The third race of the Salt Lake City was a mud-fest and it was series points leader, Kawasaki's Eli Tomac, who secured the win.
Eli Tomac – First
“When I got passed half way… I mean, I did not want to let this thing go. I was feeling so good and comfortable at that point there was no reason to take it a level down there. I ended up getting the triple combo at the end of that rhythm. That was the make-or-break for me. That was unbelievable. We passed each other twice in the whoops, or once or twice there. That was a great battle. Really fun though.”
Cooper Webb – Second
“It sucks I got second but man, it was a battle from lap one until the last lap. The conditions were tricky and the lappers were gnarly – a lot of it came down to that. It seemed like one lap I might get it right and one lap he might get it right but we were really pushing hard. It was a fun race even though I got beat. We’ll try to get the top spot on Wednesday.”
Jason Anderson – Third
“I’m happy to be up here. I feel like I’m getting closer to old form and my headspace is a little better so I’m just trying to keep building. I feel like I’ve had some good speed the last two races so I’m going to work on some stuff and come back at the next round and hopefully try to make it a little less easy on the championship guys.”
Zach Osborne – Fourth
“It was a decent day, I felt really good in the one qualifying session that we got and the heat race was good with the holeshot even though I had a good little spill. I came out with a holeshot in the Main but I rode kind of tight and the track was a little sketchy for me. I didn’t really find the flow right off the bat so it was a tough Main but it was a fourth-place, so we’ll take it. I’ve got a little bit of consistency to build with so I’m happy with it.”
Dean Wilson – Sixth
“It was a little bit different of a day with the weather and having only one qualifier, which went really well with a second. Unfortunately, with the rain I spun really hard on the gate and was pretty much dead last going down the start straight. I knew it was important to stay on two wheels and just try to click people off every lap, so that’s what I did. I don’t think it was my best riding but I managed to get a sixth, which is not too bad considering I came through the pack with a bad start.”
Justin Brayton – Seventh
“What a crazy day–the weather was just wild! It rained all day yesterday and most of the day today. Then the sun came out right after practice, which kind of dried up the track for the heat race, which was actually pretty good. I got third and then the rain blew in again. It dropped like 10 to 15 degrees and was raining on us before the main event, but all in all it was a good day. I ended up seventh–ran sixth for a long time and then got passed with a few to go. Overall, it was a solid night. Of course I want to be closer to the top five, but I feel like we’re working our way there. We made some awesome bike changes this week and that really helped me in the muddy conditions. When I got off the track, I told the guys that I can’t wait to ride this setup in the dry, so hopefully we’ll be able to do that here in a couple days.”
Ken Roczen – 10th
“These past two races obviously haven’t been the results that we needed to be in the fight. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t still trying. Sometimes you’re dealt a hand of cards that are completely out of your control, but we’re trying to make the smartest and quickest decisions to get through some of the health issues that keep coming up. My heat went well and I led a handful of laps until I got a flat. The boulders started popping up and I think I know right where the rock got me in the whoops. With the weather changing, we tried to make a tire decision that would give me the best chances of not having that same thing happen in the main, but that obviously didn’t work well. I’m not the type of guy that likes to roll around or is satisfied with a fifth- or 10th-place finish, but sometimes if that’s the best you can do for the night, you just have to except it for what it is. I can’t thank my team enough for being patient with me and for never wavering in their support. I know the sacrifices they’re making to be up here and all of the work they’re putting in to give me the best equipment and support, and I want to do better for them. I couldn’t be more grateful for them and I hope we can turn this around and be in a better position to put up a fight on Wednesday.”