Page 32 - Issue34

MARTIN DAVALOS
250 SX / AZ
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / LANNAN DESIGN / WILSON
>> Martin Davalos has been in search of that 250 title for many years. He has been so close many times throughout the years but crashes
and bad luck have kept him from reaching his ultimate goal. Martin has caught a lot of trouble for not moving up to the premier class but it is clear to see that he wants to be on top of the point’s standings in the
250 class. Martin looked like he had something to prove as the riders
hit the track on Saturday morning in Arizona. He was able to qualify 4th aboard his Husqvarna and was ready to go racing. When 250 Heat 1 began, Davalos got off to a great start and hugged the inside as they entered the first corner. He nearly pulled the holeshot and was running 2nd early on. Martin then began to creep up on the leader, Forkner. After a couple of failed pass attempts, Martin finally made the move by diving to the inside in the corner after the finish line. The rest was history as he cruised to an impressive victory. Unfortunately, he did not get the start he was hoping for when the gate dropped for the Main as he made a bit of contact with Plessinger going down the start straight. Nevertheless, He was able to make quick work of the riders in front of him. By the time the pack reached the first triple, Martin had diced his way into 5th position. He continued to put down solid laps but as the riders approached the halfway point, something went wrong with his bike as he was stopped, sitting there shrugging his shoulders in the direction of his mechanic. Apparently the problem resolved itself quickly as Davalos was back on track quickly doing everything he could to make up the lost time. He was making daring passes including jumping over two other riders off the triple. Impressively enough, he was able to get back into 5th place in just a few laps. Martin held on to 5th all the way to the checkered flag with no more troubles.
32 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 29, 2017