race recap
GARRETT MARCHBANKS GRIT-225 450MX
July 4, 2023 · Garrett Marchbanks
GARRETT MARCHBANKS | GRIT-225 | 450MX
The time was now, if Yamaha's Garrett Marchbankswanted to continue his run through the top of the 450cc hierarchy. Though filled with names like Lawrence, Sexton, and Plessinger (among countless others) ClubMX's Marchbanksknew that his game-plan for the Red Bud National would be one that eventually equated to prominence. Therefore as he scanned the surface for practice, he would do his best to mimic a racing format, while assembling bundles of laps together en route to eventually qualifying sixth. And he knew the road to a top-tier finish wouldn't be easy, therefore few could blame him for a stoic demeanor of sorts when sitting on the start line; which was accompanied with a clutch release (and first lap) that had him residing just outside of the top-fifteen. The fight for a top-ten position was intense, with he and Lorenzo Locurcio nearly coming together when exiting the pro-section and following the tabletop thereafter! The margin for error was so thin amongst these greats in the sport, which would be portrayed with a near collision of handlebars on a number of occasions...though the line choice of he Marchbanks would prevail, to the extent of him garnering a solid standing of ninth with only minutes to go. His sweeping line before the mechanic's area would be astounding as the rear wheel of his Yamahathrew roost into the air, and as his right-hand never let go of the throttle while he bombarded his way toward the finish. And with a sweeping of the final corner, he had ridden his ClubMX 450ccmachine to an incredible score of ninth, before moving onto the following moto. It would be Jett Lawrenceand France's Dylan Ferrandis who led the field around on this occasion though, where riders would cross-rut, swerve, and brake check their fellow opponents in order to garner a gap (and solidify position) in the first few minutes of competition. He would fly over "The Leap" with a slight tap to his rear brake pedal, keeping his Yamahasoaring forward with tremendous velocity as minutes continued to progress. The roar of the crowd would be defining factor in carrying him through the whooped-out straightaway, just after the opening downhill sequence; where he could hear a thousands of fans scream, while moving ahead to the final laps. His initial placement of fifth was a result that could be sustained for a number of laps, where he battled with Aaron Plessinger and Adam Cianciarulo for a significant length of time! And though the KTM rider remained in front of him, it was Marchbanks who kept factory riders, Adam Cianciarulo and Jason Anderson at bay - which equated to a tremendous final score of fifth, for sixth overall on the day!