Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Austin Walton captured his seventh top-five finish in as many rounds with a fighting fifth-place at the AMA National Grand Prix Championship in Preston, Idaho.
Walton felt the effects of getting a bad start as he found himself navigating through traffic early on the opening lap. He found his groove in the sixth-place spot for the first hour of racing and he upped the pace in the last 30 minutes, making his way into the top-five. Latching onto reigning series champion, Dante Oliveira, late in the race, Walton made a valiant effort just before the checkers, finishing only one-second behind for fifth overall.
“It was not how we wanted it to go today,” Walton said. “I didn’t get the best start and I was fighting way back there where I shouldn’t have been. It was hard to make a pass and sometimes there were so many people in the corner that it was hard to make a line. We charged hard for the rest of the race but there are some things I can work on like better starts and being aggressive from the initial get-go. All in all, it wasn’t the greatest race but we’re going to take what we can from this and learn. Our focus now is Six Days and then we’ll come straight back here and be as ready as possible.”
Next Round (8): Ridgecrest, California – October 2, 2022
Pro Results – Round 7
1. Chance Hymas (HON)
2. Dare Demartile (BET)
3. Tyler Lynn (KAW)
…
5. Austin Walton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
Pro Championship Standings
1. Dante Oliveira – 180 points
2. Cole Martinez – 163 points
3. Austin Walton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 143 points
