Page 24 - Issue-35

BLAKE BAGGETT
450 SX / OKLAND
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> Taking a seat in the stands, and watching each particular competitor that graces the floors of these respective stadiums, you are, at times, able to tell when someone is blessed with an abundance of natural tal- ent, or they’ve had to work a little bit harder to get to this point in their career. The specific line choice, the way they flow from point A to point B; it’s not something that can just be “taught.” You have to have the cre- ativeness under that helmet shell, to draw a blueprint of how to conquer every course you’re on; and that’s a true gift. Blake Baggett is a team owner’s dream, in the sense that he’s taken his talent, and coupled with
it with an immense amount of hard work over the years, with his pres-
ent day results being of fruition. Oakland was now his platform, and the eerie amount of ruts, chop, and bumps were a perfect landscape for his skills to blossom. Once the pack began to settle after lap one, his ability as a tactician really began to rare its head. Fighting the likes of veterans such as Marvin Musquin, Chad Reed, and Davi Millsaps, he knew that
his infamous outdoor cardiovascular rate would have to be something of a game changing performance in order to propel him to the front. And it was. His line choice was immense, the balance he portrayed in both the gristly sand section, and the finish line corner was amazing; the way he weighted the outside footpeg, all while having competition bark all around him, was truly phenomenal. He would find himself chasing fellow orange brigade member Millsaps for the majority of the race, and at times, poking his number four plate into sixth place contention. But he would yield just a tad bit short, and cross the finish line in seventh place, looking to rebuild for next weekend.
24 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 5, 2017