LORENZO LOCURCIO GRIT-222 450MX

LORENZO LOCURCIO | GRIT-222 | 450MX

Looking to carry his momentum into the round of Hangtown, the urgency of Lorenzo Locurcioaboard his GasGas machinewas evident as racers amassed opening laps in practice on Saturday. The track was already beginning to show signs of drying out, which led to a multitude of configurations being contemplated by he and his mechanic in regard to suspension settings, tire pressure, and numerous other variables. Regardless, Lorenzowas excited for what was to come and appeared in-tune with his motorcycle qualifying eventually came to an end. Not long thereafter, would he be looking toward the first corner (of moto-one) as a place to gain ground and make as many passes as possible. And by the time half of the first lap had transpired (roughly), his GasGasmachine could be found around the thirteenth-place position. He was making substantial ground on the far side hills (where the sections where paralleled near the rollers) as he was nearly clipping the outer boundaries of the circuit with his front wheel! Using every inch of racetrack possible, his vision aboard the GasGaschassis was something that would allow him to distance himself from the majority of the opposition behind him...including that of Kyle Chisholm who was persistent in making a charge past the halfway mark. But he could hear the adversary as they pursued the largest step down obstacle on the track; and would maintain rigidity aboard the chassis with a fierce grip while approaching the final eight minutes of action. Though they seemed to pass rather slowly, he would flow through a multitude of inside lines en route to the checkered flag - where he gathered a final placement of ninth, respectively. For round two, the sequences of the start were extremely chaotic (as to be expected), with the entirety of the pack surging into third and fourth gear as they swept the opening bends. Excelling as he went through the opening uphill, all in the pack could feel their rear wheel attempting to swap from side to side as they escalated up the elevation changes of the Hangtown circuit. Abrupt braking bumps would accompany the landing(s) of every step-up on the course, especially ones where athletes were choosing the inside pathway(s) more often than not. And Lorenzo seemed to flourish when funneling into those as well. The foot-pegs of his GasGas machine were dragging and clinging to countless grooves throughout the majority of the moto, where it looked as though he nearly made a giant mistake in the right-handed corner proceeding the uphill rollers with only circuits to go. But he prevailed, and embodied enough momentum to sustain eleventh, which was strong enough for ninth overall on the day.

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