Page 103 - MPG_JANUARY

KILPATRICK
250 A
When you win titles at an early age, you receive expectations from both people in your corner, and around the industry. They expect you to keep up that specific pace, winning each and ev- erything you enter, from that point on. And when you don’t? It’s as though your world has been turned upside down. Everyone begins to write you off, saying your time has come and gone, and they are quick to shun you away, based
off your recent performances. What it takes to overcome that, is resiliency, and a confident mine that can weather the storm and negativity. That’s where Jordan Bailey comes in. A young man that’s seen both the highs and low’s of this sport, being a champion and attracting attention at a young age. It’s hard to duplicate, but he’s seemed to have found his stride in the latter years of his career, and it was shown during the 2017 Winter Olympics. For the first moto, Enzo Lopes was the man to beat. Rocketing out of the launch pad with his perfectly tuned KTM 250F, the shifts remained consistent while the throttle hand stayed pinned. Jordan Bailey meanwhile, was in second, and shadowed the California na- tive for the first few laps. Studying his lines with exquisite precision, he kept the gap constant, lap after lap. Meanwhile, Mitchell Falk in third would rally late, posting the fastest time of the race. It would remain like this for the duration
of the moto, with Lopes taking the win, followed by Jordan Bailey, and Mitchell Falk, third. Moto number two saw familiar territory for both Derek Drake, and Jordan Bailey, who’d moved to the front of the field once the back dispersed. Mitch- ell Falk, the man with the holeshot, suffered a huge setback on lap two, pushing the majority
of the field up a position. Bailey, now third, sat behind Carter Halpain, who he would hound for consecutive laps. It was then the Derek Drake show out front. But what he didn’t realize, was that Bailey’s consistency would pay off with huge rewards, after his solid performance in moto one. It was all playing out in the mind of the Husqvarna rider, as Bailey would secure second the rest of the way. Drake, out front and excited that he had claimed the victory, was trying to do the addition in his head. Halpain, third, thought he’d also had a chance at the title. But once tim- ing and scoring had the entire configuration piled together, it was Jordan Bailey, crowned as your 250 A champion. Just a short drive from home, he could soak up the win, and head to the beach tomorrow to relax. It was well deserved for the number 133.
JORDAN BAILEY / MOTOCROSS
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