The TPJ Fly Racing team rolled into Atlanta, GA for the eighth round of Monster Energy Supercross at the Georgia Dome. This week we had eight riders competing in the event – three in the 250 class and five in the 450 class.
Our weekend in Atlanta kicked off with a great press day ride on Friday. The team continues to get media exposure each week thanks to Feld Entertainment and its media crew. Four of our riders had the opportunity to ride the track for local television crews and participate in interviews.
On Friday evening, our riders headed down to the stadium floor for the Arenacross / Supercross track party. Arenacross attendees got the chance to meet riders and get autographed posters. TPJ Fly Racing Suzuki riders Dustin Pipes and Nick Schmidt signed autographs alongside Justin Barcia and Ricky Carmichael, and Tyler and Adam Enticknap signed autographs alongside the factory Honda athletes. Our riders had a great night spending time with fans that waited in line to meet them.
Come Saturday, our riders were ready to go. We kicked off the event with all eight riders qualifying for the night event.
In the night show, our 250 riders were looking great. TPJ Fly Racing rider John Short narrowly missed the main event again (by one spot). Although this is frustrating for him, it is very clear that he has the potential for making main events consistently.
After some very rough starts in Atlanta, Short was able to fight through the ranks and work his way into the top 5 in more than one race. We can’t wait to see what he can do in Toronto. Dylan Merriam was also looking smooth and fast, and was on his way to battling for a qualifying spot until a spill left him clawing back ground.
In the 450 class, Nick Schmidt was able to qualify directly out of the semis again this week. He went on to race in the main event and finish 19th overall. Adam and Tyler Enticknap were extremely close to making the main event tonight, finishing 7th and 8th (respectively) in the LCQ.
This week, we saw quite a few of our riders come so close to making the main event – while this is heartbreaking for them, it shows us that their dedication is paying off. We are really looking forward to seeing how they compete in Toronto.
We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to race each weekend, which would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. It is with your help that our athletes are able to progress each week and get closer to reaching their goals. We are thankful that you recognize the talent and potential of the TPJ Fly Racing team.
We are looking forward to the races this weekend in Toronto – hope to see you there!
TPJ RACING 