Page 32 - NOVEMBER-18

3CHANDLER BAKER >>
Something about competing within your home state, offers a sense of reassurance and con- fidence. The dirt, climate, and longevity of travel all play within your favor, as well as having
the event to be easily acces- sible to many family and friends. Chandler Baker is a recipient
of the aforementioned circum- stance, being a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma himself. In the heart of Tornado alley, Baker’s twister like theatrics brought a gust
of wind large enough to swirl the competition, leaving all in disarray and disoriented come time for the gate drop. Lining
up on the number five Yamaha, Baker looked to torch the field
with a solid start, and managed to come across the stripe in
the fifth place position. He first would dice it up with Hunter Cordua, as the two would swap in the running order; with Baker eventually planting his feet firmly ahead. Staying in fourth for the next few laps, his preci- sion through these deep, rutted corners was rather impressive. There was little to no faltering from his riding style, as indi- cated with laptimes no higher
than that of a one minute, fifty-one second circuit. He would hover just off the rear fender of Kaeden Amerine, as the Midwest tandem would round out the podium positions. He was pleased with his effort, know- ing that he could replicate his performance, as the next gate would fall. The track would really come into a strong flow as the second moto’s would roll around. Almost everyone in the field would accelerate in comparison with the first race, and Chandler Baker was no different. The pack was so quickly contested and rivaling one another, that the top seven was separated by only thirteen seconds! With the leader only a mere three seconds faster than Baker a lap, he would start the race off in eighth and look to sustain a solid position. He quickly found himself in a duel with TJ Uselman, as the tearoff’s were beginning to fly. Ripping through the stack, he searched and searched for optimum lines; it was an effort for the ages, as he could found hanging off the rear fender, the throttle twisted to maximum capacity. He would hop into seventh place by lap number four, where the top five was a mere three seconds away. Crossing the line in seventh, the configuration of numbers would begin; and with his abundant consistency, he would ride strong enough for third overall! A superb effort on the day, resulted in a satisfactory emotion from all in his camp.
32 MPG • NOVEMBER • 2018