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DEREK DRAKE
LANNAN
Derek Drake was one of the standout riders in the A class at the opening round of SXA racing in Anaheim. The California native scored two second place finishes in both main events, putting himself on the podium with consistency and flair at every opportunity. The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM rider spent the ma- jority of the time battling with his teammate, Mitchell Falk, and Sunday in Glendale was no different. As opposed to racing both Open A and 250 A, Drake opted to focus solely on the 250 A class and it was ap- parent after his heat race that the decision paid off. The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM rider put himself at the front of the second heat race and never looked back, beating Falk to the checkered flag to take the advantage of first gate pick to the main event. It was the same story in the main as Drake burst to the front of the field and won the race to the checkered flag, surmounting a stacked field to come out as the top dog in the 250 A class.
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