VOL. 54 ISSUE 25 JUNE 27, 2017 P71
defending Grand National
Champion Bryan Smith (Indian
Motorcycle/Allstate Insurance)
and Davis Fisher (Bob Lanphere
Beaverton Motorcycles Kawa-
saki) all bunched behind.
"I missed some shifts off the
first start. I about had 10 people
run into me before I got the
thing back into gear. I was lucky
there," said Baker. "I got pushed
back in the pack a lot. I was
having to pull tear-offs like crazy
on the back stretch going into
three. I was blind by the time I
got in the middle of three. I liter-
ally had to shut off, pull a tear-off
and get back going again. I put
on a charge and got up to sec-
ond after battling with those guys
for a little while. Briar just ran a
great race. He was riding like an
animal, right up against the top.
I didn't really have anything for
him."
The race featured something
there hasn't been much of this
year: line choice, as there were
multiple fast lines. Perhaps too
Jeffrey Carver
made it two
Kawasakis on
the podium with
third place.
