Page 22 - Issue_60

COLE SEELY
450 SX / 6TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Cole Seely enjoyed a busy offseason. He represented Team USA at the Mo- tocross des Nations, claimed second at the Bercy SX, and was forced to miss the Monster Energy Cup due to the removal of some hardware from his pinky finger. So his offseason included a little racing and a little recovery but in this past month he has been undoubtedly putting in the work on the practice track. He and his training partner Christian Craig have been pushing each other around the track bettering each other each day. Entering the 2018 AMA Monster Energy Supercross series healthy and strong is Seely and he is ready to enjoy a more fruitful season than 2017 where he only saw two podium finishes. Seely looked smooth and relaxed
in the qualifying practice sessions and it showed when he emerged with the sixth fastest lap time of the day. Just a few tenths of a second off Ken Roczen’s top lap time, Seely was more than ready to get that first gate drop of the year. The Honda HRC rider had wild beginning to his first heat race of the year. He started in third behind Baggett and Anderson but capitalized on their mistakes at the end of lap two and managed to go right up the inside of both of them at once and take the lead. He looked spry and energetic and started to inch away from Anderson but made
a small mistake and tipped over on the following lap in the same turn he made the pass for the lead. He remounted in fifth behind Vince Friese who is always a tough rider to pass. It took him two laps but Seely got by and into fourth where he would end up finishing. He might have been bummed about crashing while leading early but he was still set up nicely for the main event. Seely’s first few laps in the main were a bit hectic. He began the race by securing the green flag in seventh position. He got bumped back to eighth by Webb on lap two but swiped the position right back on lap three. The two riders diced back and forth allowing Roczen to enter
the fray. The three-rider duel lasted a few laps but when the dust settled Seely had taken over sixth place keeping Roczen and Webb behind him. Three laps later Roczen stormed back to take the spot away but Seely maintained sixth because he picked up a spot after Eli Tomac’s crash. Then after a hectic opening to the race, Seely rode a quiet sixth place the rest of the way to the finish line. It was a decent outing for Seely but he knows he must get better starts if he wants better finishes in this stacked field.
22 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 8, 2018