Page 70 - ISSUE_54

COLT NICHOLS
250 MX / 9TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / TILLS
>> The sands of the Eastern Seaboard act as an eerie similar representa- tion of the results of years past. Just as each day concludes, so do the memories of the last round here, acting as the shore that’s swept away dur- ing each tide of the ocean’s current. Looking at it that way, it makes sense as to why this year is a refreshing round for Colt Nichols, as he knows his slate has been wiped clean, and it’s now time to embark on a new result. All throughout practice, he was seemingly finding his groove, trying his best to etch a specific thread throughout the new blend of finite sand that had been laid down by track owners. Meshing with the bike as one unit, he knew in or- der to succeed here, he must flow seamlessly; the less effort he displayed, the better. Moto number one saw the field terrorize the start stretch, a sec- tion of dirt that had smoothed to perfect degree, now rutted and slithered with tires of snake tread. He was railing the outsides as much as he could, trying his best not to truly dig the fork guards into these luscious berms; although the shots from photographer’s might be picturesque, it would
save him no time burying the front end into the amass of soil. Charging to the end, just behind the number 17, he would bring home eight for moto one. The second round found him searching for the mystical 2:16 laptime, as Osborne was on his way to the win. He on the other hand, found him- self dicing it up with Adam Cianciarulo and Kyle Cunningham. With the tire change made after practice, his front end was gravitating towards the yellow markers lining the track, as the track was forming waves of breaking bumps throughout the entire circuit. Having to be creative, for his native Oklahoman style, he stuck to the tune, bringing home a tenth, for a ninth overall, making the star Yamaha team proud.
70 GRITMOTO • JULY 9, 2017