Page 27 - OCTOBER-2017

KILPATRICK
SETH HAMMAKER
Seth Hammaker burst onto the scene in 2016 with some incredible performances in the Supermini class on the biggest stages that amateur motocross has to offer. After earning himself a ride with Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki to assist his step up to the B class, the Pennsylvania native has showed continual improvement at each and every major race. Hammaker started the year with a couple of solid performances throughout spring nationals, claiming top five finishes with the occasional podium finish in the mix. Flashes of last year’s race win- ning speed began to emerge through the Loretta Lynn’s qualifiers and Hammaker put himself on the map yet again by winning the first 250 B moto at
the Ranch, making him the only rider to beat Garrett Marchbanks throughout the week in Tennessee. The sixteen year old was one of the pre-race favorites heading into the Baja Brawl after winning the GPF Rider of the Weekend award last year in his first ap- pearance at the race, but things didn’t go as planned as he encountered some mechanical problems
in the very first practice session. Hammaker was forced to complete the weekend on a borrowed bike, but he wasn’t at all affected by the last minute swap as he swept all three of his motos in fine fashion on the first day of racing. The Team Green Kawasaki rider proved to be a master of the starting gate, securing the holeshot in all three motos that he raced. He went relatively unchallenged throughout the day, setting the fastest lap time in all of his races as he accumulated double digit gaps ahead of the competition. The 450 B class shared the gate in a staggered start with the 250 A class, taking away the advantage of a clear track at the front of the pack. Nonetheless, Hammaker seized the challenge and regularly passed his way up to the edge of the top five in the A class by the checkered flag, setting lap times to match the leaders. Sunday was set to be a complete reenactment of Saturday’s success as the Pennsylvanian stormed to another pair of moto victo- ries at the beginning of the day, but disaster struck in the late afternoon on the first lap of the Schoolboy 2 moto. Mechanical failure struck again and Hammak- er was forced to retire from the moto with a blown engine, potentially sidelining him for the rest of the weekend. Miraculously, his crew was able to track down a motor just as the sun was setting on Sunday evening, and a late night of bike work meant he was ready to race on Monday morning. The Kawasaki rider set his focus on the 250 B and 450 B titles and got the job done with relative ease; he encountered a small crash while leading the 250 B moto, but he was able to recover for a third place finish under no pressure. His consistency remained in the 450 B class as he secured a second place finish, securing both titles in fine style to cap off another successful year at the Brawl.
WWW.GRITMOTO.COM
27