In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at the eighth round of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship at Washougal.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First: 
The scorecard for today might make it look like it was easy, but it was a struggle all day. Those other guys pushed me every lap. I thought a couple of times I might have given myself some breathing room, but they would catch right up. I don’t feel like I gel with this track as much as some others, so I’m happy to get past this one. Now, we can focus on taking a break and moving on to Unadilla.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) – Second: 
The first moto, I just didn’t get the greatest start. I got funnelled backward, and it’s such a struggle to pass here. Just moving into second required a Hail Mary down the hill. Second moto, I had a lot of time to figure out some lines in second place and plan an attack. I started to pick up the pace, but I just stalled the bike and tipped over. Obviously, I hate getting second place, but I feel like the last three tracks are places that favor me. We’ll take a little bit of time off, but these last couple of weeks are all about pushing.

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth: 
It was a tough weekend at Washougal. The track was really hard-packed. I got a good start in both motos, but it wasn’t enough. I finished third in the first moto, and in the second moto, I was struggling on the track and couldn’t get the speed and finished fifth. It’s disappointing, but that’s racing. We have a break now, so we are going to rest a little bit and see what we can do to come back stronger.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Sixth: 
Round eight all wrapped up and for the most part, it was a good day. Everything felt good all weekend and it was good to be back at Washougal after not racing here in a few years. Looking forward to some time off and then back to work.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Third: 
Today was a good feeling. After lots of time off, it feels amazing to stand on the podium for an overall finish here at Washougal for round eight. We still have more to do, but I’m ready to continue this progress and head into these last three rounds.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Fifth : 
I was very mad at myself after the first moto – I’m not sure what I was doing! Then I came back, thought about what it was that I did wrong, and how I could fix it, which started with a holeshot in the second moto. It was a really, really good second moto, I led a few laps, then tried to latch on to Chase [Sexton] and Jett [Lawrence] there, but they’re riding fast at the moment. I was able to hold on for third, and my final few laps were strong, which was a really good end to my day.

Freddie Noren (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 11th : 
Washougal was good, even though the results may not show it. I was eleventh overall on the day, tied for ninth. I had a good start in moto one and rode well in eighth place for most of the moto. With a couple of laps to go another rider got around me. In the second moto, I had a mid-pack start and worked my way up into tenth place. I was closing in on ninth place but washed my front end out and fell. I lost a few spots but got back to 11th. Overall, I feel I rode well, I just need to continue working on my starts. Better starts are the key to finishing where I want to be.

Kyle Chisolm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 13th: 
In the first moto I was back at the start and ate roost the whole time. In the second moto, I ripped a really good start, around sixth place, and then they red-flagged the race. So I was a little bummed. I had a decent start in the re-start, just not as strong as my first start. I rode much better and ended up 12th, for a 13th overall. I’m happy with the second moto. I was up where I should be, and overall it was a decent day.

Derek Drake (BarX Suzuki) – DNF: 
In the first moto my rear brake had an issue, and it wasn’t worth it continuing. In the second moto, I fell on the first lap and my engine wasn’t running right the rest of the race. Also, we tried some changes that didn’t help, so I just pulled it in again.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Third :
Tough day in the office, for sure. The track wasn’t easy. Having to go in and out of the shadows makes it super hard to be consistent. That second moto wasn’t pretty. I put myself up front and gave myself a chance early. Unfortunately, I pushed the front and just couldn’t put a charge in to catch them after that. Considering we have two DNFs, I’m happy to get out of here with the points lead.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
It was a good day. I had two good starts and another second place. I got out front in the second moto and went for as long I could, but yeah, I was pretty much done once Haiden got by me, and I finished second. I think where we went wrong today was not enough food. I gave it my all but came up short. I have to give it to my teammate. He was riding awesome, and I don’t think I would’ve had anything for him anyway. We’ll try again in a couple of weeks.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First: 
Today was really good. I qualified third overall and got a good gate pick and a good spot on the line. The first start was unreal! I got the holeshot and won the moto straight up and led every lap, so that was good. In the second moto, I came out fourth with Hunter [Lawrence] right behind me, and I knew I was going to have to send it. I got going about halfway and really started going fast. I passed Levi [Kitchen] and then passed Justin [Cooper] with about five laps to go and then picked up the pace to have a good lead at the end. It was a really good day with my first ever 1-1. I’m trying to go back to remembering that it’s my rookie season and to just have fun and enjoy it this year; that’s been the goal.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fifth: 
The first moto was a bit of a struggle. I was in a dog fight for a while and then had an issue and went backward a little bit and ended up eighth. The second moto was better. I got off to a good start and pressured Justin for a while, and then I lost touch with him for a second. As soon as I lost touch with him, Haiden got around me, and then I had to fight Hunter off for a while. I ended up third in that moto, which I was hoping for better, but I’m healthy, and I’m excited that I finally got to race Washougal. I was just a click off today, but it’s okay. We’ve got a break, so I’m going to do a little fishing and be ready for Unadilla!

Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Seventh : 
It wasn’t the day I was hoping for, but this track is challenging and I didn’t want to make too costly of a mistake. The biggest thing was my second moto start where I put myself in a bad position and had to work forward. It’s a hard track to pass on and I didn’t help myself out with a 12th place start in moto two. I’m going to enjoy these two weekends off and I’m looking forward to Unadilla where I got a win last year.

Austin Forkner (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 15th : 
That crash was definitely scary and I’m thankful that there wasn’t anything else other than some bruises. It was a tough day after that and didn’t feel like I was able to ride my best. It’s good luck that we have two weekends off so my bruising can heal up and we can come out swinging at Unadilla.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 17th: 
It was tough to not be able to rejoin the race after going down in moto one. Having such a bad gate pick I just tried to get through in mid-pack and was able to do that. It helped but it’s really hard to pass and that second moto was pretty brutal. It will be good to get back to tracks I’ve raced already starting with Unadilla.

Carson Mumford (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Ninth:
It was great to be back with the team this weekend. Everyone has the same goal to finish up front and I was happy to be able to move forward in both motos. A top-10 is good for me after not lining up the past few rounds. The track is tough and I’m happy that I could make the passes I did.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Sixth: 
Washougal is always challenging and this year was no different. The track was really rough by the end of the day and the main goal was to minimize mistakes, which I think we were able to do. I am still pushing to get back into the top-five and I think we’re close. The break will be good to regroup and focus on having a strong final three rounds.

Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Eighth : 
Not a bad day here in Washougal. Good start in the first moto and ran up front with the leaders for a long while before crossing the line in fifth. Second moto, not as good of a start, but I was still in a good position, and then ended up having a fall. I lost what felt like around 10 positions, and then from there it was about charging through the field, which I did and managed to get up into eighth

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – DNF : 
I was really disappointed not to be able to race in the second moto today after falling in the first one. I haven’t done any major damage, but I was banged up in what was a really big crash for me. I’m kind of lucky now that we have the break with two weekends off, so I will have time to heal up and look ahead to Unadilla.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Fourth : 
In the first moto, I felt I rode well; I just didn’t get a great start. In the second moto, I had a better start and was going for a pass, but the line wasn’t there and I lost my front end. I got a fourth and that’s getting old right now. I’m definitely going to use this break to kind of recover a bit and give it the best we’ve got here for the last three rounds.

Talon Hawkins (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 11th: 
We’ve got a lot to work on, but I’m excited I matched my best overall finish with an 11th. It’s something to build off of. I got good starts, and there’s a lot to take away that’s good. But in the second moto, I was smoked. I need more. But we’re going to work on that and I’m ready to get back to these next races. I’m ready for this two-week break. I’ve been building all year, getting better at every race, so let’s keep it rolling.

Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 13th : 
Today was frustrating. I feel good and feel like I can ride good, but I’m still dealing with whatever happened at Millville and unfortunately, I can’t shake it right now. I’m looking forward to these two weeks off and getting myself back in fine form. I’ll come back with a chip on my shoulder. I feel like I was gaining momentum, but I’ll be back and keep chipping away and figure it out.

Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 10th: 
Not the best day, but we ran the pace for a little bit with the guys in the first moto. While in eighth or ninth I was behind [Jo] Shimoda trying to match his laps and made a mistake jumping into the sand. I ended up crashing pretty hard and I ended up 12th. In moto two I think I ran in sixth for about half the moto. The track was gnarly today and it kind of beat me up. I was still shaken from the crash and ended up fading. I don’t know what place I got, but I ended up tenth overall. Better than last weekend, but we definitely want more.

Caden Braswell (TLD Red Bull GasGas) – 12th: 
Washougal was better than last weekend but not where I want to be. Strengths were the end of the motos; I felt strong and my fitness was there. Overall, I just need to improve my qualifying and sprint speed. As always, thanks to the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team.

Dilan Schwartz (BarX Suzuki) – 18th: 
In the first moto I crashed on the first lap and was able to come back to 13th. In the second moto, I was running 11th and had an issue so I didn’t get to finish. It’s not how we wanted to go into the break, but these things sometimes happen. On to the next!