Alex Martin Gains Championship Points in Supercross Standings
JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Racing Battles in 450 and 250 West Class at Round 14
Brea, CA (June 11, 2020) – The JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Racing team continued the tough battle at the fourth consecutive event inside Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah for round 14 of the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross series. Alex Martin returned for 250 West Coast racing with a top-ten finish on his Suzuki RM-Z250, securing fifth place in championship points standings. Broc Tickle showed improved speed on his Suzuki RM-Z450 as his broken hand improves while a race incident kept teammate Fredrik Noren from a strong finish after grabbing the holeshot in the LCQ.
“A-Mart” proved he was ready to get back to racing and showed aggressive speed throughout the day. In the main event, Martin crossed the holeshot line in fifth place, quickly moving up to fourth and charging hard while the pack was tight. Although a small mistake with another rider cost him momentum, A-Mart fought-hard to bring his JGR-tuned Suzuki home in sixth. Sitting in a solid top-five position in the title points, the finish slightly closed the gap to fourth-place in the standings.
"It felt awesome being back at the races again,” said Martin. “I was frustrated with my riding in practice, but I managed to turn things around in the night show with great starts and stronger riding. I'm excited to build off a great ride in the main and get that JGR Suzuki up front on Sunday.”
"Alex rode solid all day," said Jeremy Albrecht, Team Manager. "He made a few mistakes that kept him from a top-five finish. We have positives from today and some things to improve on. Starts were good, we just need to work on consistency and race management."
Tickle started off strong and consistent in qualifying and progressed his way up into the main event. Although a mid-pack start in the main held him back from showing how far his hand injury has improved, Tickle continued to push through the pain. He is looking to gain confidence and end the season strong.
"Today was a lot better than Sunday's race for me,” said Tickle. “I felt better on the bike. I’m looking forward to making progress with my hand over the next couple days before Sunday, and gaining some confidence during these last three rounds. Thanks to the whole JGR crew for all their hard work."
“Fast Freddie” grabbed the holeshot in the LCQ and was riding a front-pack pace, eager for a transfer position into the main. Unfortunately, Noren clipped another rider and was unable to quickly remount. Luckily, Freddie did not re-aggravate his ankle injury in the crash and his healing will be further along at Sunday's race.
"It wasn’t the day I was looking for,” said Noren. “I was sitting in a transfer spot in both the heat race and the LCQ but I fell in each. I’ll regroup and come into Sunday good. I want to say a big thank you to the whole crew.”
"Freddie showed speed, but mistakes and crashes held him back tonight. Freddie just needs to smooth out and he will be where he wants to be," added Albrecht.
The riders take to the track again on Sunday, June 14th at 7:00 PM ET in Salt Lake City for round 15 of the series.
Photos by Feld Entertainment, Inc.