The TPJ Fly Racing team traveled to Seattle, WA for one of the wildest races of the season so far.
With heavy rain plaguing the weekend race forecast, TPJ Racing riders were limited to one combined practice-qualifying session on Saturday. Despite the additional pressure to get into the night show, both Ben Lamay and Dalton Oxborrow were able to make it into the fast forty and on to the night show.
This was Oxborrow’s first night show of the season, and we were extremely proud of the work he put in while we were away on the east coast leg of the series. We hope to see continued progress out of him when we return to the west coast again in a few weeks.
Seattle was unlike any race we have had this year. The downpour caused extreme track conditions that leveled the playing field. The slick, wet mud was unpredictable, ranging from slippery to paste-like. Ben Lamay was able to dig deep in his heat and push his way through the pack to secure a transfer position, while the tough conditions overpowered our rookie rider, Dalton Oxborrow who had a DNF in the LCQ.
As the rain came down, the 450 main event took off from the gate and the crowd held their breath as the riders slid into the first turn. Lamay would have one of his best starts of the year, spending several laps just outside the top 5. The muddy conditions wore on every athlete in the field, but Ben was able to keep pressing on, eventually crossing the finish line in 15th overall. After this finish in Seattle, Lamay holds 21st overall in the championship points race out of 45 riders. While he continues to nurse a hand injury from earlier in the season, he impresses us each week with his drive.
We want to thank our sponsors who make it possible for our athletes to continue with their progress and rewarding them for their accomplishments; DSC Construction for their continued support of our main event qualifiers, Pirelli for supplying our riders with tires, Lucas Oil products for their continued support, and Karcher pressure washers for keeping our bikes clean when the mud was caking on.
The TPJ Fly Racing team is now headed back to the east coast once again – this time to Minneapolis. We will welcome back our 250 east rider John Short, who has been hard at work during his time off, and 450 rider Ben Lamay will continue to chase precious championship points.
Photos: BrownDogWilson
TPJ RACING 