'Good, Bad and Ugly' reflects on miscellaneous points from the eighth round of the 2023 Pro Motocross series, Washougal. What would you put under each subheading? Travel to the forum to join the discussion or share ideas on social media (@VitalMX on Twitter and Instagram). For now, however, read on for some thoughts on Jason Anderson, Jed Beaton and Austin Forkner.

GOOD

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Jason Anderson has had a difficult season, to say the least, as 2023 Monster Energy Supercross was just miserable for him and his return to Pro Motocross was far from smooth. '21' has turned a corner over the last two weekends and is starting to some crucial momentum as the SuperMotocross World Championship beckons. Not to mention the off-season, in which he'll be tasked with fine tuning that new 'green' machine. Confidence will be a massive part of ensuring that process is as seamless as possible, so this recent swing is going to be beneficial in more ways than one.

Back to the present day though, Washougal was an important rebound after a difficult Millville. A third in moto, which is still a season-best result, was followed by an unavoidable fall on lap one of moto two. One would presume that was a punch in the gut in more ways than one. "When it rains it pours" leaps to mind and Washougal was a crucial way to avoid falling back down that rabbit hole. It was obvious that such a mindset consumed him indoors and halted any progression. Now, could he win a couple of briefcases of cash come SMX?

BAD

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Jed Beaton was a rather welcome addition to the Pro Motocross series. International flavor in the form of Anton Gole or Jose Butron is cool, sure, but Beaton is a moto winner and just over twelve months removed from being a factory rider. Although he has been rebuilding in his native Australia, he aspires to claw his way back to the top of the sport and compete for podiums. This is not, and was never meant to be, some sort of bucket list exercise like it is for the others. This tale takes an unfortunate turn, as poor luck ruined his wildcard outing.

Beaton is a lot better than what he showed in what was a last-minute decision – he was testing in Southern California and figured that racing against the best was an opportunity far too good to be missed. An issue with the throttle cable (it got caught in the tube and housing, so jammed) forced him to retire from moto two prematurely and that was it. The end of an American adventure. Now, he needs to focus on completing the job in Australia's national scene and securing a Grand Prix deal for next year. This is a star that belongs on the world stage.

UGLY

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People around the world grimaced when Austin Forkner crashed at the start of the first moto. It was eerily like the Anaheim 1 fall that destroyed his knee, as well as his term, but he could return to his feet on this occasion and then fought as hard as possible to finish out the race. It was probably inadvisable – his Fox Racing jersey was torn and so a bloody body was clear for all to see. Forkner refused to be knocked down again and that grit was an indication that he will do everything in his power to return to the level that he should be at.

Would it be a surprise for Forkner to be a championship contender come the SuperMotocross portion of the schedule? Not at all. Recency bias is everything in sport – "you are only as good as your last race" – and so the potential that he harnesses is overlooked by many. '55' has the skillset to be the strongest in both 250SX and 250MX. All he needs is a base to build off and, by finishing moto one this past weekend, he took a step to establishing that. It is a process that can be interrupted so easily, but perhaps lady luck will smile on Forkner on this occasion.

Tomac Talks Recovery and Jett

Eli Tomac was on hand at the 2024 Alpinestars gear intro, on Sunday after the Washougal National. MXA's Trevor Nelson caught up with Eli to hear how his summer has been, how life at home has been and how it's been to watch the Nationals from the sidelines. In this interview, Eli compliments Jett Lawrence and shares that he's working on his future racing plans.

Febvre Rolls with Lommel Win

Geerts closes in with perfect MX2 scorecard at round 13.

Image: Supplied.

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre scored a fourth-straight overall victory in the 2023 MXGP World Championship at Lommel, as Monster Energy Yamaha’s Jago Geerts closed in on the MX2 red plate with a perfect scorecard at round 13.

Febvre’s 1-2 scorecard was enough for him to secure the overall ahead of red plate-holder Jorge Prado, the Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing rider going 3-1 for P2 on the day.

Third at the MXGP of Flanders was qualifying race winner Glenn Coldenhoff (Monster Energy Yamaha), with teammate Jeremy Seewer (5-4) and Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha’s Calvin Vlaanderen (4-5) completing the top five.

Reigning champion Tim Gasjer (Team HRC) was 15th in his second round back from injury, an incident or mistake in both races limiting his score on the day.

Prado still holds a healthy lead in the 2023 MXGP World Championship standings, his advantage 99 points ahead of Febvre as six rounds remain in the season.

It was an MX2 sweep for Geerts at Lommel, winning the qualifying race and then notching a 1-1 scorecard on his way to a commanding overall victory.

Lucas Coenen (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing) delivered more podium results with 2-2 finishes on his way to P2, as Simon Laengenfelder (Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) was third with 3-3 scores.

Fourth overall Liam Everts (Red Bull KTM Factory), notching 5-4 results, as Kevin Horgmo (F&H Kawasaki Team) rounded out the top five thanks to 7-6 finishes.

Red plate-holder Andrea Adamo was seventh overall, completing race one fourth before a fall in the second moto set him back, ultimately taking the checkered flag 13th in that bout.

Kay de Wolf (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing) was forced to withdraw from the event prematurely, meaning the only points he scored from the weekend were in the qualifying race where he was P6.

Due to complications following a fall in the qualifying race at the MXGP of Czech Republic a week ago, Monster Energy Yamaha MX2’s Thibault Benistant made the tough decision to withdraw from the 13th round, notably finishing 13th in the qualifying race prior.

Looking at the 2023 MX2 World Championship standings, Adamo leads on 564 ahead of Geerts closing in on 551. Third is De Wolf on 501 points, as the next round at Vantaa, Finland, on 29-30 July.

Perfect Washougal sees Deegan draw closer in 250MX

Perfect Washougal sees Deegan draw closer in 250MX

Post: Alex Gobert

A 1-1 score to celebrate Yamaha's 50th anniversary of the YZ range.

Image: Octopi Media.

A perfect day out at Washougal has signalled Haiden Deegan’s intentions in the final stages of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship, the 250MX rookie going 1-1 for the overall victory.

It was Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Deegan who hit the front early and controlled the early stages of 250MX moto one, maintaining an advantage of around five seconds through much of the encounter.

Behind him, teammate Justin Cooper started applying pressure in the final 10 minutes, until points-leader Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – who was as far back as sixth on the first lap – gradually moved forward into podium position and eventually made the move for P2 in the closing laps.

It was Deegan, however, who managed to hold on at the front to win by 2.762s – on the weekend where Yamaha is opening its 50th anniversary of the YZ range celebrations – ahead of Lawrence, with Cooper another four seconds back in third.

Fourth was RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna), ahead of Maximus Vohland (Red Bull KTM) after he challenged for the podium early, with Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki), teammate Seth Hammaker, Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha), Carson Mumford (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) and Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) the top 10.

Austin Forkner went down in the first turn and rebounded for 21st, while also Ryder DiFrancesco (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) and Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) were first lap casualties, each ruled out for the remainder of the moto.

When the gates dropped on moto two it was a three-way Star Racing fight at the front, led by Cooper ahead of Kitchen and Deegan. From that point, Cooper began to stretch an advantage out front, with opening race winner Deegan making his way by Kitchen at midway.

It was Deegan who put on a late charge to set the quickest lap of the race and, with that, made his way by Cooper into the lead with four laps remaining. That allowed him to again take control for the second time this afternoon, going on to win by 7.974s from Cooper, with Kitchen holding strong for third on the podium.

Lawrence recovered from an error of his own to finish in fourth position, comfortably ahead of Hampshire in P5. Sixth to 10th included Hammaker, Shimoda, Vohland, Mumford and Forkner.

Overall, Deegan went 1-1 to clinch the overall ahead of Cooper, with Lawrence rounding out the top three. As a result, Deegan has closed to within three points of Lawrence, with Cooper now a further 16 in arrears entering into the upcoming two-weekend break in the series before Unadilla on 12 August.

Washougal 450 Highlights

Gathering of Old Friends!

It's hot in Northen CA these days so whats a guy to do? This group of senior riders head to Marysville for a little moto at E Street.  Some of these guys have been riding/racing with each other for decades. Always feels good to see old friends.

Champions Then and Now!

I'd like to see these two at Washougal. That would be quite a race.

2023 WASHOUGAL NATIONAL

The 2023 Pro Motocross championship has made its way to Washougal MX in Washougal, Washington, for the eighth round of the season. Jett Lawrence is 14-0, continuing the streak of dominance this season. We saw some life out of Chase Sexton last weekend at Millville as he fell early in moto one and cut down Jett Lawrence’s lead to nothing after getting back up. He did not get Jett by the end of the moto, but if Chase is able to minimize mistakes, he has the potential to put a stop to Jett’s perfect season at Washougal. The 250 class again finds Hunter Lawrence back up on top overall. Though it did not come easy, a crash in Moto Two allowed Justin Cooper to get around him and take the Moto win. Deegan struggled with results of 5-8 for 7th overall, which ended him with a 13-point deficit in the overall standings, only seven points up from Rj Hampshire and Jo Shimoda, who are tied for third.

This weekend we’ll see a large return of two strokes at the Washougal National. People within the community started a pool on social media for the top finishing two strokes at the National. It started as a small purse that rapidly grew up past $20k, creating a lot of talk within the industry as this is more than the winner of the actual race gets paid. It will be interesting to see who comes out of the woodwork to attempt their Two-Stroke to try and win the large purse.

Good News for California Riders

BREAKING NEWS: California Judge Rules in Favor of SEMA, EcoLogic to Protect Motorized Recreation at Oceano Dunes July 20, 2023 (San Luis Obispo County, California) -- The California Superior Court of San Luis Obispo County ruled that the California Coastal Commission does not have the authority to prohibit motorized recreational and overnight camping access at Oceano Dunes State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA).  The Honorable Judge Tana Coates ruled in favor of the Specialty Equipment Market Association, EcoLogic Partners (a legal collaboration between the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA), American Sand Association (ASA) and American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) District 37), and Friends of Oceano Dunes, ruling that the Coastal Commission abused its discretion by unilaterally ordering the elimination of off-highway vehicle (OHV) use at the Oceano Dunes SVRA.  “Today’s ruling is a huge win for SEMA, ORBA, ASA, and AMA District 37 in the fight to protect motorized recreation access in California and across the United States,” announced Mike Spagnola, President & CEO of SEMA.  "The Coastal Commission's efforts to stop off-road access at Oceano Dunes were unreasonable and set a dangerous precedent,” continued SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola. “This is a hard-fought victory for the motorized recreation community and the millions of enthusiasts that recreate at Oceano Dunes each year. SEMA is proud to have supported this lawsuit and is committed protecting the right to responsibly recreate on California's coast and public lands throughout the country." The court determined that San Luis Obispo County’s Local Coastal Program (LCP) governs activities at the SVRA under the Coastal Act. The LCP expressly allows OHV use at the Oceano Dunes SVRA. Under the Coastal Act, the County of San Luis Obispo has exclusive authority to enforce and manage the LCP. The Coastal Commission, acting on its own, has no power to take any action inconsistent with the LCP.  Oceano Dunes SVRA is a premier destination for motorized recreation enthusiasts and tourists alike as the only off-road park in the state offering direct access to the Pacific Ocean. For decades, recreationists and off-roaders have enjoyed riding all types of motorized vehicles, from trucks and SUVs to dune buggies and quads, on the California beach, which was threatened by the Commission's March 2021 amendments to Coastal Development Permit 4-82-300 that demanded the California Department of Parks and Recreation phase out OHV access to Oceano Dunes SVRA by 2024.

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