were both going down but I just hit the gas and kept it up. I'm so happy for the team and to get this first win under my belt."

Zach Osborne (3rd)

"It was decent day here in Tampa," Osborne said. "I won my heat race and got off to a really good start in the Main Event but I just didn't quite execute there at the end like I would've liked to. I tried to kind of play it safe in the middle and maybe it got away from me a little bit. I'll work on that this week."

RJ Hampshire (4th)

"Was so excited to race in my city," said Hampshire. "Felt decent all day. One mistake in the heat race cost me the win. I got another holeshot in the main and did not ride well at all those opening laps! Same thing as last weekend. Made so many mistakes and couldn't mentally put it together. It took me a couple laps to settle down and then I kind of found a groove. It's frustrating to holeshot both weekends and end up with two fourths. I need to prove that I can be a threat in this championship. I'm not the same rider as years' past and I have the bike to put me out front! I'll continue to plug away and work on those opening laps for next weekend."

 Martin Davalos (5th)

"It was really good to be able to get back out there and race," said Davalos. "It was a tough week, but I was focused and knew I wanted to ride. I love racing in Florida and the track was really fun. It will be nice to build on this weekend."

Jordon Smith (6th)

"The track was pretty good but you had to be on your marks and didn't have a ton of room to relax, especially with that sand," said Smith. "I was feeling really good in the main and was chasing down fourth, but when I got pushed out, the outer edge of the track was so slick I went down. I really felt like I could have gotten up to fourth, but it makes me really hungry to know I am capable of a top five. We'll be pushing for that next weekend in Atlanta."

Cameron McAdoo (8th)

"Tampa has lots of positives for me," said McAdoo. "The first being I was able to race after suffering a broken hand last weekend. We worked really hard all week long getting rid of swelling and trying to get the hand useable, so I was happy to even be able to be out there! I was happy with my start in the heat race but felt like I rode tight, and I want to race those front guys harder because that's where I feel I belong. All in all we ended up eighth on the night so it's something that we will build off of."

Jimmy Decotis (10th)

"I felt a little bit off in the beginning of the day and struggled to get into a groove. Things started coming together in the final practice. The heat race went really well. I worked to fourth place. I had a really good jump off the gate in the main event, but missed a shift halfway down the straightaway. Someone crashed in the second turn and I did all I could to avoid his rear wheel, which was spinning pretty fast. Unfortunately, my front wheel hit his rear wheel and I went down before I knew what was happening. I laid there so that I wouldn't get hit by the rest of the field, and then picked up my RM-Z250. I put my head down and charged as best as I could. It's unfortunate stuff like that happens, especially after finishing on the podium last weekend, but that's why we race nine rounds. I'm healthy and happy, so I'll keep building and get ready for Atlanta." 

Jeremy Martin (12th)

"Rough weekend in Tampa," said Martin. "Speed felt solid all day to be there for a podium finish. Pretty sure I was sleeping on the gate in the main which put me in a poor position and exposed me to some people I shouldn't have been around. Just need to move on. Looking forward to round three."

Kyle Peters (13th)

"I was in good position during the heat race, but I rode too timid during the opening laps. After running sixth on the opening lap I made a bobble in the sand section and dropped back a few spots. A few laps later I got taken out while going past the mechanic's area. I tried to salvage as many points as I could, but I can't be that far back in the pack. I'm really disappointed and frustrated. I need to bring everything I'm doing at the practice track to the race track."

Sean Cantrell (21st)

"It's not how I was hoping my race would end, but I'm learning a lot and hoping that next weekend will go better," said Cantrell. "The team has been great at helping me adjust and I just want to prove that I am capable of running inside the top 10."

Team Personnel

Erik Kehoe (Team Honda HRC Team Manager)

"We're extremely disappointed to see Cole's season come to an end like this. Things were going well up until this weekend. He was second in points and continuing to improve each week, so it was only a matter of time until he would have gotten a win. This is the hardest part of our sport because it never gets easy seeing one of your riders hurt. The entire team and everyone at Honda wishes Cole the best for a speedy recovery."

Jeremy Albrecht (Autotrader/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Team Manager)

"Overall, everyone was better. Hill was definitely impressive. He would have been the podium for sure if not for the crash. I just wanted him to get experience and show it, and I feel good about next year. Even though he rode so well, we have to be patient and stick to the plan. Hill remains focused on building the Suzuki RM-Z250 program, and he will move up to the 450 class next year. As for Stewart, it was a career best finish for him. He raced with the new Showa BFRC shock, which performed very well. Stewart is improving every week. Peick was solid. He had a good race going, but crashed in the sand. Peick has been a little flat in the middle of the main events, so he's going to change up a few things in order to have more energy."

"In the 250 class, Decotis was riding well all day. He crashed, but recovered well in cracking the top ten. Peters was riding better than last week. He struggled in the sand and had a crash in the main, but he improved over last week."

"The team is traveling to Atlanta on Thursday to spend time with our friends Autotrader. We'll take part in Friday's press day, and then enjoy racing at what is our hometown Supercross race on Saturday."  

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