The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team battled an extremely tough and rutted track at the High Point National in Mount Morris, PA on Saturday for the fourth round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Team newcomer Phil Nicoletti rebounded from a first turn pileup in the first 450 moto and finished 11th overall on the day, while teammates Michael Mosiman and Mitchell Harrison finished 11th and 15th in the 250 class. Fellow 250 rider Jordan Bailey rode strong in the first moto, but suffered from a big crash in the second moto that left him unable to finish the race.
Phil Nicoletti got caught up in a first turn pileup in the first 450 moto but remounted as quickly as he could and was on the move. He made his way through the pack and up to 23rd by the seventh lap then continued to charge to finish 16th despite going down two more times during the moto. He got a better start in the second moto with a top-10, and made his way to sixth early in the race as he continued to push through the field. He fell back to ninth and held strong to finish ninth. The 16-9 finish gave him 11th overall.
“This was my first round with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory racing team,” said Nicoletti. “I think I prepared well coming into the race, but California tracks are nothing like the track here at High Point so I kind of had to relearn a few things and make some changes. I got taken out in the first turn of the first moto, then went down two more times after that. I ran up front for awhile in the second moto but ran out of steam and ended up ninth in that moto and 11th overall. I’m ready for next weekend.”
Michael Mosiman was mid-pack at the start of the first 250 moto and came out of the first lap in 13th. He started to charge through the field before going down in the last lap. He was 13th after the crash and held strong to finish 13th. He was mid-pack at the start of the second moto and charged his way into the top-10 by lap four. He continued to advance and finished ninth. The 13-9 finish gave him 11th overall on the day.
“It was good to get out of here healthy,” said Mosiman. “This track was mean. I didn’t get the best start in the first moto and I made a mistake. I was in 11th then took a slightly different line in the last lap through the jumping rollers and the bike jumped up and I had to bail. I landed the double while running. I lost two spots and finished 13th. I got a little bit of a better spot in the second moto and was flowing and making passes and ended up ninth. I’m excited for next weekend’s race in Tennessee.”
Mitchell Harrison was mid-pack at the start of the first 250 moto and was ninth by the end of the first lap. He rode hard but was shuffled back during the race and finished 14th. He was mid-pack at the start of the second moto and rode strong to finish 14th. The 14-14 finish gave him 15th overall.
“It was an interesting day for me,” said Harrison. “I felt off-pace. I got a good start in the first moto but faded, then didn’t get the best start in the second moto but rode strong. I have some work to do, and this was a rough track to come back to. I’m going to keep working and will step it up.”
Jordan Bailey was mid-pack at the start of the first 250 moto and finished the first lap in 14th, right behind teammate Michael Mosiman. He made it to 13th in the second lap before going back to 15th in lap three and would eventually finish 16th. He was mid-pack at the start of the second moto and was putting on a charge before crashing hard over a jump in the sixth lap. The incident left him unable to finish the race.
“High Point was probably one of the gnarliest tracks I’ve ever ridden,” said Bailey. “Practice was ok, but the ruts were so deep. I got off to a decent start in the first moto and finished 16th. I didn’t get a great start in the second moto, but was riding way better. I crashed mid-jump and got clobbered by the bike, but I’m ok. I’m looking forward to Muddy Creek. If the guys at Muddy Creek are reading this…it would be good if they could tone down the ruts!”
