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Hahn Riding High After First Career Win; Tomac Plans For More 450 Progress
GEICO Honda's Wil Hahn had to add a little something extra to his normal race week routine after notching his first career Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX victory last weekend.
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After the milestone win, Hahn's phone and Twitter feed were flooded with messages of congratulations, and he had to carve out some extra time into his routine to make sure each message got a personal reply.
"It's great to know I have all these friends and fans who are out there supporting me," Hahn said. "With travel and everything it took the better part of a day to get back to everybody. I had close to 230 text messages before I even made it back to the trailer in Atlanta. It's a pretty awesome thing."
Hahn said it's something he wouldn't mind making a regular part of the routine as the Supercross series shifts to Saturday's event at Edward Jones Dome.
"It feels great that all the work and training I've been putting in has paid off this way," Hahn said. "Now it's just a matter of getting back out there and building on what we've already done. I feel like last week is going to be the first of many wins for us."
Saturday's race is the third in the 250SX East series and Hahn's win made the championship chase as tight as it gets. Hahn trails leader Dean Wilson by just two points.
Eli Tomac will also be in St. Louis for his second taste of racing in the 450SX class.
"I didn't fully know where I was compared to the top guys," Tomac said of his inaugural 450 ride in Atlanta. "Once the night show came around I rode a little bit tight or was a little bit nervous or something.
"It wasn't bad for my first official 450 race. This weekend the plan is to get better starts in both the heat and main. I definitely learned that having a good gate pick for the main event is really important."
After racing in primarily outdoor venues his whole Supercross career, Tomac said racing in a domed stadium has a more intense vibe.
"Atlanta was crazy packed with fans," Tomac said. "It was cool to see that many people at once. It's a totally different crowd than the West Coast stadiums. I expect it to be pretty similar this weekend too."
GEICO Honda's other 250SX East rider, rookie Zach Bell, is still taking the steps that he believes will lead him to a spot on the podium.
"I'm trying to find the right pace that's fast but will keep me on two wheels through the whole race," Bell said. "Atlanta was way better than Dallas in that way. If I can make the same kind of progress this weekend then the results should be great."
Bell finished a season-best 10th a week ago in Atlanta.
Practice for Saturday's Monster Energy AMA Supercross event gets under way at 12:30 p.m. CST from Edward Jones Dome. Opening ceremonies start at 7 p.m. The 450SX race will be broadcast on CBS affiliates across the country (check local listings for times). The 250SX East race will air at 2:30 p.m. EST Sunday on SPEED TV.
PaddockTalk Perspective
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