GARRETT MARCHBANKS - GRIT 231 450MX

GARRETT MARCHBANKS | GRIT-231 | 450MX

Looking to cap his 2023 AMA Pro Motocross tenure with an excellent performance, ClubMX Yamaha's Garrett Marchbanks would survey the track for qualification with his vision seeking the fastest pathways. Dozens of lines had formed within the first few laps of free practice, creating a treacherous canvas for the Utah native to compete upon prior to gathering his fastest time of the morning hours. Nonetheless, Marchbanks excelled as he had in previous weeks and did his best to gather a formidable start to begin the first moto. The field would shuffle rather rapidly despite the narrowing opening sequences, where Marchbanks crested the opening anthill and wheel-tapped his way into the gigantic uphill leap, and possessed an identical state of fearlessness over the inbound tabletop as well. There was little that could stop him from occupying a position inside the top-six, where even with a multitude of astounding competitors in front of him, the Yamaha rider still managed to identify with a similar flow to that of Jason Anderson, Adam Cianciarulo, and other factory-contracted professionals. Into the abundance of sawdust his chassis would fly, time and time again amongst the first ten minutes of action. The downhill after the infield tabletop (especially) would be comprised of an abundance of wood-chips and such, where Marksbanks used his aforementioned experience at ClubMX to excel upon. And when doing so, many in the crowd would notice his gap between he and Harri Kullas beginning to lengthen, which took them past the halfway point. With Marchbanks occupying a strong position in the running order, it very well appeared as though he could withstand the charge from Canada's Dylan Wright who was advancing rather quickly...and Marchbanks fortitude would eventually be enough to secure seventh; which was extremely well-respected, prior to embarking on the second moto. Though a problematic first lap was on tap for the ClubMX rider, the Utah native was resilient in his charge to the front of the field in the circuits thereafter. Using various outside lines as a means to avoid riders stalling and jamming within confined inside grooves, Marchbanks would somehow manage to secure eleventh by lap eight. The fight into the top-ten, at that point, was certain to be difficult; with a multitude of variables and strong competitors opposing him...but Marchbanks would thrive amongst the stressful environment and would pass into eighth by lap thirteen. His advancement past that of Shane McElrath and Freddie Noren would be impressive, proving that he could rival (and surpass) the veterans of the division with fortitude and tenacity. Though it was Phil Nicoletti who was the rider within the scope of his lens as the teammates zeroed-in on the finish-line; with Marchbanks just under a second behind his Yamaha counterpart! Garrett was then finalized in eighth, after a phenomenal ride in the final moto of the series - which translated to a remarkable sixth place overall, in the record book(s).

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