Page 46 - Issue_72

MITCHELL HARRISON
250 SX / 7TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> When you sign up for the Monster Energy Supercross tour, you know that you have to be ready, willing, and able, to adjust to any type of condition, soil composition, and layout, that may present itself. Somewhat like the sport of Golf, yet the adrenaline in this landscape is unprecedented. That’s what makes these athletes so admirable, is that they can constantly change and adapt, to anything that’s placed in front of them, at the drop of a hat. Take Mitchell Harrison for example, competing on all different types of surfaces throughout his career. The clay of the east coast, sands of Michigan, Florida, and the deep Northeast, you name it, and he’s been able to adapt to it. So this layout, and treacherous condition that Seattle Supercross presented, was nothing that he hadn’t seen before; although this could be a challenge ranking at the top. Practice provided quite the undertaking, as not only his bike and motor began to slightly show signs of wear, and slight overheating, but his brain and nervous system took a pounding as well. Yet, his overdrive notion kept himself into play, constantly analyzing and piecing this track together like a jigsaw puzzle. He would do the same in his heat race, forced to make moves early, and get creative with his line choice. Sitting in third early on, he knew that quick, swift like moves and reactions would have to be made, otherwise he would be stuck with a less than optimal gate position in the heat race. Cresting over the double, headed towards the start, he would whip the chassis to the right over the triple, eyeing the competition in front of him. He would rev the 250f to the absolute limit past the mechanics area for the nal time, all the way to the checkered ag double; he would place third. The gate would fall for the main event, and he try his hardest to skirt around the inside barrier, of this left-hander. Quickly into these small sets of moguls, he could feel the pack closing in around him, but as always, he would stay focused forward, never showing signs of being afraid. The rst lap had him in fth, looking to press forward, and leave his foes in the dust (although it was nothing but darkened mud). Each lap, little by little in his head would be gained, no marginalization would occur, as he knew that he would have to step up, to nish inside the top ten. He would begin to look over, while in the air from the triple, just past the nish line. It was all he could do to reach for sixth, while the pace of seventh place felt comfortable to him. He would come past the mechanics area for the nal time, his front number-plate almost indistinguishable. Seventh was where he would reside, looking to build on his nish, before the series would subside.
46 GRITMOTO • APRIL 8, 2018