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Vital MX Pit Bits: Arlington 2

Round two in Arlington is in the books. Here are some of the nuggets that we saw.

64 GuyB https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/users/64/avatar/c50_110811guyb_redbud_1449985751.jpg?1449984985 https://www.vitalmx.com/community/GuyB,64/all 07/10/06 9416 3581 46002 877 2404 30737 39 1708 2 185

GuyB
3/19/2021 8:11 AM

Dang it. The heat race crash and KO from the first round of the Arlington three-race run had Marvin Musquin sidelined for Tuesday. He's hoping to be back in action for the final of the three races on Saturday, but has to make it past the concussion protocol.

Yep, Marvin's still running the ever-elusive WP air shock.

With his win on Saturday, Cooper Webb took over the points lead, scoring the red plate for the first time this season.

We like the 'toon on AP's Alpinestars lid.

Oops. When you realize the rag you were using to wipe the front number plate had a strong cleaner on it, it's time to do a little artwork on your inspection sticker.

Nastasia keeping Dylan Ferrandis' gear looking good.

Can we add these to the want list?

Ken Roczen's helmet awaiting his return.

The Nuclear Blast Yamaha guys have been having fun switching around their graphics packages between rounds. This was a cool retake on the old Team Solitaire look (Ryan Clark is the team manager) on Robbie Wageman.

We're not sure if you've seen the Wageman's side hustle...which is beef jerky. Check out their website for more info on varieties, etc. eatrjerky.com

Bummer. A broken hand will have Pierce Brown sidelined for a bit.

Racers love racing...no matter which kind. We ran into Sheldon Haudenschild over by the Muc-Off Honda pits. Sheldon is a second-generation World of Outlaws driver (his dad is Jac), and drives the NOS Energy sprinter. Sheldon recently won a WoO round in Missippi and had races scheduled for Texas this week.

Benny Bloss' bike had to get a major redo after a hard practice crash.

Hmm...do points leaders wear red socks?

Chris Blose's AJE/Motul GasGas.

The All-South crew hanging out between practice sessions.

We'll have to wait a bit more to see Zach Osborne back on the track. His back's still not quite up to par.

When you're going to be in one spot for a few days, you have to make sure you have extra water on hand.

Jalek Swoll keeping Mitchell Harrison on his toes after the Honda rider went down in this corner.

The whoops were plenty tricky here.

Justin Cooper getting all of this seat bounce. After winning the West season-opener in Orlando, bad starts and crashes have hampered his efforts.

Looking for divine intervention? Or just checking the overhead scoreboard? It's Arlington, so we'll guess the latter.

This elevated turn/jump combo left some huge and really challenging ruts for the guys.

We saw some photos after the race where there were blue streaks on the inside of this section from one of the Yamaha rider's shroud plastics. Malcolm was another rider a bit banged up after his hard crash the previous Saturday.

Cooper Webb had a big crash in the whoops during practice. Yep, he found the edge.

Getting in that all-important start in the final practice.

Dylan Ferrandis got folded up like a piece of origami on Saturday, and then had a big crash in practice, as well.

The 90-degree right-hander after the whoops was a bit abrupt, but made for some cool shots. Guys were rocketing out of this section. Max Anstie demonstrates.

...and Chase Sexton...

...and Aaron Plessinger.

We saw more than a bit of wheel trouble during the day.

Dean Wilson had one go on him, too. We're not sure if it was the result of contact, or the track.

One thing's for sure, when guys were launching out of this to the flat of the start straight, it was tough on everything.

Ah yes, the Zen master.

Justin Brayton holding it down before his practice.

Opening ceremonies is a time for everyone to have a little fun, and show some personality. Aaron Plessinger is all about it.

Ever feel like you're early for a party? Dylan Ferrandis awaits his intro. After a couple of big crashes, he was a bit beat up, but still ready to go.

Cooper looking confident before the night show.

Texas Two-Step?

Justin Barcia getting in his fan salute.

We were wondering what sidelined Josh Cartright during his heat race...

...and yeah, that'll do it.

Jerry Robin sporting some Cowboy's-inspired Canvas gear.

Even when things are going right there are moments. Yeah, this is the right-hander after the whoop section, and as you can see, Hunter Lawrence got a nasty kick out of this one.