Solid Day at Glen Helen for RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing

2017-05-29 21:15
RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing riders Broc Tickle and Justin Bogle turned in strong performances in Saturday’s annual Memorial Day weekend Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship event at Glen Helen Raceway.

Tickle logged a sturdy 14-4 performance and was credited with a seventh-place overall finish while Bogle notched a solid 12-5 effort and was scored eighth at day’s end.

With two of 12 rounds complete, Tickle currently sits eighth in the championship, but a slim three-point margin leaves him within striking distance of Jason Anderson in sixth while only five markers separate him from the top five. Meanwhile, Bogle leaves Glen Helen ninth in the standings, only four points between him and his teammate.

Tickle was eighth-fastest in Saturday’s final qualifying session but struggled out of the starting gate in the first moto. The Holly, Mich., rider raced through the first corner of the opening 30-minute-plus-two-laps moto 15th in the running order and spent the rest of the session trying to reel in the top 10. Unfortunately, with less than five laps to go, Tickle stalled his machine, leaving him 14th when the checkers waved on the first premiere 450 class moto of the weekend.

“First moto was going pretty well,” commented Tickle. “I didn’t get that good of a start but I rode my way up to 11th. I felt like I could have got 10th or ninth if I made a late-race charge but I ended up stalling my bike with like five laps to go and ended up 14th. The track was tough and kind of hard to pass on. I was struggling a bit, just flowing and connecting the track.”

Bogle was sixth immediately following the first gate drop but the Cushing, Okla., rider faded as the moto wore on, leaving him 12th at the break. Back at the starting gate for the second moto, the rider of the No. 19 Suzuki RM-Z450 got another strong jump on the competition and rounded the first corner inside the top five. Bogle was a fixture near the front of the field for the rest of the afternoon and was rewarded with his first top-five moto finish of the season at day’s end.

“It was nice to put a solid top 10 together and come out of Glen Helen with a good points day,” said Bogle. “The bike was fast and we made the right adjustments. We’re making progress and seeing results. That’s all you can ask for. Everything is moving in the right direction so hopefully we can keep it going and come out firing next weekend at Thunder Valley.”

Tickle bettered his first moto from the moment the gate dropped on the second and was scored seventh before completing the first lap. As the race wore on, the rider of the No. 20 Suzuki set his sights on the leaders, eventually cracking the top four to earn his best moto finish of the young season.

“We made some adjustments to the bike for the second moto and ended up getting a pretty decent start. I got in behind (Marvin) Musquin and pretty much trailed him the whole race so it was good to get in there and run with him. It felt good to put in some laps like I have been during the week. Ended the day solid with a fourth in the second moto and I’m looking forward to Colorado already. I feel like that last moto was a sign of hard work paying off and us heading in the right direction. Glen Helen and Hangtown haven’t been my best tracks and I came out of both of them with the best finishes I’ve ever had at those tracks. I think that shows I’m in a good place to keep moving up as we head east. I’m looking forward to Colorado and heading back east for all the rest of the races.”

The first moto from Round 3 of the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship from the True Value Thunder Valley National in Lakewood, Colo., will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., June 3 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, noon Pacific. Broadcast coverage for the second moto will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBCSN at 6 p.m. EDT, 3 p.m. Pacific.

All motos can 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. Capping off each round of the championship will be exclusive one-hour highlight shows on NBCSN, each airing within a handful of days of every National.

Source: RCH Racing

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