NATE THRASHER - GRIT 245 250SX

GRIT-245 |250 SX

May 20, 2024 9:45 am

As his mechanic prepared his machine for an all-out battle upon some of the toughest ground(s) we'd seen thus far in 2024, Tennessee's Nate Thrasher was ready for any obstacle that stood in his way, prior to the checkered flag waving in the Pacific Northwest. The qualification sessions of the afternoon based on a memo of setting the fastest lap (as quickly as possible), and then saving the bike for the rest of the evening - with the course now deemed as ever-changing, throughout the hours that passed. Once executing a magnificent circuit before the early evening hours, it was then a matter of locking into to a specific grate for heat two, while exhibiting as much focus as possible. It was a combination of near-flawless timing and shifting through the transmission with fluidity, until a wash-out occurred in the first corner...sending Thrasher to last place with only a small amount of laps to acquire a transfer position. Various opponents inside the top-nine were ones of precise calculation - and made countless lunges into his peripheral view as the halfway mark would pass. Though he wasn't fazed by what was occurring in the positions behind him, and instead, visualizing he and his Yamaha machine crossing over the final jump with a significant position of qualification. That was eventually established, via passes on athletes like TJ Albright and Slide Varola...where finished the moto in eighth-place. This enabled him to a conduct a run of stellar speeds, for the initiation of the main event. Mud was undeniably weighing the chassis down as it became caked beneath the fenders and chassis, making the motorcycle appear substantially heavier as he leapt through the air of this Seattle circuit. Though the strength needed to clear various doubles, was also a means to remain planted in corners before and after the whoop section - where ruts were now more than a "foot-peg" deep, and could subsequently send an athlete crashing to the ground if they were ever off-balanced. Working his way to as high of a standing as fifth, and then eventually fourth, Nate was showcasing his talent amongst names like Julien Beaumer and RJ Hampshire...with the rookie beginning to fade when nearing the halfway point. However, the Husqvarna rider made his way around, solidifying him (in what appeared to be fourth) before Garrett Marchbanks came into the picture. However, around the time that the leaderboard began to shuffle (i.e. when Jordon Smith crashed), Thrasher appeared to make a mistake of sorts...that caused him an array of positions. Battling in the latter portions of the top-ten, he would portray a tremendous effort when combatting the late race charge of Cole Thompson, along with attempting to move forward (and around) France's Anthony Bourdon. Though unable to push his Yamaha chassis ahead of the previously discussed Suzuki rider, Thrasher's quest to ninth, was considered admirable given the amount of adversity he faced.

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