Photos by: Chase Yocom

The 2017 Glendale SX is officially in our rear-view-mirror and what a memory it is. With HRC / Honda’s Ken Roczen sidelined with a broken arm, it was time for someone to step up and claim the alpha spot in the 450SX class. From the drop of the 450SX main event gate, the person that seemed to want the spot most was Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac.

After a dismal start to 2017, Eli grabbed a very rare holeshot and went wire-to-wire for his first win of 2017. While Eli disappeared to a dominant win, behind him was some of the best racing in years. In the end, Monster Energy / Yamaha’s Chad Reed wowed the crowd with a second place finish and his 131st career podium, while Red Bull / KTM’s Ryan Dungey stretched his points lead to fifteen with a third on the night.

In the 250SX class, Troy Lee Designs / KTM’s Shane McElrath got to the front early and looked poised to score his third win in the first four main events of 2017. Behind him, though, Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Justin Hill was lurking. With the laps winding down, Hill made a stellar charge to steal the win from the #38 and close the Championship points gap to just four points. Joining Justin and Shane on the podium for the first time in his young career was Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner.

Eli Tomac shoot off his funk and got after it in Glendale.
Eli Tomac shoot off his funk and got after it in Glendale.

If Saturday night was any indication, 2017 is going to be an incredible year of racing. Check out quotes from a number of top riders from the 2017 Glendale SX.

Justin Hill: (1st in 450SX) “I pushed hard and around the halfway mark. I knew I was inching up on the leader, I was hitting my marks and riding well. My mechanic was doing really well at getting me my times and keeping me up on where I was at. I dropped the lead down to about four seconds and then the leader tangled with a couple lappers and I reeled up on him and I thought, this is it, I’m going to do it! Even after the race I was talking with my family and still couldn’t believe I did that. I did it, it was so cool!”

 

Eli Tomac: (1st in 450SX) “We came into this weekend feeling really positive. We changed a lot in the week leading up to the weekend, both on the bike and myself. I wasn’t impressed with the results I was getting, so we needed a change and it worked. After tonight’s performance, I truly feel like I’m back to my normal self and I can’t wait for next weekend.”

 

Martin Davalos: (5th in 250SX) “Today was good. It was the best I’ve felt all year. I had a good heat race, but lost my momentum a little bit in the main and the guys up front were just too far gone so I ended up fifth. I’m going to work harder on getting a better start in the main and just going to stay positive and keep doing what I’m doing.”

Chad Reed scored his record 131st podium.
Chad Reed scored his record 131st podium.

Chad Reed: (2nd in 450SX) “What I was hoping would happen, happened. I want to say Dungey passed Seely, and I saw Seely going in for the dive bomb and thought, “Yes!” (laughs) Then I just tried to put myself in a position that I could still maintain going 3-3-3, and that allowed me to kind of jump right up on those guys and take advantage of it. I tried not to clean Cole out but get right up there and be aggressive. I want to say, Dunge got me back that same lap and I had to make the pass again. Once I made the pass, I tried to be solid. I tried to put my head down and tried to see where Eli [Tomac] was. I couldn’t believe how far ahead he was. The carrot wasn’t there, so you just had to look at your pit board and go off your lap times.”

 

Shane McElrath: (2nd in 450SX) “We overcame a lot of adversity today. I had been riding a little cautious and wanted to have that fire again. That race should have been mine, but you do need to be careful when you come up on lappers and aren’t sure what they are going to do. I’m thankful we’re safe after going down in the heat race.”

 

Justin Brayton: (6th in 450SX) “The day overall was a lot better. The first three rounds were really a struggle. I just wasn’t that comfortable on the bike. We weren’t really that far off, but at this level you really gotta be feeling it. Tonight was good. The team has been awesome and super supportive. We hit on some stuff this week that made me feel really comfortable, so I came here with a lot of confidence. I got good starts and that always helps. I’m thankful to kind of turn my season around, and excited to put in the work this week. Not be searching around for stuff to make me more comfortable. Just do my motos and keep building.”

Justin Hill is trying to take over the 250SX West.
Justin Hill is trying to take over the 250SX West.

Christophe Pourcel: (18th in 450SX) “The track was pretty beat up. It was hard packed and very slippery. It was super tricky and had a couple big sections so it was tough to get comfortable. The whoops were pretty sketchy. I couldn’t really find my rhythm today. I just rode my own race and I’m hoping for a better night soon.”

 

Austin Forkner: (3rd in 250SX) “The race was good. I rode a lot better than I have been, more consistent and didn’t make mistakes. I was really confident in my starts, back to back weekends I’ve earned both holeshots in the heat and main. With starts like that I knew I was going to be up there and thought if someone gets by I just need to relax, figure out what they’re doing better than me and use it to be better. I knew I needed to not make mistakes like I did in the heat where I cased the triple trying to pass someone back. I tried to ride smooth and fast, I’m really happy with how I opened the race and I held the lead for a few laps which is definitely the best I’ve done so far.”

 

Ryan Dungey: (3rd in 450SX) [On his race with Chad Reed]”I knew there was a Yamaha behind me. I didn’t know if it was Chad, but I got a glimpse of the scoreboard. He was behind me for a while. I could here him and he was right there. I watched the semi and he [Chad] was really good in the whoops. I was like, “Alright, I got to get these down so he doesn’t come up the inside.” So I set my sights on trying to make the pass on [Cole] Seely. Which I was able to and that was good. But in the sand, he took the position back and we went into the next corner and Seely slid and I boxed in down that whole next rhythm lane and there went Chad. Chad was riding good. I don’t want to say it was just a matter of when he was going to pass us, but he was going to be there the whole way.”

Ryan Dungey had his worst finish of 2017--a 3rd--but still stretched his lead in the Championship to 15.
Ryan Dungey had his worst finish of 2017–a 3rd–but still stretched his lead in the Championship to 15.

Jimmy Decotis: “Started the night out with a solid third place in the heat race. Grabbed another great start in the main event starting second. My first five laps were really bad. I struggled with the section after the second triple. I couldn’t execute the roll-triple-triple and it cost me huge. Really struggled in the main event. I take full responsibility for my results with some bad racing decisions. Good thing we go racing again in six days and everyone will forget about this race. Going to make some adjustments this week and come back next weekend with an open mind and leave this weekend in the past.”

 

Cole Seely: (4th in 450SX) “It was a tough race track tonight and I was really concentrating on riding well but not making mistakes,” said Seely. “Fourth isn’t anything to be mad at but after being on the podium last weekend, I really want to be back up there. We’ll see what happens next week.”

 

Josh Grant: (12th in 450SX) “There are a lot of positives to take out of last night. My KX™450F got me great starts all night again, putting me in a great position early in the race. I’m getting stronger and building off every weekend. It’s a long season and I’m looking forward to every time I get on the bike.”

Malcolm Stewart looked poised to run near the front, but a moment with Davi Millsaps left him picking up his bike.
Malcolm Stewart looked poised to run near the front, but a moment with Davi Millsaps left him picking up his bike.

Jason Anderson: (10th in 450SX) “I’m lucky to be able to be riding today. I wasn’t able to ride once this week, and I wasn’t able to work out. I’m just going to work at it and try and be better for the next round.”

 

Broc Tickle: (13th in 450SX) “I was really looking forward to Phoenix. My practice mechanic and I drove out early and had a couple really good days of practice. I hadn’t raced in the new stadium so I was really stoked about the weekend. I was 10th in the first practice but I had some issues in the second. I came up short on a jump in the rhythm section and took a little tumble. It was frustrating because I had such a good week leading up to the race. I’ll just keep working away and stay focused so we can have a better night in Oakland.”

 

Davi Millsaps: (5th in 450SX) “It was definitely good. It was definitely a step in the right direction for me. I git a good start, but then I blew it—which sucked. Those guys were going fast and were on a mission tonight. I rode cautious in the beginning and took a long time to get going. That part sucks but, all in all, we made a lot of good improvements on my bike. I felt way more comfortable than I had the last three weekends. For me to come in here and doing what I did and finishing strong, it’s a confidence booster. “

Author

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