Page 60 - Issue-48

CHRISTIAN CRAIG
450 MX / 12TH
IMAGE / CAVAZOS WORDS / LANNAN DESIGN / WILSON
>> After an up and down Supercross season, Christian Craig weighed his op- tions and accepted an amazing opportunity to jump aboard the factory Honda to fill in for injured Ken Roczen. His time on the bike began earlier than ex- pected as he tried the bike out at a couple of rounds in Supercross. His speed was impressive and there was no doubt he would be fast when the industry headed outside for the Pro Motocross championships. Christian had put in
the work and was now ready to put in some results to prove it. He qualified a strong 10th fastest when the day began at Hangtown and was ready to start his summer off on the right foot. When the gate finally dropped for 450 moto
1, Christian launched his red machine out to the front of the pack. His gate pick lined him up perfectly to hold on to the lead as the angry field behind him funneled into the first corner. Christian was not letting up as he crossed the holeshot line first and continued to set the pace. He confirmed Honda’s deci- sion to bring him in as he began to distance himself from the chaos behind. He continued to keep a solid lead and his chances of winning were looking stron- ger. After a lap, it was the Frenchman, Marvin Musquin who began to creep into the picture. As they went side by side off one of the large jumps, Christian took a look over and realized the KTM was there. The riders scrubbed over the next small table and Christian jumped to the inside of Marvin. Unfortunately,
it was a little too far inside as Christian cross-rutted and his Honda threw him to the ground. He was ok, and did his best to get up quickly. He was up and going fast but had slipped back to about 11th place. He filed in behind Justin Bogle and chased him through the pack. Christian eventually finished up in a solid 9th place. When the gate dropped for moto 2, Christian did not get the duplicate start he was hoping for. Instead, he was forced to the middle of the pack, fighting to avoid the roost. Nevertheless, he maintained his composure and was scored in 11th position when the second lap began. Christian would eventually fade to 14th by the time the checkers flew. He would take home 12th overall at Hangtown.
60 GRITMOTO • MAY 21, 2017