VOLUME 58 ISSUE 7 FEBRUARY 17, 2021 P67
dusty you couldn't see anything,
and it was one-lined. I got pretty
screwed in the pits, also. A kid
ended up stalling his bike in front
of me at the stop sign at pit exit
and I got stuck there. Overall, I
rode solid and it's a step in the
right direction."
However, Oliveira was the
one on top of the box along with
his Red Bull/Dunlop/Thor 450
of the series [in December]
really took the wind out of my
sails," he admitted. "I'm dealing
with the collarbone still."
A dislocated hip and knee
injury prior to round one last
month also hampered his recov-
ery: "My mind's 100 percent.
My body's not," Bell added. "I
went out there and did my best. I
just couldn't pass him; it was so
able pace. "I found my groove
and once I did that…I was able
to make some passes and ride
into, I think, third place and rode
there for quite a bit."
Bell and his Maxima/Hoosier
Tires/Moose Racing KX450X
came closest to stealing the win
from Oliveira despite being at an
estimated 80 percent. "Surgery
after the last [NGPC] at the end
