VOL. 54 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 1, 2017 P55
the other guys, and I feel like my
technique improved. I changed
a couple things on my bike, and
the last couple races my bike's
working really well. I feel like I'm
going so fast up the hill that one
time I almost looped out. The
bike's so fast."
Points leader Tomac had to
pass his way to the front in both
motos from decent starts, but
just like in moto one at Millville,
Tomac couldn't do anything with
Musquin once he got up there
with him.
In the first moto, he hit Mus-
quin when the KTM rider unex-
pectedly squared off a corner,
and then he lost contact with the
Frenchman immediately after-
ward, but held on for second.
"He was a little bit outside,
and I came up the inside there,
and he lost his rear end and we
bumped," Tomac said after the
first moto. "In the moment, I was
a little bit frustrated, but after
looking at it just now, he just slid
out. No worries. We're just going
to come out fighting for that sec-
ond moto. We were laying down
heaters there in the beginning of
like that, but we had some con-
tact at the mechanic's area, and
I don't know why, but I gapped
him and managed to win the
moto, so that's awesome. I want
to come out and do the same
thing in the second moto. We'll
see how it goes."
In the second moto, Rock-
star Energy Husqvarna's Martin
Davalos nabbed the holeshot,
but Musquin worked his way by
Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM's
Blake Baggett and RCH Suzuki's
Justin Bogle to control second
by lap two, and then went to
work on Davalos, eventually
getting a run on the Husky rider
going up Horsepower Hill to take
the lead, and he held it the rest
of the way.
"I just feel like after I hurt
my knee we put in some good
work on technique, especially
on my left turns, not to hurt my
knee," Musquin said. "We've
been working really good down
in Florida with Aldon Baker and
According to the Rockstar En-
ergy Husqvarna team, the mas-
sive amounts of smoke from Zach
Osborne's bike in moto one at the
Millville National wasn't coolant, it
was oil. The team said it was a leak-
ing valve-cover gasket, which means
the smoke was oil, not coolant like
everyone had though.
AutoTrader/JGR Suzuki's Justin
Barcia had a big get-off in practice at
Washougal, causing a red-flag in the
practice session, because he was
motionless in the track. Barcia was
knocked unconscious and went to the
hospital, but was released later in the
day. Provided he passes his concus-
sion protocol tests, he should be back
in action at Unadilla in two weeks.
Yamaha's Cooper Webb did not suit
up for Washougal. He injured his
knee at the previous race at Millville
and chose to sit out the Washougal
race to give it some time to heal.
He'll get an extra weekend to rest
the knee, since the championship
takes a week off next week before
resuming at Unadilla.
Briefly...
Marvin Musquin and Eli Tomac put
on a show for the Washougal fans
while dicing for the 450MX lead.
