Page 28 - ISSUE_53

JUSTIN BOGLE
450 MX / 8TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / TILLS
>> Week 6 of the pro tour brings us to Michigan, signaling the halfway point of the series. A hard thought to fathom, the riders must readjust and reassess their performances thus far. Continue on the path they’re going down, or revert to new habits and ways of operation, looking to rally as the series hits the latter portion. Justin Bogle has been here many times before, knowing that this race is pivotal in the swing of the championship, and he must be diligent in his fight towards
the front, in order to stay afloat, and relevant in this series. That attitude was resonating through his riding style early on, throwing whips for all to see, scrub- bing every roller he could. If he could just keep this effort up for the main event’s, he would be in good shape. The gate blasts into the sand for moto one, his tire roosting the mechanic behind him. Going through tearoff’s like hotcakes, he’s trying to get situated as the field sorts themselves out. Blasting through the two way prior to the roller section, his clutch lever is merely dragging the ground, as he carves, all the while keeping the 450 pegged to hilt. Battling amongst the best in the game, the seventh place start is manageable, and he’s beginning to move up, battling for the top five. In a train of riders, he’s nestled between Baggett, and Barcia, so there’s no shortage of carnage going around. Yet he remains com- posed, throwing a bit of legswag over the leap, all the while crouching in his nor- mal manner. As the moto went on, however, the heart rate began to climb, and the lactic threshold crept nearer and nearer. He would fall to both Dean Wilson, Jason Anderson, and Cole Seely, taking ninth at the stripe. A ninth place start in moto two had the sand all through the vent of his helmet, even by the green flag. Prancing around the track as if it were a tightrope, he gingerly placed the wheel in the smoothest spots, making sure to conserve his energy if he wanted to last. Moving up to seventh at one point, it was battle between he, Dean Wilson, and Josh Grant. He would fight tooth and nail, railing the outside of the berm after the rollers, all to flick the bars over the falling tabletop. His flare would push him in front of Wilson, just behind the foe of Justin Barcia by race’s end. He would take home seventh, and eighth overall.
28 GRITMOTO • JULY 2, 2017