The Denver Supercross round of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship brought another wild night of racing. The Denver SX was the 16th round (of 17) for the 450SX Class, and the eighth round (of nine) for the 250SX West Region round.

At the penultimate round—just one week after his brother Hunter clinched the 250SX East Region title one round early—we saw Jett Lawrence clinch the 250SX West Region title one round early as well. The 250SX main event winner was RJ Hampshire, who battled with Levi Kitchen in route to earning his second career 250SX win. In the premier class, Chase Sexton claimed his fifth win of the 2023 season as Eli Tomac suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon, ending his 2023 season, and shifting the 450SX points lead over to Sexton with just the finale remaining. Lots of riders commented on Tomac’s injury, as it is a tough blow to the supercross season (as well as the upcoming AMA Pro Motocross Championship). Both classes saw career-best finishes from several riders.

RJ Hampshire | 1st (second career 250SX win)
Enzo Lopes | 4th (ties career best)
Max Miller | 14th

Justin Hill | 4th
Shane McElrath | 5th
Grant Harlan | 9th (also did so after dislocating his shoulder last week in Nashville)
Anthony Rodriguez | 11th
Josh Cartwright | 12th (also won the Yamaha/PulpMX LCQ Challenge exhibition race on Friday)
Michael Hicks | 15th (first ever 450SX main event)
Devin Simonson | 16th (third straight 450SX main event)
Lane Shaw | 19th (first ever 450SX main event)

Here is what riders had to say about their respective days.

Note: Some quotes are from team press releases, some are from rider social media posts, and some are from the post-race media scrum/post-race interviews. We compiled as many quotes as we could find.

“I think some of my crashes earlier in the season were caused by being negative and not having confidence in myself to win these races. In the middle of the season, I was definitely questioning whether I could lead and win an entire main event. I had some time to reset after Seattle and just clear my head. We got a little bit of testing done and I felt super solid on the bike. You have to try and stay positive when things like that are happening, and I knew I could dig myself out of it. It’s never over until it’s over. Obviously, we have another round, so we’ll just have to go there and do the best we can.”

Sexton posted on Instagram:

“Man what a night in Denver! Was under the weather all day, but never gave up and brought home the win.

Super bummed to see Eli go out the way he did, there’s no one I’d rather take this title down to the wire with than him. Get well soon ET 👊🏼”

“Denver, what a day! I couldn’t have been any happier with how my bike was running. The suspension, everything, all the work has really paid off, and we had a crazy main event. Unfortunately, I went down in the first turn, and in the second turn, I got caught up as well. I just had to come through the field. I ended up in second, even gaining on the leader at one point. I think in terms of my riding this is probably the best I’ve ridden in a long time. I’m very thankful for today. I’m super stoked about the team and how we’ve handled everything. It’s a little bit surreal because it’s been a long time since I’ve had a supercross season like this one, where I’m actually getting better towards the end of the season. I’m genuinely enjoying it and trying to take the momentum into every single weekend. Yeah, I’m stoked with everything.”

“I can’t even begin to describe how incredible this podium finish feels. The team and I have been working tirelessly to get here and to finally be standing on the podium again, after so much hard work, is just surreal. The journey to get here has been full of ups and downs but none of it would be possible without the amazing support from my team and everyone around me. This is a major accomplishment for us, but we still have bigger goals in mind and we’re going to keep working until I’m back to being as competitive as I know I can be.”

Cianciarulo posted on Instagram:

“Shoot.. It’s been a long time since I’ve stood on the podium. I’m pretty good with words, but the path I’ve walked the last two years is difficult to articulate. There were a lot of things I needed to learn, a lot of demons I needed to conquer. I’m unsure how long it would have taken me to do that if it wasn’t for all this. When you love something enough, you will figure it out at all costs and find a way. My goal isn’t success anymore; it’s to do quality work and treat people well. Whatever I get as a result of that—I can accept with a smile. I can’t say enough about the people around me who have supported and lifted me up, including all of you. I’ll remember this one.

I can’t wrap this up without saying a few words about Eli. Hated to see him go out like that after such a great season. I’m not sure what his future plans are, but regardless— I have a lot of respect for him and his career, as I think we all do. I hope to share the track with him again, and of course, I hope he heals well. You’re the man, 3!”