Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Austin Walton rebounded from a challenging last round to score his fourth podium finish of the season at the National Grand Prix Championship in Blythe, California. Additionally, Husqvarna Motorcycles-mounted riders Justin Hoeft and Dalton Shirey rounded out the top-five at Round 9.
Walton battled his way through the first few turns and was sitting inside the top five for the opening lap. By the next lap, he had moved into the runner-up spot. He continued to put in solid lap times, chasing down the leader. By the third lap, he was out front. Not long after, a battle ensued between Walton and the reigning champion. Walton tried to hold him off, but ended up relinquishing the lead. He held his FX 450 steady in second, while continuing to pursue the lead, for the remainder of the race. With one round to go, he sits third in the championship.
“I got off to a pretty decent start, got out of the hole really good,” Walton said. “First turn, I made a little bit of a mistake and just kind of drove in a little too hard on the outside of a rider and was not in the greatest spot coming around the first few turns. So, I had to do a little bit of pushing to work my way into first place. I worked my way up into the front and rode there. I had some good laps, was pushing hard and feeling good on the bike, and just made a bad line selection in the pro section and lost the lead. I charged as hard as I could for the rest of the race. I feel like the setup that we adjusted for today was a solid setup. You know, the pace was good. There’s always improvements that we can make, but I’m happy with the riding performance today. I’m happy to come away with a second-place.”
Next Round (10): Lake Havasu, Arizona – November 13, 2022
Pro Results – Round 9
1. Dante Oliveira (KTM)
2. Austin Walton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
3. Tallon LaFountaine (HON)
4. Justin Hoeft (HQV)
5. Dalton Shirey (HQV)
Pro Championship Standings
1. Dante Oliveira – 222 points
2. Cole Martinez – 172 points
3. Austin Walton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 168 points
4. Dalton Shirey (HQV) – 130 points
…
6. Justin Hoeft (HQV) – 123 points
