PLENTY OF WORK STILL TO BE DONE FOR RCH/YOSHIMURA/SUZUKI FACTORY RACING AT UNADILLA
August 11, 2017
CHINO, Calif. (August 11, 2017) – With three races left on the 2017 schedule, RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing and the rest of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross contingent head into Round 10 with lots to do as the season begins to wind down starting with Saturday’s Unadilla National.
RCH riders Justin Bogle and Matt Bisceglia know that with only six motos left in this year’s outdoor campaign, time is of the essence and opportunities are at a premium.
“There’s only three races left so we’ve got to work hard and make the most out of the time we have,” explained Bogle who is currently seventh in points with a slim four-point margin separating him from sixth. “Top six in points is definitely within reach and if we can put together three good weekends to finish off the year, top five isn’t out of the question. Hopefully we can put all the pieces together over these last three and make a run at it. I like where we’re at.”
In four previous 250 Class starts at the legendary central New York track, Bogle tallied four top- five and nine top-10 finishes, compiling a 5.3 average overall finish but podium results have proven to be elusive.
After being sidelined with a neck injury for the final five races of 2016, the rider of the No. 19 Suzuki will make his first premiere 450 Class Unadilla start tomorrow afternoon.
“Unadilla has always been a good track for me,” continued Bogle. “I’ve run up front a bunch on a 250 and I’ve only finished outside the top 10 once, and that was an 11th so I feel really good about how I’ve performed there in the past. I was hurt last year and still haven’t ridden a 450 at Unadilla so I’m excited about this weekend. If I can get a couple good starts and make the most out of it, I think we’ll have a good day.”
In the series’ most recent outing at Washougal, Bogle was a fixture at the front of the field in the early goings of both 450 Class motos but he was confronted with his own trials, leaving him disappointed at day’s end. Still, the Cushing, Okla., rider notched a formidable 8-10 effort to bring his No. 19 Suzuki RM-Z450 home 10th overall.
For his part, Bisceglia notched a solid top 10 in the first moto at Washougal but lost the handle on his machine early in the second and was forced to pull off before the checkered flag flew. Officially, Bisceglia was scored 17th overall at day’s end.
The rider of the No. 43 Suzuki RM-Z450 owns a trio of 250 Class starts at Unadilla where he’s earned one top 10 in six motos. Throw away a challenging day in 2013 and a disastrous afternoon in 2014 that saw him taken out in the first moto, leaving him with a broken hand to show for it, and Unadilla has been a solid track for the affable 22-year-old.
The Tualatin, Ore., native who now hails from Weatherford, Texas turned in a solid 12-9 showing in 2015 and followed that up with an impressive 10-9 effort last August in 450 Class competition aboard the factory-backed Yoshimura Suzuki.
“Unadilla hasn’t been my best track and it hasn’t been my worst,” said Bisceglia. “I’ve always really enjoyed the track and for the most part, I’ve always ridden pretty well there. I’m excited to go there this weekend and race the 450 for RCH and see what I can do. I think the bike setup will be really good. I’m excited. I’m confident and my body is feeling better after the last couple weeks. Physically, I’m a little better than I was at Washougal. We’ve made gains in the last couple weeks so we’ll be ready.”
As for goals this weekend, Bisceglia remains optimistic and believes a pair of top 10s are within reach.
“Finishing both motos is one goal and I’d like to get a couple single-digit finishes,” Bisceglia offered. “If I can go out there and get a couple good starts, I know I can do it. I know where I was losing a little bit of time these last couple of weeks so I’m conscious of that and know what to improve on.”
As the summer season draws down, the grind of being a professional rider continues to wear on. Still, Bisceglia and many of his Pro Motocross counterparts took time out of their training schedules this week to participate in the 19th annual Surfercross competition.
“I was pretty stoked to get the opportunity to participate in Surfercross,” he explained. “It’s a race where they get a bunch of professional Motocross racers together with a bunch of professional surfers. There’s a moto day where the moto guys take the surfer guys through a race and we kind of show them how to race a dirt bike. The next day they totally school us on how to surf. Most of the surfer guys are probably better at riding dirt bikes than we are at surfing. I probably made a fool out of myself but me and my partner Jeff Barnett had a great time.”
The first moto of the Unadilla National from New Berlin, N.Y., will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., August 12 beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 10 a.m. Pacific. Coverage for the second moto will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. EDT, 4:30 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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