Motocross race to honor military

The 2024 Washougal National professional motocross race will put a special spotlight on past and present United States military members, some of whom will have a chance to get on a bike and zip around the track themselves. MX Sports Pro Racing announced in June that the Washougal Motocross Park will hold a “Military Appreciation” event during Round 8 of the 2024 Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, July 20. “It’s a real honor,” said event organizer Shelly Huffman, wife of park manager Ryan Huffman. “We take it seriously, and we hope that we earn everybody’s trust with it, and we get a couple more years to keep growing it.” Both the Washougal Motocross Park and MX Sports Pro Racing have held more informal “military rides” in past years, but came together this year to promote an official event that “has a little more behind it,” according to Ryan Huffman. “When we decided to host a military appreciation event for the 2024 season, we wanted to select not only one of our most decorated events, but also an event organizer that has shown a passion for our service members,” MX Sports Pro Racing President Davey Coombs stated in a news release. “Ryan Huffman and the Huffman family have cultivated an incredible relationship with members of our military that now spans decades. It has been a foundational component of everything they do year-round at Washougal, not just the National, and made them an obvious choice to provide this opportunity. We can’t wait to see it all come to fruition.” Ryan and Shelly Huffman are collaborating with the Veteran Motocross Foundation, a Virginia-based nonprofit organization that provides lifestyle enrichment and recovery solutions to military veterans, to ensure “all enthusiasts within the industry that have served will have a chance to be a part of this special event,” according to the news release. “The Veteran Motocross Foundation is grateful for its relationship with Washougal Motocross Park,” said Bobbie Casteel, a Foundation board member. “The support and friendship they share with the Foundation’s members, active military, and veterans across the Northwest is making a difference in our community. The Huffmans and their extended Washougal motocross family provide a special place for our members where they feel appreciated and encouraged. “This year’s Military Appreciation Race provides us with a shared opportunity to lift up our military men and women, increase awareness of the challenges they face, and raise funding so the Foundation can best serve its members and fulfill its mission so that others may ride.” Around 40 U.S. service members will take a “commemorative veterans” lap in before the professional race. The celebration also will feature vendors, including the Veteran Motocross Foundation, mental health providers and military recruiting booth; a flyover by an F-15 jet; a conversation about “military, moto and mental health,” featuring several former military members; and interviews with racers about their military service. The teams and riders will honor service members with custom-designed graphics and gear representing all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. “We’re trying to support the veterans and highlight the Veteran Motocross Foundation,” Shelly Huffman said. “We’re trying to lift up veterans, recognize them across the board. I’m hoping we can do our part.” The Huffmans have been military supporters for many years. Ryan Huffman said his interest in the Armed Forces originated with his father and former park owner, Ralph Huffman, who died in 2021. “My dad was always really a strong supporter,” Ryan Huffman said. “It just means a lot to me through all that and just learning from my dad, and then seeing it on my own.” Ryan Huffman said former military members have told him that bike riding can be therapeutic. “I have a couple buddies that have served, and dirt bikes help them,” he said. “It’s just amazing to me. They call it ‘throttle therapy.’ It really helps them after being through some of the stuff that they got put through by being in combat. It’s neat that our platform can give back to those people, make their lives exciting, happier, and better.” Shelly Huffman said her passion for the military comes from seeing the impact of service members’ contributions to the Washougal community and the motocross park. “When we see the community that helps make Washougal possible, it has a lot of veterans in it,” she said. “Ryan’s family’s track wouldn’t run the same without (them). The contributions that the military community has made to the Washougal facility can’t be counted. When we started naming off all the people who make it happen, it was incredible.” Several weeks ago, the Huffmans began making inquiries in the hopes of identifying past and present military members who have supported the park over the years and asking them for photos and biographical information to post to the park’s social media channels. They received far more responses than they anticipated. ‘When we started asking, ‘Hey, do you know any veterans that ride?’ or ‘Do you know any veterans that directly or indirectly support the track?’, we just got this outpouring of (responses),” Shelly Huffman said. “So many of them stay in civil service, they love paying it back to the community, and the stuff that they’ve accomplished is so neat. Once we started that social media campaign, it just took off. That’s been super humbling and really rewarding.” The race is scheduled to begin at noon, Saturday, July 20, and will be televised on NBC. To purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/Washou galNational24. ‘The Chef’ is cooking Washougal native Levi Kitchen enters the Washougal National in sixth place in the Pro Motocross 250 Class standings with 213 points, 63 behind leader Haiden Deegan (Yamaha Racing). Kitchen, who joined the Kawasaki racing team in the fall of 2023 after spending the first three years of his professional career with Star Racing Yamaha, finished sixth (sixth place in first moto, third place in second moto) at the series’ most recent race, the RedBud National in Buchanan, Michigan, on July 6. Kitchen, known as “The Chef,” has finished in the top-10 in all six of the series races so far this year, with his best finish coming at the season-opening Fox Raceway National in Pala, California, where he finished second. “Yes, I want that first outdoor win bad,” Kitchen told Racer magazine in May 2024. “I know I’m in good shape, and it’s going to take two good starts, and I think that’s what I need to win one of these. I just need to put two motos together. Last year, I had the speed. I would put a strong moto together pretty regularly. I think I just need to nail two good starts and go from there. “The thing about outdoors that is kind of cool is that you don’t necessarily have to win to win the overall. You can go two-two and win the overall. You’ve just have to put two motos together and you can give yourself a pretty good shot at winning.” Chase Sexton (KTM) sits on top of the 450 Class standings with 260 points, followed by Hunter Lawrence (Honda) and Justin Cooper (Yamaha Racing).

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