Team Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Suzuki, presented by Progressive Insurance, kicked off the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series at Pala Raceway in Southern California. This round marked the 50th year of the Outdoor Nationals—the fence lines were packed with fans cheering the entire race. Brandon Hartranft and Justin Bogle both had intense moments throughout the day. Bogle got great starts in both motos, and Hartranft looked very consistent aboard his RM-Z450 Suzuki.
Brandon Hartranft #41: Unfortunate end to the day at Pala. Brandon looked strong in qualifying. In the first moto, Hartranft got a strong start and ran in tenth place for the first half of the race before arm pump took over. Fighting through it, he was able to finish the race in 16th place. The next moto, Brandon got caught in a first corner pile-up that put him in last place. Not giving up, he worked his way up to 18th place before his bike started to lose power, and he was forced to pull off the track.
"This round definitely started off good for me," said Brandon Hartranft. "In the first moto, I got a great start, and I was in tenth place, but I got arm pump really bad and fell back. It was not a good first moto. I had a mediocre start in the next moto and got caught in a pile-up. I worked my way up from last to 18th, which was good, but my bike started to lose power, and I had to pull in. I am starting in a better position than last year, and I feel good on the bike. I'm looking forward to Hangtown this weekend."
Justin Bogle #19: Not the start the #19 machine was hoping to have to the Outdoor Nationals this past Saturday. Justin got strong starts in both motos but was not able to stay upfront. Bogle finished 20-22 in two races.
“Man, really rough day for me,” said Justin Bogle. “I just struggled really hard, I tried and I went 20-20. Today was tough to get through. We are going to get back to work. Get myself ready and bike better. I am happy to get out of here healthy and ready for Hangtown.”
“Difficult first round in Pala this past weekend,” said Team Manager, Dustin Pipes. “We’ve either had bad luck or struggled to find the proper settings at this track for a couple of years now. Unfortunately, we carried on that tradition. Crashes, arm pump, and a mechanical DNF in the final moto all relegated the racers to results they are not happy with. Glad to be out of there and set our sights on Hangtown where Brandon achieved his first top 5 last season and Justin also raced in the top 10.”
Team Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance heads to northern California for the annual Hangtown National in Prairie City. Racing is set to start at 1:00PM and will be live on MAVTV Plus.