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Wyatt Lyonsmith
College (16-24) SM
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Wyatt Lyonsmith put in some impressive rides at the 2017 JS7 Freestone Spring Championship. The Idaho native contested three separate classes throughout the week of racing in Wortham: College (16-24) Sportsman; 250 B; and 450 B. He was able to score top ten finishes amongst all three of the afore- mentioned classes, but he really put his speed on display in the College (16-24) class as he secured the overall victory with a second and first place finish. In the heat race, Lyonsmith started at a bit of a disadvantage as he was forced to battle his way to third position on the opening lap. The sun was nearing the tree line and the track was at it’s roughest for the day, providing a challenging course for the competitors to tackle. He was able to charge hard throughout the opening stages of the moto, putting a forceful move on McLellan Hile on the first flying lap. Lyonsmith promoted himself to second position and did his best to track down the Yamaha of Dustin Turner in first, but their lap times were almost exactly the same and the gap began to stagnate. The rider out of Idaho put in a charge on the final couple of laps, but he wasn’t able to make it happen and he was forced to head into the final moto with a second place finish, keeping himself in proper conten- tion for the overall victory. The final moto got underway and Lyonsmith shot down the start straight with only one thing in mind -- the holeshot and the number one plate. He was able to place his front Dunlop in a commanding position through the first corner and steal the line away from the pack, setting himself up with a clear track for the remainder of the race. The Husqvarna rider clicked off consis- tent laps one after another, accumulating a comfortable lead from start to finish. He came under a little bit of pressure from Jaxon Hadlow in the latter stages of the moto, but he responded with his fastest lap of the race at the penultimate opportunity, putting himself in position to snag the overall victory and the coveted number one plate.
82 MPG • APRIL 2017