Page 60 - ISSUE_59

NICK GAINES
250 MX / 12TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / TILLS
>> Although they say first impressions are lasting impressions, there may be no better place to leave a permanent image in the mind of both team owner’s and sponsors, than that of the last round of the season. One ultimate perfor- mance here, and in the upcoming weeks, you could find yourself gazing at
a structured contract, eagerly seeking a dotted line to sign. That scenario is what Nick Gaines dreamed of, and it could become a sure reality with a strong performance here. Pushing his way through the field, an uncharacteristic lackluster jumped forced him to be bottlenecked and swarmed by the field, leaving him forced to go a different route than most. Running the majority of the outsides, in order to dodge the multiple pileups on the inside, was good in theory, but not enough to run the pace of the leaders storming away out front. Scrubbing the similar Larocco’s leap-styled triple, his footpeg was making a swift swipe up the takeoff, and the result was shave of a second with each go around. It seemed as though he couldn’t go any harder, with the lactic acid be- ginning to buildup, and an overall cumulative fatigue overtaking him. You could begin to see it, watching a slight mistake every so often. It would result in a 13th for the first moto, knowing he could better. It was now time to get off the stool for the final whistle. The card went sideways, and the gate slammed into the earth, as he was all over the backfender heading into turn number one. Dodging and weaving like he was avoiding haymakers at every second, the moves were beginning to be made, just not with enough precision. A positive gain in the slightest was a plus overall however, and it was being rewarded with increased position. Rubbing shrouds with the likes of Justin Hill and Lo- renzo Locurcio, it would be enough to hold down the tenth position. He would go on to finish tenth, resulting in a solid twelfth overall.
60 GRITMOTO • AUGUST 27, 2017