race recap
FREDRIK NOREN GRIT-227 450MX
July 18, 2023 · Fredrik Noren

FREDRIK NOREN | GRIT-227 | 450MX
Consistency was an aspect that Suzuki's Freddie Noren had embodied throughout his racing career thus far, and it was a trait that was displayed for action at Spring Creek MX as well. The Millville track had been a course that showcased Noren's true skills in practice, and that narrative continued into the opening segments of the first moto as well. Though only obtaining a starting position of twentieth to begin the initial contest, Noren's rapid feathering of the clutch and abundance of RPM when flowing through the deepest ruts, was a skill that had him passing multiple riders at a time. His execution of entry speed in the second roller section, would have him rolling through the following switchback with tremendous velocity; leading to fourteenth-position being sustained through lap eight. But he was far from done, and proceeded to rise to another level in the minutes thereafter, creating lines of efficiency and piecing together sectors of the circuit with rolling speed that was incredible. Overtaking Shane McElrath and Phil Nicoletti with only a few minutes remaining on the clock, Noren's ability to outlast many of his adversaries would translate to a tremendous tenth-place score...and a ton of momentum being sustained for the following round of action as well. Shortly thereafter, the thirty-second card would turn sideways, and Noren proceeded to upshift through the transmission as quickly as possible. Flying through turn number-one and the proceeding first complete lap to garner thirteenth. The track was now almost unrecognizable from its original form, and Noren's vision behind the handlebars of his Suzuki frame would be paramount as he made passes into single digit territory. He and Phil Nicoletti would compete against one another for quite sometime, but the attrition of Noren as a tremendous trait that allowed him to continue moving forward despite various elements of fatigue beginning to set in. Noren was excellent on the latter half of the raceway, eventually pushing forward to a realm that was nearly equated with Yamaha's Grant Harlan and Garrett Marchbanks...and though unable to pass the aforementioned opponents, his inability to quit would eventually lead to ninth-place being occupied...for ninth overall, for round seven of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship! And as Washougal is now the next to be completed, it's certain that Noren's abilities on the hard-packed circuit will be flourishing in the Pacific Northwest as well.