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LUKE RENZLAND
250 MX / 13TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / TILLS
>> The New England Patriots give their fellow citizens a sense of pride, and charisma, knowing they are living proof and subjected to a distinct dynasty
in our modern area. Some of the roughest fans in the business, they can
be both your biggest supporter, and worst enemy, when it comes time to compete, if you’re in their corner. For Luke Renzland he felt this personally; taking the words of his fans from the autograph sessions to heart, and con- figuring them into solid results throughout the day. As he loaded the gate for moto number one, his headphones tacked within the eardrum, bobbing his head, he was locked and loaded. And in an instance, they were off, two and three wide screaming around the sands of Southwick. Although not a jumpy track, this layout was one where you could catch yourself in complacency, and not truly pushing the pace; coming to find out you’re missing out on valu- able seconds with timing and scoring. That was so the case, as the leaders were just beginning to get away as the moto winded down, and the gas tank was emptying, both throughout his body and the bike. He would finish tenth place, just behind Chase Sexton. Trying to rebound his momentum from the second moto of Red Bud, Renzland’s pace was furious, but a horrendous 37th place start found him buried catastrophically deep. He fought, tooth
and nail every lap, running the Yamaha 250f to its peak, taking names of
all shapes and sizes. His tenacity was so courageous, pushing through the valleys of the trees on the plantar flexors of his legs, his balls of his feet on a constant push. As everyone began to fade, he would continue to climb, mak- ing his way by amateur hotshoe Nick Gaines towards the end of the moto. His 10-14 scores would bring him 13th overall on the day.
82 GRITMOTO • JULY 9, 2017