BLAKE BAGGETT’S FIRST CAREER PODIUM HIGHLIGHTS SUZUKI’S DAYTONA SUPERCROSS
March 7, 2015
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – It was a night to remember for Blake Baggett and Suzuki. Baggett, the rookie Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing rider, turned in a hard-fought breakthrough race at Daytona International Speedway in front of a packed house. Baggett scored his first-career AMA/FIM Supercross podium with a third. In addition to Baggett’s outstanding performance, Broc Tickle scored yet another top-10 finish aboard his RCH/Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450.
While a memorable night for Baggett on one hand, RCH Suzuki’s Ken Roczen will also long remember Daytona 2015, but in a very different light. Roczen, the former series leader, suffered a crash in practice early in the day and re-injured the left ankle he originally hurt in Atlanta a few weeks ago. The German had to be helped off the track and was forced to sit out the race.
In addition to Baggett and Tickle, two other Suzuki RM-Z450 mounted riders, Nicholas Schmidt (Team3br Suzuki) and Mike Alessi (Smartop MotoConcepts Racing Suzuki), also made the Main event.
AJ Catanzaro put his JMR Racing Suzuki RM-Z250 in the 250 East Region final as well.
In addition to Supercross action in Daytona on Saturday, the 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, kicked off its 41st annual season Sunday with the Moose Racing Wild Boar GNCC in an hour up the road from Daytona Beach in Palatka, Florida. At the GNCC opener Obermeyer Suzuki Team’s Jake Froman was victorious in the 4 Stroke A Lites Class aboard his 2015 Suzuki RM-Z250.
Baggett’s Best of 2015
Baggett, who had previously twice taken victory at Daytona in the 250 East Supercross class, knew this night could be special on the wide-open Daytona track, but he had to overcome challenges in qualifying and then a torrid battle in the Main, to find his way to his first premier class podium.
“This is just another step forward in continuing to get better,” said Baggett, who was the top finishing rookie in the race. “I’ve got to thank the whole Yoshimura Suzuki team who have been behind me and working to make me better each week. Now that I’ve scored a podium I just need to go into the (tighter) indoor stadiums and try and do the same thing.”
While his podium result didn’t move him off eighth in the standings, Baggett’s season best moved him to within just five points of being ranked inside the top five.
Tickle and Suzuki Run Fastest Lap of Daytona Supercross
Dead last – that’s where Broc Tickle found himself after a crash on the first lap of the 20-lap Daytona Supercross. Tickle could have been excused if he’d simply hit the snooze button and mailed in the rest of the race, but that’s not his nature. The veteran that he is, Tickle realized Daytona is a long and grueling race, so he went to work. Using the nimble handling of his Suzuki RM-Z450, he methodically picked his way through the field, advancing all the way to tenth by the checkered flag.
On the second go around he turned a blazingly fast lap at 1:06.361 on his RM-Z450, earning him the fastest lap of the 2015 Daytona Supercross.
“I got a good jump at the start,” Tickle explained. “But Trey (Canard) and I tangled and both of us went down. I was last on the first lap, so I knew I had my work cut out for me. I knew I had to just be solid for 20 laps and pick off as many guys as I could. I felt like I could have been a little bit better at the end, but I guess from what they’re telling me I had the fastest lap of the race, so I’m stoked on that. I haven’t had the fastest lap of the race since I was in the Lites class I believe. For me I’m going to build off that and try to focus on finding that speed earlier in the day.”
His hard work paid off with the seventh top-10 result of the season for Tickle and kept him ranked 10th in the series standings, just two points behind ninth-place Andrew Short.
AJ Makes 250 East Main
AJ Catanzaro put his Suzuki RM-Z250 in the 250 East Main for the second time this season, the first time coming at the opening round in Arlington, Texas. He had a tough outing at Daytona though, suffering a crash in the race and finishing 20th.
“I made the Main so that was a plus,” Catanzaro said. “The bike’s good, the motor is great, the suspension is working, I think it’s just in my head. When you miss the Main event in a couple of races and then you get in and crash and waste that chance it’s tough. Last year at this point in the year is when I turned my season around and banged out a couple of top tens. So that’s the plan for me again this year.”
Suzuki the Most Popular Brand at Daytona
Congratulations also go out to Alexander Nagy, Dustin Pipes, Tevin Tapia, Kevin Rookstool, Ryan Smith, Johnnie Buller and Robert Lind who all qualified Suzuki RM-Z450s into the evening program in the premier 450 class. Those riders played a big part in helping put more Suzukis into the highly-coveted Daytona Supercross evening program than any other brand.
The Daytona Connection for Suzuki’s Own RC and “The Bomber”
For the eighth-consecutive year, five-time Daytona Supercross champion and former Suzuki factory rider Ricky Carmichael returned as the course designer. The track builder was none other than Suzuki legend and fellow Hall of Famer Mark “The Bomber” Barnett, the three-time AMA 125cc National Motocross Champ. Carmichael retired from Supercross in 2007 as the most decorated rider in history with 15 AMA championships and 150 victories. The course had a new look with the starting gate moved from pit road to the west end of the tri-oval grass and competitors raced in a clockwise direction.
The sixth annual Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross is set for Sunday and Monday (March 8-9) at Daytona International Speedway.
Suzuki Rider Scores Class Victory in GNCC Opener
Jake Froman dominated the 4 Stroke A Lites Class aboard his Obermeyer Suzuki Team Suzuki RM-Z250 in the GNCC season opener on Sunday. With a great Start Froman was dominating on his agile Suzuki, holding the lead from green flag to checkered flag, with a cushion of nearly three minutes over second place. With the Florida round being a sand race known for being really rough, Froman managed to claim a victory on course that causes a lot of talented riders to succumb to the beatings of the sand whoops.
In addition to Froman’s winning performance, his teammate Cole Kirchoff took second in the 250 A Class. Kirchoff got a rough start, but used the power and handling of his Suzuki RM-Z250 to pass as many of the 50 other racers in his class before the checkered. He broke all the way through to second by the finish.
Next Up, the Indy Supercross
Team Suzuki will be back in AMA/FIM Supercross action next Saturday, March 14 as the series heads to Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium. The race will be shown live starting at 7:00 pm Eastern on Fox Sports 2. Team riders will be signing autographs at a pre-event Supercross party held at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway (4790 W.16th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222) on Friday, March 13, 2015 from 6:00-7:00 pm.
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