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SHANERICHARDSON
SUPERSTOCK 600
Practice got underway and the New Zealander was placed in the slower group of competitors due to his lack of experience in
MotoAmerica. He went out and laid down the second fastest time in the session, continuing to improve each and every time he
put rubber to the asphalt. By the time qualifying rolled around, Richardson was beginning to find his groove on his ZX-6R as
he got faster and faster throughout the session, eventually setting the thirteenth fastest time overall with a 1:31.590.
The Kiwi placed himself at the front of the fifth row on the grid with a respectable qualifying time that put him as the fifth fastest Superstock
600 rider heading into the first race. He was able to make major strides in the opening race as he went one tenth faster than his qualifying time following the red flag restart. Richardson ended up finishing just outside the top ten overall, fifth in his class, only
a couple of seconds behind Conner Blevins. He appeared to find a magic setting in morning warm up on Sunday as his pace improved dramatically overnight. It was made glaringly apparent in the second race as he put in a hard-nosed effort to move forward from start to finish, sticking with the gaggle of riders battling for second and third in the Superstock 600 class. Although track conditions were more favorable on Sunday, he was able to to improve upon his lap time from race one by almost a full second, lapping only three tenths slower than the winner, Nick McFadden. It only took him five laps to make his way past his fellow Kawasaki rider, Conner Blevins, as the Kiwi continued to pick up speed as the laps wound down. He tucked in behind the R6 of Michael Gilbert and never let him escape, eventually falling into a battle with the Suzuki of JC Camacho as they worked their way forward. He waited patiently and allowed Daytona Anderson to come to him in the late stages of the race, making the pass for tenth position overall and fifth in his class in order to wrap up his MotoAmerica debut with two solid fifth place finishes.
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