Photos by: Garth Milan / Ryne Swanberg

Round eight of the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, and round two of the Eastern Regional 250SX Championship went to Tampa, FL. for the first time in nearly two decades

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In the 450SX class, Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac won his fourth main event of the year. Eli is proving that he is the man to beat in 2018, but he still trails Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson–who finished 3rd in Tampa–by 65-points in the 450SX Championship standings. Finishing in between Eli and Jason was Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin with his third-straight 2nd place finish.

In the second 250SX East main event of the season Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner scored the first win of his young career. Monster Energy / Star Racing / Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis gave the teenager all he could handle, but crossed the line with his first podium of 2018 in 2nd. The defending East Champ, Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne, had a shot at making it two wins in a row, but the #35 and #24 got away from him and he finished in 3rd–maintaining the red plate for at least one more round.

After the podium celebrations were over at round 8, we gathered some quotes from riders to get their thoughts on the 2018 Tampa SX.

Eli Tomac: (1st in 450) “I got shuffled back, and then we got passed once and then twice. I was like, “Holy crap, what are you doing now?” Once [Justin] Hill got by me, that’s when I really got into into my groove. Once he was able to get passed me, I got my flow there. After that, we just slowly started chipping away and getting close to the lead there. I had that inside line in my bag from the heat race. That’s where I was able to get by Marv [Marvin Musquin] the first time, and the second time I was able to make it stick. It was a good race track for us. It definitely took the day for it to come to us, but it was good for the main.”

Austin Forkner (center) stood atop a SX podium for the first time in his career. Photos by: Garth Milan / Ryne Swanberg

Austin Forkner: (1st in 250) “Yeah, I was pretty dialed through the whoops, though. I figured if I could get to the whoops I was pretty solid. I figured I’d send it into the whoops and then be able to hold on the last lap. I definitely gave it all I could handle from the finish to that s-turn before the tunnel jump. We hit, and as soon as I got through that and got through the whoops, I was happy. Up until then, I knew he was back there and I knew he was going to try. Obviously it’s the last lap and everybody would. I’m happy, though. It was tough. I didn’t get the holeshot so I had to pass a few guys, and it was tough track. It was slick and the sand was tough every lap.”

 

Marvin Musquin: (2nd in 450) “It’s awesome to finish the day on the podium for 2nd place. We fought for the lead so that was nice to have a battle with Eli but I just missed a little bit to fight until the end with him. We showed some good speed overall – I was missing a little bit of time on the big rhythm sections but other than that I felt pretty good on the rest of the track. We corrected my whoops a little bit and my turns were good so I was pretty happy about my riding. And to lead some laps was definitely good and going in the right direction for the future. I know it’s 2nd place but I’ll take it, it’s some good points.”

 

Dylan Ferrandis: (2nd in 250) “For sure, I was thinking of making the pass [for the lead] on the last lap, but the thing is for me tonight was really my first race of the season. Because last week I crashed on the start, had to stop in the pit [mechanics area] and I hurt my leg a little bit. It was really my first race tonight and I just missed a little bit of racing. I burned all my oxygen in the first few laps and I was a little bit out of oxygen. I cannot do really what I want, but I try. I try on the last lap to make the pass, but it didn’t work. It’s okay. I feel good and now I know what I need to work on. I fight for the win next weekend.”

 

Jason Anderson: (3rd in 450) “My weekend went pretty average. I qualified third, got a heat race win and, in the Main Event, came from the back up to third. That’s all I had, but I’m looking forward to the next race.”

 

Zach Osborne: (3rd in 250) “It was decent day here in Tampa. I won my heat race and got off to a really good start in the Main Event but I just didn’t quite execute there at the end like I would’ve liked to. I tried to kind of play it safe in the middle and maybe it got away from me a little bit. I’ll work on that this week.”

Cooper Webb is just now starting to find his groove on the 2018 Yamaha. Photos by: Garth Milan / Ryne Swanberg

Cooper Webb: (4th in 450) “Tampa was another step in the right direction. Qualified in second and ended up 4th in the main. I know what I need to work on to be up there so I’m gonna work hard this week to be up there at the home race in Atlanta! Got myself a holeshot too. That was nice!”

 

RJ Hampshire: (4th in 250) “Was so excited to race in my city. Felt decent all day. One mistake in the heat race cost me the win. I got another holeshot in the main and did not ride well at all those opening laps! Same thing as last weekend. Made so many mistakes and couldn’t mentally put it together. It took me a couple laps to settle down and then I kind of found a groove. It’s frustrating to holeshot both weekends and end up with two fourths. I need to prove that I can be a threat in this championship. I’m not the same rider as years’ past and I have the bike to put me out front! I’ll continue to plug away and work on those opening laps for next weekend.”

 

Broc Tickle: (5th in 450) “Overall I’m happy with the night. This week it was good to get back to the Baker’s Factory and ride here in Florida. Practice went a little better today and we made some changes before the Main Event. I put my full trust in the Red Bull KTM crew and we made a change that was in the right direction to get me comfortable and I was able to go out there and put in a solid 20 minutes to end up 5th so it’s a step in the right direction. We’re making baby steps and making progress during the week to get better so for me, it’s keep focusing on the things I need to do that can help me on the weekend and making it happen.”

 

Martin Davalos: (5th in 250) “Today started off really well, with qualifying third overall in practice and winning my second heat race of the season. Although, when the gate dropped on for the main, I banged bars with another rider and nearly went down. Luckily, I was able to sneak around the inside of the first corner and pass a lot of riders back. A fifth place finish isn’t terrible, but I want to win.”

 

Justin Hill: (6th in 450) “I was less than intimidated by the 450 guys. The speed was easier than I thought it would have been. I was comfortable at battling the front runners. The experienced guys seem to do less dumb stuff. Riding with the smart guys seems to work better for me. As I get more involved in the 450 class I feel like I could be the guy, because that type of riding style suits me well. The first few laps after I got up following the crash I was trying to regroup. I had a bent front brake lever, and it was hanging pretty far down. Then I started getting the quad jump again. There was no way I was going to do that section without a front brake. I’ll have another week on the Suzuki RM-Z450 and head to Atlanta with new goals. I’m looking forward to it.”

Hill won his heat race and may have won the main event if not for a small mistake that left him on the ground for a moment.

Jordon Smith: (6th in 250) “The track was pretty good but you had to be on your marks and didn’t have a ton of room to relax, especially with that sand. I was feeling really good in the main and was chasing down fourth, but when I got pushed out, the outer edge of the track was so slick I went down. I really felt like I could have gotten up to fourth, but it makes me really hungry to know I am capable of a top five. We’ll be pushing for that next weekend in Atlanta.”

 

Dean Wilson: (7th in 450) “I felt like my weekend was definitely more progress, and I’m feeling a lot better. I got my first full week of training in two months, so that was nice. I feel like I have a lot more than what I’m showing, but I’m keeping it consistent and I know I can be running in the top five for sure. My speed is there, it’s just believing that I can do it. I think that will get better every race, it’s a work in progress and I’m still healing but it was definitely a better weekend.”

 

Cameron Mcadoo: (8th in 250) “Tampa has lots of positives for me. The first being I was able to race after suffering a broken hand last weekend. We worked really hard all week long getting rid of swelling and trying to get the hand useable, so I was happy to even be able to be out there! I was happy with my start in the heat race but felt like I rode tight, and I want to race those front guys harder because that’s where I feel I belong. All in all we ended up eighth on the night so it’s something that we will build off of.”

 

Malcolm Stewart: (8th in 450) “What a night! It was so hot in Tampa that I thought I was racing the Nationals [laughter]. We had some good testing on the new Showa BFRC shock with the team before traveling down to Tampa. We got the bike more in tune and the results are starting to come around. Thanks to everyone for sticking by me my entire career. The next stop is Atlanta, which I’m really looking forward to!”

 

James Decotis: (10th in 250) “I felt a little bit off in the beginning of the day and struggled to get into a groove. Things started coming together in the final practice. The heat race went really well. I worked to fourth place. I had a really good jump off the gate in the main event, but missed a shift halfway down the straightaway. Someone crashed in the second turn and I did all I could to avoid his rear wheel, which was spinning pretty fast. Unfortunately, my front wheel hit his rear wheel and I went down before I knew what was happening. I laid there so that I wouldn’t get hit by the rest of the field, and then picked up my RM-Z250. I put my head down and charged as best as I could. It’s unfortunate stuff like that happens, especially after finishing on the podium last weekend, but that’s why we race nine rounds. I’m healthy and happy, so I’ll keep building and get ready for Atlanta.”

Austn Forkner lighting the candles for the first time. Photos by: Garth Milan / Ryne Swanberg

Weston Peick: (12th in 450) “That was the first race at Tampa in a long time. It was nice to go somewhere new. It was a hot day, with a lot of humidity. Practice went well for me, despite not feeling very in tune with the track. I tangled with some people in the heat race and had to work from about tenth place to fourth by the finish. Before the heat race we softened up the shock a bit, because of the sand section and the ruts. I had a good start in the main and was around the top five for over half of the race. Then I made a weird mistake in the sand section. I cross-rutted off the face, landed, hooked left, and went over the bars. I hit my thigh, and it took a while to get the bike out of the sand.”

 

Jeremy Martin: (12th in 250) “Rough weekend in Tampa. Speed felt solid all day to be there for a podium finish. Pretty sure I was sleeping on the gate in the main which put me in a poor position and exposed me to some people I shouldn’t have been around. Just need to move on. Looking forward to round three.”

 

Kyle Peters: (13th in 250) “I was in good position during the heat race, but I rode too timid during the opening laps. After running sixth on the opening lap I made a bobble in the sand section and dropped back a few spots. A few laps later I got taken out while going past the mechanic’s area. I tried to salvage as many points as I could, but I can’t be that far back in the pack. I’m really disappointed and frustrated. I need to bring everything I’m doing at the practice track to the race track”

 

Tyler Bowers: (14th in 450) “Today went well. I felt super comfortable on the factory Monster Energy Kawasaki as soon as I hit the track in the morning and felt I rode well all night. I had a great heat race, but didn’t get the start I wanted in the main and ended up finishing 14th. Overall, I think it was a great weekend and can’t thank Monster Energy Kawasaki enough for giving me this opportunity.”

 

Sean Cantrell: (21st in 250) “It’s not how I was hoping my race would end, but I’m learning a lot and hoping that next weekend will go better. The team has been great at helping me adjust and I just want to prove that I am capable of running inside the top 10.”

Bowers debuted on his new factory Monster Energy Kawasaki with a 14th. Photos by: Garth Milan / Ryne Swanberg

Chad Reed: (21st in 450) I’m going into unchartered territory. Nobody has ever raced 228 main events. Nobody has ever won a race at 35, 36 years-old. Those things to me is what’s important, chasing that goal. Not because nobody has done it, but because I believe it can be done. I believe if you have passion high enough and you work hard enough, that anything is possible. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I made it out of Kurri Kurri, Australia, all the way on the other side of the world, and why I am sill around at this number.

 

Kyle Chisholm: (13th in 450) “Today was great. This is basically my hometown race and we were able to shake all the nerves out last weekend. A bunch of my family and friends were here today so the overall vibe was really fun. The bike worked great all day on the tough track and we were once again able to qualify directly from the Heat race. I’m happy to match my result from last weekend but would love to crack the Top 10 before the East Coast rounds are done.”

 

Jeremy Albrecht: (JGR Team Manager) Overall, everyone was better. Hill was definitely impressive. He would have been the podium for sure if not for the crash. I just wanted him to get experience and show it, and I feel good about next year. Even though he rode so well, we have to be patient and stick to the plan. Hill remains focused on building the Suzuki RM-Z250 program, and he will move up to the 450 class next year. As for Stewart, it was a career best finish for him. He raced with the new Showa BFRC shock, which performed very well. Stewart is improving every week. Peick was solid. He had a good race going, but crashed in the sand. Peick has been a little flat in the middle of the main events, so he’s going to change up a few things in order to have more energy. In the 250 class, Decotis was riding well all day. He crashed, but recovered well in cracking the top ten. Peters was riding better than last week. He struggled in the sand and had a crash in the main, but he improved over last week.The team is traveling to Atlanta on Thursday to spend time with our friends Autotrader. We’ll take part in Friday’s press day, and then enjoy racing at what is our hometown Supercross race on Saturday.”

 

Erik Kehoe: (Honda Team Manager) “We’re extremely disappointed to see Cole’s season come to an end like this. Things were going well up until this weekend. He was second in points and continuing to improve each week, so it was only a matter of time until he would have gotten a win. This is the hardest part of our sport because it never gets easy seeing one of your riders hurt. The entire team and everyone at Honda wishes Cole the best for a speedy recovery.”

Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.