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COLE SEELY
450 MX / 7TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / TILLS
>> The track at RedBud truly has a recipe of soil, that’s unmatched across
the globe. Years of tilling, plowing, and sewing have created a concoction of premium grip, ruts, bumps, and berms, that you can’t find anywhere else. Take a look at a helmet cam of your favorite rider, the amount of soil differentiation
is absurd, as you can go from a shiny light brown, to a jet-black charcoal in
a matter of seconds. As a rider, that means your style must change literally from section to section; you must be prepared for a different type of groove around every bend. Always ready and willing to adapt, Cole Seely excels on this course because of this elite attribute; he was anxious to get the festivi-
ties underway. Rocketing out of the hole, he clicked third as soon as he could across the gate, looking both left and right as the pack swarmed in. Shifting his weight all around, the back end began to dance coming out of the trees, but he remained constant on the throttle, pursuing his next opponent hard. The fourth place of the opening lap quickly vanished, falling to eighth by lap four after
a slight washout. He would remount, still trailing Justin Barcia, and Christian Craig. Never appearing buckwild, his signature elbows down style carried over quite nicely, to the contrary of many, as he would flick the bike right over the tabletop prior to the rollers. Lugging the bike a gear tall, he was making his way around the track in solid fashion. His Honda teammate appearing as a dangling carrot just in front, his luck would run out at the checkered flag; he would finish 6th. A twelfth place start wasn’t ideal for moto two, but he knew he would have to work in order to retain a solid finish. He would first eye the likes of Canard and Martin Davalos; and after a few laps of heavy pressure, they would falter, and he would inherit a higher placing. Trailing the likes of the Husqvarna of Dean Wilson for the majority of the moto, it was a battle of California boys, with Wilson remaining in front at the stripe. Although a valiant effort, the number 14 would finish ninth, garnering seventh overall.
26 GRITMOTO • JULY 2, 2017
