SETH HAMMAKER - GRIT 233 250SMX

SETH HAMMAKER | GRIT-233 | 250 SMX

Kawasaki's Seth Hammaker was a competitor who had become a staple inside the top-ten throughout the races he participated in thus far in 2023...and for events in the Chicago area on Saturday, the Pennsylvanian would again be a contender who strove for the highest of accolades by the time the final checkered flag waved. Being a native of the Northeast, Hammaker could be found accelerating amongst the rutted terrain of the Joliet layout - which translated into moto number-one as well, where he established an incredible pace in seventh to begin. Doing his best to minimize airtime over the finish-line double, the number thirty-five would land with authority before attacking the brief straightaway thereafter and the accompanying corner as well. Hooking into the inside rut with his clutch lever engaged, the roost from his rear tire would nearly be dispersed into the front number-plate of Yamaha's Levi Kitchen who trailed, with the Washington native relentlessly reminding him of his whereabouts via blatant revs and narrowing margins! Through the halfway point though, the Pennsylvanian displayed immense fortitude when flying through the sand section and corner(s) thereafter - relying on his braking systems as a means of stopping power after diving into the acute bends with the utmost throttle! And even with subtle mistakes deterring his final standing in the latter moment(s), Hammaker's ability to garner ninth would be notable before moving into the following moto of the night show. With the green flag waving for the second edition of competition later on in the evening, it was Hammaker who would wheel-tap his way through the subtle rollers near the concrete portion of the raceway (on the outer side of the track), just before a scrubbing double of sorts. Upon each time he landed from the aforementioned double, his gap over Suzuki's Dilan Schwartz would heighten - despite being surpassed by that of Jordon Smith and Maximus Vohland in the meantime. There was no shortage of effort that was broadcast on Hammaker's behalf though, as his surplus of rolling speed when plowing through the apex of corners left many in the crowd in disbelief! And ultimately, his mantra of continuously moving would lead to multiple positions being strove for - where he and Jordon Smith quarreled until the last moments of racing action, for Seth to secure ninth (in the moto) and seventh overall in the concluding overall box score of the Chicagoland SMX race.

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