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BLAKE BAGGETT
450 MX / 4TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> With the World Cup of soccer in full swing, many citizens of all countries are in full “Braveheart” mode, willing to lay it all on the line for their particular nation. Screaming, kicking, and being painted from head to toe, there’s truly nothing like thousands of chant- ing adults, giving every ounce of energy to the particular sport they love. And the fans
of Red Bud were no different, a place where almost everyone along the fence line could choose a rider to bleed for. Blake Baggett was a fan favorite, making sure to ride his bike to the top of power exertion, ringing it as loud as possible with the throttle. Practice was just a show of his skill level as a professional, where he could craft together a batch of lines that would make the most experienced chefs in the world wonder. It would play to his advantage, as this track was absolutely lled with ruts for the commencement of the rst moto. But where as many riders would get into the rut in its initial portion, and follow suit until it released, he could be found cutting across the apex, when necessary. He wouldn’t be considered reckless, as he kept doing it, while making passes. Leaving everyone in the top twenty, in the dust behind, it was time to climb, just as his predeces- sors like Carmichael did. He looked up to the greats, and at his core, truly aspired to
be like them. He was well on his way, even with a little adversity he encountered near the midway portion. A slight mistake in one of these gigantic left-handers, had him at a near pause for a brief moment; it wasn’t a false neutral, but enough to hold him up, and let the ground below win the battle of inertia. Quickly thereafter, his veteran-like instinct brushed it to the wayside and he powered forward; rallying the early wave of momentum to the nish. He would claim fth, after coming from outside the top twenty. The track was simply grotesque for the beginning of moto two, and would lay claim early on, to the sixth position. Looking ahead toward the mid-way point, he tried his best to latch onto the train ahead, including that of Justin Hill. But it was a tough feat to do. Never getting discouraged, he began to build steam, hitting the two-way switch back before the leap with serious intent; the amount of airtime that followed allowed him to eye the leader. He would use it as a dangling carrot, keeping him motivated all the way to the checkered ag. Finishing fth, his overall listing would be that of fourth.
16 GRITMOTO • JULY 1, 2018