ROBBIE WAGEMAN-215 | GRIT-215 | 250SX

ROBBIE WAGEMAN | GRIT-215 | SX 250

The expertise of Robbie Wageman would flourish as engines were revved in Arizona on Saturday. Following an off-weekend where many in the field would assemble their outdoor settings in preparation for the upcoming summer tour, he managed to keep the entirety of his efforts (and vision) on the approaching Glendale layout...that was known to test riders skillsets at the highest of levels. For practice, heavy emphasis was placed on a direct transferring bid - as heat races weren't on the docket, and the majority of positions would be amassed via listings on the timing and scoring sheet. Once completed (with an astounding sense of speed), he then moved to the first main event of the evening; where a position near fourteenth would be grasped, following a red-flag restart in which the field realigned on the starting gate. Clicking into fourth gear as he sped down the longest straightaway, he tucked into the accompanying left-handed corner while leaning the chassis to the inside; refusing to drift wide with none other than Jerry Robin mere feet from his rear wheel. Proceeding to seat-bounce his way off of the small lip that quickly approached, his ensemble of triples before heading into the next left was paramount if he wanted to defend his position inside the top portion(s) of the leaderboard. The whoops were like concrete, but he managed to skip his way through the assortment of moguls past the seventh and eighth minute of competition, heading into the final moments of the opening narrative with ninth-place in hand. And as the checkered flag was eventually thrown, his machine was cemented into the aforementioned position prior to beginning the second quest. The middle segment of the itinerary was crucial, where after only a few minutes of the moto it was evident that numerous athletes were combatting fatigue. Not Wageman, however, as he managed to triple over the sector of three singles before the tunnel jump time and time again; foregoing a loss of grip strength on the handlebars and continuing to scrub his way through the obstacles that followed, despite a troublesome initial standing in the running order. Continuously running strong lap-times, there was no evidence of fading as laps four and five were sped through, looking to his final runs through the two-way(ed) rhythm section as crucial if he wanted to obtain the fifteenth-place residency. And with fluidity, he would stay on an optimal track to the checkered flag...clenching a hard-earned fifteenth before embarking on the final brigade. As the green flag was thrown for the final round of action, the grittiness of Wageman would be portrayed as he slid the rear wheel into the one-eighty degree turn after the finish-line. Each corner on the circuit would be a means to pivot and dart away with explosive speed that was unbeknownst by those outside of the top fifteen, where his exiting velocities rivaled Honda's Jett Lawrence despite being further back in the results order. Over both of the "SX" triples, his finesse and maneuvering of the chassis to stay lower would continue to amplify his lead over Mitchell Harrison who once rivaled him...eventually carrying the designation of eighth to the finish-line to grasp ninth overall!

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