Page 72 - Issue-48

MITCHELL OLDENBURG
250 MX / 9TH
IMAGE / CAVAZOS WORDS / KUHLHOFF DESIGN / WILSON
>> With 13 top ten finishes in outdoors last year, Troy Lee Designs / Redbull / KTM rider, Mitchell Oldenburg was on a mission in the first moto of round one at the 49th annual Hangtown Motocross Classic. With opening round jitters in the air, 41 of the fastest 250 riders lined up for what was bound to be an exciting thir- ty minutes plus two laps. Oldenburg found himself off to a decent start after the gate drop and was sitting in the eleventh place position behind Josh Hill in twelfth early in the moto. As the halfway point of the race was quickly approaching, the number 28 machine knew that he had to get some work done if he wanted to move into the second moto with a decent finish. Mitchell made a pass on Hill and found a place within the top ten and that’s when he really started making some moves. By the halfway point, Oldenburg was in a very solid eighth place. As
the California heat rose into the high nineties, riders found themselves pushing hard during the last few minutes. On the final lap, Oldenburg proved that he was prepared for the season as he stayed strong and steady through consistently evolving obstacles. Mitchell flew past the checkered flag in sixth place behind Nichols in fifth and in front of Savatgy in seventh. What an awesome place to be at heading into his second moto. With potential of a top five overall finish in sight, Mitchell Oldenburg lined up for a challenging moto two. The Rancho Cordova sun was still blazing and the riders needed to truly be ready for the rough and bumpy track that now expanded out before them. Unfortunately, and understand- ably, with the hot weather and these tough track conditions, Oldenburg could
not work his way through the pack like he had done in moto one. Mitchell found himself in the thirteenth place position halfway through the race but was able to find twelfth by the time the checkered flag flew. With a 6-12 finish, Mitchell Old- enburg was able to leave Hangtown with a solid ninth place overall finish. Finish- ing within the top ten is a great place to be at round one, and with eleven rounds remaining, I cannot wait to see what this rider on the KTM can do.
72 GRITMOTO • MAY 21, 2017