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Shane Mcelrath
250 SX / A-1
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / LANG DESIGN / WILSON
>> It wasn’t too long ago we saw Troy Lee Designs rider Shane Mcelrath have a vicious crash at the Southwick National that left him with a long list of injuries. Just before this crash we began to see
a “new” Shane Mcelrath. Grabbing podiums in the 2016 SX series and running upfront often in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross series,
the crash could not have come at a worst time as Shane was finally gaining momentum and becoming a podium threat week end and week out. Too some surprise, the crash did not affect Shane’s 2016 upswing. Even after the vicious crash, Shane continued to progress to the top. Winning the Redbull Straight rhythm for the first time
in his career, Shane looked as though he hadn’t missed a beat. Starting 2017 off with a bang, Shane chased down Geico Honda’s Jeremy Martin in 250 heat two, stealing the lead on the final lap and taking the win in dominant fashion. Heading to the main event with first gate pick and executing the start perfectly, Shane grabbed the holeshot and did not look back. Setting the fastest lap time of the race consecutively each lap for the first few laps Shane got himself a comfortable lead that he was able to maintain throughout the entire race. Some pressure came at the end from Star Racing Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger, but nobody was taking this win away. The check- ers flew and Shane earned his first career 250SX win at none other than Anaheim one. Congratulations Shane Mcelrath. Time to cel- ebrate your first win and order some red backgrounds for your TLD KTM because you are heading into round 2 as the points leader. This 250 west coast championship just got a little more exciting.
24 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 9, 2017