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ALEX MARTIN
250 SX / MN.
IMAGE / MPG WORDS /KUHLHOFF DESIGN / WILSON
>> Troy Lee Designs/ Red Bull / KTM rider Alex Martin is who many of us would have predicted as a front-runner in the first round of the 250 East Coast, as well as a title contender. Sadly, the Minnesota native found himself struggling in his home state to- night. Heat one was an explosive start to the night with two gnarly back-to-back pile-ups in the first and second corners. Unfortu- nately, Martin was the first one on the ground in the chaos. Cian- ciarulo was right in front of Martin exiting the rhythm and entering the track’s second 180-degree corner. When Cianciarulo did not double out of the section, Martin did. Alex then found himself on the ground after making contact with the back of the #36 machine of Cianciarulo. Martin was able to get back up and gain a few posi- tions, but the 10th place finish was not enough to make it straight to the Main Event. Alex was off to the Last Chance Qualifier. Da- kota Alix had the lead on Martin in the LCQ, but even after a rocky start to the night, Martin had a fire inside that was not burning out. Alex was able to get by Dakota with two laps to go, sending him
to the Main Event. Soon after the gates hit the ground, bad luck got the best of the #26 coming into the first turn of the main after getting a little tangled up with Kyle Peters resulting in hard crash for both of them off the start. After this, Alex Martin found himself in the mechanic’s area with a bike problem, ending the moto for him. The track’s layout and rough conditions posed many challenges for the rider’s tonight; while some were victorious, others were
not. This may have been a tough night, but we all know that Alex Martin is capable of victory.
154 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 19, 2017