Page 52 - Issue-61

JEREMY MARTIN
450 SX / 10TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> With the city of Houston ecstatic, in regards to their newly found title of World Series Cham- pion’s, it’s hard for many athletes to come through this town, and not be affected by the vibe of ex- cellency. A team, once considered one of the worst in the league, who has climbed from the depths of trenches, is now atop the summit, looking beneath to all those who have had worsening records. This idea has translated into the mentality of Jeremy Martin, as he too has come from some of the lowest and roughest places in the game, just to dethrone those at the top, and now be considered elite. From the stories of his amateur days, to the numerous races lost, and hospital visits, it’s all paid off, and returned in the likes of bountiful fruition. He can now call himself one of the best in the game; but what makes him so special, is that he never enjoys the idea of complacency, and has always had the urge to move forward, no matter what point of his life he may be in. He carried this notion throughout the qualifying session, skying over the Supercross triple, looking to attack the small camel hump with the absurd amount of power his machine carried. Never batting an eye, he absolutely would obliterate the following left, even spraying sand into the first row of fans. His bike, although tarnished from this wet, Houston clay, would be equipped shortly thereafter, and ready
for an assault on the night show. As the riders hooked up off of the meshed pad, each front wheel was jousting for the first position across the censor. With dust filling the stadium with residue, the field would situate themselves, down the series of straightaways. Looking to push forward with the timer now rolling, he would scrub the double section meticulously, after the start stretch. Hitting the rhythm sections two and three wide, his foot pegs began to spark just a tad, as the pegs began
to etch through the clay, and onto the concrete floor. Pushing through the final whoop section, his bike would bounce until the end, taking home the sixth position. As the fire burst out of the cannon, the field bombarded into the first turn, and although wider than most layout’s, there was no short- age of carnage. He would begin to dance through the whoop section, his foot nearly missing the rear brake, as he would adjust to drag the rear wheel up the following face of the step up. Hovering near the top ten, he would try to remain as steady as possible, not letting the heart rate creep into the red zone. With pressure mounting from the likes of Malcolm Stewart, while chasing the number thirty-three just in front, it was all he could do to hold on to the waffle grips, white knuckle and all. The slightest of thoughts would creep into his mind, his anaerobic pathways fully taxed. However, his preparation through the week would pay dividends, and he would bring home the tenth place ride, looking forward to the year ahead and his 450 career.
52 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 14, 2018