Page 40 - Issue43

DYLAN FERRANDIS
250 SX / 4TH
IMAGE / LANGSTON WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Dylan Ferrandis has undoubtedly showed some speed since making the move onto the AMA SX scene as a fulltime rider for Star Racing Yamaha team. The Frenchman has had some flashes of brilliance in his debut season on American soil; running up front on multiple occa- sions, winning a heat race, and finishing on the podium at the famed Daytona International Speedway. He has been battling a lingering illness since his career best finish at the fourth round of the 250 East series in Florida, but Ferrandis still managed to contend for the victory
in Detroit after a solid start in the main event. If he’s able to find a healthy balance between
his speed and fitness in the remaining rounds of the series, he’ll be a likely candidate to play spoiler in the points chase. Ferrandis continued to show his sprint speed this weekend in quali- fying as he earned himself the fourth fastest time at the end of both sessions. The French rider didn’t get the most advantageous start in the opening 250 heat race, but he made the best of
a bad situation throughout the opening lap and managed to come away in fourth position. He forced his Yamaha into third position past Steven Clarke as he attempted to track down the two leaders, but he wasn’t able to find the speed to bridge the gap. Ferrandis managed to create some breathing room from the battle that raged behind him and he rode to a fairly comfort-
able third place finish. He didn’t do himself any favors out of the gate in the main event as he struggled to put himself inside the top ten as the pack settled down in the opening stages of the race. The Star Racing Yamaha rider forced his way into ninth position as the opening lap came to a close, but he was not content to sit idle as his main rivals disappeared at the front of the field. Ferrandis forced his way forward on the very first flying lap as he overcame his poor start with some incredibly aggressive riding. He was able to find his way past Dylan Merriam, Dakota Alix, and Steven Clarke in order to secure sixth position early on. The Frenchman did his best to stick with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna of Zach Osborne and the two of them moved past Adam Cianciarulo in tandem. On the fifth lap, Ferrandis followed Osborne past Gannon Audette and he found himself in fourth position with more than half of the race remaining. The Star Rac- ing Yamaha rider attempted to match the speed of the top three, but he was just barely shy of matching their pace. Nonetheless, he managed an incredible ride in which he outrode one of the title contenders and came back from a poor start in order to recover a top five finishing posi- tion. Ferrandis could be a major spoiler in the championship in the final stages of the series as the upcoming break will only allow him time to work himself back into full race condition.
40 GRITMOTO • APRIL 2, 2017