Hear from the stars of the show following round twelve of the AMA Monster Energy Supercross series.
Ryan Dungey: (1st in 450SX) “It was good, a good night. It was good to get good practices in and good races. And, to get a heat race win was good. That really helped us out with a good gate pick for the main event lining up. I got off to a good start, got shuffled around there in the beginning and [Justin] Bogle got passed us. I was able to get back by him and from there I was trying to put in good consistent laps. Kenny [Roczen] was riding a good race. Obviously he was keeping the pressure on and I was trying to hit my lines, focus on myself and ride my laps. In the end, it worked out. It’s nice to get the win here in Santa Clara and the boys on the team and everybody did an awesome job tonight.”
Ken Roczen: (2nd in 450SX) [Kenny talking about the lappers in the main event] “It’s always the same people, you know. I think it was [Vince] Friese, [Mike] Alessi and definitely [Nick] Wey. Nick Wey is a friend of mine and a super nice guy, but such a tough rider to lap. The blue flag means move out of the way, and not ride us high. I was pretty bummed about that, because I was right on Ryan [Dungey] and feel I could of pushed harder towards the end. It just wasn’t enough, but I was riding good and it was a good second place. Nothing to get upset about. Obviously, I wish I would of won, but it is what it is.”
Jason Anderson: (3rd in 450SX) “My night went really well. I got a good start in the heat race, and the holeshot in the main event, which is unheard of for me this season. I rode good laps by myself the whole time and ended up on the podium. [On getting into Justin Brayton in first turn] I came into the first turn, and I kind of got swooped on the inside by Ryan [Dungey]. And then I came in hot to the outside and it was Brayton right there. We made contact ”bummer he fell down but it’s chaos in those first corners.”
Justin Bogle: (6th in 450SX) “Day went a lot better for me than the last few weekends. Practice was good, felt comfortable right off the bat. I qualified through the heat race and had to make some passes in the heat race to get there. Main event I got a really, really good start, I was up in second, battling for the lead there for a lap or two. I got tight and got passed by three or four guys in one lap. I had a couple of really bad laps there at the beginning. I got back to sixth, and once I was in sixth I kind of mailed it in from there and brought it in. Best finish of the year, so we’ll take it, it’s progress and we’ll keep it moving.”
Eli Tomac: (7th in 450SX) “We started off the weekend great after qualifying fastest in timed practice. My starts were what really hurt me tonight as both in my heat and in the Main Event I started outside the top-10. I know my speed is there which is a good feeling, we just need to keep working and moving forward for the next five rounds.”
Jake Weimer: (9th in 450SX) “Overall, to end the night with a top-10 is a positive, especially with the last couple of weeks that I’ve had. I’ve been dealing with my shoulder and there was the question if I’d be able to show-up in Santa Clara and race. It was good to have the break when we did, but it was hectic with everything that was going on. I didn’t have the best day in practice but I’m happy to be able to come out of here with a top 10. I’m just going to keep working.”
Blake Baggett: (10th in 450SX) “We broke into the top10. It’s taken a while, but with the injury and making bike changes, trying to get more comfortable, we started halfway through
Josh Grant: (12th in 450SX) “This weekend was good and I felt like I brought a different intensity. I felt comfortable on the bike due to some changes made at the test track over the week and it paid off. I won Semi 2, which felt great, and I’m happy with the way I rode. In the Main Event I crossed bars with another rider and made a mistake before the first four laps were over. I came back to finish 12th and felt a lot more comfortable in the middle and later laps in the race. The track was very technical and difficult, so I’m happy that I was able to come from behind to finish where I did.”
Josh Hansen: (14th in 450SX) “It was alright. We decided two weeks ago to go do this. This is pretty much off the couch I would say. We did motos last week and this week a little bit and we’re here it’s crazy! I’m stoked, though, to be here and I thought it turned out alright. I think if I was in shape I could run with the front guys, but it takes some time, a good off season and be strong. It’s cool and everything’s been good so far.”
James Stewart: (DNF in 450SX) “I was feeling a lot better since Daytona. The day went pretty good. We made some fairly significant changes to the bike over the break and I was just happy to be back riding. Every practice kind of got better and better, which was good, and I was starting to find some speed. I got in the heat race, was feeling pretty decent and finished second. They dropped the gate pretty quick in the Main and I got a bad start and was way back. But then I was doing pretty good, started making my way through people. I was coming through the pack, feeling really good, probably the best since 2014 and that was nice. And then we started to have some sort of issue with the bike. It just started cutting out, so who knows. It’s no one’s fault. We all work hard to keep things together and we’re a team. I’m definitely bummed, but at the same time I was riding good, so we can definitely take some momentum off this. We made some great steps and we’re going to keep making them and get closer.”
Cooper Webb: (1st in 250SX) “It was a good main. I got off to a not-so-good start. I think I was like sixth got stuck up behind a few guys and the leaders kind of got away. I got some quick passes made. Alex [Martin] was up there and so was Mitchell [Harrison], so that was cool to see. Zach [Osborne] was riding good, though, and I knew he was going to be hard to beat. The track being pretty short, I knew we weren’t going to have too much time to make it happen. I got it done [passed Osborne for the lead] on the twelfth lap or maybe the eleventh and was able to push it home.”
Zach Osborne: (2nd in 250SX) I had an interesting day. I had a big crash in the second practice, but got off to a good start in the heat race, passed into the lead pretty quickly and won. I got the holeshot in the main, led 11 laps, and got second. It was a good day, and I was close to winning. The track was pretty basic today, but it almost had to be because the dirt was so sketchy. I’m not disappointed.”
Joey Savatgy: (3rd in 250SX) “The Main Event, all-in-all it was good. After a rough start I tried to put in a solid 15 laps. We moved our way forward and in the middle I started to catch the two riders ahead of me and really closed the gap. Unfortunately, a couple of lappers held me up and it didn’t help my push towards the front. I’m leaving Santa Clara on my own two feet and scored some good championship points. Now it’s time to keep the ball rolling, keep pushing and come out swinging at Las Vegas.”
Christian Craig: (4th in 250SX) “Felt good in practice, bike felt awesome, ended up second in qualifying. Got second in the heat, but got off to a terrible start in the main toward the tail of the whole field. I tried to make as many passes as I could. I was aggressive. Got up to fourth, third was pretty far ahead by then. I tried to close the gap, but unfortunately I got pretty tight toward the end and couldn’t close it enough. Obviously we want more, but I’ll take a fourth, it could have been much worse.”
Mitchell Oldenburg: (5th in 250SX) “It’s a little strange coming back for one race after so long away from racing, but we made it work and came away with a good result. I’m looking forward to focusing on some outdoor riding and then coming back strong in [Las] Vegas.”
Jordon Smith: (7th in 250SX) “Day went pretty good. I was a little rusty after the long break. Didn’t get off to the best starts today so I kept having to come from behind. I just tried to ride a smooth race and pick the riders off one at a time. Made a couple of good passes on the last lap to end up seventh. Not where we want to be, but it was a decent ride.”
Jimmy Decotis: (11th in 250SX) “Today was going good, I was feeling solid in practice and felt good in the heat race. Just got a bad start in the main event. Overall, I’m pretty bummed on the result, but the way I felt, the way I rode, the mindset that I had, the belief I had today was more than I’ve ever had. The results sheet looks bad, but for me and the people around me, they can see that I’m believing I’m a guy that can win and get on the podium, and that’s where I want to be. I’ll just keep working and we’ll come out swinging in Vegas.”
Chris Alldredge: (14th in 250SX) “I qualified fourth out of my Heat Race today, which I was happy with. The Main Event did not go how I wanted it to, but my crash from practice this morning left me sore. It was difficult to keep my normal pace with everything that happened, but I pushed as hard as I was able to. It’s not the result I wanted, but I’ll keep after it and come back strong at the next round.”
