Page 53 - OCTOBER-2017

KILPATRICK
There’s no doubt about it that he came to Baja Acres to brawl at the front of the pack in both 85cc classes and anything short of a number one plate is not good enough for the New Yorker. The Team Dunlop Elite rider started the weekend off with an excep- tional performance in the first 85cc (9-11) Limited moto, pulling the holeshot ahead of his team- mate, Krystian Janik. The two of them kept a similar pace for the entirety of the race, but Romano seemed to have the upper hand as he clocked the fastest lap of the race on the first flying lap, putting the hammer down with urgency. He eventually crossed the line with a three and a half second advantage in hand ahead of his fellow Kawasaki rider, clinching his first moto win of the weekend in comfortable fashion. In the first (9-13) moto, Romano got out to a solid top three start, but a small mistake on the first flying lap lost him the opportunity to go for the win and he settled for second position, keeping the overall in mind. The second day of racing produced similar out- comes for the New Yorker as he ran away with another moto win in the (9-11) Limited class ahead of Suzuki’s Preston Masciangelo. Romano picked up the pace
from the first day of racing and dropped a couple of seconds off of his laptime, eventually building a gap of almost fifteen seconds at the checkered flag. Things didn’t go as planned in the second (9-13) moto as a poor start put the Team Green Kawasaki rider at a disadvantage in the early stages of the race, only allowing him to recover for a fourth place finish. At that point, he decided to switch his focus to completing the trifecta of moto victories in the
85 (9-11) Limited class, and he did so in fine style with one of his fastest laps of the entire weekend as he clinched the championship in dominant fashion.
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