Page 26 - Issue_66

WESTON PEICK
450 SX / 7TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Weston Peick has been one of the most consistent riders all year. This has been quite the surprise because in years past, he has been one of the most Inconsistent riders in the series. During the offseason he really put in the work to get stronger and more comfortable on his JGR Suzuki and it is paying off big time. He has had three top ves and only one nish worse than a seventh. He has ridden tough, per usual, and fought for every inch of ground gained but another thing that makes this year his best one so far is that his speed has vastly improved. He is now running virtually the same pace as the leader’s week in, week out which has solidi ed him as a continual threat for the top ve every Saturday night. He enters Arlington only eight points behind third place in the points standings and looking to get even closer.
Peick looked great and in control during qualifying practice. He looked much smoother and relaxed on the motor- cycle than we are used to seeing at that helped him notch the sixth fastest lap time on the day. He was poised and ready for the gates to drop for the night of racing ahead.
Peick got a good start in his heat race and wasted hardly any time in bettering his position. He rounded lap one in fourth and got to work on Marvin Musquin. Peick got through one of the rhythm lanes so cleanly that he had the line and the momentum to jump to the inside of Musquin and make a pass. He sliced across the turn and clipped Mus- quin’s front tire as Musquin failed to check up because I don’t think he even knew Peick was coming. Nevertheless, Peick was now in third and chasing down the leaders, his old buddy Vince Friese and Tyler Bowers. He made quick, easy work of Friese on lap four before locking his sights on Bowers, who held the lead. It took a few laps of working away at him but Peick was eventually able to make a pass stick on him and take over the lead. He would easily hold onto it the rest of the way to earn him his second career heat race win. Peick’s season just kept on getting better as he now geared up for the main event.
Peick got another nice start in the main, coming out of lap one in fth place. he was right behind Blake Baggett for the rst few laps before he was forced to focus his attention on the riders behind him. Cole Seely and Cooper Webb came right up on his rear wheel. Peick made a mistake by failing to cover the inside line and it ended up allowing both of the riders to move by. He would only lose one spot because he gained one from Jason Anderson’s crash a few laps earlier. He now sat in sixth place and did a good job not letting Webb and Seely get too far ahead. Once again, as he’d like to set his sights forward, he had more company to deal with from behind. This time it was Ander- son. Anderson applied serious pressure and did everything he could to try and pass him but Peick kept the series points leader at bay for a handful of laps. He was countering every one of Anderson’s pass attempts but nally persistence paid off for Anderson and he found a way around. After that, Peick would ride a lonely seventh place
all the way to the nish line. He did not get his fourth top ve of the year, but he did enough to get into fth place in the points standings. Now that is surely something no one had predicted coming into the season. Peick will look to continue to keep his stellar season going next weekend in Tampa.
26 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 18, 2018