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Benny Bloss continued to show his speed as a rookie in the 250 East division by putting in a
fantastic qualifying time and finishing 9th overall. The track really seemed to suit his style and
he’s looking more comfortable on the CycleTrader/RockRiver Yamaha every weekend. He was using his lengthiness to manhandle the whoops and it showed in his qualifying time. Bloss was able to battle back from a mid-pack start in his heat race where he crossed the finish in 11th on lap 1. He was able to pass Castelo, Herrlein, Karnow, and Rodriguez one lap after another to finish 8th place just behind Alex Frye and narrowly miss going to the LCQ. Bloss had a problem off the gate
in the main event. It almost seemed as if he lost traction or hit a bump off of the line, because he lost almost two bike lengths on the jump. He got caught up with RJ Hampshire in the first corner and came across the finish line in 13th place on lap 1. Over the course of the next couple laps, he put on a tremendous charge, using his great technique through the crucial whoops section to make passes on Herrlein and Rodriguez yet again. He took advantage of a mistake from Davalos and misfortune for Alex Frye
to find himself in 7th on lap 5. Opening lap intensity seems to be one of the most difficult things to master in Supercross and it seems to be one of Bloss’ strong suits early in his rookie season. But, he needs to find the balance between smart riding and full throttle intensity. On the next lap he was passed by Davalos as Paul Coates began to move back from a top 5 start. The heat of battle forced Bloss into a mistake which forced him to drop towards the back of the pack and lose his rhythm. Soon after that he stalled his bike coming out of the slick bowl turn after the triple. He frustratedly attempted to kick it over and over, clicking through the gears trying to find neutral. He tired himself out kicking the bike seemingly 167 times and was eventually forced to push the bike back to the mechanics area and take the DNF. It’s definitely not what Bloss or the team was expecting coming off of the 7th place in Toronto, but there are definitely some positives to draw from the opening lap charge he put on.
words/LAKEKILPATRICK
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