Team Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Suzuki, presented by Progressive Insurance, finished its final east coast round of the Outdoor Nationals with the Ironman MX National this past Saturday in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The team brought on board Justin Rodbell for the final two rounds. He is filling in for injured rider Brandon Hartranft. Only his third day on the Suzuki, Rodbell made quick work adapting to the new bike. He finished 19th overall. Marshal Weltin was resilient in his effort throughout the day. Crashing in the first moto and charging back to 15th place. He then followed it up with a stronger second moto finishing 11th place. Weltin finished 13th overall.
Marshal Weltin #285: Relentless effort from Weltin throughout the day. After crashing the first moto, Marshal charged through the pack up to 15th place. Then he followed it up with a stronger second moto with 11th place. He finished 13th overall, going 15-11 in both motos.
“Didn’t ride all week because of my crash at Budds Creek,” said Marshal Weltin. “I didn’t know where I was going to stand this weekend. I for sure struggled first moto. I toughed it out for the second moto. The whole team was trying to help me get better. I found some better lines. I am happy with how things turned out. I went 15-11 for 13th overall. I’m really happy with the bike right now.”
Justin Rodbell #55: Only his third day on the new bike, and Rodbell quickly adapted to the RM-Z 450 Suzuki. Justin got more comfortable as the day progressed. His best race came in the second moto with 17th place. He finished 19th overall, going 20-17 in two motos.
“Ironman was an alright day,” said Justin Rodbell. “I ended up finishing 19th overall, going 20th and 17th in both motos. It was literally my third day learning the Suzuki. A lot to take in, but I am having fun. These guys are great. It’s cool to have this support and options throughout the day. Dave Cruz has been a huge help with suspension, having Travis Soules as my mechanic is a huge help, and being able to fly here has been huge. Really cool to have this opportunity. I am super pumped. I am going to keep working to do better.”
Brandon Hartranft #41: The 24-year-old from New Jersey will miss the remainder of the Outdoor Nationals. After injuring his ankle during the 8th round and further examinations, Hartranft needed surgery on damaged ligaments. Brandon is currently recovering from ankle surgery. The team and Brandon expect him to be back on October 8th for the World Supercross series opening round in Cardiff, UK.
“Glad to have 2 bikes back on the track this weekend,” said team manager, Dustin Pipes. “Marshal rode well and is knocking back on the door of top 10. He’s really close and he has a good chance next week of getting back in there. We welcomed Justin Rodbell to the team beginning this weekend and he filled in for Brandon Hartranft great. With only 2 days on the bike, he wasn’t too comfortable, but we were testing different parts all day and found a good direction the last race.”
Team Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Suzuki, presented by Progressive Insurance, heads to Pala, California for the final round of the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series. Practice and qualifying start at 10:00AM PST and racing is set to begin at 1:00PM PST.