SUZUKI ANNOUNCES 2024 SUPERMOTOCROSS TEAMS AND RIDERS
HEP Motorsports and BARX Ready to Attack the 2024 SMX Season
BREA, CA – Suzuki Motor USA, LLC (Suzuki) is pleased to name its riders for the upcoming 2024 Supermotocross season. The HEP Motorsports and BARX Suzuki teams arrive back to represent Suzuki with strong returning talent along with promising new recruits. The Pipes Motorsports Group’s dual team effort will again compete in the 450-class championship. The 2024 Toyota Redlands BARX Suzuki squad will field a solid lineup of five riders competing for action across both 250 and 450 classes.
For 2024, HEP Motorsports returns with two squads under the HEP canopy: Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki and Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance.
The 2024 Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki team features elite rider Ken Roczen (94) competing on the proven Suzuki RM-Z450. Roczen had an extremely successful season in 2023 in his return to Suzuki; earned an emotional win at the Indy Supercross and captured several podium finishes throughout 2023. Roczen’s intelligent, technical riding style and solid performances resulted in a strong second-place finish in the 2023 Supermotocross Championship, and tied for third place in the 2023 Supercross season. Roczen was also crowned the overall winner of the MXGP class at the MX of Nations in France and capped off the season as the 2023 World Supercross Champion.
“I am excited to be back for 2024 with the Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki Team. We have built a great foundation, and I am eager to continue to try and put our Suzuki on the podium. The team and I are very motivated!” said Roczen.
HEP Motorsports’ Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance effort continues in 2024 with veteran riders, crowd favorite Kyle Chisholm (11) from Clearwater, FL, and established pro Shane McElrath (12) who hails from Canton, NC.
In 2023, Chisholm brought solid competition and race bike set-up experience to the HEP team while also racing to 17th in the 2023 Supermotocross World Championship. Chisholm earned consistent finishes across the supercross and motocross segments of the season. His testing and development skills behind the scenes were a key element to the HEP team’s 2023 success. With Chisholm’s extensive background in both SX and MX, Chisholm’s behind-the-scenes work, and insights will be instrumental to the HEP team’s continued progression.
“I’m looking forward to the 2024 season with the team. This will be my second year with the team, and I am pleased with all the progress made in 2023 with the RM-Z450 and with the team as a whole. Everyone worked great together, and we are looking to build on that and be even better in 2024. The team is working extremely hard, and we have such a good starting place, I feel we are going to do great things. I am looking forward to the season and having fun and more success with the team,” stated Chisholm.
Alongside Chisholm, the team fields Shane McElrath who returns for 2024 and further augments the team’s 450-class effort to lead the RM Army. A two-time 250 West series championship runner-up, McElrath is anticipating making serious strides in 2024.
“I’m excited to be back with the Twisted Tea Progressive Suzuki Team for the full 2024 season, and am looking forward to continuing to grow and build off of everything learned last season. It’s a strong team, a really good group of people with a lot of experience; so I’m looking to apply their wealth of knowledge this year. I think that will do a lot for me and I’m eager to go racing. We’ll see you all in Anaheim!” said McElrath.
Pipes Motorsports Group Team Principle, Dustin Pipes echoes his riders’ enthusiasm for the upcoming season. “I am genuinely excited for the 2024 season. The team is working extremely hard in preparation for the season ahead, and we are optimistic to see how it pays off. We have a great group returning with Ken, Shane, and Kyle where we hope to build on the continuity achieved during last season. All our athletes represent the team to the highest standard, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to race with,” commented Pipes.
Respected leader Larry Brooks will continue as HEP’s team manager, and Brooks anticipates continued strong results from both squads. “We are anxious for this upcoming season and motivated for another successful year! We have been working hard this off-season to come into Anaheim 1 ready to race. It’s great to have Ken, Kyle, and Shane return for another season. We made a lot of progress in 2023. We’re looking to continue building in 2024. Ken is coming off a great off-season, winning the World Supercross Championship. Kyle and Shane both had strong off-seasons. A lot of work goes into racing. I look forward to seeing it play out come January 6th at Angel Stadium!” stated Brooks.
Toyota Redlands BARX Suzuki Team
For 2024, Toyota Redlands BARX Suzuki will primarily race the sharp-handling Suzuki RM-Z250s while also fielding one rider in the 450 class with the Suzuki RM-Z450. BARX will field a team of five young competitors with diverse, progressive backgrounds in multiple SX and MX series. Each has the same desire and objective of putting BARX Suzuki on the podium in 2024.
Toyota Redlands BARX Suzuki will field up-and-coming rider Preston Boespflug (128), a fierce, young competitor climbing up the SMX ranks. From the aptly named Battle Ground, WA, Boespflug carded a promising sixth place in the 250 All-Stars main event at the 2023 SMX World Championship finale. Boespflug brings his strong work ethic and a focused, competitive spirit to the BARX squad. He will gain valuable experience competing in the first round of the Supercross Futures at Anaheim 2 before moving to contest the 250 East series in 2024, his first full SMX season as a pro.
“I’m incredibly excited to start my rookie season on a solid bike. The Suzuki RM-Z250 has been great this preseason and my team has been behind me each step of the way!” exclaimed Boespflug.
Another substantial addition to the 2024 BARX team is Anthony Bourdon (945), the seven-year pro and the 2020 French Elite national MX2 champion. Hailing from the surfing hotbed of Europe- Seignosse, France, Bourdon has been a solid and stylish SX2 competitor on the world stage, with a strong overall podium result at the 2023 Paris Supercross including a main event win; Bourdon joins BARX to bring his ample riding skills to SMX on the Suzuki RM-Z250.
“I am incredibly happy to race in the US riding with Suzuki. I began my career racing a Suzuki RM85, and I have great memories of the bike; so I am excited to ride again with Suzuki. Coming to the US to ride Supercross is the dream of any Supercross rider, and I am glad Toyota Redlands BARX Suzuki and Myron gave me this opportunity. I had a good 2023 season, and I feel great mentally and physically. I will give my absolute best to put the yellow bike on the podium. Let’s keep training and see you at A1,” said Bourdon.
Another solid rider for the 2024 BARX squad is Max Miller (87) from Springfield, OR also competing in the 250 West series. An established pro in his fourth season, Miller brings solid SX experience to the BARX team for 2024. Returning to the BARX fold for 2024 is Alpine, CA racer Dilan Schwartz (40). Schwartz returns having earned top-15 results in the ultra-competitive class in 2023 and will ride the 250 East series.
Riding for BARX’s 2024 450-class effort, is San Luis Obispo, CA’s Derek Drake (52). Drake will race the Suzuki RM-Z450 and continue to show the incredible speed displayed during select motocross races last year. Named the 2018 AMA Horizon Award winner, and starting his fifth year as a pro, Drake earned multiple top-twelve results in the 250 West class in 2023.
“I am looking forward to the RM-Z450 this season, this will be a whole new challenge for me that I’m incredibly excited about. We also have some new personnel this year that I enjoy working with so it will be a great year!” said Drake.
Also supported by Toyota Redlands BARX Suzuki in the 250 class are three up-and-coming amateur riders, each with solid momentum as they approach the pro sport and gain valuable experience against the sport’s best. Nathan Abbott from Simi Valley CA, Cole Timboe from Calimesa, CA, and Leo Tucker from East Dubuque, IL join the BARX squad. With additional support from Suzuki dealer Simi Valley Cycles, these BARX amateur riders will gain solid experience throughout the 2024 Supermotocross season.
For 2024 Toyota Redlands BARX Suzuki will be managed by James Coy. Coy brings a solid team management background as well as strong amateur rider development experience gained over the last decade. Coy seeks to bring BARX together as a real force in both SMX classes while continuing to develop young riders into vital competitors.
“I am thrilled about this new challenge, I eagerly anticipate contributing to the success of the Toyota Redlands BARX Suzuki team throughout the 2024 Supermotocross season,” claimed Coy.
Suzuki is excited to race with BARX in the 2024 Supermotocross World Championship and anticipates seeing the entire RM Army at the venues and tracks throughout 2024.
The 2024 Supermotocross season kicks off once more at Angel Stadium on January 6th, 2024, for Anaheim 1.
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