RCH/YOSHIMURA/SUZUKI FACTORY RACING FRUSTRATING SEASON CAPPED OFF WITH MID-PACK NIGHT FOR BOGLE
May 8, 2017
LAS VEGAS (May 8, 2017) – Sometimes the best way to end a story is by closing the cover and starting a new book. After a frustrating night in Las Vegas to close out the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross campaign and a challenging season overall, that’s exactly what Justin Bogle and RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing intend to do.
Bogle finished 13th Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium to close out the Supercross portion of the 2017 season 18th in the final standings. In all, the 2014 Eastern Regional 250SX Class Champion earned a pair of top-10 finishes and notched his first 450SX Class heat race win. While his season certainly had its share of bright spots, Bogle is eager to move on.
The rider of the No. 19 Suzuki RM-Z450 finished sixth in his heat and raced his way into Saturday’s main event with a fourth-place effort in the first 450SX Class semifinal of the night.
When the starting gate dropped on the 17th and final main event of the season, Bogle was swallowed by the pack heading into the first turn, forcing him to play catch up for the rest of the night. As the 20-minute-plus-one-lap feature wore on, the 24-year-old rider negotiated the challenging Las Vegas course with a workman’s effort but came up short in his bid for another top 10.
“Honestly, we had a tough night,” said Bogle. “I didn’t get a good start and got stuck in the back. I made up as much ground as I could but that was only good enough for 13th. As much as I hate to say it, I’m glad Supercross is over. This has been the most difficult season of my life so I’m thankful to close the book and look ahead to outdoors.”
Bogle’s RCH stablemate Broc Tickle remained sidelined for the final race of the year after sustaining a fracture in his right wrist in a practice crash two weeks ago at the team’s practice facility in Corona, Calif.
The Holly, Mich., rider earned seven top 10s this season, including his first career 450SX Class podium finish, and after sitting out last the last two races of the season, slipped to 11th in the season-ending Monster Energy Supercross points.
Jason Anderson won his first race of the season in thrilling fashion by passing championship contenders Eli Tomac and Ryan Dungey as the two battled for the lead and the championship on the final lap. When the dust settled, Dungey collected his fourth series title while Tomac had to settle for runner-up honors.
With only two weeks separating the end of the Monster Energy Supercross season from the beginning of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, there won’t be much downtime for RCH. The team will once again campaign two Suzuki RM-Z450s outdoors with Bogle and Tickle at the controls.
The first moto from the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Sacramento, Calif., will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., May 20 beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 1 p.m., Pacific. Television coverage for the second moto will shift to NBCSN at 6 p.m. EDT, 3 p.m., Pacific. Exact broadcast times for the remaining 11 rounds will be announced later this week. All motos can also 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.
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