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COLT NICHOLS
250 SX / 4TH
IMAGE /MPG WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Colt Nichols is coming off of the second best finish of his career with a third place finish at the Georgia Dome last weekend. The Oklahoma rider finished second in 2016 during his stint with the CycleTrader Rock River Yamaha team and he was able to double his career podium tally with an exceptional ride on an extremely gnarly track in Atlanta. He had doubts about his readiness coming into the 2017 season as he sustained a broken femur in the latter stages of 2016, but he stayed determined throughout his rehab and has shown podium speed since the first gate drop of the season. Unfortunately, he was caught in a first lap incident with Dakota Alix in Minnesota, but Nichols has proven that he can get good starts on his Yamaha and finish up front when he does so. The Star Racing Yamaha rider maintained the same form that he displayed last weekend down south as he clocked the seventh fastest lap time heading into the night show. Nichols had one of the most picture perfect heat races of his career as he shot out of the starting gate on his Star Racing Yamaha to an exceptional holeshot ahead of his team- mate, Mitchell Harrison. The Oklahoma native stayed calculated and consistent throughout the heat race and built a decent gap over the competition from the early stages. The Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider of Adam Cianciarulo began to stalk him in second position, but Nichols was determined and was able to maintain an advantage from the head of the field. He was able to finish up the race with a comfortable gap over the rest of his competitors and snag a handful of confidence heading into the main event. Nichols rocketed out of the gate to another exceptional start as his Star Racing Yamaha put him in fifth position behind Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo in the early stages of the main event. The top group of riders followed one another for the introductory laps, allowing the leaders to duke it out at the front of the pack. Nichols calmly trailed Cianciarulo and settled into the his rhythm, and it wasn’t much longer until his teammate, Dylan Ferrandis, made a mistake and dropped a couple positions. He was able to move past his teammate and follow Cianciarulo through to fourth position, keeping a steady gap between himself and the third placed rider. As the laps ticked off, Nichols inched closer
and closer to third position. He hounded the Kawasaki rider in the waning laps of the race, ready to make his move with only four left on the board. Unfortunately, the Oklahoma native made a mistake entering one of the rhythm sections and got a little too close to the tuff blocks, subsequently crashing and demoting himself to fourth position. Although he crashed out of a podium position this weekend, Nichols is moving in the right direction with consistent speed and astonishing starts that will only set him up for good positions in the future.
40 GRITMOTO • MARCH 5, 2017