Page 44 - ISSUE-81

BLAKE BAGGETT
450 MX / 5TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> When looking at the raceway from above or a far, many outsiders may just see a path
of dirt sketched into the green grass; a mere brown path laid out through a sea of green. However, when examining and looking closer, you’ll nd a piece of architecture crafted with immaculate precision, with the likes of dozers and other heavy equipment. To motocrosser’s, it’s a canvas, ready to be drawn and created upon. It’s blank, as the dozers and chisel plow’s carve all across the ne, soothing soil. And Blake Baggett is waiting patiently behind the start- ing line for practice to begin. The ag nally ies, and all of the bent up energy throughout the week has boiled to a head. It’s time to release his aggression, leaving his imprint with a lasting qualifying time. He wanted to continue to climb up the totem pole of riders, well aware of what a solid time could do for his gate pick. And that’s exactly what he’d been granted; crossing
the line with a huge chunk of satisfaction, eager for the moto’s to begin. Bombarding off the line, the eld headed into turn number one. Baggett would be seventh, and quickly work his away around privateer, Jeremy Hand. It was then a magnet like effect of both he and Nico- letti, where Blake would hound the fender of the 450 for multiple laps. Finally on lap six, he’d had enough, and took the spot, moving into fth. Next up was Weston Peick, where on lap ten, he made a move that would simply drop the jaws of all in attendance. Railing outside to outside in the opposing corners of the uphill rollers, he absolutely starched Weston Peick with an instant of speed that was out of this world. Making the move, he would settle into fourth, where he would reside until the nish. For the second moto, Baggett would start inside the
top ten, and steadily creep his way forward in the forthcoming laps. Closing up on Justin Hill during lap ve, the two would nearly collide up the face of a jump on the far side, yet Baggett’s KTM would cruise on. Tomac would then be in hot pursuit of the number four, and although
a diligent ght would be put up, he wouldn’t be able to sustain the pace. The bike seemed to be working well, and his times were just a hair or two off the lead, but he knew he was giving all he could. Fifth place is where he would settle for the remainder of the moto, tallying up an overall score of fth as well.
44 GRITMOTO • JUNE 24, 2018