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VINCE FRIESE
450 SX / 10TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / LANG DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> With all the pre-season talk, predictions and expectations coming into the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross season, nobody could have predicted the way things have played out thus far. Weird crashes, unexpected title contenders, rider injuries and plenty of drama to keep the fans entertained, one can only assume that Vince Friese would be somewhere in one of these conversations. Well, he is! Although not for dirty riding or questionable passes. The Smart Top BullFrog MCR Honda rider is riding fantastic this season. Besides one incident last weekend where some riders didn’t think he was moving out of the way when receiving the blue flag, Friese has been drama free and riding very well. Showing speed almost every weekend in daytime qualifying, Friese did the same in San Diego. Ending the final session in 14th overall and clocking laps wihin the same second as the top con- tenders, Vince is showing he has the one lap speed and can also be consistent. Kicking off the night with a top ten start in his heat race, Vince was in the midst of
a group of riders all trying to get a 9th place finish or better. With plenty of aggres- sive racing going on around him, Friese kept it clean and actually benefitted from two other riders coming together and ending up on the ground. He would finish 8th and head straight to the Main Event. When the final race of the night began, Vince once again showed his speed early in the race. Starting around 10th and immedi- ately moving up to 6th, Friese was making quick work of some big named riders. After a few laps he started to move backwards a few positions and settled in 10th place. Like many other riders tonight, this was Friese’s best finish of the season. If Vince can ride the entire Main Event at the pace he rides the first few laps there is no doubt he can soon be a consistent top ten guy.
62 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 11, 2018