Washougal track

Nope

No. Beat it. 

Track was excellent.

It was A Classic Day at The Shoug.

You must have missed all the epic passes somehow? lol.

Fuck that. This ain’t SX, not every track needs to be cookie cutter. 

Shoug is one of the best stops on the circuit. Period. 

The best thing about MX is all the different tracks to test the riders.

Didn’t James Stewart almost go last to first here once ? 

It’s not that easy to make changes. Everything has to be pre-approved by MXSports.  Every change has to be considered with things we typically don’t think about like  access to that track location for medics or putting cameras there for TV coverage. Even down to do we have enough cable to reach that tv location. Thet travel with so much. And yes they have drones , but not everyone likes that view. Everything takes time and money. 

The lap times show that they did make changes to the track this yesr, which I think has to do with adding some smaller jumps in certain section to slow down the riders. 
(Like the S-Turns at the bottom of the ski-jump) 

As far as being one lined, someone forgot to tell that to Dillan S. # 40. He went from dead last to 17th in the first moto. Kalluis went from 26th to 13th.

Mookie made his way up from way back in 29th to10th.  
I will say that having a start does help, but that’s just about every track this year including “start cross”. So if you get that start, most of the time you stay there or hover around that front pack. 

No.

Listen to the Marshel Weltin and Pierce Brown interviews

Track layout was great. All tracks just need to start fixing mostly the outsides between motos to keep everyone from funneling to the inside in every corner. 

OP have you ever been there? In person it is amazing.

Track seemed badass! 

Track was awesome!  It was our fist time there in person and will make the trip back next year. We’ll be headed up to race the amateur races.  The track prep was great, the people were awesome, and the atmosphere was incredible. There was none of the “cool guy affect” that we have in Southern California. 

As far as passing goes.  We saw tons of passes all over the track. I’m not sure what the TV coverage showed but there were tons of passing opportunities.  

RC, 1999

Why because your rider didn’t win 

Every time I've raced there, it has been different.  Not different layout, although there have been some changes over the years, I hate the new entrance to the whoops, but different feel through the bars, how the bike hooks up, the soil, setting requirements, air temperature, yeah, this track, more than any other track I've been on over the years, is a different one every time.  

For me, that makes it Washougal, and the beautiful setting and the hype leading up to it.  You step out of the van after traveling there and walk up to the fence line and wonder - is this heaven?  

No, it's Washougal.  

Yes, change it back and put the Chuck Sun jump section back it.

Some years in the old days they would extend horsepower hill to go up the next incline also.  That would be a cool addition for a national once in a awhile.  Obviously the chuck sun jump and massive bowl turn after it were pretty iconic also. But don't see that ever coming back.  

My first national ever was Washougal in '88.  Been to many nationals there since and have raced mx, GP's, ridden practice days, and spectated over the years.  It is an amazing setting and super fun to camp for the weekend.  Riding or racing it can be hit or miss dependent on track prep/weather conditions.

For the national, I haven't attended in 5 or 6 years,  The traffic getting in and out sucks.  The VIP areas and signage popping up around the track make spectating much more difficult than it used to be.

I've been fortunate enough to attend both Des Nations at Redbud, several Hangtown nationals and Ironman last year.  All of those venues have much better viewing.

Watching the replay Saturday night, Washougal looks even more one lined and kinda boring to watch coming off of Millville.  Me, I will continue to try and attend a fly-away national over Washougal for the time being.

I watched the race in person (was moving around all day...not just sitting in one spot). Saw lots of passing in many different places on the track. I thought the track raced great this year.

Yeah thought it was kinda boring too. Iconic track for sure. In person probably much better. There was just something about it this year which was off

Going all the way to the top is the best.  I had heard they can't get water up there, so it's only used for amateur events when the dirt has enough moisture in it already.  In a lot of Washougal racing, I've only seen that piece used maybe 5-6 times.

I prefer the layout of a 2011 ish track when the ryan's went at it, but its still great.

The only change I'd like is the "whoop" section.  They're so big now its just a bunch of double- triples.  Can't skim effectively.

They did a great job with water. It was very wet as expected in the AM, but it didn't go to blue groove and dust like I expected. Temps were a little cooler than forecast, and along with the sand they added it held up great. It can be a very tough track to pass on since it's narrow, but the changes to slow it down a bit improved the passing opportunities. We've ridden it many times over the years, and it's been a different track in at least one significant aspect almost every time, which makes it so enjoyable compared to say, Hangtown, where we've also done 100s of laps. I do truly hate the new fencing but insurance demands dictated the change.

My best moto memory ever is from Washougal. I'll keep this one with me till the day I die: 

And US nationals need more variation, Washougal is one of few tracks that bring something unique. They should do everything they can to keep it that way!

I was thinking the exact same thing, year after year.  There is some changes to the track over the years that have improved it, but some that were not as good.

The bad:

Center section of track used to be epic..  Chuck Sun jump, right turn, and booter was fun to race, and watch.  It was kind of an icon jump of the track, similar to the whoops, I have no idea why the Huffmans got rid of it.

The step-up to flat jump before HP hill used to be more of a nice long floater, they have really flattened it out.

The downhill jump used to be more of a ski jump, they have really flattened it out over the years, I am sure that is a safety thing after Henry hill got it's name, but it used to be a lot more spectacular (MC literally jumped over my head on it, true story).

The good:

The pro start is in a much better location to get everyone through the first few corners.

The floater in the woods is awesome.

The woods section themselves have improved over the years, the switchbacks of old were lame.

The triple and huge booter into sand before the woods is a treat to watch the pros.  Those that have never raced this track can't appreciate how hard the pros hit this section.

Also worth noting, safety for flaggers has evolved and improved a lot.  The checker flagger stand is about as safe as you can get (largely due to an unfortunate event I think around 1999).  But I noticed more shade/stands for flaggers at the national as well.

You can still walk everywhere, that in itself makes it a treat to see in person.  Other than banners, most spots you can still get right up next to the track, just an awesome place to spectate a national.

It will always be a great track, just sharing what I miss, and what I like.🤠 

I've never been to High Point. But does anyone else miss "Bradshaw Blvd"?

I heard they changed the Chuck Sun Jump and Catchers Mitt area to make the infield bigger for spectating/VIP for the National.

Not sure where, when or who I heard that from so take it with a grain of salt.

What ever happen to the section of HP Hill that went up further, then took a left and dropped down before the current drop down?

It's still there but very rarely used. No water that high up the hill. Last I saw it used was a couple years ago, when they also turned us left at the bottom of the ski jump and sent us back up Horsepower Hill. It was a very unique layout that only lasted a few weeks.