Page 44 - Issue43

CHRISTIAN CRAIG
250 SX / 5TH
IMAGE / LANGSTON WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Christian Craig was moving into the seventh round of the 250 East SX series
with redemption in mind after struggling to put in the results that are expected of him throughout the 2017 season thus far. The Geico Honda rider’s weekend in Detroit was marred with controversy after he had a coming together with Alex Martin in practice, sending the Troy Lee Design’s KTM rider to the ground, and sidelining him with an injury. Craig was forced to endure a lot of flack from other racers and those within the industry, a hefty fine, and the last gate pick in the main event. The Californian will be looking to put himself back in the spotlight in St. Louis by getting back up on the podium for only the second time this season. Craig showed that he was right on pace with all of the main title combatants as he turned the fifth fastest qualifying time as a result of both practice sessions. He attempted to bring that intensity directly into the heat race as he fired out of the starting gate to a holeshot, but he came under immediate fire from Joey Savatgy in the second corner. Craig was forced to concede the lead to the charging Kawasaki rider, but he managed to stick with him and run the pace for the entirety of the eight laps, proving his speed prior to the main event with a close second place finish.
It was almost as if Craig was experiencing deja vu when the gate dropped for the main event in St. Louis -- the Geico Honda rider found himself at the tailend of the pack yet again, but this time he was able to avoid any sort of first turn pileup. He worked his way up to fourteenth position throughout the course of the opening lap, leaving him with a mountain to climb for the remainder of the main event. Craig had shown speed from the very first practice session of the day in The Dome at America’s Center, and he contin- ued to show that speed as he battled his way through the pack. He worked his way onto the edge of the top ten in just one lap, relying on his exceptional race craft and whoop speed to make passes stick in the early stages of the race. The Geico Honda rider had forced his way into seventh position by the fourth lap in an impressive display, but he found a bit of resistance once he reached the rear fender of Adam Cianciarulo. The two of them worked their way past Gannon Audette on the seventh lap and Craig made the move on Cianciarulo one lap later, as he attempted to check out on the pair of Kawa- saki riders. He was successful in putting a gap between himself and his pursuers, but Craig was unsuccessful in recovering the gap between himself and Dylan Ferrandis in fourth place, ultimately forcing him to settle for fifth position on the night.
44 GRITMOTO • APRIL 2, 2017