Page 136 - Issue-35

JUSTIN HOEFT
250 SX / OKLAND
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / LANNAN DESIGN / WILSON
>> Justin Hoeft has had many ups and downs in his racing career. After a tough 2015, with his brother Tyler passing and breaking his back shortly after, Justin was emotionally and physically in pain but remained strong. He chose to take a hiatus from racing, but then came back to the sport with a newfound goal to just have fun. So far, its been working out great for him as Justin competed in his first pro race at the MXGP of Glen Helen where he finished up in an astounding 6th place overall. He was then picked up to fill
in for one of TLD KTM’s pro riders in the Australian Supercross series. Justin took the opportunity and learned a lot as he was looking quick in Oakland on Saturday morning in practice. Justin qualified an impressive 16th fastest and went on to the races ready to perform in his first-ever American Supercross event. When the gate dropped for 250 Heat 1, Justin got a mid pack start and was able to navigate through the chaos to secure a qualifying position. Unfortunately, the track got the best of him about halfway through and he would finish 12th. When the LCQ began, Justin knew he had to be patient as the riders took off into the first corner. Justin looked like a veteran in his first ever LCQ as he tip-toed through the first section to avoid any crashes. He was just inside the top ten and began to put the hammer down. He made his way into 7th by the second lap and continued to charge. With two laps to go, he was sitting 6th place and had the qualifying position in sight. He made the pass on Brennan quickly after and was only a second away from his first ever Main. Fortunately for Justin, a rider would make a mistake in front of him and hand him 4th place, good enough to qualify for his first Supercross. When the Main began, Justin was granted a much better start than his gate pick should have allowed as he was running 11th place on the first lap. Justin slid back
a few positions as the laps ensued and the track was dangerously chewed up. Again, Hoeft made a mistake on lap 7 as he slid all the way back to 20th position. He started to dig deep as he used the next few laps to climb his way back up to an impressive 17th place where he would finish in his first-ever Supercross race.
136 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 5, 2017