Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Vohland jumped up a few spots in the 250MX championship standings following his second top-five finish of the season at Round 8 of the 2022 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Teammate Ryan Dungey had an incredible turnaround performance at the Washougal National, relentlessly battling back from a first-moto mechanical issue to finish just off the box in the last 450 moto of the day.
Coming off a season-best moto finish at the last round, Vohland kept the momentum rolling into the start of the day as he matched his season-best qualifying position of ninth. With an 11th-place start in the first moto, Vohland charged his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION up to seventh halfway into the race and he maintained that position through the finish. In Moto 2, he put himself into a solid position off the start, battling just outside the top-five for the first few laps. Overtaking fifth on lap six, he raced up front for the rest of the moto to secure his third top-five moto-finish of the year in fifth.
Max Vohland: “Today went pretty well. I didn’t get a very good start in the first moto but surprisingly on this track – which is very hard to pass on – I was able to move up pretty quickly. I just kept chugging along and picked my way up to seventh. Second moto, I really focused on the start and I got up into that top-five and just kind of stayed there – I was in no-man’s land there for a bit. I went 7-5 for fifth, which is matching my best result again this year. Now we have two weeks off and we’re going to put some work in and try to get on that podium.”
In the quest for his first podium appearance back, Ryan Dungey looked to be on-track for a successful day as he came out of the gate swinging aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. Grabbing the holeshot with a commanding start in Moto 1, Dungey battled closely for the lead in the first couple laps until he experienced a bike issue on lap three that ultimately forced him out of the first race. Returning in Moto 2 with a less-than-desirable gate selection, the three-time champion went to work right away on the opening lap. From 14th off the start to a top-five position midway through the race, Dungey proved to have more than enough in the tank as he continued charging up to fourth later in the race. With a late-race push, he finished only two seconds off the podium after 30-minutes plus two laps of battle.
Ryan Dungey: “We had a great week and made some good progress with the bike, which was really positive and it really translated today. I got the start in the first moto and man, it was nice running up there with Chase and Eli! We had a little bit of a bike malfunction – you know, it’s dirt bikes – it happens and it’s nobody’s fault. Second moto, my gate pick was terrible but I tried to salvage a decent start. The good thing was that I felt really good and the bike was really working, so I could apply myself on the track and start picking those people off. I got up to fourth and I made a run on third but just ran out of time. It’s not where we want to be overall but a positive moving forward is that we’re in a good spot with the bike and the riding was good, so we’ll take it.”
Aaron Plessinger had a strong start in Moto 1, piloting his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into seventh on the opening lap. He broke into the top-five just before the halfway point and he ran a solid pace with the front-runners for the next five laps. Battling the rough track conditions late in the race, Plessinger dropped back a few spots to ultimately finish eighth. In the second moto, he inserted himself right back into the battle up front as he raced just outside of podium contention early on. He got shuffled back midway through, ultimately finishing 13th in the moto and ninth overall for the day.
Aaron Plessinger: “Today was a mellow day – not great but not horrible. The track got rough in the first moto and I tightened up at the end, so I ended up eighth. I made some bike changes going out for Moto 2 and it was better. I got a really good start and I was running up there for a bit but I kind of just faded back. I’ve got a lot of homework to do these next few weeks and we’ll come back swinging for Unadilla.”
The 2022 AMA Pro Motocross Championship will take a two-week break before returning for Round 9 of the 12-race series on August 13 with the Unadilla National in New Berlin, New York.
Results 450MX Class – Washougal National
1. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda, 2-1
2. Eli Tomac (USA), Yamaha, 1-2
3. Jason Anderson (USA), Kawasaki, 3-3
OTHER KTM
8. Benny Bloss (USA), KTM
9. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, 8-13
12. Ryan Dungey (USA), KTM, 38-4
14. Fredrik Noren (USA), KTM
Results 250MX Class – Washougal National
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 2-2
2. Justin Cooper (USA), Yamaha, 4-1
3. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 1-4
OTHER KTM
5. Max Vohland (USA), KTM, 7-5
10. Joshua Varize (USA), KTM
12. Derek Kelley (USA), KTM
18. Christopher Prebula (USA), KTM
19. Austin Black (USA), KTM
20. Max Miller (USA), KTM
Standings 450MX Class 2022 after 8 of 12 rounds
1. Eli Tomac, 364 points
2. Chase Sexton, 359
3. Jason Anderson, 285
OTHER KTM
6. Ryan Dungey, 236
8. Aaron Plessinger, 198
12. Benny Bloss, 127
15. Antonio Cairoli, 89
17. Fredrik Noren, 66
Standings 250MX Class 2022 after 8 of 12 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 355 points
2. Hunter Lawrence, 327
3. Jo Shimoda, 306
OTHER KTM
7. Max Vohland, 192
14. Derek Kelley, 96
15. Joshua Varize, 93
18. Ty Masterpool, 53