Page 46 - ISSUE 40

LORENZO LOCURCIO
250 SX / 6TH
IMAGE /MPG WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> The alligator is one the most feared reptiles in the entire world. A sleek, slither- ing character whose disguise blends in so well to its immediate surroundings; it
lurks and waits for someone to come into its territory. It remains composed, and
sly, slowly treading the surface, luring any prey to come into the water, just awaiting the right moment to pounce and grab hold with an grimacing bite. Lorenzo Locurcio lurks in the shadows of the crowd each week, sometimes his performances going unnoticed; and although a rarity, he is at times overlooked as an immediate threat
to take the top prize. He thrives on that however, as a rookie it’s what’s motivated him throughout his career, the chip on his shoulder can at times weigh as much as the heaviest of boulders; but instead of dragging him down with insurmountable pressure on his spine, he pushes it off, and rolls it into the competition. Never one
to be outdone, he antes up with the pace of competition around him, and with the blitzkrieg of the 250 field in the sands of Daytona, he knew he would be in for an ex- tremely tough task. But he rose, and arose quickly at that, firing on all cylinders from the get go. Pushing on from the first flag in practice, to the checkers of his heat race, solidifying his spot amongst the top in the world. With the 250’s revving to the fullest and cleaning out the exhaust once night fall came, it was finally time for the main event. Cast under the lights, the field drove fiercely into turn number one. It was all he could do to keep the machine from being bombarded by those to the sides of him, but he withstood the pressure and pushed on emerging third on the opening lap! He was wheel tapping in every spot he could for the opening laps, weighing
the pegs with his plantarflexors, and pushing the suspension through the plushest stroke, radiating a smooth feel throughout the entire chassis. Hovering inside the top five for the majority of the moto, he would push and claw his way into the sixth place end during the final few laps. Although out of breath, his immense mentality would push him into sixth for his final residing spot by race end, a great result for the rookie.
46 GRITMOTO • MARCH 12, 2017