Page 28 - Issue_60

SHANE MCELRATH
250 SX / 1ST
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Gazing off into the distance, citizens of the Anaheim area scope the horizon of the choppy Pacific, for any boats heading towards the shore. A panoramic view from left to right, the binoculars are in a constant arc of vision, hoping to scout the lucrative figure that they’ve been discussing in recent weeks. This ghost, so to speak, is a phenomenon that’s traveled far and wide, in order to obtain victory at the historic “Anaheim Supercross.” As hours continued to roll, days began to pass, the scouring of fans and ticketholders seemed to diminish, and it looked as though hope had been lost. However, on the morning of January 6th, through the fog of the California coastline, emerged a figure on the bow of his ship; his flag, flapping into the head- wind, flying proud and towering over the locomotive as it pushed through the depths of the sea foam. Standing with a superhero-esque stance, McElrath was armored in gear from head to toe, he was eager to reach the shore and unload. The population swarmed to the shore upon his docking, and he rolled his 250f onto the soft sands of Laguna. Saluting with his left hand,
all the while cranking the engine consecutively, she fired, and he blistered toward the stadium. With the rubber of the rear tread smoking through the pits, he slid through the barricaded tunnel-entrance, and onto the course for qualifying. Each jump, had a stylish whipping of the front end, tucking his inside elbow and the adjacent hip coming around. The crowd, sporadically seated throughout the empty stadium, quickly directed their attention toward his efforts. Each lap was a signal of reassurance, as he checked the leaderboard, noticing his number atop
the best in the division. With nightfall now beginning to portray her presence, qualifying would begin. As the field blistered off the line into the first corner, he tucked into the nearest hay bale as hard as possible, without disrupting the pack around. Hopping through the next rhythm sec- tion, his body weight thrusting the rear shock into rebounding propulsion, he situated himself strongly at the front of the field. Skying over the largest triple, following the step-on, step-off, he would breathe with a sign of relaxation, as he knew he secured a spot for the main event, tak- ing home the win for the heat race. The main event, seemed to be picture perfect from the get go. The whole team, acting in perfect unison, seemed to mesh from the moment the gate drop. His start, nearing perfection, allowed him to use a little vision option as possible; as he shot out to an early lead. Each lap, his engrained technique from ClubMX, would rare its head. There was simply no touching him, as circuit after circuit, his lead would continue to grow. All of his efforts would pay off, skying each takeoff with a feeling of comfort. The end result, was nothing less than a win, as he took off, and putting the division on high notice!
28 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 8, 2018