Team Suzuki Press Office – July 5.
Marshal Weltin: Suzuki RM-Z450 – 10-12
Brandon Hartranft: Suzuki RM-Z450 – 13-13
Carson Mumford: Suzuki RM-Z250 – 13-13
Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance’s Marshal Weltin raced to a career-best finish at round five of 2022 AMA Pro Motocross Series at the weekend.
The popular event at RedBud MX in Buchanan, Michigan was also a strong outing for the Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450 of Brandon Hartranft. In the 250 class, BarX/ Chaparral Suzuki racers Carson Mumford, Preston Kilroy and Derek Drake battled up front at the storied motocross venue aboard their Suzuki RM-Z250s.
Weltin continued his trend of improvement, finessing his Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450 through the RedBud ruts to earn his career-first top 10 finish. Weltin took advantage of his Suzuki race bike’s torque to pull two top 10 starts. He battled up front for the duration of both motos and finished the day with a top 10 moto finish and a top 10 overall result. Weltin earned enough points to advance one position in the championship standings.
“I’m from Michigan, so RedBud is my home race,” said Weltin. “A lot of my friends and family showed up and were really supportive. Things started out a little rocky. I was pretty off in qualifying. Then I think my instincts just kicked in when the gate dropped and I had my personal best moto finish with a 10th in Moto 1. I followed that up with a 12th in Moto 2. I ended up with a tenth overall. I’m stoked with the results. It’s really fun racing at RedBud; the track’s always insanely good, and you just can’t match the whole atmosphere. I had a lot of fun and cracked a Twisted Tea at the end of the day and tried to soak it all in.”
Hartranft also put his Suzuki’s horsepower to good use on the deep, Michigan start straight, tallying two starts that saw him right at the edge of the top 10 pack. Hartranft battled hard through the deep ruts and off-camber sections. Hartranft now heads into round six of the 12-round series picking up speed and confidence.
“Round five at RedBud was a little tough for me. I could have ridden better in qualifying.” Hartranft said. “In Moto 1 I got a decent start and was around the top 10. I had really bad arm pump and I dropped back to around 15th. Then with 10 minutes to go I regrouped, got my arms back to normal, and caught back up to 13th. Before Moto 2 we did a little suspension change. I rode quite a bit better, but everybody in front of me was just riding super well and I ended up with another 13th. I’m definitely not happy about my results, but I’ll take the positives out of the day and move forward for round six at Southwick.”
Entering the series late due to an injury, Carson Mumford was instantly back on pace and improved throughout the day. He spent the second moto, the final race of the day with the roughest track conditions, charging up into the top five with his BarX/ Chaparral Suzuki RM-Z250.
“RedBuuuud!” Mumford cheered as is the tradition at the event. “Man, it feels great to be back at the races! 13-13 moto scores are not too bad for only being on the bike six days. I showed some good speed in the second moto, making crucial passes early in the race and riding in that fifth to 10th place range for 20 minutes! I’m hungry for more and really excited to improve! Bring it on Southwick!”
BarX/ Chaparral Suzuki’s Preston Kilroy put in his strongest moto finish of the year after missing the first two rounds of the series. Kilroy looked comfortable on his RM-Z250 in the deep ruts and across the deep sand rollers.
“RedBud was a step in the right direction,” Kilroy reported. “I had a pretty good start in the first moto, but then went off the track and lost some positions. In the second moto I didn’t get the greatest start. I started to make my way up and make some passes, then unfortunately washed out the front tyre coming down one of the hills. I’ve been playing a lot of catch up recently, but I’m starting to feel more and more comfortable each weekend”
Derek Drake started his day with a top 10 start in the first 250 moto. Although the event was not a strong result for Drake, his sprint speed aboard his RM-Z was on display running with the front pack early in the 250 class opening moto.
“RedBud was going well,” said Drake after the event. “In the first moto I got shuffled back in the beginning because my clutch went out and I had to adjust to it. Then unfortunately, about 20 minutes in I got sick and couldn’t recover for the next moto.”
“Good day for the team at RedBud. Such an awesome event: the atmosphere, the fans, it can’t be beat,” was how Twisted Tea/ H.E.P. Motorsports/ Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager Dustin Pipes described the day. “Our guys were being cheered on all day and it was great to be a part of it. Marshal cracking the top 10 was great to see. His progression in just a few short weeks has been great. I’m hoping to see more of the same to round out the series. Brandon is still finding his stride and we plan to help him get there. He isn’t placing where the team or he expects to be, and we are working hard to fix that.”
The Suzuki teams continue their eastward march, with legendary sand track, The Wick 338, ahead on the schedule for next Saturday. The bikes, athletes, and teams are ready to continue to bring the fight and march up the championship point standings.
