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JOEY SAVATGY
250 SX / 2ND
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / WILSON
>> Joey Savatgy kicked off the 250 East Coast series with a bang capturing a com- manding win but he has failed to back it up at the following rounds. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider has struggled quite a bit since that opening win. Some minor crashes and mistakes have hindered him and when he has had the opportunity to se- cure wins he comes up just short like last weekend at Daytona. He had a great chance to make up valuable championship points on points leader Zach Osborne but could not find a way around his teammate Adam Cianciarulo and had to settle for second. He clearly seemed motivated to get back on track when he hit the course at Indianapolis because he blew away the field in qualifying practice. He set the fastest lap time by an entire second and was ready to get back to his winning ways.
Savatgy got a solid start in his heat race rounding lap one in third. He was right behind Osborne and attempted to make a statement by passing him but he ended up getting wild in the whoops and crashing. He remounted quickly losing just seven spots back to tenth. He was unfazed by the incident and rode aggressively through the field. When it was all said and done, he caught all the way back up to third right where he started.
Savatgy got the holeshot he desperately needed when the gate dropped in the main event. He was determined to put a cushion between him and the rest of the field but
he had one problem; Osborne started right behind him in second. It set up the battle everyone came to see. Savatgy was quicker in the rhythm lanes while Osborne was quicker through the whoops high speed section after the finish line. The two riders yo yo-d back forth but they were not alone. Teammates Alex Martin and Jordon Smith kept the two front runners honest and were right there to capitalize on any mistakes. At the halfway point, Savatgy made the tiniest of mistakes by giving Osborne just enough room to squeeze to the inside after the whoops. That allowed Osborne to make the pass and take the lead. Savatgy did not give up but he could not get within striking distance despite staying right with him. It would end up being Savatgy’s third second place in a row leaving him nine points behind in the championship. He seems to be missing that extra ounce of fire needed to propel him back to the top of the podium. Watch for him to find that fire next weekend in Detroit.
34 GRITMOTO • MARCH 19, 2017