Pro Circuit Ready for Steel City
CORONA, Calif. - Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki riders start making their way west as the team stops just outside of Pittsburgh, Pa at Steel City Raceway for the penultimate round of the AMA Motocross Championship. With only four motos remaining in the series, Dean Wilson holds a 38-point lead over teammate Tyla Rattray. Just two points behind Rattray is Blake Baggett, while Broc Tickle recently proved his speed for the front, coming through the pack at Southwick.
Wilson has been riding patient and smart, showing he has the understanding of what it takes to be a champion. While he has a sizeable points lead, Wilson won’t be backing down in an effort to capture his second overall win of the season at Steel City.
“I am really happy to have the points lead at this point in the season,” said Wilson. “It would be really nice to get another win, but we’ll see what happens. I didn’t do too well at Steel City last year, but I know I’ve been riding a lot better this year and I’ll go out there any try to have fun.”
With his win last weekend in Southwick, Rattray propelled himself into second in the points once again, now sitting two points ahead of third. Now he will carry the winning momentum into Pennsylvania as he attempts to catch his teammate Wilson before the final checkered flag.
“I don’t have much time to catch Dean, but if I keep racing hard and riding to my potential, I can at least say I went out and gave it my all,” said Rattray. “Last year I raced hard until the end and was able to finish second in the points. I know it’s a long shot, but I did pretty well here last year getting third.”
At Southwick, Baggett once again showed why he is still in the title hunt as he rode through the pack to make his way up to fifth overall. With only two races left in the season, Baggett only has one thing on his mind and that is to win races.
“I didn’t ride well last week and struggled with all the different elements,” said Baggett. “I would love to come back at Steel City and win. It would be a great way to bounce back after Southwick. The only time I’ve raced at Steel City, I got fourth in one of the motos on a privateer bike, so I’m hoping that I can do well again.”
Last weekend, Tickle showed his speed in the tough and slick conditions and now wants to continue moving up the results to finish inside the top five.
“I felt like I rode the best I have in a while in the first moto and even in the second moto after going down,” said Tickle. “It would be great to bring that same speed into Steel City and put together two solid motos. When I’ve put two good motos together, I’ve had good results. Now I just have four motos before the end and I want to go out there and have a good final two races.”
The AMA Motocross Championship series heads to Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa. for Round 11. After 10 rounds, Wilson remains in the lead with 438 points, while Rattray moved back into second with 400 points. Baggett moved into third with 398, while Tickle is in seventh with 220 points.