Page 11 - NOVEMBER-18

JALEK SWOLL
Digging through the amateur record books, there are many names that you’ll find whom simply will disap- pear. There are those that flourish on the smaller machines, and youngest of ages, only to vanish when it comes time to blossom into adulthood. How- ever, there are also those that stand tall through the fire, letting their skills churn into fruition at the right time. Jalek Swoll is the latter, as he’s been groomed with a sound skillset, flourishing on a base of tech- nique as concrete as they come. Winning titles at every amateur national event you can think of, the crossroads of professionalism are truly right in front of him, with the Monster Energy Cup acting as a pre- cursor to hopefully a story book ending of titles. He looked beyond sound throughout qualification mat- ters, marching around the track with confidence and authority. Landing the finish line with the strongest of precision, he would wheel tap his way up the fol- lowing dragon’s back with raw speed. And once the session ended, he would simply give his mechanic a nod of reassurance, knowing that a solid night was ahead. Moto number one saw him on the heels of Jo Shimoda to begin, as his white Husqvarna reflected the bright lights of Vegas. Trying to establish a
rhythm through the outdoor lanes, he would begin to hook the last right prior to stadium entry with blaz- ing speed, thriving into the remaining sand section. Each lap the lead would remain stagnant, yet he felt a bit of pressure coming from behind; it was Seth Hammaker, gnawing at the bit that was his rear fender. He tried his hardest to keep him at bay, but by lap four, the number 510 would make the move. It wouldn’t suck the energy out of him like you’d think though, as the 352 machine was resilient in
his stronghold for the last podium position; he would finish third. The second moto saw him again bat- tling for the runner-up spot, this time behind Derek Drake. But with the KTM steadily inching ahead, it seemed as though he was more keen on holding onto second, where the championship stakes were high. He placed his anchor in the position, and held it there admirably. Moreau and Shimoda were dicing it up heavily, but the composure of his Loretta Lynn championship run was reiterated here; proving that he has the ability to outlast and endure. All six laps, he would reside in second, where he would stay; coming up just short of the overall, the silver medal position was still a solid effort on the day.
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