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Turning around an hour later for moto two, again the #34 rocketed out of the gate alongside teammate Justin Barcia to reach 4th for the entire first lap. On lap two, the hard charging Anderson made his second move of the day on Phil pushing him back to 5th. Like a mirror image of moto one, after Anderson came Tomac, pressuring Philthy as the race settled in and riders began to distance themselves from each other. After losing 5th to Eli and riding in 6th, Phil tried to repeat his moto one performance but lost a spot to Matt
Bisceglia as the race tipped the halfway mark, forcing Nicoletti to 7th. Riding comfortably in 7th, as the race wore on into the final stages, the ruthless Yamaha of Weston Peick was able to get by and Phil was pushed to eighth where he would ride to the end for a 6-8 score in the final round of 2016. A top-tier replacement rider, Phil proves that pure work ethic can turn into success despite the loaded field of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. No one can be sure when Philthy will return to the starting line or if he will remain a team test rider, but if Indiana was meant to prove anything, it secured the fact that Nicoletti has the ability to contend with the best in the world. Hope to see you next year, Philthy.
words/BRENTECKERT
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