Page 38 - GRIT_57

DYLAN FERRANDIS
250 MX / 4TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / KUHLHOFF DESIGN / TILLS
>> After an awesome third place podium finish at the last round in Washington, French rider Dylan Ferrandis had to have been feeling confident lining up for round ten at Unadilla. Wickedly dark clouds swirled over the starting line as the thirty-sec- ond card rose high into the stormy sky. The rain seemed inevitable at this point, but everyone was hoping it would hold off until the end of this nail bitter of a 250 moto. The gates soon fell and Ferrandis was off to a great fifth place start. The Yamalube/ Star Racing/ Yamaha rider was able to stay within the top five until lap five when a determined Zach Osborne was working his way through the pack and was able to stick a pass on Ferrandis. Dylan Ferrandis did not falter after the pass by Osborne and was able to hold onto sixth place until the checkered flag flew. The rain may have held off for the first moto of the day, but mid-way through the first 450 race, the sky opened up and the torrential downpour began. Dramatic waves of precipitation beat up the track and a rain delay had been officially put into effect. With the unpre- dictability of the weather always being a factor, being mentally prepared for these kinds of situations is crucial in grabbing good results. After a couple of hours, the track was somewhat ready for racing. Dylan Ferrandis did not let the mud interfere with his start as he captured another fifth place spot coming out of the first turn. Sticky and sloppy mud puddles splashed over the riders as they attempted to make the best of their current conditions. After Plessigner, who was running in third at the time, slid out and went down, Ferrandis was able to move forward into the fourth place spot. Then, by lap five, the ridiculously muddy track got the best of another rider, RJ Hampshire, sending Dylan Ferrandis into the third place position. Stay-
ing smart and consistent through soupy track conditions was crucial and Ferrandis proved it a successful approach when crossed the finish line in the third place spot. With a 6-3 for the day, Ferrandis left Unadilla with a very solid fourth place overall and is heading to Budd’s Creek fourth place overall in the points series standings.
38 GRITMOTO • AUGUST 13, 2017