The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team had a challenging day at the Washougal National, the ninth round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, held in Washougal, Wash. on Saturday. Phil Nicoletti, Mitchell Harrison, Michael Mosiman, and Jordan Bailey put on commendable rides and never gave up despite crashes and setbacks. Their tenacity earned the team two top-10 overall finishes on the day.
Phil Nicoletti was mid-pack at the start of the first 450 moto and came out of the first lap in the top-10. He put on a great ride and earned a hard-fought ninth place finish. He was top-10 at the start of the second moto but went down shortly after the start. He went to work to make quick passes, but suffered from two more crashes before the end of the race. Despite the bad luck, he still rode his heart out to finish 12th. He went 9-12 for 10th overall on the day.
“Today was up and down,” said Nicoletti. “The first moto was decent and I had a hard-fought race. I went down in the first lap of the second moto. I got up, made some quick passes and started coming back. Then I crashed before the whoops. I literally picked my back up and tried to take off but then went down again. It took the wind out of my sails, but I’m going to keep plugging away.”
Mitchell Harrison got a great start in the first 250 moto and was putting on a good ride before going down and dropping back to 20th in the third lap. He stayed strong and put on a charge to finish 12th. He got a top-10 start in the second moto and came out of the first lap in sixth. He held his ground and only lost one position the remainder of the moto to finish seventh. His 12-7 finish gave him 10th overall on the day.
“Washougal was dry, hard packed and bumpy,” said Harrison. “I got a good start in the first moto but went down in the third lap. I got another decent start in the second moto and ended up seventh. It was a decent weekend, but I want to step it up.”
Michael Mosiman was fourth at the start of the first 250 moto and was on the gas. After over jumping into the sand and nearly going off the track in the second lap, he worked to move himself through the field. He was fifth by the end of the second lap but was shuffled back to seventh. He stayed consistent and put on a good ride to finish seventh. He was in the back of the pack at the start of the second moto after getting stuck behind a crashed rider, but he charged up to 12th by the fifth lap. He made his way into the top-10 soon after but fell back to 12th. He continued to ride strong and crossed the finish line in 12th. He went 7-12 for 11th on the day.
“I felt a little weird in the first practice, then made an adjustment for the second one and dropped some heaters,” said Mosiman. “I was in a good headspace and was enjoying it. I got a great start the first moto then had a close one in the second lap. I launched the wall into the sand and almost went off the track. It was probably the save of the weekend. That shook me up quite a bit, but I was still happy with my ride. Savatgy crashed in front of me in the second turn of the second moto. I put my head down and got back up there, but it was getting sketchy with the shadows and kickers. All-in-all it was a good day and I’m pleased with it. I think things are looking up and I’m building momentum for these last three races.”
Jordan Bailey was mid-pack at the start of the first 250 moto and came out of the first lap in 15th. He rode strong but was shuffled back on the unfamiliar track and finished 19th after going down. He had an incident at the start of his second moto that set him back, but he put in a good ride to charge back to 14th. His 19-14 finish gave him 17th overall on the day.
“I didn’t feel like I gelled with the track all day,” said Bailey. “It’s a different kind of soil and a different kind of rough that I’m not used to. I went down in the first moto, then kicked the bike into neutral before the gate dropped in the second moto. I came back pretty well so I’m happy with that. It’s a really tough track. I’m going to work on some things during the off-weekend then will head to Unadilla.”
Next Race: August 11 – Unadilla National – New Berlin, NY
Washougal National Results
250 Class
1. Aaron Plessinger (4,3)
2. Shane McElrath (9,1)
3. Joey Savatgy (1,9)
4. Dylan Ferrandis (11,2)
5. RJ Hampshire (10,4)
6. Alex Martin (8,6)
7. Justin Cooper (6,8)
8. Jordon Smith (3,13)
9. Chase Sexton (5,10)
10. Mitchell Harrison – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (12,7)
11. Michael Mosiman – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (7,12)
…
17. Jordan Bailey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
250 Class Rider Point Standings
1. Aaron Plessinger – 371 points
2. Alex Martin – 312 points
3. Justin Cooper – 267 points
4. Shane McElrath – 251 points
5. Austin Forkner – 238 points
6. RJ Hampshire – 230 points
7. Jordon Smith – 225 points
8. Chase Sexton – 222 points
9. Joey Savatgy – 214 points
10. Dylan Ferrandis – 204 points
…
12. Michael Mosiman – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 160 points
13. Mitchell Harrison – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 115 points
14. Jordan Bailey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 110 points
15. Zach Osborne – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 105 points
450 Class
1. Eli Tomac (1,1)
2. Ken Roczen (3,2)
3. Marvin Musquin (2,3)
4. Justin Barcia (5,4)
5. Blake Baggett (6,5)
6. Cooper Webb (8,7)
7. Benny Bloss (7,10)
8. Weston Peick (12,6)
9. Kyle Cunningham (11,8)
10. Phil Nicoletti – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (9,12)
450 Class Rider Point Standings
1. Eli Tomac – 401 points
2. Marvin Musquin – 386 points
3. Ken Roczen – 330 points
4. Justin Barcia – 330 points
5. Blake Baggett – 301 points
6. Weston Peick – 247 points
7. Benny Bloss – 224 points
8. Phil Nicoletti – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 217 points
9. Justin Hill – 132 points
10. Kyle Cunningham – 130 points
