Team Suzuki Press Office – August 10.
It’s one of the most historic motocross circuits in the world, having played host to the U.S. Motocross Grand Prix events several times as well as AMA Nationals for decades. Unadilla is a name known by motocross fans far and wide and Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Blake Baggett added his name to storied record of the track at the weekend by coming away from the hilly New York venue with yet another top-10 finish, earning a 13-7 moto tally and an eighth overall in his first outing at the track in the premier 450 class.
The Unadilla National started off on a bit of a sour note when Baggett crashed his bike on the first lap of the first 450 moto. But BB4’s fans have almost come to expect comeback rides by the gritty 450 class rookie, and they weren’t disappointed this time either: Baggett kept his head down and used the power and handling of his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 to charge all the way back to 13th by the end of the moto.
Things went considerably closer to design in moto two, where Baggett nailed a solid start inside the top-10 and then rode a steady race, making passes on some top riders to finish seventh. While it wasn’t quite the result Baggett had hoped for at Unadilla, he earned enough points that it’s looking almost certain that Baggett will finish the season ranked in the top-five and he’s also on track to be the top finishing rookie in the series.
Baggett began the day at the hilly and rock-strewn track placing 10th in timed qualifying.
“We were inside the top-10 in both practices and I’m just going to keep working on it,” Baggett said. “The lines will probably change throughout the day and we’ll make little changes to the bike to get ready for the motos. You’ve got to try to stay out of the roost here because the rocks are pretty bad. We’ll be running handguards and chest protector and everything else.”
A tumble on the first lap put Baggett behind the eight ball in moto one. He got back in the race and began chipping away, moving from 35th-place at the end of the first lap, to break inside the top-20 by lap five and so it went all the way to the chequered flag where Baggett found he had charged all the way back to 13th.
In the second moto he powered out of the gate with his Yoshimura Suzuki and ran just inside the top 10. But then he made moves past top-notch riders like Josh Grant, Dean Wilson and MXGP rider Shaun Simpson to end up seventh by the end of the moto.
It was another strong outing for Baggett and his result keeps him solidly in fourth in the standings with just two rounds remaining.
“I ended up going down in the first moto on the first lap,” Baggett explained. “It was my mistake and once you go down on the first lap it’s tough to claw your way back. Not bad though. I think we got back to 13th. In the second moto I got a top-10 start and just kept going. I charged the whole moto and got to seventh.
“It was a tough day, but we’ll just keep working and practicing and try to get better and better each weekend. I’ll chalk this one up to experience and head to Utah.”
Yoshimura Suzuki and Baggett will be right back to work as the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend with its second-to-last round of the 2015 season. Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, will be the host site of the Zions Bank Utah National next Saturday, August 15th.
Unadilla 450 Motocross Results:
1. Ryan Dungey (1-1)
2. Justin Barcia (2-4)
3. Trey Canard (3-6)
4. Shaun Simpson (4-8)
5. Ken Roczen – RCH Suzuki - (16-2)
6. Broc Tickle – RCH Suzuki - (6-9)
7. Weston Peick (12-5)
8. Blake Baggett – Yoshimura Suzuki - (13-7)
9. Josh Grant (9-11)
10. Dean Wilson (11-10)
450 Motocross Standings:
1. Ryan Dungey, 450
2. Justin Barcia, 371
3. Ken Roczen (RCH Suzuki) 358
4. Blake Baggett (Yoshimura Suzuki) 297
5. Christophe Pourcel, 267
6. Jason Anderson, 263
7. Broc Tickle (RCH Suzuki) 253
8. Weston Peick, 223
9. Phil Nicoletti, 209
10. Fredrik Noren, 206
