Suzuki Teams In The Mix at Round One
Brea, CA – (May 28, 2024) – The AMA Pro Motocross Championship kicked off its 11-round season under great weather conditions at Fox Raceway in Pala, California. With one weekend off from the recently-wrapped Supercross series, the Suzuki teams quickly adapted to the MX format of two 30-minute plus two-lap motos. The Pala National track was rutted and high-speed, and delivered great racing.
Race Highlights:
- Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance
- 450 Class
- Shane McElrath earned a top-15 result in the second moto.
- Kyle Chisholm kicked off his season marking his 20th year as a professional motocross racer.
- 450 Class
- Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki
- 450 Class
- Max Miller moved up to the 450 class for the Outdoor motocross series.
- 250 Class
- Dilan Schwartz was impressive in his first gate drop of 2024.
- Preston Boespflug kicked off his first full season of professional motocross.
- Anthony Bourdon competed in the opening Motocross round after an impressive first U.S. Supercross season.
- Leo Tucker debuted as a pro racer with the BarX Suzuki team.
- 450 Class
Shane McElrath (12) picked up speed between motos at the opening round of the Outdoor series.
Shane McElrath (12) put down fast laps in qualifying and ended the day strong with a top-15 result in moto 2. McElrath earned a top-20 overall result from the opening round aboard his Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450.
“We really had only about six days on the bike with the motocross set-up,” said McElrath. “It was a tough first moto; we were far off and we’re searching a bit right now for the best motocross settings. We are working together as a team. It was a tough day, but it was necessary for the team to move forward and to figure this out. I’m excited about testing more this week, and racing next weekend. Physically, I felt good today.”
Kyle Chisholm (11) raced his first pro MX race in 2004, twenty years ago, an impressive record of longevity in the competitive ranks of pro motocross.
Kyle Chisholm (11) displayed great speed on the Fox Raceway track. Chisholm climbed through the pack after a first-lap incident in each moto.
“They didn’t rip the track super deep this year and it was fast and choppy. It was the same for everybody, you need to go fast on it, but it’s not my preferred type of track,” was how Chisholm described the conditions. “When it came time for the motos, I was caught up in a first-turn pile-up in the first moto, and ripped my left grip almost all the way off the bar. In the second moto, I had a decent start, we were in the top 15, and then I got together with another rider on the first lap and tipped over. I lost a bunch of spots, but then worked my way back up. I had good laps in both motos, and that was a positive. Speed-wise we should be in the top 15, between 10 and 15; I just need to stay off the ground during the first laps and get in a stronger position with better starts,” added Chisholm.
Max Miller (87) brought his speed from the 250 class to compete in the premier class aboard his Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki RM-Z450.
Max Miller (87) used the Pala National to put himself on the 450-class championship board with points earned in the opening round.
“It was a solid day today at Pala,” said Miller. “I had good speed in moto 1 but was deep in the pack. In moto 2, I had a better start and had a good pace. I was held up behind another rider for a few laps towards the end, and that let other riders close in on me. But I finished 19th in moto 2. We made improvements throughout the day and will bring this good momentum into Hangtown!”
Dilan Schwartz (40) made an impressive return to racing after missing the 2024 Supercross season.
Dilan Schwartz (40) picked up where he left off last summer, showing incredible speed in the ultra-competitive 250 class at Pala. Coming off of a wrist injury, Schwartz earned a top-15 result in each moto and in the overall results to kick off another strong Outdoor campaign.
“The first Outdoor round was good,” reported Schwartz. “I ended up 12-15 on the day, which was good considering I’ve only ridden six times this year, before this weekend. I’m excited to keep healing my wrist and building on this start throughout the season.”
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.
Preston Boespflug (128) kicked off the Motocross series with speed and consistency aboard his RM-Z250.
Preston Boespflug (128) qualified straight into the motos from morning qualifying and put down two strong rides over both motos.
“Today was a decent first round for us,” said Boespflug. “I need to keep clicking them off and working my way up.”
Anthony Bourdon (100) took in some gate drops at an AMA Pro National before returning to France for the summer.
Anthony Bourdon (100) raced the Pala National in spite of an ankle problem. Bourdon showed great speed on his Suzuki RM-Z250 despite the injury.
“I knew it would be a challenging race because I injured myself just after the Salt Lake City Supercross while training for motocross,” said Bourdon. “I have a sprained ankle and a tiny fracture in my malleolus. I had ten days off, but it wasn't enough to be at 100%. I wanted to race Pala to see the Outdoor pace here in the US before returning to France. I finished the first race in 25th place, which isn't where I would have liked to be and that doesn't reflect my normal level, but I couldn't ride any better with the injury. In the second race, I had a technical problem and had to stop. The front-running riders in the US Outdoor series are fast! I'm still happy to have been able to do this first race. I'd like to thank BarX and Suzuki for the opportunity this year, and I’ll see you in 2025.”
Leo Tucker (154) looked fast in his first weekend as a pro on the BarX Suzuki race bike. A crash in qualifying put Tucker into the LCQ consolation race where he missed a spot in the motos by a single position.
“My Suzuki worked great all day!” said Tucker. “Unfortunately, I had a big get-off in qualifying and was unable to participate in the race. The track was a tricky one, with a lot of weird, soft spots.”
“It was a tough day at Round 1 in Pala,” stated Larry Brooks, Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager. “Wrecks for both Shane and Kyle relegated them to bad finishes in the first moto. Shane rebounded the best that he could with a bad starting gate pick; he finished 14th in the second moto. It’s not where we want to finish but it’s only the beginning of a long season. We will go testing this week and improve for Round 2.”
“I am happy with the way today went for our team,” said James Coy, Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki Team Manager. “It was great to have Dilan Schwartz back, and was fun to see him race his first gate drops of the year. Our young riders did great in their first Outdoor race with the team. The RM-Zs are incredibly good, and I feel there are going to be some great races for us down the road.”
The AMA Pro Motocross series heads to Northern California for the Hangtown National, outside of Sacramento, CA. The Suzuki racers and team members are excited to tackle the motocross season and earn more points toward the SuperMotocross World Championship racing in September.
Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com for more team news.
Photos by BrownDogWilson Photography
