SHANE MCELRATH

Suzuki’s Shane McElrath seemed to step into a higher territory of sorts, for this year’s High Point National. With significant amounts of precipitation hitting the track before action began on Saturday, the rider from North Carolina seemed to acclimate extremely quickly to track he’d ridden on countless occasions. The McElrath of old would appear, climbing to fifth in the overall practice standings and garnering a notable gate choice. From there, he leaped from the line to gather a standing of eighth in the initial stages. He would move as high as sixth, after taking advantage of mistakes that were portrayed by both, Phil Nicoletti and Justin Barcia — proving, that he belonged in the top-ten. Weaving through the switchback corners that preceded the “RC Anthill,” McElrath would plunge into the numerous rollers thereafter while banking off the outside wall. He was fluid and polished within the grooves, landing and carving through the ruts thereafter with a steady output of throttle. As the moto progressed though, opponents like Jason Anderson and Aaron Plessinger were persistent in trying to work their way around him. He (Shane) put forth quite the fight, defending his position with all of his might, but with around four laps to go, it appeared as if both of the previously noted veterans had definitively work their way around. However, he was still ahead of both Malcolm Stewart and Justin Barcia — and believed that he could outlast the older competitors, when sprinting atop the elevation changes. Scrubbing the blue-grooved uphill jumps just before the finish line, he would take the white flag with assertiveness and immediately sprint forward with what energy was left in the tank. Categorized in eighth as all was settled, McElrath’s performance was certainly noteworthy before aligning on the grid once more. He then began the latter race of the afternoon in tenth, and Shane would continue his stellar output of speed that had been shown throughout the day. He was just behind Dylan Ferrandis, who occupied the ninth-place standing — and Malcolm Stewart, wasn’t far ahead of either of them. Though passed by the Floridian (i.e. Stewart) he did his best to try and replicate the pathways of the Husqvarna athlete, especially through the wooded area — where peg-dragging ruts were trenched on the racing surface from left to right! But he persevered, competing against that of Freddie Noren and Marshal Weltin, defending his standing through the eventual finish line...to clinch a final score of tenth in the moto, and amid the overall standings.