Page 50 - Issue_64

MITCHELL HARRISON
450 SX / 9TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / MATINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> With a rather large chunk of the series being past by in our rearview, there are many out there who are assessing their results until this point in present time. Some look to be satis- fied, yet eager for more performances like the ones that have preceded. If they can look to bottle their charisma from rounds ago, and continue to display in the weeks to come, they will be in spectacular shape. On the contrary, there are those looking to make a statement, pushing their notion of “sub five-hundred” performances to the wayside, and only moving forward in ascending fashion. Mitchell Harrison views the forthcoming rounds as an escala- tor to the summit of success, each step embodying his journey and growth as a professional, avoiding complacency at all costs. As practice began for the day, he was seen creating combinations that the most brilliant of artists couldn’t resist salivating at; arcing the corner prior to crossing the start straight, he would swing wide prior to the left, and leap alongside the starting gate, nodding at his mechanic all the while. Registering solidly at the end of his sessions, he then looked forward to display his abilities in the heat races. Bottled up off the start, he would hit the atrocious triple parallel with the start three-wide, locking bars with
the best in the business. Blitzing into the following whoop section, his chassis would dance side to side; almost as if you could read his sponsor’s logo on the swingarm. Not so fast my friend, as he would caress the 450 gently into the following left, getting ready to pounce into the next rhythm lane. Contending with the likes of Chase Marquier, he would go on to finish tenth. The LCQ, shortly thereafter, was a place for redemption; he would remain solid and intact, knowing he just wanted to qualify; he would do so, putting himself into the final round. As the main event would commence, a sigh of this crisp Oakland air was inhaled through the nostril, and exhaled via the diaphragm, letting the relaxation methods of his endorphins do their part. Blitzing off the line, he would grab third, and slightly fourth gear with his boot, only to decelerate shortly there after. Rubbing the shrouds raw that surrounded his radiator, he would look over to the crowd after the first few laps, astonished by the pace he was running. Blitzing through each and every rhythm lane with calculated movement, there was absolutely no need for a speedometer; it was all in the arc of his mechanics, a repetition that had been engrained over a decade. Navigating the track piece by piece alongside, Hayden Mellross, it was all he could do to fend him off; yet he would prevail, coming across the line in 9th place.
50 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 4, 2018