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BLAKE BAGGETT
450 SX / 7TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Blake Baggett can no longer be considered an outdoor specialist; after many years of struggles on the indoor circuit following his 250 National Championship in 2012, the Florida resident has finally started to put it together over the past couple of years with flashes of speed in stadiums across the United States. Baggett has undoubtedly benefited from the longer main events this year as his ability to ride rough, rutted, outdoor-style tracks has shone through the rest of the competition -- and his starts haven’t been half bad either. He continued to show his speed as he gelled with the track in Seattle from the immediate commence- ment of the one and only practice session, putting his KTM towards the sharp of end of the field with the sixth fastest time. Baggett continued his run of exceptional starts as racing got underway in the opening 450 heat race, putting himself within the top five in the early stages of the race. He was able to put a quick move on Chad Reed on the very first full lap as he attempted to stick with the JGR Suzuki of Justin Barcia in third position. Baggett wasn’t able to make a move on his old 250 rival, therefore settling for fourth place and a direct transfer to the main event. As the gate dropped on the main, the California native found himself pinned outside the top five in the early stages of the race. He kept pace with his teammate, Davi Millsaps, and the Ride 365 Racing Suzuki of Malcolm Stewart, but he wasn’t able to make any impressions on either of them. Baggett made a slight mistake just before the halfway point of the moto and fell back to eighth position, dropping him directly into the clutches of Ryan Dungey. After being passed by his fellow KTM rider,
he was able to follow him through the field and work his way back to seventh position before the checkered flag.
28 GRITMOTO • APRIL 9, 2017