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AMA MX, Cristophe Pourcel Returns to the Podium

In Offroad

09 giugno 2009

AMA MX, Cristophe Pourcel Returns to the Podium

Christophe Pourcel podiumed for the third straight race, finishing second overall at Freestone County Raceway in Wortham, Texas.

Pourcel’s teammates Tyla Rattray and Jake Weimer finished seventh and 14th overall respectively. In the 450 class, Monster Energy Kawasaki off-road rider Ricky Dietrich finished fifth overall, making a strong transition into motocross racing while filling in for Timmy Ferry. Branden Jesseman dislocated his thumb in the first moto and did not ride the second.

For the third straight event Pourcel climbed to the top step of the podium in the first moto. Unlike the previous two races where the French rider chased down the leader, this time he got on point early and never looked back.

Though he is only three races into the series, Pourcel knows every point matters and in the second moto he showed he was ready to get as many points as he could. He worked his way from outside of the top 10 to fourth by the checkered flag, riding methodically by not taking big chances and not making any mistakes.

“The first moto was really good,” said Pourcel. “I got a good start and I just rode the pace I needed to get the win. The track was rough, but I rode well and I’m happy I got the win. I got a bad start in the second moto. I just rode patient and worked my way up to fourth. I lost a little ground in the championship, but I know what I have to do.”

Dietrich’s debut on the Monster Energy Kawasaki motocross team could not have been much better. The off-road racer, who has won titles in both the WORCS and EnduroCross series, showed he also has the speed and skills to compete at the front of the moto field finishing 7-6 for fifth overall.

“I knew I could get a good finish, if I got a good start,” said Dietrich. “I went out there, picked my own lines, and didn’t worry about anyone else. It was hot and it was tough. This might have been one of the toughest races I’ve been in. I didn’t get the start I wanted in the first moto, but I passed a lot of people and got to seventh. In the second moto, I got the start and I rode up front with those guys. I had to back it off a little bit because I’m not used to doing two 30-minute motos back-to-back like this. It was a learning process for me. I’m happy. This is awesome. I knew I could do it.”

Rattray continued to show speed as he scored another top-10 finish. The South African rider knows he has what it takes to get back on the podium, he just needs to work on a couple of small things.

“I’ve still got a lot of work to do,” said Rattray. “I need to keep working hard and try to improve my starts. The pace is fast and I need to work on finding a little bit of time, but I know I can do it.”

A rash of injuries has hit both the Monster Energy Kawasaki and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teams. At Freestone, Branden Jesseman dislocated his thumb in a crash in the first moto and was unable to race the second. His status for next week at High Point Raceway is still unknown. For the Pro Circuit team, Austin Stroupe chipped a bone in his hip last week in a crash at Hangtown. He missed the Texas event and his status for High Point is also unknown.

Ryan Villopoto wasn’t with the team in Texas, but he was watching the action. After having surgery earlier in the week to repair his knee, Villopoto tuned into the same-day television coverage on SPEED to see how the team was doing.

Weimer had a long day at the Freestone County Raceway, battling the heat as well as his competitors. Weimer got a good jump in the first moto and was running in the top five before a mid-race fall pushed him way back in the field. He rode strong to get back up to 18th in the moto and then rode to an 11th place finish in the second moto.

Though he is still recovering from his broken heel, Timmy Ferry made the trip to Texas to meet his fans and also help coach the two riders in the Monster Energy Kawasaki rig. Red Dog signed autographs on Friday at Fan Fest before joining the team in the mechanics area during the motos to help out.