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JUSTIN HILL
250 SX / TEXAS
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / WILSON
>> Justin Hill has had the hot hand in recent weeks reeling off three consecu- tive wins heading into this weekend. And at the previous race in Oakland he was finally able to wrestle away the points lead from early leader and main champion- ship contender Shane McElrath. The red plate looks fresh on his Monster Energy Drink Kawasaki and he wanted to make sure he would still be holding onto it going into the break after Arlington. He made that known early in Texas when
he threw down the gauntlet in practice securing the pole position by over half a second. He was more than ready for the races to begin.
When the gate dropped for heat race number one, Hill got out to a second place holeshot behind his young teammate Austin Forkner. The two Monster Energy Kawasaki riders locked in and played follow the leader. Hill shadowed him until Forkner finally made slight bobble giving him just enough room to pass for the lead and eventually the victory. Hill looked poised to keep it going in the main event.
Another gate drop, another second place holeshot for Hill. This time he was right behind McElrath. And with only a one point lead heading into the race, he knew that if he did not make a pass, he would lose that precious red plate. The stage was set for a duel but McElrath countered every attempt of a charge Hill put forth. Hill would actually lose some ground in the early stages. The gap stayed around four seconds throughout the entire race but then with just a few laps to go, Hill would be granted a massive gift. McElrath’s bike would suffer a mechani- cal failure forcing him out of the race and Hill into the lead. He would take that lead to the finish line and secure his fourth straight win along with a huge exten- sion of his points lead. Hill will be leading the series into the extended break with a twenty-one-point lead.
26 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 12, 2017