Page 28 - Issue43

BLAKE BAGGETT
450 SX / 7TH
IMAGE / LANGSTON WORDS / ECKERT DESIGN / WILSON
>> In 2016, Blake Baggett wouldn’t have been considered a champion- ship contender in supercross as the #4 was known as an outdoor ex- pert, specializing in the grueling AMA motocross series. In fact, Baggett finished last year’s supercross championship in 17th place, clearly solidifying the idea that the #4 excelled more outside the stadiums, rather than in them. With his recent success this year, though, Blake Baggett has continued to turn heads through the first twelve rounds and sat 7th in points coming into St. Louis on Saturday. Up the inside for heat two, Blake carried the momentum he’s gained from previous weeks to start his night strong. Sneaking into 3rd place behind Jason Anderson and Davi Millsaps, all three riders settled into position from beginning
to end, leaving only one position up for grabs for the entire race. Taking the podium position into the main event, Blake picked up where he left off with another strong start around turn one. Battling for 4th through the first few turns, a blistering Marvin Musquin pushed Baggett back to 5th early on, ultimately leading to a big mistake by Blake that would drop him outside the top ten to 13th. Trying to regain his composure, Baggett fell back another spot to 14th before starting the trek forward and slowly getting around the riders in front of him. It took the first half of the race but Baggett finally made his way to the top ten, getting by Brayton for 10th. Behind Bogle, Baggett gently applied pressure that eventually led to a mistake by Bogle to give Blake 9th. From there, gifts were being handed out as both Davi Millsaps and Malcolm Stewart faltered individu- ally to hand Baggett 7th before the finish line. It’s a shame to say that the night initially looked to have top five potential for the #4 camp but the team had a successful night, gaining a spot in the point standings with three rounds left to go.
28 GRITMOTO • APRIL 2, 2017