Read what a host of 450 riders had to say about their weekends in Tampa.
Malcolm Stewart: “This has been an emotional rollercoaster to get here. I did my knee in ’23 and from that point I wasn’t sure… especially after last year, just not being able to figure it out and I was so down on myself. I felt like I was fighting everything, until my Dad sat me down and said ‘Look, either quit racing or go out there and make sure you have fun, because that’s why we do this in the first place.’ Fast forward from there to now in 2025, I had a great off-season, and I felt like I was in a position to do this. At my home race, I couldn’t hear my motorcycle at times the crowd was so loud! Between my Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team and my also family, it’s been a real effort together – this one is special!”
Cooper Webb: “Overall, it was a good day. I was able to qualify second, won the heat race, and finished second in the main. I just made a mistake on the start, got some wheel spin, and was buried. I made a good charge through the pack and was picking guys off. I’m just a little bit bummed because I felt like I was coming through with Malcolm (Stewart), and then I was making some mistakes, lost the tow, and the lappers kind of interfered. Overall, it was a good points night and a good second-place finish. We’ll take the points, get better, and move on to Detroit.”
Justin Cooper: “I had three really bad starts last weekend in Glendale, so to have two really good starts is the biggest positive for me. I know I’m a good starter, so to get that back and do it twice tonight was important to me. It put me in a good position all night. I was third in the heat race, and I was able to get Chase (Sexton) on the last straight away to finish fourth in the main. So it was a good night for me because I charged to the end and stayed strong. We’ll keep working and keep building for Detroit.”
Chase Sexton: “Not the way I wanted to end my night after a good day in Tampa. I was solid all day and qualified fastest, but on a bad lap in the Main Event I went down in the whoops while leading and damaged my front brake and throttle, so basically just had to salvage what I could, limping it home to finish out the race – not an ideal way to finish out the weekend. We’ll get to work again this week and come out swinging at Detroit.”
Justin Barcia: “Tampa was a step in the right direction and the day went much better. In the Heat Race we got off to a good start, before I got a bit tangled up in the first turn, so I made a push to make up positions. Later on, I got off to a pretty good start in the Main, the track was super-technical, and we had some good battles. I’m really hungry to get that podium and I know with how we’re working we’ll get there soon.”
Aaron Plessinger: “The afternoon was tough, but we found a setting heading into the Heat Race and felt like I ripped in that one! I made a few good passes in the first couple of laps, then ended up second. Come the Main, my start was decent before I got shuffled back early, and just rode around in eighth from there. That was the best I had today, so we’ll go back and do some homework before Detroit.”
Eli Tomac: “It was a tough day in Tampa. I caught my leg underneath the foot peg on a jump during qualifying, and sprained the top of my ankle and bruised my lower leg. I’m going to do everything possible to get back on the line in Detroit.”
Ken Roczen: “It was an unfortunate situation that happened in the main event in Tampa. It’s a long season though, so we are going to put this behind us and focus on the next race in Detroit.”
Hunter Lawrence: “What started out as a great night in Tampa turned into a very short night! At the end of lap 1 in my heat race, I landed on some tough blocks and banged myself up really nicely; now I’m just focusing on getting back to 100%.”
Image: Husqvarna
