The TPJ Racing team dug their way out of the snow-covered pits in Minneapolis, MN and made their way 1,400 miles east to Foxborough, MA for round 15 of Monster Energy Supercross.
The race was held inside impressive Gillett Stadium and marked the first day-race round of the year. Track walk began at 6:30 AM and the “night” show started at 3:00 PM. (Normal Race day schedule is 10:30 AM track walk and 7:00 PM night show.) With the track walk so early in the morning, many racers set up camp in the pits to ensure a good night’s sleep and prompt arrival at the early AM track walk; which, was a brisk 38 degrees. Even though it was an earlier schedule, TPJ riders John Short and Ben Lamay were thankful for the sunshine and ready to take on the rough track to fight for their spots in their respective classes.
Ben Lamay came into Boston looking to add a few more points to his name as the 2018 season is quickly coming to an end. Lamay took to the track for the 450SX group A qualifying and pounded out 9 tough laps to secure 15th fastest qualifier in his group. The second round of qualifying was cut short for Ben when he went head first over the bars on his Maxim Honda coming out of the whoop section on the fourth lap. A broken nose and possible concussion kept him from riding in the night program. Ben hopes to spend the next few weeks healing up and transitioning his training and mindset towards Outdoors and the series opener at Hangtown MX on May 19th.
In an interview earlier this week, TPJ Racing’s John Short #57 said “I felt like I could have been in the top ten all year, so I’m just looking to build off this and keep putting in some good finishes in Boston and Vegas. That’s my goal.”. Short accomplished his goal in Boston, but it wasn’t easy. Let’s look at how he got there. During timed qualifying, Short fought hard and battled it out to qualify 17th for the night show with a 59.035 (seconds) lap time. Short lined up on the gate for 250SX Heat 2 where his 9th place finish secured him a spot in the main event. A last place start is never ideal, but Short made the best of his situation and rode smart for 16 long, hard laps picking off his competition 1 by 1 until the final lap when he passed 3 riders to secure a solid 13th place finish. The points gained moved Short into 10th place in the overall 250SX East Coast points standing.
The TPJ Racing team experienced some highs and some lows this past weekend in Foxborough, but none of it would have been possible without the incredible support of their sponsors. Thank you to Pirelli tires for providing us with great traction, FLY Racing for keeping us cool and protected, Karcher pressure washers for making sure our bikes were clean, Lucas Oil for keeping our bikes running smooth, Engine Ice for keeping our bikes running cool, Rekluse for making our bikes “clutch”; and thank you to all our sponsors for making our racing dreams possible.
The series is now heading west to Salt Lake City, UT where the #820 Edge KTM backed Dalton Oxborrow hopes to pilot his KTM250SX-F into the main event. 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 RMZ250 Giveaway Bike, and a trip to Monster Energy Supercross in Las Vegas.
Words by Kendra Keene
Photo Credit: BrownDogWilson
Full John Short interview here
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