Round Six of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship thrilled a record crowd of 56,627 race fans inside State Farm Stadium. The track was dry and slick, and featured a massive 151-yard-long rhythm section.
Words by Suzuki Motorcycles – Images by BrownDogWilson Photography
Race Highlights:
Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki – 450 Class
- Ken Roczen won both his heat race and the main and had the packed stadium cheering on the popular rider.
Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance – 450 Class
- Shane McElrath took the win in the LCQ.
- Kyle Chisholm earned a second-place finish in the LCQ.
Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki – 450 Class
- Derek Drake pulled down a career-best 450-class heat race result.
250 Class
- Anthony Bourdon continued to impress in his first year of racing Supercross in the US.
- Max Miller moved up four positions in the Championship.
Ken Roczen (94) took over the lead in his heat race before the third corner and took the win. Roczen used the great gate pick to his advantage in the main, grabbing the holeshot and leading every lap. The crowd went wild as the popular Roczen took his second win for the Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki team.
“We finally did it,” exclaimed Roczen shortly after the race. “I struggled a little throughout the day with how hard the track was, and I didn’t feel that ready for the races. But the heat race was unreal, we had awesome speed. And then having the first gate position for the main was good; I hooked up off the start really well. I may have shut off the throttle just a tiny bit too early, but I could sneak around the inside, and I was leading front to finish. I still can’t believe we pulled it off. We did almost perfect laps and were able to put a comfortable gap on second place and just brought it home. This is an amazing night for us and the team. We rode amazingly, felt good in the main, and it was finally awesome to put the bad luck in the first turn to the side, get it done, and also close up a little bit in the championship.”
Shane McElrath (12) soldiered to a strong performance on the Glendale track despite fighting off a week-long illness. McElrath got to the main the hard way, racing the LCQ, but still managed the energy for a great ride.
“Overall it was a good race day for me today,” said McElrath. “In the heat race, I had a really good start, but was just kind of sleeping for the first little bit; I just didn’t have the intensity everybody else had. Ended up having to go to the LCQ and rode a lot better there. I felt good on the bike and ended up getting the LCQ win. In the main, I didn’t have a very good start, it was a bummer because my starts have been good. I had to get to work from the beginning. I felt good the whole race on the bike and my Suzuki was working well. I ended up making my way back to 14th and had some good passes. Yeah, it was a good main through to the end.”
Kyle Chisholm (11) was fast all day on his Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450. Chisholm grabbed the holeshot in the LCQ and led until his teammate McElrath got around him.
“Going to the night show I felt pretty confident,” said Chisholm. “I didn’t have the best start in my heat race, but I made some really good passes. I ended up tenth, but I am happy with the riding. The LCQ is always nerve-wracking, but I ripped the holeshot. My teammate Shane McElrath ended up getting by me two or three laps into it. We went 1-2, which was awesome. So I had a good couple of races and then in the main event, I just didn’t ride that well. My Suzuki was great, everything was good, I just couldn’t get into a groove. But as always, we’ll take the positives. And we have a week off, so I’ll let my body rest up and recover a little bit, get over this little sickness I’ve had for a couple of weeks, and then we’ll get back to work. I have a few ideas to work on the bike’s setup and keep making it even better.”
Derek Drake (52) continues to deliver impressive performances in his first year in the 450 Supercross class. Drake gutted out a tough race in Glendale to maintain his good standing in the title chase.
“I had a decent heat race at Glendale and got through to the main event,” recounted Drake. “Unfortunately, in the main, I tweaked my back pretty bad; I was in some pain and was unable to push forward. I’m looking forward to a weekend off and to come back strong and healthy.”
Anthony Bourdon (100) transferred directly into the main and put in a good ride to maintain a top-ten spot in the 250 West points battle.
“I was not feeling comfortable on the track. It was very technical, and I am not used to that. I am still learning every weekend and yesterday’s “learning” was what I did,” said Bourdon. “I finished 12th in the main after starting last because I broke my fork guard just before the start. I am incredibly happy to finish these first five races with a P-7 in the championship and with no injuries. I’ll return to France for a few weeks before coming back more motivated than ever for the last races of the season. I want to say a big thank you to BarX Suzuki for believing in me every time.”
Max Miller (87) was in top form from the start of the day in Glendale. After matching his career-best qualifying performance by setting the fastest lap time in both of his qualifying sessions, Miller went on to grab an eighth-place finish in his heat.
“I was happy to get into the main through the heat race,” said Miller. “The main was pretty uneventful for me. I ran smooth laps and finished 15th.”
“It was a good night,” said Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager Larry Books, shortly after the dust had settled. “Ken won his heat race and then holeshotted the main and led every lap to win; we were very happy. It was something we’ve been waiting for this year and Ken finally did it and we’re super proud of him. Shane and Kyle had to go to the Last Chance Qualifier, but they finished one-two in the LCQ. Shane put in a 14th-place finish and Kyle put in a 19th-place finish in the main. The whole team did really well. Everyone is working great together. So it was a great night and I think we should be proud of ourselves; and we’ll keep moving forward.”
“We had some ups and downs tonight,” James Coy, Team Manager of the Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki team, said, “It was great to have all three guys in the main event after a slow start in qualifying. On a night when Suzuki won the 450 main event, I feel like we could have been closer to the front. We will keep working to improve and surely will make the most of the weekend off coming up.”
The Supercross season takes a one-weekend break then returns with Round 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Suzuki riders and team members will be ready for more strong performances – and main event wins – when the gate drops in Texas.
