Over 26,000 people gathered to watch round 8 in an overcast but comfortable day at Washougal.
The track got some re-design. New sections made the track better by uncovering some "new" dirt. The track is still slippery, but they took out some faster sections (like the downhill Pastrana wadded on a few years ago and had a concussion) and made a track the riders spoke well of.
Some notes:
-Stewart wasn't 100% from his injury at Unadilla.
-Villopoto was clearly the fan favorite, and his intensity on the track seemed to match the crowd's enthusiasm. When he was charging up from the back in moto 2, his lap times were like 3-4 seconds faster than the leader!
-Dungey got the starts in Lites - both holeshots.
-Langston is riding a 2008 YZ450, which he said steers much better for him.
-Gavin Gracyk made the trip afterall, with some help from MDK and his on-line supporters. Then he was in a moto 1 pileup right out of the gate. Byrne dropped him one spot in points so he is now 11th.
-Red Bull KTM was using the new Merge Adjustable Leak Jet on all the bikes. Last week Mike Alessi used it at Lakewood.
-Townley leads Villopoto by 2 points in Lites. Stewart leads Ferry by 7 points. The top two in each class are on Kawasakis.
-Mike Alessi's Suzuki deal should be wrapped up soon.
-Millsaps has some health issue that caused him to pull off in moto 2. (sinuses?)
-Tim Ferry, the overall MX winner, is 32 years old. He almost crashed just before the finish line.
-Langston's moto 2 win was his first in 450s.
-Windham said his mistaking the white flag for the checkered was a "bonehead" move.
-Darcy Lange was there watching. He started chemo for Hodgkins disease and won't worry about silly season stuff until that is done. He's confident he will get through it OK.
-"Blue Hair" Hepler crashed out of moto 2 while in third, about the time Villopoto caught him late in the race.
-Rides worth noting in Lites (besides the usual front-runners): Metcalf 5-5 for 5th, Davalos 7-6 for 6th, and Broc Tickle 8-11 for 7th. J-Law was 10-20 for 15th. Ouch.
-Rides worth noting in MX (besides the usual front-runners): Tedesco was more on the gas than his 10-5 indicates. Kyle Lewis, 9th. David Vuillemin 8-6 for 6th finshed ahead of a lot of money.
-WORCS star Ricky Dietrich finished 18-24 and scores points. Off-roader Destry Abbott broke ribs and bruised a lung Saturday and was still in the hospital Sunday.
-Stewart has been testing a Leatt Brace.
-Stewart's bike was smoking a little in moto 2.
-Kevin Rookstool, #745, has "My Parents" on his tank shrouds as a sponsor.
Watch Racerxill.com for updates on Stewart's knee early in the week. It hurt him a lot when he was pinned to the ground under his bike, but he al least was able to get up and stand.
