Page 94 - MPG15

MARVIN MUSQUIN
Marvin Musquin’s rookie season in the 450 class has been all over the place up until this point.
Towards the beginning of the season, he was struggling to place his Red Bull KTM inside the top ten.
After he gathered some momentum, he began challenging consistently for top 5’s as well as joining his training partners in the battle for the podium. His slow start to the year could be attributed to a wrist surgery that he underwent during the off-season as well as acclimating to the nuances of the 450 machine. The wrist surgery wasn’t even the lowest point of Musquin’s 2015; his brother was tragically paralyzed in a dirt bike crash the same weekend in which Musquin lost the 250 National Championship due to a mechanical failure. But, he was able to clinch the Motocross des Nations victory on French soil before going under the knife. Musquin is expected to do big things considering his recent accolades as well as being on the same program as the defending 450 champion. His preparation and his machinery are no excuse, he’s being given all of the tools to win races and challenge for the title and he has proven in the 250 class that he has the skills on the bike to do so. As he began to get into the groove of the 2016 season and ride where he belongs, finishing multiple times on the podium and narrowly missing out on his first 450 win at Atlanta, he re-aggravated his wrist injury in a practice crash in Santa Clara. The injury forced him to sit out the Indy SX and since his return to action at St. Louis, he hasn’t been able to recreate his results from the middle of the season. The extremely technical, rutted, and rough tracks that show up on the east coast heavily favor Musquin’s superior technique and smooth riding style. If he can find rediscover his mid-season flow, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him put his Red Bull KTM back on the podium and gain some traction heading into the great outdoors.
94 GRITMOTO • APRIL.25.16
>>