Suzuki Athletes Continue to Pick Up Steam at Round Four
BREA, Calif., January 31, 2022 — Supercross athlete Carson Mumford and his BarX/Chaparral Suzuki RM-Z250 charged to another top ten finish at round four of the Monster Energy Supercross series. Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance athlete Brandon Hartranft finessed his Suzuki RM-Z450 to his career-best 450 supercross finish. Teammate Justin Bogle tallied his best finish of the season and Adam Enticknap turned heads at the top of his qualifying session. Despite strong riding in qualifying, BarX/Chaparral Suzuki's Dilan Schwartz's night was cut short by a first turn crash at the second of three 2022 visits to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
Carson Mumford (43) earned his third top ten result at Anaheim 2.
Carson Mumford continues to impress on the BarX/Chaparral Suzuki. After getting pinched off at the start and rounding the first corner well outside the top ten, Mumford laid down fast laps and sliced through the pack. He reached eighth place by the time the checkered flag came out. It was his third top ten result this year. The night’s points moved him up one position in the championship standings.
“I stayed clear of the carnage and tried to ride my own race,” said Mumford after the racing. “I struggled with one of the rhythm sections, but overall had a solid night getting a P8 and moving into seventh in points. I’m ready for the Triple Crown next weekend.”
Brandon Hartranft (41) earned his career-best supercross finish and jumped up three positions in the championship points standings.
Brandon Hartranft launched into the middle of the pack at the start of the 450 main. He fought into the top ten on the opening lap as the field scrapped for every inch of the track. His consistent laps aboard his Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450 earned him a career-best supercross finish.
"In the main event I had a decent start, made some block passes and then just stayed at around eleventh or twelfth," Hartranft explained. "It’s the best I've ridden this year and I feel like I still have more in me. It's been consistent progress since Anaheim one. And it's only round four, so we aren’t done yet!"
Justin Bogle (19) raced up front for his best finish of the season at Anaheim 2.
Justin Bogle rebounded from early season challenges and put up his best finish of the season. The Twisted Tea Suzuki racer launched his RM-Z450 into a top ten start and battled for the duration of the main event.
"I ended up fourteenth. That's not where we want to be, but we've got something to start from and we'll take it. I'm happy with that," said Bogle. "Moving forward, we at least have something to springboard off of and we'll try to put in some consistent, good main events."
Adam Enticknap (722) started the day with the fastest lap in his qualifying group.
Twisted Tea Suzuki athlete Adam Enticknap was strong early in the day. Unfortunately, he ran into trouble in the heat race and LCQ and could not convert his strong lap times into a transfer spot.
"I got second place in free practice and then pole in first timed practice," said Enticknap. "The results didn't show what was going on. I feel like I made a lot of strides in the right direction. I'm definitely gaining a lot of confidence from this race and feeling more like “me” every single week on the bike and on the track."
Dilan Schwartz (40) had his night cut short after a crash in his heat race.
Supercross sophomore BarX/Chaparral Suzuki's Dilan Schwartz showed speed through the qualifying sessions and earned a good gate pick. Although a good gate pick, Schwartz hit the dirt hard as the field funneled into the first corner of his heat race.
"It was a tough day, but I felt like the night show was going to be good," explained Schwartz.
"I had a little first turn crash and landed on my shoulder wrong. We're going to get it checked out and hopefully be back for next weekend."
"Brandon continues to set new career highs and his riding has continued to progress throughout the first part of the season. I’m happy with his mindset and confidence throughout race day. It's a total 180 compared to the young rookie we had last season," said Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager Dustin Pipes. "Justin fought through a tough race to finish with a solid result. More steps in the right direction. We’ll continue to test and get better throughout the week with the goal of continued improvements."
Brandon Hartranft, Adam Enticknap and Justin Bogle with actress and singer Dylan Conrique.
The Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance racers got some extra media airtime the day before the race by teaching actress and singer Dylan Conrique the basics of two-wheeled riding. She took the opportunity to get some seat time before singing the National Anthem to kick off the Saturday racing.
The teams head east for the first 2022 supercross outside of California. The Glendale, Arizona round will be the first of three Triple Crown events that changes qualifying and race format. Three main events replace qualifying and a single main event. Suzuki’s athletes will put their speed and consistency to good use, look forward to better results, and more movement up the championship leader board.
For team news, please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com.
Photos by BrownDogWilson Photography