Page 14 - ISSUE_52

BLAKE BAGGETT
450 MX / 3RD
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / KUHLHOFF DESIGN / TILLS
>> Muddy Creek fans peered out from under the cool shade of their brightly colored umbrellas and canopies with anticipation as the 450 class lined up for their first moto. All eyes were on Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS rider Blake Baggett after his incredible performance at High Point last weekend- where he grabbed the coveted red number plate. Would there be a Chupacabra sighting in Tennessee? The riders gazed out upon the chocolaty soil and lush green terrain from behind the starting line, but their eyes quickly found the gate as the thirty-second card went up. Moto one was underway and everyone was looking for the number four machine. After a rough start, Blake Baggett found himself in the seventh place spot with a lot of work ahead if he wanted to seize a podium position. Halfway through the moto, Baggett worked his way into fourth place and was officially “seeing yellow” as he approached the tail end of a battle between Barcia and Peick. With his red number plate covered with tacky dirt, Baggett was finding competition in front of him at every turn. The rider on the KTM dug deep and eventually made the pass into third place, but he was not out of the woods yet after a hiccup in a corner caused him to go down. Luckily for Baggett, he was able to move swiftly and jump back on his steed without losing any positions. Blake Baggett finished moto one in third place. With consistency in his corner, Baggett was ready to take on moto two. The American Flag waved high in the clear Tennessee sky as the gates dropped for the second race of the day. Early in the race, Baggett finds misfortune in a first corner pile up. He regained composure but was sitting in
the 39th place position on lap one. Blake Baggett needed to find the fire if he wanted any points. In typical Chupacabra fashion, Baggett started making moves and quickly found himself in 13th place just seven minutes into the race, but he was not finished yet. With the end of the moto quickly approaching, Blake Baggett found 6th place be- hind Davalos. Hungry for a podium finish, the number four machine passed Davalos, Bogle, and Peick before the checkered flag flew. Baggett finished the second moto
in third place with an impressive charge from start to finish and is leaving Tennessee with a third place overall finish.
14 GRITMOTO • JUNE 25, 2017