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point in the first 250 B moto as he rocketed out to the front of the field, bar-to-bar with Seth Hammaker. He fell under pressure from one of his
closest training partners, Parker Mashburn, but he was able to hold the position and force his fellow KTM rider into a mistake. In both of the
other motos, Merrett didn’t get the optimal launch out of the gate and was forced to battle back from outside of the top five. The second day of
racing came around and the eighteen year old experienced another mediocre start to start the day, crossing the finish line for the first time in
sixth position. He was able to regain a couple of positions by the checkered flag, moving up to fourth place by the end of the four laps. Mer-
rett quickly reasserted himself as a podium contender with a third place finish in the 450 B class only a couple of motos later, making things easy on himself with a solid start. His last moto in the early afternoon presented a rougher track, but the KTM rider was able to power through the challenging terrain on his 350. He shot out to a second place start behind Matthew Gross and the two of them played a game of cat and mouse for the first couple of laps. Merrett picked up the pace, setting the fastest time of the moto on the penultimate lap, closing within one tenth of the Michigan native in the lead. Unfortunately, he made a mistake while going for the win and lost about ten seconds in the process, forcing him to settle for second place. The Texan had his most successful day of the weekend on the last day of racing, earning his first moto win of the Brawl in the 450 B class as well as two additional second place finishes. His consistent performances throughout the weekend provided him with three second place overalls to take back to Underground Training Facility and add to his collection of hardware.
KILPATRICK
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