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BROC TICKLE
450 SX / 8TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Broc Tickle encountered a turning point in the world class AT&T Stadium as he earned a sixth place finish in the great state of Texas after struggling to put in results at the beginning of the season. The RCH Suzuki rider has landed inside the top ten in two out of four races since then, including a third place in Toronto. In a season that has been so heavily dependent on starts, Tickle has been in- consistent out of the gate, but has showed the speed to battle towards the front of the field when he puts himself in position to do so. The Michigan native really began to find his form last year during the outdoor season, but unfortunately suf- fered an injury at the midway point of the season that derailed his momentum. Tickle seems to be putting the pieces back together after his podium north of
the border and has really found his feet on the technical east coast tracks. He seemed to find comfortability in the soft, rutted dirt early in the day and it was
on full display during both timed qualifying sessions in which he clocked the eighth fastest time overall. Tickle got out to a decent start in the opening 450 heat race, finding himself in eighth position on the first lap. He moved his way forward past Mike Alessi, but the transfer position had already escaped him and he was forced to travel to the semi. The Michigan native got the job done in the semi with a third place finish behind the defending champion, Ryan Dungey, and earned himself a spot in the main event. Tickle set off to a midpack start when the gate finally dropped and he battled on the edge of the top ten throughout
the opening stages of the moto. The RCH Suzuki rider intently worked his way through the field over the next couple of laps -- moving past Justin Brayton, Dean Wilson, and Malcolm Stewart in only three laps. Tickle found himself in ninth position for a couple of laps in a row until catching his teammate, Justin Bogle. The two Suzuki riders were engaged in a momentary battle that saw Tickle come out on top, cementing him into eighth position. He was able to maintain the position and hold off a late race charge from Jason Anderson in or- der to put his Suzuki in the top ten for the third time in five races as he continues to build momentum heading into his home state.
30 GRITMOTO • MARCH 19, 2017