This week, the TPJ Fly Racing team travelled to Detroit, MI to compete in the twelfth round of Monster Energy Supercross.
After a great and busy week of press time and riding, our athletes were excited to go for another chance at a Supercross main event – this week would turn out to be a tough one for the TPJ Crew.
In qualifying, all of our riders were able to make it into the night event.
In the 250 class, John Short and Dylan Merriam were off to great starts in the heats, but little slips on technical portions of the track knocked them down in the rankings and sent them to the LCQ.
In the second heat, James Milson struggled with an injury. He stuck his foot in a corner and twisted his ankle on his foot peg. The Alpinestars Medical team believes that he has a high ankle sprain and possibly a torn ligament. He plans to see a doctor this week for an official diagnosis, but hopes that he will be back by New Jersey.
In the 450 class, our riders battled the tough track and found themselves in the LCQ, despite great charges in the heats. Nick Schmidt would take over the LCQ and lead the race until being overtaken by Justin Barcia. Schmidt would hold steady in second place and earn a spot in the main event. Schmidt would finish 21st overall in the main event.
In his first heat, Dustin Pipes crashed and landed on another rider’s bike, which resulted in a broken collarbone. At this time it is expected that Pipes will not be back on the track for the remainder of the Monster Energy Supercross season.
Our riders continue to work hard and persevere despite the bad luck this weekend. Anyone who has been involved in the racing world understands the risks as well as the ups and downs. After his injury, Pipes’ said it best “that’s racing”.
While this was a rough week for the TPJ Racing team, we will still roll on to St. Louis with the rest of the athletes. With only four rounds left, we hope for more great results and progress for our team.
We want to thank our sponsors who have been a tremendous help to our team week after week. It is with your support that we are able to reach milestones and continue to press on through the tough races.
We hope to see you in St. Louis.
TPJ RACING 