RCH/YOSHIMURA/SUZUKI FACTORY RACING EAGER TO GET BACK TO WORK AT THUNDER VALLEY
June 2, 2017
CHINO, Calif. (June 2, 2017) – After recording smart, consistent performances that translated into top 10s at each of the opening two rounds, RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing riders Broc Tickle and Justin Bogle are eager for the gate to drop on Round 3 when the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship returns to Colorado for tomorrow’s True Value Thunder Valley National.
Tickle logged a sturdy 14-4 performance last weekend at Glen Helen and was credited with a seventh-place overall finish. Bogle notched a solid 12-5 effort and was scored eighth at day’s end. The sturdy showing was a career-best effort for both riders at the venerable Southern California circuit.
With two of 12 rounds complete, Tickle currently sits eighth in the championship and a slim three-point margin leaves him within striking distance of sixth-place, while only five markers separate him from the top five. Meanwhile, Bogle left Glen Helen ninth in the standings, only four points between him and his teammate
Tickle has nine professional starts at the Lakewood, Colo., track, but with only two podiums to show for 18 motos, it’s no wonder the rider of RCH’s No. 20 RM-Z450 feels like he has unfinished business at Round 3. Still, Tickle returns to the site of his best overall finish of the 2015 season where he notched two top fives and a fourth-place overall result looking to lock down his first podium of 2017.
“We’ve been solid to start the season,” explained Tickle. “The bike has been fast and we’ve made the right adjustments when we needed to. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to keep moving forward and making progress. I’ve got some room to improve at Thunder Valley so that definitely motivates me heading into this weekend. We were decent last year and I finished fourth in 2015 so I’ve had a little bit of success at that track. I feel good and my wrist is getting better. Hopefully we can put it all together and be on the podium at the end of the day. All the pieces are there. I just need to get good starts and ride to my potential.”
Bogle owns three Thunder Valley starts where he finished second overall in 2014 and 10th 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 tallied a 7.5 average finish underscored by a pair of top threes
“We’re getting there,” commented Bogle. “I switched some things up with my program, made some important changes and we’re making progress. I had pretty good days at Hangtown and Glen Helen and the plan is to carry that over to Thunder Valley this weekend. The goal always stays the same and that’s to be better than I was the race before. I was decent at Round 1 and a little better last weekend. If I can do better this weekend than I did in the last two, we’re heading in the right direction. We’ll keep it moving. Thunder Valley is a great track. I finished second there on a 250 and I was top 10 last year so I feel like I know the track well enough where I can be successful. If we can crack the top seven, even the top five, it’ll be a good weekend.
The first moto from Round 3 of the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship from the True Value Thunder Valley National in Lakewood, Colo., will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., June 3 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, noon Pacific. Broadcast coverage for the second moto will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBCSN at 6 p.m. EDT, 3 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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