Page 32 - mpg-august

theGRIT
Ryder DiFrancesco surely didn’t disappoint during his 2016 running of the
Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championship. He didn’t stand off the podium at anytime during the week of racing and he overcame lots of adversity in order to post consistent finishes. He was equally effective on his motorcycle between the changing conditions of the Tennessee climate throughout the week as he put his Team Green machine at the front of the pack time and time again. DiFrancesco’s effort in the 65cc (10-11) class saw him swap 1st place and 2nd place finishes with his close rival, Hunter Yoder. The two of them battled early on in the first moto as they moved their way around Evan Ferry, but DiFrancesco couldn’t quite match the blistering pace of Yoder and his KTM. The number 99 still managed to outride everyone else in the class with a stroke of ease and he came across the stripe in 2nd place. In the last moto, he wasn’t quite able to get away with Yoder at the start of the race which didn’t allow him the opportunity to sprint with the fellow Californian. DiFrancesco moved into 2nd past Kyle Smith on the second lap and he got stuck in for the remainder of the race, setting a fairly consistent pace on track that was easily as rough as a pro national. In the second moto, the Bakersfield boy was absolutely invincible in treacherous, sloppy conditions and he set a fast lap that was almost 10 seconds quicker than anyone else. DiFrancesco started off in 3rd and took advantage of a Yoder mistake in order to slide into the number 1 position early on. He went on to win the race by a 50 second advantage in a stellar display of bike control and coolheadedness which helped to earn him 2nd overall. In the 65cc (7-11) class, Yoder and DiFrancesco were joined by the KTM of Matt LeBlanc and the three of them had some great battles throughout the week. In the first moto, Ryder D had an awful start to the race and ended up coming across the finish line in 18th place on the first lap. He put his head down and sliced through a bundle of riders, making up 9 positions in just one time around the track. He was up to 5th by the middle of the race and he was able to snag two positions from Parker Ross and Evan Ferry on the final lap to finish on the podium. The second motohad a good race at the front between the Kawasaki of DiFrancesco and the KTM of Yoder, but the searing pace from Yoder forced Ryder D into a mistake in the middle of the race and he gave up a position to LeBlanc in the process. Fortunately for the number 99, Yoder threw away the lead on the last lap and allowed him to put his Kawasaki in 2nd place on the podium. The last moto was probably the most uneventful of the entire week in the 65cc class; the three main protagonists were out front, but they didn’t swap positions one time as DiFrancesco sat in 3rd position from the start of the race. They were all so evenly matched throughout the moto, that they finished equidistant gaps apart from one another, but it was enough to secure another 2nd place overall for the Team Green prodigy and it would have to be considered another successful year at the Ranch for Ryder D.
words/LAKEKILPATRICK
32 MPG • AUGUST 2016