This week, the TPJ Fly Racing team travelled to Daytona Beach, FL to compete at the tenth round of Monster Energy Supercross – this weekend we competed at the legendary Daytona International Speedway.
Thanks to the help of our sponsors, we were able to help a total of nine riders make it to the night show at Daytona. Four riders qualified for the 250 class, and five qualified for the 450 class.
In qualifying, it was made clear that this track would be difficult for most of the athletes competing. The deep, loose sand was merciless and was the cause of several crashes throughout qualifying, and slowed a lot of the field down. The track broke down throughout practice and qualifying and our athletes had to adapt to make faster lap times.
Adam and Tyler Enticknap qualified for the night show with the exact same fastest lap time – 1:16:915. The likelihood of this happening is extremely slim – especially since the two athletes are brothers and were in separate qualifying groups.
Nick Schmidt was our top-qualifying rider in the 450 class. He qualified 22nd overall with a fastest lap of 1:15:057. Our top qualifying rider in the 250 class was John Short, who qualified 21st overall with a fastest lap of 1:15:959.
We were set for a busy day at Daytona with all nine riders in the night show. In the 250 class, Dylan Merriam, John Short and James Milson lined up in the heats, along with TPJ Racing-supported rider Matt Babbitt.
Dylan Merriam would go on to charge in the front of the pack in the 250 LCQ and finish in second place. His second place finish would earn him his first ever trip to the main event in Monster Energy Supercross. We are very proud of Dylan and all of his hard work – and we are thankful to the sponsors who make it possible for him to achieve his goals.
A rough night on this tough track had all of our 450 riders lined up in the LCQ. Nick Schmidt bolted into the front of the pack and went on to finish second — staking a spot in the main event. Adam Enticknap was caught up in the middle of the pack and working to make passes. Near the end of the race he was getting pressure from his brother, Tyler Enticknap, who tailed him closely in 13th place. Chad Cook and Dustin Pipes finished not far behind them.
Schmidt went on to compete in the main event. Nick has only missed two main events in 2017, and he is determined to make more before the season ends. He finished 20th overall in Daytona.
We are very fortunate to have the support of our sponsors who make it possible for us to compete at such a high level of racing. Our riders continue to make strides each week thanks to the effort and the high-quality products our team has access to.
The TPJ Fly Racing team is now focused on Indianapolis Supercross. We will spend time this week helping our riders prepare for the event ahead. With so many of our riders on the cusp of qualifying, we are looking forward to seeing what they can do this weekend.
TPJ RACING 