The Quad Lock Honda Racing Team sits 12th and 14th in the overall standings following Round 4 of the AMA Supercross Championship—positions that leave Team Principal Martin Davalos unsatisfied as he searches for solutions.
“The field is stacked, no doubt about it, but we need to be racing further up the pack. The changes we made this weekend didn’t work, so we’ll go back and review what worked in the offseason and start again. I know what both riders are capable of, and this isn’t where we should be—it’s certainly not where I want to finish,” said Davalos.
Joey Savatgy echoed Davalos’ sentiments:
“I’ve raced against these guys before, and I should be further ahead. Finishing 15th tonight was terrible. My starts in races two and three were as bad as they could be. I have work to do to close the gap to the front. We’ll go back to basics this week and start fresh,” said Savatgy.
While Savatgy was frustrated, McElrath saw positives in his performance.
“The results don’t reflect it, but I felt more in sync with the bike. Now, I need to focus on putting together consistent laps during the week. That’s the only way I’ll improve. My lap times are still inconsistent, but we have a plan, and we’re sticking to it. Over the next four to five rounds, I expect to be racing inside the top 10,” McElrath stated.
Davalos reinforced the need for improvement:
“We’ll revert to last year’s settings for Joey, and I’ll spend more time with both him and Shane on the track. Our focus needs to be on consistent lap times—starting with six to eight solid laps and building from there. Better heat race results will also be critical for securing stronger gate picks. It’s been a frustrating start, but we have a plan. We need to be patient and see if it pays off. Our goal is to have both riders inside the top 10. With eight factory teams and more than 15 factory riders, we’re not doing terribly, but we are far from where we expect to be,” Davalos concluded.
Round 5 takes place this weekend in Tampa, marking the start of the East Coast rounds and the return of Carson Mumford to the team.
“I’m feeling okay—not 100%. Coming back from my broken leg has had its challenges, but we’ll race our way into fitness,” said Mumford.
Images – Michael Antonovich
