Page 52 - Issue_78

PHIL NICOLETTI
450 MX / 8TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> The mental demands of being a professional motocross racer are out of this world. Now, as we all know, a professional athlete of any genre can be extremely taxing. But in contrast to sports like baseball, basketball, and football, riders of this occupation have to adapt to a multitude of variables. The NFL, although different competition, plays on the same, standardized eld every week; The NBA? The exact same, the court is the same size, and goals are regulated to a speci c height and degree. Not motocross however, where every track layout is changed, down to the most intricate of details. It’s just one reason why Phil Nicoletti loves it, as although he may not have enjoyed Hangtown to the highest degree, Glen Helen was one of his favorites. The arrays of hills were out in full force for the practice rounds, and man could you tell he was having a blast. Charging ultra hard into the deepest of bottom’s, he would come out with the front end raring to the high- est extent. Wishing he could use the holeshot device at all times, he went back to the truck, exceptionally happy with how well the motor would pull. The rst moto saw him buried in a bit of chaos, dicing it up as leaders like Eli Tomac pulled away. With the green blur push- ing the eld forward, he would eye Tomac out of his peripheral vision in the early going. However, he had company, from that of Weston Peick. Nevertheless, his mind quickly was occupied for this opposition on his tail. Wheeling through the whoops, just prior to the start, you could see his SX skills beginning to appear at times; and thus he would pull. He would sustain this solid pace until the checkered ag, holding down the 10th place spot until the end. For moto number two, the sun began to crest, but his emotions were on the highest
of alerts. Riding off into the sunset so to speak, he came off the start like a bad out of hell, looking to see just how far he could push forward. Vying with the number sixty of Benny Bloss, he was exceptionally fast jumping inbound into the raceway, as he approached the left that was absolutely full with treacherous grooves. Dragging the peg at times, he would wade forward through this quick-sand like soil. As the race would begin to fade away, he could be found near the seventh place spot. He would stay here, and after scores were tal- lied, he would nish eighth overall.
52 GRITMOTO • MAY 27, 2018