Page 14 - ISSUE 40

JEREMY MARTIN
450 SX / 2ND
IMAGE /MPG WORDS /HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / WILSON
>> Jeremy Martin’s 250 West Coast campaign did not go how he would have liked but he was presented with the perfect opportunity to forget about all that. And that opportunity was a Factory Honda 450 for the Daytona Supercross. Martin jumped all over the opportunity and put it in the testing to ensure he could perform at full capacity. Daytona fits his more outdoor riding style so well and his win there in the 250 East Coast series last year is proof of that. He came into the race this year not intimidated at all by the tougher and more experienced competition and set his sights on making it two straight Daytona wins.
Martin looked like a premier class vet in qualifying practice throwing down the second fast- est lap time of the day. He was just two tenths of a second off the reigning champion Ryan Dungey. That provided a huge confidence boost as he went to line it up for the heat race. Martin got out to an average start in his heat race crossing the line on lap one in fifth position. He tried going after Justin Brayton for that fourth and final transfer spot but he started to suffer some rookie mistakes. A near endo almost derailed his entire night and he wound up losing a spot to new teammate Cole Seely. Martin tried to remount a charge but he washed out hard along the front stretch. He remounted but only salvaged a ninth place.
The semi started slow for Martin as he came around lap one back in seventh. He made quick work of Catanzaro for sixth and then set his sights on Justin Bogle who held the final transfer spot. Knowing time was of the essence, he made the pass for fifth around Bogle just two laps later and held onto that spot to escape out of the semi with the final transfer.
Fired up from the bright lights and history at Daytona, Martin fired out of the gate and charged into the early lead in his first career 450 main event. The crowd was fired up as it saw him and championship contender Eli Tomac lead them around the opening lap. The atmosphere was intense and Martin was determined to give the fans what they wanted. He countered Tomac’s early advances at the lead with veteran-like poise. He even built a little gap between the two for several laps. That all changed at the halfway point when Tomac mounted his second offensive. This time Martin could not hold him back despite his best retaliation efforts. Once he got bumped to second, he kept it steady and brought home a second-place finish
in his 450 debut. It was a spectacular ride from the Minnesota native and he gave us a little taste of what’s to come when he joins the 450 ranks full time in 2018.
14 GRITMOTO • MARCH 12, 2017