Page 73 - ISSUE27

theGRIT
IMAGES/ KILPATRICK
With a canning knack for Supercross tracks and technical layouts, many thought Nelson would excel on the rutted New York soil. He made it hard on himself however, with a less than optimal gate choice, and lackluster drop to begin moto one. Jousting through the pack, Nelson sat 16th throughout the initial green
flag laps. Each time coming through the mechanics area, Nelson could be found zooming his vision to the right, glancing at the
pit board and feverishly relaying what he saw, back to his throttle hand. With a red flag starting the race from scratch, Nelson was thankful, pushing that 16th to the wayside and beginning the new event in ninth. Dabbling his way through the eye-opening ruts, Nelson had to walk a thin line of precision and pushing. Throughout the entirety of the moto, Nelson would hover near the eight and ninth place positions. However, as the two card neared, Nelson would attach to his KTM Orange Brigade teammate, and follow into sixth. He would remain here, taking sixth place at moto’s conclusion. Jessy came away with another solid start to begin round two, sitting in the top ten to begin; although a mistake would drop him to 19th around the 22 minute mark. Charging every lap in which he completed, the crouched, hunchback style of Nelson could be seen dodging lap traffic, all the while remaining focused on the com- petition that lay in front of him, pushing near the top ten. Holding a solid pace throughout the moto, a severe crash towards the end would dampen his results and leave him sore on the ride home. The fourteenth overall he generated was the least of his concern, as the health of the TLD rider was top priority. He remained conscious however, and we are eager to see what the future holds for the number 13.
words/LOGANMATTINGLY
WWW.GRITMOTO.COM
73