Page 20 - Issue43

JASON ANDERSON
450 SX / 4TH
IMAGE / LANGSTON WORDS / ECKERT DESIGN / WILSON
>> Often forgot about by the end of the night, Jason Anderson has realized the impor- tance of the gate drop through the first twelve rounds in 2017. The reason is, having continuously showed his heat race prowess up to this point, by the time the main event rolls around, El Hombre is left to work from behind. It’s one of those thing where his performance week after week proves to the fans that the wild styled #21 has the flash and flare to battle for the lead but the belief never materializes into reality. Now, enter- ing the Dome in St. Louis for round thirteen, the opportunities to contend are running thin for Jason to prove to himself that he has the speed. Hoping to turn this around, though, Jason got the night going, on Saturday, with a holeshot in heat two. It was a close battle across the line with Davi Millsaps but by the second turn, Jason had sole contention of the lead. In the following laps, Davi attempted to stay the course and keep the pace but was unable to keep his grasp on Anderson, letting the white and black bike out of his sights. With another heat race victory, Jason lined up for the main exactly where he wanted.
It’s here that time slows. The buzz in the stadium reaches a peak with the 450 riders mounting their steeds, each of them fixing their eyes forward to face their destiny. Jason, sat with focus on the first turn, knowing that it was time to overcome it. In a blink, the countdown winding away with the black board tilted sideways and the main ignited with a wall of fire above their heads, the pack bolts off the line in unison. With the Husqvarna approaching the apex of turn one buried mid-pack, Anderson used the inside to dive underneath, hugging the tightest line to manage a 3rd place start through the first rhythm section. Finally up front from the beginning, Anderson held 3rd for the next few turns before Marvin Musquin swept around Jason, pushing him to 4th. From there, the top four riders remained stationary for over nineteen minutes. Anderson held onto the top three for as long as he could but by the time the race concluded, he found himself over twenty seconds back in a distant 4th place. Although off the podium, the starts in St. Louis were some of Anderson’s best all year and a good sign for the final few weeks of the season for the Rockstar team. Jason takes his 5th place in points to Seattle next weekend for another battle.
20 GRITMOTO • APRIL 2, 2017