Round 3 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Colorado’s iconic Thunder Valley Raceway delivered another gritty performance from Quad Lock Honda’s Joey Savatgy, a rider proving week after week that determination can level the playing field against factory giants.
Heavy rainfall leading into the event forced the cancellation of Friday’s press day and left the track heavy and unpredictable. The team faced additional challenges during qualifying, making significant changes to adapt to the demanding conditions.
“It was a tough start to the weekend,” said Savatgy. “I made a lot of mistakes in qualifying, I crashed on laps where I felt really strong. Qualifying 17th is the worst I’ve done in a long time, but we were close to the top 10 in times and I felt confident we could turn it around. The altitude definitely plays a role too. It’s easy to forget this is the teams first full outdoor season, so we’re still building, collecting data that others have had for years. We’re learning on the fly.”
Despite the early setbacks, Savatgy showed his trademark tenacity in Moto 1, charging from well outside the top 10 to finish a strong 9th, passing several big-name factory riders along the way.
“I can’t buy a start right now, it’s something I need to work on,” Savatgy admitted. “I keep getting caught up in the early chaos and have to fight my way through. But I was happy with 9th in Moto 1, that was solid.”
Moto 2 brought more drama. After being taken out early in the race, Savatgy clawed his way back into the top 10 before an unforced error caused another crash, this time damaging his radiator.
“I just focused on salvaging points after that,” said Savatgy. “The bike was losing a lot of coolant after the second crash, so I rode smart to make sure we brought it home. We still managed to finish 10th overall, and I’m happy we’ve moved up to 7th in the combined SMX points. There’s a lot of racing left, and we’re trending in the right direction.”
Team Principal Martin Davalos sees great potential in Savatgy and believes top 5 moto finishes are well within reach.
“People forget, this is our first full motocross season, and Joey’s first full outdoor 450 season in three years,” said Davalos. “We’re learning every week. In Moto 2, he was moving through the pack fast even after getting taken out. Without the second crash, his speed would have easily put him inside the top 8. We’re going to keep working with him and keep pushing.”
Looking ahead, Savatgy will test this week in preparation for Round 4 at High Point. Teammate Carson Mumford is set to return after the mid-season break at Southwick.
Images by Michael Antonovich
