Page 92 - APRIL_ISSUE_2017

Sean Cantrell
250 A Pro Sport
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> There was a lot of buzz around Sean Cantrell heading into the 2017 JS7 Freestone Spring Championship. The rider out of Murrieta, California would be competing in his last amateur event before making his pro debut at Hangtown in just a couple of months, there- fore placing an extra bit of pressure on his shoulders to perform well. Cantrell contested both the 250 A and 450 A classes throughout the week of racing, and he was extremely impressive in both of them as he only finished off the podium once. The TLD Red Bull KTM rider remained undefeated in the 250 A class in which he obviously won the title,
and his consistency and determination paid off in the 450 A class as he battled through adversity to salvage a second place overall. In the second 250 A heat, Cantrell rocketed out of the starting gate to a solid start behind Team Green Kawaski’s Joey Crown. The two of them matched one another’s pace for the opening half of the race as Cantrell calmly hit his marks and waited for the right opportunity to pounce. The fourth lap presented an op- portunity for him to force his KTM into first position and he never looked back, consistently building his advantage at the front of the field to an end result of almost ten seconds. In the second moto, the battle commenced that everyone had been waiting to see as Cantrell got out to a second place start behind Rock River Yamaha’s Justin Cooper. The two of them darted away from the rest of the field and became entrenched in their own private battle for the lead. It was a battle of the west coast vs the east coast as the California na- tive consistently pressured the New Yorker for the opening half of the moto, patiently wait- ing for a mistake. Cooper didn’t fall into the trap and it wasn’t until past the halfway point that Cantrell found an opportunity to force his way into the lead. The TLD Red Bull KTM rider remained focus on hitting his marks, staying consistent, and keeping Cooper at bay as he eventually met the checkered flag with a one second advantage ahead of his rival. The final moto of the three moto format was set to be a barn burner as the Texas plains brought a storm into play that greatly affected the track conditions. It was in the roughest shape that it had been all week and Cantrell thrived in the challenging circumstances as he jumped out to an early lead ahead of Cooper’s teammate, Brandon Hartranft. The two of them rode within close contention of one another for the entirety of the eight laps, but Cantrell was just a hair too fast as he held off the Yamaha until the checkered flag, conse- quently securing the number one plate.
92 MPG • APRIL 2017