The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team battled the sand and the blistering heat on Saturday at the Southwick National, the sixth round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, held in Southwick, Mass. 450 rider Phil Nicoletti impressed with a 10-8 for ninth overall. 250 riders Mitchell Harrison, Michael Mosiman, and Jordan Bailey also had great days with ninth, 10th, and 12th place overall finishes.

Phil Nicoletti got a decent start in the first 450 moto but was shuffled back early in the race. He started climbing through the ranks and made it up to 16th by the seventh lap. He set a blistering pace as he continued to move through the field, and rode strong to an 10th-place finish. He was fourth at the start of the second moto and had a solid ride in the top-10. He stayed consistent and took over the eighth-place spot. He held strong to finish eighth. The 10-8 finish gave him ninth overall on the day.

“Southwick was good,” said Nicoletti. “I rode really well but I went down twice, and it took a little wind out of my sails. It was brutally hot today. I think everyone struggled a bit. I’m still making progress and I’m feeling better. I’m going to keep working to get ready for RedBud next week."

Mitchell Harrison got caught in the gate at the start of the first 250 moto, but charged his way through the field to finish 15th despite going down again during the race. He got a good start in the second moto and sat just outside the top-10. He made his way into the top-10 spot in the fifth lap, and passed teammate Jordan Bailey the following lap to take over the ninth-place spot. He rode hard to a sixth-place finish. The 15-6 finish gave him ninth overall on the day.

“I love Southwick,” said Harrison. “I love the sand. I hit the gate in the first moto and crashed a few times. I rode like I know how to in the second moto and felt really strong. I came back to a sixth. I think this is going to give me a lot of confidence going into RedBud, which is my home race."

Michael Mosiman was mid-pack at the start of the first 250 moto. He put on a charge and started advancing, making it up to 13th by the ninth lap. He continued to push and made it into the top-10 a few laps later, then put in an excellent ride to finish 10th. He went down after the start of the second moto but quickly remounted. He was coming through the pack, but went down again after jumping into an unfamiliar section of the track. He got back up and tore through the pack to ride to an 11th-place finish. The 10-11 finish gave him 10th overall on the day—his first top-10 finish of the season.

“This was my first time at Southwick,” said Mosiman. “It was actually really fun. I had good practice times. My starts weren’t great, but I charged. The first couple of laps were brutal with the sand, but I just started moving ahead. I started 21st in the first moto and ended up 10th, so that was good. I got collected with Forkner straight out of the gate in the second moto. I started moving up but then went down after jumping into an area I wasn’t familiar with. I got up slowly and started getting the flow again. I worked my way up to 11th, and I ended up 10th overall. I’m making progress."

Jordan Bailey got a good start in the first 250 moto and came out of the first lap in the top-15. He went down twice, but came back to a 13th-place finish. He got a good start in the second moto and came out of the first lap in the top-10. He stayed consistent and rode an excellent race to claim a season-best 10th place finish. The 13-10 finish gave him 12th overall on the day.

“Southwick is a sand race, and it was brutal,” said Bailey. “I crashed twice in the first moto, but my starts were good all day. I was in sixth for a long time in the second moto then got shuffled back and ended up 10th—which is my best finish so far. I’m going to keep building every weekend, and I’m looking forward to RedBud."

Next Race: July 7 - RedBud National - Buchanan, MI

Southwick National Results

250 Class
1. Dylan Ferrandis (4,1)
2. Alex Martin (2,4)
3. Shane McElrath (6,2)
4. RJ Hampshire (7,3)
5. Aaron Plessinger (3,7)
6. Colt Nichols (8,8)
7. Austin Forkner (1,20)
8. Chase Sexton (15,6)
9. Mitchell Harrison - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (15,6)
10. Michael Mosiman - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (10,11)
...
12. Jordan Bailey - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (13,10)

450 Class
1. Marvin Musquin (2,1)
2. Eli Tomac (1,2)
3. Justin Barcia (3,3)
4. Blake Baggett (4,4)
5. Ken Roczen (5,5)
6. Benny Bloss (6,6)
7. Lorenzo Locurcio (7,7)
8. Cooper Webb (8,9)
9. Phil Nicoletti - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (10,8)
10. Weston Peick (9,11)

250 Class Rider Point Standings
1. Aaron Plessinger - 233 points
2. Alex Martin - 210 points
3. Jeremy Martin - 176 points
4. Justin Cooper - 174 points
5. Shane McElrath - 170 points
6. Austin Forkner - 169 points
7. RJ Hampshire - 154 points
8. Jordon Smith - 151 points
9. Chase Sexton - 141 points
10. Joey Savatgy - 128 points
...
12. Zach Osborne - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 105 points
13. Michael Mosiman - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 97 points
…
16. Jordan Bailey - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 64 points
...
18. Mitchell Harrison - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 51 points

450 Class Rider Point Standings
1. Eli Tomac - 289 points
2. Marvin Musquin - 257 points
3. Justin Barcia - 224 points
4. Ken Roczen - 201 points
5. Blake Baggett - 200 points
6. Weston Peick - 170 points
7. Benny Bloss - 156 points
8. Phil Nicoletti - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 142 points
9. Cody Cooper - 85 points
10. Jason Anderson - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 73 points