race recap
MITCHELL OLDENBURG | GRIT-219 | 250SX
May 9, 2023 · Mitchell Oldenburg
MITCHELL OLDENBURG | GRIT-219 | SX 250
With the track at Empower Field becoming ever-changing throughout the day, many in the 250cc practice sessions would take advantage of the conditions when the soil was rather gritty and full of moisture, early in the afternoon hours. Especially that of Texas' Mitchell Oldenburg, who was tracking extremely well aboard his Honda 250F and presenting a pace that left many in awe as they watched from the stands. His speed and experience would rival the best in the division, which led him into heat two. These ground(s) were tricky, claiming the front runner(s) on more than one occasion throughout various divisional rounds...but he could be found thriving, and exhibiting spectacular speed within the first-place position, following a stellar start to the moto! The tabletop/wall-jump before the finish-line would become an imminent move that had many in the division soaring into the Colorado skyline, and he would follow suit, erupting from ground level to paralleled with those in the stands; keeping the rear wheel of his Honda chassis spinning as he sped to the halfway point. With mud spewing from the rear wheel, he could feel the presence of Kawasaki's Carson Mumford closing in on him in the tighter sections of track (particularly around the mechanics area). But the mindset of the number forty-nine wouldn't lapse, even with being passed Enzo Lopes and knocked out of winning contention; which kept him a legitimate contender for a top-two final score as they neared the finish line of this brief sprint of sorts. Eventually concluding the moto in the runner-up standing, he would do his best to prepare for the main event that followed. Once those in the field watched their respective pins unlatch, there was little that could deter them from blasting into the first corner without fear. He was amid the pack, emerging from the first lap in eighth while seeking to make as many moves as possible with the pack still condensed. Launching into the longest rhythm section on the track while assembling multiple triples, he would be cognizant of Derek Kelley's KTM on the inside; who was hard to contain, especially in the back to back ninety-degree corners on a perpendicular segment of raceway to the starting gate. He however wouldn't fade, and continued an inside trajectory over the plateau(s) and large double before the whoop section; seat-hopping with his inside leg out, and maintaining the shortest pathway(s) as they entered into the eleventh minute of action. There would be little that separated his Honda from the finish-line, but the focus of Oldenburg wasn't an attribute that would be broken by that of the competition. Eventually ending the moto in fifth-place, he most definitely accrued substantial momentum prior to heading to Salt Lake City.