Page 46 - GRIT_75

MITCHELL HARRISON
250 SX / 8TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / ARMSTRONG DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> 2018 hasn’t been the best of years for Mitchell Harrison but his entire professional career
has been a pinch off par as most have expected from the 2015 250A Loretta Lynns Champion. After winning his title at Loretta’s in 2015 Mitchell moved up to the professional ranks in 2016 under the Star Racing Yamaha rig. In his rst year of racing Supercross he was only able to put his machine into the main event 5 times accumulating 25 points in the West Coast Series. In his sophomore year Harrison was much better, putting his Yamaha into every main event of the year and nished 7th in the East Coast Series. So after a terrible rookie season and a so-so sopho- more year 2018 was looking to be the break through year. Sadly it has been everything but for the Tallahassee Florida native as the Supercross season is winding down and he is sitting 8th in points and 13 points back of 6th, which is what he would have to do to achieve better then 2017.
Today at round 16 in Salt Lake City Harrison started off 9th overall in qualifying giving him 5th gate pick in his heat race. When the gate dropped in the heat Mitchell found himself in 5th out of turn one and quickly made his way to 3rd. Shortly after Mitchell got a good drive going into the rst whoops section and goes around Shane McElrath to take 2nd. Unfortunately it was short lived as the #30 Husqvarna rider made a mistake in the second whoop section, failing to get
his front end down on one of the whoops that made him loose control and take a soil sample at the end of the section. Mitchell dropped back to 11th but had plenty of time to make it back to a qualifying position. Just a short lap later Harrison got tangled up with Martin Castelo and the pair of riders but fell putting Mitchell back to 15th place and roughly 14 seconds down from a transfer position.
The Rockstar Husky rider put his head down and began his charge to the top 9. Two minutes remained in the Heat race and Harrison nally got himself to 10th but was 7+ seconds down of Marquier who held the nal spot. Just over a lap remained when Harrison was able to make the move and keep himself out of the LCQ. @mitchellh30 started just out of the top ten in the main event but a crash on the opening lap put him all the way back in last and -4 seconds behind any rider in the class.
Mitch slowly dug him self out of the hole he got himself into and by the midway point he was showing in 15th with live timing and scoring. At this point the riders where a bit more bunched up and Mitchell was able to make some much needed moves to get himself all the way back to 8th.
46 GRITMOTO • APRIL 29, 2018