Page 120 - ISSUE-47

JORDON SMITH
250 SX / 21ST
MAGE / MPG WORDS / LANNAN DESIGN / WILSON
>> Carrying success from the amateur ranks over to the pros is often one of the hardest things for young riders to accomplish. After only a couple of years, Jordon Smith has officially found this success. Back in 2015, Jordon was expected to be
a contender as he busted onto the pro scene aboard the prestigious Geico Honda ride. Although the struggles were more prevalent than the successes, he continued working and eventually found a home on the TLD KTM team. He started 2017 off with a bang where he landed in the 2nd place position at the opener in Minneapolis. He then clicked off two wins in a row just a few rounds later. Jordon was then handed
the points lead after the New Jersey race and was in high hopes going into the last round with the red plate. He began his day at the finals with amazing speed and was confident to carry the red plate to the end of the night. The 250 East Heat was on the line and when the gate dropped, Jordon launched off the gate. He filed into 3rd place quickly and was looking fast. He would keep the riders in front of him honest and would ride to a strong 3rd place finish in the Heat. When the Main began, Jordon was ready to lay it all on the line to achieve the number 1 plate. He catapulted out of the gate and put his self in a top three position early. A mistake by Savatgy then handed 2nd place over to Jordon, thus giving him the points lead as well. He was all business at this point and put down a very fast lap. Then, the Las Vegas ruts would grab Smith going through a rhythm section, which forced him to jump off the side of the track, nearly ending his night. Luckily, he was able to hold on to the KTM and remounted the track in the next safest spot. He lost a couple positions but was still ahead of any other championship contenders. Disaster then struck for Jordon. As he charged into the stadium at around 60 miles per hour, his bike caught a bump just a little bit wrong as he tried to scrub the single. This catapulted him over the bars as the front end tucked into the Vegas soil. Jordon continued to flip end over end but was able to walk off the track on his own power. Surprisingly enough he was not seriously injured as he stated, “I am ok! Just very beat up and sore!” There is no doubt he will be back for that championship next season.
120 GRITMOTO • MAY 7, 2017