Page 20 - ISSUE42

BLAKE BAGGETT
450 SX / 4TH
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> Many of the Detroit Pistons fans remember the infamous brawl of “Malice
in the Palace” years ago, and to be honest, how could you be able to forget something of that magnitude? Fans and competitors alike literally brawling over
a basketball game, absolutely absurd, but it somewhat showed the character of what the city has at its core. A tough, hardnosed backbone never backing down from a fight. Blake Baggett has this trait deep within himself, don’t let him fool you. His inner aggression has propelled him this far in his career, and he has no choice but to continue on; and to be honest, he knows no other way than to go full paced, one hundred percent. All day he was solid through the dragon’s back sections, stepping off in precise increments, and then hopping down into the gulley would solid momentum. He would then scrub the next dragon’s back, all the while rally- ing towards the triple, where he would motion the machine to the opposite side. Truly poetry in motion. Making his way into the night show with a solid qualifying effort (and phenomenal low 50 second times throughout the program), it was now time to put up or shut up during the moments in which everyone was watching. Sprinting down the start stretch after the gate would crash into mother earth,
the field would mean business this weekend, as each elbow would be touched and levers would collide. The field was a series of fireworks, specifically bottle rockets, shooting every which way as they graced the air of the opening triple. And Blake was buried DEEP within the field. But man has the guy seemed to found his groove indoors, as he would fight diligently throughout the remainder
of the program. 8th, became 7th, 6th and so on, fighting for every spot, excelling as you may have guessed in that deep sand. He would literally go as fast as he could into the sand, and let the deep trenches bring down his momentum, passing the apex with full throttle. He would move passed Broc Tickle near the 10 minute mark, and now begin to zero in on his teammate, Davi Millsaps nearing the end
of the moto. Millsaps, an injured gazelle, was fading heavily, as he once sat within podium contention. And when he smelt blood, he crept and went. Overtaking the fourth spot at the last possible second. A stellar ride for the California native, his confidence is soaring.
20 GRITMOTO • MARCH 26, 2017