Page 43 - ISSUE 29

theGRIT
IMAGES / LAKE KILPATRICK
And just like that, along with most of the Monster Energy Kawasaki crew, Tonus found himself contributing to a neon green blur that lasted through the first few turns before they launched one of the massive floaters that littered the Indiana track. Pulling the short straw, Tonus was pushed to 6th until his fellow teammate
Ciancurulo tipped over, allowing the #66 back into 5th as the race wore on. Settling into a solid groove, Tonus remained there for over twenty minutes. It wasn’t until near the five minutes left mark that Tonus was pushed outside the top five by Cooper Webb, who made his way by three riders in the matter of three turns. Fortunately for Tonus, Mitchell Oldenburg bobbled in
the whole exchange and allowed Tonus back into the 5th place spot. Shortly after, Tonus got another break with Webb trying to prove his ability to move into the top three and making a mistake with only a few minutes left in the race. As a result, Tonus got into the 4th spot and held the position to the checkered flag and his second best moto finish of the year. The tides would change a little in moto two with Tonus going down early and having to battle from behind. Arnaud would eventually find his way back inside the top ten but had to settle for 9th behind Justin Hill as the 2016 season came to a close. The final round performance combined with the impressive second half results earned Tonus a 9th overall on the day and in the standings to finish the year on a positive note. The finish makes it hard to imagine that Tonus isn’t stateside as next year begins to unravel.
words/BRENTECKERT
WWW.GRITMOTO.COM
43