Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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SUPERCROSS ROUND 5 / FEBRUARY 4, 2017 OAKLAND ALAMEDA COLISEUM / OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA P70 MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES My Own Race: 15 DEAN WILSON 10TH 450SX After racing the first four rounds on a privateer Yamaha, Dean Wilson was rewarded with a spot on the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team for the rest of 2017, starting in Oakland. Wilson looked good on the machine all day, but still ended up in the LCQ before eventually landing his first top-10 of the year. "I didn't mind going to the semi," Wilson said. "I mean, if you win the heat race, that's sick because you get a bonus [from the team], which is nice, but if you're kind of not feeling so sweet on the bike, then it's nice to ride the semi and get loosened up. But then I crashed in the semi tonight and had to go to the LCQ, so I'm just like, 'Aww, c'mon!' That wasn't ideal. I didn't really mind it tonight, though, because it was my first race on this bike, and the track was gnarly. In the end, it's my first top- 10 of the year, so I'm happy with that. It gives me something to build on, for sure." 37 PHIL NICOLETTI 5TH 250SX AutoTrader.com JGR Yoshimura Suzuki's Phil Nicoletti spent the last five years racing 450s, but he took the opportunity to race the 250cc class again when his team, and Suzuki, presented it to him. He's had a rough go of it at the first four rounds, but he put things together for his first top-five of the season in Oakland. "I lost the top-four guys in the first few laps, because I didn't take chances early enough to get by the guys I needed to," Nicoletti said. "So, by the time I got into fifth place, the top four were like 10 seconds ahead. But then it actually worked out kind of good, because I had [Aaron] Plessinger behind me, and he was hunting me down and came from a ways back. He kept me honest the whole race, and it was probably easier to concentrate on a track like this when you have somebody to race than it would've been if you were just in limbo-land by yourself. It was a good night." 19 JUSTIN BOGLE 20TH 450SX Justin Bogle returned to action in Oakland after sitting out the last round in Phoenix with an injury. The day started out positive for the RCH Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing Team rider, though he was forced to ride the semi, where he finished second behind Ryan Dungey. He got off to a mid-pack start in the main, but only lasted four laps before crashing while trying to make a pass. His night was over. "It's definitely frustrating," Bogle said. "I had a solid heat and a really good semi so I felt good going into the main. I had some trouble in the sand when I was going to make a pass, went down and hit my chest again. It's tough to swallow but we'll keep working hard. We'll get it." 59 NOAH MCCONAHY 9TH 250SX It was a big night for Washington's Noah McConahy. He was a last-minute fill in on the 51Fifty Energy Drink Yamaha Team that recently lost both of its rid- ers—Tyler Bowers and Hayden Mellross—due to injury. McConahy stepped in and finished a career high ninth in the 250SX main. "Everything with the bike and the team has been spot on," said Noah after the race. "I've been improv- ing every time I'm on the bike and the team has helped every step of the way. I struggled in the qualifiers but we stayed optimistic and focused on the main. From far back in the pack, it was one of those races when I just concentrated on the next rider in front of me and did whatever I could to move forward. I'm ecstatic to land a career best in my first ride with 51Fifty and I only expect to improve from here."