RCH/YOSHIMURA/SUZUKI FACTORY RACING TRENDING POSITIVE HEADING FOR HIGH POINT
June 16, 2017
CHINO, Calif. (June 16, 2017) – As the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship rolls into the second quarter of the 2017 season, RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing continues to trend positively as the series returns to the iconic High Point Raceway.
The stage for Round 4 of the 12-race summer campaign is set just minutes north of Morgantown, W.V., in Mount Morris, Pa., at one of the sport’s proudest and most tradition-laden venues.
Following a weekend off, RCH riders Broc Tickle and Justin Bogle are energized to get back in the saddle and get back to the business of putting their Suzuki RM-Z450s through the paces against the most formidable competition in the world.
Despite his ongoing battle with the wrist injury he sustained late in the Supercross season, Tickle logged a sturdy 8-8 performance two weeks ago at Thunder Valley and was credited with an eighth-place overall finish. With three of 12 rounds complete, Tickle sits eighth in points, two markers behind seventh and just five points back from sixth.
“I was still uncomfortable with my wrist at the last race in Colorado,” explained Tickle. “We set up the bike a little bit to compensate for that and that’s the direction we chose to go early on. It was good but we were off by just a little bit and that made me uncomfortable when the ruts were deep. My wrist is important but I don’t think it’s going to get any worse. Colorado was good for me. The positive was my starts. Feeling uncomfortable like I did and still coming away with an 8-8 is really good so if I can manage to keep the starts up and take advantage of them, there’s no reason I shouldn’t be inside the top five on a more regular basis.”
Bogle earned his first premiere 450 Class win in the opening moto at Round 3 and backed up that effort by finishing ninth in the second. The solid day translated into a fourth-place overall finish, powering the Cushing, Okla., rider from ninth to fifth in the Pro Motocross championship points.
With only a quarter of the season in the books, Bogle isn’t getting too far ahead of himself but “The Captain” likes his chances considering his recent string of positive results, thanks in part to a new training regimen.
“The last race, the first moto was incredible,” said Bogle who currently leads the series with a sixth-place starting average. “That’s about all I can say about that. But in the second moto, I didn’t back it up so I’m working, trying to make that a little easier on me. I definitely don’t want people to think it was a fluke because I’ve been putting in the time. It’s going a heck of a lot better than Supercross and better than my last outdoor season did. That’s the biggest thing I’m trying to do this outdoor season, just make progress. I’ve been working hard and I’m not doing it for nothing. It keeps getting better and it’s paying off on the weekends. Makes it easier to go to work.”
Tickle has nine professional starts at the legendary Pennsylvania track, but with only two top fives to show for 18 motos, it’s no wonder the rider of RCH’s No. 20 RM-Z450 has unfinished business at Round 4. Still, Tickle returns to High Point brimming with optimism looking to lock down his first podium of 2017.
“High Point is one of those places where I’m pretty consistent and feel like I’m pretty good,” Tickle said. “I think it’s a place where I can break through and get the results I need. My starts have been a lot better this year. I think I have an average start of around seventh (7.2) in six motos so I need to keep that going. I’d like to feed off that holeshot I got during the second moto at Thunder Valley and put myself in position to ride well. My goal is two solid starts and to finish top five in both motos. That would give me a shot at an overall podium.”
Bogle owns three professional High Point starts where he finished fourth overall in 2014 with a 4-4 showing and seventh last season in his first year in the premier 450 Class. In six total motos, including 250 and 450 Class competition, the rider of the No. 19 Suzuki boasts a 5.8 finishing average with top 10s to show for every outing.
“I like that track,” Bogle said. “It’s another one of those technical, rutty, off-camberish type of tracks that I’m usually good at. Last year High Point was my best overall race. And in 2014, that 4-4 doesn’t tell the whole story. I was leading both of those motos but I had some issues with finishing it out, fitnesswise. I think as far as riding goes there, I like that track and tracks like it. I’m feeling good about it.”
The first moto from the Red Bull High Point National will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., June 17 beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 10 a.m. Pacific. Broadcast coverage for the second moto will shift to NBC at 3:30 p.m. EDT, 12:30 p.m. Pacific
All motos can be streamed live on the NBC Sports Gold app. NBC, NBCSN and MAVTV will combine to provide extensive television coverage over the course of the 12-round season. Capping off each round of the championship will be exclusive one-hour highlight shows on NBCSN, each airing within a handful of days of every National.
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