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MITCHELL OLDENBURG
250 SX / 5TH
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / ROEWER DESIGN / WILSON
>> It was a rough season for Mitchell Oldenburg after sustaining a practice injury early in the season that kept him sidelined for a few races. Making a strong comeback for the end of the season he was able to grab a couple po- diums and a top five finish. Looking to keep his end of year momentum rolling Oldenburg looked confident rolling into the final round of the year in Las Vegas. He didn’t get the best jump out of the gate for his heat race leaving him in 10th place around the first lap. Fighting hard to get into qualifying position, Olden- burg couldn’t hang onto his position and got passed by Mellross sending him back to 11th. Now with even more work to do the Troy Lee Designs KTM rider was searching for his comfort zone. Quickly finding it he passed back into 10th and then right into 9th. Not wanting to race the LCQ he held onto his transfer spot making his way into the main event. Getting a good jump out of the gate he was right around 8th place. By the third lap he worked his way up to 6th. Almost halfway through the race he goes to make the move for 5th and then Davalos makes a mistake and he was in fourth place. With only three minutes left of the race he falls back to 5th riding out the rest of the main event. Finish- ing the season off with another top five it was unfortunate he missed a few rounds and will definitely be one to watch for next year.
40 GRITMOTO • MAY 7, 2017