SETH HAMMAKER GRIT-228 250MX

SETH HAMMAKER | GRIT-228 | 250MX

The Pennsylvanian was building confidence throughout the morning as he amassed countless laps in qualification, proving that he could transition from his native hard-packed terrain of High Point Raceway, and excel amongst the slick condition(s) of the Pacific Northwest. Hammaker's run throughout qualification was solid, which led to a position of fifth to begin the first segment of the afternoon. He was battling amongst the front of the pack when flying atop "Horsepower Hill" garnering as much traction on the rear wheel as possible before soaring into valley's where the suspension compressed at its highest regard. Quickly moving into fourth, where he trailed Maximus Vohland, Hammaker would thoroughly search for a way around the KTM rider...but the Californian was riding extremely well amongst the hard-packed conditions - forcing Hammaker's focus and stamina to work overtime per se, while racing toward the halfway point. The pressure of Hunter Lawrence though, would be too much to take as lap eight came to fruition - and the number ninety-six was able to make his way around, which diverted Hammaker to fifth. He (Seth) remained resilient as the twenty-minute mark came to fruition, diving into back-to-back insides after the finish line obstacle while keeping his elbows wide; locked-into what was approaching every second, while attempting to break away from that of Levi Kitchen and Carson Mumford. And that's exactly what occurred, despite being passed by Jo Shimoda and RJ Hampshire in the process; which was understandable, given the amount of time the Pennsylvania native had missed, due to injury. Ultimately staying ahead of Kitchen as the checkered flag was thrown, Hammaker would claim seventh as action ceased for the first moto. The following round of racing wasn't long thereafter, and Seth's start was excellent as he powered forward upon the opening straightaway and "Horsepower Hill!" He and opponents like Haiden Deegan were fender to fender for a good while, but even as certain riders (i.e. Deegan, Lawrence, and Kitchen) distanced themselves ahead, it was Hammaker who maintained an immense output of speed inside the top-five. Residing in fifth, he could sense though, that Husqvarna's RJ Hampshire was on the move...and going to create quite the final sequence of events, as the checkered flag loomed in the distance. That sentiment proceeded an all-out battle between the two East Coast athletes, where they fought for every inch of racetrack over the course of the final three laps! And though Hampshire ultimately prevailed in the position ahead, it was Hammaker who remained composed within the sixth-place standing - which helped him solidify sixth-place overall in the record book, too!

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