race recap
JUSTIN STARLING | GRIT-220 | 450SX
May 16, 2023 · Justin Starling
JUSTIN STARLING | GRIT-220 | 450SX
A native of Florida throughout his racing career, Justin Starling had made quite the name for himself amongst amateur competition years ago. And now, the number sixty has progressed into a top-tier professional that's constantly battling for top-ten overall finishes; and his competitive memo would be carried through the round of racing in Salt Lake City, Utah as well on Saturday night. For practice, Starling as was excelling through the whoops with a style that promoted speed and momentum, but at a smooth(ed) pace; meaning, he wasn't ever in a hurry and never became flustered with the amount of ruts that were beginning to be carved across various facets of the raceway. The riddle of this track would be solved on his behalf rather quickly, and made for a spectacular showing to be presented in heat two where he claimed fifth on the leaderboard to begin. He was just behind Grant Harlan and analyzed the movement(s) of the Yamaha on this slick raceway, where rain had poured onto the surface and caused quite a problematic design to be encountered by many in the field! But Starling wasn't one to override and fall victim to error, as he maintained composure amongst rhythm lanes with mistake-free combinations; landing on the downslope(s) of various singles in the optimal pocket(s) while constantly moving forward. Though he couldn't move around that of Grant Harlan as the checkered flag was thrown, he was able to defend his fourth place position from that of Justin HIll; which was solidified as the heat race segment concluded. For the main event, all in the field were aspiring to end the 2023 SX season with a strong showing, including Starling who stormed to a prominent fourth-place residency! He was a standout on these slick conditions as he slid beneath the tunnel jump, throttling through the rhythm section that followed and passed the mechanic's area with a fierce drive to move forward. Though passed by the likes of Dean Wilson and Josh Hill prior to the halfway point, Starling was maintaining quite the pace with Shane McElrath (then) behind him. He would defend his position in the top-ten from the number twelve for a good while, before being passed in the final stages by the former 250cc SX standout. Nonetheless, Starling's ability to be solidified in eighth place was phenomenal, as he maintained composure throughout the last laps of competition and following checkered flag...concluding the 2023 SX season with a stellar run in front of thousands of fans.