JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Racing Pushes Through Challenges at Round 15
The JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Racing team tackled Round 15 of the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross series in Salt Lake City, Utah with improved starts and finishes. Broc Tickle turned an LCQ holeshot into a second-place finish, and then battled toward a top-ten on his Suzuki RM-Z450 to match a season-best. Fredrik Noren showed top form, but a mistake prevented the finish that his speed promised. Suzuki RM-Z250 rider Alex Martin had an impressive second-place finish in his heat race but was derailed by an on-track incident in the main event.
After missing a direct transfer by one spot in his heat race, Tickle pulled a holeshot in the LCQ and brought his JGR-tuned RM-Z450 in with a second-place finish. In the main, Tickle recovered from a disappointing jump off the gate and charged toward a top-ten position but had to settle for a 12th place finish, which is a step forward in Tickle's progress after a mid-season hand injury.
"Overall it was a better day on the track today,” said Tickle. “We made some changes in the right direction to give me more comfort on the bike. In the LCQ it was good to get a holeshot and get some more laps on the track."
"Tickle was feeling good but this track was tougher on his hand,” said Jeremy Albrecht, Team Manager. “He kept pushing every race to do his best and ended up 12th in the main. I know Broc can do even better at these next two rounds.”
Noren began the day with a strong start in his heat race but eventually lost the direct transfer position. In the LCQ, Noren was caught up in a first turn pile-up and immediately began his charge through the pack; ultimately missing the main by a couple of positions. Noren felt good about his progress as it reinforced that he has the speed to finish the season strong.
"It may not show but I had some good improvements this race," said Noren. "We made some small changes to the bike that I really liked and my riding is getting better. I’m really looking forward to finishing strong in the next two rounds."
In 250 West racing, Martin had a strong heat race, quickly turning a fifth-place start into a second-place position. In the main, “A-Mart” started near the front and ran most of the race inside the top-ten, but a mistake involving a crashed lapper ended his night with disappointing results. Martin remains determined to make his way up to the podium.
"I qualified better in practice and my intensity was coming around,” said Martin. “My heat race was good with a strong finish. I'm very frustrated with the main but also motivated to end the series on a high note next weekend.”
The JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki team will gear up again this Wednesday, June 17th for another 7:00 PM ET race in Salt Lake City, and is looking to focus its efforts on strong rides from each of its racers.
Photos Courtesy of Feld Entertainment, Inc.)
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.