Page 22 - ISSUE_53

JOSH GRANT
450 MX / 6TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / TILLS
>> Motocross is a giant game of chess, where meticulous calculation, precision, and thought processing have to come into play. Although it may seem as if many throw caution to the wayside, there has to be a period of focus, prior to conquering any obstacle on the track; otherwise you would be seeing these riders more on the ground, than staying up right. Josh Grant has been known to pick and choose where he gains time, plot his moves minutes in advance, and develop a sort of algorithm when working his way through the field. Red Bud was a perfect place for that, line selec- tion galore, and a track as wide as they come. By the time the first moto was ready to launch, he had graphed his both strong and weak points, knowing where he would succeed, when the time came to be. And their off, the roar engulfing the valley of Buchannan; the field at times four and five wide throughout the bowl turns, he was trying his best to recover from the traffic jam of turn one; he was 19th at the line. He hits the rollers on the out- side, the bike manualing inches off the ground, pivoting on the balls of his feet. He’s looking to push forward, passing riders such as Frederik Noren and Nick Wey in the process. As always, you guessed it, he makes time
to show the drain plug over the leap, nearly sideways as he tookoff the lip of the triple. Styling his way to the finish, he trailed Justin Bogle and Dean Wilson for the last few laps, but couldn’t get around; he would finish tenth. Rock solid in fifth, the number 33 held of Marvin Musquin for quite some- time to open the round of moto two racing. Grant’s lines around the huge right bowl turn were absurd, the 450 never shutting off until he reached the drop-down single. Dicing it up with the likes of Justin Barcia for the latter portion of the moto, the strongest of value’s would prevail; it was Grant, coming across the line in fifth, good enough for a sixth overall.
22 GRITMOTO • JULY 2, 2017