CULLIN PARK | GRIT-211 | 250SX

CULLIN PARK | GRIT-211 | SX 250

Quite the contrast from the track in Arlington last week, Cullin Park and his surrounding crew knew that the preparation for Daytona would be unlike any other throughout the year. This truly was the perfect combination of indoor and outdoor courses, embodying the technicality of Supercross while coupling it together with the pronounced speed(s) and wide-open persona of outdoors. Nevertheless, he found a way to excel as he steadily climbed the charts for qualifying; appearing as though he clicked into another gear (both literally and figuratively) in the latter half of the final timed session. The track, at that point, was going to be very similar to what was being showcased in the night show; amplifying his confidence while heading into the heat race that followed. Once here, the mad-dash to the first corner would promote some of the highest speeds on the tour (similar to Glendale) where over a dozen combatants were fender to fender and binding on the rear-brake assemblies in unison! Skating around turn number-one while eyeing the finish-line, his placement around the top-sixwas a standing that he could work from, as he arced through various sweeping corners with his Honda leaned at a forty-five degree angle. The rollers that were beside the starting gate were already decimated, with grooves entrenched upon g-out's that could cause his rear end to swap on occasion. But even in the midst of the erratic movement, he would maintain a tremendous grip on the throttle. Scrubbing the wall-jump closest to the finish-line with authority, he could hear that of Max Anstie approaching the lip as he dropped down the backside. Though revs were loud, they weren't enough to deter him from an eventual transferring position; as he and Anstie would battle, and despite being overtaken (by the British rider) Park's final registry of seventh would be admirable. This led to the main event, where race leaders Hunter Lawrence and Max Anstie were on an astounding trajectory from the moment the green-flag was thrown. The multitude of ruts before the finish-line would cause quite the riddle for many outside the top-fifteen, though he proceeded to plunge into the ravine(s) with his handlebars clenched and a strong stance aboard the chassis; accruing a few more MPH ahead of his adversaries that trailed, including Michael Mosiman. He would defend his position on the track from the GasGas rider, leading to a mistake by the Californian as they approached the halfway point. Passing Hardy Munoz (in the early going as well), he would keep both he and Marshal Weltin at bay as they approached the checkered flag. Solidified in ninth, Park's top-ten accrual in his home state would be worthy of applause as headed back to his pit area.

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