Page 24 - Issue43

COLE SEELY
450 SX / 6TH
IMAGE / LANGSTON WORDS / ECKERT DESIGN / WILSON
>> Ironically labeled with the #14, cool Cole Seely could quite possibly be the modern Kevin K-Dub Windham. To further illustrate the comparison, take their smooth styles and relent- less consistency while piloting their Honda’s to weekly results just off the pace of the top two riders. For Kevin, it was Ricky and Chad. For Cole, it’s Ryan and Eli. The inability to fight for a win isn’t holding Cole back in 2017, though, as the Honda captain has continuously put himself near the front week-in and week-out. For round 13 in St. Louis, it was more of the same as Cole started with a great jump out of the gate for heat one. Ran high in turn two, though, the Honda rider was pushed backwards, falling back to 17th with minimal time to make the ground back up. Over the course of the next two minutes, Seely picked up five po- sitions and continued to scratch and claw his way back. Not letting off, Seely picked off two more, making his way into the top ten in the final minutes of the heat but when time ran out, an 8th would set Seely up for a spot in the semi. There, he was pinched off the start but, ducking inside, made it over the white line in 4th. Passed by Barcia in turn two, Seely was then gifted 3rd place after the aggressiveness of Barcia took himself and the then 3rd place rider to the ground. On the gas and making quick work of a privateer rider, Seely was able to move into 2nd early, trailing only the #2 of Cooper Webb. Following Webb, Seely wasn’t able to find a spot to make the pass even though it was clear the #14 was carrying more speed. On the last lap, in the S-section that lead to the finish line, Seely finally cut under- neath Cooper in the tightest spot on the track. Fans clinching their toes, with the excitement of the checkered flag no more than 30 yards away, Cole slipped right by and took the Semi victory in the final few moments of the race.
In the main, like his heat race, found himself mid-pack as the race began to unwind before the eyes of St. Louis. Just outside the top ten in 11th, Seely was forced to go to work early but Cole met the challenge, getting by Brayton and others to reach 8th shortly into the race. After getting by Justin Bogle for 7th, Seely found the flow behind Malcolm Stewart, getting around the #47 cleanly. Now in 6th, Cole got to the back of Millsaps in 5th and criss-cross- ing across every inch of the track to get around Davi, he made a pass stick right before the finish line. Now twenty seconds back of the leader, Seely settled in to 5th for the majority of the race. It wasn’t until there was only a few minutes left to go that a bobble cost Seely the spot. The mistake let Grant make a move around Seely, leaving Cole with 6th for the finish line. Although a solid performance, Team Fourteen looks to Seattle for improvement as the end of the season is on the horizon.
24 GRITMOTO • APRIL 2, 2017