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THIS IS IT... THE
. WORK WILL BE
REMEMBER..
WORTH IT
Gerloff was on
the pace from the very first session
of the weekend
at the opening round of the 2017 MotoAmerica Supersport series as he clocked the second fastest time of the session.
G
Garrett Gerloff had one of the best seasons in his racing career during the 2016 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship in which he earned his first title as a professional, edging out his teammate by only four points at the end of the
Gerloff was on the pace from the very first session of the weekend at the opening round of the 2017 MotoAmerica Supersport series as he clocked the second fastest time of the session. In qualifying, Gerloff was able to channel the support of the home crowd as he circulated in tandem with Valentin Debise in the closing stages of the session. The Monster Energy/Yamalube/YES/ Graves/Yamaha rider suffered a small tip-over with only a couple of laps to go, but he remained unscathed and picked his bike up in time to spin another lap. In a Marc Marquez-esque performance, Gerloff pulled the pin on his final time around the circuit as he stormed to the pole position with the home crowd on his side. He didn’t get the best jump off the grid when the lights went out and he got swallowed up by the CBR600RR of Benny Solis throughout the first sector.
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season. The Texas native racked up six victories over the course of the year and his consistent podium finishes led him to the number one plate after the nine rounds of racing were completed. Gerloff was revered as one of the top teenagers coming through the American ranks on the turn of the new decade, but a string of injuries throughout the past seasons have limited him from fulfilling his full potential. The twenty- one year old will be looking to replicate his start to the 2016 season in which he defended his home soil and took the victory at Circuit of the Americas, in order to get his title defense off on the right foot.
GARRETT GERLOFF
70 GRIDMOTO • APRIL 2017