Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Smith Ties Previous Best with Comeback Ride in Tampa

TAMPA, FLA. (February 24, 2018) – Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Jordon Smith showcased a never-give-up attitude during the series’ first trip to Tampa in almost 20 years, finishing just outside the top five in sixth. Despite coming through the pack and a last lap run off the track, he still was able to tie his finish from the season opener last weekend. Sean Cantrell ended the race early and was tallied 21st in the main event.

The track in Tampa provided some good passing but challenging sand sections. Smith was looking more and more comfortable as the day went on, qualifying fifth in practice and finished his heat race in fourth. In the main event, he was thankfully able to avoid a downed rider on the second turn, and made it up to 10th by the end of the opening lap. He charged and made it as high as fifth, where he was nearly going to pass for fourth when he was pushed wide on a triple and went off the track. The slick surface around the outside of the track caused him to go down, but he managed to quickly remount and still get sixth.

“The track was pretty good but you had to be on your marks and didn’t have a ton of room to relax, especially with that sand,” said Smith. “I was feeling really good in the main and was chasing down fourth, but when I got pushed out, the outer edge of the track was so slick I went down. I really felt like I could have gotten up to fourth, but it makes me really hungry to know I am capable of a top five. We’ll be pushing for that next weekend in Atlanta.”

In only his second professional supercross race, Cantrell was learning the ropes and showed he could be aggressive with seasoned riders. He finished sixth in his heat and was just behind his teammate on the start in 11th. Cantrell was doing what he could to move forward when he went down and decided to retire from the race early, placing him 21st on the night.

“It’s not how I was hoping my race would end, but I’m learning a lot and hoping that next weekend will go better,” said Cantrell. “The team has been great at helping me adjust and I just want to prove that I am capable of running inside the top 10.