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BRANDON HARTRANFT
250 SX / 6TH
IMAGE / REEVES WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Look across popular culture, and all types of media. Whether it be Twitter, print media, or com- mercials on television, the idea of March Madness has embodied the entire world. What captivates the American sports fan like no other you ask? The Cinderella story. The team that shouldn’t be in
the tournament, or doubted by all analysts and opposing competition; only to cease the moment, come from out of nowhere, and make a run towards the championship. This idea can be related a lot Supercross and in particular Brandon Hartranft. Although he had flashes of brilliance throughout his amateur career, he wasn’t always necessarily looked at as the top-seeded, powerhouse competitor that all of his rivals feared. Overshadowed by a few, he would hangout, waiting for his time to come. And then it was like an epiphany, as once on the professional scene, he displayed his true grit, and outlandish speed. He hasn’t wavered in the bright lights of professionalism, and actually seems to relish when the pressure is on, and crowds are the largest. That’s why he excelled from the moment practice started in St. Louis. With an abundance of fans already filling the arena when qualifying com- menced, the more attention he could draw to himself, the better. Whipping the chassis to the right, he would tuck and wheel tap down the following straightway. Caressing the machine to the finish line, he would head back to the awning, place the bike on the stand, and assess his performance. It was time to duplicate for the heat race, where a quick two shifts down the straightaway, had him bearing down on the gearbox to descend. Tucking around the inside, it was a game of leapfrog through the opening rhythm lanes, seeing who could uncork the multiple triples throughout the litter. Early on, he was in im- mediate territory of Jacob Williamson. How could he shake the foe? By scrubbing, every piece of track possible, tucking the front end to the right over the table top, and soaking the suspension through the plushest of strokes, on the dragon’s back after. He knew he could acclaim his title of a front-runner,
if he could keep the machine upright for the duration of the moto. He would do so, coming home to
a fourth place finish. The main event was an adrenaline dump, the heart rate spiking the moment he stepped off of the launch pad. Chaos, with bikes interchanging lanes worse than a gridlocked freeway, he knew he had to keep his composure. The green flag would pass, and it was he versus the track. Blitzing the whoops on the inside, would set him up for a speedy double-double combo on the outside, prior to the triple. He would sniff the fumes of Luke Renzland early on, looking to make moves as quickly as possible. Hounding, inside, outside, the opponent was winning the mental game, but he would have to make his presence imminent. Launching the double, triple combination in the section prior to the finish line, he would leap in a sea of ruts, merely shutting one eye and praying for the best. Tucking into the following berm, it was all he could get to timing and scoring, as only a few laps re- mained. He would register sixth, hoping to miraculously move forward, but at worst, hold the position he was in. He would meet the minimum requirement, taking sixth, a satisfactory effort.
42 GRITMOTO • MARCH 18, 2018