Page 44 - MPG18
P. 44
SHANE MCELRATH
IMAGE/WONDERGOAT
It would have been hard to find someone within the moto industry to take a bet that Shane McElrath would score the most points out of this year’s batch of Troy Lee Design’s KTM riders at the start
of the SX season, but that’s exactly what happened. Jessy Nelson and Justin Hill would safely be considered the number one riders on the team in their respective regional divisions, but they weren’t
able to put together a full SX season. Therefore, the weight of the team fell on the shoulders of the young North Carolina native and he surely didn’t disappoint. McElrath suffered a wrist injury in the off-season which put him behind schedule, but he was allowed a bit more recovery time by the late start of the east coast rounds. Although he wasn’t able to follow a fully fledged training routine due to his injuries, he was able to get back on the bike much sooner than expected. Therefore, his confidence and his physical well being evolved in tandem with each passing round of the series and he found himself regularly fighting for the podium. McElrath landed on the box in St. Louis and narrowly missed out in Foxborough during a heated battle that lasted practically the entire race.
He was ousted by a charging Jeremy Martin and Martin Davalos, but he showed the speed to get past Malcolm Stewart towards the beginning of the race, although he wasn’t able to pull it off. He left Foxborough feeling like he let one get away, something that he’ll try his hardest to avoid this year during the outdoors. McElrath has proven his skills by way of podium finishes on both the east coast and west coast circuits which puts him in the position to come out of the gate at Hangtown firing on all cylinders. His confidence will have only improved as the 2016 SX season came to an end and his injured wrist strengthened with each passing race. Keep an eye out for ‘Moody’ McElrath to put his Troy Lee Design’s KTM up on the box at some point throughout the nationals; this could be a breakout year for a rider that has adapted well to the professional ranks and just oozes potential.
44
GRITMOTO • MAY.23.16
>>
