race recap
MAX VOHLAND | GRIT-214 | 250SX
March 28, 2023 · Max Vohland
MAX VOHLAND | GRIT-214 | SX 250
Returning to racing action aboard his superb KTM machine, California's Max Vohland would prove that he belonged within the top-tier of this 250cc division. His speed within practice was top-tier and embodied attributes through corners, jumps, and whoops alike that were second-to-none amid the West Coast championship. But it wasn't as if Vohland stopped there, as he proceeded to launch to his heat race with little regard for fear, bursting to a fifth-place opportunity while racing upon the rear wheel of Stilez Robertson. The Yamaha rider was riding extremely well and would generate lines that caught the attention of all in attendance, which motivated Vohland to follow suit. He could see from afar (around the halfway point) that both McAdoo and Lawrence would collide, resulting in both championship contenders crashing to the ground before returning to action just ahead of him. Though unable to make a move on either Jett or Cameron, Vohland's speed from that point forward was paralleled to both of the aforementioned adversaries. Solidified in fifth, he would exit the raceway with a top-five standing within his grasp before advancing to the main event that followed. Once the green flag was thrown for the final showcase, it would be an eighth-place listing that Vohland gathered as the clock began to tick from its original listing of fifteen minutes. From there, he weaved his way through the crowd of riders who stood in the foreground while blitzing the whoops at the height of power his KTM could generate. He was labeled as a legitimate contender for a top-five overall as the first few laps were completed, after he'd passed Hunter Yoder and a multitude of others while seeking to move around Levi Kitchen (for fourth) as well. But Vohland would have to deal with a charging, Enzo Lopes; who was showing no sign of slowing down as the final few minutes of race action came to fruition. Though swapping lines on the track with the ClubMX Yamaha rider, it would be the Brazilian who'd done just enough to edge forward and into a fourth-place residency; while they both, overtook Levi Kitchen in a nearly simultaneous pattern. Holding onto fifth as the final laps of the moto were completed, Vohland's ride in Seattle would be considered remarkable given the level of competition; and a platform to build from for the remaining races in the West Coast championship.