Team Suzuki Press Office – July 6.
The AMA Pro Motocross Championship made its annual 'Fourth of July' weekend visit to the famous RedBud National in Buchanan, Michigan and for Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Blake Baggett the race was a challenging outing.
Tough starts meant he spent both motos chasing from behind and having to deal with constant traffic and heavy roost kicked-up by the riders he was pursuing. But in the end Baggett managed to race his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 back into a solid eighth-place overall with moto finishes of 6-9.
Yet another top-10 result keeps Baggett solidly in fourth in the series standings as the second half of the summer’s outdoor national season is underway.
The speed and agility of Baggett’s RM-Z450 netted him a strong qualifying time of 2:02.119 on the demanding RedBud track, giving him the seventh gate-pick for the start of the pair of 30-minute, plus-two laps motos.
“The track was definitely filled with lots of ruts,” Baggett said after his first laps around RedBud on a 450cc machine. “It was super technical and soft in some spots. The track was new to everyone since they made a few changes from last year.”
Things got a little off-kilter right out of the gate for Baggett at the start of the first moto.
“In moto one I got a little bit sideways off the gate,” he explained. “I came in contact with the rider next to me and didn’t get the greatest drive around the first turn. I started down in about 12th and made it to sixth. I couldn’t work my way any further forward than that. I didn’t have the greatest flow today.”
Baggett found the going even tougher in moto two: A traffic jam in turn one was what greeted the 450 Motocross rookie. He ended up mired somewhere in the middle of the dirt-spattered jumble of the 40-rider field.
“I got a bad jump off the gate and was towards the inside,” he said. “I got pinched off and was just buried. I made it up to ninth and couldn’t get any more than that. Even though I was trying left and right, I couldn’t gain any more positions.”
Baggett reflected on the RedBud weekend and looks forward to Millville in two weeks’ time. He described the ongoing learning process halfway through his rookie 450 MX season.
“Eighth overall wasn’t the greatest day for us,” Baggett admitted. “I’m looking forward to the weekend off and keep working on my riding being a little bit smoother and a little more precise in some areas, while also letting it hang-out in other areas. I’m looking forward to preparing for Millville.”
As he mentioned, the series takes a weekend off before Yoshimura Suzuki and Baggett return to action in the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship on July 18th with the La Crescent Wine and Spirits Spring Creek National from Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minnesota. It will serve as the eighth stop of the 12-round championship.
RedBud 450 Motocross Results:
1. Justin Barcia (2-1)
2. Ryan Dungey (1-2)
3. Ken Roczen – RCH Suzuki - (3-3)
4. Broc Tickle – RCH Suzuki - (4-7)
5. Weston Peick (5-6)
6. Christophe Pourcel (10-4)
7. Fredrik Noren (7-8)
8. Blake Baggett – Yoshimura Suzuki - (6-9)
9. Justin Brayton (9-10)
10. Thomas Hahn (8-12)
450 Motocross Standings:
1. Ryan Dungey, 303
2. Ken Roczen – RCH Suzuki - 259
3. Justin Barcia, 240
4. Blake Baggett – Yoshimura Suzuki - 212
5. Jason Anderson, 197
6. Broc Tickle – RCH Suzuki - 190
7. Christophe Pourcel, 186
8. Weston Peick, 171
9. Phil Nicoletti, 151
10. Fredrik Noren, 132