The suspension and chassis configuration of Honda’s Chance Hymas looked to be in total synchronization as free practice, and the timed sessions progressed on Saturday afternoon. His ability to plant and pivot in the corner after the “SX” triple was remarkable, setting him up for the obstacles that followed with a straightened path that others couldn’t attest to. Weaving through the middle portion of the track (at first) and eventually fading to the outer rim, his lap-times were on par with that of Hunter Lawrence as all was said and done...prior to beginning matters in his heat race. The likes of Lawrence and Jordon Smith would quarrel in the top two positions of this endeavor, though his blitzing line through the top of the right-handed sand berm would have many in the crowd saying he was the fastest on the track! Seat-hopping his way over the camelback triple before the tunnel jump, he would land with his inside foot out while topping third gear and diving beneath the aforementioned bridge. Scrubbing ever so slightly over the “SX” triple with the aforementioned competitors just ahead, he knew that the veterans of the division weren’t going to fold under pressure, though he proceeded to drive forward anyway! His forward thinking mentality would push him to drift slightly to the inside when approaching the infield “s-curve,” blasting through the final bend with his chassis horizontal and shooting for the following apex. Though seeming like subtle nuances of varied position on the circuit, it would be the pre-planning moves that steadied his lead over ClubMX Yamaha’s Jermey Martin who was just out of distance to be bombarded with the outpouring of roost from his rear wheel! Jumping onto the tabletop, in the rhythm lane after the finish-line on the final circuit, his ability to complete the desired patterns (of mostly triples) when approaching the checkered flag would be a defining factor in his accrual of third. Hunter Lawrence then led in the initial stages of the main event, hoping to burst away from the field and leave his opponents perplexed in the distance behind him. But Hymas wasn’t one to be overwhelmed or let a moment become too big; therefore he remained calm while pulling tear-off’s over the “SX” triple while whipping his chassis to the left; proving that he could run well-regarded lap times while embodying a spectacular style upon the 250cc chassis. The multitude of tabletops (which acted as step-on/step-off’s) in the last section of clay prior to the sand, were now deteriorated with ruts from right to left. And his choice of staying just off the center line (through the eleventh and twelfth minute) would amplify his gap over Coty Schock by nearly a half-second, prior to embarking on the final four minutes of action. It was then, that fortitude mattered most; and he ultimately was able to buckle down and strive for sixth overall, when the 250cc main event came to a close.