MITCHELL OLDENBURG - GRIT 240 250SX

GRIT-240 | 250 SX

A veteran of the Supercross genre, Honda's Mitchell Oldenburg looked forward to the distinct layout that the Glendale venue would provide. With a plethora of high-speed triples and rhythm lanes being presented for the 250cc field to conquer, the West Coast SX cast would immediately engage in phenomenal bursts of momentum as the green flag waved for qualification. One of the first to catch the eye of many, especially in the initial whoop section, was Oldenburg; who blitzed through the left-side at the height of third gear with a surplus of velocity compared to many of his counterparts...which carried directly into the night show that followed. As pins unlatched and a slight feathering of the clutch was conducted in order to keep the wheel digging into the red, Arizona soil, Oldenburg would be located around the third-place standing to begin the divisional round. Through the sand he sped on laps two and three, carving amongst the bottom of each berm while being heavily pursued by none other than the rookie, Julien Beaumer. The adversary was constantly revving his engine at its highest capacity, attempting to deter Oldenburg's attention as laps would amass. At the halfway point, there was a critical component to the initial straightaway of jumps on the Glendale SX course, where Oldenburg's timing amongst the first triple would have to be precise (and smooth) within the transition...and as he managed to stay polished before departing from the take-off ramp, the dividend that he later obtained would be substantial - and enough to eventually solidify the position of third, ahead of Beaumer, Phil Nicoletti, and Ryder DiFrancesco, respectively. For the final showcase of the evening, Oldenburg did his best to combat the opposing forces, leaping over the "SX" triple immediately after the finish line in a standing of ninth before administering all-out focus on the pathways ahead. Flat-tracking his way through the connecting first corner/straightaway sequence, the way he could seat-hop and simultaneously extend his gap over GasGas' Ryder DiFrancesco who trailed, was remarkable. The idea of breaking away after the sixth lap was tangible portion of the game-plan that was encouraged by his mechanic, with his wrench applauding while writing encouraging messages in hopes of aiding the ability of Oldenburg to propel to the end. The corner after the opening set of whoops was heavily deteriorated, and an instant switch of riding styles would have to be conducted when transitioning from hard-packed to sand, and vice versa in the corners thereafter. All the while, he could make substantial time on members of the top-five, including Julien Beaumer...and he would make the move on the KTM rider with roughly four minutes remaining on the clock, though simultaneously be passed (in the latter portion of the whoops) by Jordon Smith! Still in fifth, he and Garrett Marchbanks would be the last to duel before the checkered flag...with timing and scoring registering the Yamaha rider ahead as the dust settled. Still, Oldenburg's run in Arizona was distinguished and proved that he could sustain a pace, that equated to top-tier finishes at the front of the field.

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