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theGRIT
After coming off an upsetting shoulder injury during the 2015 season, Clay Quick was look- ing to start of this year with a bang in Daytona. After a rather successful Sunday, finishing with a top 10 in all three of his classes, two of which were top 5’s, Quick was headed to
Monday with some of that fresh, beginning of the year momentum. Having all three of his classes being moto 14 or later, Clay had the chance to sleep-in and ensure how the pre-race rituals were precisely followed. As his Mini Sr. 1 moto approached, you could tell the air was thick with a class so stacked. Once the gates dropped, the air might have been too thick, as the #78 rider was off to a terrible start, outside the top 20. Being Quick, he turned his elbows up and put lap 1 behind him, going on a charge for the remaining 6 laps. On lap 4, Quick moved into 15th where he battled with the #77/ of Bryce Adams. Quick lost the 15th spot to Adams on Lap 5 but finished the moto in 15th, a solid 10 places ahead of where he was when he finished lap 1. Quick, though had to get prepared quickly as his 2nd main was only 9 races away. Off to a better start in Mini Sr. 2, Quick crossed lap 1 in 14th. Luck ran short on Lap 2 though were Quick made a mistake, dropping all the way back to 26th. From here, it was back to work where Clay rode the next 5 laps as quick as possible
to make his way all the way back to 17th. After finishing 15th and 17th, it was obvious it wasn’t the performances Quick was looking for, yet still he proved his competitiveness by bouncing back in both moto’s. After only 6 other races, Quick was headed back to the starting line for the division and his final race of the event. The young RidesUnlimited racer must have been exhausted as the moto started off worse than the his previous two. Coming from 27th, Clay dug as deep as the Daytona dirt, charging once again to 20th, finishing his unlucky day on a sour note. If there’s anything for the #78 KTM to take away from the Speedway in Daytona, it’s that he put his head down, proved his worth and left it all out on the track. It’ll be interesting to watch next year, as I can bet Quick will come back, stronger than ever, ready to charge even closer to the front of the pack.
words/BRENTECKERT
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