Page 46 - MARCH_ISSUE

MICHAEL MERCER
PLUS 35
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> The Kawasaki of Michael Mercer set out to a spectacular start as he battled tooth and nail through the first corner to grab an early advantage; he was side-by-side with the Suzuki of Timothy Cas- trone through the opening rhythm section, but he held the inside line which allowed him to secure the lead before the second rhythm lane. A heated battle for second position began to develop be- tween Castrone and the ensuing pack which only allowed Mercer to stretch his advantage in the lead. By the time the second lap had fully elapsed, he had created a gap that spanned half of the start straight over second position. The Ohio native looked extremely comfortable on his Kawasaki as he expanded his lead with each passing section, keeping it smooth and consistent as he began to work his way through lapped traffic. He met the white flag with a healthy advantage over Castrone in second position, cruising to a victory as though he was turning laps on the practice track, bounc- ing back from a vicious crash the Open A class earlier in the day.
46 MPG • MARCH 2017