Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis finished strong with his fourth moto win of the season in yesterday’s Moto 2 at the Washougal National. The Frenchman bounced back from a tough first moto in fifth to keep his podium streak going and expand his lead in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 450MX Championship. Aaron Plessinger and Christian Craig joined him inside the top 10, finishing seventh and eighth overall, respectively.
Washougal MX Park is known for its challenging conditions, sections with heavy shadows, and slick, hard-packed dirt, and this year was no exception. Ferrandis got off to a flying start, earning the fastest qualifier honors in the premier class. Unfortunately, he did not get off the gate well in the first moto and was ninth after the first lap. He made his way to sixth by Lap 3 and with five laps remaining, passed his championship rival to break the top five. He closed the gap to fourth but ultimately had to settle for fifth.
The red-plate holder bounced back in Moto 2, narrowly missing the holeshot, and then quickly moved into the lead. He ran his own race up front but was unable to break away. In the final laps, the competition closed the gap but Ferrandis held him off and made a final push to cross the line with a 4.5-second lead. His efforts secured third overall and earned another 15 points to give him a 47-point lead in the championship heading into the break.
Plessinger also had a tough start to the first moto and found himself at the back of the pack after a crash on the opening lap. The Ohio native put his head down and put on an impressive charge back to 12th. In Moto 2, he came out swinging and was right there with his teammates going for the holeshot. He was shuffled to sixth but quickly made his way to fourth on the first lap. Plessinger moved into third a lap later but was passed at the halfway mark and ultimately finished fourth for seventh overall.
Craig had a tough start to the day with a crash in the first practice session. He came back from adversity to have a solid qualifying in sixth and then got a great start in the first moto in fourth. A bit sore from his crash earlier in the day, the Californian soldiered on to finish eighth. In Moto 2, he got another great start in fifth but once again crossed the line eighth to finish eighth overall.
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team gets a couple of weekends off before the Unadilla National on August 14, Round 8 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in New Berlin, New York.
Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 Team Manager
“Today was a very up and down day for the team. We had a good practice and then a very rough first moto. We put our heads together as a team and made some changes and it showed in Moto 2. All three guys had amazing starts and were up front and rode great the whole moto. In the end, there were some positives to take away. We were able to open the points up some more with Dylan, and Christian and Aaron both had solid days. We’ll keep working during the break to return to the top at Unadilla.”
Dylan Ferrandis – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“It was a tough day at Washougal. We struggled with the bike set up Moto 1 but bounced back with a win in Moto 2. I tried to manage the gap and manage my energy the whole moto to give everything I had at the end to secure the first place. It was really hard. I had to push really hard and dig deep. I’m really proud to have won this battle with Eli (Tomac) as he’s such a role model for me in the sport. I’m looking forward to getting some rest now before going back to work to be ready for the last five rounds.”
Aaron Plessinger – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“It was a little bit of a rough day for me. I don’t really like that track too much. It was really slick and has lots of shadows. I crashed on the first lap of the first moto and that put me dead last, but I put in a charge to get back to 12th. In the second moto, I got a great start and rode well the first three-quarters of the moto and then fell off the pace a little bit. Overall it was a good day to finish seventh overall after that first moto.”
Christian Craig – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“It was a rough day for me. I ended up having a hard crash in the first practice, so I just felt off the rest of the day. I’m looking forward to the break. We’re going to work on some stuff for the last five rounds to finish strong.”
