RCH/YOSHIMURA/SUZUKI FACTORY RACING MUCH STILL TO BE DONE
April 21, 2017
CHINO, Calif. (April 21, 2017) – As the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season begins to wind down, setting up the final three-race sprint to the checkered flag, much remains to be done for RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing as the series returns to Salt Lake City this weekend for the first time in four years.
Broc Tickle, rider of the No. 20 Suzuki RM-Z450, is currently eighth in points and looks to use the last three rounds to break through the top seven and reel in his best career finish in the 450SX Class championship standings. Tickle’s best premier class championship finish came in 2015 and the 27-year-old rider currently trails seventh-place Davi Millsaps by 18 markers and sixth-place Blake Baggett by 19 in the 2017 rankings.
In two previous Salt Lake City 450SX starts, Tickle finished 11th in 2013 and sixth in 2012. He owns a pair of 250SX Class starts at Rice-Eccles Stadium where he finished third in 2011 and sixth the year prior. The senior member of the Suzuki RM Army rode his machine to a strong sixth-place finish two Saturday’s ago in Seattle, notching his seventh top 10 of the season. The strong effort allowed Tickle to tighten his grip on eighth in points where he now paces veteran Dean Wilson by 11 and two-time Supercross Champion Chad Reed by 15.
“I’m looking forward to these last three,” explained Tickle, who hasn’t finished outside the top eight in his last four outings. “I think it’s important out finish out the series strong. I feel like I have some momentum heading into the last three. I’ve had decent results the last couple of races and I’m looking forward to going back to Salt Lake. I’ve always enjoyed racing there.”
Tickle’s RCH stablemate Justin Bogle finished 12th in Seattle and moved into a tie for 16th in points with Vince Friese. With only six points separating Bogle from 15th-place Malcolm Stewart, three races leaves “the Captain” time to break through the top 15.
The 2014 Eastern Regional 250 SX Class Champion has yet to make his mark in the Beehive State and will record his first career start on the campus of the University of Utah tomorrow night.
“I’d never been to Seattle and I’ve never been to Salt Lake City,” Bogle said. “It’s always exciting to go to a new venue. Unfortunately, it can still be pretty boring. We don’t really get to do a whole lot or check things out. We’re pretty busy. It’s exciting. It’s somewhere new but, at the same time, it’s kind of business as usual.”
While Bogle is focusing on business as usual at the track, the Cushing, Okla., rider made some adjustments to his program over the Easter break, aiming to close out his Supercross season on a high note.
“Tenth, 11th, 12th isn’t where I belong,” he added. “I’m not happy with that whatsoever. I’m doing what I can to get out of that little rut I’m in. Actually, it’s a big rut that I’ve been in. After the first-turn pileup in Seattle, I was making my way through the pack, I think I passed up into the top 10 and had another fall. It would have been a single-digit night, even with the first corner, had I not made one not-so-great decision. I was going for it. I was moving forward. It was progress. The results sheet doesn’t say it but that felt like the best I’ve ridden this season, so far. It still wasn’t what I’m looking for but it was a step in the right direction. It’s something to build off of, confidence-wise, with how I was riding.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day and the 450 class is much different than the 250 class. You can’t just come in and go straight to the top. For the most part, you have to figure some things out. A lot of people have to struggle for a year or two and that forces you to make some changes and look in the mirror a little more. That’s what I’ve been doing so I’m hoping it all pays off. I’ll keep working, regardless.”
Before the gate drops at the track, Tickle and Bogle will meet fans and sign autographs tonight from 6-7 p.m., at Moto United of Salt Lake. Located minutes south from Rice-Eccles Stadium, Moto United serves the Salt Lake City, Utah area and offers the best in new and pre-owned ATVs, motorcycles, UTVs, or scooters.
Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, from Salt Lake City will be televised live on FS2 Saturday, April 22 beginning at 10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 7 p.m. Pacific.
###
Back to News