COLT NICHOLS - GRIT 232 450SMX

COLT NICHOLS | GRIT-232 | 450 SMX

Oklahoma's Colt Nichols had undergone quite the journey to get this point of 2023, where he began the year on team Honda HRC, before transitioning to a multitude of teams which were exhibited in the World SX Championship, the AMA Professional Motocross Championship, and now the SuperMotocross Championship as well! All of this, on top of being signed to the Factory Beta team (which will be competing in 2023) would create quite the wild narrative for the former 250cc SX Champion. For now, however, Nichols could be found competing on a Kawasaki KX450; hoping to secure as much revenue amid this newfound series as possible. Therefore one could guess the mentality of the Oklahoman as the first laps of the main event began, where he fought from seventeenth and into the top-fifteen by the second circuit. There was quite the plethora of time left to battle amongst, therefore Nichols crafty maneuvering amongst the rhythm section and slick portions of the raceway would be ultra-beneficial while he sought to reach the top-ten. He had moved into twelfth by the eighth lap, where Grant Harlan, Freddie Noren, and Justin Hill were behind him...with Garrett Marchbanks only seconds ahead. The younger opponent (i.e. Marchbanks) was still adjusting to the 450cc in full-time formatting, but the ClubMX rider was riding extremely well amongst the spotlight and pinnacle of the sport. Though at that point (now around three-quarter(s) in) would Kawasaki's Ty Masterpool enter the equation...finding himself just in front of Nichols as time began to expire. The Texan was on fire throughout the day, giving Nichols quite the obstacle to try and work around; but Colt wouldn't cease firing in regard to his offensive game-plan, and continued to accelerate through the slippery terrain as the fourteenth and fifteenth laps came to fruition. Ultimately finishing twelfth, Colt would exit the raceway while anticipating another hard-fought match in moto-two. And that's exactly what occurred as the field meshed together on the start straight, with Nichols hovering around the fifteenth-place position. His anticipation of where riders would go, however, would be a defining characteristic that acted as a catalyst amongst the rugged terrain. Flying into the rhythm section while compressing the rear brake, his ability to scrub the wall jump and shave air-time while behind Phil Nicoletti, would help him move around the New York native (for twelfth) on lap seven. Freddie Noren was the next adversary to be surpassed, followed by Ty Masterpool who began to slower in his lap-times in the latter stages...which eventually equated to a notable tenth-place position being garnered in finality, for an exceptional tenth-place overall as well.

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