MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT

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THEY SAID IT | ANAHEIM 1 SUPERCROSS

Carson Mumford: “My starts were key. My bike has such great, controlled power it made it easy to get strong starts with how short the start straight was,” Mumford reported. “I got a little tight in the end of the main after running in fifth place for over half the race. Hearing the crowd go crazy all the time was totally new for me and was awesome! I’m looking forward to next week and finishing stronger.”

Dilan Schwartz: “Anaheim 1 was tough. I struggled all day with the track and getting comfortable which led to a couple crashes,” said Schwartz. “I’m glad I was able to get through the night healthy enough to keep racing. I’m going to keep working and improving my results!”

Brandon Hartranft: “Today started out a little rough. I crashed in the whoops in the first practice. But every time I got on the track after that, I rode better and better,” Hartranft summed up the event. “It’s been raining recently in California so the dirt’s soft from that. The track was pretty basic, but it was so soft and rutted that it became more technical. But all in all, we had a solid night. I’m looking forward to the next 16 rounds and I have a lot to show. I can’t thank everybody from Suzuki and my team enough, and we’ll kick some butt next weekend.”

Justin Bogle: “It was a rough night all the way around.” Bogle said, “It was not how we wanted to kick off my first race with the new team, but on the positive side we are healthy and going back to work to get better for next weekend. I had a crash while in transfer position in the heat, then again in the LCQ. It was just a couple mistakes on my end that I need to correct and be better.”

Ken Roczen: ​​”My weekend and the team’s weekend went great here at Anaheim 1. I didn’t really know which way it was going to go. We had a little bit of a difficult December, but this couldn’t have gone any better. Our practice was okay – nothing to really rave about, but we executed every single start tonight. We won the heat race, and then in the main event, I knew it was going to be a long battle. The track was really, really rough tonight, and it made for some crazy racing. There was a lot of carnage and crazy stuff going on behind me. I was actually really glad we had those good starts because it helped me stay away from that and really ride my own race. Chase, my teammate, was putting a lot of pressure on me, and we had a really good battle for the first half of the race. Luckily I came away with the win, and I couldn’t ask for anything better. I’m just really happy with how the team and I excelled today.”

Chase Sexton: “Today was pretty good – practice was good, heat race was good. In the main event, I made a few costly mistakes, which was frustrating. My speed is really good, and I feel really good on the bike; we did a lot of good work during the off-season, and it’s looking promising. Finishing fifth after crashing twice is pretty good I guess, but I have to figure out how to get my marks up and not make bonehead mistakes. The track was really good; I actually had fun on it all day. The mistakes I made were my fault. The bike felt good on the track; we had a good base, and I just really enjoyed it. I won a heat and got fifth in the main because of my mistakes, so I’m looking forward to improving. Kenny won, so it proved that we put in some good work on the bike. We’re healthy, and on to the next round.”

Hunter Lawrence: “My night was okay. I just kept pushing and charging, and doing everything I could. It was close to second, and I hope it was interesting to watch! I’m a little frustrated, a little satisfied, not just with the result but where I’m at. I think I’m riding great, and I can’t wait to go to the next race.”

Eli Tomac: “It was a little bit of a slower start than what we wanted this season. It really came down to two things tonight: the starts and I was struggling a little bit with the whoops. It was a tough track; probably one of the toughest A1’s that we’ve had in quite some time. On a positive note, I had really good qualifying sessions all day, so I know I can be fast and be there. I just have to put it all together. It’s always easier said than done, but it’s possible. We’re going to try and fix the little things and come back next week.”

Dylan Ferrandis: “Anaheim I is always a little crazy. I was actually feeling pretty good all day; it was my starts that hurt me. In the main event, I got a really bad start, but I moved my way up. I was feeling pretty good, pretty strong, and was coming back to the top five. Then I had an issue and tried to come back but made a mistake and crashed. So it was not a really good night, but I know now that I’m capable of riding out front in the 450 class. We’re going to regroup and be ready for next weekend.”

Cooper Webb: “It was a dog fight tonight! Fun race, but a really tough race. The track got super rough and a lot of us got out front just duking it out. I felt like I fought hard the whole time, made some good passes and got myself in a really good position. I kind of struggled a little bit with the track so I was pumped to come out with a second – great points and it’s the best I’ve ever done at the opener so we’re looking to keep the ball rolling. It’s great to be back in Anaheim and it’s fun to be back racing!”

Marvin Musquin: “I’m happy right now. It was a long and tough day, with quite a fight for the Main Event. I did my best with outside gate pick and I made some good passes, so I was pumped on the riding and the intensity early on. I made a couple mistakes and I lost contact with Cooper, and then Malcolm passed me. I tried to pass him to the inside but unfortunately, he railed the corner and we hit each other – he didn’t know I was coming – and we both went down. I got up and came back to fourth place, that was amazing. I’m pumped on the push and with the results, to be honest, with all the drama that happened during the main.”

Aaron Plessinger: “It was a pretty rough day for me actually. I started out in Free Practice going down and then I went down in the first qualifying practice as well. I turned it around and ran some decent laps in the second qualifier but it wasn’t a very great position. I got a decent start in the heat race and ran in fourth pretty much the whole time. In the main, I didn’t get a good start at all and I was back of the pack battling. About halfway through, I turned it up a little bit and made some passes up to ninth. Overall, I’m pumped to get through the first round healthy and we’ll back at it in Oakland!”

Dean Wilson: “My night was a struggle for sure, which is frustrating because I’ve had a really good off season,” Wilson said.“In the Main, I was pretty far outside on the gate and I came through and made some good passes. I was hovering around top-10 and then got passed and ended up 12th. It wasn’t great but I believe we’ll just get better from here on out.”

Malcolm Stewart: I think this was actually one of the better season openers for me since I started in the 450 class,” Stewart said. “Going into the weekend, I wanted to execute a few things like having a good heat race, and I was able to do that. P1 for a qualifying, I’ve never done that before, so I feel like that was a big achievement for me and even though we went down in the Main Event, it was actually a good ride performance-wise but you know, the results weren’t there. It was a good start but I definitely feel there are a few things that we need to work on but overall, I’m happy to leave here on a good note and looking forward to Oakland and to keep driving – we’ve got 16 more races to go!”

Justin Barcia: “That was an awesome race! I had a lot of fun and we had some great battles out there. The pressure is off now and I can work on myself, keep plugging along and having fun. It’s been a great offseason and it’s just good to get this first race out of the way. I’m happy with the result, it’s a good podium finish, and we definitely have some things to build on. I’m really looking forward to the next race, bonding with the guys, having fun and going for it!”

Michael Mosiman: “Anaheim I is in the books and boy was it a crazy one! I had so much fun throughout the day, honestly more fun than I’ve ever had at a SX. I felt super confident on the bike and everything was clicking, just riding well within my abilities. It’s unfortunate how the main started out and once I was back in the pack, it’s pretty hectic back there, but I’m proud of how I rode and I’m leaving with a ton of positives. I think I’m very much in it for the championship and very healthy and couldn’t ask for anything more.”

LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN | 1994 KAWASAKI KX250

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2022 AMA MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS SCHEDULE

2022 AMA SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Jan. 8…Anaheim, CA
Jan. 15…Oakland, CA
Jan. 22…San Diego, CA
Jan. 29…Anaheim, CA
Feb. 5…Glendale, AZ
Feb. 12…Anaheim, CA
Feb. 19… Minneapolis, MN
Feb. 26… Arlington, TX
Mar. 5…Daytona Beach, FL
Mar. 12…Detroit, MI
Mar. 19…Indianapolis, IN
Mar. 26…Seattle, WA
Apr. 9…St. Louis, MO
Apr. 16…Atlanta, GA
Apr. 23…Foxborough, MA
Apr. 30…Denver, CO
May 7…Salt Lake City, UT

MXA CLASSIC PHOTO

Kevin Windham raced four Nationals on a KX125 in 1994. Then was picked up by factory Yamaha in 1995 and raced his first full season aboard a factory Yamaha YZ125. In 1996, Kevin went on to win the 125 West Coast Supercross series on the YZ125. 

MXA moto trivia answer: The rider is Blake Wharton and the year is 2010.