Page 68 - GM33

DAVI MILLSAPS
450 SX / A2
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / ECKERT DESIGN / WILSON
>> With two top ten finishes through two rounds, Davi Millsaps has had a pleasant return to racing in 2017. Now for round three, in the second and final Anaheim race of 2017, racing for Davi got off to a quick start as the #18 gapped out the holeshot in heat two. It wasn’t just by a nose or two either, no, not at all; Millsaps’ KTM hooked up so well that the #18 pulled a few bike lengths on the rest of the field as the pack entered the rhythm after the first turn and the rest was history. The veteran took advantage of a clear track, kept the pace alive and lead his teammate, Blake Baggett, around the track for the remaining laps of the heat. Tomac tried to ruin the night for the KTM team but both riders held off Eli and Davi finished with his first heat race win of 2017. Hoping to keep the winning wheel spinning, Davi looked to get out front early in the main event but ran into some first turn struggles and came out near the back of the pack. As the field officially checked off the first lap, Millsaps gained some positions to hold onto 13th behind Dean Wilson to start lap two. Staying there over the course of the first few minutes, it wasn’t until lap four that Davi jumped up to 12th after getting around his teammate, Baggett, who dropped outside the top ten quickly. A lap later, Millsaps put an inside move on Dean Wilson in 11th and the pass stuck, which allowed Millsaps to focus on Tomac in 10th, some four seconds ahead. A few laps later, without Millsaps making any ground on the rider in front of him, Davi moved into 10th place as a result of a Ken Roczen crash and hoped to continue the momentum forward. Unable to mount any charge on Tomac in front of him, though, Millsaps was handed another position after Malcolm Stewart dropped outside of the top ten. Now in 9th, Millsaps held the spot for the rest of the main, earning his third top ten in as many races.
68 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 22, 2017