2024 Washougal Motocross | Kickstart Recap & Gallery

Our Friday afternoon at the track ended with a helicopter ride over the property with Mike Emery and Tom Journet. Seeing the lay of the land from high in the sky was a thrill, as we could see the dark dirt lanes weave between the trees, the sprawl of campers and rigs, and the snowy peak of Mount Hood in the distance. If you have a few moments and sixty bucks at next year’s race, it’s worth the time and money spent.

Washougal’s full-time crew put in a lot of time over the past year to improve the facility, including the re-routing of certain lanes to improve the flow and the addition of sand to help the Washington hardpack retain moisture. Their efforts continued to the very last hours possible, as you can see the Caterpillar equipment smoothing sections and blending in the light sand to the dark dirt.

Round eight was designated as the Military Appreciation race, a first for the Pro Motocross Championship. Nearly every team got into the spirit with graphics, including Team Honda HRC, as the longtime sticker supplier Throttle Jockey worked with mechanic Tommy Harris (behind Hymas) to come up with a theme that blended patriotism with a camo print from apparel sponsor TrueTimber. Like always, the kits and appropriate Cycra plastics are now available to the CRF-owning public through Throttle Jockey’s webstore.

We’ve got to wonder if Mitch or anyone at PC has tried to hop-up Levi Kitchen’s StegPegz with things like titanium fasteners or mounting brackets?

Wheel position check. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki has the rear as far back in the swingarm as possible…

Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha is a little further in for a slightly shorter wheelbase…

While Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing is the most moved in of the three. It’s always a thrill to see what riders and teams will come up with in their search of the best handling bike.

There is a lot of speculation and discussion about the future of GASGAS and Husqvarna’s racing efforts around the world, but Ryder DiFrancesco and Casey Cochran seem to have secured spots on their respective teams. Solid results in recent races, including a fourth overall for Ryder D at Washougal and a podium for Cochran at Spring Creek, prove that both young riders are learning the pro ranks and are worthy of top-tier equipment.

The AMA is trying to run a much tighter ship these days. The officials have clearly posted call times for gate drops on the race day schedule, a necessity with live television, and riders that are given little to no grace for tardiness. Gared Steinke found out the hard way when he was denied the spot he earned through Timed Qualifying for showing up after staging had close…

While Dean Wilson was relegated to last pick for being late when called.

An all-new gate for the pro starting line was part of the 2024 overhaul at Washougal. The doghouse and gate are about 30-feet away from where the old setup was, and riders told us the new location made for a noticeable going into the first turn, as the shorter run meant they didn’t shift up through the gears when going over the hump and were going slightly slower when they funneled into the left hander.

Shoutout to MotoSport.com and 10 Barrel Brewing for the hooking us and the homies up with a few tallboys of the special IPA that was blended for raceday. The Boise brewery is known for collabs with PNW brands, including one with Portland outdoor outfitter Poler, and is now part of a massive, diverse, and inebriating portfolio owned by Canadian group Tilray Brands.

We spotted the guys from MotoConcepts in the crowd during the motos. Mike Genova and Tony Alessi have made it very clear that outdoor motocross isn’t their focus and have recently recommitted to racing WSX and participating in the upcoming SMX playoffs with Vince Friese and Noah Viney. Mitchell Oldenburg and Carson Mumford parted ways with the group after Supercross, so expect to hear about replacement riders in the coming weeks.

As much as we hate to say it, summer is almost over and school is about to be in session, so here’s a quick math problem for you scholars: what’s 32 times 3?

Carson Brown made his once-a-year appearance at Washougal, but this time on a YZ450F that was built with help from the family at BBR plus friends at Twisted Development and Factory Connection. “It’s nothing to crazy with power for Washougal, because you don’t want too gnarly or aggressive, just smooth power,” he explained to us on Friday. Riding every sort of bike is Brown’s claim to fame, as you can see on social media, but he told us the handling and tune-ability of the 1996 Honda CR250R makes it his personal favorite.

Shoutout to Derek Kelley for his ongoing surge outdoors. Stepping up to the 450 Class was a big move for the AEO Powersports KTM rider, but as one of the taller guys on the line, being on the bigger bike is certainly paying off. Kelley was 14th fastest in Timed Qualifying and went 14-11 for 12th overall.

Harri Kullas is committed to finishing out the summer in the States. The Finnish-Estonian rider drove across the country from Spring Creek to Portland, charged to third in the big money Pro Class at Thursday Night Motocross at PIR, then went 13-10 for 11th overall in the 450 Class at the National.

One jump, two angles with AP.

The Cowboy’s form stayed the same as he leapt off the wall and into the sand.

One thing we have noticed is Plessinger’s cool-off methods behind the podium: he quickly takes off his jersey and boots to release heat from his core and feet, pours bottles of water down his pants and over his face, and drapes a damp cloth over his head.

Lots of cooking aprons at Washougal. Levi Kitchen’s Chef moniker is catching on and he tossed this white frock into the crowd on his parade lap. Be sure to add “Yes, Chef” to your YouTube subscriptions.

Couple painted helmets on the starting line. Here’s Ty Masterpool’s Bell with his customary “4 Jesse” message, a tribute to his brother that was done by apdesigns.

Julien Beaumer’s new Arai lid is All American, with stars, stripes, and the Statue of Liberty from AirTrix.

OCD went heavy on the metal flake for Tom Vialle’s Airoh.

Jo Shimoda’s melting smiley faces have become a staple on his Fox shells. Like all Monster Energy backed riders, this was done by apdesigns.

Levi Kitchen’s home race was celebrated with a sasquatch fishing by the mountains, another detailed work that displays the creativity and versatility of apdesigns.

Every inch matters. Mechanics know that the more ground a tire touches, the more traction and drive a motorcycle will get at the start, so many will fill the gap between the gate with packed dirt. This is a legal move, but anything done in front of the gate is not allowed.

How competitive is the small-bore class? Check out the mix of bike brands battling for spots at the front of the pack at the start of Moto One. In years past this would be a Star Racing-Yamaha blowout, but improvements by Honda/KTM/Kawasaki have made things much closer.

We love when bikes are on the track in numerical order, like Jordon Smith’s 31 and Jo Shimoda’s 30…

But it’s really rare to see the trend continue with three, like it did when Ty Masterpool’s 29 was behind Shimoda on this lap.

New fences were part of Washougal’s improvements. The high chain link by the base of Horsepower Hill and coming out of the Catcher’s Mitt are much safer than the old waist-high wire, even if it compromised the view, and it was much easier for us to get around with functional latches instead of hooks around posts at the gates. Nearly every track on the schedule has put money back into their property this year and it certainly shows.

Close

Closer

Closest

Mad Max. We didn’t see the incident that knocked the visor off Jordon Smith’s helmet and stripped the shroud from the side of his bike, but whatever happened wasn’t enough to stop Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider. After Friday’s travel nightmares, we’re sure Smitty wanted to make the trip worthwhile by doing every lap.

You can always find some of the most passionate fans of the summer by the amateur starting line and first turn at Washougal. This crew comes to the same spot year after year and cheers every single rider that goes by doing the motos.

Will it be a race to the end, or is the title being decided one moto at a time? Chase Sexton is hitting his stride with the orange bike and fitness while Hunter Lawrence has faced a mirid of health-related energy issues since his slam at RedBud. Six gate drops to go.

The rise of independent brands making custom gear has been huge for teams looking to promote sponsors. The MADD Parts Kawasaki team celebrated ETS Racing Fuels at Washougal with a very clean red/black/white kit by Circuit Equipment which had the company’s logo on the chest and legs, prime real estate that gear makers usually use for their own branding.

Seeing how every region supports moto is one of our favorite things about the Nationals, as every race has a local clothing company or crafter who produces special products for pro weekend, buys a spot on the vendor row, and sells what they can to the masses. These wood carvings of the state of Washington with trees and a dirt bike were very cool, but the seller was off watching the races when we went by. Next time!

Overtake on Lap 10.

It’s said repeatedly every year, but if there’s a race worth traveling to (especially if you’re on the West Coast), Washougal is it. The PDX region becomes a mecca for motocross during the National weekend thanks to Thursday’s action at PIR, amateur and pro days at Washougal, camping at the track, events at motorcycle themed spots around the city, and a general vibe of vacation. If you want to go next year, we recommend reserving a rental car as soon as the 2025 schedule drops.

Seven in a row, nine on the season. Chase Sexton has found his form on the orange bike and that’ll make the upcoming SMX playoffs even more exciting, as he’ll have the top spot in the points reset as he contends against healthy and refreshed competition like Jett Lawrence, Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb, and Ken Roczen.

A big hump for AP, a flat seat for Sexton.

Success has a way of muting any sort of complaints or criticism, huh? We haven’t heard a word about WP forks in a few months, and one has to wonder if what’s in the tubes will be more common for other guys on the Austrian bikes next year.

Futuristic cycling glasses are certainly the in trend for moto, and we applaud Oakley for putting guys in all sorts of styles during their podium interviews, but classic aviators are a much more appropriate look for the Cowboy.

We briefly caught up with Chandler Baker when we checked into the hotel on Saturday night. The Oklahoman is one of many working-class riders grinding it out this summer and he recently dropped down to the 250 Class for a bit better odds. Baker went 20-35 for 23rd.

Levi Kitchen’s heart on his sleeve honesty is a little different than the bravado others in the small-bore class tend to display. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider told us on Friday that all the attention of the home race is appreciated but not something he outright enjoys, and after the weekend was over, he admitted he did too much and saw too many people to be focused for the actual gate drops, which was evident in his results. Consider it another learning lesson that will pay off years from now.

What’s this freestyle move? Considering it came at the finish of Moto Two and clinched the overall for Deegan, let’s call it the “Private Jet Deposit.”