Page 81 - GRIT24

theGRIT
IMAGES / LAKE KILPATRICK
Shane McElrath started off the first moto right out front and side by side with the former champion. Able to hold onto the lead he pulls a small gap on the riders behind him. Leading the moto the pressure was already on for the TLD/ Red Bull/ KTM rider, but once Plessinger and Jeremy Martin get on his tail the competition was fierce. Not letting them into his head he maintained his position
out front for almost twelve minutes of the moto, unable to hold off Martin he fell back to 2nd. Plessinger was all over him instantly wanting the position back and Tonus was catching up to them. Busy keeping Plessinger off him, Tonus gets by both of them sending McElrath back another position to 3rd. Over halfway through the race McElrath began to tire out slowly losing a position each lap. Struggling with rough track conditions he was having a hard time holding onto his machine. By the time the checkers were waved McElrath finished 13th. A big difference considered he had led over ten minutes of the moto. The second moto start was just as good as the first sending him right into 2nd place. The young gun of Austin Forkner was immediately all over him. Going outside on a turn Forkner passes him on the inside pushing
him back into 3rd. Riding strong the entire moto in 3rd place fending off anyone who tried to pass him it was looking like McElrath was going to make up for those lost positions in moto one. On the last lap Alex Martin had reeled him in and they were battling it out to the finish. Not wanting to lose his podium position McElrath was giving it all he could. Pinning it down an incredibly rough straight away just turns before the finish, he carried way too much speed into an off camber turn causing him to swap out and crash hard. The impact was so strong his wrist brace went flying off. McElrath finished out the day with a 13-21 still getting a 17th overall even without finishing off that second moto. Hopefully the injuries aren’t bad and we will see him back racing quick.
words/CORTNEYROEWER
>>
WWW.GRITMOTO.COM
81