In the 450SX class main event at the 14th round of the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, Red Bull / KTM’s Cooper Webb went wire-to-wire for his third win of the year. Webb was joined on the podium by Rockstar / Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne (2nd)—who recorded a career-best finish—and Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac—who started way back outside the top-ten.
In the 250SX class main event, Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner took the win and shaved three points off Monster Energy / Star Racing / Yamaha Dylan Ferrandis’ lead—who finished 2nd and maintains a 10 point lead over Forkner. The two were joined on the podium by Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo in 3rd.
After the racing was over, we gathered numerous quotes from the riders talking about the fourth Salt Lake City Supercross of 2020.
Cooper Webb: (1st in 450SX) “It was a great race, I almost got the holeshot and led every lap, which is the first time I’ve been able to do that this year. Kenny was riding really well at the beginning. I made a few mistakes and we battled there for a second but I regained focus and I was able to ride my laps and ended up getting a decent lead, which is nice. I feel like the first three [rounds] we’ve been battling down to the last lap so it was cool to be able to enjoy that one a little bit more, not so stressful.”
Austin Forkner: (1st in 250SX) “We’ve been working hard at the track during our break. To be honest, this is the hottest race we’ve had and you add in the altitude, it’s not easy. It was definitely the toughest race we’ve had all season. Which makes it that much sweeter. I think we learned a lot tonight that we can continue to build on for the race on Sunday.”
Zach Osborne: (2nd in 450SX) “I feel like we’re building some momentum here. I’ve been enjoying this Salt Lake trip and I feel like I’m in a good headspace, which is good. I managed two good starts tonight and was able to come away with my second podium of the stretch here. I really felt like I was in a good position tonight and we had a good result so I’m pretty happy with it.”
Dylan Ferrandis: (2nd in 250SX) ““It was a difficult day for me. I kind of struggled to set up the bike. We had too much power and I needed to try different things to get the bike the way I wanted. The crash in Heat race didn’t help too much and I got a bad gate pick in the Main. I just put my head down and gave everything I had to finish second, which is not too bad in the big picture of the championship”
Cameron McAdoo: (3rd in 250SX) “We worked really hard in the off-time and it wasn’t always easy to keep it going when we didn’t know when we were coming back racing. But this is what it’s all about – seeing the hard work pay off. I’ve really tried to stay focused on knowing that the work I was doing would get me results and I’m really happy to be up on the podium.”
Eli Tomac: (3rd in 450SX) “I was trying to watch the front [leaders] a little bit and just claw my way forward. I was just way too buried. I went to the inside off the start and tried to play the safe game, but I was just too many guys back going into that first turn. I was buried and that’s all I had. There’s a lot of fast guys in this class so 3rd was acceptable.”
Blake Baggett: (in 450SX) “We’ve been hot and cold since we got here and we’re going to try to get a little warmer before we leave. There are still quite a few rounds left, but I gotta give it up to the Rocky Mountain / ATV/MC / FLY / WPS / KTM team. We’re working hard. We made a lot of changes but I think we’re in a good spot and we’re working in the right direction. ”
Ken Roczen: (5th in 450SX) “Coming back after two days of trying to get everything lined up again following a tough race, I had a lot more fight and felt a lot better today. I had a good heat race and was able to put up a fight at least for some of the race. I’m not 100% yet obviously, because two days unfortunately is just not enough to get everything lined up, but it was much better than the last race. We’re going to just continue fighting because this stuff is out of our hands and we have the speed and good starts and everything. We have to get my body right and I think we can be on the top step much more consistently.”
Justin Cooper: (4th in 250SX) “The conditions were very tough today. I need to rebound on Sunday to try and close the points gap. I’m definitely disappointed in my day, but we will regroup and I will come back ready and do better”
Jason Anderson: (7th in 450SX) “I felt really good in my heat race, I was riding really good and ready for the Main Event. My start in the Main was actually a good start but I just got shuffled back and then I ended up falling. It wasn’t the best finish but I worked my way back up to seventh and I’m just looking ahead to the next round.””
Michael Mosiman: (5th in 250SX) “It’s good to be back to the races!. It’s a stacked class right now with everyone healthy and it was pretty hectic out there today. Fifth on the day, I’m a little bit disappointed in my riding but I’m stoked that we get to race again soon and I’m looking forward to the next round.”
Aaron Plssinger: (7th in 450SX) “The bike started off in a way better place today. I was very happy with what we did to improve the setup. I was going through the whoops a lot better, it wasn’t kicking me around at all.. The track definitely got rough for the Main Event and the sun was shining in our eyes in parts of the track, and some parts were really dark. It also got pretty slick, but I just kept charging. I came across the first lap in 16th and ended up ninth. It was a better day for me. I broke the top 10. All we can do now is keep pushing forward”
Dean Wilson: (8th in 450) “Qualifying was pretty good, it has been recently. In the Main, I had a really bad start and I just made slow passes – coming from 17th up to eighth. It’s not a great result but the good thing is we get to try again on Sunday. I just really need to work on my starts and I think we can be in the top five.”
Alex Martin: (6th in 250SX) “It felt awesome being back at the races again. I was frustrated with my riding in practice, but I managed to turn things around in the night show with great starts and stronger riding. I’m excited to build off a great ride in the main and get that JGR Suzuki up front on Sunday.”
Justin Barcia: (22nd in 250SX) “I was having a pretty good day, better than it has been. Qualifying went alright. I was searching around a bit for sure, just trying to find that good flow. Aaron finished right behind me in the Heat race, so it seemed like we were kind of starting to figure it out a little. In the Main Event I was battling pretty hard with a lot of the guys. I got a little sideways in the whoops and then it just kicked out too crazy and the bike went flying. I dinged myself up a little, but I’m alright and will be back on Sunday. Unfortunately my bike was broken after the crash and I wasn’t able to finish the race. So that was unfortunate, but will definitely get them on Sunday.””
Broc Tickle: (17th in 450SX) “Today was a lot better than Sunday’s race for me. I felt better on the bike. I’m looking forward to making progress with my hand over the next couple days before Sunday, and gaining some confidence during these last three rounds. Thanks to the whole JGR crew for all their hard work”
Freddie Noren: (DNQ in 450SX) “It wasn’t the day I was looking for. I was sitting in a transfer spot in both the heat race and the LCQ but I fell in each. I’ll regroup and come into Sunday good. I want to say a big thank you to the whole crew.”
Malcolm Stewart: (22nd in 450SX) “Had a really good day until the main. We had a bike issue that happened so I was unable to finish. We will regroup and come back swinging.”
