race recap
GARRETT MARCHBANKS - 224 450MX
June 19, 2023 · Garrett Marchbanks
GARRETT MARCHBANKS | GRIT-224 | 450MX
The perseverance of the Yamaha rider would pay-off as he and the ClubMX Yamaha team rolled into the facility of High Point Raceway. Garrett Marchbanks and his supporting cast had been working tirelessly to rekindle their momentum from the Supercross season, and with the larger-framed Marchbanks moving to the 450cc full-time for the rest of the series, all involved with the Yamaha squad seemed to have a new outlook for the rest of the championship. Marchbanks would be finalized in third as qualification concluded and immediately contested for the leading designation as the 450cc field swept through the opening two corners of moto number one. It was evident that Marchbanks had adopted a comfortable flow on this High Point circuit, where he swayed the Yamaha chassis from rut to rut - regardless of how off-cambered the corner. He remained third until lap six, when Jett Lawrence went down and he ascended to the second position. Now with only Ken Roczen ahead of him, Marchbanks zeroed-in on the number ninety-four; disregarding the fact that Lawrence was returning to the equation, as they approached the checkered flag. It would be on the eighth lap when the red-plate holder would work his way by, with Marchbanks now residing in third once again. His pace when compared to the likes of Cooper Webb and Adam Cianciarulo, would be superior; giving him an ample cushion prior to the fourteenth lap of the moto...when Ken Roczen would crash! And with Ken unable to re-fire his bike quickly, it would be Marchbanks who moved into second - finishing here as he shortly thereafter, passed the checkered flag! For moto number two, his start seemed to be inside the top-ten...until a mistake in the seconds thereafter would derail his aspirations and push him to twenty-seventh by the end of lap two! It was then time to engage in an all-out sense of speed that was aiming for another single digit finish, therefore every over-jump, wheel-tap, and scrub that could be created, would be, in hopes of securing the highest overall finish possible. This would lead to Marchbanks passing tens of riders, and would soar past Grant Harlan, Freddie Noren, and Derek Darke in the final stages....which gave him an eighth place score with finality for the following round. And when combined with his first moto tally, the assembly of finishes equated to a well-respected sixth place overall in the record book!