Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/933834
CHAMPIONSHIP VOL. 55 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 30, 2018 P59 start, so just being in that pack, it's hard to separate yourself and get a gap to where you can get comfortable by yourself. If I could've had that tonight, I felt like I could've gotten into a better rhythm, but I kind of got off- rhythm and rode a little tight from about lap 13 or so and started making mistakes. Then I made two really big mistakes at the very end that pushed me back to 10th, so I can't be too bummed, but those two mistakes hurt my final result. I'm riding better, though, so I feel good about that." 32 WESTON PEICK 6TH 450SX "Glendale wasn't too bad," said Autotrader/Yoshimura Suzuki's Weston Peick who has been solid since Anaheim I. "Like the previous rounds I didn't have the best qualifying time, but everyone was very close in speed. I got off to a decent start in the heat race and worked my way up to third place. In the main event I came out swinging, passing into second and running there for a few laps. Then I started making dumb mistakes and lost some ground. Once I got into sixth place I kind of settled into that pace and kept it there until the finish. The track developed pretty well. The rhythm section before the finish line was pretty big. Jumping up onto the tabletop and jumping off was tough. If you didn't get it perfectly it would really slow you down. My hand is definitely better after taking some time off this past week [after the crash at Anaheim II]. I'll be back on a regular riding schedule this week and get prepared for Oakland." 27 MALCOLM STEWART 13TH 450SX "It was a great day for me," said Autotrader/Yoshimura Suzuki's Malcolm Stewart, who is hoping to keep his job on the team after filling in for Justin Bogle. "Practice went better than last weekend. I was very happy to fin- ish second in the heat race and run that top pace. In the main event, I rode really tight, which made me frustrated, so I stopped moving forward through the pack. That's part of racing. I learn from my mistakes, and I'll keep pushing forward to get better. My starts are improving every week. Overall, the day was great. I can't complain, and I couldn't be happier. I just need to clean up a few things and keep digging." 1 JUSTIN HILL 7TH 250SX WEST Justin Hill is still trying to find the rhythm that got him the number-one plate last year. "We're looking a little bit better than in previous rounds," he said. "I felt like I rode well. Unfortunately, I made contact with another rider about a lap and a half into the main event and lost my clutch for the whole race. The silver lining is that I felt like I was riding well once I put the pieces together. The speed is back, and I'm feeling confident. Glendale was more like a supercross track and less like a fair race. I'm game to go after what's needed to get where I feel I belong. On paper the result doesn't look good, but this weekend was a bit of a win. I feel in tune with the RM-Z250. Every race has been about the start. I'm getting a good jump, but we are going to work on some details. This weekend I changed the gearing by going to a 50-tooth rear, which was way more manageable. Contrary to popular belief, I'm still in this thing." 25 MARVIN MUSQUIN 5TH 450SX Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin was happy with his night. "Given the last few weeks and all the rehab work I've put in to strengthen my shoulder, I'm happy with fifth place tonight. I was able to get a reasonable start around eighth and just tried to put in solid laps until the end. I'm happy to make good gains this week and I look forward to building from here."