PHIL NICOLETTI - GRIT 231 450MX

PHIL NICOLETTI | GRIT-231 | 450MX

Hoping to conclude the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship with a strong showing, Club MX Yamaha's Phil Nicoletti would roll onto the start straightaway for practice on Saturday morning with a bold mentality. He'd memorized the course to the best of his ability, while choreographing a game-plan that was set to begin as the earliest laps of free practice were initiated. The number sixty-nine would master the course rather quickly, before ascending into the main event(s) that followed with his eyes set on the inner-most portion of turn number-one. As the field then stormed from the starting grid to begin the opening moto of the afternoon, Nicoletti would acquire a position of eighth and seek to enact amongst a series of superb laps in the moments that followed. Flying over the largest tabletop within the infield, the native of New York would land with authority prior to charging into the accompanying corners; weaving from inside to outside in order to maintain speed and avoid the problematic pot-holes, that were set to form. Nicoletti had overcome a serious injury earlier in the year, and reiterated once again upon the Ironman circuit, that he was trekking back to full-force prior to embarking on the SMX playoff's.The ClubMX rider's will to push forward couldn't be stifled by anyone in the 450cc pack. He was eleventh on lap eight and proceeded to monitor as to how close Grant Harlan and Justin Barcia were approaching him, as the conclusion of the moto would near. In the final minutes of the moto as well, would he and a fellow New Yorker battle for that of the eleventh-place standing - where he and "JB51" would battle against one another for the longest of charging points, when entering into the corner just passed the mechanics area. Though Barcia would ultimately pass him at that moment, Nicoletti wasn't one to back down and proceeded to trail the GasGas rider to the finish-line; claiming twelfth, as all was said and done. For the following moto, Nicoletti's leap from the grate and burst of speed in the opening lap was phenomenal - where he'd had multiple factory riders residing behind him. He would keep both, Jason Anderson and Adam Cianciarulo at bay for multiple laps, prior to both Kawasaki teammates eventually passing him...though still occupying seventh, on lap number five. Phil would then arguably display some of the strongest laps of consistency that we'd seen by the veteran in quite sometime - where he nullified the charge of Freddie Noren, teammate Garrett Marchbanks, and numerous others as they entered into the final moments of the moto. And through the hard-fought effort, his accolade of an outstanding seventh-place moto score would be earned as engines ceased in Indiana - propelling him to ninth, in the overall standing(s) of the 450MX division.

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