SOUTHWICK, Mass. (August 29, 2009) - In a season highlighted by first-time winners, Factory Yamaha's Matt Goerke, of Lake Helen, Fla., captured an upset victory in New England to become the sixth rider in 2009 to win for the first time in the 450 Class. Rain greeted the riders at Moto-X 338 on Saturday at the penultimate round of the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship as consistent, light showers fell throughout the day. In the talented and deep 250 Class, GEICO Powersports Honda's Justin Barcia, of Cairo, Ga., claimed his first-career professional win while teammate Jessica Patterson, of Tallahassee, Fla., grabbed the victory in the WMX Class.
While newly-crowned premier class champion Chad Reed, of Australia, appeared to be on the way to his fifth straight victory, he crashed out of the lead in the final moto allowing Goerke to assume the top spot and hold on for the win to go along with his sixth place in the opening moto.
"This is the best day of my life," exclaimed Goerke, who is in just his third race as a replacement rider for the Yamaha team to close out the season. "I crashed in the first moto and thought my day was over. I really was hoping for a good overall (today) but luckily I got back up to sixth. In the second moto, I missed gate pick and had to start all the way outside so it wasn't looking good, but everything worked out."
Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki's Michael Byrne, of Australia, secured the runner-up position (3-3), tying for first in points but losing the position by virtue of the second moto tiebreaker. Local legend John Dowd, of Ludlow, Mass., finished third.
While most of the attention on the 250 Class centered on championship contenders Christophe Pourcel, of France, and Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., it was Barcia who stole the spotlight on Saturday afternoon. The rookie competitor has shown considerable speed throughout the season and after winning the first moto, put in another consistent ride in moto two, finishing third to secure the overall.
"I'm just really excited," boasted Barcia. "Today just felt like my day. I woke up in a really good mood and everything just went smooth. I really love it here (at Southwick) and I'm really happy to get my first win here."
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Tyla Rattray, of South Africa, earned his first moto win in the U.S. in moto two to elevate him to a career-best second overall while GEICO Powersports Honda's Brett Metcalfe, of Australia, finished third.
Dungey captured fourth overall while Pourcel fell to 18th. A 30-point turnaround between the two riders saw Pourcel's 13-point lead heading into the race diminish into a 17-point deficit behind Dungey heading into the final round.
With an opportunity for rival Ashley Fiolek, of St. Augustine, Fla., to clinch the WMX Class title for the second year in a row, Patterson knew she needed to ride at her best in order to keep her title chances alive. She dominated both motos, sweeping for the first time this season and claiming her second straight victory. Fiolek followed in second aboard her Honda Red Bull machine while rookie Sara Price, of Canyon Lake, Calif., achieved a career-best third overall for her first podium.
"I've been working really hard to get support from a factory team and it finally worked out," said Patterson. "I knew that if I had the chance to ride a good bike I would be able to show what I could do and now I finally have that chance."
Next weekend, the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship commences with the American Motocross Festival from Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa. Same-day coverage of the 250 Class, where a champion will be crowned, can be seen on SPEED at midnight ET.