Suzuki Teams Now Prepare for Supercross Finale
Brea, CA – (May 6, 2024) – Empower Field at Mile High hosted the penultimate round of the 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. The track’s sand section was eliminated, and the sand spread across the hardpack track to help the dry soil retain moisture through the night’s racing.
Race Highlights:
- Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance
- 450 Class
- Shane McElrath delivered his season-best heat race performance with a top-five result.
- Kyle Chisholm had great track speed on the high-altitude track.
- 450 Class
- Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki
- 250 Class
- Anthony Bourdon matched his career-best heat race result.
- Max Miller earned a season-best heat race outcome.
- 250 Class
Shane McElrath (12) topped his best 2024 heat race result on the challenging Denver soil.
Shane McElrath (12) used a top-three start in his heat race to earn a direct transfer, and a strong gate pick for the main event. In the main, McElrath put his Suzuki RM-Z450 inside the top ten for the first ten laps. McElrath was one spot outside the top ten in the closing laps when a small mistake cost him a few positions.
“I had a decent night going with a good heat race and a reasonably good main up until the last few laps,” said McElrath. “I made a mistake, jumped into the Tuff Blox, and stalled it. It took me a little bit to get going again, I was in 11th when that happened, so it was definitely frustrating and definitely a bummer. I'm happy with my effort though. When it was time to race, I felt good. We made good changes to my RM-Z today, and continue to learn. It’s bittersweet. It's been a long season; with a lot of learning, a lot of growth. I'm excited for outdoors, but I'm also not ready to be done with Supercross,” added McElrath.
Kyle Chisholm (11) had good starts and fast speed on his Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450 in the high altitude.
Kyle Chisholm (11) was one of several riders stacked up in tight formation on the final lap of the LCQ. After his challenging start, Chisholm unfortunately ran out of time in the race and missed a qualifying spot by just one place.
“Honestly it was a disappointing night for me,” admitted Chisholm. “I actually felt well. The team did a great job, my Suzuki was really good, I had mostly good starts, and yeah, I was happy with the RM-Z. I just didn't ride my best in the heat race and the LCQ and I missed the main by one position. I didn’t make it happen when it counted. We’ll keep working and try to finish strong next weekend.”
Anthony Bourdon (100) used a great start to earn a fifth-place result in his heat race aboard his Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki RM-Z250.
Anthony Bourdon (100), with his career-best heat race finish, earned a good gate pick for the main event. Unfortunately crashes in the main prevented Bourdon from bringing home another top-ten result in his rookie SX season.
“I’m disappointed about my race,” said Bourdon. “The day began well with a P7 in qualifying. I had an amazing start, P2 in the heat, and I finished fifth. Unfortunately, the main wasn’t the same; I crashed in the start. I made a good comeback ride though. I was feeling good, and with ten minutes to go I was 12th. Then I crashed a second time and had to do it all over again. I came back to P16. I am disappointed, but I will give everything for the last race.”
Max Miller (87) showed impressive speed in the thin air and on the challenging track.
Max Miller (87) and his RM-Z250 were fast from the start of the event, earning his season-best qualifying result in an A-group session. Miller carried that momentum into the heat race where he ran inside the top five. Even with a crash, Miller topped his best heat race result of the year.
“The track was tricky all day,” reported Miller. “I had a great start in the heat race but fell down while running fourth. I was able to quickly get up, and worked my way to seventh. In the main event I was caught up in the carnage and ended my race early, but there were many positives to take away from the day.”
“Shane McElrath qualified out of his heat, finishing fifth, and rode well,” reported Larry Books, Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager. “In the main event, he was in eleventh place with two laps to go when he made a mistake and stalled, finishing 18th. It’s not the result we wanted, but he did ride well. Kyle Chisholm had another weekend in which he didn’t qualify. It was a bit of a surprise to both the team and himself. Chisholm needs to work out a few things, but he definitely has the speed and the potential to be in the main event every weekend.”
“Tonight we did not end up with the results we are capable of delivering. However, there are surely positives,” said James Coy, Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki Team Manager. “We made the right call with the high-altitude setup, and both of our riders qualified great, and both were competitive in the heat races. Unfortunately, crashes ruined any chance of getting the results the riders were capable of. Our Suzuki RM-Zs are really good right now and the results will come.”
This week the Suzuki teams travel to Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah for the final Supercross of 2024 on May 11th. The Suzuki teams have delivered great performances; and now aim to wrap up the season with more strong showings with their Suzuki RM-Z race bikes.
Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com for more team news.
Photos by BrownDogWilson Photography