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DAVI MILLSAPS
450 SX / MN.
IMAGE /MPG WORDS /MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> This series is a game of attrition. And far too many competitors end up trapping themselves in large holes of doom, before the championship run truly hits its stride. You can’t blame them for wanting to grab and yearn at the sight of gold, acting as a dangling carrot in front of their faces, but their must be a sense of relaxation and veteranism, that comes with experience you can only obtain under these bright lights. And Davi Millsaps under- stands that. He’s been down this road, tasting championship success at
a young age, crashing his lights out early in his career, but rebounding to become one of the brightest stars in the sport. Minneapolis was another platform for him to display his skills, and from the time practice started,
he was taking advantage of the opportunity he was given. Once nightfall came, the crowd packed into their seats, he knew the time had come. Firing out of the hole, his rear grasping mother earth for all it had, a quick swipe of second, third gear, before allowing the engine breaking to de- scend his machine. The swivel shifted, left, and a rhythm lane; swing to the right, and here comes the most treacherous terrain on the planet. He had to remind himself to create a smooth transition of breathing; otherwise his race was over before it began. Finding himself in second, just behind Cole Seely, he quickly took over the front of the field after a stellar start. The pack, however, would swarm; especially two kings bees, that would hover for the oh so sweet nector that lurked at the finish line. An unfortunate few stings, and Millsaps was quickly overtaken by the wrath of Ryan Dungey and Eli Tomac. He would fight valiantly, reaching with every muster of his being, but the pace of the field was just a tad too much. He would drop little by little, Anderson, Seely, Musquin, shortly thereafter taking reign of the number 18. He would fall to sixth place, a disappointing performance for himself, but solid nonetheless in the grand scheme of things.
22 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 19, 2017