Words and photos from Gizmo Racing Yamaha
3 Racers in the Mains for the Triple Crown!
Race Report – Round 9
Round 9 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Indianapolis proved to be a challenging night for the team, as all four riders faced adversity throughout the event but continued to push forward with determination.
Freddie Noren battled through multiple setbacks during the night, including a couple crashes that forced him to fight his way back through the field. Showing his trademark resilience, Noren continued to charge until each checkered flag with the last final being one of his best races of the year, ultimately finishing overall 20th in the Main Event.
CJ Benard also experienced a tough race night after going down early in the first race, forcing him into recovery mode for the remainder of the Main Event. Despite the incident, Benard kept pushing and crossed the line in all 3 races for 21st place overall.
For Valentin Guillod, the Indianapolis round was another test of perseverance. After a crash disrupted his 2nd race while charging through the field, Guillod regrouped and just lined up to the 3rd race battered, but was unable to ride through the pain securing 22nd place overall. After the race, X-rays came back negative on any fractures, so he will follow-up with some scans this week.
Unfortunately, Bryce Shelly’s night ended before the racing even began. Shelly suffered a crash during qualifying that resulted in a broken foot, preventing him from lining up for the evening program. The team wishes Bryce a speedy recovery and looks forward to seeing him back at the races soon.
While Indianapolis presented its share of challenges, the team remains focused on regrouping and coming back stronger for the next round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
Freddie Noren #63
Freddie said, “Triple crown weekend, consistency is key on these races and first two mains wasn’t great but I’m happy to have a solid 14th in the last one. Indy as always was a technical track so I’m thankful to be healthy going into this break. Looking forward to continuing the build and come into Birmingham a little bit better.”
Valentin Guillod #39
Valentin had this to say after the race, “Yeah, now I can say that I have qualified for a real Supercross inside stadium main event. I was feeling great during the day, specially in the whoops, I’ve been always in the top5. Unfortunately I crashed in the 2nd race and landed on my right shoulder. When I started for the 3rd race, I realized that it was impossible for me to race. I was expecting for a right broken scapula. After a X-ray at the Alpinestar medical truck, nothing is broken. But I damaged my back shoulder muscles. With the weekend off, I have time to recover for the next round.”
Bryce Shelly #80
Bryce received the news from the local hospital that he has suffered a Lisfranc foot fracture after his qualifier crash. He is headed back home this week to get further tests & scans for more information on what the future holds.
CJ Benard #775
“Some positives to take away from this weekend! First triple crown for me and qualifying straight in was good so I know my speed is there. Still learning the race pace and I feel like I made good progress through the night learning each moto. Let’s continue to build off this and keep it rolling to the next one.”, is what CJ has to say after the Event.
