JUSTIN HILL | GRIT-210 | 450SX

JUSTIN HILL | GRIT-210 | SX 450

The consistency of Justin Hill would pay of throughout the evening in Arlington, as his laps for qualification were indicative of what was to come in the night show. The unique format of the Triple Crown series offered elements that were one-of-a-kind in the realm of professional racing, but seemed to play into the hand of Hill as circuits would amass. After a significant outing in his time(d) trial expedition, his focus would shift to the starting line of moto number-one. Immediately as the pin would unlatch, a subtle feathering motion of the left lever would tame the front wheel as he tracked down the straightaway into the initial bend. It was hard to distinguish as to exactly what place he was in (when looking from afar), but by the time the first few laps had been completed, he seemed to have develop(ed) a flow inside the top-ten position(s). His vision was keen on cutting down in various corners, in particular the left-hander before the "SX" triple. Ruts were beginning to drift into the outer tuff-blocks, and causing numerous riders trouble while attempting to seat-hop off the lip. The subtle double to the inside, was beginning to become entrenched with a ravine of sorts; with wheel sets (from first to twenty-second) decimating the obstacle with clutching and revving in second gear. The previously mentioned rhythm he generated, was obtained well through the checkered flag; and with applause, tenth would be garnered. There was little time to breathe prior to the next episode, where he and Colt Nichols pursued the pack ahead at a nearly identical pace. His repertoire of hard-packed skill(s) were beginning to come into play, especially as the rear-end of his KTM spun into the outer wall beneath the tunnel. Fighting forward past the seventh minute mark, it was about this time (in total accumulation) that the main event would be nearing an end...yet he persevered and sprang forward in the final moments to finalize an admirable standing in eleventh. The last round had come to fruition, where the battle between he and Dean Wilson for tenth overall would be decided by just a small margin of positions. The whoops were now decimated, and he yearned to make moves as quickly as possible when diving into the left and right-handed corners that followed. Funneling through the (once) pristine ruts, he would shift to the outskirt of the raceway when given ample room, to continue flourishing with four laps to go. Continuous cues of motivation would be written by his mechanic, to eventually list him in tenth, for a hard-earned tenth overall.

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