The TPJ Fly Racing team travelled to Minneapolis, MN for the most recent round of the Monster Energy Supercross series. After a tough mudder in Seattle, the Supercross circuit was plagued by another hit from Mother Nature, this time – snow.
By game day, a heap of snow piled the ground, and snow continued to fall throughout the night. Riders and mechanics darted in and out of U.S. Bank stadium as qualifying kicked off.
With Minneapolis being the last Triple Crown event of the year, TPJ Racing riders John Short and Ben Lamay had only one shot to get into the night show. Both riders got familiar with the track quickly, and executed the necessary fast laps to qualify directly into the night show Triple Crown mains – avoiding the untelevised last chance qualifier. With three main events ahead of them, the riders took shelter to ‘warm up’ for the night show.
Ben Lamay rolled into the gate on his Maxim Honda CRF450 ready to go. He bumped elbows with the fastest riders in the world and shook out 18-17-17 in the first, second, and third main events, respectively. The overall scoring awarded him 17th place overall. Lamay now sits in 21st overall in the championship points, and is only 13 points behind factory rider Christian Craig, and 12 behind factory rider Josh Grant. Lamay looks to continue his main event streak and charge for championship points next weekend.
TPJ Racing 250 rider John Short struggled at the previous Triple Crown event, so he came to U.S. Bank stadium looking for redemption – and he found it. Short would narrowly avoid a pile up in the first moto, but fall back near the rear of the pack. Despite this, he would fight his way back to 11th in the first moto. After his wild ride in moto one, Short would finish both the second and third moto in 8th — giving him 8th place overall for the evening. The 8th place finish would be Short’s season-best finish, and moves him into 14th overall in the championship standings. He is currently only a few points behind both factory riders Jimmy Decotis and Martin Davalos.
As we turn our attention to the next round at Gillette Stadium, we want to thank the sponsors and supporters who make it possible for the TPJ Racing team to continue to excel. DSC Construction continues to cover the entry fees of our main event qualifiers, while Pirelli assures they have the best tires. Engine Ice coolants and Lucas Oil products protect our riders’ machines, and Karcher pressure washers make for a quick clean in between motos. Thanks to these companies, and many more, we are able to run a smooth program week after week.
While we missed out on a pit party this weekend in Minneapolis, we are looking forward to seeing friends and fans this weekend in Foxborough at Gillette stadium. If you make it to the party in the pits, be sure to stop by and sign up for chance to win the TPJ Racing 2018 Giveaway Bike, and a trip to Monster Energy Supercross in Las Vegas.
Words: Anna Glennon
Photos: BrownDogWilson
TPJ RACING 