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IMAGE/WONDERGOAT
Jessy Nelson slowly worked his way back into the swing of things during practice, posting the 15th
fastest time in the 250 class. Fortunately, he has an incredible starting technique and a highly tuned
motorcycle which put him inside the top 10 out of the gate in the opening moto of the day. As the track began to form and gain a bit of traction, Nelson put down one of the fastest laps of the moto around 17 minutes in with a time of 2:02 dead after he found his way around Davalos into 7th place. This was shortly before the flood gates opened, moderately changing the conditions and drastically changing the rhythm of the race. His lap times weren’t nearly as consistent in the rain and he had to do well to fend off the relentless pressure from Alex Martin. If the rain would have continued, it may have been a different story, but the sunshine reappeared and Nelson held it together to come back to the rig with a 7th place finish. Considering this is his first race back since injur- ing himself at the very beginning of the SX season, that’s a solid result that could easily be improved upon in the second moto. Nelson put on a holeshot clinic after a red flag forced him to pull two superb starts in a row, he found himself leading Savatgy and Smith - the two top finishers from the first moto. He was able to take advantage of the open track ahead and take the smooth lines to help him log some incredibly consistent laps. Nelson kept his lap times within a second of one another for the entire first half of the race until lap 11 when he made a mistake over the uphill double jump before the half pipe section. Savatgy snuck up the inside and took the line away and this disturbed Nelson’s rhythm at the front of the race, therefore causing his second career moto win to slip through his grasp. His lap times suddenly began to drop off by a second or two as Savatgy disappeared down the track. Nelson wasn’t able to hold off the charging pack of Star Racing Yamahas behind him, he was passed in quick succession by Alex Martin and Aaron Plessinger, followed by Zach Osborne and Cooper Webb. He was able to hold on for 6th place just ahead of Pro Circuit’s rookie sensation, Austin Forkner. Although Nelson is at the stage in the career where he expects to win when he lines up on the gate, a 6th place overall isn’t a bad way to start the series after missing so many races. If he is able to emulate his starts next weekend in Glen Helen, he may just run away with a moto and claim that second victory of his career.
words/LAKEKILPATRICK
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