The following is from RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing:
CHINO, Calif. (January 6, 2017)–With the dawn of a new season comes a renewed outlook and a fresh start for RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing.
Following the team’s first Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, one in which the privately-owned team fielded by Carey Hart and Ricky Carmichael took on and beat the heavily-favored factory juggernauts for the first time in history, RCH heads into tomorrow night’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season opener brimming with confidence and sporting a new look.
Over the off-season, RCH was named the official factory team for Suzuki Motor of America (SMAI). The latest effort combines SMAI, RCH, and Yoshimura Racing & Development into a singular factory powerhouse to race for the AMA Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross titles.
While journeyman Broc Tickle returns to the seat of his No. 20 Suzuki, 2014 Eastern Regional 250SX Class Champion Justin Bogle joins RCH to fill out the team’s 2017 lineup.
“After winning the Pro Motocross Championship last summer, we’re chomping at the bit to get back after it,” said Hart. “We have been working really hard with Suzuki and Yoshimura to develop our new program and we’re definitely ready to go. We’re excited to have Broc back, and bringing a rider of Justin’s caliber on board was really important. This team has seen its fair share of adversity over the last couple years so I’m really proud of all the guys who hung in there and kept working hard so we can bring it right out of the box at Anaheim.”
After missing much of the 2016 Supercross campaign with a wrist injury, Tickle is eager to get back to work when the season opens tomorrow night. The former Cary, N.C., resident has logged 15 Anaheim starts dating back to January 2010, including five Western Regional 250SX Class and 10 450SX races, compiling a solid 8.5 finishing average. His best showing at Angel Stadium aboard a 450 came in January 2015 when he rode his Suzuki to a fifth-place finish.
“Everything this off season has gone really smooth,” explained Tickle. “RCH has been behind me for a long time and it’s the best group I’ve ever worked with so I’m stoked to be back for 2017. We’ve made a lot of improvements over the last three months, done a lot of testing, so time off has blown by. I feel like I’m in a really good place. I’m riding well and things are clicking. I feel like I’m the most ready for Anaheim I’ve ever been. I’m stoked with where I’m at riding-wise and training-wise so I’m ready to get going. I’ve got an awesome team behind me so now it’s time for me to go out and do what I need to do.”
Bogle makes the move to RCH from Geico Honda where he will pilot the No. 19 RM-Z450. The Cushing, Okla., native notched one top-five and six top-10 finishes during last year’s rookie campaign aboard a 450 where he finished 13th in his first an only Anaheim start.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to ride for RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing,” said Bogle. “The Suzuki is incredible. I was on one brand for so long that I wasn’t sure how the transition would go but it’s been extra easy and I owe that to the whole team. Bringing my mechanic ‘Hutch’ (Grant Hutcheson) along obviously helps, too. It’s really everyone who is helping out. Sergio (Avanto), Kyle (Bentley) and everybody who helps me at the track on a daily basis has helped make the transition a lot smoother. It doesn’t hurt that the motorcycle is an incredible, race-proven machine.
“It’s kind of a tight-knit group at RCH,” Bogle continued. “I really like it. The energy and the vibe I get from the team is that they really care and want me to be successful. That’s kind of a new thing for me and I really appreciate that. This stuff isn’t easy so it helps when you have a really good support crew behind you. My inner circle has been the same for so long but having this team around me has taken everything up a notch. This gives me the opportunity I need to be a front-runner every week and hopefully go on to be a champion.”
Before the gate drops on the first of 17 rounds on the Monster Energy Supercross schedule, Tickle and Bogle will meet fans and sign autographs tonight from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at Del Amo Motorsports of Orange County. Located just 15 minutes south of Angel Stadium in Santa Ana, Calif., Del Amo Motorsports is the new superstore for powersports enthusiasts in Orange County.
The 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season preview show will be televised on FS1 Saturday, Jan. 7 beginning at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 6:30 p.m. Pacific. FS1’s live coverage of the Monster Energy Supercross season opener from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., shifts into high gear at 10 p.m. EST, 7 p.m. Pacific.
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