Page 47 - GRID-4

Benito picked up right where he left off in qualifying at
VIR as he overcame the strange conditions and put his
CBR600RR at the head of the second row of the grid.
The Californian turned a 1:31.387, almost a half of a
second faster than Michael Gilbert behind him.
BENNYSOLISJR.
As the lights went out to signify the start of the first race, Solis
Jr. maintained his starting position on the opening lap as he found himself in fourth place ahead of Anthony Mazziotto II. The Honda rider was promoted to third due to Valentin Debise’s dramatic exit from the race, putting him in position for his first podium of the season. He remained composed and focused after gaining the podium spot, consistently putting time into the closely contested battle behind him. There was a pack of riders fighting for the final two spots in the top five and their swapping and changing only allowed Solis Jr. to further establish a comfortable lead in third place. From that point forward, he rode a lonely race, eventually crossing the finish line with an eleven second gap back to the fourth place rider as he claimed his first podium of the season. On Sunday, Solis Jr. re-enacted his start from the first race as he found himself in fourth place once again. He began to lose touch with the leading trio,
but on the second lap he was able to move up to third place after Debise tucked the front in the first corner. It was a repeat scenario of the first race as Solis Jr. laid down metronomic lap times as he used his consistency to build a gap ahead of his pursuers. It wasn’t long until he had accumulated a fairly comfortable margin as he eventually crossed the finish line with a six and
a half second gap ahead of Michael Gilbert. It was an exceptional weekend for Solis Jr. as he earned his first two podiums of the season, moving him up to third place in the overall points standings.
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VIRgInIa InternatIonal
Raceway