Page 132 - ISSUE 40

AJ CATANZARO
450 SX / 21ST
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / LANNAN DESIGN / WILSON
>> AJ Catanzaro is a man who loves to ride his dirt bike. The kid overflows with talent and shows it every time he swings his leg over a bike, regardless of what color it is. AJ started off his 2017 season aboard a Yamaha in the 250 class and then made a successful transition to a Kawasaki in the premier class as the series turned east. He has shown speed the last couple weeks but bad luck has kept him from getting into a 450 Main for 2017. When the day began in Daytona it was apparent that AJ was determined to qualify for the big show as he was looking very fast in practice. He was put into 450 Heat 2 and did not get the start he was hoping for as the riders took off. He was holding down a top fifteen position as they neared the halfway point. He continued to push forward and made it all the way up to an impressive 11th place by the finish. In the Semi, AJ took off like a rocket ship as the gate dropped. He pulled his way down the start straight with perfect traction as he entered the corner ahead of everyone else. A couple of riders were able to hug the inside to get in front of AJ but he was still running top five early on. Unfortunately, he fell back quickly on the first lap but was still looking very fast. He would hold on to 7th place for the finish. In the LCQ, AJ knew he had nothing to lose and was bound and determined to get the job done. When the gate dropped, he got off to a great start and secured 3rd place early on. He would go on to finish 3rd and make his way into the first 450 Main of the year. In the final gate drop of the night, AJ did his best to go for a good start but chopped the throttle quickly as he was very far to the outside. He cut inside and was running around 20th on the first lap. He kept calm and put in his laps on the chewed up track. Staying on two wheels was the main goal for him in this race, as he would be scored with a 21st in Daytona.
132 GRITMOTO • MARCH 12, 2017