At the High Point National, BarX Suzuki’s Derek Drake brought home another top-ten moto finish in the first 450 Class moto (ninth place) and his second top-ten overall after a 12th-place finish in moto two. His 250cc teammates Dilan Schwartz (14-9 for 12th overall) and Chase Yentzer (17-17 for 17th overall) rode home solid finishes in their own rights. Schwartz’s results have been improving each week and he cracked the top ten for the first time this season, and Pennsylvania native Yentzer earned eight points at his home race, only a week after earning his first ever Pro Motocross points in Colorado. After the race, I caught up to the trio in the media scrum to get their respective thoughts on the day.
Derek Drake | 9-12 for 10th overall in 450 Class
Racer X: Derek, walk us through your day here at the High Point National.
Derek Drake: Yeah, I mean it was going good, first practice was the fastest so I ended up seventh there. The times were close from the third to seventh range, so I felt good about that going into the motos. First moto I had a terrible start, I was buried so worked my way up to ninth I believe. Second moto was going good, I just got in behind Cooper [Webb] and I was trying to latch on there and unfortunately I had a clutch issue. So, I just had to ride it home from there, I couldn’t really do anything, just try not to stall it. Kind of trail ride it a little bit so I didn’t stall the bike. A bit unfortunate but looking forward to RedBud.
Was it last week you had the rear brakes go out?
Yeah, Pala and last weekend at Thunder Valley I had brake issues in the motos and then this one I had a clutch issue. So unfortunate but what can you do? But I am healthy and ready to go for RedBud.
So, you have had a few top tens, I know a few guys are out but have your goals changed at all? What are your expectations going forward?
Yeah, I mean at first it was just top ten, and we got a few of those. I think I would have been top ten in every moto so far if it wasn’t for these issues. But now I’m shooting for top five, getting top five in times and run with those guys. Which was pretty fun in Thunder Valley until we had those issues like I said. So, I just need better starts and we’ll be able to run with those guys.
What are you looking forward to most with the weekend off before RedBud, testing and training or hitting the reset button?
It seems like we got our brake issues sorted out this weekend I had no brake issues. So, just back to the normal routine, it seems to be working. Work on starts and keep plugging away.
Thinking big picture are you looking at the SuperMotocross World Championship points at all?
Yeah, we are sneaking up on the SuperMotocross points, I’ve just got to keep clicking off these top tens, and I should be good. Just stay consistent and run through the whole year.
Dilan Schwartz | 14-9 for 12th overall in 250 Class
Racer X: Dilan, walk us through your day here at High Point National.
Dilan Schwartz: Yeah, qualifying, it was tough. I got 11th in my practice but the B group went really fast in the morning, so I ended up 33rd so it was pretty nerve-wracking there for a little bit. In the motos, I didn’t get the greatest start the first moto, had to pass a few guys and ended up 14th. Wasn’t really happy with my riding, just felt uncomfortable, the track was really gnarly. So, went back to the truck, went over what I needed to do. Went out second moto, got a pretty decent start, around 15th and passed a few guys. Really started to ride good towards the end and ended up ninth. So, I am pretty happy with that, that is my goal to be up there in the top ten with the factory dudes. Pretty happy I was able to do that on this track it was pretty demanding and really rough, so I am super happy with that.
In that first start were you caught up with Jo Shimoda and everyone else or were you outside of that?
So I started out on the inside and I was behind Levi [Kitchen] and everyone would just sort of fell in front of us and we would hit them and then go around. It was chaos back there, people were falling over left and right it was super muddy but we made it through without crashing somehow but we weren’t in the best spot.
![Dilan Schwartz]()
Dilan Schwartz Align Media ![Dilan Schwartz]()
Dilan Schwartz Align Media
There is a weekend off now before RedBud, what are you looking forward to? Rest, relaxation or testing, what’s your plan?
We have made a big step in the testing part, I feel way better now than I did at the beginning of the season. And I think the results show that. So, I am just going to keep on doing that, probably keep it a little bit light, we still have a lot of racing left to go. So just fine tune it a little and keep trying to improve those results. But keep it mellow so we don’t come in smoked for RedBud.
Chase Yentzer | 17-17 for 17th overall in 250 Class
Racer X: Chase, walk us through your day here at High Point National.
Chase Yentzer: It was pretty good, qualifying started off and I was 17th in the A practice and 30th overall and it stayed throughout the next set of practices. First moto was pretty good, I was all the way outside and I snuck around into the top ten and just rode my race. I didn’t have any rear brakes and I was little bit unbalanced going through the ruts and stuff. Pulled off a 17th. Regrouped and then going out for the second moto same thing, had a good start, top ten, then faded back to 17th again and finished out the day.
You are from Pennsylvania, right? This is your home race; did you have a lot of friends and family cheering you on?
Yeah, I am from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I had a ton of people out here cheering me on I could hear them all over the track.
So, you used to race here growing up? Is this a familiar track for you?
Yeah, I raced here two or three times a year if I would come at all, but usually I would come two or three times a year.
![Chase Yentzer's Suzuki RM-Z250 race machine.]()
Chase Yentzer's Suzuki RM-Z250 race machine. Align Media ![Chase Yentzer]()
Chase Yentzer Align Media
How does the track compare on Pro Motocross national day verses on amateur days, and it was a muddy pro national. Did racing here growing up help at all?
Yeah, I think it helped a lot with the layout and stuff. Definitely for the start because I have done so many starts here that I knew that the outside stays open and everyone gets pinched up on the inside, so I went to the outside both starts. I knew that I wouldn’t go into the first turn upfront, but I would come out of the second turn upfront so that definitely helped a lot. And the layout was, I know the layout, but it was way more gnarly than any other amateur race here.
You have a weekend off before heading to RedBud so what is that process like? Testing and training or some relaxation?
I am going to relax this week, Tuesday is my birthday so I am going to go back to Florida to just hang out. I’ll be 21, so going back to Florida to hang out with my buddies and get a couple of days of riding in, still gym and cycling and stuff. And Sunday I will fly out to California and get ready for RedBud.
