2021 Budds Creek Motocross | Post-Race Interviews

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2021 BUDDS CREEK MOTOCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

Want to know what riders had to say about the 2021 Budds Creek Motocross without watching a “How Was Your Weekend” video? We’ve transcribed our post-race chats with riders in the 250 and 450 Class after round nine of the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and added some photos of the riders in action.

HUNTER LAWRENCE
250 CLASS | 6-3 | 4TH OVERALL

How was it today?

It wasn’t bad, wasn’t bad. The second Moto was okay, we’ll take that. First Moto I was really angry with, very frustrated. I just spun immediately off the gate and then coming through the pack I used all my tear-offs, so like six or seven laps to go, I had no tear-off. My clutch also happened to mess up, the wheel, where you wind it out, fell off, so I had no clutch, which was tough, not going to lie. It was very tough with how many ruts and stuff in the technical sections. I think we’ve managed to bring home sixth. I mean, not great, really, as far as what I think. But yeah, second Moto was better, better than Unadilla for sure.

You’ve been doing a lot of racing and you kind of made subtle mentions that of the health issues and stuff like that, that you guys have worked on figuring out. How do you feel right now after so much? I mean, yeah, we did have that little break, but there’s a lot of racing left after Supercross and motocross. How you feel?

It’s tough, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It is tough and we already have our plans on what we need to do as soon as the season finishes. It involves taking quite a bit of time off of cardio stuff. So yeah, it’s good. And my cardio is great, I’m not off the track gasping for air. There’s just some other things that don’t allow me to have that extra edge at all the races. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not. So it’s a tough situation for sure.

JETT LAWRENCE
250 CLASS | 2-2 | 2ND OVERALL

How was today?

It was okay, nothing great I don’t think. Nothing spectacular. Just at least, I gained one extra point, so I guess that’s good, but I felt like that should have been more. This track was good, it was a rough day. It was that second one I just didn’t have much for JMart, he was going pretty good. But hey, we gained a point, just got to look at the positive. My start was better in the second one and yeah, we’re just going to keep looking forward into the next three rounds.

Those were good Motos, they were exciting to watch as a fan from the side of the track. For you to be in those, two hard races today, how was that for you? Because typically we get to this point in the year and it’s just kind of like, “Eh,” kind of blah.

Well, yeah, we’ve been taught to never quit. And so far, it’s paying off, not too bad. Trying to just keep as much pressure as I can on Justin. And yeah who knows? I definitely don’t want to give it to him easy. I definitely want to make sure he earns it. And anyone earns it for this long, having the red plate. Just going to keep going into these last few round, just open-minded, make sure I’m always there, and have just consistently good Motos.

We haven’t asked you this yet. How does it feel to be in a championship battle?

It’s weird, to be honest. I haven’t been in such a serious… it’s the first time kind of thing. Because in Supercross I had a chance the first three, but I axed myself, so I was already out of it. But definitely feels weird. But you’re in an awkward spot you have no time to relax, which is not too bad; it’s good to have the pressure there, to be honest. Otherwise, you’re racing for no meaning really? So, yeah. I don’t mind. I like it.

Are you thinking about it a lot during the week or are you just enjoying…

It’s hard not to really. This is what we work for, really. This is why we ride dirt bikes. We don’t train just to and race for fun. We train hard and we fricking sweat our butts off to make sure we get a championship. So it’s hard not to think about it realistically.

BRANDON HARTRANFT
450 CLASS | 15-12 | 13TH OVERALL

How was the day for you?

We didn’t have too good of a day. I think I was like 12 to 13th overall, not ideal. I think last weekend we were around like ninth overall and I had a little bike issue, so that was a bummer. We rode this week down here in Maryland, I crashed Wednesday and compressed my AC joint and collarbone, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel today. And Moto One, I was so far back off the gate, came back the 15th and the second Moto, I think I was 10th and dropped back to 12th. Just wasn’t the best week leading up to it. We’re going to go back to California and come back swinging for Ironman. I’ve obviously had some good history there, last year I got on a podium, so I kind of like forward to it.

The stitches on your finger, was that from today or the other day?

This was Unadilla, I jumped off a track and the banners have those wooden posts. I just jumped straight off and yeah, this is from last weekend. Yeah, it’s been a rough little week, so…

You’ve done a lot of racing this year. How do you feel after so much?

I’ve made such progression in outdoors that leading up to this week, it’s been… I made so much progress and then today it was such a bummer because I didn’t do that good. But I want to keep plugging away until I’m where I want to be to end the season. We only have three races left. Supercross was so bad that I honestly forgot about it. So I’m just ready to do better, you know what I’m saying? But I know what you’re saying, because I’ve never raised 17 rounds of Supercross until this year, so it’s different.

MAX ANSTIE
450 CLASS | 9-10 | 10TH OVERALL

How did today go?

You know, with 10th overall, you always want more, but it is what it is. We ended up spending the week out here and it actually ended up raining the whole week. So we only got one day of riding, and it was a little wet. I don’t know, I felt good in myself, but I felt like I want more, like we always do. Again, got to take the positives. Top 10, another top 10. I felt like we were making steps with the bike. Just we’ve got three more rounds to go and want to be better next week in Ironman.

The battles are amazing, as always. How are they right now? You haven’t had an easy race.

I know, but it’s been good for me. I mean, I’ve been battling with Deano, been battling with loads of guys here and there. I’ve been enjoying it. It’s what I do. I’m pretty comfortable out there on outdoor tracks. I want to step up, I want to go a bit faster. I feel like I’m pushing as hard as I can, but there’s certain areas that I want to try and improve. So go back to the drawing board this week, hopefully make some more steps for Ironman and be another step better. But I’ve got to give it up to all the guys that we’re racing against. They’re all great guys. They’re riding really well, and I’ll push it each week. So we’re all in the same boat.

Now that you’ve been in the US for a bit, have you adapted your riding style a little bit more or is it still very Euro?

I don’t know, that’s a good question [Laughs]. I don’t feel like I’m doing anything any different. It’s like when Herlings came over, he didn’t change his style to ride an American track. I just think the American tracks are just a bit different style in general. They’re all very tacky, very nice, good grip, good ruts, and big jumps, which is good fun. Europe, you have to ride sometimes a little smoother, but that’s because of the conditions that you’re riding in and where you are in the world. I feel like I haven’t really changed too much of what I’m doing, I’m just trying to learn and get better and better each time. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here. I was here 10 years ago. Surprisingly, when I went onto the track it was basically exactly the same as 2010. I was like, “Huh, okay.” I was 16 then, I can’t really remember, yeah, I can’t really remember the feeling of it, but I had a good time. So I’m looking forward to the next one in Ironman.

Last thing, it sounds like you’re staying in the US for a while. This really is the next chapter of your life.

Yeah, definitely. I’m happy, my wife’s happy and that’s a “happy wife, happy life.” And I want to be here. I love Supercross. I love being here. I love being at the races. When I was younger, it was always the dream. And then one thing led to another, and I was getting deals in Europe. And I had a great career in MXGP, and I loved it. And going from one deal to the next and this money and that money. And you’re like, “Oh yeah, I’ll go there and this bike and whatever.”

But at the back of my mind, and I always wanted to come to America and now being here… There was always a doubt but when I first came back, it was like, “Well, I’m so settled in GPs. I know exactly what to expect.” It’s like the track here. It’s exactly the same as how it’s been the last 10 years. You learn from year to year, how the tracks are going to develop. And that’s kind of how I was in Europe. I knew majority of the tracks and the settings and set up before we even went there. But honestly, I really love it here in America. And I want to stay.

COTY SCHOCK
450 CLASS | 7-11 | 9TH OVERALL

Is it the first Moto, is that just from knowing the track like the back of your hand?

[Laughs] No.

You earned that one.

Yes, I will admit I was getting tired, and I was like, I really had to dig deep. I saw Anstie and Wilson put on a charge and they were catching me and I’m like, “Ah, not today, boys. [Laughs]” No, but with all respect, they were riding really great. And that was really cool to do. That’s a career-best, seventh. And second Moto, kind of went down the start, kind of came from 40th, then worked my way back up to 11th. And I feel like that was a really good ride too. I mean, Wilson went down as well, and I think he might’ve got like ninth or something. I’m not sure, but him and I were duking it out at the beginning and it’s so cool just to battle Wilson. He’s such a chill guy on the line. We’re not even talking about the track. It’s just like anything and it’s just so cool to race with the best guys in the world, and you kind of just chill. I don’t want to lie, everyone thinks it’s all serious, but I like to just have a good time. I’m not afraid to have a good conversation.

You’ve done a lot of laps at this track, we know it. How was today compared to anything else you’ve ever done? Gnarliest it’s ever been, not the gnarliest? Has it been rougher here on amateur days?

I don’t think today was the gnarliest track. I think the heat and the humidity was a huge factor today.

This is the hottest race we’ve had.

Yes, and it was by far. We’ve been lately fortunate to get really cool race days, because like a storm would come in and cool it off. Maryland doesn’t cool off. You’re sitting on that line, you’re baking, and good thing we got the [power] fans, because you’re just sweating, like dripping sweat.

And for people that don’t know, if you’ve never been to this track, it’s legitimately in a hole. The trees that are around the perimeter provide no shade, but just a very good wind block. So, there is no airflow in there either, it’s just a sauna. And then, like today was, when all that moisture was on the ground after days of rain and the sun beating down, you start steaming out there. It was a rough one.

Yeah, today was a very rough one. And today’s racetrack was actually really tricky. It’s kind of weird, like in practice we had a very hard base but in spots, we had the braking bumps that were kind of like a hook in a way. And they were very mushy, so you would go in and want to just plow through it, and it was like, over the bars, you really had to carry momentum. The track took a lot of energy out of you. My opinion, yeah, I think I have decent lines around here, that’s what I’ve found, but no, it was a hot one today. The track was technical. It was a really good racetrack, I thought.

MARVIN MUSQUIN
450 CLASS | 10-5 | 7TH OVERALL

How did the day go?

Well, unfortunately, I didn’t get a great start in the first Moto, plus a crash in the first lap. I think I was outside the top 20 at some point right when I got up; that was really, really bad. I tried to come back and make passes, but it was difficult. The feeling was not great with the track, but that said, I rode pretty good in the first Moto, came back to seventh place, and ended up on the ground again with two laps to go and ended up 10th place. I was not happy with that. All the work to come back to seventh and then end up 10th is no good. That’s the way it is.

I tried to regroup and made the right decisions for the second Moto. I actually went outside this time on the gate, had a great start, perfect, exactly what I wanted to do on the start. Unfortunately, I pushed a little bit harder to get first on the first corner, but then Savatgy was right there and then he pushed me wide. I haven’t seen the video yet, but he was right there and then went all the way outside, almost ran out of the track and then everybody inside to me. So I don’t know what place I was, but then after that, I came back to fifth place. The riding was better second Moto, that’s what I take right now, is the feeling of second Moto and coming back to fifth. And Sexton was actually not too far ahead of me, Tomac was obviously quicker beginning of the race. That’s what I missed a little bit, is that the intensity at the beginning. And I lost on them, but then at the end, it was better.

That was an exciting battle with Cooper in the second Moto. I had fun just watching that. How was it for you? Is it fun to be in a battle, hanging it out with a teammate and with all of these things, that you know is the one guy that you’re just going to race heads-on?

Yeah, and especially right now with Cooper, we have the same settings on the suspension. I know exactly that he has the same settings. It was good to beat your teammate. First Moto I was too far back, but I know I can do better things than him and I passed him second Moto, so that was good. And I know he’s a tough, tough competitor and it’s hard to pass, but it was good. It was just good to come back to 10th place.

JOEY SAVATGY
450 CLASS | 6-7 | 6TH PLACE

How was today?

Honestly, speed-wise it wasn’t the best and I struggled in qualifying. I struggled here in the past for some reason, I don’t know why. I don’t gel that well here. But the starts were a lot better and that’s the name of the game at this level. Results on paper was the best overall of the year, but speed-wise, it wasn’t my greatest performance. I’ve got some things to work on and just go home and keep trying to execute.

The second one was good. You were right off Marvin and Cooper there for a while, reeled them in, lost them a little bit. But just to see factory KTM, the bar for you, right there is some positives.

All in all, today was good. Like I said, the starts were better, so it gave me more chances to be up-front. Definitely was, I don’t know, a little flat in the second Moto. I’m not sure, maybe I didn’t eat enough or maybe didn’t recover good enough during the week, but definitely the second Moto, fitness-wise it wasn’t my greatest. I’ll keep that on my mind and just watch it this week. But yeah, I’m getting closer to being towards that group that I want to be with. And like I said, starts to go a long way to do that. And I was able to do that this weekend twice, put myself in a good spot, just got to work on speed and try to put all of it together.

CHASE SEXTON
450 CLASS | 3-4 | 4TH OVERALL

How did today go?

It was very frustrating. I really thought I had really good speed, I don’t know what happened. First of all, just made mistakes and lost the lead group. Once you do that, it’s kind of hard to bounce back. And the second Moto again, felt really good, got to the back of Kenny, made a huge mistake, almost crashed, and went backwards. So it was really frustrating. Yeah, I went 3-4 but it felt like I went 7-8. It was not a great day, but I tried my best and I put on the track. So come back again next weekend.

Arguably the most physical national so far? I mean, yeah, last week was technical, but this one was hot.

Yeah. The heat never really got to me; it was more of just… I felt like I was getting beat up by my bike and I just wasn’t riding the track very well, I guess. Yeah, more just body for me. It wasn’t really the heat. It was just more body fatigue. And I guess I got to get in better shape. Keep working and come back next weekend.