Suzuki Racers Earn Strong Results at Thunder Valley MX Solid Championship Points Gains Mark Round 3

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Round three of the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross series visited the Thunder Valley MX track in Lakewood, Colorado. The thin air at 5,518 feet of elevation tested the riders and performance and long, deep ruts put the chassis' response and stability to the test.

Race Highlights:

Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance

450 Class

Freddie Noren moved into seventh place in the championship standings with two top-ten moto finishes. 

Marshal Weltin raced inside the top ten in moto one and missed top-ten finishes in each moto by a single position.

Kyle Chisholm recovered from a first-turn pile-up to earn good championship points in moto two.

Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki

450 Class

Derek Drake qualified as the second-fastest rider in the first qualifier, pressured for a top three spot during moto one, and ended the day tied in moto points with the top ten overall spot.

250 Class

Dilan Schwartz earned his season-best overall result at Thunder Valley.

Chase Yentzer ran inside the top ten in moto one and earned points in both motos.

Freddie Noren (47) advanced his Suzuki RM-Z450 three positions in the

2023 championship.

Freddie Noren put his Twisted Tea Suzuki inside the top five at the start of the first moto. He finessed the long ruts and rode strong, despite the challenges of racing at high altitudes.

"I went 10-10 for ninth overall and I moved up to seventh place in the overall standings," said Freddie Noren. "I should maybe be happy with that but I'm actually really disappointed. I didn't gel well with the track, and I just couldn't ride very well. I felt off-pace all day. I definitely think I should have been higher up with my starts, and there were a few riders who passed me that really shouldn't pass me. But there were some positives, too. I had good starts, and I had no falls or crashes. Overall the team's doing a great job, and we're getting better every week."

Derek Drake (53) was blazing fast, battling for a top-three spot in moto one.

Derek Drake hit some incredible highs at the Rocky Mountain track. He was one of the fastest racers in qualifying and charged forward, nearly breaking into the top three early in the first moto. He held strong up front until an issue hindered his speed in the closing laps.

"I had a good day, going P-2 and P-4 in practice," reported Drake. "I had a good first moto going, then my rear brake had a setback. Unfortunately, it was the same in moto two: I had a good moto going then another setback and I rode it home. I'm looking forward to next weekend!"

Marshal Weltin (50) brought home his season-best finish on the challenging Colorado track.

Marshal Weltin's Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450 was one of three Suzukis running inside the top ten during moto one. Weltin was fast and consistent, despite a mid-race injury on a track that claimed many racers. 

"This race marks one year with the team, so it's a cool day for me," stated Weltin. "In moto one, I ran in seventh for a while. I was just a little off the pace and ended up 11th. In moto two I was running a decent pace, also around 11th, and unfortunately just had a little incident and tweaked my leg. That slowed me down. I didn't get tired; I was just battling leg pain. The track was gnarly but I rode well. It was not my best performance, but also not my worst, so we have something to work with heading to next week at High Point."

Kyle Chisholm (11) rebounded nicely after getting caught up in some

early-race crashes.

Kyle Chisholm was in the wrong place when a pile-up in the first turn of moto 1 caught up several riders. Chisholm eventually got back into the race and was immediately slicing through the pack.

"Honestly, it was a disappointing day," admitted Chisholm. " I had a decent start in the first moto, but somebody went down in the first turn right in front of me. I got tangled up in that. Then I caught up to the pack and somebody else crashed right in front of me. Our bikes got tangled up and I couldn't get going for a while. In the second moto, I started well and just rode pretty steady. The track was gnarly. A lot of deep, deep ruts – really a lot of ruts. So it was a bummer first moto, but my second moto was a little bit of a turnaround."

Dilan Schwartz (85) put in an outstanding ride in the first moto, recovering from a first turn crash to earn championship points.

Dilan Schwartz was on a tear in moto one, riding well to earn points after a first-turn crash added to the day's challenges. In moto two Schwartz started better and passed more riders to nab his season-best moto and best overall finish.

Chase Yentzer (361) put his Suzuki RM-Z250 inside the top ten at the start of moto one.

Rookie Chase Yentzer brought home his first AMA Pro motocross championship points with strong, points-earning results in both motos. The young racer found himself in the front group in moto one and rode fluidly at his first race at Thunder Valley.

"Thunder Valley is definitely a step in the right direction," said Yentzer. "After qualifying we made a few adjustments. In the first moto, I lined up on the inside and I came out of the first turn in the top ten. I had fallen back to 14th and I stayed there until the halfway mark. I struggled to breathe and my stomach was cramping with the altitude; making it hard to keep my core tight riding through the ruts. I ended up 18th in that moto. In the second moto I started on the inside, hoping to do the same thing I did in the first moto. I ended up getting pinched off in the first turn and came out in about 20th. I got focused and rode to 17th. I finished the moto strong and had a great day, scoring points in both motos. The Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki team was on top of it this weekend. I'm stoked to carry this momentum on to High Point"

"We did well today," reported Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager Larry Brooks. "Bikes always run differently up here,  so we're always chasing power and getting the engines properly mapped for the conditions. This is the third race of the outdoor series, so Freddie Noren is now in seventh in the championship, Kyle Chisholm is in fourteenth, and Weltin is in 17th. We're going to keep working and we'll see what happens next week in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania."

"We had impressive moments at Thunder Valley," said Toyota of Redlands Bar X Suzuki Team Manager Buddy Antunez. "Dilan Schwartz had a few crashes in moto one. We made gearing and suspension adjustments for moto two. Dilan had a decent start and finished a solid 13th. Chase Yentzer was also solid today. The young rookie finished in the top 20 in both motos. Derek Drake was really on another level today. He put his Toyota of Redlands Bar X Suzuki in second in the first qualifier. When qualifying was all done he sat fourth overall going into the motos. He executed strong starts in both motos and battled with the top three in moto one. He came across at the checkered in 9th. In moto two Derek was up there again. Derek's 450 Suzuki was working so well today, we didn't make any changes to the settings."

The teams head east for the first "east coast" track on the 11-round AMA Pro Motocross circuit. High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania brings the racers together next Saturday, June 17. The Suzuki teams will continue their race prep, and look forward to even stronger results as the summer series progresses.