Page 34 - ISSUE42

JOEY SAVATGY
250 SX / 2ND
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / KUHLHOFF DESIGN / WILSON
>> In 1986, the very first 250 class was held in Detroit and Ron Tichenor got his first career victory on a Kawasaki. After a second place finish in Indianapolis last weekend, Joey Savatgy was ready to build upon that at Ford Field and put his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki in the number one spot on the podium. A focused Savatgy lined up for the first heat race of the night. Keys to the race: attempt to hook up in a slick first turn for a good start, don’t get buried in a tidal wave of sand, and keep it on two wheels...all things that are easier said than done. With perfect heat race execution and a definite spot in the Main Event, the number 17 was able to grab second place behind Christian Craig while laying down a stellar 53.5-sec- ond lap time, faster than all of his competitors.
With the speed in his corner, confidence had to have been radiating from Savagty as he lined up for the Main Event. With a track that had been constantly evolving all night, outlooks were becoming more and more unpredictable for our riders. The sand section was deteriorating and shiny tear offs littered the track, mimicking the reflections that bounced off of each and every slippery spot.
Charging bar to bar into the first turn, the riders showed great valor as they searched for traction. After going down in the first turn, points leader Zach Osborne found himself in
the mechanics area. Savatgy was sitting in third on the first lap and also had the points lead in his hands. Third was not enough for the Georgia native though, he then passed Ferrandis and Cianciarulo taking over the lead. With ten minutes left in the moto, Joey Savatgy slides out, a mistake that will give the lead back to Ferrandis, put Smith in second, and Savatgy back into third. Joey Savatgy was in Detroit to win and he would not let his goal slip away
that easily. After a mistake by Ferrandis and Smith, Savatgy was able to capitalize and pass Jordon Smith but Jordon handed it right back to Joey by immediately passing him back. With an incredible three-way battle underway, Smith and Savatgy were able to pass Ferrandis. Giving it everything he had, Joey Savatgy showed amazing speed in the whoops and then made contact with Smith in hopes of snatching that first place position. It was too little too late for the Kawasaki machine and a frustrated Joey Savatgy crossed the finish line in second place. It was definitely a bittersweet end of the night in Detroit for the 17. The red plate is awesome, but the sting of little mistakes still lingered. Savatgy’s powerful ending statement during his podium interview will surely be running though all of our minds as St. Louis quickly approaches, “We’ll bounce back and come out next weekend swinging.”
34 GRITMOTO • MARCH 26, 2017