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MATTHEW LEBLANC
Matthew LeBlanc was one of the few riders missing from action during the various spring events that took place during the month of March due to an in- jury suffered while training, but he’s one of those riders that has earned himself a spot due to his unwavering reputation to win. It wasn’t even half a year ago that the Louisiana native was standing on the top step of the podium at the Ranch, capturing the third Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National title. LeBlanc made a big move towards the end of 2017 as he decided to step away from KTM for the first time in his racing career, switch-
ing to bLU cRU as a member of the Monster Energy Yamalube Star Rac- ing Yamaha team. The Team Dunlop Elite rider wasted no time getting up to speed, winning a title at The Motoplay- ground Race at Ponca City and finishing on the podium in all eight of his classes at Mini O’s. If LeBlanc had been healthy and active during the beginning of the 2018 season, it’s easy to decipher where he would have finished.
DEREK DRAKE
When it comes to outright speed and ability to flow on a dirt bike, there are
few riders in the A class that can hold a candle to Derek Drake. The KTM pilot has an uncanny ability to pull away once he gets out front, taking advantage of the clean air in order to gap his competitors until their will is broken. The California native wasn’t able to put himself in
the positions that he needed to at the Daytona RCSX, scoring his best finish of a fourth place in the first 250 A and Open Pro Sport motos. After winning two titles at the JS7 Freestone Spring Champion- ship last year, Drake was obviously confi- dent that he could get the job done in the A class. The Troy Lee Designs | Red Bull | KTM rider trounced the field in the first moto of the week, winning by more than five seconds ahead of Garrett March- banks. He pulled the holeshot again in the Open Pro Sport moto and led briefly, but a violent crash that flung him from his motorcycle threw him out of the lead and ended his week early due to a concus- sion. Although it was an incomplete week for the Orange Brigade rider, his speed was absolutely undeniable.
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