We spoke to several podium riders and title front-runners from the Unadilla National already this week. Here’s what other riders from throughout the pack had to say about their day in New York.
450 Class
Dylan Ferrandis | 2-3 for 2nd overall
“I came here to win, but second overall was the best I could do today. The track was just wild! It was so technical and so hard to ride and go fast. We didn’t have the pace, and Ken (Roczen) was way too strong, so congrats to him. We’ve been on every podium so far this season, and I’m really happy about that. We will keep working to be back on the top step.”
Eli Tomac | 3-7 for 4th overall
“In the first moto I had a good start going around the first corner but, I had to check up to avoid a crash at the front and got shuffled back a few positions. From there I went straight into the fight and worked my way to fourth before another rider crashed and gave me third. I was riding well, my body felt good, and I was hitting the right lines around the track. Finishing third in Moto 1 put me in a good spot for the overall and gave me solid gate selection for Moto 2. In the second moto I moved further inside for the start, but that choice didn’t pay off because I came out a little further back in the pack and was having a hard time moving forward. It was a difficult track with a lot of ruts that changed throughout the day. In the morning the track was really soft, so ruts formed up all over the place, but later in the afternoon the dirt got hard and dry with a crust on the ruts which required challenging adjustments. It’s frustrating that I only made it up to seventh in the second moto, but at least we had that podium finish in Moto 1.”
Chase Sexton | 11-2 for 5th overall
"Round 8 at Unadilla started off pretty good; I qualified first in the first session. I didn't really feel that great on the bike and ended up third in the second one. I got a good gate pick going into the first moto and got a good start but ended up going down pretty hard in the second corner. It was a tough way to start the day, but I charged back as much as I could. I ended up going down again, which definitely hindered me a little bit. I came out in the second moto and got the holeshot. I tried to run away as fast as I could, but Ken [Roczen] obviously is really good at that too, and he's faster. I felt like I rode pretty good. Definitely got roosted a lot today, so I’m going to be a little bit sore from that and the crash, but I’m looking forward to Budds Creek and will try and get some wins under my belt before the season's over."
![Chase Sexton picks his bike up at the holeshot stripe.]()
Chase Sexton picks his bike up at the holeshot stripe. Mitch Kendra ![Sexton after the moto.]()
Sexton after the moto. Mitch Kendra
Cooper Webb | 5-5 for sixth overall
“Today was a pretty good day. My starts were good in both motos, which helped. I didn’t ride too great in the first moto but I felt a lot better in the second moto – we made a complete bike change for the second moto and it worked out a lot better. So 5-5, it was definitely a better day and we’ll keep building to try and get better for Budds Creek.”
Christian Craig | 7-6 for 7th overall
“It was a decent day for me at Unadilla. We struggled in practice trying to find a flow but I was able to put in some good laps in both motos. The track was treacherous, so I'm glad to get out of there healthy and move on to Budds Creek!”
Max Anstie | 8-9 for 8th overall
"It was a good day here in Unadilla; it's my first time here. We ended up eighth overall, so we're making progress. The team has done a great job in the last few weeks' break to make some positive steps with the bike set-up, and it definitely was nice to be in the race; I've got to get out of the gate [faster] this next weekend in Budds Creek and we'll be back at the sharp end with the guys. We've definitely made progress so I’m happy."
Justin Bogle | 9-12 for 9th overall
“I am happy with my ride today. My speed was there, just didn’t have the start I needed in the second moto. Overall we are moving in the right direction and looking forward to Budds Creek and the last part of the season.”
Joey Savatgy | 6-20 for 13th overall
“It was a good day overall, My speed was there and had good starts both motos. It was just unfortunate I had a big get-off in the second moto. I have been happy with the progress we’ve been making and am looking forward to bouncing back at Budds Creek next Saturday.”
Aaron Plessinger | 38-DNS for 43rd overall
“We were having such a great day, and I was feeling really good, so it’s such a bummer, but I’m glad it wasn’t worse. We’re going to take it day by day and get checked out again before Budds Creek, and hopefully be right back out there.”
Said Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 team manager Jeremy Coker:
“We had a very up and down day at Unadilla. Practice went well, and the first moto started great with Aaron and Dylan up front, and Christian charging through the pack. Aaron was putting on a very good ride up front but unfortunately had a big crash that ended his day. Dylan rode great to bring home a solid second overall on a tough track. Christian had a great ride as well and put together two strong motos. Aaron went to be checked out and was cleared from the hospital, and we’re hoping to have him back very soon!”
Brandon Hartranft | 10-37 for 15th overall
"It was a pretty good day. We're getting better every race. Qualifying went pretty well, I was twelfth overall. In the first moto, I had a pretty good start; I tucked into the inside of the first turn and would've had an even better start if [another rider] hadn't crashed after the first turn. At the end I was battling for ninth and ended up with a strong tenth place finish in the moto. I'm stoked on my progression and I'll just keep working hard and we'll have good results."
Said Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports/Suzuki team manager Dustin Pipes:
"It was a good day at 'Dilla. I think the bike changes we made during the last few weeks have been good and it showed out on the track. Max was close to being in the top five in the first race and Brandon was in the top ten pretty handily, so I think it's a great indication of growth as we head to Budds Creek and towards the end of the season."
250 Class
Jett Lawrence | 2-1 for 1st overall
"I got P8 in both qualifiers, but I felt pretty good; I was a little confused but not too worried about it because I really like this track. In the first moto I got a good start and was P3, then quickly moved into second. I had a few goes at first but couldn't get close enough to make a full pass. I tried looking at some new lines to see if I could make a pass and ended up losing some ground on the leader. I was trying to bring back that time again, but it was so hard because we're all so close on speed. I ended up getting second in that one, which I'm not too mad about; it's a good improvement from the weekends before. In the second moto I had another good start and felt really, really strong and was having a lot of fun chasing the boys. I ended up getting [Justin] Cooper, then I made a mistake and he got me back. I was able to get him back a couple laps later and made a charge on J-Mart [Jeremy Martin] in first. I ended up getting him in the same spot and just kept pushing because I felt so good. I ended up getting the win and getting back in this championship chase again, which is really nice.”
Said Honda HRC team manager Erik Kehoe:
“It was an amazing double-class victory for Ken, Jett and the team at the Unadilla event! The entire team has been working hard this year, and a weekend like this shows it! Unfortunately, Chase’s first-moto crash on the start hurt his chances at an overall podium finish, but a strong second place in moto 2 still earned him fifth overall on the day! Hunter had to deal with a bent front brake rotor in moto 2 but still managed sixth overall on the day.”
Justin Cooper | 1-4 for 2nd overall
“The track was very difficult all day with the long choppy ruts. I had a really good first moto, but I was really fighting the bike in the second moto. I lost my flow pretty early, and once you lose your flow on this track, it’s pretty dangerous. I’m glad to be out of here safe, and we’ll keep coming out swinging and going for this championship.”
Jeremy Martin | 3-2 for 3rd overall
“I was very excited to race Unadilla since my last race there was in 2017. It was definitely a really technical race track this year, with minimal track prep. I got arm pump really bad in the first moto but held on for third. The bike and I were better for Moto 2, but I just couldn’t quite get the job done.”
Said Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 team manager Seth Rarick:
“We had a solid day at Unadilla and got two out of the three spots on the podium. Unfortunately, we came up just short of the top spot, but we kept the red plate. We’re going to keep working to stay up front in this final stretch of the championship.
“Jarrett [Frye] and Levi [Kitchen] had great days as well and mirrored each other somewhat in both motos. They both got bad starts in Moto 1, but they kept moving forward throughout the race. Then the two of them got a better start to Moto 2, and they ran well inside the top 10 the entire time. I’m happy with the day, and we look to keep moving forward.”
Max Vohland | 6-5 for 5th overall
“Today went really well. The track was super brutal and I found myself getting shuffled back a lot but I put in good charges in both motos to go 6-5 for fifth overall, which is a career-best for me and I’m looking to carry this momentum into next weekend at Budds Creek.”
Hunter Lawrence | 5-11 for 6th overall
"It was a tough weekend, very frustrating. In the first moto, I made mistakes in the first two corners, and the one mistake in the first turn cost me a bunch of positions. I had a really good start but ended up getting fifth, which was okay; I wasn't really happy with my riding, and I struggled to pass. In the second moto I got a decent start, but in the fourth turn something happened to my front brake; my brake rotor was bent that it was hitting the caliper, so I had to deal with that for the moto, which was sketchy from the first lap—not ideal. It was pretty sketchy, but nothing we can do, nothing my mechanic could do, so just a bit of an unfortunate racing incident. On to the next!"
Jarrett Frye | 13-8 for 9th overall
“It was a better weekend of racing for me. The track was gnarly, but I had some fun and was able to get ninth overall. I’m looking forward to my hometown race next weekend at Budds Creek!”
Preston Kilroy | 16-10 for 12th overall
"Overall today was pretty good. Moto 1 started a little rough with a bad start off the gate, but I was able to squeeze on the inside of the first two turns and make a few moves. I rode a little tight midway through so I tried to take good lines and not make any mistakes. In the second moto I got off to a pretty good start and was up with all the fast guys. I was able to see the fast lines and I got some good laps in. About halfway through the moto I struggled a little bit to find my flow, but then started to use some lines that were working. I was able to put in some good laps and ended up tenth. I’m excited to keep learning and keep building each weekend and am relieved to have my first National of the year under my belt!"
Austin Forkner | 19-6 for 13th overall
“I am happy with how I rode the second moto given the circumstances. I was sore from my crash in Moto 1 and didn’t have a good gate pick, but I made the most of the situation. I was way outside on the starting gate so, even though I got a great jump, I still came out somewhere around 20th. I made a lot of passes and finished only a few seconds behind fifth. It took me a little while to get up to speed at the beginning of the moto because I was dealing with some pain but, if I had been able to get to my pace sooner, I feel confident I could have scored a top-5 finish. That is the goal right now, to string together two solid motos with consistent riding and we can build up from there.”
Dilan Schwartz | 15-12 for 14th overall
"I don’t think I could’ve made Unadilla any harder for myself. I crashed on the first lap in both motos and had to come from dead last. But I’m happy with my riding and fitness to be able to end up with 15-12 moto scores, and I really enjoyed how technical the track was. Hopefully I can keep it on two wheels next weekend and get better results."
Jo Shimoda | 7-36 for 16th overall
“The track was very technical today, but I was able to ride with good speed every time I was out there. In practice I qualified fourth and was comfortable with all of the ruts on the track. In the first moto, my start was not great, but I raced hard for the whole moto and almost made the pass for sixth at the finish. There are a lot of positive to take away from the day and we will continue to push forward.”
Pierce Brown | 29-40 for 36th overall
“I felt really good on the bike during qualifying, so I was stoked for the day but the first moto started out pretty rough. I fell on the first lap and then a couple laps later, I kind of had a big one and it shook me up a little bit but I got back up and finished the moto in 29th. For Moto 2, I was ready to come out swinging but it was a tough one as well. I came together with some guys off the start and went down. I was already buried, so I was trying to be calm and make my way through the pack and a couple laps in, I hit a really bad kicker in one of the jumps in the back part of the track and went over the bars. I tried to save it but I just couldn’t pull it through. It was a big one. I hit my head pretty hard and my left shoulder, so that put me out for the day. I’m super bummed on how the day went and how it had to end but we’re going to see some specialists next week to make sure that my body is good and if not, we’re going to take the right precautions to get back as soon as possible.”
