PHIL’S LAST SUPERCROSS RACE: He may not be a multi-time champion, but he is for sure one of the most popular personalities in the sport. Do not underestimate the loyal fanbase that carries the banner for Phil. Under that tough exterior is a man that has giver his career to the sport and will mount his Yamaha for the last time on a supercross track as a professional. It may not seem like a big deal now, but his absence will be hard to replace. He knows everyone in the paddock from the track crew to the presidents of multi-million dollar companies. There will be a void when Phil does not show up for A1 next season with his gear on and I caution you now to be prepared. Sure he will complete the outdoor season as well but with most of the focus on supercross – Saturday will be a roller coaster of a day. Words: Mike Bonacci
COTY SCHOCK #69: Coty is fired up for this last round. He seems to perform better when the spotlight is on him and a good old fashioned East/West Showdown certainly fits the bill. We do not discuss it in the shop but he needs to keep Pierce Brown behind him and Max Anstie no more than one spot in front of him to claim third place in the overall championship in the Eastern Regional Division. Going back to December, it is fun to watch the professional analysts discuss their picks for the season only to have Coty as a last minute afterthought on a second tier team with a cool story of finding a ride. Now he is one race away from the best overall finish for ClubMX in the history of the company. The reason we do not discuss this at the shop is because whether he get third, fourth or fifth – it is still an amazing accomplishment. He worked hard all week to continue to improve his craft and also started his outdoor testing. Whatever happens on Saturday night will be the best he can do – and we cannot asak for more than that.
GARRETT MARCHBANKS #26: Garrett will be in Salt Lake City since that is his home race. Unfortunately, he will not be racing due to the broken thumb. He was sitting fifth in the points at the time of this writing, and it is unclear where he will land for the season overall. Garrett had some real highlights with back-to-back podiums early in the season. It is a shame he will not be able to see it through to the end.
PHIL NICOLETTI #36: Phil has been at the track every day this week and is fired up for this last round of racing. Last weekend in Denver was a weird one, struggling to get comfortable on the bike during practice and qualifying. He has always said: “When the gate drops, the bullshit stops” and true to his word, he launched a great start in the main event and brought it home sixth on the night. Considering he was the last bike on the lead lap and outpaced a bunch of “factory” bikes – it is a pretty amazing finish. It is certainly worthy of some recognition if you think about it. While other teams were at press day, our team spent the Friday on the dyno to learn what it takes to race at altitude and that time alone really paid off. Engine builder Jamie Ellis from Twisted Development was in town to lead the project and it was eye opening the gains that were made. Even though we are near the end of the season, this team is committed to continue to grow and learn from the best sources in the business.
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Image: ClubMX / Ripper Media
