Noren Firmly Eighth in Points Going into a Two-Week Break
BREA, CA, July 24, 2023 — Round eight of the AMA Pro Motocross season hit the picturesque Washougal MX Park in Washougal, Washington. The Suzuki racers charged up steep hills and through challenging lighting. The riders posted strong results as the series takes a two-weekend break before the final three rounds in August wrap up the 2023 Motocross season.
Race Highlights:
- Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance (AMA Pro Motocross)
- 450 Class
- Freddie Noren earned a top-ten moto result in the opening moto.
- Kyle Chisholm nearly earned his season-best overall result, missing it by only one position.
- 450 Class
- Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki (AMA Pro Motocross)
- 450 Class
- Derek Drake was in the top five in the first qualifying session and earned a top-ten result in the overall qualifying order.
- 250 Class
- Dilan Schwartz was blazing fast in a first-moto charge through the pack.
- Chase Yentzer showed composure on the rookie's first professional visit to Washougal.
- 450 Class
Freddie Noren (47) grabbed a respectable start in the opening moto and pulled down a top-ten moto result.
Twisted Tea Suzuki's Freddie Noren earned a top ten in the first qualifying session as well as a top-ten result in the first moto. He tied with two other riders on overall event points for ninth place. Due to the tie-breaking system, Noren had to settle for an 11th on the results sheet.
“Washougal was good, even though the results may not show it," said Noren. "I was eleventh overall on the day, tied for 9th. I had a good start in moto one and rode well in eighth place for most of the moto. With a couple of laps to go another rider got around me. In the second moto, I had a mid-pack start and worked my way up into tenth place. I was closing in on ninth place but washed my front end out and fell. I lost a few spots but got back to 11th. Overall, I feel I rode well, I just need to continue working on my starts. Better starts are the key to finishing where I want to be.”
Kyle Chisholm (11) pulled a great start in the second 450 moto, but a starting gate issue required a re-start.
Kyle Chisholm and his Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450 improved their result each time out on the track. By the day's end, Chisholm had nearly matched his season-best result.
"In the first moto I was back at the start and ate roost the whole time," reported Chisholm. "In the second moto, I ripped a really good start, around sixth place, and then they red-flagged the race. So I was a little bummed. I had a decent start in the re-start, just not as strong as my first start. I rode much better and ended up 12th, for a 13th overall. I'm happy with the second moto. I was up where I should be, and overall it was a decent day."
Dilan Schwartz (85) was on the gas in moto one, racing back into a top-fifteen position aboard his RM-Z250.
Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki's Dilan Schwartz engaged in a first-lap crash on the tricky Washougal track that winds in and out of dark, shaded sections. Schwartz picked himself up and charged forward to gain maximum points.
"In the first moto I crashed on the first lap and was able to come back to 13th," said Schwartz. "In the second moto, I was running 11th and had an issue so I didn't get to finish. It's not how we wanted to go into the break, but these things sometimes happen. On to the next!"
Derek Drake (53) put his Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki RM-Z450 into the top ten in overall qualifying at Washougal.
Derek Drake showed great speed from the very start of the day, earning a spot in the top-five 450 racers in the first qualifying session. He ran in the top ten in the first moto but unfortunately couldn't translate that speed into points despite an incredible pace.
"In the first moto my rear brake had an issue, and it wasn’t worth it continuing," said Drake. "In the second moto, I fell on the first lap and my engine wasn’t running right the rest of the race. Also, we tried some changes that didn’t help, so I just pulled it in again."
Chase Yentzer (361) continued to show good speed as he learns the summer circuit.
Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki's rookie Chase Yentzer got another taste of the speed of the front runners after a strong start in the first 250 moto and having a good pace all day.
"My first Washougal experience was a tough one," admitted Yentzer. "In moto one, I had a great start but unfortunately I landed on a downed rider. There was a huge pile-up and I got pretty banged up. I ended up getting 36th. In the second moto, I started mid-pack but by lap four I was so sore I couldn’t hold on any longer. I finished the moto in 31st. It was a super tough weekend, but I pushed through and finished!"
"We did okay today," stated Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager Larry Brooks. "Noren was in a three-way tie for ninth position overall and he got the short end of the scoring, and finished 11th. That was a little bit of a bummer, but he rode well. Freddie's just not getting off the starting line very well and that's really holding him back. He can only advance so far with the level of riders in the 450 class. Kyle Chisholm had a really good start in the first part of the second moto, but then they had to do a re-start. In the re-start, Chisholm rounded the first corner in about tenth place and rode pretty well. He finished 13th overall, with a 17-12. The day was good. We have a couple of weekends off, then the famous Unadilla track is the next event. We're going to re-group and come out swinging again."
"The results on paper don’t show the speed that Dilan Schwartz had today. And Derek was really fast in qualifying, with a P-8 overall," said Toyota of Redlands BarX Suzuki Team Manager Buddy Antunez. "The two motos did not go as planned for Derek as we were hoping, with two issues that were out of his control. And rookie Chase Yentzer got in his laps today. He made the motos and is getting out of here healthy, and that’s all we need from him. We will take these two weeks off and dig harder with the Toyota Redlands BarX Suzuki team. We’re going to start having those weekends where the results match the efforts."
The 11-round AMA Pro Motocross season races next on August 12th at Unadilla MX in New Berlin, New York. The Suzuki teams will be ready to cap off the season and position their Suzuki RM-Zs in good seeding order in the sport's first Post Season. The inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship ties together the supercross and motocross seasons with three races in September to determine the sport’s first-ever SuperMotocross World Champions.
