Page 66 - ISSUE41

JOSH GRANT
450 SX / 13TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / KUHLHOFF DESIGN / WILSON
>> After an eighth place finish at Round Ten in Daytona last weekend, we were all hoping we would see Josh Grant breaking into the top five this week- end at the Lucas Oil Stadium. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider lined up in a competitive first heat race. Off the start, Grant was not too far back from the front-runners and he found himself in the sixth place spot and so incredibly close to transferring to the Main Event. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough for the California rider and he was headed for the Semi. With quite a few notorious holeshotters in Semi One, I’m sure the number 33 could predict how the start would go. Grant did not let the other riders take what was rightfully his though, with a couple of solid passes on Vince Friese and Mike Alessi, Josh Grant was able to find his way into third place and well within the top five Main Event transfer spots.
Grant lined the Kawasaki machine up at the starting gate. 67,000 seats and 6,000 yards of dirt and all eyes were intently focused on a small, glowing thirty-second countdown. The sound of the top twenty-two’s bikes filled the stadium as the gates dropped. Josh Grant had to face the adversity of a bad start after he found himself sitting in the fifteenth place position at the fifteen- minute mark of the moto. With it still being early in the race, Grant was able
to start making moves and was in twelfth place by the halfway point. Then, a pass by Brayton put him into the thirteenth position where he would finish the Main Event. Grant is still in eleventh place in the overall points standings, but to maintain that spot consistency and a good finish will be necessary in Detroit next weekend.
66 GRITMOTO • MARCH 19, 2017