Page 124 - ISSUE _38

JAKE WEIMER
450 SX / 18TH
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / COPELAND DESIGN / WILSON
>> Another weekend, another opportunity for the JGR fill in rider to show that he is deserving of a full-time ride with a top-level team. The season has been a bit of a mixed bag of results for the veteran, showing flashes of speed in the heats and semi races but also riding the line of qualify- ing some nights, banging bars in the last chance qualifiers. Jake would start the day off by qualifying 15th in the mornings qualifying sessions, not necessarily where he might have expected to sit going into the night’s heat races. He wouldn’t improve much to start the heat race either, starting about 8th, just in front of the surging Eli Tomac. He would inherit 7th place from a downed Vince Friese and remain in that position hold- ing off Tomac for the entire race. He would have to go to the semi and make another attempt at qualifying for the main event. Weimer’s night would continue to go badly, after starting 12th in the semi, he would go on to lose two more spots before race end and finish well out of a direct transfer position in 14th. He would have to face the music in the LCQ if he wanted his night to continue. The LCQ would go as smoothly as one can hope for under those circumstances. He would rip the holeshot and cruise on to an easy win. He was locked in for the night’s main with no more opportunities to spare. The Suzuki rider would continue to struggle though, starting the main in 14th just behind Dean Wilson. An error would push Weimer all the way to dead last on the opening lap. The night just wouldn’t turn around for Jake. He could only make his way into 18th by the time the checkered flag came out. After showing in earlier rounds that he has the speed to run with the top 10, Weimer will head to Toronto with intentions to improve on this weekend’s dismal performance.
124 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 26, 2017