Page 51 - GRIT89

SHANE MCELRAT
in January quickly approached, he was anxiously awaiting to show off the skills that he had acquired and developed. Placed in heat one, he would feverishly dig his way to the front, after a starting position
around the fifth place spot. With numerous riders going down in the first corner,
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MCELRATH
so, it translated into an abundance of quality training throughout the off-season. And as this weekend
McElrath was thankful that he stayed up right, and would be able to press forward quick. Third by lap two, he could see RJ Hampshire off in the distance, looking to blitz away from the field. He was starting to become a little
urgent with his decision-making on Jess Pettis, and would push around the fellow KTM Pilot on lap five. Making his way into second, he knew Hampshire would walk away with the win; therefore he would bring it home in the runner-up position smoothly. For the main event, he would have an excellent start, registering second when crossing the line. Colt Nichols, who was already out front, had established
a lead in the early going, leaving Shane in a bit of no man’s land. He couldn’t get complacent though, as he knew the likes of Hampshire and Ferrandis would be keeping him honest, especially as the track deteriorated. Looking to keep moving forward, his number twelve KTM would stay as smooth as possible, launching over the double-double section perpendicular to the start straight. He felt solid,
but would really receive a bit of company near lap thirteen, when Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis would be hounding him from behind. And although putting up a solid effort, the number thirty-four would work his way around, putting McElrath into third for the evening.
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