Press Release

Pirelli Carries Momentum into the Pacific Northwest for Pro Motocross

ROME, Ga. (July 21, 2016) – The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is set to make its return to the West Coast this weekend on Saturday, July 23 at Washougal Motocross Park in Washougal, Washington for the ninth round of the 2016 championship. Located in the beautiful landscape of the Pacific Northwest, The Evergreen State is slated to bring near perfect outdoor weather for fans and riders in attendance. For the first time since the opening round of the season, riders will face a much harder dark clay-based soil, ultimately making the all-new SCOPRION™ MX32™ PRO mid-hard the pre-race favorite for managing the slippery terrain.

Leading the way for Pirelli-supported riders is Justin Barcia who experienced success with the MX32™ PRO just one year ago at the Washougal National by winning the opening 450 Class moto and placing second overall aboard his Autotrader/Monster Energy/Yamaha. “Bam Bam” has been inching closer to the front-runners with each round of the championship and is looking forward to lining up at one of his favorite stops on the circuit this weekend. He currently sits fourth place in the championship standings.

For the second consecutive week, the BTO Sports/WPS/KTM team placed all three of its riders inside of the 450 Class top-10 this past weekend at Millville. It’s no secret that Andrew Short began the season underprepared due to injuries, but the longtime veteran has caught fire and is fresh off of a season-best seventh place overall. As a former winner of the Washougal National in the 250 Class and 4-time 450 Class podium finisher, his sights will be set on another solid finish.

Much like Short, standout Rookie Benny Bloss has shown flashes of brilliance the past several races, including career-best finishes and back-to-back top-10’s in the talented 450 Class field. Like many of the championships stops, he will line up for the first time in his career at Washougal on Saturday. Justin Brayton is on a mission to record his first top five of the season and with multiple top fives at the iconic facility throughout his career, this could be the weekend he finally puts it together.

Autotrader/Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Phil Nicoletti got back on track last weekend by finishing inside of the 450 Class top-10. The New Yorker had an impressive fifth place finish at Washougal in 2015, filling him with the confidence to do it again. JGRMX teammate Weston Peick suffered a scary crash during last weekends Millville National, but announced earlier this week that he plans to fight through the pain and race this weekend.

The Motorcycle Superstore Suzuki team continues to make its presence felt in the highly competitive 250 Class field, which is led by Kyle Cunningham consistently placing himself inside of the top-15. Jimmy Albertson is almost back to full strength with his health and is beginning to find his form by scoring points at the past several races.

The opening motos from the Washougal National kick off on Saturday, July 23, 2016 at 1pm PT and can be viewed on MAV TV, while second motos will air at 3:30pm PT on NBC Sports. Check local listings for channel information.

To learn more about the complete line of Pirelli motorcycle tires, please visit

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