MXHeaven Washougal Recap
MXHeaven Team finishes the AMA MX Nationals Western swing on a high
The distance from Millville to Washougal is roughly 1800 miles. The MXHeaven team transporter was making good progress when a catastrophic engine failure on the tow truck left them stuck on the side of the road near Butte, Montana.
With no other option available, they transferred the bare essentials into a small rental truck and continued the trip to Washougal.
Despite the difficulties, both Robert Lind and Fredrik Noren felt good about practice and qualifying, they liked the track and both had their race faces on.
The first race turned out to be a disappointment, neither of them finished in the points although Fredrik worked himself up to 18th before he fell and had start all over, ending up in 22nd while Robert ended 25th after a disastrous start and first lap.
For the second race, Fredrik got away around 20th, but quickly advanced to 13th on the first lap and after a few passes and almost running over Justin Brayton as he crashed, Fredrik was in 8th place. “At that point I focused on a smooth racing line and concentrated on not making any silly mistakes. With my arm still sore from the previous injury, the Ohlins suspension was a great help. It also helped with traction and putting the power to the ground, especially up Horsepower Hill.”
The excitement was building as Fredrik clicked off lap after lap, keeping up with riders with more familiar names. His ride was acknowledged by the NBC Sports commentators on their live broadcast and when he took the checkered, still in 8th place, he had earned enough points to place him 14th overall for the day.
Robert on the other hand never really got a clear track ahead of him.
“I used up all my energy battling with other riders around 20th place and never really got to ride my own race” said Robert. “At the end, my own gas tank was empty and I had to settle for 23rd place with a group of riders right ahead of me that I did not have the strength to challenge”.
“Despite the difficulty just getting to the race this week, the team did an excellent job of pulling together for the race” said Team manager Stefan Elvin. “Other than the Yoshimura exhaust and the Ohlins suspension, our stock bikes are competitive, even under the special demands that this track put on them. Special thanks also to Silkolene lubrication company. Not only do their products work outstandingly, they were also very helpful supporting the team during the previous two weeks.”
The racing now takes two weekends off and resumes on August 11 at Southwick MA, a sand track, the complete opposite of this weeks hard packed surface.
MXHeaven Racing team is proudly sponsored by Ohlins USA, Yoshimura exhaust, Silkolene lubricants, GOLDfren brakes, DECALworks graphics, Cycra plastics, Troy Lee Designs, DunlopTires, NoToil, Gaerne boots, Warp9 radiators, RK-Excel, Wiseco, Works Connection and AME grips.
About MXHeaven:
In addition to the Motocross Racing Team, MXHeaven, located in Perris, CA. is the Worlds #1 Choice in Motocross Holidays.
