Suzuki Racers Compete Hard at Budds Creek National

The 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship is nearly wrapped with round ten completed at Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland. The storied track provided a great race at the penultimate round of the 2023 motocross season.
 
Race Highlights:
 

• Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance
  • 450 Class
    • Freddie Noren capped the day with a top-ten result in moto two.
    • Kyle Chisholm finished the day with a strong charge after getting taken out early in moto two.
• Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki
  • 450 Class
    • Derek Drake delivered another impressive qualifying result for a 450-class rookie.
  • 250 Class
    • Dilan Schwartz earned enough points at Budds Creek to move up one position in the championship standings.
    • Chase Yentzer toughed out the morning program after sustaining an injury the Friday prior to the race.

Freddie Noren (47) looks secure in eighth place in the championship
with one round remaining.

Freddie Noren delivered consistent rides with his Suzuki RM-Z450, including a top-ten moto finish. Noren's season rank of eighth overall ties his career-best, and his eleventh overall in combined Supercross and Motocross results is also a career-best for the likable Swedish racer. 

"A few laps into moto one I was having a battle with another rider. We got together and we both went down," said Noren. "I Iost a few spots but got going pretty well again and ended up 13th. I'm not super pumped about the results on paper, and I know I sound like a broken record, but, 'I have more, I can do more,' I honestly believe that I have more in me... I was happy with my riding in the second moto. I rode consistently, running ninth for most of that moto until three laps to go when another rider got by. It was a pretty aggressive pass and I lost quite a bit of time, which put another rider awfully close behind me. It was a fun moto, though; I rode well, the bike was working great, and the team is doing an excellent job. We have one more race to go to capture some better results. We always want a little more, so we'll make it happen." 

Dilan Schwartz (85) moved his BarX Suzuki RM-Z250 up
in the championship standings.

Dilan Schwartz's first moto was red-flagged just before the race's midpoint. After the full re-start, Schwartz sprinted to a strong finish. His efforts in both motos allowed him to move up in the championship points, just as he did in the previous round. 

"Budds Creek was interesting," reported Schwartz. "The first moto felt weird with the re-start halfway through it. I ended up capitalizing on that and finished P13. In the second moto I got together with another rider on the first lap and went down, so I had to come back from last place. I also ended up crashing on the last lap, but I'm happy with my riding. I'm looking forward to the final round.'

Derek Drake (53) continued to impress with great speed aboard
his Suzuki RM-Z450.

Derek Drake moved forward early in the first moto, closing in on a top-ten spot. The 450-class rookie charged hard in the second moto to recover from a first-turn incident. 

"I really struggled all day, starting in practice," said Drake. "In the first moto, I had a decent start but found it difficult to run that pace. In moto two I got collected up in a first-turn crash and, just like moto one, I just didn't have the race pace. I'm looking forward to turning things around next weekend."

Kyle Chisholm (11) faced a challenging day but maintained
his standings in the championship.

Kyle Chisholm was flowing with his RM-Z450 at Budds Creek. A big crash in each moto set the challenge for Chisholm, who marched forward through the pack in moto two. 

"It was a pretty rough day at the office for me. I haven't had a day like that in a long time," told Chisholm. "I was working my way up in the first few laps of moto one. On one of the big triple step-ups I hit a wet spot trying to make a pass and ended up knifing it and high-siding. I hit the ground really hard, and knocked the wind out of myself. My bike was on the downside of the jump and other riders kept coming over and running over my bike. By the time I got to it the bike was pretty beat up and I wasn't able to finish that race. That led to the last gate pick for moto two, so I was really far outside. The bike ripped another great start though. I was sweeping in, and a couple of guys tangled, which sent them straight into me. I hit the ground really hard again, and had multiple bikes on top of me. I got up and got going and I worked my way up as far as I could. It happens, it's part of the game, and it's a bummer. The bike felt great. I like the track, but I just didn't put myself in a good position from the get-go." 

Chase Yentzer (361) was held back on race day by a Friday injury.

Rookie Chase Yentzer tried to tough out a race, but a Friday incident prevented him from gaining more 2023 championship points. 

"It was a tough weekend at Budds Creek," said Yentzer. "I was riding press day and about three laps in I caught my foot in a rut and tweaked it. I got an x-ray and there were no visible fractures. I tried to race on Saturday, but my ankle just hurt too much. I'm going for an MRI on Monday and hopefully, I'll be ready for Ironman next weekend."

"It was a long day," recalled Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager Larry Brooks. "Fredrick Noren had some issues in the first moto that he had to overcome. In the second moto he got a better start and rode well. Kyle Chisholm had a heck of a day. He hit the ground hard in both motos. It was just not a good day for Kyle. The points in the 450 class have Noren in eighth and it looks like he should hold that position with one race remaining. Kyle Chisholm is 16th in the 450 class. There were crashes and some problems,  but the day actually finished pretty well." 

"Derek came out smoking fast, as usual, for timed qualifying," said Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki Team Manager Buddy Antunez. "He had a decent start in the first moto and was up around 11th. He just couldn't manage a good feeling throughout the race. For the second moto Derek's Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki RM-Z450 came off the line strong. It looked like he was heading into the first turn in the top five, then the inside pack lifted and took Derek off the track. He was dead last coming around for the first lap and he wasn't able to come through the pack as well as he wanted to. Dilan Schwartz had his best-timed qualifying so far this season. In the first moto Dilan double-clutched off the line and was pretty far back at the start. As usual with Dilan he got right to work and started picking off as many riders as he could. The lap times through the top 20 were remarkably close, but Dilan found that extra speed to get himself up to a good finish. On the moto two start the rider to his right moved over just slightly and Dilan wasn't able to get the drive he needed. That left him back in the pack, but in the first quarter of the first lap Dilan probably passed 10-15 riders. He was trying to get one more and that rider locked together with him, and they both went down. Getting up again, Dilan charged hard through the pack, turning some of the fastest lap times. Chase Yentzer woke up ready to go but unfortunately had twisted his ankle on Friday. He taped it up, but we made the decision that it was the safest call for Chase to heal the ankle up and get ready for Ironman. The team keeps making improvements and we will keep working this week. I believe we're going to close out the season strong." 

The 11-round AMA Pro Motocross series wraps up the season next weekend at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The Suzuki teams and racers are looking forward to more great results, then to the sport's first foray into a postseason as they compete in the three-round SuperMotocross World Championship. 

For more team news please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com. 


Photos by BrownDogWilson Photography