GLEN HELEN
VOL. 52 ISSUE 15 APRIL 14, 2015 P117
Solid might be an overstate-
ment, since half of the subframe
of his KX500 wasn't fastened
during the race, but it worked
well enough to get him through
the 20-minute moto.
Collier used the big power of
his KX500 to patiently overtake
Colton Haaker for the lead,
and keep it all the way to the
checkered flag. Although his
32-1 score only left him with 15
th
overall, Collier was happy to end
the day with a win.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE
TO MOTO A 500CC
TWO-STROKE?
"Patience," Collier said. "That's
the biggest thing. Patience.
Because if you get impatient and
try to override this bike, it will
humble you and send you into
the ground faster than you can
imagine. You have to be patient—
know when to lay on the throttle,
and when to let off."
Riders like Mike Sleeter—an-
other past 2-Stroke MX Cham-
pion—know how tricky it can be
to successfully pilot a 500cc
two-stroke, and planned to use
that to his advantage.
"Sean [Collier] is such an
amazing rider," said Sleeter.
"He's so crafty and he's so fluid
that I think he's the only one that
could ride the bike like that. My
plan was, if he's ahead of me, I
knew coming in I'd have to pres-
sure him. I'd have to get him to
get that chassis out of whack.
Get that thing doing something it
doesn't want to do because if he
gets out front, which he did both
motos, and get that thing rolling
like he knows how to ride it, then
we're done."
THE CHAMPION
Sleeter freely admitted that
Collier was the faster rider,
(Left) KTM test rider Mike Sleeter
piloted his 250 SX to the overall
win in the L.A. Sleeve Pro race.
(Below) Sean Collier was the
unsung hero on the day, topping
the second moto, but missing
out on the overall win due to a
mechanical issue in the first moto.
