Photos by: Chase Yocom
Round eight of the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series—round two of the Eastern Regional 250SX Championship—headed to Atlanta’s Georgia Dome for the final time before the stadium is torn down.
The 450SX class main event was led wire-to-wire by Red Bull / KTM’s Ryan Dungey and in the 250SX class, Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne finally broke through for the first 250SX main event win of his veteran career. Both Ryan and Zach will have the red plates when the series arrives in Toronto, Canada next weekend.
Ryan was joined on the 450SX podium by Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac (2nd) and Rocky Mountain ATV/MC / KTM’s Blake Baggett (3rd), and Zach was flanked on the 250SX podium by Troy Lee Designs / KTM’s Alex Martin (2nd) and Star Racing / Yamaha’s Colt Nichols (3rd).
After the podium celebrations were over and the points were tallied, some of the top riders talked about the last event inside the famed Georgia Dome. Check out the riders post race comments below. Click here for all 2017 Monster Energy Supercross results.
Zach Osborne: (1st in 250SX) “Yeah, it’s pretty unreal. I feel like I squandered a really good opportunity last weekend. I watched that race about fifty times last week and just shoot my head. It’s amazing to come here and win. I won the KJSC [KTM Jr SX Challenge] back in 1998 and it’s been a dream of mine ever since to win this race. For it to be the last race in the Georgia Dome—I could go on for an hour—it’s unreal. I’m grateful to be in this position, to have this opportunity and to be where I’m at. It’s unreal! I had a great night. I worked hard for that win and I’m ready to keep the momentum going into next week and it feels good to have the red plate.”
Ryan Dungey: (1st in 450SX) “We found little things with the bike setup. Little bits and pieces—nothing crazy. I got back to Florida and this was actually my first full week where I got to chill out and that always helps. I got to ride with the guys at the track and things kind of slowed down for a change. I think the changes we made benefitted us tonight. It doesn’t always happen that way. The track was gone tonight. Like Eli said last weekend, it was survival. It was pretty nasty and rough. It was nice to get out front and open a little bit of a gap. I seen where Eli was, tried to manage it, hit my marks and get a win. So it was nice.”
Alex Martin: (2nd in 250SX) “It was pretty cool to start off 1-2 with my teammate Jordon but he made a little mistake on the on-off and I just kind of came around the outside and did the on-off and when we came to the inside we kind of collided there and unfortunately I sent him over. Luckily he kept it on two wheels and I was able to keep it on two wheels and make it up to 2nd. I’m not going to lie, that was a tough pill to swallow [last round] especially in front of the hometown crowd to walk back to the pits and know that you basically took a DNF, but on Sunday I woke up and realized we have eight races left and 200 points on the table and I’ve just been feeling way too good during the off season on the bike and getting along with the team and honestly to get 2nd tonight, it feels really good.”
Eli Tomac: (2nd in 450SX) “Tonight ended well. Obviously, we wanted the win, but I know my speed was there as I made up 8+ seconds on the leader in the main, which gives me confidence. I just need to work on my starts to make these races easier on myself.”
Colt Nichols: (3rd in 250SX) “It really does [feel amazing]. It’s just nice to get the ball rolling now in the right direction. After last weekend I was really bummed because I got a good start and didn’t end up too well. Overall, third place on the night with the injury I had, it’s just a blessing to be up on the podium with these guys.”
Josh Grant: (9th in 450SX) “My day went well. I started off great by qualifying straight out of the heat. My starts were on point, which helped my results all night. I think after having to take some time off due to my injury, I’ve bounced back well and am looking forward to next week.”
Jordon Smith: (5th in 450SX) “It’s been great getting the holeshots because starts are a big part of the race. I know I have the speed, I’ll just be focusing on trying to minimize the mistakes and we can be right there again.”
Blake Baggett: (3rd in 450SX) “Speed doesn’t do you any good if you’re crashing or getting bad starts. I guess [my 3rd place finish] had to do with good starts. I kept it on two wheels all night. The track was pretty much what we practiced on in Florida—the dirt was awesome. Each week gets better and better with my feeling on the bike. I’m comfortable with the team and we’re just plugging away.”
Adam Cianciarulo: (7th in 250SX) “The day started off great. I had great starts all night and felt super confident on the motorcycle. Unfortunately I had a little tip over in the main, but managed to make the best of the situation and finished strong. Overall, I’m pumped on how I felt tonight and have the confidence I need moving forward.”
Dean Wilson: (10th in 450SX) “I felt pretty good all day. This is the loosest I’ve felt riding. The heat race was unfortunate because I was one spot out of qualifying. I was close to winning the semi. I didn’t get a great start in the main – I need to work on that this week. I got into a good rhythm the second half of the race and got into the top-10 where I finished. I’m going to get ready for next weekend and try to get a better result.”
Joey Savatgy: (4th in 250SX) “All in all, it was a good night. The results weren’t there tonight, but to salvage championship points and to be leaving Atlanta only down by two is good. This is only Round 2 of 9, so we’ve got seven to go and I’m looking forward in rebounding next week in Canada.”
Jason Anderson: (4th in 450SX) “I had a pretty good night,” said Anderson. “I wasn’t on the podium, but I worked my butt off for that fourth-place finish. I went for it on the last lap and couldn’t quite get it, but I’ll regroup and will come back next week.”
RJ Hampshire: (9th in 450SX) “It was a tough weekend. Struggled with the whoops from the start of the day and never really found a flow after that. I finished third in the heat race but felt like I was lost on my bike, was riding terrible. Got off to a decent start in the main, right around the top five and hung right around there till about five to go. I ended up going down on the landing of the finish and landed right on the hurt shoulder. So a bad night turned even worse! Had to many small mistakes all night that cost me big. But I’m okay–looking forward to Toronto!”
Cole Seely: (6th in 450SX) “Sixth isn’t where I want to be but I feel strong and know I can get back on the podium at any moment. I’m also looking to stay consistent and for the most part, I have. We’ll try and have a good week before making the trip to Canada.”
Christian Craig: (DNC [Concussion] in 250DX] “My day was awesome before the night show. I was fastest in the first qualifying and second in the last one. I liked the track and was probably one of the best guys through the whoops all the day. I jumped the gate in my heat, giving me a terrible start. I was making a ton of passes, an average of two riders every lap through the whoops! I slid out once, then made my way back up to fifth. On one of the last laps I was going for another two guys in the whoops but there was someone crashed on the right side which left me frazzled with what to do. I kinda just lost it when I saw him down and crashed. I unfortunately got a concussion and wasn’t able to ride in the LCQ or main. I’m super bummed with how these first races have gone. If you watch me in practice, you know what I’m capable of so it’s hard to understand why I can’t make it happen when it matters. Hoping to get clearance to ride early this week and be in Toronto.”
Brock Tickle: (14th in 450SX) “Atlanta was a rough one. I qualified for the main event right out of my heat, which was awesome. I got the holeshot and finished third so that was a great way to start out the night but I got a terrible start in the main. The track was tough and it was really hard to pass. There were a lot of guys going the same speed so that makes it hard to reel anyone in. It was tough in the back of the pack to make passes and make them stick. It was frustrating but we need to stay focused on our program, keep doing the same things and not get down. We’ll keep working hard and making progress.”
Justin Bogle: (17th in 450SX) “That was a bad deal. We really had a good night going. Had a great run in the heat race and got a great start in the main. I was up front, taking care of the bike and making laps. It stinks when another guy crosses a set of ruts and takes you out. We had a really solid night going, right up until that point. We’ll keep working at it.”
