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SUZUKI’S COLT NICHOLS CAPTURES CAREER-BEST MOTO RESULT AT THUNDER VALLEY NATIONAL

Brea, CA - (June 9, 2025) - Heavy rains on Friday cleared and the skies provided excellent Saturday weather for Round 3 of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The high-altitude track built into the Lakewood, Colorado hillside challenged man and machine with thin air at its 6,128-foot elevation.

Race Highlights:        

  • Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance
    • 450 Class
      • Colt Nichols earned a top-ten result in the final 450 class moto.
      • Benoit Paturel showed outstanding pace in spite of zero prior experience at Thunder Valley. 

Colt Nichols (45) rode brilliantly in the second moto at Thunder Valley and moved his Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450 up in the championship standings.

Colt Nichols (45) had a rough start to his day at the third race of the 11-round motocross season. Nichols’s pace was a bit below his abilities during qualifying, and he ended his first moto early. Yet Nichols turned everything around when the gate dropped for the second 450 moto. Nichols put all of his RM-Z450’s horsepower into the tilled Colorado soil on the steep start straight; he crossed the holeshot stripe inside the top-ten. From there, Nichols battled with the front runners and when the dust settled Nichols had captured his career-best 450 motocross moto result. 

“The day was a bit weird for me,” said Nichols. “Qualifying went terribly for me. We had some bike issues spill over into the first moto and I was unable to finish. But the team rallied, and we rebounded well for moto two with a solid start and a P-9 finish.”

Benoit Paturel (102) adapted quickly to the Colorado track during his first year on the US racing circuit.

Benoit Paturel (102), on his first visit to Thunder Valley, showed strong speed from the early laps on the track. Paturel posted his season-best qualifying session result in the second A-group session. In the first moto, after tough opening laps, Paturel picked up five positions over the following eight laps. Paturel’s second moto was hampered by issues outside his control; he unfortunately was not able to match his top-ten overall result from the season’s opening round.   

“We had a bad day with the bike at altitude so no [points-paying] results,” relayed Paturel. “I’m really disappointed, but we will move forward and go on, and fight again next Saturday to make it good.”

“The weekend didn’t go great overall,” said Larry Brooks, Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager, “In the first moto, Colt Nichols didn’t finish He had some bike issues. But then in the second moto Colt got a really good start and finished ninth. He did extremely well. He rode strong the whole moto and finished ninth, giving him 14th overall. Benoit Paturel had some bike issues, somewhat the same issue that Colt had in the first moto. Then in the second moto, a three-dollar part broke and he had to pull off the track… But the highlight of the weekend was Colt finishing ninth that second moto and him riding the way that we knew he could. The weather was good on Saturday; it rained like crazy on Friday, making the track super muddy, but they did a good job with the track and it ended up being good for Saturday’s race.” 

The Suzuki riders line up next on Saturday, June 14th in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania at the High Point National. The riders and team members are looking forward to the next chance to show what they and the Suzuki RM-Z450 can do in the toughest motocross series on the planet.

Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com for more team news.

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About Suzuki
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.