Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Baggett Starts Win Streak with Two-In-A-Row‏

CORONA, Calif. (July 4, 2011) - Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett started his first win streak of the
season with his second-consecutive overall 250 class win at Red Bud in
Buchanan, Mich. The stop marked the halfway point in the AMA Motocross
Championship series and Baggett’s 1-1 moto score moved him into second
in the point standings as he continues to inch toward points leader and
teammate Dean Wilson. With two solid motos of his own, Wilson earned his
sixth podium result in as many races and now holds a 14-point lead over
Baggett. Tyla Rattray had a solid come-from-behind performance in the
first moto and finished strong in the second moto, allowing him to land
his fifth podium with a 5-3. Broc Tickle worked hard both motos to stay
close to the front and finished with his third top-five performance with
a 7-5 for the day.




 

For the first time this season, Baggett has been able to put in
back-to-back wins aboard his Pro Circuit-backed Kawasaki KX250F. While
he has claimed five wins, prior to Round 6, he hadn’t put
two-consecutive wins together. He had two solid starts and was able to
take the Moto 2 victory wire-to-wire.

 

“I had never been to Red Bud before and practice didn’t go that great,”
said Baggett. “I was wondering how that would play out in the motos, but
I was able to get two good starts and that helped me ride a pace that I
was comfortable with. The track was tough with some deep ruts on the
off-camber sections, but overall I really liked the track.”




 

Coming off his fifth runner-up finish, Wilson once again put in a
consistent result with a 2-2 for the day. Both motos put him near the
front at the start and his string of podium finishes put his points lead
to 14 over second place.

 

“I’m really trying to take it one moto at a time,” said Wilson. “I’ve
been feeling good and have been able to get on the podium every time. I
am hoping to put together a win, but I’m happy where I’m at and I’ll
keep focusing on being at the front.”




 

Rattray once again displayed a never-quit attitude with an impressive
comeback finish at Red Bud. In the first moto, Rattray got tangled with a
rider just after the start and was pushed outside the top-20. He
immediately went to work and used the entire 30 minutes plus two laps to
charge to the top five. The second moto was different as he moved into
third on Lap 2 and was able to finish on the podium for the fifth time
this year.

 

“It’s been a pretty good season so far,” said Rattray. “I had a bad race
in Colorado, but I didn’t want to have that happen again. I couldn’t
believe that I got pushed so far back in the first moto and I just used
the entire race to move forward. I knew every point counted. It’s good
to have these consistent finishes, but it would be nice to get another
win.”




 

Earning his third top-five this season, Tickle continues to make progress outdoors. The first moto he pushed his way up from 10^th on the first lap to finish seventh, while the second moto he improved again to finish fifth.

 

“It’s good to see progress being made,” said Tickle. “I really love
coming to Red Bud. The fans are always awesome and it really pushes you
late in the moto. It was hot and humid like always, but we still had a
good time. We’ll take the weekend off and keep working. Hopefully I can
go out and get another good finish.”

 

The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team will take a weekend break
before heading to Spring Creek MX in Millville, Minn. At the halfway
point in the series, Wilson is in the lead with 258 points, while
Baggett moved into second with 244 points over Rattray’s 242 points in
third. Tickle’s good ride moved him into sixth with 143 points.