Read what a host of 450 riders had to say about their weekends at A2.

Jett Lawrence: “It was a good race. I had some good lines, and the track was pretty fun until it started raining and got pretty icy. I had a decent start and was mainly just trying to be really patient and not rush anything, just because the track could catch you out really quickly. I was in second for quite a while and ended up finally making a move for first and stuck it, thankfully, then just tried to keep my laps consistent and make no mistakes. I got my first win of the season, so that’s good. Hopefully we have more to come, but the main goal is obviously trying to get that points lead down. We’re heading in the right direction. I’m super pumped – on to Arizona.”

Ken Roczen: “Tonight was mental. I’m honestly learning a lot about myself. A2 is always a weird one for me. 2017 just subconsciously sits there. Wasn’t really all that comfortable all day, but not terrible either. The heat race was not great for me, but I needed it to get me right for the main event. P2 for the night! I ended up turning it into a pretty bitchin’ night! Thank you everyone involved.”

Jason Anderson: “Overall I had a good day. I qualified fifth and won my heat race. I got a great start off the gate in the main event and was battling up front all night. The rain made the track super slick, but I knew I was really good in the whoops so I could charge hard and make up time there. It felt good to run in first for a while. My illness from last week was still lingering but I was happy to maintain my strength for most of the main, lead some laps, and take a step in the right direction. Being on the podium is always a great feeling and I look to continue to stay up there.”

Chase Sexton: “Anaheim 2 was a bit of a struggle. I had to rest from Tuesday until yesterday as I’ve been sick this week, but I was able to come out and ride as well as I could today. I didn’t feel 100 percent, so it was good that I was able to push through. I rode pretty well in the Main Event – it obviously wasn’t the result we wanted, but fourth was okay to salvage what I could. I’ll continue to work on getting healthy again and get ready for the Triple Crown next week.”

Hunter Lawrence: “Anaheim is probably one of my worst venues in the past, so I’m happy I got a good start and am getting out of here with a fifth. I’m just going to get home and get some good laps in; it’s been a bit of a crappy start to the year on the training side of things, with the testing and then getting sick and stuff, so I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of the routine. It’s promising that we’re this close already, with the lack of laps, so it’s good, man. I’ll build from here; this is a solid start to a series compared to last year, so I’ve got to look at that–the glass is half full. It was a good night. Jettson had a good night as well obviously, and we’re all safe and healthy and ready to swing in now for the Triple Crown.”

Justin Cooper: “It was a rollercoaster of emotions tonight. I was pretty down after the heat race and I straight up couldn’t get my mind right. All the way up to the main, I was just dwelling on everything too much, but I was able to lock in for the main and somehow get the holeshot, which felt great. It was a great rebound. Everything was going downhill pretty fast, so to turn it around, I’m happy with that. It was a crazy race. We got a lot of rain heading to the start. I got out front and definitely was testing the limits because I wanted to run up front. I made a few mistakes and almost slid out a few times and then chilled out. I definitely tightened up a little bit. The track was tricky with the conditions, but overall, it was a good night.”

Eli Tomac: “It really came down to just a bad start tonight. We had rain before the main, and I ended up just spinning my rear tire really badly. I was almost dead last after the start, and I just did what I could to come back and was seventh. In the big picture for the series, we’re still going to be fine. So we’ll move on from this and keep our heads up.”

Cooper Webb: “It was a rough day here at A2. I just struggled all day, and our riding wasn’t quite there. In the main event, the rain came and I got a lot of wheel spin off the start. I didn’t ride too badly, but I was just buried and didn’t make my way forward that much. Eli and I made our way through there towards the end, and that’s kind of where we both ended up. We’ll regroup and get ready for the triple crown next week.”

Malcolm Stewart: “I actually felt good all day long. I was P4 in qualifying, but then went down at the start of my Heat race. After I went down I had to come back through the pack with a really good ride and qualified for the Main. It rained before the Main Event, but we went out there and I felt pretty decent the whole time. At the end of the day, I feel like we’re making gains as a team. I felt a lot more comfortable today, we’re heading in the right direction, and I’m riding better.”

Justin Barcia: “I came into A2 feeling strong on the bike, but I struggled with my flow in my Heat Race and got a bit tight. I thought we’d worked it out for the Main Event, but unfortunately, I got mixed up at the beginning then rode extremely tight the whole race. It was a disappointing night, because I didn’t perform the way I wanted to or ride the way I should, so we’ll regroup for Phoenix! I’m a good sprinter, so I’m looking forward to the Triple Crown format.”

Image@empiresportsphotos – Chris Schulte

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