H.E.P. Motorsports and BarX Suzuki Take Promising Momentum Outdoors
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC (Suzuki) announced today its teams and riders competing for the 2024 Pro Motocross Championship. Making up the top ranks of the RM Army, the H.E.P. Motorsports and BarX Suzuki teams will take charge of the great outdoors. H.E.P. Motorsports returns fielding proven riders for the outdoor season. BarX Suzuki will bring a talented six-rider team of racers to the gate in 2024. The Pro Motocross Championship’s 11 rounds are part of the 31-round 2024 Supermotocross Championship.
H.E.P. Motorsports Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance
The H.E.P. Motorsports’ Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance effort will focus on the outdoor championship’s 450 class. Racing with fast starter Shane McElrath (12) and crowd favorite Kyle Chisholm (11), each riding Suzuki RM-Z450s.
Shane McElrath (12) projects he will build on his solid momentum in Supercross, and apply it to the team’s outdoor season. With a strong fourth place finish in San Francisco, and a top-ten result at the St. Louis SX round, McElrath seeks to apply much of the bike development learning he gained from the stiff competition faced in the 450 SX season.
Established fan favorite, Kyle Chisholm (11) continues his role as a H.E.P. Motorsports rider while also working with the team on equipment testing and bike setup development, where Chisholm’s extensive SX and MX experience and track knowledge has been a large factor in the H.E.P. team’s 2024 success. Chisholm has ridden strong in 2024, despite a recurring injury limiting his training between rounds. He anticipates being fully recovered for the Pro Motocross series.
H.E.P. Motorsports Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki
The H.E.P. team’s premier rider, 2023 World Supercross Champion Ken Roczen (94), aims to race his RM-Z450 in select outdoor rounds for H.E.P.’s Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki effort, pending his recovery.
With a solid 2024 Supercross season in the books, H.E.P. and Suzuki earned multiple podium finishes, as well as a high-profile, dominating 450-class victory at Glendale, AZ.
Roczen is currently rehabilitating in anticipation of a full recovery that will allow him to challenge at select 2024 Pro Motocross rounds with an eye on the SMX Playoffs.
“The team has worked hard in 2024, and we’ve had good results. Our momentum continues to build, and we look forward to continuing to get the job done in the 2024 motocross series,” said Dustin Pipes, Team Principal of H.E.P. Motorsports, “Ken Roczen is in the mix for the SMX championship, Shane and Kyle have also given the team solid efforts on demanding Supercross tracks, so we are anticipating continued solid performances in the outdoor season,” added Pipes.
Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki
The 2024 Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki squad continues its focus on the 250 class with a group of young racers who’ve shown considerable and consistent promise, while also racing with established pros in the 450 Pro Motocross series.
Derek Drake (52) and Max Miller (87) will continue battling in the 450-class on the proven Suzuki RM-Z450. BarX will race with Dilan Schwartz (40) , Preston Boespflug (128) and Anthony Bourdon (100)in the 250 class on Suzuki RM-Z250s. Lastly coming on board as a new pro will be Leo Tucker (154 to round out the BarX Suzuki 250 effort.
BarX’s Preston Boespflug has carded a highly promising rookie pro Supercross season with BarX. Having started 2024 with the team riding in the Supercross Futures series, Boespflug carded a strong fourth-place finish in Anaheim 2’s Supercross Futures round, turning pro shortly thereafter at Detroit to compete in the 250 East series.
Boespflug has shown solid progress as a pro, earning promising results at Philadelphia where he qualified well against more experienced riders. Boespflug rode to a top-five result in his heat and went on to capture his first top-ten result.
Dilan Schwartz, with almost a dozen 250 Pro Motocross top-ten results on his resume, has had his Supercross season impacted by injury. Schwartz has been out while healing from a broken hand suffered while training, Schwartz has been training hard to be ready when the outdoor season’s gate drops later in May.
Handling BarX’s 450-class racing effort is Derek Drake (52). Drake, who hails from San Luis Obispo, CA, has battled a back injury for much of the 2024 Supercross season. Drake has shown encouraging speed when racing. The fifth-year pro was named the 2018 AMA Horizon Award recipient, and was 15th in the 450 MX Championship in 2023, having earned multiple top-ten results.
Handling BarX’s 450-class racing effort is Derek Drake (52). Drake, who hails from San Luis Obispo, CA, has battled a back injury for much of the 2024 Supercross season. Drake currently sits in 23rd place in the season and has shown encouraging speed when racing. The fifth-year pro was named the 2018 AMA Horizon Award recipient and was 15th in the 450 MX Championship in 2023 having earned multiple top-ten results.
Also riding for BarX on the RM-Z450 is Max Miller (87). Miller, a fourth-year pro rider from Springfield, OR, has earned four top-20 results in both Supercross and Motocross 250 classes. Miller looks to enhance his competitive chops as he continues to adapt to the 450 class in 2024.
Anthony Bourdon (100), fresh off a very encouraging rookie U.S. Supercross season, will ride the BarX Suzuki RM-Z250 in select outdoor rounds in 2024. Bourdon, from Hossegor, France, has quickly adapted to U.S. racing, with multiple top-ten results in the 250SX West series.
Rounding out the Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki motocross effort in the 250 series is Leo Tucker, from East Dubuque, IL. Tucker will head into the professional ranks having joined the squad in early 2024 as an amateur. Tucker has shown good potential in the 250 class, having raced multiple outdoor and Supercross Futures rounds in 2023.
“The team’s Supercross season was full of challenges and exciting moments for us. We’ve come a long way since the 2024 SMX season began, and we are eager to continue our riders’ growth. Our Suzuki RM-Zs are giving us plenty of opportunity for success in the outdoor season,” quipped James Coy, Team Manager for Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki.
Suzuki is excited to partner with both the H.E.P. Motorsports and BarX teams in the 2024 Supermotocross World Championship and eagerly anticipates seeing the entire RM Army cheer on each team’s RM-Zs at Pro Motocross rounds throughout 2024.
The 2024 Supermotocross season continues as it transitions to its 11-round outdoor motocross season at Fox Raceway in Pala, CA on May 25th, 2024.
