race recap
JASON ANDERSON - GRIT 229 450MX
August 16, 2023 · Jason Anderson
JASON ANDERSON | GRIT-229 | 450MX
The speed of Kawasaki's Jason Anderson was unquestionable, with the New Mexico native returning to the AMA Pro Motocross Championship in recent memory - and proving that his talent was still amongst the elite, even after sustaining serious injury the SX championship. His prowess would translate to the racetrack in New York after registering a number of strong lap-times in practice, however his initial sequences to the first moto couldn't have been more disastrous. He and Ty Masterpool would collide amongst multiple riders within the first thirty-seconds of action, leaving Anderson scattered on the ground while the rest of the pack sprinted away. Yet the competitive desire of the number twenty-one couldn't be suppressed, as he brushed the dirt off of his grips and immediately fired the engine - passing his way into twenty-first by the end of the first full lap! Anderson was engaging in countless outside lines on the circuit, where numerous other opponents would follow one another amongst the deepest inside grooves. Once they were slightly jammed within a particular groove, the Kawasaki athlete would fly by to their far side while shifting up within the transmission. In the latter stages of the moto, it was that of Nicoletti and Derek Drake who were set to be overtaken once and for all...until another slight crash by Anderson would derail his hopes of securing a standing within the top-ten. His fastest lap-time (of 2:17) was paralleled to those in the top-five, which proved that Anderson's skills on the obliterated circuit were top-notch...but ultimately gathering fourteenth as the checkered flag was thrown, it would be the number twenty-one who was destined to be on the rise for the following moto. Once the gate(s) would fall, a fourth-place position was established for Anderson in the second go-around before moving past Adam Cianciarulo with a fierce battle near the finish-line on the fourth circuit. It was then a process of tracking down Chase Sexton, but Dylan Ferrandis was an adversary that had to be recognized as he immediately hounded the radius of Kawasaki's Anderson. It would be only minutes thereafter (as the sixth circuit was coming to a close) where Jason was overtaken by the number fourteen - but even with two-thirds of the moto remaining, Anderson wasn't going to let the fourth-place position slip away. Continuously, he molded his loose-fitting technique to the intricate raceway and remained balanced amongst dozens of grooves on the outdoor raceway...eventually concluding the moto in fourth, to attain eighth-overall for round nine of the championship.