The TPJ Fly Racing team made it to Washougal, WA for the Washougal National on July 29th, at Washougal MX Park.
Washougal is always an exciting event for the TPJ Fly Racing team, as it typically marks the debut of the 2018 Fly Racing gear.
We were very thankful to be a part of the launch this year, and our athletes were spotted in the brand new 2018 Kinetic gear lines during the Washougal National.
This week, we had several riders competing. John Short, Dustin Pipes, John Ames, Chad Gores and Dylan Merriam were all lining up in hopes to move up the ranks. We were very happy to see Dylan Merriam back on the circuit after taking some time off for injury.
Both Dylan Merriam, Dustin Pipes and John Short all qualified for the main event at Washougal.
It was a rough week for John Short, who suffered a ruptured eardrum earlier in the week. The injury affected his equilibrium and made it difficult for him to ride to the best of his abilities. He finished 27th in moto one, and opted out of moto two, in hopes of keeping himself safe and giving himself time to recover before Unadilla.
Dustin Pipes made it into the main but mechanical issues held him back all day. He would go 38-34 for 38th overall.
Dylan Merriam placed 14th in the first moto and would go on to place 16th in the second moto for 16th overall. We are very excited about his result as well as his progress since injuring himself earlier this season.
“This weekend went pretty good for me.” Merriam said. “I started out the day with a decent qualifying time, sitting around 23rd. In moto one I got off to a mid pack start and worked my way up to 13th, but lost one spot on the last lap. In moto two, I had a rough start but climbed all the way up to 16th. I had a few more riders in my sights but I tipped over and lost four or five positions – thankfully I was able to regain them before the end of the race for 16th overall.”
We are looking forward to seeing where he takes it from here.
With the great results we have seen from both Merriam and Short in the past few rounds, we are looking forward to the last few races of the season and seeing what our talented athletes are capable of. We are also looking forward to the return of our rookie 450 rider, Logan France, who plans to race at Budd’s Creek on his new KTM 450.
Now, we are heading back east to compete at the Unadilla National in New York. It’s been a long season so far, but the final round is on the horizon and we are still charging toward our goal of helping these athletes move up in the ranks.
We want to thank everyone who continues to support us on this wild ride – especially the very dedicated sponsors who go out of their way to make sure our athletes have the tools they need.
See you in New York!