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COLE SEELY
450 SX / 21ST
IMAGE / LANG WORDS / LANNAN DESIGN / WILSON
>> Cole Seely has solidified himself as a top 5 contender year after year for nearly the last decade. His raw talent and extreme drive for the sport has brought him to the top of the sport. There are few that are expected to finish top 5 every week, especially in 2017 and Cole handles the pressure extremely well. So far this season, Cole had proven his consistency by securing a solid 4th in points going into the Seattle Super- cross just a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, his consistent run came to halt in Seattle where he suffered a mishap in practice. After the MRI results, he was diagnosed
with a sprain and partial tear of his adductor muscle and Cole’s future was looking uncertain. He was forced to miss two races but after much rest and rehabilitation, Cole was back and ready to go when the day began at MetLife Stadium. He said he felt 100% and it showed as he pushed his factory Honda to 6th fastest going into the races. When 450 Heat 1 began, Cole launched off the gate and put his self in top 5 position quickly. He was running right behind the points leader, Tomac, and began
to apply some pressure. Cole pressured Tomac into a mistake and after a slew of block passes from both riders, Cole came out in front of him. With two laps to go, the battle ensued as Tomac got by again. The two went side by side through the next few sections but Cole would eventually fall just short. In the Semi, Cole did exactly what he needed to do as he launched off the gate and demanded the lead through the first rhythm section. He rode a quiet race until the last lap where he began an intense battle with Dean Wilson. They would trade the lead many times but Cole would even- tually hang on for the win. When the Main began, Cole was ready to get his season back on track. He got a decent start, and was running just inside the top ten early
on. He put his head down and knew that if he wanted to gain 4th place in the points standings back, he needed to move forward. Cole did exactly that and began to climb through the pack. His precision was steady as the technical specialist diced his way up into 6th place by lap 12. He continued to put down solid laps but unfortunately disaster struck on lap 16. He fell victim to the New England ruts and was forced to call it a night. He would be counted with 21st place by the time the checkered flag flew. Hopefully Cole is not seriously injured and we hope to see him back out there next weekend.
106 GRITMOTO • APRIL 30, 2017