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Being accustomed to these conditions seemed to play well into the hands of Blake Baggett, as
everything from soil texture, climate, and close proximity of his home, allowed the Yoshimura rider
to appear as comfortable as one could be. Battling for eighth place following the initial green flag,
Baggett began to salivate at the thought of a whole 30 minutes to work on the rest of the field. Each lap, his times seemed to get lower and lower, and the field slowly began to succumb. It was a battle of the single digits when the field neared the halfway point, as Eli Tomac began to rev the Kawasaki 450 in the ears of the California native. They were in a clinch for fifth place, nearing Marvin Musquin in the process. Tomac, as many predicted found his way around the number four in wide open fashion, making the battle appear as if it were done for. However, an applaud worthy charge had the crown standing on their feet, as Baggett began to follow suit of Eli, overtak- ing Marvin Musquin, and zeroing in once again on ET3. With the stories of last years insane Tomac demolition of the field circulating through the pits, no one would have ever thought what Blake did next was possible. He would not only pass Cole Seely for fourth,
but would mount an highly impressive rally, and overtake Tomac for third! What a difference a year could make, as last year Tomac blistered the entire field by over a minute. Baggett would hang on, all smiles, finishing third. Blake found himself in familiar territory in moto two, crossing the opening grid in eighth place, yearning for every position he could. The track began to grow rougher, riders using the boundaries of each yellow marker to their fullest extent. Baggett’s right hand remained twisted, regardless of any chop or square edge he plowed into. Eighth became seventh, and eventually sixth neared the horizon, as Trey Canard was just ahead at the halfway point. Justin Barcia, however, was fading, and the Suzuki signee began to spray a mist of fire down the JGR rider’s neck. The heat continued to rise, enough so that Barcia was forced to move out of the way, and sixth place was captured. A remarkable effort seemed to be sustained, and another advancement of position was well within grasp, as Trey Canard’s fifth place spot was in an arm’s reach; but the aggression was put into opposite effect, with Baggett swapping into the California earth. Frantically gathering his thoughts and remounting, he would go onto to finish nineteenth in the moto and eleventh overall.
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