Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Smith Back On The PodiumIndianapolis (March 18, 2017) – Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Jordon Smith had a memorable night at Lucas Oil Stadium as he returned to the podium for the second time this season, finishing third. Teammate Alex Martin was also a force to be reckoned with as he battled most of the main event for the final podium position, ultimately crossing the line in fourth.
Smith started the day showcasing his speed and earning one of his best qualifying spots in second. He took that speed to the heat race where he grabbed his first heat race win of his career. All this led to an incredible main event start, putting him right in the hunt in fourth. After briefly getting tangled with his teammate Martin around the eight minutes remaining mark, he took over third and was able hold on to the podium position to earn his second podium of the season.
“The track was really tough out there, which makes me even more happy to be on the podium,” said Smith. “I did feel like I had the speed to do more than a third but after getting tangled with Alex (Martin), the leaders got away from me. It would be great to take this progress to the next race.”
Along with his teammate, Martin showed impressive speed in practice where he ranked sixth in qualifying. He was in the same heat as his teammate where he finished fourth. When the main event gate dropped, Martin was right in front of Smith around fourth and quickly made his way into third. Around the halfway mark, Martin made a small mistake and he tucked the front end. It sent him off the bike, but he was quick to recover and got up in fourth. He rode a strong remainder of the race to finish just off the podium.
“We were running so well and I made a mistake that cost me the podium,” said Martin. “It happened so quickly that I’m glad I got up safely and quickly to still finish fourth. I think we’re showing some good speed so hopefully we can get back on the podium next weekend.”
The KTM Junior Supercross Challenge was back on track in Indianapolis with some great racing to be had for the fans. Once the gate dropped, it was all Mikah Carpenter out front, but quite the shakeup behind him on the final lap. Jayden Adams was able to move from third into second, while Connor Calnan made the charge from fifth to third.
Photo Credit: Jeff Kardas
Smith started the day showcasing his speed and earning one of his best qualifying spots in second. He took that speed to the heat race where he grabbed his first heat race win of his career. All this led to an incredible main event start, putting him right in the hunt in fourth. After briefly getting tangled with his teammate Martin around the eight minutes remaining mark, he took over third and was able hold on to the podium position to earn his second podium of the season.
“The track was really tough out there, which makes me even more happy to be on the podium,” said Smith. “I did feel like I had the speed to do more than a third but after getting tangled with Alex (Martin), the leaders got away from me. It would be great to take this progress to the next race.”
Along with his teammate, Martin showed impressive speed in practice where he ranked sixth in qualifying. He was in the same heat as his teammate where he finished fourth. When the main event gate dropped, Martin was right in front of Smith around fourth and quickly made his way into third. Around the halfway mark, Martin made a small mistake and he tucked the front end. It sent him off the bike, but he was quick to recover and got up in fourth. He rode a strong remainder of the race to finish just off the podium.
“We were running so well and I made a mistake that cost me the podium,” said Martin. “It happened so quickly that I’m glad I got up safely and quickly to still finish fourth. I think we’re showing some good speed so hopefully we can get back on the podium next weekend.”
The KTM Junior Supercross Challenge was back on track in Indianapolis with some great racing to be had for the fans. Once the gate dropped, it was all Mikah Carpenter out front, but quite the shakeup behind him on the final lap. Jayden Adams was able to move from third into second, while Connor Calnan made the charge from fifth to third.
Photo Credit: Jeff Kardas