A convincing charge to fourth position was earned by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider Austin Walton in the AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) round at Glen Helen, followed by Dalton Shirey in a season-best sixth position on Sunday.
Walton’s result marked his second-consecutive fourth-place result and has him sitting P4 in the 2023 point-standings as well, and this time around it was a hard-fought affair aboard his FX 450. A charge forward in the closing laps enabled him to claw his way into that final finishing position.
“We ended up fourth place,” Walton recalled. “I pushed for the top step, but we gave it our all and I think there is a couple things we can do to keep moving forward. I got out of the gate as best as I could, but at the start of the race I had to push pretty hard and make some aggressive passes. I kind of fluctuated, ended up falling down, had a decent lead on the guys behind me in fifth and sixth, lost that advantage and ended up battling back and forth, so I had to push for that fourth place. Not exactly where I would like to be, but we are going to go back to the drawing board, stay positive and keep improving things.”
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate Shirey took the checkered flag in sixth place riding his FX 450, which was an encouraging effort that he will be able to use as a base in rounds to come. It was his best finish of the year, climbing to 10th in points following four rounds.
“It was a little overcast today, which made the track pretty cool,” said Shirey. “They were good conditions, the bike was working good, I just needed to get a better start and make quicker moves at the beginning of the race so I can be closer up front. All in all, it was a good day.”
Next Round (5): 29 Palms, California – April 2, 2023
Pro Results
1. Ryan Surratt, HON
2. Dante Oliveira, KTM
3. Zach Bell, KAW
…
4. Austin Walton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
6. Dalton Shirey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
Pro Championship Standings
1. Dante Oliveira – 106 points
2. Ryan Surratt – 100 points
3. Cole Martinez – 70 points
…
4. Austin Walton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 65 points
10. Dalton Shirey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 42 points
