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P. 62
FREDRIK NOREN
450 MX / 13TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / TILLS
>> As the series looms on, contract talk of 2018 has long begun. And with teams such as RCH having to rethink plans prior to the commencement, many are wondering just how they are going to be able to support themselves throughout the upcoming season. It lurks through everyone’s mind; and Fredrik Noren kows this race is pivotal in creating a positive momentum swing before the break. His effort was off the charts in practice, scrubbing every millisecond possible, all the while staying smooth enough to not accrue any hiccups. He was pleased with the performance when sitting under his aw- ning; it was now time for the meaningless qualifying to be shoved aside. The 30 second board girl pranced off to the sideline, and there he went, digging down the beeline of a start. It was all a blur in the lenses of his goggles, a sea of red, green, and blue, all crisscrossing just in front of the fender. Patience was key, and he was trying to let the field settle, but as he did the leaders were stretching lap after lap. Chipping time away with, he was breaching into the top ten, trailing like the likes of Blake Baggett up until one point; when a mistake would cost to him fall heavily. Always reaching for the top, he began to drag the footpeg in the left-right following the downhill, all the while drag- ging the rear brake to ease up the chassis. And although he couldn’t muster much after his mistake, he brought the Honda across the line, claiming 20th. It was time to do work, and with a tenth place beginning for moto number
two, he could now prime both mind and body for the assault ahead. Scraping shrouds with the likes of Bisceglia and Peick, he knew would have to fight for every inch of landscape if he wanted to advance. He did leaps and boundaries quickly thereafter, pushing all the way into a remarkable seventh place posi- tion; averaging a 13th place overall.
62 GRITMOTO • JULY 31, 2017