Photos by: Simon Cudby

Round nine of the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, round three of the Eastern Regional 250SX Championship and round two of the “Triple Crown” format went to Atlanta, Georgia’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time ever.

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In the 450SX class, Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac came into Atlanta on a two-race win streak, but Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson ended Eli’s streak with consistent 2-1-4 scores for 1st overall on the night. Finishing on the podium with Jason were the two usual suspects, Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin (4-5-1) with his fourth-straight 2nd place finish and Tomac (5-3-2) in third.

In the third 250SX East round and their first “Triple Crown” of the season Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner (4-2-3) made it two wins in a row. Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne (1-3-5) grabbed the second spot on the podium, and Troy Lee Desigs / KTM’s Jordon Smith scored his first podium of ’18 with a third overall.

After the six main events and the podium celebrations were over at round 9, we gathered some quotes from riders to get their thoughts on their first time inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

450 podium from Atlanta. Photo by: Garth Milan / Ryne Swanberg

Jason Anderson: (1st in 450SX) “I was really able to pull through for the races. Practice didn’t go as well as I had hoped, but I pulled through. I was consistent during the races–that’s what helped the most. The whoops were sketchy, but I had enough of a cushion in the last main to not have to push it so hard and still come out with the overall.”

 

Austin Forkner: (1st in 250SX) “Tonight went really well. The track conditions here in Atlanta got really rough and rutted which made for some very technical racing. I had a blast racing this track and I’m so pumped to get another win. It went quick, much quicker than it seems on TV. I wasn’t really bummed with that 4th in the first moto ’cause I knew it was about consistency. The last time they had it [Triple Crown], it was like 1-5-3 and that won. I knew that if I could get consistent top fives or top threes I would be on the podium. That was my goal and I got top five every moto.”

 

Marvin Musquin: (2nd in 450SX) “It was a great track; the dirt was amazing and they made it super technical. I had the fastest qualifying time in the afternoon, which is awesome but my starts were not so good tonight. It’s really frustrating when you know you have the speed and you’re behind those guys. Luckily, I was able to regroup for the last moto and we put ourselves in a better position off the start, I was more outside and I was top three right away. I was really happy about my riding tonight except for the starts in the first two motos. It was great to put myself on the 2nd overall, which is good considering my first two results of the night. I’m losing points on the championship [to Jason Anderson] – that is the bad point of today – but the riding is good.”

 

Zach Osborne: (2nd in 250SX) “The three race format was definitely a bit hectic. I kept getting in little pileups the first few laps, which set me back a bit. I’m going to focus on getting my starts dialed so I can run up front in the coming weeks. I’m excited for Daytona, and I hope to be in the top-five.”

 

Eli Tomac: (3rd in 450SX) “These triple-crown races are very intense and at times dangerous. So to make it out of here healthy and on the box is a positive. The track broke down a little bit more each race. For us, we didn’t get the starts tonight to be competitive. That really hurt us in the first moto. That was a bummer, but it’s racing. I’m glad to get through it healthy. The three starts with all of us out there is pretty gnarly. We’ll keep moving on to next weekend. ”

 

Jordon Smith: (3rd in 250SX) “It feels really good to finally break through and put the team on the podium back east. I’ve had some interesting final laps the first two races and this format allowed me to show that I can run with the guys up front. It was even more special to do it at my hometown race. I’ve been getting more and more comfortable as the season moves on and would love to back this up in Daytona.”

Austin Forkner (center) backed up his first ever win in Tampa with the overall win in Atlanta. Photo by: Garth Milan / Ryne Swanberg

Justin Brayton: (4th in 450SX) “That was great to get that first main event win. It was so cool. Just really really special to have my family and my kids here. They got to see daddy on the big screen. It’s funny with life and the things that matter the most. That was really special. To get 4th overall is pretty good, but after you win one you definitely want to be on the podium overall. It was a solid night. I can’t discredit that win, it was really special.”

 

RJ Hampshire: (4th in 250SX) “This weekend was opposite from the first two rounds. I actually felt like I had the speed to make something happen with a good start but my starts were just terrible. I felt good on my bike and probably made less mistakes all day then what I did in just the main event from round 1. Focus on the positives and get ready for next weekend!”

 

Christian Craig: (5th in 450SX) “I hate to see anyone get hurt, especially someone so close to me. Cole is like a brother to me, and also someone I look up to, so it was such a bummer to see him get hurt. But it opened the door for me to ride in the 450 class and gave me an opportunity put in some better results than I had last year on the 450. I had a couple days on the bike and just came into it with an open mind. I didn’t have any expectations except to be proud of myself and how I rode. I think that showed in how I performed. All day was solid. I had some decent qualifying and just went into the night show confident in myself. I’ve been working a lot on the mental side of things so it’s time to finally show it. I led a lot of laps tonight, both in the first and last motos. Being up front with those guys isn’t something you can practice for; you have to just do it and learn from it. It was fun to ride with those top guys. I’m looking forward to next weekend in Daytona and am hoping to keep building off tonight. Fifth is a personal best for me, so I’m pretty happy with this, but on the other hand I’m hungry for more.”

 

Jeremy Martin: (5th in 250SX) “Total roller coaster of a day in Atlanta. Had a massive get off in practice that left me hurting pretty bad. Going into the evening program of the Triple Crown format, I was pretty shaken up but was able to race the track and get better with each race to come out with the final moto win on the night. I finally got clear track and was able to ride my lines and race for once. Rode really strong until four laps to go then cruised it into the finish. Big step for me and the GEICO Honda team!”

 

Cooper Webb: (6th in 450SX) “Since I was 5 years old, I’ve been going to Atlanta SX and it was a dream come true to race it last night! I had a great night racing the “Triple Crown.” 14-2-3 for 6th overall. Felt great to be battling for a win and back on the podium twice. Really wish I wouldn’t have had that crash with a couple guys in main event 1, but very happy with my riding! Thank you to all awesome southern fans this weekend for the support. On to Daytona.”

Justin Hill was 2nd fastest in 450 qualifying but we are hearing he may have suffered a broken foot in a crash during the race.

Kyle Peters: (7th in 250SX) “After riding press day I felt really comfortable coming into the race. I knew after practice that I was flowing much better than the two previous weekends. In the first main, I rode defensively and wasn’t pushing forward. I had a better start in the second main and worked up to seventh. That was a step in the right direction. I nailed an awesome start in the third main event, but cramped up in the end. I salvaged a seventh for seventh overall, which is a positive. It was nice to have the hometown crowd, and our friends from Autotrader there supporting us.”

 

Dean Wilson: (8th in 450SX) “The three race format was definitely a bit hectic. I kept getting in little pileups the first few laps, which set me back a bit. I’m going to focus on getting my starts dialed so I can run up front in the coming weeks. I’m excited for Daytona, and I hope to be in the top-five.”

 

Martin Davalos: (8th in 250SX) “Today started really well. I felt strong and fast on the track all day, but mistakes held me back all night from finishing well. I’m disappointed, but we’ll keep our head up and move on to next weekend.”

 

Malcolm Stewart: (9th in 450SX) “The day went reasonably well. I finished inside the top-10 in the first two main events, but I struggled off the start in the last main. I had a few big mistakes. I regrouped and came away with ninth overall. I’m happy with that, and going in the right direction. I have a few things to work on. Truth be told, I’m definitely not a fan of the Triple Crown at this race, and the stadium was tough. The track was tight, and there was a lot of carnage.”

 

Jimmy Decotis: (10th in 250SX) “I liked the Triple Crown format. I charged forward in the final main event and moved up at the end of the race, which is a big positive. I’ll take that and move ahead to this next weekend. I need to get up there and be where I belong, but things change quickly in racing. I’m looking forward to Daytona and I like how demanding it is. The Suzuki RM-Z250 is tailor made for an event like that. I’m a sand guy, too.”

Dylan Ferrandis suffered a broken jaw and broken arm in a crash in Atlanta. Get well soon!

Weston Peick: (12th in 450SX) “Atlanta was not a good race for me. I literally ejected off the face of the triple in practice. I don’t know if I caught a Tuff Block with my foot or with my handlebars. My front end was ripped out of my hands. It was so fast that I don’t know what happened. I landed on both feet and jacked up my left heel and right shoulder pretty badly. I pulled off early in the final practice session and forgot that it was the Triple Crown format, so I had to go to the LCQ. I won and got a bit of a flow. In the first main event, I had a good start, but another rider crashed into me. I had two good starts in the final mains and finished inside the top ten. It was not the night we wanted, but after the crash I had in practice I was happy to get out of the building in 12th overall.”

 

Dylan Ferrandis: (DNS ‘crash’ in 250SX) “Had a bad crash at Atlanta supercross. Hit a tuff blocks at the take off of a triple, broken arm and broken teeth. Don’t know yet about my jaw. Quick stop to France to get big check up and surgeries.”

 

Kyle Chisholm: (13th in 450SX) “It was an up and down night for me, literally. I crashed in the first Main on the first lap really hard. A rider didn’t jump in front of me so I swerved and landed on the tuff blocks and went straight over the bars into the next jump. In the third Main I was making some passes and just before lap 2 my back tire missed the rut on a double and I high sided really bad and got clipped by another bike. I ended up coming back to 13th both times with the bike being tweaked. Overall I’m happy with my riding besides the crashes, and still looking for the Top 10.”

 

Sean Cantrell: (14th in 250SX) “The triple crown format is very chaotic and it seemed like whenever someone went down, I just happened to be right there and got held up. This was a good learning experience so we know what to expect next time in Minneapolis. For now, we’ll put this one behind us and look forward to the next round in Daytona. With the more outdoor style of the track, I’m excited to change it up and experience my first Daytona.”

 

Tyler Bowers: (14th in 450SX) “We made some improvements this weekend. We’re getting better and better with every week and I can’t thank the team enough for all their support. I’m looking forward to Daytona.”

Marvin Musquin (25) finished 2nd for the fourth-straight weekend. Photo by: Simon Cudby

Cameron Mcadoo: (15th in 250SX) “Atlanta was just all around a rough day for me starting off with a pulled groin at the very beginning of the day and ending the night with a crash in the third main. I was cross jumped over the triple and it was a scary crash. Now I’ve broken my metacarpal bone worse than it already was. I will be seeing a doctor this week for further evaluation as to when I will be back racing, hopefully sooner rather than later.”

 

Broc Tickle: (19th in 450SX) “All around it was a tough night once racing started. Basically, out of three starts I had three crashes, so not a good night. Not sure what ladder I walked under this week as I feel like I just kept having bad luck with every race. It’s definitely not how I wanted my Atlanta Supercross to go. It’s such a shame because I had a good week training and made some positive bike set-up changes. I was really happy with how it all went this week so definitely not the results I was expecting tonight.”

 

Justin Hill: (22nd in 450SX) “The day went well, all of the way up to the first main event. I lost focus on the start and was caught up in a lot of garbage in the second rhythm section. A rider crashed in front of me, and I got caught in the carnage. Then I went over the bars and my bike was tweaked up. I feel like I could have held the lead pace off, because it wasn’t that intense. In the second main, I had an outside gate choice, but I started working through the field. I was making a lot of time on the triple-triple section, because I don’t think anyone else was doing it. Unfortunately, I cross-rutted off the face and it pulled the handlebars right out of my hands. I made the split-second decision to bail. It would have been really bad if I had tried to ride it out. I landed feet-first, and because there was another jump right after that I couldn’t land and fold up. I’m lucky in that I had great boots on that saved my ankles from serious damage. I’m happy, overall, because I rode well up to that point and showed good speed. I am excited for the future and to take the next step.”

Author

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