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theGRIT
Not much is to be said about Chad Givens’ Open Pro Sport finishes at Freestone this year. Going 142415 for 17th overall is respectable, but nothing to flashy. Shutting down Nico Izzi in Junior 25+ however, is going to get you some attention! The Oklahoma native went 21
for theoverall in the 25+ class this year edging out former amatuer sensation and factory rider Nico Izzi for the top spot on the podium. In the first moto Givens started 3rd, moving up into 2nd by the first lap. By the end of the 5 laps, Chad was just under 4 seconds of Izzi at the checkers. Moto 2 was a bit of a different story with Givens out to the early lead and taken over by Izzi by lap 2, Givens was riding his heart out trying to catch the #341 of Izzi. Chad would reel Nico in throughout a lap but it was no match for Izzi’s cheater line going into the sand rollers before the finish. His line on the side of the wall jump leading into the rollers, was good for about 23
bike lengths on Givens. Chad was charging however and caught Izzi on the last lap. They were side by side through the rollers on the last lap (Izzi didn’t take the line this time) and they fin- ished barely .4 seconds apart. The results at the line showing Izzi going 11 on the day and Chad having 22. However, what goes around comes around, and in this case it was Nico Izzi going around the wall jump. It would appear that the officials ended up making a post race call dock- ing Izzi back to 3rd for the second moto, giving Givens the moto win and therefore the overall! Chad truly put in a terrific effort to challenge the former phenom and should most definitely be stoked on the outcome and the overall.
words/CHRISTOPHERANTOLAK
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