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CHRISTIAN CRAIG
250 SX / 3RD
IMAGE /MPG WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> There’s no doubt that Christian Craig hasn’t had the start to the 2017 250 East SX series that he was initially hoping for. The Geico Honda rider contested for the title against Cooper Webb and Joey Savatgy in the 250 West division last year, but ultimately finished in third position.
Craig was slated to race on the west coast again this year, but Jeremy Martin was showing some serious speed at the Honda test track leading up to the season opener, and the team chose the two-time outdoor champion to represent them on the western front. Craig purchased a temporary residence in Florida in order to get used to the softer east coast soil in preparation for the season and it has obviously paid off - he has consistently been one of the fastest riders throughout the first two rounds, but has not been able to put it together for an entire night of racing. Craig suf- fered a concussion during his heat race last weekend in Atlanta as he crashed in the whoops section, but he was fortunately cleared to race in Toronto. The Californian continued to show his speed in qualifying as he set the second fastest lap behind last week’s winner Zach Osborne. Craig was able to get a solid start as racing got underway in the Rogers Centre with the opening heat race; he slipped into third position in the very early stages of the moto and set his sights on Alex Martin. Craig stalked the Red Bull TLD KTM rider for the opening portion of the race, as he had a first row seat to a back and forth between Martin and Dylan Ferrandis. His Geico Honda was working flawlessly in the whoops section as he lurked behind the battle for the lead, eventu- ally working his way past Martin on the third lap. He began to pull off the quad in the long rhythm lane and closed in dramatically on the Frenchman in the lead, pressuring him until the checkered flag, but eventually coming up just short of the victory with Jordon Smith in tow. Craig executed a fairly average start in the main event by putting himself just outside the top five on the opening lap. The Geico Honda rider strapped in for a procession of eight riders throughout the opening sequence of the race, following one another around the course in single file fashion. Craig was was able to advance into the top five after a Ferrandis mistake before the rollers allowed him to gain the position. He rode firmly in fifth position throughout the middle of the race, avoiding any pressure from the riders behind him. As the race began to press on, he was able to take advan- tage of two separate incidents ahead of him in the standings that allowed him to move into the final podium position; Savatgy came up short going for the quad, and Colt Nichols landed on the tough blocks while attempting to pass Cianciarulo. The podium finish was certainly an improve- ment from where Craig has finished in the first couple of rounds, but he’ll be looking to build off of the ride in Toronto and earn a victory next weekend in Florida.
38 GRITMOTO • MARCH 5, 2017