FREDDIE NOREN GRIT-225 450MX

FREDDIE NOREN | GRIT-225 | 450MX

Racing at this level requires the utmost focus, which would certainly have to be demonstrated amongst a deteriorating Red Bud track...though the soil was groomed to perfection, it would immediately become overgrown with ruts and pot-holes alike as practice was underway for Suzuki's Freddie Norenand the rest of the 450cc division. He was rather light on the front-end, keeping the initial wheel hovering off the ground on various straightaways and the roller section; proving that his versatility would transcend from his native roots of racing on the MXGP circuit, and immediately make an impact on the professional level in the United States. As his respective gate then collapsed for the first main event, it would be a matter of mere feet between he and riders like Jason Anderson as many in the field would be fender to fender when flying through the opening two corners. Flying through the Pro Section on the opening laps, it would be easy to gain ground on various opponents with differing line selection; and that's what he would find as he approached the final-right hander before beginning the trek to the infield, where a series of hops (spring two to three braking bumps at a time) would be showcased - mimicking that of Christophe Pourcel from years ago. This would allow him to prolong his stamina, and amplify the gap over the Venezuelan rider of Lorenzo Locurcio, multiple seconds while they sped toward the halfway point. Once receiving the cue that the fifteen-minute mark had passed, there would be a march toward the finish-line that was broadcast by both he and his aforementioned opponent on the GasGas machine. The final five laps (or so) would be a segment in which a fellow rider could gain serious ground, with fatigue coming into play...but Noren showed attrition on his Suzuki 450, while skying to an eventual score of seventh. For round number two, he would execute the first five minutes of action with a bit more aggression than what would be seen in the latter stages of the race; weaving his way amongst hardened ruts while swapping positions with Phil Nicolettiand Jose Butron. His "attacking" form would keep him atop the foot-pegs more often than not, floating through the holes that were now dug from thousands of rear wheels carving amongst ruts; with some of the craters erratically kicking his rear wheel from side to side on occasion, but luckily the swapping would be nullified with a gripping of the gas tank. His patterns never wavered while attempting to track-down the Kawasakiof Jason Anderson, and even though he couldn't overtake his opponent, his final residency of eighth (with Lorenzo Locurcio encountering some misfortune in the latter stages)would still be strong enough for a stellar seventh-place overall.

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