Page 42 - Issue_60

MITCHELL OLDENBURG
250 SX / 6TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> As the winter season rolls in with all of her might, much of the country hunkers down, protecting themselves from the variety of sicknesses and ailments hovering within the atmosphere. Flu shots, doses of vitamin c, you name it, and thousands are flocking to
the aid of these common treatments. Sicker than most, is the style of Mitchell Oldenburg. He’s a sleek, quick-witted competitor who packs a punch, willing to rock the whole arena. When the competition staggers, and is up against the ropes, is when he thrives. It’s as though he can literally feel the momentum shift, zapping the energy out of the opposition, as they gasp from their aerobic pathways. In qualifying, it was the same manner, as lap after lap, he continued to throw down a replicated series of sprints; never once showing an ounce of subsiding. He could be heard at any possible moment, pushing the 250F to its pure limit, and his mechanic attempting to fan him off with the pitboard, as he crossed the line, exiting the tunnel. Back in his pit area, the bike was washed to the tiniest of nuts and bolts, and mounted together again, piece by piece. He knew the effort his team had put in, and wanted to reciprocate it to the best of his ability. As the pack funneled through the opening segments of his heat race, each competitor was trying to find a rhythm of their own, gelling into a groove of sorts. As each racer was vying for that oh so coveted 52 second mark (set by Justin Hill early on), you could clearly see through the cloud of exhaust fumes, who was emerging as the alpha’s of the field; and he was one of them. With his eyes on that oh so daunting checkered flag, he would fight the field for the dura- tion of the heat, knowing that the real work was to come. He would place third. It was time for the pre-season chatter to cease; all mouths would be hushed once the gate would fall. Pushing to the front of the field in the early going, the green light of the caution light was on full-effect. There was simply no stomping the front of the field from pushing to the brink of disaster. You could almost see the focus through the lens of his goggles, as his reflec- tive glare stunned the mechanics area. He continued to rip through the field, although many of the insiders had doubted him prior to. His outside line through the whoop section, prior to the finish line, was immense. Nearly clipping the wrapper of the tuff block, and cutting to the inside at the absolute last moment. It was little instances like these, which would withhold the pack from his rear view, and keep inside the front of the field. Pushing to the bitter end, with the likes of Christian Craig and Justin Hill around, he would bring home the sixth place finish.
42 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 8, 2018