Page 56 - ISSUE41

JASON ANDERSON
450 SX / 9TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / KUHLHOFF DESIGN / WILSON
>> Early in the evening, piloting the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna, Jason Ander- son, rode strong in what was quickly becoming a brutally technical Indianapolis. In the first heat, the 21 machine rocketed towards the first corner and found him- self on Tomac’s tail and in the second place position at the end of an extremely short one hundred and ninety foot start straightaway. With 180-degree turns ricocheting riders into challenging rhythm sections; perfect timing was crucial in Indy. Anderson was passed by Seely, but held onto a fantastic third place spot, a position that would send him straight into a competitive Main Event. The overall points standings were really tightening up moving into Round Eleven in India- napolis. With that being said, the buzz and anticipation amongst fans and riders had to have been filling the Lucas Oil Stadium with energy as Juliana raised the thirty-second card and the countdown began. After a solid heat race and an awe- some third place podium finish at Daytona last weekend, confidence should have been high for rider out of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, but the start can really make or break a rider’s performance.
Blood pressures were rising and down went the starting gate. The top twenty-two riders were released and they were all hungry for the same thing:
the holeshot. Jason Anderson was unable to get his hands on a stellar start and was sitting in fourteenth place at the fifteen-minute mark of the moto. Anderson pushed and was able to quickly gain three more positions, putting him in elev- enth place behind Dean Wilson in tenth and Justin Barcia in ninth. Only halfway through the race, El Hombre wasn’t finished yet. He was able to find ninth by quickly making his way around Wilson and Barcia. Jason Anderson went past the checkered flag in the ninth place spot. After a rough start, Anderson was able to focus and put in a commendable ride by getting within the top ten but we all know that he is capable of much more. Anderson is currently holding fifth place in overall points and hopefully in Detroit he can find himself back on the podium.
56 GRITMOTO • MARCH 19, 2017