Page 68 - ISSUE-47

VINCE FRIESE
450 SX / 15TH
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> Who rallies when their energy is drained? Body, lacking nutrients, shaking with fear and for lack of electrolytes. Sweat constantly pouring, hands trembling, the throat craving liquids, all the while the mind racing faster than the heart can imagine. It’s time to rise to the occasion. Push all of the negative energy aside, and perform, as this is your liveli- hood, your earning of financial income, and stability throughout your life. All you’ve ever known, the dreams and aspirations you’ve had as a child have come to fruition, pushing you’re expectations to new heights, it’s time to step up to the plate. Lather, rinse, repeat, this is all Vince Friese has done since what seems like forever ago, but although this
may seem routine, the variables are always spewed out in a different format at each and every round. This race was no different, what was supposed to be a common, spring Las Vegas day, with some heat to be expected, turned out to be a blistering filled afternoon and evening. The Dirt Wurx crew had their hands full, trying to nullify the dust concerns, but give the field a bit of traction to work with. There didn’t seem to be much hope, but he kept the positive mentality. Lugging the bike a gear tall throughout practice, he decided
to lessen the tire pressure a bit, to allow the tread of the tires to sink in to the dust ridden Sam Boyd Stadium. He and mechanic went back to adjust the clickers, and adjust the rear sprocket, knocking it down a bit, to allow a little less bite, but overall higher speeds, hoping that strictly momentum would carry them around the circuit, rather than just pure accelera- tion. He would have difficulties throughout the night, qualifying less than optimal 15th, but manage to get it into the main event, where unfortunately, they would follow as well. After the field rocketed into the first turn for the main event, he was found in a rather unpleasant position, where he was being shuffled backwards, rather than climbing the ladder that he was hoping to do. The rear end kept sliding, every which way. Trying to lessen the dam- age of what the rear tire couldn’t get back, his timing at the beginning of the rhythm sec- tions was off. With the bike-sliding out, his lines to go three-in where he wanted, weren’t happening; therefore he would be the recipient of a domino effect, and his subsequent laptimes would fall as well. Not giving up hope, he was shuffled between the 14th and 16th slots for quite some time, never budging although being sandwiched by some of the best competitors in the world. The fans were still cheering, the roars getting louder, and the cameras never shying away, so he pressed on. Coming to close with the white flag in the rearview, he would round the final lap of the series in 15th, and look forward to what the rest of 2017 had in store.
68 GRITMOTO • MAY 7, 2017