Page 138 - ISSUE 40

FREDRIK NOREN
250 SX / 16TH
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / KUHLHOFF DESIGN / WILSON
>> The TiLube/ Storm Lake Honda rider out of Sweden, Fredrik Noren had a decent start to the night in severely rough and sandy Daytona. The Florida heat was on in the first heat race of the evening, when Noren found himself in tenth place. The number 40 was mere seconds from a top nine-transfer position and he knew that he had one last chance to prove himself worthy
of the main event. The LCQ gate dropped and Fredrick did not disappoint as he hugged the Honda around the inside of the first turn; a crucial move for grabbing the holeshot on this Ricky Carmichael designed course. Noren led the entire moto while his red plastics were appropriately complimented by the many Honda hay-bail covers that decorated the track. He flew past the checkered flag with a Last Chance Qualifier win and a ticket to the Main Event.
The full moon was up and the thirty-second card counted down as the top twenty-two riders focused their attention on the gate, ready to go into battle on the rugged, outdoor-style supercross track. The gates dropped and No- ren was searching for better results in summery Florida than last weekend’s seventeenth place finish in frosty Toronto. Right off the bat, Noren found himself in the sixteenth place position. Halfway through the moto, he fell back a couple of positions but quickly regained them after a couple of other riders came in contact with some mishaps. Fredrick Noren finished the race in sixteenth place, yes, better than Toronto, but not the performance we are all hoping for from Noren. Let’s hope he can gain even more positions for Round Five in Indianapolis next weekend.
138 GRITMOTO • MARCH 12, 2017