The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team had an eventful day at the Washougal National, held in Washougal, WA, for the ninth round of the 2015 AMA Pro Motocross Series. Rainfall contributed to a treacherous and slick track, which proved to be a difficult obstacle to overcome for some. Others, like Christophe Pourcel, shined amongst the chaos.
250MX
Rainfall and a slick track characterized the first 250 moto. Zach Osborne started mid-pack and worked his up to 10th by the end of the first lap. He charged even further, making it up to fifth, and was going for the pass for fourth before going down on the last lap and finishing seventh. After getting stuck in the gate and starting in the back of the pack in the second moto, Osborne charged ahead aboard his Husqvarna FC 250 and worked his way up to eleventh. The 7-11 finish gave him ninth overall, which maintains his position at third overall in 250 rider point standings. Washougal also saw the return of Martin Davalos, who has been sidelined due to a difficult battle with Epstein-Barr. Facing a track with difficult conditions, he stayed on the side of caution in his first race back and finished out the day twenty first overall.
“Today was ok,” said Osborne. “I got off to a mid-pack start in the first moto and came up to fifth. I was trying to make the pass for fourth on the last lap, went down, and ended up seventh. I got stuck in the gate in the second moto and came back to finish eleventh. It was a tough day, but I still gained some championship points.”
450MX
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing 450 riders each had days completely opposite from each other. Christophe Pourcel had a top-three start in the first moto and successfully held his ground to a podium finish. In the second moto, Pourcel started in the top-10 aboard his Husqvarna FC 450 and charged ahead to finish fifth despite deteriorating conditions. The 3-5 finish gave him third overall on the day. He is currently fifth overall in 450 rider point standings. Teammate Jason Anderson had a quick pit stop in the first lap of the first moto to fix his goggles, which put him outside the top-15 and forced him to work his way back up. He put on an impressive charge and passed multiple riders to finish sixth. After a good start in the second moto, he found himself on the ground and in the position of working his way back through the pack again. He charged all the way to fourth before having issues that left him in the back of the pack. He ended the day 13th overall, and is currently sixth overall in rider point standings.
“I got top-five in practice, which is always the goal,“ said Pourcel. “I was third in the first moto and kind of rode my own race. I had a good start and didn’t make any mistakes so it was good to be on the box. I got a bad start in the second moto, so I had to come up from the back of the pack. I made some good passes, got up to fifth, and ended up third overall so it was really good.“
“My day was decent,“ said Anderson. “Practice was normal. I had to pull in for goggles during the first lap of the first moto, and ended up coming back to sixth which was pretty cool. I got a good start in the second moto, but then I fell. I got back up to fourth, and was catching third, but then had some issues. But all-in-all I had a pretty good day. I’m excited for next weekend. I like Unadilla, and I feel like I’ve been consistently getting good starts and have been pretty strong. I want to race with the leaders and learn what they do so I can be a championship threat in the future.“
Photos: Simon Cudby
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Washougal Results:
250MX
1. Cooper Webb
2. Marvin Musquin
3. Aaron Plessinger
…
9. Zach Osborne – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
…
21. Martin Davalos – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
250MX Rider Point Standings:
1. Jeremy Martin – 375 points
2. Marvin Musquin – 371 points
3. Zach Osborne – 259 points
4. Joey Savatgy – 240 points
5. Alex Martin – 233 points
6. Jessy Nelson – 233 points
7. Aaron Plessinger – 203 points
8. Shane McElrath – 181 points
9. Adam Cianciarulo – 178 points
10. Cooper Webb – 174 points
450MX
1. Ryan Dungey
2. Justin Barcia
3. Christophe Pourcel – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
…
13. Jason Anderson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
450MX Rider Point Standings:
1. Ryan Dungey – 400 points
2. Justin Barcie – 331 points
3. Ken Roczen – 331 points
4. Blake Baggett – 275 points
5. Christophe Pourcel – 247 points
6. Jason Anderson – 242 points
7. Broc Tickle – 226 points
8. Phil Nicoletti – 209 points
9. Weston Peick – 198 points
10 Fredrik Noren – 187 points
