250 Words: Washougal

July 28, 2009 4:22pm | by: Steve Cox

Normally, the 250 class is the less consistent one, as it’s chock full of newer, less-experienced riders. This either leads to a championship dominated by one guy – like the last three championships won by Ryan Villopoto – or a championship that goes down to the last race between two or more guys – like the 2003 championship between Ryan Hughes and Grant Langston, or the 2005 championship between Ivan Tedesco, Andrew Short and Mike Alessi.

Well, the 250 class has come down to two riders in 2009, with Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel duking it out.

The two came into Washougal with Pourcel carrying three points over Dungey, and in the first moto at Washougal, Dungey reeled in GEICO Powersports Honda’s Blake Wharton to take the win, while Pourcel came from way in the back of the pack to finish eighth.

Going into the second moto, it looked like Dungey was definitely going to lead the points as the tour left town, but instead a so-so start led to a couple of falls and a fifth in moto two while Pourcel went out and dominated.

Again, the two riders’ mistakes offset one another, as they have throughout the season. This time, though, it led to a points tie with four rounds left to go. There will be two red plates in the 250 class at Unadilla, just in time for retro weekend.