Round #8 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship and Round #25 of the SuperMotocross World Championship unfolded at the picturesque Washougal MX Park in Washington for the Motosport.com Washougal National. This outdoor season has been one of the best in recent years, with tight competition at the front of the field delivering exciting and thrilling racing each weekend. However, this weekend saw a bit of a letdown in terms of close racing action right up to the finish line that we have been treated to all season so far, for seven rounds straight, coming into Washougal.
Nonetheless, Washougal MX Park's lush surroundings contrast with its deceptively slick, deep, loamy track, making it one of the most demanding on the schedule. Success here requires precision, throttle control, and patience, with the shadows of the surrounding evergreens adding an extra challenge. Additionally, the roost off these machines is brutal, posing a constant challenge for riders throughout the day.
Washougal hosted the Military Appreciation Race this Saturday, with bikes, gear, and riders decked out in impressive military-themed kits. The track started muddy during timed qualifying practice and became gnarly rough by the end of the day. The fantastic crowd provided great energy and support leading into the day’s racing.
450MX Moto 1
The 450MX class again hit the track for the day's first race this weekend. Aaron Plessinger of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, a fan favorite, grabbed the first Motosport.com holeshot, followed closely by Justin Cooper of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing. Team Honda HRC's Hunter Lawrence secured third, with Jason Anderson of Monster Energy Kawasaki in fourth. Championship points leader Chase Sexton of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing crossed the line in sixth, facing an uphill battle from the start.
Anderson made an aggressive move on Lawrence, cutting to the inside to take third place. Sexton, however, suffered a setback when his front tire slipped out of a rut, causing him to fall and lose one position. By the halfway point, Plessinger had established a significant lead, while Sexton began charging through the pack, overtaking Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis and Anderson.
As Sexton closed in on Lawrence for third, a mistake by Lawrence in the corner before the whoop section allowed Sexton to take third. Sexton then caught up to Cooper and overtook him for second place, setting his sights on teammate Plessinger in the lead. With three laps to go, Sexton made his presence felt. Plessinger then made a costly mistake, stalling his bike in a turn, allowing Sexton to take the lead and secure the win, keeping the moto streak alive at seven in a row. The top three in moto 1 were Sexton, Plessinger, and Cooper.
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250MX Moto 1
In the first 250MX moto, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s two-time MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle took an early lead heading into the Motosport.com holeshot, followed closely by points leader Haiden Deegan of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing. Deegan briefly snatched the lead in turn two, but Vialle powered up Horsepower Hill to reclaim it. With a strong start, Ryder DiFrancesco of Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas held third place early. Meanwhile, last weekend’s overall winner and local favorite, Levi Kitchen of Monster Energy Pro Circuit, had a disastrous start, finding himself outside the top 15.
Five minutes into the moto, Deegan applied pressure on Vialle for the lead but tipped over in a deep rut on the inside of a corner. He quickly remounted, losing only one position to DiFrancesco, which he swiftly regained. Jo Shimoda of Team Honda HRC began making his move, climbing up to third place.
The rest of the moto saw little action, contrasting the thrilling races earlier in the season. Vialle secured his second moto win of the year, with Deegan finishing second and Shimoda third.
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450MX Moto 2
In the final 450MX moto before a two-week break in the series, Justin Cooper grabbed the Motosport.com holeshot. Hunter Lawrence quickly took the lead, powering up Horsepower Hill, with Jason Anderson in third. Aaron Plessinger was fourth, and first moto winner Chase Sexton was fifth early on. Anderson executed a brilliant move, passing both Cooper and Lawrence on the inside after Horsepower Hill to take the lead.
Ten minutes into the race, Sexton began his charge to the front, overtaking his teammate Plessinger and then Lawrence for second place. Cooper made an early mistake, dropping back in the pack. Plessinger then passed Lawrence to secure third.
Anderson continued to lead with solid laps, but Sexton was unstoppable. With ten minutes plus two laps remaining, Sexton caught up to Anderson and, maintaining his momentum around the outside, took the lead. Sexton then sailed to his eighth consecutive moto victory and third overall win in a row extending his points lead heading into the break before Unadilla.
Anderson finished second, Plessinger third. This race marked Anderson's first podium of the Pro Motocross season, while Plessinger secured his third overall podium this season, with second overall. Hunter Lawrence would finish in fourth and be off the podium for the first time this season, breaking his current streak of seven and losing valuable points in the championship.
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Chase Sexton, First Place: “I feel like first and second moto, the lines changed a lot. We didn't really run the same lines all day, which was cool, but I feel like this was one of the deepest we've seen Washougal ever. For me, at least. So it was cool, but yeah, it was a tough day.
Aaron Plessinger, Second Place: “The fans here are close to RedBud crowd. Really excited to back up on the box. It's always a good time up here. It's a beautiful place, and I think this is the most people I've seen here in a while.”
Jason Anderson, Third Place: “I just honestly haven't had it through the whole moto to be able to stay with these guys, and we've been working on our motorcycle. We've made some changes, and I think it's starting to show. I'm getting more comfortable. We're still in our first year with this bike, so we're just trying to get it better and learning more about it. You know these guys aren't making it easy. Chase is riding really well, and it's it's tough. It's tough out there, this 450 class. It's the top dudes, and we all know how to race.”
250MX Moto 2
The final 250MX moto of the day closely mirrored moto 1, with Tom Vialle taking the Motosport.com holeshot, followed by Haiden Deegan and Ryder DiFrancesco. This time, Deegan stayed on Vialle's tail for the first twelve minutes before making a confident pass on the inside to take the lead. Deegan maintained his momentum, being the last to let off the gas into the next corner, and began to pull away. DiFrancesco dropped back several positions, allowing Jo Shimoda to move into third place.
The final minutes of the moto saw little action as Deegan secured back-to-back overall wins at Washougal and extended his points lead in the championship. Vialle finished second in the moto and second overall for the day, jumping him to second in the championship. At the same time, Shimoda made a strong comeback to the podium after a tough weekend previously.
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Haiden Deegan, First Place: “With such a big points lead, it's just putting together smart, consistent weekends. Nothing crazy, nothing like super stand out, I mean, and just go out there and do the best I can each weekend. It's not like overthinking anything; mistakes happen, so make them little. If you have a mistake, make sure it's just a tip over something small, minimize the big ones, and keep slowly adding to that points lead. I had a few mistakes in the last two or three races, like some small tip-overs.”
Tom Vialle, Second Place: “It was a good day. We got another P1 in qualifying, and I don't know why I've been great in the second qualifying every weekend, so that feels pretty nice to start the day that way. I had a great first moto. I felt really good on the track, and the second moto, Haiden, passed me. I think I didn't have the same flow, and he was ripping. I followed him for four or five laps, but I had a few small mistakes. It was tough the second moto. I hurt my wrist last weekend, so I couldn’t train all week. I am not really happy to finish second, but overall, my goal was to maybe finish two times in the top five. It was good to be riding and fight for the win.”
Jo Shimoda, Third Place: “Mentality-wise, I'm the same as from the first round to now. Nothing has changed; the pro program is the same, the way I train is the same, just I feel like, you know, sometimes the small details where people don't understand. is the motorcycle, maybe a little bit of me, like just figuring out it's a whole different motorcycle. You know, even last year, the model changes, it's like those small things like it takes me a little bit of time to get used to or finding some level of comfort to where I can push, like closer to how I want to ride.”
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