Page 14 - Issue-46

MARVIN MUSQUIN
450 SX / 2ND
IMAGE / LANG WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> With the series being shown as a mere two horse race, it’s easy for fans to get tied up in the conundrum of strictly a battle between Ryan Dungey and Eli Tomac. Not so fast, however, as slowly but surely Marvin Musquin has been putting in solid results for the majority of this series. There are very few, and we are talking the highest of the elite, to go through a season with absolute perfection; and even in that case it’s a rarity. With the preconceived notions of what he was faced with prior to the 2017 season, he’s fought through the up’s and down’s, and solidified himself as a legitimate contender at each and every round. Team owners have been impressed, personal sponsors eager to renew their contracts, and fans have grown his auto- graph lines to absurd lengths, all casting a smile on face each time you see him. New Jersey was no different, as he focused on sticking to his agenda from the get go, and letting the rest of the field/drama, whatever you may call it, sort themselves out as the laps amounted. Looking at the timing and scoring sheet, he knew that his effort would have to be replicated in the night program in order to come out on top; he knew he would have to ride near perfection, but as always, was up to the task. After a solid heat race finish, giving him third gate pick headed into the main event, Marv-Attack’s craftiness would pay dividends, as the track would deteriorate. Fifth place on the opening lap, he awaited patiently in the shadows of the first four, waiting for his moment to unleash the nickname. With chaos ensuing through an Anderson and Tomac mishap, and overtaking Davi Millsaps, he would slowly begin to munch at the margin between him and his KTM teammate. His pressure was abundant, so much so that the number one
had to cave in, letting his French ally move ahead. The race appeared to be Marvin’s. Leaping on and off the multi-step table top in the second rhythm section, his amount of throttle control while stabbing the clutch was truly remarkable. He was never ceasing to amaze all in atten- dance. He looked to have the win in the bag, when in the final stages of the event, he began to make uncharacteristic mistakes, crossrutting, and switching lanes from one side of the track to the next. It allowed Dungey to close the distance, eventually breaking the threshold, when Marvin had a mistake on the final lap, prior to the second whoop section. Giving Dungey the lead back, he would follow in tow of the number one, crossing the stripe in second; both team and himself pleased with the performance.
14 GRITMOTO • APRIL 30, 2017