Page 86 - Issue43

LUKE RENZLAND
250 SX / 12TH
IMAGE / LANGSTON WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / WILSON
>> After a pair of impressive finishes to start the season, a sixth and an eighth, Luke Renzland has been struggling to keep that same pace. His speed has been there week in and week out but inconsistent starts and poor luck have re- sulted in just two top tens since that hot start. The Traders Racing Yamaha rider has still been showcasing his game in the heat races but he just has not been able to put all the pieces together in the main events. He knows he’s more than capable of being a top ten guy so he entered St. Louis ready to improve on the tenth place he got last weekend in Detroit.
Renzland kicked off his night by qualifying with the ninth fastest time. He looked fast yet again and eagerly anticipated the drop of the gate in the heat race. When that gate finally dropped, he rocketed out to a fifth-place start. He then made quick work of Paul Coates on lap two to secure fourth. He managed to keep that pace and ride it all the way to the checkered flag finishing just behind Cianciarulo and transferring right through to the main event. Things could not have begun much worse for Renzland as he started absolutely buried in twenty first position. With nowhere to go but up, Renzland but the hammer down and tried to make as many moves as possible. He charged forward over the entirety of the race and managed to climb all the way up to twelfth. Not the result he wanted but he has to take pride in the excellent come from behind performance.
86 GRITMOTO • APRIL 2, 2017