In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at round 14th of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross championship, the second of two races at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Atlanta.

450SX

Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Third:
Today was pretty stressful. It started out amazing and I felt like everything was going smooth, and then I stalled it on the gate for the start but I was able to come back and ride good. I was lacking a little bit of energy at the end but I feel like my speed is good and my riding is really well so I’m excited.

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Ninth:
I was riding really good today, definitely a step up from the last round. I was happy with second in the heat race and in the Main Event, I got a pretty good start and was really in the mix of the battle until about halfway and unfortunately just struggled to the end. If we can figure out the second half and just get in the top five, I’d be happy with that.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Fourth:
It was a tough day to start with, I was pretty banged up from my crash at the last race so I was just really glad to be racing. I was running third in the Main Event and shuffled back to fourth, I got pretty tight, but all-in-all it was a good recovery for not knowing if I was going to race this one. It felt good to finish strong but I definitely want to be on the podium and go for the win this Saturday.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – Sixth:
It was a bit of a rough day for us. In the Main Event, I got a great start and put myself where I needed to be but I didn’t execute. I finally turned it around, started riding well and hitting my marks a bit and then I caught Barcia and was trying to make a pass. We had some close calls and then over the wall, I hit his back tire and fell. It’s a bummer but we’ll come back for Atlanta 3 and work with the team and myself to hopefully be in the winner’s circle.

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) – Seventh:
I had a really good start in the Main Event but unfortunately, I was missing a little bit of intensity and I ended up getting passed by a couple guys, which killed my momentum. It was a tough race physically so I was trying to be consistent and just keep pushing until the checkered flag.

Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Seventh:
I wish it would’ve gone a little better. I came from the back in my heat race and ended up fifth. In the Main Event, I had an okay start going, then Malcolm crashed off the first double, and his bike chased me off the track. I had to work my way back through to eighth. I was happy with my riding but definitely not happy with my starts. The track was pretty good. It wasn’t too slick, and the dirt was pretty grippy overall. It got rough and rutted, and the whoops broke down quite a lot, but I was hitting them good and was just moving along. I’m not happy with the result. So we’ll come back Saturday and get out front as I did at the last one and hopefully get up on the box.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – 11th:
I felt good all day. I was fighting for the top five in qualifying, and then I had a pretty bad crash in the last session and kind of hurt my hand a little bit. I had a pretty good race going and was battling with the guy ahead of me. Then after the big wall, I opened the throttle a little bit too hard and wheelied, losing a little bit of control with the bike, and I crashed. I pushed so hard in the first few laps that I kind of burned myself out. After that, it was difficult, and I couldn’t really get my rhythm back and finished 11th.

Malcolm Stewart (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – DNF:
The night started off with a good heat race, finishing third. I got an okay start in the Main Event but went down hard in the first double. It happened so fast I don’t even know what happened. I’m feeling pretty beat up and disappointed with how the night ended, but we’re going to rest up and come back fighting.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Fifth:
I got a decent start aboard my KX450 during the main event but had to check up before a few turns because of all the chaos going on around me. I tried avoiding as many riders as possible, and that forced me to take a different line in the whoops section, which slowed me down even more and allowed others to get around. I worked hard to get into fifth place, but the track was so demanding that by then, it was already too late, and I ran out of time. It’s not the result I was expecting, but we managed a top-5 finish, so we’ll take it and now shift our focus on how we can improve for Saturday.

Mitchell Oldenburg (Muc-Off Honda) – DNF:
I am totally bummed about this as the crash was out of my control. I got hit on the left by one rider and jumped on by another, it was total chaos. I have torn my hand up and broken a finger and the swelling alone makes it impossible for me to grip my handlebars. I was feeling more and more comfortable on the CRF450R and the team and I were achieving the goals we set. The 13th in round 13 was a highlight for me. I hope I can recover in time for the final two rounds in Salt Lake, we will see how my recovery goes.

250SX

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 10th:
It was not the result we wanted but riding-wise I feel like it was really good. I made a lot of progression from the first round but I found myself on the ground early and that was unfortunate. I feel like the speed was there, so at least we can take the positives and come back in three days to have another go at it.

Stilez Robertson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – DNS
Definitely not the night I was hoping for. In the first qualifier, I had a big get-off through the whoops and wasn’t feeling too good. I went out for the last qualifying session and ended up seventh but the team and I made the decision to sit it out but we should be good to go for Saturday.

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Eighth:
We’re getting better slowly, but surely. After the red flag, I couldn’t really find my flow out there. I got off to a bad start and it was kind of follow the leader out there with not much passing going on. I did everything I could, put everything out there and ended up with eighth. It’s definitely something to build off of, but I’m hungry for more this Saturday.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
When I first landed, my leg hurt pretty good. I had a contusion on my thigh and I couldn’t really move it, which is why it was hard to get down off the tunnel. After walking on it, I finally got it moving. I can’t believe the guys got my bike in good enough shape to ride. I am so thankful and happy to have been able to ride to a podium finish. I’ll be taking a few days to recoup but looking forward to getting back out here on Saturday.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Ninth:
It wasn’t a great day overall, though I did experience my first LCQ. It probably was the worst day to have to ride more laps with the heat and long track times, but we made it work. My goal this year is to learn something each race and I have a lot I can take away to be better next time. I’ll enjoy a few days off before getting back out on track this weekend.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – First:
It was a good day starting with being fastest in every practice again. I got a pretty bad start in the heat race and got shuffled back to fifth, but I came back and made a last-lap pass on Hunter [Lawrence]. We had a pretty good battle there. The Main Event got red-flagged a couple of laps in, which made it pretty tough. It was hot out there. Honestly, sitting on the line before the restart, I was like, ‘wow!’ I had to take my goggles off because I was sweating, and then we had to do the whole 15 minutes again. It was really physically demanding tonight, especially with not having a lot of rest after last Saturday’s race. It was good to get out of this one with a win and extend our points lead. We’ll recover for Saturday and try to do the same thing again.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – Fourth:
It was a good weekend, I felt good all night and we put in solid laps in the main. I was sitting in second pretty comfortably, but it ended up being red-flagged, which I’m pretty bummed out about. I ended up pulling a good start again and was sitting third for most of the race; we were fighting for it until the end, but ran out of time and finished fourth. We wanted another podium, but I can’t be mad about that, we’ll get them Saturday.

Jarrett Frye (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) – 16th:
Atlanta 2 was a better day for me. I had my best qualifying result so far and qualified eighth. Then I had a good start in the heat race but went down and had to go through the LCQ. I got another good start there and was able to win that. I lined up for the main, but I just didn’t have any energy left. It was pretty hot today, and I was just flat. It’s still not the result I’m looking for, but it was a better day, so we’re going to build on that and be ready for Saturday.

Mitchell Harrison (Muc-Off Honda) – Sixth:
The overall result may not show it but this was by far my best race of the season. I am getting stronger and more confident every time I hit the track. The bike and team are working well. I am looking forward to this weekend and want to finish strong in Atlanta.