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COLE MARTINEZ
250 SX / A2
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / LANNAN DESIGN / WILSON
>> Cole Martinez is somewhat of a veteran in the 250 class of Super- cross. He has been racing for about 5 years now and is in search of some top 5 finishes. Cole has landed his self inside the top ten multiple times in his career but has yet to make the next jump up. This year, Cole had a rough start at Anaheim 1 but was able to bounce back
with a 12th last weekend in San Diego. He was eager to back it up on Saturday as he hit the track in Anaheim. Cole qualified 15th fastest in the shortened practice sessions and was ready to do some racing. As the gate dropped for 250 Heat 2, he got off to a decent start and was running just inside the top ten. Cole pushed his way up to 7th quickly and was looking fast as the riders neared the halfway point. Martinez began to feel the pressure behind him and was doing his best to keep the focus forward. On the last lap, Cole could hear the motors revving in his ear and was trying to protect his lines the best he could. In the last corner, he left the door open just a couple of feet too much and Decotis was able to sneak by to steal away 7th place. Cole would fin- ish 8th which was still good enough to qualify. In the Main, Cole was running 12th place early on and was struggling to make up positions in the stacked field. On lap four, he lost a position to Kyle Chisholm and was doing his best to focus on the race in front of him. Cole then put together some solid laps and looked capable of holding the position. Unfortunately, Jeremy Martin and Phil Nicoletti would come through after a first turn crash and make the pass. Cole was now in 15th place and eager to not lose any more positions. As the laps wound down, he looked strong and was able to hold on to 15th place as the checkers waved in Anaheim.
124 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 22, 2017