Page 44 - MARCH_ISSUE

GAGE LINVILLE
SCHOOLBOY 1 (12-16)
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> The Schoolboy 1 class shot out of the gate to a hectic start as the Yamaha of Christopher Mitchell grabbed the holeshot. It didn’t last for long as some of the riders were four-wide in the second corner, consequently creating the space for Gage Linville to shoot out to an early lead. Linville utilized the open track ahead of him
in order to take lines of his choosing and he looked extremely comfortable while doing so. The Yamaha rider scrubbed each and every jump with style as he continued to clock lap times a couple of seconds faster than his competition. The Georgia native looked at home on the clay based terrain as he displayed controlled throttle technique through the flat corners, sliding his way around in domi- nant fashion. The gap to second grew ever so slightly with each lap, but Brantley Schnell was able to keep Linville honest in the lead. The North Carolina native wasn’t far off the pace of the leader, but his position off of the start put him at too much of a disadvantage to recover. Linville kept his composure and rode a smart race from the gate drop to the checkered flag as his open lap aggression paid off in the long run. Once he took the lead, he rode with a determination that could not be stopped and ultimately ended up with taking the main event win.
44 MPG • MARCH 2017