TPJ Racing – Pro Motocross – Round 5

BUCHANAN, MICHIGAN | JULY 2, 2023 | RED BUD

There is no track on the Pro Motocross circuit as legendary as Red Bud in Buchanan, Michigan. Located at the southwestern tip of the glove, tucked away in a small town sits the approximately 240-acre riding park. This race that has become synonymous with the 4^th of July, hosts thousands of people from all over the world each year; and is one of the few tracks that allows on site camping during the event weekend. Red Bud has been hosting Pro Motocross races for the past 47 years.

179 total riders (89 450MX | 90 250MX) showed up at Red Bud this year with one common goal; qualify top 36 and make the main Moto’s of the day. Brian “JR” Saunier is still recovering from a crash at Round 1 but didn’t want to miss the opportunity to race the Red Bud track; he qualified 81^st for the day. Logan Boye struggled to find his speed, he qualified 53^rd for the day. He started mid-pack in the Consolation Race and battled hard to finish 20^th.

Hunter Cross started his day with a 43^rd in qualifying, which is higher than his series average. He launched off the line in the start of the Consolation Race and rounded turn 1 in first place; he didn’t look back and ended up grabbing the checkered flags and securing his spot in the days Moto’s. He went 29-33 for 33^rd overall.

Romain Pape was anxious to race at Red Bud knowing that the terrain is not what he is used to. He qualified 21^st overall for the day; but managed to find some bad luck in the moto’s. Some crashes in both moto’s caused him to DNF in each and resulted in zero earned points for the day. He currently sits 14^th in the Series overall standings. Trevor Schmidt has stayed consistent since moving to the 450MX Class, qualifying/finishing mid-pack each week. This weekend he qualified 31^st and went on to a 28^th overall for the day with 25|23 finishes.

In their words:

Romain Pape: “Today was not the day I was hoping for…I would like to score good points on this mythical redbud circuit but it will be a double zero. A fall in the first moto put me on the edge, and a sprain in the second as I started to let loose on this really tricky track will make me stop there. I definitely lack experience and riding this type of sandy track but I’m here to learn and it was a great pleasure to ride this track. See you next weekend in Southwick sands.”

Trevor Schmidt: “25-23 on the day for red bud! Thanks for all the love from everyone!”

Hunter Cross: “My first REDBUDDD was a good one, stoked on how the kit turned out and all the love from you guys! Tough day for sure back to work for Southwick.”