He commented , “ We had five really tough laps to get through and it was some of the most fun I ’ ve ever had in a race ! The track was world-class . It felt like a motocross event with the way we were overtaking each other constantly . I felt so strong on my FX 450 , even through the tight forest trails , and managed to get right up front .”
It was a particularly exciting event for Brother Leader Tread KTM ’ s Bradley Cox , who made his debut in the OR2 Class on his KTM 350 XC-F . As the first rider leading out the time trial , Cox admits to feeling worried that he wouldn ’ t set a fast enough time . With the fourth fastest time and only three-seconds separating him from second place , however , he soon realized that he was in for a bar-to-bar battle .
“ The first lap was absolutely unreal . There was a group of four of us and we were banging bars like a full-on motocross race ,” described Cox .
After pushing the pace up front for the first lap , an unfortunate crash on the second lap cost him some time and set him back to fourth place . In his unrelenting quest for victory , Cox came back with a blistering pace and clawed his way up the leaderboard to second place overall and ultimately first place in his class .
DAVIN COCKER , HUSQVARNA
VOL . 6 ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2021 // PAGE 27