Page 50 - Issue_67

BLAKE BAGGETT
450 SX / 9TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Blake Baggett started slow throughout the rst couple weeks of January, but the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM rider has really found his groove recently, earning three podium n- ishes in a row preceding the eighth round of action at Raymond James Stadium. The Florida resident didn’t set the world on re in qualifying, eventually nishing seventh after both timed sessions elapsed. Nonetheless, Baggett possessed an ace up his sleeve in the form of an ex- ceptionally demanding triple-quad-quad line through the rst rhythm section. His starts haven’t been perfect throughout the year, but the KTM rider has found a way to put himself at the front of the eld with regularity as of late. Baggett couldn’t have timed the start better in the rst 450 heat race, rocketing out of the gate to the rst corner with a sizable advantage. He settled into a groove in the early stages of the race ahead of Marvin Musquin, but a miscalculation in the long rhythm section almost spelled disaster for the Floridian. Baggett came up slightly short in the last quad and clipped the landing, hurling him forward over the top of the bowl turn. Fortu- nately, his bike and body were both caught in one of the new safety nets and he was able to rejoin the race in tenth position. During the second half of the race, the Rocky Mountain ATV/ MC KTM rider was easily able to advance into a transfer position, jumping from tenth to eighth in just one lap. In the waning stages of the moto, he found his way past Cole Martinez and captured seventh position just before the checkered ag. Baggett wasn’t able to replicate his exceptional heat race start in the main event and his result suffered because of it, wavering outside of the top ten on the opening lap. The KTM rider forced his way into thirteenth position by the time the eld crossed the nish line jump for the rst time, but he left himself a moun- tain to climb for the remainder of the race. On the second lap, the stress of riding in the middle of the pack forced Baggett into a mistake and he dropped back to the very back of the eld, making matters even worse. At that point, El Chupacabra put his head down and did exactly what he does best -- carved through the pack. He advanced all the way to fteenth position by the tenth lap, hanging it out in the sand section among other places in order to make up time on his competitors. Baggett worked his way into tenth position by the nineteenth lap and im- mediately found himself engulfed in a hotly contested battle with the MotoConcepts Honda of Justin Brayton that lasted until the checkered ag. The two of them duked it out, but the KTM rider would ultimately come out on top in ninth position by the time the checkered ag was own. It may not be the most outstanding result on paper considering his streak of podiums has come to an end, but dead last to ninth isn’t a bad day at the of ce for Baggett and the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC team.
50 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 25, 2018