In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at round seven of the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Washougal. 

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) – Fourth:
The day started off awesome, the feeling was great and I was excited for the racing. I was really happy about my intensity, that’s something that I’ve been looking for and I made it happen. In the first moto, I felt like I was riding really well towards the end but I tried to push hard to make a gap on him and unfortunately, the front went away on me and I climbed up and into a berm and went down. In the second moto, it was a lot of effort to pass people and I think that got me towards the end. I knew fifth wasn’t going to be enough for an overall podium, which is a bummer, but it’s my best result so far this year and I showed a lot more today. That’s what I needed and what I wanted.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – Sixth:
It was a little better today even though the results don’t show it. My starts were good in both motos and I felt pretty good but it seemed like those top guys were really hauling the mail today. We’ll go into this break and try to get some more speed and intensity to run up front at Unadilla.

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 12th:
I’m just kind of running on fumes, dealing with what I’m dealing with and I feel like I have nothing left in the tank. That was the best I had today but I’m out of here safe and have two weeks off to hopefully recover and try to get some energy back and be ready for Unadilla.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Fifth:
I’m stoked on the qualifying time of P5! I didn’t get the best starts but I charged as hard as I could and felt like I rode solid. No excuses but it was a difficult track to make passes and ending fifth overall – to me – that’s a really bad week, so I’ll take it. We’ve got two weeks off to regroup and come out swinging for the last five. I’m ready to hammer down!

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Third:
It was a tough day at Washougal. We struggled with the bike set up Moto 1 but bounced back with a win in Moto 2. I tried to manage the gap and manage my energy the whole moto to give everything I had at the end to secure the first place. It was really hard. I had to push really hard and dig deep. I’m really proud to have won this battle with Eli (Tomac) as he’s such a role model for me in the sport. I’m looking forward to getting some rest now before going back to work to be ready for the last five rounds.

Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Seventh:
It was a little bit of a rough day for me. I don’t really like that track too much. It was really slick and has lots of shadows. I crashed on the first lap of the first moto and that put me dead last, but I put in a charge to get back to 12th. In the second moto, I got a great start and rode well the first three-quarters of the moto and then fell off the pace a little bit. Overall it was a good day to finish seventh overall after that first moto.

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Eighth:
It was a rough day for me. I ended up having a hard crash in the first practice, so I just felt off the rest of the day. I’m looking forward to the break. We’re going to work on some stuff for the last five rounds to finish strong.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Second:
In the first moto I started a little bit behind, maybe around eighth place or so, but felt really solid and was able to keep passing guys through the whole race. I got myself up to third and was there for a while before Marvin (Musquin) ended up falling and handing me second place, which was key going into Moto 2. I was happy, confident, feeling good energy-wise after Moto 1. In Moto 2 I had a better start going down the first straightaway, but then the wrong line choice in Turn 2 shuffled me back. At that point, the guys that I needed to be in front of were in front of me, so I started pushing and gave it everything I had. I left everything on the track today, literally everything. It’s a frustrating day to get second overall because I made such a strong push, but I’m really happy with the riding and our whole effort today, I just needed a couple more positions in the first few turns.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – First:
Today was an awesome day for me. I got the first holeshot of my Pro Motocross career. Starts were a lot better today, which was key. I led moto 1 start to finish, and it was really a dream race for me because I finally got to ride like I do in practice. It was fun having Kenny ride right behind me, and then I kind of got away a little bit and cruised in. It was really good and I managed the race well. In the second moto I got a fourth-place start. I had a really good battle with Dylan [Ferrandis] and Eli [Tomac], and I put up a good fight and came out with the overall [win]. I couldn’t be happier going into this break and finally getting that monkey off my back, and I want more. I’m excited for these last five races.

Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) – Ninth:
Our weekend in Washougal was super hard; I’ve been sick all week. I only rode one day a little bit to keep a good feeling, but I didn’t feel good coming into this weekend. I still felt super-weak still in my bones and muscles, and I just didn’t have it. I fought my way through as well as I could, but it was just a weekend to forget. I’m looking forward to a couple off weekends now, to get myself back on track. I’m looking forward to trying to recover and then rebuild and get back to when I felt good and fight back.

Max Anstie (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) – 12th:
Progress was made at Washougal. I rode well in Moto 1 and came out with a ninth-place finish. In Moto 2 I fought hard and ended up 12th. We will keep pushing and we’ll get some testing done in the break to be ready to come back stronger at Unadilla.

Brandon Hartranft (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) – 13th:
It was a solid day. Qualifying went pretty well and I was riding really well today. In the first moto I came from about 30th spot all the way up to 13th; that was a really strong ride. In Moto 2 I was actually catching the top 10, but just hit a wall and unfortunately faded back to 15th. The track was pretty sweet today. I can’t thank Suzuki enough for their help this year. We’ll keep fighting. There are five rounds to go and I’m going to bring the heat.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM) – 10th:
It was a pretty consistent weekend for me. I rode pretty good in the first moto and I was happy with that. I started a little bit further back in the second moto and made my way to 12th but I didn’t really ride well – I wasn’t really flowing on the bike and I was just kind of choppy and holding on tight. I’ve got some stuff to work on going into this two-week break before Unadilla, I’m really looking forward to getting stronger and faster, and getting better results.”

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Second:
I felt good in practice even though I wasn’t that fast, but I knew we’d turn it around for the motos,” Hampshire said. “I felt good, I had two good starts and battled hard all day. In the second moto, I was in contention again, pushing for the win, and it could have been there but I stalled it about halfway into the moto. I got passed a couple times and it took the sails out of me but I can’t complain, I’m stoked on second overall.”

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 41st:
It honestly felt like today was going to be one of those days where I thought it was going to be a good finish,” Swoll said. “Unfortunately, in the first moto I got in a little first-turn pileup and got ran over. I think I came away with a little ding to the head but it’s all good, we’ll take the break to recover and get back to it at Unadilla.”

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Fifth:
This is my first visit here and it went really well, I’m stoked! I loved the track all day long and I was really happy with the whole day. First moto, I ended up sixth but it was a big improvement from how the last couple rounds have gone so I just used that to fuel the fire for the second moto. In the first couple laps, I was up there in the mix with all the boys so that was cool. It was my best moto finish and best overall yet, so I’m going to use these next couple weeks off to keep the momentum going.

Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – Sixth:
It was a tough day, not how we wanted it to go, but I had a lot of fun and the fans were stoked! I love coming to Washougal and I felt pretty dang good all day. I think I lost the race today on the first lap in both motos, so I just got to work on that and I think we’ll be in good shape. We’ve got a couple weeks off to rest the body and hit it hard for the last five rounds.

Austin Forkner (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Ninth:
I’d love to forget the first moto, but after getting up I felt like I rode really well. Being in the back I wasn’t really able to show the speed. In the second moto, it was just so slick out there and I made a mistake but overall the day was a ton of positives for us. Even though we are getting a small break, we’re going to work hard to end the season strong.

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 13th:
The first moto was terrible and my bike was so twisted up, but I wanted to try and get into the points. We just barely missed. The second moto was much better, I just need to get a better start to be up front to be able to contend for another podium. We’ll be working hard over the next few weeks.

Jeremy Martin (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – First:
This one’s for Bobby Reagan [team owner]! He told me, ‘I don’t know if you’ve got what it takes to win Washougal,’ and that’s all the motivation I needed. I know I got a little bit of a gift. It was a bummer to see Justin go down, you hate to see anybody go down like that. I’m just really happy to walk away from Washougal with a moto win and a spot on the podium. This track is super tricky and it will bite you if you’re not careful!

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – Third:
The track was tricky and made for some good racing. Everyone was riding well out there so it was a battle. In the first moto, I felt the company behind me and I knew we had a while to go so I was just riding my own laps. RJ (Hampshire) got on my back wheel and I just made sure that I made a push at the end and was glad to bring home that win. In the second moto, I was trying to make a push for Jeremy and got a weird kick, and it spit me off. The bike was on a really tough spot on the hill, so it was hard to get up and back in the race. I’m really disappointed to throw away a win, but I’m happy with how the day went as a whole and want to keep the feeling that I had today with the bike going into the final rounds.

Colt Nichols (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – 15th:
Washougal was definitely one to forget. It started out well qualifying in the top five, and I had a good start in the first moto but we just struggled out there. I was pushing hard to come back through the pack in the second moto and unfortunately took a hard knock late in the race. We’re going to get looked at on Monday and hopefully will be back on the gate at Unadilla.

Jarrett Frye (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) – 16th:
It was a tough day at an all-new track. It was definitely a tricky one and I was struggling all day to find my flow. I had a good start in the first moto, but crashed on the first lap and had to fight my way back to 18th. That kind of set me back in the second moto, but I kept pushing and finished 13th for 16th overall. We’re going to keep working during the break and come back stronger in the final stretch of the season.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth:
Washougal wasn’t a great day, but it was alright. In the first moto I was just sleeping on the gate and didn’t get a really good start and was outside the top 10 I think. It was a very tight track, so it was a pain to pass. I only got up to seventh, but I didn’t have much pop in my riding. After that, Dazzy [Darren Lawrence, Jett’s father] and Johnny [O’Mara] gave me a little kick in the butt, so I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to try and prove you guys wrong.’ In the second moto, my jump wasn’t the greatest but I was able to hold on; I ended up being third on the start and was pumped, but then I pulled a young kid mistake with a pissing contest with J-Mart [Jeremy Martin] going into that turn, but I paid for it and went back a few positions. I was riding a lot better and was able to come through to second, so I only lost two points on the day. We’re going to use this break very wisely, and I can’t wait for Unadilla, which was kind of my pro debut during outdoors in 2019; I like the track, and I’m excited to go there.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Seventh:
Washougal was a rough weekend. I struggled being sick all week, so it wasn’t an ideal prep week. We gave it our best shot. We had an unfortunate second moto, but in the first moto was fifth. We’re looking to give my body the rest it needs in this little break.

Dilan Schwantz (BarX Chaparral Suzuki) – Eighth:
In the first moto I got off to a top-10 start, but unfortunately tipped over a few laps in. It took me a little while to get up and I when I got going again, I was around 20th or maybe a little worse. I was able to charge and come back to 13th. In the second moto, I almost pulled the holeshot, which was cool. From there I rode consistently in the top 10 and ended up sixth. I’m pumped with this result going into the break and I’m looking forward to the next race!