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Having won two championships at last year’s Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross, Swoll was looking to for a two-class sweep in 2016. Finishing with two 3rd place finishes in his qualifiers, Swoll sat with a comfortable gate pick for both classes. As luck would have it, both of his moto’s happened
to be late in the day, forcing him to think long and hard about the grueling laps ahead. The kind of waiting game that makes putting on the socks and knee braces and emotional experience. Eventually, as the afternoon and the first race of the day for JS352 came, Swoll put the emotions aside and showed up ready to throw down. As the admired Super Mini class is bulging with tomorrow’s superstars, the Husqvarna rider being one of them, 2015 wasn’t so solid for Swoll in this division. Finishing 6th at the RCSX, Jalek had something to prove to the other class competitors. Swoll got off to a great start, rounding lap 1 in 3rd, a mere 4 seconds of the lead rider, Jack Rogers. Making a mistake on lap 2, Rogers dropped back, letting Swoll in 2nd and Jo Shimoda into the top spot. From here, the two racers battled up front for the remaining 5 laps within a second and a half of each other. Both riders navigating the beaten track with precision, remaining within striking distance the full length of the moto. As the checkered flag was waived, Swoll couldn’t overtake the #47 KTM of Shimoda, having to settle for a very well-deserved 2nd place finish. Separated by only 5 motos, Swoll didn’t
have time to reflect on the race as he had to grab another bike and head back to the line for the Schoolboy 1 division. Arguably a tougher division than the Super Mini class, Schoolboy is full of B level riders all hungry for trophies like wolves craving leftovers. Having recently raced, though, Swoll may have had the advantage, knowing the fastest lines across the tired Daytona circuit. Whatever the case, the race proved fruitful for Jalek as he got out to the early lead. Racing in front of the likes of Derek Drack, Brock Papi and Pierce Brown, the factory Husqvarna put in work, remaining in 1st for the entire duration of the race. Derek Drake started to close the gap over the last few laps, but JS352 was too much to handle, getting the fastest lap of the moto and finishing his day with his fourth RCSX championship. Whatever step Swoll takes next, look for the flashy 352 to continue laying down the law in style.
words/BRENTECKERT
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