Suzuki Gains Momentum at San Diego Supercross
BREA, Calif., January 24, 2022 — BarX/Chaparral Suzuki's Carson Mumford led the charge at the San Diego round of the Monster Energy Supercross series with exciting runs up front in both heat race and main event. The young racer and his Suzuki RM-Z250 brought home another top ten finish in San Diego. Mumford's BarX/Chaparral Suzuki teammate Dilan Schwartz also raced near the front with his RM-Z250 at his hometown race. In the 450 class, Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance athletes Brandon Hartranft, Justin Bogle, and Adam Enticknap put their RM-Z450's horsepower to good use on the slick San Diego track.
It was a spectacular night for Carson Mumford (43). He spent nearly every race lap holding a position inside the top five in both heat and main race.
Carson Mumford was flowing on his Suzuki RM-Z250 from the start, kicking off the night with a heat race holeshot. A top five finish gave him a good gate pick for the main. He didn't disappoint, rounding the first corner inside the top three in the main event. From there Mumford battled up front, holding onto a top three position early and battling inside the top five until the final lap. Mumford finished sixth for his career-best in only his third professional outing on a Suzuki.
"It was a great night for me getting another holeshot and leading my first ever laps in the main," Mumford said. "I got another strong start and was riding well for over half the race. I just made too many mistakes, but still ended up with a new career-best: sixth!"
Dilan Schwartz (40) had the speed for a great night with his Suzuki RM-Z250 at his hometown race.
In his heat race Schwartz raced from a mid-pack start to grab a top five finish. A solid start in the main put the sophomore supercross athlete in the front pack, but a mistake on the face of a jump derailed his shot at a top ten finish.
"The day was going really well. I started riding more like myself and I felt way more comfortable," Schwartz recalled after the race. "Unfortunately, in the main I cross jumped and couldn’t get to my brakes and rode into the tough blocks. It was a bummer, but you live and learn, and I will definitely take the positives into next weekend."
Brandon Hartranft (41) set new personal best qualifying and finishing positions in the 450 class with his Twisted Tea Suzuki.
Brandon Hartranft turned a direct transfer from heat one into another impressive performance on his Suzuki RM-Z450. He topped his career-best finish in the 450 class, bettering his results by one spot for the third race in a row.
"The whoops were gnarly and I was hitting them great all day," Hartranft stated. "There were a lot of positives today and working hard during the week is showing race results. I still have a lot more in me and I'm ready to show it next weekend."
Justin Bogle (19) is up to speed and his results don't reflect how well he is reuniting with a Suzuki RM-Z450 race bike.
Justin Bogle earned a top five spot in his heat race and held strong for a direct transfer. A hard charge in the main saw Bogle and his RM-Z450 running inside the top ten until an aggressive move took him down. Bogle remounted outside of the top ten and put his head down for the rest of the main.
"I got a pretty nice start in the main. I wasn’t really riding my best, but I was still up there." Bogle then explained, "Then I got cleaned out hard. It took me a while to get up and get going. It's not the season I was hoping, but I'll just keep on keeping on.”
Adam Enticknap (722) used muscle and finesse to ride his Suzuki 450 around the slick, hard pack San Diego track.
Adam Enticknap (722) put in strong rides and was a few minor mistakes shy of making it a great night on the leaderboard. A tangle up front in the LCQ ended the rider's night with a non-transferring result.
"The suspension and the chassis were working really good here in San Diego." Enticknap described the racing, "In the LCQ I wheelied on the start. Then in the third corner I connected with another guy, and he stood me up and a few more riders got by me. I rode the best I could, but just couldn’t make it happen here in San Diego. I'm looking forward to Anaheim 2, that's definitely my home race so I'm excited for that weekend."
"Brandon continues to progress. I’m eager to see where this leads as the series continues," said Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager Dustin Pipes. "Justin put himself in a position to succeed all night and it was unfortunate that a couple racing incidents hampered his results. The progression is there and the team has been working well together. I’m eager to see where we net out in the coming weeks."
The series heads back to Anaheim, California for the second of three races held inside Angel Stadium. From there, the athletes head east to Glendale, Arizona, for the first of three Triple Crown events of the season.
For team news, please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com.
Photos by BrownDogWilson Photography