EAST BOUND AND DOWN .. #TGO: The first three rounds are in the books and now the series heads east to Pennsylvania. It is significant for this team since it is based on the east coast. The first three rounds, with their hard pack tracks and altitude are different than what we are used to and thus, survival was the first order of business. Now the excuses need to be put to the side and the performance level needs to ramp up – with no exception. Although we do not burden the riders with finishing position expectations, it is clearly communicated that things need to improve starting this weekend. Words: Mike Bonacci of ClubMX
PHIL NICOLETTI #36: IT’S A MIRACLE! Phil’s spectacular crash at Hangtown resulted in what was believed to be a career ending injury to his knee. With some proper imaging and “Phil style” rehab, the damage was not as extensive as first thought. All that to say – Phil is going to line up at High Point to keep building points to stay out of the LCQ program for SMX. Does it hurt – YES, will there be some discomfort – YES, will he be happy this weekend – ABSOLUTELY! The youth of today may never know how much effort, sacrifice and will power it takes to perform at Phil’s level, but if they look up the word determination on their smartphone – Phil’s picture shows up first. He actually trained on his bike today and is ready to make the trip north. It is a great story if you were to see his knee the size of a grapefruit last week to where it is now.
MARK FINEIS #705: The trend continues to the front with the young rookie. He is unique in that he approaches every moto like his job and is uninfluenced by anyone he is racing. Although his moto scores of 32-15 = 19 at Thunder Valley do not look amazing, he rode in the top ten for the majority of the laps in both motos. That experience is valuable as the series continues into round four. Fitness has not been an issue, even at Thunder Valley so we are looking forward to this weekend. He has raced this High Point track on multiple occasions, so there is some comfort knowing he does not have to learn everything from scratch. This weekend will be a true test for what the kid has to offer and it should be exciting.
COTY SCHOCK #69: Thunder Valley was a copy/paste from Hangtown for Coty. His consistency is starting to earn a front running place in the lineup as the series continues. His moto scores last weekend of 14-13 = 13 are representative of his steady performance and should continue with better results this weekend. Coty is very methodical with his training and bike setup and has found some comfort in recent changes to the bike. As he heads into High Point this weekend, the expectation is that those changes will pay off. Coty is a very affable guy, but he puts a lot of pressure on himself to perform. The breakthrough is coming!
JETT REYNOLDS #99: Jett said “it’s game on” this weekend. The two days of training this week are starting to show the growth and maturity in the rookie. His racecraft during the motos is noticeable and with a good start up front, he should be able to finish in the top ten this weekend. Although Jett hails from the west coast, all of his recent training has been in the east. The track at High Point will be perfectly aligned with his efforts to get to the front. He has not been racking up points as quickly as he would like, but he has been steady and finishing races. That confidence will parlay into the improvements he is expecting.
TREVIN NELSON #112: Introducing Trevin Nelson for the weekend. Trevin is one of our A riders and will join us for a few rounds before he competes at Loretta Lynn’s later this season. He will be competing in the 450 class. This experience is something that every kid dreams of – to ride for a professional team out of the big rig, and Trevin is making it come true.
GARRETT MARCHBANKS #26: Garrett will unfortunately miss High Point due to the lingering issues with his hand.
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Lead Image: Ripper Media
