Team Suzuki Press Office – February 18.
Chad Reed [450 Class, 11th Place]
Justin Hill [450 Class, 13th Place]
Kyle Peters [250 Class, 7th Place]
Alex Martin [250 Class, 8th Place]
The JGRMX/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Team headed South to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas at the weekend for round seven of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship.
RM-Z250 rider, Kyle Peters, stunned the crowd in the 250 East Regional main event with a massive holeshot on his way to a strong top-10 result. His 250 East teammate, Alex Martin, was running near the front when he was knocked to the ground by another rider. Martin remounted and fought back to get within the top-10. Two-time 450 Supercross Champion Chad Reed holeshot his heat race and finished 11th while teammate Justin Hill carded the second quickest qualifying lap of the evening, and took an impressive second place in his heat race.
After four months off his new RM-Z250 while recovering from knee reconstruction, Peters is finding his groove. That was evident in Texas, as the North Carolina native holeshot the 22-rider main event in front of 57,614 fans. Peters battled through tightness on a demanding track before finishing seventh.
RM-Z250 teammate, Martin, continues to show speed and comfort. Martin was sixth fastest in combined qualifying times and took third in his heat race. However, A-Mart was taken out in the main pushing him back in the field. Martin managed a disappointing eighth place by the checkers.
Though his team’s overall results weren’t what he hoped for, JGR Suzuki Team Manager Jeremy Albrecht noted many positives on the evening. “The 250 guys qualified well. Alex Martin felt good on the bike. He loves the Suzuki RM-Z250. I think he would have finished inside the top-five, had he not been knocked down. It was super cool that Kyle Peters got the holeshot. He’s looking for better results.”
Veteran Reed was set to continue his streak of strong results in his hall of fame career. The Australian used the power of his RM-Z450 to holeshot his heat race, led a lap, and finished fifth. He finished 11th in the main.
After being sidelined for two races due to injury, Hill made his return to Supercross. The Oregon native qualified second-fastest in combined qualifying and carried that speed into his heat race, when he finished second. Looking for a strong main after a rough season to date, Hill had a great start, but was pushed wide in the first turn. While inside the top-10, another rider made contact with Hill. After remounting following the crash, Hill was able to climb into 13th.
Not showing the results he knows he’s capable of, Hill remains resolute. “I’m fired up. I have the speed, and I feel like I’m making major improvements with my starts, as well as my intensity in the opening laps.”
The JGRMX/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Team will travel to Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday, February 23rd for the eighth round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. This will also serve as the third round of the 250 East Regional Supercross series.
Kyle Peters [250 Class, 7th Place]:
“Overall, I made improvements from the opening round in Minneapolis. I felt better in practice. We did some testing this past week and made some quality changes. Having said that, I’m still not where I want to be. I am better than my finish shows. I had a good start in my heat race, but then I slid a bit in the first turn and almost crashed. I figured things out for the main event and got a nice holeshot. Then I rode a bit tentative in the opening laps and got tight. From there, I had to play catch-up, trying to relax and breathe. We will keep working until we’re up on the box again. I’m excited for the Triple Crown in Detroit.”
Alex Martin [250 Class, 8th Place]:
“It was nice to be back racing in Texas for the first time in three years. Practice went well. I qualified sixth again, like last weekend. I was really happy with my riding and passed into third place in my heat race. I double-clutched the RM-Z250 off the start and came out just inside the top-10. I was up to eighth on the second lap when [Mitchell] Oldenburg cleaned me out in a left-handed bowl turn. I struggled to get going again and salvaged an eighth-place finish. I’m not happy with the end result, but I’m feeling really great on the bike. I can’t wait for Detroit!”
Chad Reed [450 Class, 11th Place]:
“It was a tough weekend. The speed wasn’t there for some reason. I’m disappointed in my performance. I know that I’m better than 11th place. We will work on some things this week and then hopefully come out swinging in Detroit.”
Justin Hill [450 Class, 13th Place]:
“I’m fired up. I have the speed, and I feel like I’m making major improvements with my starts, as well as my intensity in the opening laps. It’s time to get it done. I’m sick of looking at these dudes talk on the podium. It needs to be me now.”
Jeremy Albrecht [Team Manager]:
“The 250 guys qualified well. Alex Martin felt good on the bike. He loves the Suzuki RM-Z250. I think he would have finished inside the top five, but he got hit by another rider and went down. Alex fought the whole race. It was super cool that Kyle Peters got the holeshot. He’s looking for better results.”
“Justin Hill qualified very well. He finished second in his heat race and was feeling really good. He just didn’t have the intensity in the opening few laps of the main event. [Justin] Barcia took out his front wheel and he fell. That bent his bike up, and he couldn’t ride how he wanted to. Chad Reed had a tougher day than he has had in a while. He did get a holeshot, which was awesome. He was just off all day.”
