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Emotions began to rise, as the 30 second board went sideways, and the referee scurried across the start stretch. Savatgy, focused on timing the gate with immense precision, aspired to get out to an early lead and bypass the field. A less than stellar jump saw the number 37 sixteenth on the initial grid; the fury and mere split seconds this field can be separated by is incredible. Many thought after a few laps, Savatgy would work his way well into the top ten; but on the contrary, the pace of the Pro Circuit pilot seemed a little slower than usual. The square-edged landscape of San Bernardino was beating the forks of the Kawasaki for all she had, and Savatgy couldn’t seem to find the flow that he captivated in Hangtown. With around nine minutes to go, he still sat outside of the top ten, in twelfth. Finishing a distant 58 seconds behind the leader, Savatgy would hang his helmet on ninth
place in disappointment. Number nine just seemed to couple with Savatgy throughout his racing endeavors this weekend, as he once again crossed the opening stripe in his first moto finishing position. Nestled between heavy hitters, Webb and Plessinger, he looked to rally behind his Supercross foe and storm to the front. With Webb buckling down and rallying towards the leaders, Plessinger followed suit, leapfrogging Savatgy in the process. Standing in seventh near the halfway point, the aroma of Hangtown was long swept away. He struggled with the weight of the red plate; and to make matters even worse, he trailed highly-touted rookie/teammate Austin Forkner. He knew what was at stake, and the idea of softening the blow was apparent from both he and his mechanic. Championships are about lessening the severity of your worst days, and although a seventh overall is disheartening, he can look forward to next week- end to rebound and take hold of the championship again.
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