One of the most scenic places to hold a professional motocross race is Washougal but that dirt as well as those shadows can prove to be a tricky place to race. No, the track doesn’t get all that rough and it’s tough to make passes so this track is a unique stop on the series. Here are some things that I wanted to share about Saturday’s race.
Chase Sexton: After seeing Jett ride for a while then seeing Chase come back and ride at Washougal, I would have to say, Chase is very similar to Jett on the bike but with a heavier stature. Remember when Chase was the” unreal technique guy” before Jett showed up? I honestly think Sexton is still that way but he looked like he picked up on some of Jett’s technique as well! The dude is built like a shit brick house yet has the finesse of Jett in almost the same areas of the track. In fact, I would say that he was better on the front side of the track than Jett. His roll speed around the corners were insane. He was absolutely the fastest rider in the whoops and did some damage early on in the motos through that section. It’s nice to see number 1 at the front, but let’s hope he keeps that “feeling” that he looks for on his Red Bull KTM throughout the rest of the series. We know how fickle he can be with his bike and he’s still messing with it a lot but speaking from a production stand point, the KTM has a very narrow window of TRACK TOUGHNESS. The dirt changes, the KTM changes. It’s a tough orange pumpkin to crack and with the way Chase pushes the bike, those areas DO NOT get better. Trust me. However, maybe that is some of the reason why Sexton chases his set up (see what I did there?). Washougal doesn’t change much (bumps) during the day because it’s hard pack all day so maybe that’s why the bike wasn’t as bi-polar for him?! Regardless, watching Chase ride his KTM makes me want a KTM.
Jorge Prado: I guess an “I don’t know man” is a rightful a thing to describe the Spanish rider’s series so far. Yes, I have heard all about the bike and “it’s the bike”, quotes but when a rider like Mitchell Harrison beats you in Q1 on a track that is smooth, to me that screams motivation. I am sure the bike can be better and there is some issues with the factory Kawasaki (for Prado) but I think that Prado is so overwhelmed with trying to get the feel he wants that when the bike isn’t to his liking on Saturday he just backs it down. Prado went 8-19 for 14th o/a at a track that isn’t that rough in comparison to a track like Millville (where he went 12-5 for 9th). It’s not his fitness so let’s not put that out there. When a rider of Prado’s caliber doesn’t have the feel that he is looking for to push that edge (that is needed to beat guys like Jett, Eli and Chase) so he is simply not going to get hurt so you see what you’re seeing. He isn’t “giving up”, I think he is just playing the long game and working with what he feels comfortable until he/the team can figure it out. Or you can throw all of this out and say “ I don’t know man”.
Mitchell Harrison: 10-11 for 10th overall is a great showing for Mitch and coming off of a 18-16 Millville is a huge step in the right direction. The Team PRMX team have been working hard to get the bike to work better for Mitchell and it starting to show. People forget how good Mitchell is and even though he’s been on a few different brands over the past few years is putting in solid rides in a stacked 450 class in 2025.
Justin Barcia: For a guy that likes to rev his bike as much as JB51 does, I was surprised he got 7th at Washougal. Sure a 7th may not sound great for a guy like Barcia but for how long he’s been off the bike, I think it’s a nice building position for him as he transitions into an Italian brand here soon.
Jo Shimoda: Getting good starts have helped Jo and being that Washougal doesn’t have a deep tilled start helps the factory Honda I feel. I am not saying that the factory HRC CRF250R is slow, I am just saying it’s more of an even playing field with the Star Yamahas when it’s not tilled up deep. Jo is great at finding traction and he’s been that way for quite sometime. I would bet that Jo is as fast as Haiden on hard pack tracks (any hard pack tracks) but the problem with that is there is simply not enough of those on the circuit. Jo is getting better late in the season but there is no surprise there. Congrats to Jo and the team for grinding it out, but can we drop the nickname please? Wasabi Jo? Nahhhhhhhhh…
Manchild: Garrett Marchbanks also benefited from a hard pack track like Washougal. A bigger dude, not as deep of a track and Garrett’s ability to ride hard pack well. You forget the kid grew up in Utah and rode California tracks a lot so hard pack is something he is good at. It’s nice to see the PC team do well not only with Garrett but also with Hammaker. Marchbanks only has a one year contract with Mitch, but I think he deserves another year. Maybe he already signed? Nope! Not yet! Someone needs THE MANCHILD on their team.
Austin Forkner: I have been on Austin’s side more times than not this year (when the topic of Austin’s results have come up) because as much as he’s been hurt, he needs a full year to get his body in order. Sure have some races been ugly? Yes! But in our sport the point of the whole damn thing is to stay on the bike! Win or lose, you can’t get better on the couch. Austin has been mentally tough this year with plugging away and not giving into all the outside noise of us idiots judging his talent/speed. A top five in Washougal is a great ride and not to mention he was strong at the end of the moto. Nice work to Austin and Triumph for sticking with him.
