Page 32 - ISSUE 40

ADAM CIANCIARULO
250 SX / 1ST
IMAGE /MPG WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> The bridge over troubled water has led us over the grotesque swamps of the Gulf Coast.
A sight, so unnerving, as you look down to see bodies of water, enough to sink, and drown the momentum of everything that you’ve generated. The barge of your confidence, now slumping into that of a miniscule jon boat, is just trying to push through waves of fear and challenge, yearning for survival at its list of highest importance. Daytona Supercross is that of the most treacherous storms on the circuit; the eye of the hurricane so to speak. Although the track layout may not be the largest on the tour, it provides the brunt of impact and difficulty. This race is like no other, and it’s a place where riders such as Adam Cianciarulo excel. It leaves no stone unturned, and is a revealing curtain into to what all he has to offer in his array of tricks, even though we’ve only been able to see a fraction due to a few redundant stadium layouts. With the start’s he’s been able to generate, his confidence on a linear line to the top, it was time for him to uncork, and let the cham- pagne spray on the top of the box. In qualifying it was apparent, he was one of the few to go out, and search new options, instead of riding the main line; with the bar being set in the 1:12 range
in the early going, the field was gunning for the optimum time for first gate pick; knowing that with lap traffic to come in the main event, it would be creativity that could generate him to the top. Positioning himself solid into the main event, everyone was searching for the rut behind the gate with the least damage, as it was a balance beam out of the launch pad. The qualifying and times that preluded this event, meant nothing. It was time for points paying positions to be earned in order to generate a title-challenging run for the chase to the championship. The bikes clicked into gear, and darted into the first corner, the aroma of VP fuel engulfing the mechanics area, everyone frantically searching the pristine inside line of the left-hander. It was a quick body position change, as they suddenly went into the mogul section, acting as a pad of landmines; everyone was trying their best to tiptoe for the smoothest line. Creeping into the rhythm section before the first triple, he was trying his best to establish a quick burst of speed prior to soaring under the Honda banner that lined the outside of the layout. Up front with the top of the class, he had to generate enough force to withstand the pounding both he and his suspension would take throughout the evening; it was a test of time, he would complete lap one in the lead. Each lap, heading the front of the field, he was plowing through the absurd sand section prior to the whoops, and then somehow inducing momentum to stay atop the series of mounds that lay ahead. As the laps dwindled, his times were remaining constant, enough to lead the field for fifteen, and insert himself as alpha. With the white flag waving in a heap of surrender from the rest of the competition, the checkered would wave just in front of his view. He would claim victory, and the mist of the Florida air had never felt so sweet. Congratulations, and well deserved.
32 GRITMOTO • MARCH 12, 2017