race recap
DYLAN WRIGHT - GRIT 231 450MX
August 30, 2023 · Dylan Wright

DYLAN WRIGHT | GRIT-231 | 450MX
Canada's Dylan Wright would travel to the American circuit of Ironman on Saturday, looking to compete in a premier championship of sorts in the 450MX division. The Honda athlete had been sensational in action that transpired north of the border in recent years, and would contest the Ironman National with a paralleled intensity that had all in attendance identifying and cheering for the number 539 machine. After qualifying seventh, it was evident that Wright's talent was on par with those in the top of the division, and he began to immediately race with various United States-based factory riders from the moment the gate(s) fell in Indiana. Contending for a standing of eighteenth as the green flag waved, it was a process of staying composed amongst the various ruts of the Ironman course. The sawdust that had been placed on the subtle downhill prior to the longest rhythm section on the track, was a place for Wright to flourish as he cut and leaped from the largest of rollers - making brief doubles out of the rolling hills, while seeking to establish his presence inside of the top-ten. The tenth-place standing would be secured by lap seven, where he was behind Harri Kullas and fellow Canadian Jess Pettis; yet Wright's relentlessness and ability to stay on the throttle while following competitors through ruts, would be remarkable. He wasn't one to adopt a flow of an opponent who was in front of him, and instead, made passes on the Yamaha and KTM rider as the clock would dwindle to zero. And upon exiting the raceway as the referee cued the race to be over, it was Wright who performed extremely well for the country of Canada for an eighth-place residency. With little time to spare between moto's, Dylan was on the gate once again for round number-two; yet this time, his clutch release and navigation through the first corner would lead him to a standing of seventh...prior to making an unfortunate mistake, which descended his machine amongst the running order to eighteenth on lap-three. But immediately thereafter, would the Canadian climb through the list of established riders ahead of him with poise. He was somehow, twelfth by lap eight; on the heels of Garrett Marchbanks while doing everything possible to track-down Freddie Noren and Shane McElrath as well. Both Noren and McElrath were eventually overtaken, with Wright returning as close to the ClubMX tandem (of Marchbanks and Nicoletti) as possible before all would end in Crawfordsville. As the checkered flag was eventually thrown, it would be the number 539 (of Wright) who eventually gathered his scores of eighth and ninth (in the second-moto) to be listed in a well-respected eighth overall - prior to heading into the races on the horizon.