VOL. 54 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 1, 2017 P33
RCH Suzuki
Closing Up Shop
T
he days of the RCH Suzuki Team are nearly
over. It was announced last week that the
Suzuki factory and RCH Racing are party
ways, which will officially happen following the
last round of the Lucas Oil/AMA Pro Moto-
cross Championship in a few weeks.
"It's been a privilege to work with such a
driven group of individuals and Suzuki is very
appreciative of the hard work and efforts the
team has put forth culminating in the 2016
AMA Pro Motocross Championship," said
Kerry Graeber, Suzuki's Vice President, MC/
ATV Sales and Marketing. "The team and Su-
zuki achieved their respective goals of winning
a championship and it's gratifying to conclude
this partnership successfully."
RCH Racing was co-owned by former
motocross and supercross champion Ricky
Carmichael and freestyle star Carey Hart.
"As defending AMA Pro Motocross Champions, it's tough to
get to the point where plans evolve and tough business deci-
sions must be made," said Carmichael. "My partner Carey Hart
and I are very proud of our guys and grateful we were able to
achieve the success we did as a team. I am also personally
looking forward to continuing my long relationship with Suzuki in
another capacity as we wind down RCH."
Carmichael will continue his role as Suzuki Brand Ambas-
sador representing the company, hosting the Camp Carmichael
event for Suzuki's amateur racers, as well as working with
Suzuki's Racing programs and assisting with future product
development.
Suzuki will announce further plans for its 2018 supercross
and motocross racing efforts in the coming weeks. RCH Racing
also handled the Suzuki factory's official racing effort in the AMA
450MX and 450SX Championships, which could now be trans-
ferred to the JGRMX team, which are currently running Suzuki
motorcycles with riders Justin Barcia and Weston Peick.
Broc Tickle and Justin Bogle are the current RCH Suzuki
Team riders, though Tickle is sidelined for the rest of the season
with an injury. Matt Bisceglia is currently filling in for Tickle. CN
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
MXGP
Wentzel Wins
Battle Of The
Goats
Q
uinn Wentzel, pro trials rider, pro
extreme enduro rider and pro en-
durocross rider from Canfield, Ohio,
took the win at the Battle of the Goats
Extreme Enduro in Taylorsville, North
Carolina, July 29. Nick Fahringer was
runner-up.
Wentzel, aboard a Beaver Creek
Cycle/Husqvarna-sponsored 300cc
two-stroke, had a 25-minute lead over
Fahringer on the first lap of a two-lap
race. The second lap of the gruel-
ing race, filled with slimy, log-ridden
uphills and downhills, found Wentzel
encountering lapped riders that simply
were stuck on the hills and could not
move, inhibiting his forward move-
ment. This slowed him down a bit but
did not stop him from winning the race
eight minutes ahead of Fahringer.
The race, in it's second year, has
proven to be one of the toughest in
the Eastern U.S. with 100 riders sign-
ing up, less than 20 finishing and only
five riders completing the two required
laps in four hours. CN
Last year, the
RCH Suzuki
Racing Team
won the 450MX
National
Championship
with Ken Roczen,
a year later, the
team will no
longer exist.
