Page 34 - Issue43

JOEY SAVATGY
250 SX / 2ND
IMAGE / LANGSTON WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Joey Savatgy was involved in a sensational battle for the victory just one week ago at Ford Field during the sixth round of the 250 East SX series. The Pro Circuit Kawasaki rid- er was leading the main event last weekend until he made a minor mistake and forfeited the lead, losing a couple of seconds in the process. Savatgy managed to battle back to the front and put himself in contention for the victory, but he came up just short and was forced to settle for second position. The main theme of his 2017 racing season has been minor mistakes holding him back from his full potential. Fortunately, he inherited the red plate heading into the seventh round 250 East championship after his main title rival, Zach Osborne, suffered a mechanical problem last weekend in Detroit. Savatgy subsequently asserted his dominance in qualifying once the action got underway in St. Louis, posting the fastest time as the only rider to break the fifty-one second barrier. The Georgia native found himself in a serious scrap for the lead once the gate dropped on the second heat race of the evening -- Savatgy charged through the opening rhythm section and slammed his Kawasaki into first position at the expense of Christian Craig. The Pro Circuit Kawa- saki rider’s aggression paid off as he opened up a clear track for the remainder of the eight laps, holding off pressure from Craig to retain the victory. In the main event, Savatgy seemed to emulate his performance from the heat race as he rocketed out to the lead in the early stages. The red plate holder showed urgency from the gate drop onward as he attempted to stamp his authority on the points chase with a run-away victory. He was fully committed in each and every sector of the track, most easily exemplified in the section be- fore the over/under as he was one of the only riders in the 250 class to consistently bust out the triple-triple until the end of the main event. As the race neared the halfway point, Savatgy cross-rutted heading into the double dragon’s back section and was forced to ride off the track onto the concrete -- he collided with a track worker and eventually re-entered the race in second place behind Jordon Smith. It was almost a carbon copy of what hap- pened one week prior in Detroit as the Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider found himself attempting to claw his way back to the lead. He was closing in on Smith as the race wound down,
but he encountered problems with a lapped rider underneath the tunnel that bent his front brake lever into an awkward position. Savatgy lost time attempting to readjust the lever, but still managed to withstand pressure from Zach Osborne to hold onto second place, as well as a six point lead in the championship moving into New Jersey.
34 GRITMOTO • APRIL 2, 2017