250 Words: Seattle

• 

The West Coast Lites class carried an ocean of anticipation leading into Seattle. After not being on the track for two months, the riders had a painful amount of time to work on their game. Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey came into the event with a small lead over Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer. Both championship hopefuls had the goal of putting riders between them so they didn't go into Salt Lake City finale locked together. Both needed mistake-free main events. Dungey was able to accomplish this goal and is now in the driver's seat.

That said, the rider that took the first swing was Troy Lee Designs Honda’s Jake Moss, who grabbed the holeshot and ran at the front the entire main event. He was joined by GEICO Powersports Honda's Trey Canard – who almost had a nice, smooth weekend, if not for a fall when battling for second – then Ryan Morais, who was looking for his first-career win.

Meanwhile, Weimer was mired in traffic and surrounded by Hondas. (On an interesting note, 11 of the 20 bikes in the main were CRF machines.) Jake knew he had to put the hammer down and gain spots, but as was the case with Chad Reed later on in the night, he just couldn't get going. He would finish a gut-punching fourth place.

The West Coast Lites series concludes next weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dungey will take a nine-point cushion with him. Can he keep it together or will his familiar gremlins jump up and grab him again?