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PARKER MASHBURN / Motocross
The thought of torrential downpours at an event hosted at Gatorback Cycle Park is ironic. The typical “Florida Gator” obviously lives in the murky water, but loves to wade when the streams begin to rise. The bizarre matter of the Winter Olympics circum- stance, was that once the rain evaporated, there were numerous aggressive “animals” if you want to call them, still ready to line the gate and attack for the highly coveted number one plate. In what area were they most concentrated you ask? None other than the 250 B Limited division. Names such as Mashburn, Robertson, Phelps, and Gibbs all began to stab at the golden nugget that awaited them at the finish line, beginning with their heat races. The first round of qualifying, saw Oklahoma’s Jesse Flock draw first blood after chomping into the competition. A mistake in the treacherous trenches forced him back to fourth on the next go around, with Parker Mashburn moving into the lead, and Marcus Phelps following suit. Flock, now third on lap three, would dip into the 1:54’s, inching closer to the lead pack, and now moving to third. The results would conclude in this order, Mashburn, Phelps, and Flock. For the second heat, Stilez Robertson brought a little west coast flare to the party, still provid-
ing thunder although the storm had just passed. Leading every lap in the process, he would go on to set the fastest time of the
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MPG • JANUARY • 2017