COLE THOMPSON | GRIT-209 | 250SX

COLE THOMPSON | GRIT-209 | SX 250

Watching the other half (i.e. East Coast) of the 250cc battalion compete from the stands, Cole Thompson would take time to devise a plan prior to embarking on a quest for a top-ten finish in Oakland. With conditions much more applicable than what was supposed to occur earlier in the season, many in the industry were thrilled to see how well the layout in Northern California had been sculpted. Dozer blade(s) and imprints of heavy equipment would be quickly erased as he and other members of the division bombarded their way onto the track for practice; compressing the rear spring of his Yamaha 250F to the highest regard before skying into the array of singles that followed. The corner that housed both singles, and a right-handed twist, would provide quite the challenge for many riders among the roster; but with his swift arcing from outside to inside, he would nearly clip the inner-most tuff block while keeping his throttle twisted at the height of third gear. Those actions manifested into heat one as well, where he showed little regard for the braking systems of his machine and proceeded to embody significant momentum at the top of each berm on the Oakland circuit. He felt as though an opponent (at times) could nearly clip his swing-arm in the corners nearing the finish-line...almost as if a sense of pursuit was wanting to overwhelm him while lunging for the timing and scoring sensor(s). It was none other than (a former amateur competitor) Austin Politelli who was constantly attempting to dive underneath his chassis whenever he drifted too far to the outside of the circuit. But he wasn't going to be out-maneuvered, and carried an impenetrable line of defense throughout the white-flag lap; eventually obtaining eighth when flying over the final double. Stakes grew higher for the main event, where RJ Hampshire and Jett Lawrence (which were the race leaders) appeared to dash away from the field as quickly as possible while laps were beginning to be stockpiled. He would be paralleled with members of the latter top-ten, scrubbing his way through the longest rhythm section while landing with precision from each descent. Laps six and seven were pivotal when advancing forward; knowing that Michigan's Mitchell Harrison (behind him) was an opponent who would thrive as he became more comfortable on a particular racing circuit. The whoops (at this point) were becoming decimated and full of subtle nicks that could vault his chassis in a multitude of directions, especially as his fore-arms would begin to lessen with strength. But through acts of resilience, he would reside ninth as dust settled in Nor-Cal.

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