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COMEBACK FROM PILEUP NETS BAGGETT NINTH AT WASHOUGAL

COMEBACK FROM PILEUP NETS BAGGETT NINTH AT WASHOUGAL

 

Blake Baggett Yoshimura Shorai Racing Suzuki Battery


Yoshimura Suzuki Rider Rallies after Moto 2 Crash

WASHOUGAL, WA (July 26, 2015) – While the Cascade Mountains provided a beautiful backdrop for the Washougal National, things got ugly for Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Blake Baggett early in the second moto. A crash followed by a massive pileup cost Baggett any chance of another podium run, but the gritty young rider never gave up. He picked up his bike in last and rallied to get all the way back to 12th by the checkered flag. That gave Baggett a (5-12) moto result and allowed him to finish inside the top 10 (ninth) in spite of what appeared to be certain disaster.

 

Additionally, Baggett’s determined run in the second moto allowed him to leave Washougal still securely in fourth in the AMA Pro 450 Motocross standings after nine of 12 rounds.

 

Light rain greeted the fans and riders on Saturday morning and when wet, the black loamy dirt of Washougal made things extremely challenging for the riders. Baggett approached the session with caution, yet found enough traction with his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 to qualify 11th, with a time of 2:14.558.

 

“It was lightly sprinkling all morning,” Baggett said. “When this place gets a little bit of water on it that black dirt rally gets slippery. I had to get out of the main line in some areas and be in the main line in others. So it kind of a bit of a guessing game trying to find traction to drive up and down these hills. Gate pick will be big and the run up the hill. If we can get to the top of the hill with clean goggles I’ll be a lot better off for sure.”

 

Things went close to plan in the first moto. Running eighth in the early laps, Baggett calmly worked his way to fifth by the end of the muddy moto. It was in moto two when things went off script in a big way.

 

“I had a pretty good start inside the top 10 heading up the hill,” Baggett explained. “There was a cluster of bikes coming together at the turn at the top of the hill. I ended up getting hit from behind and just went down.”

 

The fall was bad enough, but it was on a tricky uphill turn with poor visibility and like a gang tackle in football, the following riders just stacked up on top of Baggett’s machine.

 

“The bike was getting run over and I wasn’t able to pick it up, Baggett said. “I had to wait and was dead last. I picked it up and got going. I charged as hard as I could. I was trying to save tear-offs because it was still pretty muddy outside the main line and I made it back to 12th. We’re going into a weekend off and I’m looking forward to coming back and racing Unadilla.”

 

The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will observe its final break in action next weekend before hitting its three-round stretch run to close out the 2015 season. Yoshimura Suzuki will be back in action at the legendary Unadilla MX in New Berlin, New York, on Saturday, August 8.

 

Washougal 450 Motocross Results:

1.  Ryan Dungey (2-1)

2.  Justin Barcia (1-2)

3.  Christophe Pourcel (3-5)

4.  Ken Roczen (7-3)

5.  Phil Nicoletti (4-6)

6.  Weston Peick (12-4)

7.  Fredrik Noren (9-7)

8.  Trey Canard (8-9)

9.  Blake Baggett (5-12)

10. Josh Grant (11-8)

 

450 Motocross Standings:

1.  Ryan Dungey, 400

2.  Ken Roczen, 331

3.  Justin Barcia, 331

4.  Blake Baggett, 275

5.  Christophe Pourcel, 247

6.  Jason Anderson, 242

7.  Broc Tickle, 226

8.  Phil Nicoletti, 209

9.  Weston Peick, 198

10. Fredrik Noren, 187

 

About Shorai:

Founded in 2010 and based in Morgan Hill, CA, Shorai, Inc. has quickly become the world's best-known producer of lithium ion power sports batteries. Shorai is leading the conversion from traditional lead-acid batteries to lighter, more efficient and higher performance lithium starter batteries. For more information visit www.shoraipower.com.

 

 

Team Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki Motor of America, Dunlop, Motorex, Showa, Renthal, Vortex, Shorai, Elf Racing Fuels, Seven, Hinson Clutch Components, RG3, Matrix, Works Connection, GET, Excel, NGK, D.I.D., Twin Air, Moto Tassinari, Roy’s Cyclery, Guts Racing Products, Mechanix Wear, Kokusan Denki, N-Style and Ogio.

 

About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.

 

About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. SMAI’s supplier, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com