RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing wil be more than ready when the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship sails into Saturday’s Geico Motorcycle Budds Creek National at Budds Creek Motocross Park.
There are only two races left in the 2017 season for the team co-owned by Carey Hart and Ricky Carmichael.
“There isn’t much time left in the season and we don’t have anything to lose,” said Justin Bogle, rider of RCH’s No. 19 Suzuki. “I think all of us would like to close out the year on a high note. Everyone has been working hard since Supercross and no one on this team has let up, not even a little. I can’t think of a better situation to go for broke.”
In two previous 250 Class Budds Creek starts, Bogle, who currently sits seventh in the premier 450 Class points, finished 14th overall in 2013 and sixth a year later. Injuries kept Bogle from competing at Budds Creek the last two seasons and he’ll make his first 450 start at the Mechanicsville, Md., track Saturday afternoon.
In the series’ most recent outing at Unadilla, Bogle turned in a solid 4-10 effort and was credited with a seventh-place overall finish.
For his part, Bogle’s RCH teammate Matt Bisceglia ripped the holeshot in the first moto last weekend but his time at the front of the field was short lived. He lost control of his machine with 20 minutes remaining and was back to the pits before the checkered flag fell.
The 22-year-old made up for his mistake in the first race with a solid start in the second and remained a staple inside the top eight for the rest of the moto. In the end, Bisceglia came home seventh and was scored 17th overall in the final rundown.
“Unadilla was a pretty crazy weekend but I’m very thankful for it,” explained Bisceglia who continues to fill in for the injured Broc Tickle. “I’m definitely thankful for the progress I felt between Millville and Unadilla and even now, coming into Budds Creek. Unadilla was good. I ripped the holeshot in the first moto, led a couple laps and definitely felt like I could have gotten a good finish but I had to come back and do it again in Moto 2 because I threw the first one away. I came back and got a seventh. I was pretty happy about it. That was my best finish of the season. I just need to go finish two motos this weekend in the top 10 and I’ll be happy.”
The rider of the No. 43 Suzuki RM-Z450 owns a trio of professional starts at Budds Creek where he’s earned a pair of top 10 moto finishes in both 250 and 450 Class competition. The Tualatin, Ore., native who now hails from Weatherford, Texas turned in an impressive 9-12 showing last August while filling in for the factory-backed Yoshimura Suzuki team.
“I definitely like Budds Creek,” he added. “It’s one of the better ones on the circuit. I need to go put two motos together this weekend. That’s what has been holding me back from a good (overall) finish. Budds Creek is one of the races I look forward to every year, for sure. I’m going to put my head down and charge like I do every time I go out there.”
With forecasts pointing towards wet weather throughout Friday and a 20 percent chance for showers on race day, Bisceglia knows he needs to be sharp, no matter the conditions.
“You just have to put everything together in a mud race,” Bisceglia said. “You have to get a good start. Regardless if it’s rain or shine, we have to do our jobs. It’s going to be a good time. I had fun in the mud at Unadilla. It was really gnarly. We’re going to go out and try to perform as good as we can, no matter what the weather does.”
Situated just over an hour south of Washington D.C., Budds Creek marks the penultimate round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season. RCH team co-owner Ricky Carmichael boasts a perfect 450 Class record at the Mechanicsville, Md., track, having won 13 of 16 motos and eight overalls.
“Budds Creek will always hold a special place in my heart, for many reasons,” said Carmichael. “Not only because of all the great wins I had there, it’s where I won my 100th race as a professional. It’s also where I won my last professional race – the Motocross of Nations. Budd’s Creek is one of the best tracks from a spectator’s point of view and a staple of the Pro Motocross Championship.”
