Houston II - Rider Comments

Posted on January 20, 2021

A big day for Eli Tomac and Jett Lawrence as the two bright stars of each class shined through. Here are some comments from this mornings race and more comments to follow throughout the day.

Eli Tomac: Mostly I was in my own World. I was aware and it was crazy two crashes in the same spot and that was a gift. I tried to maintain and Zach was coming on strong too. I paced myself and then tried to go harder because he was catching me. Dylan was coming on strong too. I was stressing out, and it was horrible after round one and I was pulling my hair in practice. Straight up I was pulling my hair and the start was huge for us and we needed it. It will be hard to come through the field this year with all the guys in there, it is tough. Everyone is getting faster and closer to each other and if you look at the times in practice, everyone is on the same second. As we saw tonight, a whole different podium and I think that will be the case all season.

Jett Lawrence: It is good to get the first win out and I am third in the championship which is good after going from sixth in the first round. They say the first win is the hardest. No didn’t (listen to all the hype), they can build you up and when you don’t get the results they expect it can mess with your head a bit. I have known I have it in my for a while, and I was like when is it going to happen and when will it all click and tonight was the night.

Dylan Ferrandis: I cannot believe I’m here, I’m not supposed to be here yet, I never expected that. It’s crazy, the last couple of laps I was third and I was like, ‘Dude is that for real!’ It’s unbelievable, the first one, just to be in the top ten in this gnarly 450 class was great, and now to be on the box, wow. I don’t know, I was just cruising and trying to catch the guy in front of me. I was happy with the race and trying not to make mistakes. 

Justin Brayton: I am not 37 yet and am still only 36 and I won’t be 37 until March. I don’t care who you are, a 450 podium in this field, its special. For me the new Honda is awesome and I am with some familiar faces, with the guys from Australia. It is a small team and its fun and rewarding to get it done. It is hard to come by and we will enjoy it.

Justin Barcia: I didn’t get a very good jump in the Main Event and we were outside the top-five pushing each other and I just cross-rutted a little bit, clipped a tuff block and ended up breaking a shifter off. With my luck, it got stuck in first gear, so I did a lap and I was pretty nervous – I missed the triple. I tried the jumps in first gear but it was squirrelly when the dirt is sticky like that so I just salvaged what I could. I’m in it for the long-run so I just have to push through things like that when they happen. All-in-all, it’s not that bad of a spot, obviously would have liked to been out front tonight but it wasn’t my night.

Ken Roczen: Before I get into my night I wanted to say that i am disappointed in how this situation was handled. I just wanted to get you guys an idea of what the deal was. Put yourself under my helmet. There is a video with a better angle that the AMA has which made it even more clear. I got docked 4 championship points because of jumping on a Red Cross flag even though my vision at this part of the track was blocked because Dylan took the outside line and as I came around the sand turn he was positioned perfectly in front of the flag and I could not see it. I have never disrespected the Red Cross flag ever before and in my eyes this was clearly not a BLATENT VIOLATION. This situation was very unique and the timing of it was so special that a warning or a fine would have been a lot more appropriate. I have spoke my peace. I am just disappointed with the decision especially since it says it black and white in the rule book. A situation like this ( points docked ) instead of a fine is not fair. It just simply wasn’t “BLATANT”. There were more factors than just simply jumping on a red cross flag. 

Adam Cianciarulo: I had a good day going and was really starting to feel like myself tonight. I started the day off right by qualifying fastest heading into the night show and then in the heat race I felt like I had really good speed and was even able to pass Eli (Tomac) for third. In the main event, Chase (Sexton) and I had a hot pace going in those opening laps, but I made a slight mistake in the sand sweeper and the rest was history. I hit my hand that I got worked on during the offseason pretty good which made it hard to be aggressive the rest of the race and I just knew I needed to manage. We’ll take the extra couple of days to rest to be ready to go on Saturday. 

Cooper Webb: It was a bit of an up-and-down night. I was still trying to find a really good setting for me that I liked and I kind of struggled throughout the day. I didn’t have a great start in the main but at the end I really started going. I made some late passes, got a few gifts and ended up fourth. It’s not what we want but it’s still early in the points and we’ll rebound. There’s still room for improvement to get me more comfortable on the bike and with that I think this week we’ll be right there where we need to be.

Marvin Musquin: I got a great start in the Main Event, which was once again the key. I was right there and felt like I was going to have a good race but unfortunately, I crashed in the sand, it was really tricky. I got up and lost so many positions but I tried to fight back and make up the most points possible but there’s not much to say about sixth place. It’s tough but you have to stay on two wheels and stay up front.

Zach Osborne: Overall, it was a really positive day for me. I just felt really supreme all day and things were easy for me. I had a good heat race, felt really good gelling with the track, and in the Main Event the same thing. With two to go, I just pushed the front in a rut and there she went. It’s a big mistake that veterans like myself typically shouldn’t and wouldn’t make so it’s disappointing and frustrating but I’m healthy and safe and my bike is really on point right now so I’m happy to come back and give it another go on Saturday.

Jason Anderson: Practice probably didn’t look so good on paper but it went better and my heat race went better than last week, so those are definitely positives. In the Main Event, I kind of rode into eighth place and that’s what I ended up with tonight. It’s not the way we wanted to start but hopefully we’ll keep progressing and we’ll just keep going.

Colt Nichols: Tonight was pretty good overall. I got second, so I can’t really complain about that because I got some good points. I just didn’t execute the start like I needed to compete for the win, I’m kind of kicking myself for that. I need to be a little better at the beginning of the Main. The track broke down really well, and once it started to break down, I felt like I rode well. It just took too long to get going, and I was too far back to do anything for the win. I need to work on that, and we’ll be good to go to try and get a win. We’ll be better on Saturday.

Christian Craig: “It was a pretty eventful Main Event. It’s cool to have these red plates. I’ve never been in this situation before, so I didn’t know what to expect. But yeah, it’s awesome. The Main Event started okay. I came around mid-pack and then went to work on passing people. I ended up getting Colt midway through, and then two riders went down. I had to manage a couple of things throughout the race. In the last three or four laps, I made some mistakes, and Colt got by me. I finished third, so I can’t be too mad, but on the other hand, I need to fix those mistakes for Saturday. It’s a quick turn around again. We’ve still got the red plate, which I’m happy about, and maintained some of our points lead. I’m ready to move on to Saturday now.”

Dean Wilson: Tonight, was a little bit better but 11th is not the result we are looking for. I just needed to start up front and get in that fight a little more but I was right there. I mean, I am surrounded by guys who are winning races so I feel like I am strong enough to be in the mix, I just need to put myself in that position every time. I am getting better and more comfortable, now I just need to believe in myself a little bit more and I’ll be there.

Malcolm Stewart: I kind of struggled a little bit with the track all day. In the Main Event, I didn’t have the best start but I made it work in the first couple of corners and put myself in the top five right off the rip. I tried to get around (Justin) Brayton but was not really moving forward. Honestly, I made a few mistakes. It was a little tough, conditions wise for a lot of people and me as well. Sometimes tracks that you’re not really comfortable on, things can happen. Looking at how many people hit the ground tonight, overriding and stuff, to finish seventh out of all the carnage is not bad. Leaving here with a seventh, it feels like I got 15th, but I feel like I know what I need to do. I learned a lot tonight. I have a couple of days off so I’m going to watch some tape and sit down with the team. I’m happy with everything. We’ve got the bike really well, I think it was more on me tonight and I just didn’t jibe with the track really well.

Austin Forkner: “Today was clearly not my day. I felt decent overall in qualifying but had a massive get off in the sand section, and then in my heat race I was bumped at the end of the long start straight sending me flying off the track and over the bars. I was however pumped that I was able to charge all the way back to fourth in the heat after being dead last on the start of lap one. In the main event, I got a good jump off the start and was in second but at the end of the whoops had a scary moment which caused me to lose some positions. I knew I had to get going quick before the leader ran away from me, and when I caught back up to second place and took him high in a corner, he fell over on me taking us both down. I did everything I could to regain positions but could only manage sixth. Today wasn’t my day but were only seven points down and will try to be better on Saturday.”

Aaron Plessinger: I got off to a pretty bad start in the Heat race and didn’t come through the pack that well and ended up eighth, giving me the 16th gate pick in the Main which is not too ideal. I got a pretty good jump and drove it in pretty hard. I felt like I came out decent for what it was. Coming through the pack I went to pass (Jason) Anderson and hit an edge in the whoops. I jumped onto the hay bales - it was like a step on step off in the hay bales - and then I jumped into the base of the finish line and stopped then just kind of tipped over off onto the concrete. It was a wild ride. It could’ve been a lot worse. I’m feeling pretty fortunate to finish tonight. We’ll be back Saturday ready to rip and get those starts dialed.

RJ Hampshire: It was another rough night, I started off with a pretty big practice crash and then did what I could to salvage the heat. I got a good start in the main, the bike is awesome out of the gate, it was just an unfortunate situation with Forkner because I had the speed and was just clicking off my laps. I’ll give it a couple of days to recover and knock off a win here soon.

Jo Shimoda: My day was pretty consistent. I qualified in seventh place and in my heat race I got held up by some slower traffic and was only able to manage fifth. In the main event, I did not get a very good start, but like this past Saturday, I knew that I needed to just keep clicking off my laps and the race would come to me. I ended up fifth overall which is pretty good and am fifth in points, but I know I have more in me and want to get on the podium.

Max Vohland: The race tonight was pretty solid for me. We wanted to improve on starts from last Saturday and I was able to get a good start in the main, so that was great. Still have a couple more things we need to tweak but so far so good, we’ll just keep chugging along.

Michael Mosiman: Getting a heat race win and a fourth on the night is a huge step in the right direction. I’m excited it’s my first heat race win! it feels good to come across the line first, so I’m hoping for a lot more of that shortly. When you’re riding good everything else just comes easy and is fun.

Chase Sexton: The day started off pretty good. I had pretty good practice qualifiers and was second in both of them. I got my first heat-race win in my second race on a 450, which was good. In the main event, I got a good start and was really feeling good out front—in control and hitting my marks really well. I put a pretty good gap between myself and [Eli] Tomac but made a small mistake that cost me big hit the ground pretty hard. I’m really sore and my right shoulder is pretty beat up. I hope to be back racing here soon and try to finish the job and get my first win.

Brandon Hartranft: In the LCQ, I ripped a holeshot and then just dropped back to second. In the main event, I had an outside gate pick and actually had a killer start, all my starts were good, but I just need to be more aggressive off the first few laps. About five minutes into the main event, I jumped off the track and kind of lost my flow until six minutes to go. I've got a lot to learn and a lot to prove so I'm looking forward to Saturday.

John Short: Tonight was another solid night. It’s good to get another consistent ride to build confidence as the season progresses. I had a few close calls tonight at Houston 2, but I’m glad to keep it on two wheels and continue building momentum. Tonight was a step in the right direction.

Adam Enticknap: I got out of the gate strong in my heat race, but I caught handlebars with Malcolm Stewart. In the LCQ, I had about a fifth place start then made a nice block pass. I had to double the triple and heard a rev behind me. I went to scrub the double out and hit a little rut, and it put me just enough off line that I couldn’t stay on the track. The high notes from the night are that my starts are better, my riding's better, my racing's better, but I can't give away those main events like that because I deserve to be there.