Suzuki Racers Card Season Highs at Millville
Brea, CA – (July 15, 2024) – Spring Creek MX in Millville, Minnesota welcomed Round 7 of the AMA Pro Motocross Series with high humidity and excellent track conditions. The event ran the 450-class races ahead of the 250-class races, which made the late-day weather change more impactful on the 250-class racers. Heavy rains arrived during the final two laps of the final 450 moto, and lightning in the area delayed the final 250 moto, which eventually wrapped up the day on a rain-saturated track.
Race Highlights:
- Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance
- 450 Class
- Shane McElrath delivered a top-ten Moto 2 result.
- Kyle Chisholm earned a season-best overall, and moved up in the championship standings.
- 450 Class
- Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki
- 450 Class
- Max Miller earned points to move into a tie with the rider one position above him in the championship.
- 250 Class
- Dilan Schwartz grabbed a career-best fifth-place overall result.
- Leo Tucker brought home a career-best moto result..
- 450 Class
Dilan Schwartz (40) delivered a career-best overall result, and the best result ever for the BarX Suzuki team, with a top-five overall at Spring Creek.
Dilan Schwartz (40) found some impressive speed in the second qualifying session, and used it toward a top ten in that session, as well as in the overall qualifying results. From there, Schwartz grabbed a top-ten result in the first 250 moto. Then a strong start in Moto 2 put the Suzuki rider in a strong position. Schwartz moved forward, reaching as high as third place in the race. When the checkered flag flew, Schwartz’s combined moto scores netted him a top-five overall result.
“It was a good weekend for me,” said Schwartz. “In the first moto I had a decent start and made some passes to end up P-10. In the second moto I had an even better start and rode really well finishing in P-6. I’m really happy with my riding this weekend, and am going to do my best to carry it into next weekend.”
Shane McElrath (12) earned his third top-ten moto finish of the season.
Twisted Tea Suzuki rider Shane McElrath (12) showed great pace from the first laps on the track, delivering a top-ten qualifying result in both sessions as well as with his overall qualifying position. McElrath finished the day strong aboard his Suzuki RM-Z450, despite the weather that came in, earning a top-ten moto result in the final 450 race of the day.
“Qualifying was a lot better for me today – a lot better speed, and a lot more intensity,” said McElrath. “I liked the track today. The hills and obstacles were definitely technical, and that's where I felt like I was best. On the flat parts where the speeds were a little bit higher, that's where I lacked a little. My starts need to be better; I’ve got to figure that out. We can be better at Washougal, so that's what we will work on.”
Kyle Chisholm (11) earned his season-best moto result in the opening moto of the day.
Kyle Chisholm (11) moved forward from a top-15 start in the opening moto to nab a season-best 450 moto finish. Chisholm ran inside the top-ten for much of the second 450 moto.
“I felt good on my RM-Z450, and I felt good on the track,” said Chisholm. “I had good starts in my motos. I wheelied a little bit on the first start, but I worked my way up to 12th and I was pretty happy with that, because I could see the top ten. My Suzuki was working really well. In the second moto, I had a good start again, and actually was around ninth or tenth for most of the moto. I used a lot of energy trying to work my way up in that first moto and was a little tired there at the end, so I lost a few spots. We could have had a top ten, but it just didn’t happen. I ended up 13th overall for the day. With Southwick, Redbud, and Millville, those are three pretty tough and rough tracks in a row, so we’re focusing on recovery this week and then have another good weekend at Washougal.”
Max Miller (87) and his Suzuki RM-Z450 delivered strong, steady rides on the Spring Creek MX track.
Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki rider Max Miller (87) nearly tied his season-best moto finish with a strong ride in the second 450 moto, even as rain poured down during the final laps.
“I had a better race weekend at Spring Creek than last week,” reported Miller. “We made some improvements. I qualified 23rd and was running 14th in Moto 1, but I fell down and finished 26th. Moto 2 was a better race; I finished 20th, giving me 23rd overall. I’m excited to carry this momentum into my home race at Washougal next weekend!”
Leo Tucker (154) began and closed the day with season-best milestones.
Leo Tucker (154) used a season-best qualifying session and overall qualifying result to earn a line on the gate for the 250 motos. Tucker capped the day with a career-best moto finish in the final race of the day.
“I put it straight in the motos from qualifying, so that was a big step in the right direction today,” reported Tucker. “In the first moto I was running about 25th when I tagged another rider’s rear wheel and slammed into the face of a jump. Unfortunately, I was pretty banged up and decided to rest up for the second moto. In the second moto, I was in 19th and passing riders until I got cross-rutted after the finish line and went down. I kept charging but crashed two more times, but we made baby steps in the right direction this weekend!”
“Shane McElrath finished 11th overall, Kyle Chisholm was 13th overall,” reported Larry Brooks, Team Manager of the Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance team. “Both riders had decent rides. They’re definitely better than these finishes, but the way the track was, ripped deep and sandy, it was difficult to pass on. It worked out to both riders finishing in the top 15. We race Washougal, Washington next weekend and we’re working for better results.”
“Today proves the decisions we have made and the work we are doing is absolutely the right direction,” noted James Coy, Team Manager of the Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki team. “Dilan’s fifth is the team’s best overall finish ever, and Leo and Max were stronger and more competitive as well. We’re happy to have this weekend to celebrate, however, we will be back at working to improve even more come Monday morning.”
The Outdoor series now heads west to the picturesque track at Washougal MX in Washougal, Washington for round eight of the 11-round summer season.
Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com for more team news.
Photos by BrownDogWilson Photography
