PIERCE BROWN

Though Haiden Deegan and Levi Kitchen were two of the most discussed athletes of last week’s season opener Pierce Brown couldn’t be ignored with the undeniable speed he had presented. The rider out of Utah was a force to be recognized as he bounced through the array of rollers on this circuit — as the newfound track changes seemed to place various singles in seemingly every section, making this riddle of a racecourse rather hard to analyze. He was able to figure it out though, and idled to the line for moto-one with confidence before his mechanic would step away. It was just he and the path ahead, and as the first lap began to unravel, he emerged in the  thirteenth-place position. It was an exceptional effort to this point, and he seemed to withstand the constant chatter his chassis was undergoing...despite being hounded by that of Jett Reynolds and Casey Cochran, after making passes on both of the newcomers to the series.  The line in which 450cc rider Jett Lawrence began to triple (amongst a multitude of downhill rollers) was a pivotal juncture where Brown seemed to gain time. Staying low, and cutting from outside to inside after numerous laps of action, was a swift line where he would miss the most disastrous of bumps...and the extra effort to dodge the energy-zapping lines, was evident when pressing forward to the halfway point. He had worked his way into eighth at that time, and felt as though he could surpass Julien Beaumer and Jo Shimoda before the checkered flag was waved. With a methodical process of line selection, Brown would make those passes happen — along with inheriting by way of Jordon Smith’s mistake. Therefore as the checkered flag was waved, Brown’s relentless attack and thrilling riding style was enough to score fifth in the record book...before preceding to move into round two, where a fourteenth-place start was garnered. He was relentless in his battle between he and competitors like Nate Thrasher and Joey Savatgy...leaving it all on the line as he swapped positions with fellow veterans of the series. Throughout the hillside where Jett Lawrence had crashed, Brown’s intensity was next level — manual(ing) through one of the longest roller sections on the track while compressing the suspension and staying low...which enabled him to eventually work his way around Ty Masterpool and the aforementioned Yamaha (of Thrasher) when nearing race's conclusion. In the end, Brown acquired the tenth-place standing — which solidified him in sixth overall, as action concluded at Hangtown.