CULLIN PARK | GRIT-218 | 250SX

CULLIN PARK | GRIT-218 | SX 250

With the precipitation of the Northeast now an afterthought, those in the 250cc SX East Regional Championship were relieved to see a relatively dry canvas to be competed upon while stationed in Nashville. Honda's Cullin Park had looked forward to this newfound venue for quite some time, and it was immediately projected as a "top-ten favorite" as practice commenced early in the morning hours. The foundation of this soil was clay-based, and would rut with adequate moisture; but there were certain corners (near the first turn) that stayed relatively slick throughout the earliest of hours, and forced him to apply a steadied throttle output rather than overt instances of revving and subsequent wheel-spin. The dragon's back before the whoop section would provide riders with quite a challenge as they toggled through the transmission amid the transition, but he and his Honda engine were on point amid the moguls and sections thereafter…leading to aggression being unveiled as he stormed from the line in his heat race. The Tennessee fans were applauding as he and other opponents scrubbed their way over the finish line double, where he stayed atop the 180-degree berm before seat-hopping the triple that followed. He was aware of certain opponents to his inside (like Michael Hicks) but knew that steady momentum through the obstacles that followed would trump his adversaries pursuit(s) in the subtle chicane that was to come. This lead through the second, third, and fourth lap(s) where he knew he could sustain an admirable rhythm through the longest jumping lane(s) that were beginning to become a bit rutted-out; and as all was said and done, his final placement of eighth would have him ahead of Michigan's Jace Kessler and into the main event. Not long thereafter, would the field sprint into this unique right-handed first corner. He could only apply his rear brake for so long prior to funneling into a pack of opponents that were aggressive and eager to move forward; but there was little that could subdue the aspirations of Hunter Lawrence as he strove to clench the championship. Park would have to focus on his own race-craft though, which would be showcased in the aforementioned chicane, as four minutes (roughly) had transpired from the clock. His ability to keep RPM at its highest with the clutch lever, while unleashing the transmission prior to the double-triple combination that followed would be spectacular; keeping Jace Owen and Luke Neese at bay while hoping to accrue significant momentum to capture tenth position by the time the checkered flag would fly. Sand had been scattered in the split-lane section throughout the course of the moto, and the lines that were initially acknowledged were now an afterthought; creating roughened racing surface(s) in the final two laps of action. Though he and his Honda chassis would prevail, finalized in tenth as the dust settled at Nissan Stadium.

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