Suzuki Teams Earn Championship Points on Holiday Weekend
Brea, CA – (July 8, 2024) – The RedBud National delivered great track and weather conditions for the popular round that marks the midpoint of the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross season. Traditionally taking place on the Fourth of July Holiday weekend, this year’s event lived up to the expectations of the enthusiastic crowd.
Race Highlights:
- Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance
- 450 Class
- Shane McElrath put his Suzuki RM-Z450 into the top ten in overall qualifying.
- Kyle Chisholm earned two top-fifteen starts and battled hard in both 450 motos.
- 450 Class
- Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki
- 450 Class
- Max Miller put on an impressive charge forward in the second 450 moto
- 250 Class
- Dilan Schwartz matched his season-best overall result.
- Leo Tucker earned his season-best overall and moto result.
- 450 Class
Shane McElrath (12) started the day strong with a top-ten result in the second, faster qualifying session at RedBud.
Shane McElrath (12) earned a great gate pick for the first moto after earning a top-ten overall result in morning qualifying. McElrath put that gate position to good use, crossing the holeshot stripe in ninth place. McElrath battled inside the top ten for the first half of the moto. In the second moto a mid-pack start made things tougher, but McElrath charged and earned good points to hold his spot in the championship standings.
“It was a productive day,” reported McElrath. “We made some progress, just not necessarily in the areas we needed to as far as the results go. We're definitely learning, and we have a good plan going into this week. The track was really rough, and that's really what highlighted our issues; we need to take everything we learned today and use that to make changes this week. So, back to work, and see you all in Millville.”
Kyle Chisholm (11) put his Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450’s power to good use, pulling down two top-fifteen starts at RedBud.
Kyle Chisholm (11) used good starts and consistency to deliver strong rides on the rough and rutted Michigan track. Chisholm, who does double-duty as a team test rider, continues to perform strong at RedBud, as the 11-round summer season passes its mid-point.
“Fourth of July weekend, the crowd is always great here, awesome facility, and I like the track,” summarized Chisholm. “I want to be in that 12th to 15th place range every moto. I think that’s where I should be, and I was just a little outside of that. My starts were good, that's a positive, and we’ll get ready for Millville. I really like that track, so we’ll come there and try to have a better weekend.”
Max Miller (87) put in an impressive charge in the final moto of the day.
Max Miller (87) showed strong speed in morning qualifying, and also in the final moto when the track was at its roughest.
“It was a fun day of racing at RedBud,” said Miller. “I had some issues in Moto 1, but made it to 29th place. In Moto 2, I started deep in the pack and made my way to 25th. Those are not the results we were looking for, but we’re healthy and excited for Millville!”
Dilan Schwartz (40) has been consistent in the first half of the 2024 Outdoor season.
Dilan Schwartz (40) was on point in morning qualifying and carried strong lap times into the 250 motos. Schwartz ended his day with a season-best result, for the fourth time. Schwartz has scored inside the top fifteen in four events so far this summer.
“It was an average day for me at RedBud,” said Schwartz. “In the first moto I didn’t get a great start and had to come from way back. In the second moto, I had a little better start, but I tipped over in the opening laps and had to come from the back again. We’re hoping for a better result next weekend.”
Leo Tucker (154) earned his season-best overall result for 2024 at RedBud.
Leo Tucker (154) topped his season-best moto results in Moto 1. Tucker got an even stronger result in the second moto to build momentum for the second half of the motocross season.
“The day started off solid in the first qualifying session, but unfortunately I just missed the ball in the second session when the track was faster,” admitted Tucker. “I raced my way into the motos from the LCQ. In Moto 1, had a big get off, but I got up and just pushed the whole time. Moto 2 also started solid. I was running right with the pack. Unfortunately, I had a couple bad laps in the middle of the race and lost the draft. Overall, it was a promising day on my Suzuki!”
“We didn't finish as well as we wanted to this weekend,” said Larry Brooks, Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager. “Shane McElrath finished 16th overall and Kyle Chisholm finished 22nd. We made headway this weekend; the bike’s set up was quite a bit better, but the results don't really reflect that. We will go to Millville next weekend and we're going to show them we are a top team. See you there.”
“RedBud is always a great race, and this year was no exception,” said James Coy, Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki Team Manager. “The team had another strong showing, with Leo making the national motos and Dilan fighting near the front. We’re excited to carry this momentum into Millville next weekend and continue to see our guys improve.”
The Suzuki teams look forward to another strong week of preparation as they find more speed to take to the next round. Round 7 visits another popular track with the riders: Spring Creek MX in Millville, Minnesota.
Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com for more team news.
Photos by BrownDogWilson Photography
