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RESULTS DONOT LIE
fifth to fourth and so on. He would continue to run exceptionally strong laptimes, even
percross, and motocross, he wanted to make each moto count, as he truly held his time on
the track in high regard. He’d been working extremely hard on and off the bike, trying to get everything together to perform on the sports biggest stage. He knew that fans, industry members, and team owners alike would be in at- tendance, and if nothing else, a spectacular result here, listed on his highlight sheet, would be one to hopefully receive recognition for the 2019 season. But, he couldn’t let the magnitude of the race get to him, and he wanted to focus on the task at hand. An opening heat race disaster had him on the outside look- ing in, for the 450 B Limited class, but he wouldn’t let one mishap get him down. He would come back, making
his way through the back portion of the field, and being forced to work with a starting position that was less than optimum; but as he had trained, he ran with it, grabbing gears off the line, and immediately tried to fight amongst the top guys in the class. Weaving his way in and out of traffic, his superior line choice would net him in eighth overall, as the final flag would wave. Hoping to best his performance, he then followed his mechanic to the line, for the College Boy division. Winning his heat race, his confidence was sky high as he placed his goggles upon the shell of his helmet, and locked everything
in. With a subtle fist bump to his crew chief, he would shift end to
gear, and be well on
his way. Wheel tapping
through every roller, whoop, and breaking bump he could find, he would settle into a podium position as the race would conclude. Getting a taste of the lead, he would be in a heated battle with both Logan Leitzel, and Dirco Van Der West- hui. The two Yamaha riders would be on rails, and the Kawa- saki of Cranford would follow suit, all the
way to the finish line. Coming across the line, he was ecstatic,
though he was having to navigate his way through traffic. Letting it all hang out, it would conclude the round in second place, strong enough for a silver medal, in regards to the overall position of the treacherous field. It was then, that the event was moved to the motocross sector, and Dirco would really begin to fly. Running in a whopping six dif- ferent motos, his scores would accumulate to no less than a fifth place, in an individual race. He would be terrorizing this rough and rugged Gatorback course, manhandling
the bike at times. The sheer strength of his upper body was keeping the front end from head shaking, all the while squeezing the life out of his shrouds and gas tank. Picking up multiple moto victories within the first round, he would be positioned in a very strong suit for an overall finish. The fourth overall would come in the 450 B class, against a large amount of stiff competition. He would con- tinue to climb the ladder of results however, with a one-two combination, finishing second in the College Boy class. But it would all come together in the 450 B Limited outing, when a tally of first and third moto scores, would land him sitting atop the leaderboard amongst a class with considerable depth. It would be a job well done for Dirco, and he would leave the event feeling exceptionally well.
ADAM CRANFORD
Kingston, Tennessee’s Adam Cranford made the trek to the south, hoping for solid results and noteworthy attention from those in the industry. Riding only two classes in both su-
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knowing that he had just podiumed at one of the largest events of the year. But don’t let his SX skills fool you, the young man from the Volunteer state would bring it on the motocross track as well, finishing inside the top ten in both his classes, respectively. An eighth in College Boy, would be capped off with a tenth overall in 450 B limited (following an impressive third place run in his opening moto). All in all, Cranford would leave the grounds of Gatorback, knowing he’d put it
all on the line; and in the end, was rewarded with noteworthy results.
TJ USELMAN
The state of Texas has provided riders with a plethora of tracks and riding spots since the beginning of time, helping the state produce some of the fastest riders on the national cir- cuit. From the likes of Hackley, Hahn, Olden- bug, Voss; many riders have began to flock there, through the test of time, knowing that they’ll be surrounded by top tier talent. It was the same scenario with TJ Uselman, a young man who knew that by residing and living
in Texas, he could have all the necessary tools in order to be successful in this sport. Which explains the raw speed the number forty-two possesses. Week after week, he’s surrounded by some of the most elite in
the game, with practice tracks and training facilities all around. With tracks as rough
as they come to train on, and weather that seemingly agrees the majority of the time, Uselman knew that the track at Gatorback couldn’t provide him with much he hadn’t seen before. Therefore he would line up with confidence, as displayed with his results throughout the week. He would really come
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