Page 77 - GRID-4

KTM RC 390 CUP
SERGIO
Rodriguez II struggled a little bit in the damp conditions of qualifying as he was only able to manage thirteenth place on the grid by way of a 1:46.948, but the Californian didn’t let it affect his confidence come race time. He consistently made up positions in the opening laps as he went from twelfth to tenth place by lap three, settling into a battle with Ryan Wissel. The two of them duked it out for the entire race, drafting each other back and forth from lap two all the way to lap twelve. Dylan Deutschlander tagged onto the back of the duo, making it a three-way battle for ninth position all the way until the checkered flag. Rodriguez II maintained the advantage on the final two laps as he was able to keep his rivals at bay, but he wasn’t able to resist the slipstream on the final lap. The three of them ended up being separated by just one tenth of a second at the finish line as Rodriguez II secured tenth place behind Wissel. On Sunday, he showed some early lap aggression as he moved from thirteenth to ninth in just two laps, displaying exceptional race craft in order to put himself inside the top ten right from the get-go. Rodriguez II battled back and forth with Deutschlander in the early stages of the race, but he was able to put some time between himself and his rival this time around, settling into a fairly lonely seventh position until the halfway mark. Ath that point, he was able to take advantage of some carnage further up the field as riders began to crash left and right, eventually promoting him to fourth place. Rodriguez II remained calm and composed as he went onto secure his best finish of the season, moving him up to ninth in the overall points standings.
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SERGIO RODRIGUEZ II
VIRgInIa InternatIonal
Raceway