Page 71 - MPG23

In a pre-race memo by both he and his camp, the foundation of his goal was to score points, in which he would have to finish in the top twenty. With lap one in the books, the goal would be just at his fin- gertips, as he sat 22nd. Hopping to 20th in the next few sequences, the rest of the event was icing on the cake, to see how many toppings he could stack on his salivating cuisine. You can see how much each position really means to a privateer when watching the amount of effort that’s exerted, even when battling for last. Martinez would fight to the death, bloodied and battered, eventually coming home with
an 18th, and points paying position. Just imagine if Cole could start in the teens, and see what could play out if he were able to get out of delayed traffic. Moto two saw this scenario come into effect, as Cole sat 18th a few minutes in to the race. Hovering near the same spot for the majority of the moto, the snout of his helmet began to fill with sand, the foam of his goggles slowly becoming more damp, and the breathing beginning to rise, he would push and engrave every ounce of energy he had in to the RedBud soil. As the referee began to wave his flag for the final time, Martinez would once again find that ever-so mystic 18th place, and bring it home to the team owner; finishing nineteenth overall for the day.
words/LOGANMATTINGLY
IMAGES / LAKE KILPATRICK
theGRIT
WWW.GRITMOTO.COM
71