Page 19 - mpg-august

IMAGE / KILPATRICK
theGRIT
Bradley Taft got off to a flying start in sloppy conditions in the first 250 A Moto and he found himself locked in a battle with the number 37 of Sean Cantrell on the opening lap. Taft ducked his way through the roost of the KTM and worked his way into the top spot before they crossed the stripe for the first time, putting in the fastest lap (1:58.10) of the race on the very next lap in a heroic effort to gap the field early and break away at the front. Taft ran a blistering pace in the first half of the race to build a 6 second lead over the Orange Brigade superstar and managed his lead with calm, consistent riding until the checkered flag. It was a mature
ride by the young Missourian as he showed the composure and precision of a veteran to take his first win of the week. The second 250 A Moto got off to a similar start as Taft managed to grab an early lead, but this time he had the Geico Honda of Chase Sexton nipping at his heels. The young rider out of Illinois forced his way past Taft on the fourth lap of the race and never looked back.
Taft struggled to match the pace of Sexton down the stretch and was forced into a couple mistakes, eventually settling for the 2nd place finish in another showing of veteran riding. The Yamaha rider had a point to prove in the last 250 A Moto of the week and he proved it right from the drop of the gate with another spectacular start, ripping the holeshot and using the outside line in the second corner to fend off an aggressive Husqvarna piloted by Michael Mosiman. The rest of the pack only got a brief glimpse of the rear fender of Taft’s Yamaha as he set a blazing pace from the get go, laying down a 1:55.52 on the first full lap - the fastest time of
the entire race. This was arguably the most dominant performance of the entire week by the 19 year old, laying down the gauntlet and earning himself another Loretta Lynn’s title for his collection in one of the most coveted classes of the prestigious event. The first moto of Open Pro Sport produced some incredible racing at the front of the field; it seemed as if no one wanted to lead and it turned into a battle of attrition until the middle of the race. Taft started off in 3rd place and took advantage of an early Dustin Winter mistake to drop into 2nd behind Luke Purther. He found a way around Purther on the fourth lap and looked to emulate one of his electric 250 A performances by sprinting away at the front of the field, but he made a mistake in the Ten Commandments which sent him flying off the side of his motorcycle toward the edge of the track. He forfeited the top two spots to Sexton and McAdoo; fortunately, he was still able to remount his blue horse and remain in the final podium position until the checkered flag.
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