Justin Barcia put JGR and the beards on the top of the box for the second-straight weekend. Photo by: Hoppenworld
Justin Barcia: In the first moto I got the holeshot, but Ryan [Dungey] closed in and made the pass. I closed back in but then some lappers got in the way and separated us a bit, but I was feeling confident and happy with the result. I won last week in the mud and I knew people would think that I won because of [the conditions], so I really wanted to win in dry [conditions] and show I’m able to fight for the win every weekend. Ryan kept me honest in that last moto. He was on me the whole time. It was unbelievable. For me, it was just hammer down the whole time. This is a bigger win for me [than last week] because RedBud is such a challenging track.
Ken Roczen: I was really excited coming into Red Bud this weekend. It was Fourth of July Weekend and it’s a big race for me, the team and our sponsors. I always love coming to RedBud. It’s one of my favorite tracks. I grabbed two good starts in both motos but I got swallowed up a little bit in the middle of the starting straight and that’s really what kept me from being up front. I put in a strong ride in the first moto and ended up third, which was ok. In the second moto, I had another solid ride. Obviously, I want to win but we had a 3-3, which is ok after the weekend before in Budds Creek. We were on the podium. Obviously, not where we want to be … We want to be at the very top but it was a good weekend overall and the fans were amazing.
Jordon Smith: The day was pretty good. I had my best first moto since Colorado, so that was good. Second moto, I got a better start but ended up falling on the first lap. I think I was 35th on the first lap but came back to 14th, so I salvaged some points there. Overall I’m feeling better on the bike every weekend and am feeling pretty good.
Joey Savatgy: First moto started really well, until I lost the front end at the bottom of one of the down hills on the first lap and never really rebounded from it. On the start of the second moto, I tangled handle bars with another rider causing me to drift back into the field and I never got comfortable with the bike or track for the rest of the moto.
Ryan Dungey: In the big picture we made ground today and gained some points toward the championship. I really wanted the 1-1 today but was unable to make the pass. Overall, I’m happy on the day and glad to be leading the way. I think we had a great day. We got second in both starts, but if there was anything [to improve today] it’d be there and being able to take the lead on that opening lap. Overall the day was good and I’m happy with that. The track got rough and it made trying to push forward that much more challenging. I try to win every race [despite a large points lead], but you still have to be smart and make the right choices. Sometimes you just have to realize it’s not always worth pushing it too much [and causing a mistake].
Jeremy Martin: I got off to two really good starts. I was leading the first moto and then my arms got tired. I really struggled for a while but I found a way to turn it around and get back up there. Marvin and I battled a lot today (for the first time this season). We’ve been dodging each other all season, but today was the day we battled. He’s a phenomenal racer and he keeps me on my toes. I saw a yellow flag and thought it was cooper and it ended up being him, so I just tried to pick a line and make a move and it worked. I got lucky there.
Blake Baggett: The track was definitely filled with lots of ruts. It was super technical and soft in some spots. The track was new to everyone since they made a few changes from last year. In moto one I got a little bit sideways off the gate. I came in contact with the rider next to me and didn’t get the greatest drive around the first turn. I started down in about 12th and made it to sixth. I couldn’t work my way any further forward than that. I didn’t have the greatest flow today. Eighth overall wasn’t the greatest day for us. I’m looking forward to the weekend off and keep working on my riding being a little bit smoother and a little more precise in some areas, while also letting it hang-out in other areas. I’m looking forward to preparing for Millville
Marvin Musquin: Today could have been worse. When I crashed [at Thunder Valley] I bruised the bone in my wrist and stretched the ligaments, so it’s been tough and I’ve been dealing with this [since Round 3]. “I’ve actually been doing really good at the races but this week I tweaked it again. I heard a pop in my wrist and it hurt again. I knew [today] would be tough, but not that tough. This was one of my worst races. It felt good at the beginning of the motos, and my speed was good, but it just got worse and worse later in the race.
Christophe Pourcel: My day was ok. I didn’t get a great start in the first moto. The track was pretty rough so it got kind of sketchy. I was going for seventh in the first moto, but then stalled the bike so I ended up tenth. I was a little mad about that mistake. I was in a good group in the second moto – top four guys. We were doing good and pulling away from the other guys. I felt like I could have pushed it a little more, but I still feel like there’s more potential. I feel like I could have ended up third or fourth in the second moto, but I stalled the bike again. I was almost top-five overall today so that’s not too bad. I feel like I should expect to be in the top-five every moto right now, then eventually I’ll try to be on the podium every weekend for sure.
Wil Hahn:Practice times went really well, but I couldn’t quite find my flow in Moto 1. Second Moto I came out of the gate feeling awesome but unfortunately, ended up crashing and playing catch up all moto. Overall, I felt like my aggression and speed was there, and the weekend off will allow us to work on a few things.
Freddie Noren: Today was a great day for me because it was my best overall finish ever. It started out a little slow; I struggled a bit during practice, but things got better during the motos. I felt like my riding was really good, with [Broc] Tickle in front of me and [Blake] Baggett behind me, so there weren’t any slow guys I was battling with. We made some small changes to the bike before the second moto, which helped. Today was even more special because I have so many friends and family here from Sweden that were able to experience this with us and to see what Amy and I do every weekend and put all our energy into.
Matt Bisceglia: I was in third on the first lap but slid out. I tried to pick my bike up but got hit from behind by a couple riders and ended up dropping my bike and going down again. It was a sketchy situation, but I came from dead last back to 17th. I wasn’t too pumped about the finish but I rode well. I was way up in the top five for the first 10 or 15 minutes but got passed by a couple riders. I pulled up on (Marvin) Musquin with about three laps to go and was almost able to get around him. I ended up seventh.
Jason Anderson: I was riding good in my first moto, but then I got a flat tire. In the second moto, I came out of the gate, shifted, was going pretty fast and ended up fifth on the start. I was by myself for a while in fifth, and when you’re by yourself in the moto it does get kind of boring, but you try and spot the riders in front of you and figure out lines to go faster. It’s a top-five so I’ll take it.
Chris Alldredge: I got two bad starts today, but felt like I improved from last week which is good. With the off weekend coming up, gives me a chance to work on my starts and get back on the podium like I was at Hangtown.
Jessy Nelson: The fans here are nuts, which makes this place super fun to race. This track is great and even though it was super rough towards the end, there were still enough lines to choose from. It was just a tough one.
Broc Tickle: I feel pretty good. I finished fourth, overall, with a 4-7. The first moto was fun. I had a good start. Got up front and stayed there behind (Weston) Peick. We basically paced each other the whole time. It was a good race. I made a pass on him with two laps to go and he passed me right back. Then a lapper got in his way on the last lap and I ended up fourth. Second moto, I got off to a seventh- or eighth-place start and then got passed by a couple guys on the first lap. I struggled to get going in the second moto. I pretty much gave it all I had but I felt a little weak as the moto went on. The off-weekend should be good for me. I started cramping a little bit. I’ll take a couple days off and head back to California. Everything is going in the right direction so we’ll keep working and the results will keep coming.
Shane McElrath: I knew it was going to be quite a bit different than the time I spent racing here as an amateur. I didn’t get the best starts and that really hurt me in the end. But it was great to see all the fans and experience that Red Bud craziness that everyone talks about.
Christian Craig: That’s my first ever podium and that’s what I’ve been working for. I believe I can be up there. That is my goal, to be on the podium. I’m looking for an overall podium at the next race. I missed it by one spot here, but I’m still happy about my podium in the second moto. My bike was awesome today. Sixth place, not bummed about it but not too happy. I wanted to be a little more up front. I focused on my start and ended up pulling the holeshot and running up front for 15 minutes. The guys caught me, Cooper Webb and Jeremy Martin. Cooper got me at about 18 minutes, and I tried to stay with him and he ended up going down. Jeremy got me, and then with two laps to go Zach Osborne got me.
[Craig also talks about getting 2016 contract signed with GEICO/Honda] I honestly can’t put into words how much this opportunity means to me. Before I retired, I could have only dreamed of being on the GEICO Honda team and now it’s a reality. It’s crazy to me and I feel like it’s a dream. I’ve worked hard to prove to people I can do this again and to have the entire GEICO Honda team behind me means so much. It was pretty cool after Thunder Valley when I spoke with Ziggy and he said that he doesn’t care what my father-in-law says, him and (crew chief Mike) LaRocco want me on the team. That made me feel like everyone believed in me, not just Jeff because he’s family.
Justin Hill: I actually felt pretty good today. I just need to work on my starts so I don’t have to spend so much time trying to come back through the pack.
RJ Hampshire: It was a new track for me, so I was feeling it out a little bit in practice. I was in the top 10, went down, and was pretty far back, but I made my way back to 14th. Not too bad but I definitely wanted more. Second moto, I didn’t get such a good start, but I felt good, probably the best I felt all season. I worked my way up to eighth and felt like I had a good pace. It was a decent day and broke my streak of non-top 10s, so it’s good to get back in it, but I want more.
