RM-Z250 Kyle Peters Records Best Finish and 450SX Champion Chad Reed Celebrates 37th Birthday
Huntersville, NC (March 18, 2019) – The JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Team headed to Indianapolis, Indiana this past weekend for round 11 of the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Championship and the sixth stop of the 250 Eastern Regional Supercross Series. Despite a series of unfortunate events in the “Race Capital of the World,” the 250 and 450 teams all qualified strong and charged hard throughout the night.
RM-Z250 rider Kyle Peters earned his best finish in the 250 main event after logging strong results in qualifying. Peters attacked the high-speed track with control and speed. After leading the pack for seven laps, Peters was passed but still managed to finish third in his heat. In the 250 main, he came through the first turn in fourth and held a top-five position for 13 laps. Peters finished in sixth place which marked the best finish of his Supercross season.
Teammate Alex Martin was hopeful to have a breakout performance in Indianapolis as the Suzuki RM-Z250 rider recorded the second-fastest lap in daytime qualifying and finished third in his 250 heat race. Although luck was not on A-Mart’s side in the main, he is never one to quit. After getting tangled with several riders in the first turn, he dug deep and moved up to ninth after being in last place for several laps. The gutsy ride helped Martin maintain his notable fourth place standing in the overall points.
“I was super happy to qualify second in practice,” said Martin. “It was the most comfortable I felt before on a super rutted track. I had a great start in the main, but got sandwiched and fell in the first turn. It was damage control and bittersweet, because I had the speed and capabilities to be on the podium.”
Two-time 450 Supercross Champion Chad Reed celebrated his 37th birthday over the weekend and looked to continue rewriting the history books. Racing his RM-Z450 in custom birthday graphics, Reed qualified ninth-fastest in the daytime sessions and fourth in his heat race. After a bad start in the 450 main, the Australian collided with another rider and fell. Reed charged his way up from the back of the pack to 11th when the checkers flew.
Teammate Justin Hill was determined to ride the wave of confidence after earning a season-best the prior weekend in Daytona. The Suzuki RM-Z450 rider looked extremely comfortable in his first timed practice. Although he improved during the final session, Hill was bumped back to fifth in combined times. The 23-year-old finished eighth in his heat race and hovered around the top-ten during the early laps in the 450 main. While executing a tricky triple jump, Hill touched the back of another rider and crashed, finishing in a disappointing 14th place.
“In the 450 class, Hill qualified well,” said Jeremy Albrecht, Team Manager. “It was cool to see him do jumps that no one else was doing. Unfortunately, he came together with another rider in the main event and crashed.”
The JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Team will travel to Centurylink Field in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, March 23rd for the 12th round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. This will also serve as the seventh round of the 250 West Regional Supercross series.
About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
About JGRMX: Joe Gibbs Racing Motocross (JGRMX), based in Huntersville, NC, was founded in 2007 by Coy Gibbs, son of NFL Hall of Fame head coach and multi-time NASCAR Championship winning team owner Joe Gibbs. JGRMX competes in both the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series as well as the Monster Energy Supercross series with support from Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. aboard Suzuki RM-Z250 and RM-Z450 race machines.
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for 65 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket. Yoshimura exhaust systems are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit, and quality that has been their trademark for six decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.
