Page 17 - MPSEPT

theGRIT
As the shortcomings of Loretta’s 2016 gradually disappear in the rearview mirror, Marchbanks decided to make the expansive journey across the country from his hometown of Coalville, UT to the motocross paradise of Baja Acres, tucked away near the crease of the mitt in Millington, MI. The Utah native decided to contest three different classes at the Baja Brawl -- 250 All-Star A/B, 250 B, and Schoolboy 2. The fresh-faced 15 year old put the hammer down from the start of the weekend and cemented himself as the rider to beat in all of his classes as he looked very comfortable on the track in practice. He found the flow on his Team Green Kawasaki and built a
heaping amount of confidence to take into the subsequent weekend of racing. Marchbanks’ worst performance of the extended Labor Day Weekend festivities came early on Saturday morning while the dew still hung stagnantly over the ponds neighboring the track; He stormed through the pack after a mediocre start in Schoolboy 2
and managed to fight his way back to 3rd place before the checkered flag was flown. The remaining Schoolboy 2 motos weren’t as much of a grueling, hard-nosed effort for the Kawasaki talent; Marchbanks put himself out front early with a couple of holeshots and turned the fastest laps of the race in both motos, wisely maintaining his gap at the front of the pack. In the remaining two classes, Marchbanks wasn’t bothered by a challenger all weekend long as he won six out of six motos in dominant fashion. His starts were good enough to keep him out of trouble and he had superior speed to all of his competitors, using his sharpened racecraft and world class riding skills to earn himself a trio of Leonidas awards to cap off his weekend. In the fickle world of motorsport, it’s often said that a racer is only as good as their last race. Marchbanks was lining up on the gate at the Brawl hoping to falsify that old adage, but it wouldn’t be unrealistic to expect him to do anything other than reinforce it under the bright lights of Las Vegas come mid-October.
words/LAKEKILPATRICK
WWW.MOTOPLAYGROUND.COM
17