Page 10 - ISSUE51

BROC TICKLE
450 MX / 2ND
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MPG
>> Broc Tickle has had a quiet 2017 season so far but at times has shown he still has podium level speed. His starts have been the one thing holding him back from potentially landing up there on the box. Back in familiar territory out east, his chances at a podium grew and the Michigan rider was excited to showcase his speed at High Point.
Tickle looked strong in qualifying practice notching an impressive fifth fastest lap time. The track was deep and muddy which really suits his style. He was excited for that first gate drop of the day.
Unfortunately, Tickle fell back into his habit of subpar starts at the start of moto one. He rounded the first lap in eleventh place. He did his best to not stay stagnant there and started moving forward. He picked off about one rider per lap in the opening stages to get up to seventh. He stayed there until the halfway point and that is really where he hit his stride. He proverbially ‘dropped the hammer’ and started reeling off blazing fast lap times. He was the fastest man on the track for most of the second half of the race. He reeled in Webb and Bogle from way back and was able to pass both of them for fourth before the checkered flag waved. It was another impressive performance from Tickle but still left us wondering what he could do with a good start.
Tickle was ready to answer our questions in moto two as he went out and drilled the holeshot. He would get shuffled back to third by Tomac and Anderson at the end of lap one but he stayed right on their tails. He actually put the pressure on Tomac for second for the first few laps making it a three-way duel for the lead. Tickle and Tomac’s pressure on Anderson was enough to force him into a mistake and both would get around. Now
in second, Tickle tried latching onto Tomac but was unable to match the pace. Baggett and Anderson would come knocking on his door shortly after he moved to second and the three riders would have a nice little battle before Tickle would get passed by both and sent back to fourth. He stayed close to Anderson the rest of the moto but could not get close enough to strike. He’d settle with fourth on the moto marking 4-4 for the day. It would earn him third overall on the day clearly his best result of the season. He’ll look to keep the momentum going next weekend in Tennessee.
10 GRITMOTO • JUNE 18, 2017