NOREN TAKES 5-7 IN DEBUT RIDE FOR SUZUKI AT WICK MX

2019-07-02 07:52
New JGRMX/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Team rider Fredrick Noren scored a career-best result in his debut ride on the Suzuki RM-Z450 at the weekend’s sixth round of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Southwick in Massachusetts, USA; his first race after taking over from injured Justin Hill.

He delivered strong results, carding an impressive top-five result in the first moto and finishing seventh overall on the day. Suzuki RM-Z250 rider Alex Martin also displayed steady results with a top-10 overall, as teammate Kyle Peters was held back by a pair of crashes.

Noren received a call early last week to join the JGRMX/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Team as a fill-in for Hill. Racing as privateer for most of the Pro Motocross series, the Swedish fan-favourite jumped at the opportunity and kicked-off his Suzuki debut strongly.

‘Fast Freddie’ proved his talent and speed at the Wick 338 track, qualifying fifth fastest of the day, and charging hard with the lead pack in both motos. Noren scored fifth place in moto one, and dug deep to finish seventh in moto two; resulting in seventh overall. In reality, Noren was in a three-way tie for fifth overall but was relegated to seventh based on the series’ tie break scoring. That said, his fifth place in the opening moto matches a career-best and he is excited to continue the momentum with the team, and finish-out the series with Suzuki.

“I had an awesome start with the JGRMX/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing crew in finishing seventh overall,” said Noren. “Having the support system of everyone around me this weekend was more helpful than I can explain. I couldn’t ask for a better bike in the Suzuki RM-Z450. I’m excited for the remainder of the season.”

“This was the weekend that the team needed,” added Team Manager Jeremy Albrecht. “Freddie and the team did a great job leading into Southwick to prepare for the race. It was a great combined effort. Noren’s excitement transferred over to the team and proved that he is, in fact, ‘Fast Freddie’ and I think he can do even better at RedBud.”

Alex Martin was eager to race the Southwick National, evidenced by his seventh place qualifying time. Although a crash on the opening lap of the first moto buried him in the pack, it didn’t stop the Minnesota native from putting on a charge to the front. A top-10 start in the second moto, coupled with great speed, resulted in fifth place for the moto and sixth overall of the day. ‘A-Mart’ is looking to focus on his starts leading up to RedBud.

Albrecht continued, “Alex rode well all day. He had a few crashes while trying to push the limit and I am proud of him for trying so hard. I think he is poised for a break-out ride soon.”

Kyle Peters qualified well but crashed in the second moto and was unable to finish. Peters continues to push through the adversity and looks for better results at the upcoming stops.

The JGRMX/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Team will travel to the famed RedBud National in Buchanan, Michigan on Saturday, July 6th, for the seventh round of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.

Alex Martin [250 Class, 10-5 for 6th Place]:

“Qualifying went significantly better this weekend with logging the seventh-fastest time. I managed a decent start in the first moto, only to have it last for three corners with a silly tip-over crash. I felt like I rode well to go from about dead-last to eighth, before a small crash put me back to 10th. I overcame a mid-pack start in the second moto to finish fifth. I am still frustrated with my starts. I will continue to make that a priority this week leading up to RedBud.”

Kyle Peters [250 Class, 16-35 for 20th Place]:

“I had a great start in the first moto and was right with my teammate Alex Martin. He stuffed his front end in a sand berm and almost took me down, so I dropped back a bit. I had a good pace going while running 12th and tipped over halfway through the race. Then I crashed on the first lap and caught a handlebar in the ribs that were already injured. I couldn’t breathe and unfortunately wasn’t able to finish the moto. The track got gnarly. There weren’t any places where you could relax.”

Fredrik Noren [450 Class, 5-7 for 7th Place]:

“I had an awesome start with the JGRMX/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing crew in finishing seventh overall. Having the support system of everyone around me this weekend was more helpful than I can explain. I couldn’t ask for a better bike in the Suzuki RM-Z450. I’m excited for the remainder of the season.”

Jeremy Albrecht [Team Manager]:

“This was the weekend that the team needed. Fredrik Noren and the team did a great job leading into Southwick to prepare for the race. It was a great combined effort. Noren’s excitement transferred over to the team. Freddie proved that he is, in fact, ‘Fast Freddie’ and I think he can do even better at RedBud.”

“In the 250 class, Alex Martin rode well all day. He had a few crashes while trying to push the limit. I am proud of him for trying so hard. I think Alex is poised for a break-out ride. Kyle Peters qualified better than in past races and was riding well. He crashed in the second moto and injured his ribs, which ended his day”

Source: Team Suzuki Press Office

Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story