Ford Brothers Racing’s Strong 2021 Campaign Continues at Red Bud

(Buchanan, Michigan. August 1, 2020) – Red Bud Track and Trail, located in Buchanan, Michigan, is known as “America’s Motocross Track” and is widely considered one of the most prestigious motocross racing facilities on the planet. With the season’s conclusion fast approaching, the ATV Motocross National Championship series came to town, bringing with it a number of key storylines – including some featuring the Ford Brothers Racing Team front and center!

The 2021 ATV Motocross National Championship season has featured some of the most competitive and unpredictable racing we can ever remember, yet two of the riders who continue to rise to the occasion are brothers, Cody and Bryce Ford, of Ford Brothers Racing. Both riders have shown major improvement and continued growth since last lining up at Red Bud one year ago. Young Bryce Ford has always had the speed and showed plenty of flashes of brilliance, but in 2021 he has shown us that he can consistently challenge for podiums each and every weekend. This maturity has been evident in the consistency of his finishes, finishes that include: three podiums, five top five finishes, and currently sitting third in the series points standings. Cody’s 2021 season has been the best of his career without question. Since the opener, the rider also known as “The Foreman” has finished inside the top ten at every single event. Both boys would look to rise to the occasion, once again, and continue what has been a stellar season thus far.

Muddy conditions and inclement weather were a topic of conversation at the previous event, but at RedBud things couldn’t have been more perfect. Mild temperatures, clear blue skies, and an absolutely immaculate racetrack made for the perfect battleground for the world’s best ATV racers. The Ford boys are both trending toward accomplishing their goals for the season, and by continuing their current trajectory they’ll do just that. Could they pass yet another test on the rough and rugged sands of Redbud? They started the day off on the right foot with Bryce qualifying third fastest and Cody clocking in with a solid ninth fastest time. Feeling good about their speed, and some solid qualifying results to show for it, it was time to line them up and go racing at Red Bud!

The two front-runners for the third spot in the series points standings are Bryce Ford and Jeffrey Rastrelli, and the two were locked in an epic duel in the opening pro moto at Red Bud. Bryce stalked Pro Class veteran, Jeffrey Rastrelli, for the entirety of the 18 minute plus two lap moto but could not find a way by. At the start of Moto 2, the two competitors found themselves deadlocked once again – but this time, they were locked together after tangling in the first corner. There they sat, watching the entire rest of the pack leaving them in the dust. By the time they got untangled, Bryce was over 45 seconds behind the next closest competitor – but he put his head down and began chopping away. By the finish, Bryce had battled back to 9^th position, which was key because his 4-9 scores miraculously earned him 5^th overall on the day. Great rebound and incredible effort for Bryce, who actually created more separation on his competitors in the points standings. Bryce now sits solely in the third spot with just two events remaining!  

Eldest brother, Cody Ford, came into Red Bud riding a six race streak of top ten finishes, doubling the longest previous steak of his career with three consecutive top 10 finishes (which he did twice in previous seasons). If a season’s worth of solid finishes wasn’t enough, Cody was also really looking forward to Red Bud because it’s a track which features dirt that is quite similar to the sandy soils he trains on back in Texas. “The Foreman” was right on track for another solid finish in Moto 1, starting around the top ten and bringing it home for a ninth-place finish in the day’s opening moto. Moto 2 went even better for the #5, who holeshotted in seventh position and battled to earn that strong seventh spot when the checkered flag flew nearly 25 minutes later. Cody’s impressive 9-7 moto finishes earned him seventh overall on the day, matching his season best finish and securing an even stronger grip on his top ten spot in the series points standings. This was Cody Ford’s seventh consecutive top 10 finish and, with two events remaining, he continues to get stronger and stronger each and every weekend!

“The only source of knowledge is experience.” Ford Brothers Racing so eloquently quoted Albert Einstein in a post on the team's official social media accounts. "Every race we are gaining more knowledge! Bryce inched up a few points in [the battle for] 3rd [position of the Pro Class series points standings]. Cody is giving it his all the last few rounds with great results....Congratulations on a well-executed ride."

As we wrap up Red Bud, it’s worth noting that the best race of the weekend might’ve been in the Pro Am class where our own Bryce Ford and Zack Decker duked it out in Sunday’s opening moto. Bryce outdueled his counterpart in the final stages of the moto, but what a race it was! Bryce would go on to grab the overall win in the Pro Am class with perfect 1-1 finishes on the day. This was Bryce Ford’s fifth victory this season in the Pro Am division.

The series is set to make its return to one of the most legendary locations in motocross, Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, for the series’ penultimate round on the weekend of August 14-15. With both boys continuing their streaks of strong rides and good finishes, we cannot wait to get back to “The Ranch” for some more racing just over a week and a half from now. See you in Tennessee!