Corona, Calif. (July 27, 2010) – Christophe Pourcel led the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki squad as the team took four of the top six spots this week at Washougal finishing 2-2 for second overall. Joining Pourcel on the podium was Tyla Rattray, who finished third after going 4-3. Rookie Dean Wilson finished 6-6 for fifth overall and Jake Weimer went 3-11 for sixth overall.
“The race was good for me,” said Pourcel. “I felt good during both motos, but I didn’t have a clutch in second moto. It was difficult in the slower sections because I was worried about stalling the bike.”
In qualifying Pourcel set the second fastest time with Wilson fourth quickest. Weimer continued to improve finishing qualifying sixth and Rattray was only able to set the 12th best time.
“Nothing really special happened today,” said Rattray. “I’ve been sick all week and my ears are still all clogged. I think I rode well.”
In the first moto, Wilson launched out of the gate and nearly grabbed the holeshot, with Weimer right behind him. Wilson stayed in second through the first two laps but then crashed and got back up in 19th place. Pourcel didn’t get a good start coming out 10th but he worked his way up to second on the 13th lap. Rattray started eighth and worked his way up to fourth with Weimer staying up at the front all moto to finish third.
“It felt good to get on the podium again in the first moto,” said Weimer. “I need to put together two strong motos and get back to the top step for an overall win.”
In the second moto, the start was almost identical for Wilson as he again nearly got the holeshot, but the rookie went down on the first lap falling back to 15th. The rest of the team held down the second, third and fourth spots with Pourcel, ahead Rattray and Weimer. On the 11th lap, Weimer went down and fell back to 11th. During the moto, Wilson worked his way up from 15th to sixth to earn a top five finish.
“I’m kind of bummed right now, but also I feel good about how I rode,” said Wilson. “I never want to crash and especially not twice in two motos, but at the same time I know I rode really well so that’s the positive I’m taking from this weekend.”
Now the team has two weeks off before heading to Unadilla in New Berlin, New York for the ninth round of the series with Pourcel holding a 38-point lead in the standings.
