DAXTON BENNICK - GRIT 243 250SX

GRIT-243 | 250 SX

As his machine underwent preparation for the muddy terrain he was about to embark on, Yamaha's Daxton Bennick could be found warming-up amid the pit area as he game-planned for the unique racecourse in Birmingham. Though not nearly as technical as the typical Supercross track, the amount of moisture that filled the raceway could be considered the "twenty-third" opponent per se...which led to a myriad of challenges with practice beginning in the afternoon. Though he established a rhythm immediately, and tapped-into his outdoor prowess while compressing the chassis with a standing style of sorts. Diving into the corner that converged with the first turn, his demeanor and urgency when initiating the platform of jumps thereafter was a direct reflection of how determined he was beneath the helmet...which carried into the opening heat, where he tackled the initial laps in fourth, while battling with Cameron McAdoo and teammate Nicholas Romano. Though the aforementioned tandem just ahead of him were racing at an extremely fast pace, he somehow could block-out the fear of wheel spin when launching atop the longest jumps on the racetrack - fearless, as he was parallel with those in the first few rows of the grandstands. Countless attempts to move forward would be directed by Henry Miller who was behind him, where the adversary was relentless in lunging toward the inside angles of most corners; hoping to make a pass "stick" before the checkered flag was cast. Though Bennick couldn't be fazed as he simultaneously inherited a position via a crash from his teammate (i.e. Romano)...resulting in a third-place standing before moving to the final race of the evening. In the main event, the action was comprised of red clay being slung every which way as those behind the leader (i.e. KTM's Tom Vialle) ducked their heads while pellets stuck to their visor. The glare of the stadium lighting coupled with the reflection of the shiny top soil, would make this layout extremely difficult to master...but when speeding onto the longest straightway, he and his Yamaha frame appeared motivated to finish at the front of the field. Bennick was remarkable in the corner before the "former" "SX" triple - carving amongst the mid-portion of the berm while leaning at an angle that of nearly forty-five degrees. Some of these bends, he was attacking with a style that could translate to hard-packed terrain as well. But it was something that was necessary in order to supplement the multi-second gap he had over Henry Miller who remained steady in the background. The all-out dash to the checkered flag was one that eventually equated to seventh in the record book, after the battle between Haiden Deegan and Coty Schock led to significantly shuffling in the running order...along with Haiden Deegan's penalty being established - which in totality, left Bennick designated to a hard-fought seventh place position in overall standings.

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