Solid racing from Husqvarna team at Glen Helen
By Team TMX on 29th May 16
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team made its way to sunny Southern California on Saturday for the Glen Helen National - the second round of the 2016 AMA Pro Motocross Championship series.
Infamous brutal track conditions paired with the longest, fastest start straight of the season intimidated the majority of the field, but Jason Anderson didn't let the conditions phase him. He put on an impressive ride and earned fourth overall in the 450 class. Teammates Christophe Pourcel, Zach Osborne, and Martin Davalos finished 13th, 8th and 10th in their respective classes.
After qualifying third, Jason Anderson put on a productive first moto by starting mid-pack before launching his Husqvarna FC 450 from ninth to fourth in six laps. He then made a great inside pass for third around lap 12 before overtaking the second-place position in the last lap where he finished. Afternoon shadows and deteriorating track conditions characterized the second 450 moto, but Anderson was ready for the challenge. He navigated his way into fifth early in the race after a mid-pack start and was on the move. He battled with teammate Christophe Pourcel and made the pass for fourth in the third lap, then went to battle with Trey Canard in lap five to overtake third. He then saved an almost epic crash on a rutted uphill before getting passed back by Canard. He eventually settled into the fifth-place position where he finished. The 2-5 finish gave him fourth overall on the day. He is currently fourth overall in 450 rider point standings.
"I was up front both practices and qualified third overall so my weekend was pretty good for the most part,” said Anderson. "I got up to third in the first moto then Kenny had a little issue so I ended up second. I got up to third again in moto 2 but made a big mistake and couldn't really regroup after that. I still ended up 5th in that moto. 2-5 on the day isn't bad."
Martin Davalos was looking to redeem himself after a disappointing opening round last weekend at Hangtown. He had excellent starts all day, but a crash plagued his chance at a top-10 finish in the first moto. He rebounded in moto two with another good start and a ninth-place finish. He went 14-9 for 10th overall.
"Today was a little better than last weekend,” said Davalos. "I had really good starts. I fell in the first moto and was around 22nd then came back to 14th. I had another good start in the second moto, around top five, and then was able to finish ninth. I felt good, and it was definitely an improvement from last weekend. The track was hard, tough and pretty sketchy so I'm glad to leave healthy. I'm looking forward to Colorado - it's my favorite track and the elevation reminds me of Ecuador. I feel like I've gained some confidence so next weekend should be good."
Zach Osborne had a difficult time nailing down his starts, and charged from the back of the pack all the way up to eighth in both 250 motos. The 8-8 finish gave him eighth overall on the day, and he currently sits eighth overall in 250 rider point standings.
"I had a decent day,” said Osborne. "At the same time it was kind of disappointing with two starts outside the top 20 then just battled all day for eighth. I'm just going to keep plugging away and hopefully get some momentum going.”
Christophe Pourcel is still healing from a previous injury, but is not giving up. He had a frustrating first moto after a bad start and a crash, but was ready for redemption in moto two. After an excellent top-five start, he kept his Husqvarna FC 450 near the front of the pack and found his way into third. He continued to stay strong and battle for position the remainder of the race and eventually finished seventh. He finished 13th overall on the day, and is currently 16th in 450 rider point standings.
"It's tough to come back with my neck injury,” said Pourcel. "It's been hard to get back on the bike and race. When I practice my neck is sore and you can imagine how rough it is during the race. It's super tough with this track, too. I always get tight. I got a bad start in the first moto, then broke my lens in half and crashed so I decided to stop and change the lens because I didn't want it to explode in my eyes. Then I tried to regroup for my second moto. I got a good gate on the outside, got a good start, and ran the pace for a little bit and ended up in a good spot. I had a lot of pain in my neck by the end of the moto. It was tough, but I'm going to keep pushing and hopefully I'll be all healed in a couple weeks."
