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As luck would have it, the 2016 Detroit round had an extremely similar elevated turn to the one that
took Starling down in 2014. Directly after the finish line, the track went up a rough 20 or 30 rows into the grandstands, utilizing a slick left hand turn before heading backwards down the start straight. Unfortunately for Starling, though, the feature didn’t bring any of the 12th place luck he’d had just two years earlier.
He qualified out of the uneventful Heat #1 directly into the 250 East main event, holding 9th place from start to finish. Falling about 20 seconds, 11 of which were on the first lap, behind the Heat winner, Tyler Bowers, Starling definitely had his work cut out for him later in the night.
Having finished in the last direct transfer spot, Starling was dealt a regrettable gate pick for the main event. As a result of a long and tight first turn, starts were separating the leaders from the pack very quickly and leaving the rest at a severe disadvantage including top contenders such as Martin and Bowers gobbled by the squeeze.
The mayhem on Lap 1 didn’t help the #62 rider, though, as he came across to start lap 2 in 17th place. Later that lap, a slip-up caused Starling to drop back to 22nd and the night was starting to look a bit dismal. With two 16th place finishes and a 21st so far in the season, Starling was starving to improve upon the previous weeks. It got better for the Trader’s Kawasaki, as two laps later, he was into 20th. With the track reaching up and grabbing riders, before long Justin found himself in 17th, in the mix to top his previous performances. On lap 8, Starling moved into 16th, a few seconds off the pace of the red plate and Jeremy Martin, who was battling back after two crashes. Following Martin’s lead, Starling pushed past Jacob Williamson late in the race, allowing him to ride out the remainder in a season best 15th position. A job well done for Starling, and a huge confidence boost with the East Coast riders getting an extended break before getting another shot in Indianapolis on April 9th. Look for Justin’s momentum to continue upwards.
words/BRENTECKERT
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