Page 20 - GRIT_57

BLAKE BAGGETT
450 MX / 5TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / TILLS
>> Although injuries can deter the route of even the most diligent, an ath- lete, or any man with that being said, can be judged on how they overcome adversity. Blake Baggett can be critiqued and ridiculed all day long, however, the fact of the matter is, if he’s able to compete on race-day, you can guaran- tee the number four will muster every ounce of being in order to make both he and his camp proud. It was the same at Unadilla, after remounting from an injury sustained earlier this summer, many were wondering how Baggett would continue to push the prominent pace he once set early in the year. After a fourth place start in the first moto, he was silencing all critics, with his imminent charge to the front. Each lap he would continue to peck at the lead, knowing that with enough chipping, he could reach the core of the problem, ala Marvin Musquin. As the rain began to fall, he would yearn to the rear wheel of Musquin, manualing his way through the backside rollers, the rear wheel never leaving the ground, while the front forks just floated mere inches above. The 450 was dancing both through the front end and rear shock,
but he just couldn’t seem to make the final move. And as lightning crept in through the wayside, the race would be halted and he would finish runner-up. The second moto was yet another mudfest, with the Nile and Amazon river’s flowing through this once solid green pasture. After an eleventh place start, his vision was beyond dampened from the get-go, so you knew this would
be a rough outing. Each lap seemed to be a matter of tripping, or spinning among his own tires, as he even fell to sixteenth in moments there after. He knew every point would count, and although his effort was as high as ever, he could only be so-creative, with the bike beginning to come submerged. By race end- he would pass Dakota Alix for eleventh, creeping just behind Justin Bogle; it would accrue to a fifth overall.
20 GRITMOTO • AUGUST 13, 2017