From Manluk/Rock River Yamaha
Racing within the city of Houston, Texas, the Manluk Rock River Racing team would approach the track in NRG Stadium with confidence, riding a wave of momentum that had been established in the West Coast portion of the tour prior to embarking on round four of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. With riders contesting both the 250cc and 450cc divisions, the assembly of Rock River Racing athletes were in a constant state of competition as action was underway on Saturday.
Missouri’s Benny Bloss had been riding extremely well thus far in 2023, and continued to do much the same throughout qualification early in the afternoon. He registered sixteenth before initiating the heat race process, where his number forty-four machine could be found excelling amongst every facet of the raceway. Carrying remarkable momentum through the whoop section, he would solidify eighth on the final leaderboard as the checkered flag was thrown. Though undergoing misfortune in the main event, fans and team alike hope to see Benny return to action as soon as possible while competing within the 450cc SX championship.
The number seventy-eight of Grant Harlan would showcase confidence from the moment practice began; initiating a series of strong laps instantly, while eventually propelling to twenty-first on the overall leaderboard. Stationed in heat two, he would climb as high as fourteenth before an unfortunate crash would leave him unable to compete for the rest of the evening. Though his determination is certain to translate to a spectacular rebound for next week’s round in Tampa, Florida.
Competing within the 250cc division, would be Luca Marsalisi; who established quite the successful precedent in 2022, and proceeded to immediately rekindle that notion as practice began within the afternoon hours. Ultimately registered thirty-second before entering into the night show, his effort(s) throughout the races that followed were certainly well-respected. He battled throughout heat number one, to arrive at the checkered flag in thirteenth position; and continued on that ascending trajectory through the LCQ as well, to acquire eleventh. Oklahoma’s Jesse Flock had been working tirelessly in the off-season to heighten his race-craft, and his elite attributes were on display for thousands to see while competing at NRG Stadium. He would qualify directly into the night show via a thirty-fourth on the final list of lap-times, which categorized him in the first heat. Once here, Flock’s tenacity would have him surging through all eight laps of competition; finishing fifteenth, prior to beginning the Last Chance Qualifier. And with highly skilled opponents all around him, Flock’s expertise would flourish; racing to a notable fourteenth as the sixth-lap contest was eventually finalized.
Overall, the Manluk Rock River Racing team is excited about the rounds moving forward. They continue to heighten with success as the series progresses, and with riders now competing in every division within the Supercross classification, it’s certain that the Yamaha outfit will accrue spectacular results each time the gate(s) fall for the 2023 season.
