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IMAGE/JACKEDWARDS
BENNY BLOSS
Benny Bloss has had an up and down rookie season in which he has showed a lot of promise thus far. The 2015 AMA Horizon Award winner came into the 2016 season preparing to line up for the 250 East SX
series with the Blue Buffalo Yamaha team. Shortly before the start of proceedings, they parted ways and Bloss was forced
to put together a privateer effort in order to compete. His determination and initiative to mix it up with the fastest riders in the world paid off almost immediately after scoring a 13th place finish in Atlanta; consequently, he was offered a replacement ride for the injured Luke Renzland at the CycleTrader/Rock River Yamaha team. Bloss was able to take full advantage of this opportunity and he continued to improve, earning a 7th place in a hectic Toronto race in only his third supercross. After struggling with rookie mistakes over the next couple of races, Bloss would receive the opportunity of a lifetime after BTO Sports KTM rider Davi Millsaps was forced out of racing with an injury. The BTO team was down to just one rider as opposed to their normal trio, but that didn’t last long as they called Bloss up to the premier class to take one of the empty seats. There isn’t a better group of teammates for a rookie to have; Justin Brayton, Andrew Short, and Davi Millsaps may be one of the most experienced groups in the paddock. The entire team has proven they have what it takes to battle at the front of the pack, and they hope they’ll be able to transfer that experience to the young Missourian. Bloss’ first 450 supercross in Foxborough could have gone a little
bit better as he failed to qualify for the main event due to some wild crashes, but he still showed that he has the speed to compete in the big class. He put in a pair of consecutive 19th place finishes to close the season out, gaining invaluable experience in the process. The news that Davi Millsaps was going to race the Canadian series may have came as a shock to some, but it would have been music to Bloss’ ears as he was able to take over the remaining BTO Sports KTM seat for the outdoor season. Hangtown was a learning experience for Bloss consider- ing it was his first 450 pro national, but he made the most of the situation and finished 14th in the second moto. Combined with the 21st that he scored in moto 1, Bloss sat 18th overall at the end of the day, getting the better of his elder teammate, Justin Brayton. The gangly rider
out of Missouri did some serious damage on a 450 in his amateur days, so don’t be surprised to see him start to break into the top ten as the series heads east.
38 GRITMOTO • MAY.30.16
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