WASHOUGAL — It is a slick track when it is dry, the course at the Washougal MX Park.
A day of rain and racing made it even more treacherous at the 35th Peterson CAT Washougal National.
There were unpredictable rides. The best motocross riders in the world were falling, going off course, grinding, trying to find the right line.
So of course the guy who conquered it was Ryan Dungey.
It just had to be Ryan Dungey.
Or, if you prefer, Mr. Washougal.
Dungey put himself in position, then took advantage of a crash in front of him in the second moto to win the overall of the prestigious 450 class at the Washougal National, the ninth round of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. It is his seventh victory in Washougal in the past eight seasons.
Justin Barcia was poised to get the victory after winning the first moto by 29 seconds and then leading late in the second moto. But Barcia lost control and went down in the mud, and just a minute or so before the signal that two laps remained in the moto, Dungey had the lead.
Barcia recovered in time to finish second in the moto, but Dungey’s 2-1 finish is better than Barcia’s 1-2 finish via the second-moto tiebreaker.
“The whole goal was to pressure him, run him down,” Dungey said. “He made a mistake, and I was able to capitalize.”
He called it a gift. But the former series champion from Minnesota also knows the best riders make their own luck.
Dungey was in fifth place after the start of the first moto. He raced his way up to second place, putting him in line for the overall if he could win the second moto.
Barcia, from Florida, threatened to lead from start to finish for the second time Saturday before he went down late in Moto 2.
“I made a mistake. I just blew it,” Barcia said. “It definitely hurts. This was the hardest loss, for sure, because I felt I could have held on.”
He said the second moto was actually more fun to ride because it was such a battle with Dungey.
“I’m just disappointed in myself because I made a stupid mistake,” Barcia added.
Dungey has a huge lead in the points race. There would not have been much of a difference between a first- or second-place finish in Washougal this year in that chase for the championship.
Except, now his name goes ahead of a legend.
Dungey’s seventh win in Washougal is one more than Ricky Carmichael, widely considered the greatest motocross rider of all time.
“The years are flying by,” Dungey said. “I work hard every time to be in position to win each and every week.”
Washougal is a demanding technical course. A rider must set up for each corner ahead of time. That takes throttle control, something Dungey said he has excelled at since his youth.
“This one just seems to suit me well,” Dungey said, noting his first professional victory came at Washougal in 2008 at the 250 class.
Christophe Pourcel of Florida finished 3-5 in the motos for third overall. Ken Roczen, now tied for second in the points race, finished fourth.
Dungey has 400 points and four overalls this season. Barcia and Roczen each have 331 points. Riders can score as many as 50 points per round, and there are three events left on the schedule.
So yes, Mr. Washougal, Ryan Dungey, is feeling right at home.
