Mosiman Finishes Sixth at Seattle Supercross
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Michael Mosiman returns to racing and overcomes adversity to finish sixth during his debut with the team / Mar 24, 2024 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Michael Mosiman enjoyed a strong debut with the team, finishing sixth at last night’s Round 6 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West Championship in Seattle, Washington. Nate Thrasher overcame adversity to finish inside the top 10 in ninth. Unfortunately, it was a tough end to the night for Jordon Smith, who had a big crash while riding in second and would finish 14th.
Riders were met with challenging conditions as rain soaked the track leading up to the race. Despite those tricky conditions and feeling less than 100%, Mosiman enjoyed a great start to his debut with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing squad and was the fastest 250 qualifier. He had a good start in the heat race and finished fifth. The Californian got another good start in the main event in fourth and rode a strong race in the tricky, demanding conditions, ultimately crossing the line sixth.
Thrasher had a solid start to the day on the rutted track and qualified seventh. Unfortunately, he went down at the start of his heat race and had to fight his way from the back of the field to eighth. Despite a less-than-ideal gate pick for the main event, he got a great start with his teammates in fifth and advanced to fourth. Unfortunately, a few laps after the halfway mark, he and another rider came together, damaging his bike. Determined to get the best result he could, the Tennessee rider soldiered on despite the challenges and finished ninth.
Smith had a strong start to the day, qualifying fifth in the tricky conditions. He then got a great start in the heat race in the runner-up spot and advanced to the lead after the frontrunner went down on the final lap. The North Carolina rider was third after the start and quickly made his way to second. Smith continued to ride a strong race in the runner-up spot and was closing the gap on the leader. With six laps remaining, he unfortunately came up short in a rhythm section on the deeply rutted track and crashed hard. Smith rejoined the race and crossed the line 14th, leaving Seattle third in the points standings and trailing the leader by 21 points.
Next up for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing is the final Triple Crown event of the season. The team heads to The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 30 for Round 7 of the 250SX West Championship and Round 12 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the SuperMotocross World Series.
Jensen Hendler – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“The day started out well. The guys were riding well and were pretty happy with their bikes. We went into the heat races with all three in Heat 2. Jordon won it, Mosiman was fifth, and Nate went down on the start but fought his way back into a qualifying spot in eighth. Even though they were scattered on the gate for the main event, all three guys got a good start and came out 3-4-5.
“Jordon found himself in second pretty early and was yo-yo-ing a bit with the leader as far as lap times go, and was closing the gap a bit. The track was super rutted tonight, and I think he dragged the pegs. He ended up coming up short in a rhythm section, hit his chest on the bars, and knocked the wind out of him. It took him a while to get his breath back, and then his bike was pretty twisted from the crash, so he ended up 14th. So it was a bummer night for Jordon to have it end that way and leave here down 21 points.
“It was cool to see Mosiman finish sixth. Honestly, on Thursday, we weren’t even sure if he was going to race. For him to end up with a sixth, it’s a building block. Both he and the team expect a little bit better than that, but knowing the circumstances, we’re happy with sixth.
“Nate had a pretty good race going and was catching third place at one point, but had an issue after coming together with another rider and went backward. So it was a bummer night in Seattle. We’ll keep fighting, though. The guys are riding better than ever. Anything can happen in this championship, and we’ll try and win these last four.”
Michael Mosiman – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #76
“It’s good to be back racing for sure. Considering that I wasn’t fully sure if I would be good enough to race at the start of the day, I think it was a fairly positive day. I had good starts in the heat and the main. I just have to get used to that pace and get back to it. So I’m knocking the rust off, but it’s going to come off quickly. I think that today was a step in the right direction toward that goal, and I look forward to getting healthier, continuing to put more laps in, and being more competitive at the front.”
Nate Thrasher – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #57
“It was definitely an eventful day. I came together with another guy, and something happened to the clutch. So I was just kind of surviving from then on and did what I could do. It just sucks. I felt like I had just started riding well and started moving my way up through the field, and then not having a clutch on that rutted track was definitely not easy. We’ll regroup and come back in St. Louis. The speed’s there. We’ve just got to execute better.”
Jordon Smith – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #31
“It was a tough night. Man, I felt good all day. I had a good practice, won my heat race, and felt good in the main. I kind of struggled with some lines at the beginning of the race and then started figuring it out. I felt like I was closing the gap on Levi (Kitchen) there in the later stages of the race and then went down in that rhythm section. The ruts were deep and caught my pegs, so I came up short and knocked the breath out of myself. It took me like 30 seconds to get a breath. Once I was able to breathe, I got back on, but my bike was pretty bent up, and I just did the best I could from there. It was definitely a disappointing night. I’ve been so solid all year, so to have a race like that and be so far back now in the points is really disappointing. We’ll regroup, put this one behind us, and just keep fighting.”
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX Seattle Results
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West Championship Standings
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company's ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, WaveRunner Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars, Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
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