Page 88 - GRIT30final

theGRIT
IMAGES / WONDERGOAT
Aiden Tijero started off his Monster Energy Cup with the 11th fastest time in the second session, clocking a 1:15.7 and just narrowly missing out on the top 10 by under a tenth of a second. He had a fairly uneventful first moto as he put himself within the top 5 at the start of the race, losing a position quickly
to Hammaker who was on a charge to the front. Tijero held onto 4th place for the entirety of the six lap event, keeping riders such as Devin Xindaris and Max Miller at bay. Miller was charging back from a bad start and attempted to go inside on Tijero in the final corner, but he washed the front end and crashed just before the finish line, allowing Tijero to earn a 4th place finish in the first moto. The second moto was a little bit more of a struggle for the Californian as he didn’t get the start that he did in moto 1. He found himself in 8th position across the finish line on the first lap and he had to work his way up through the pack to earn the overall podium victory that he desired. He found himself in a battle with fellow Orange Brigade rider, Max Miller, right from the get go; the two of them worked their way through the pack and took advantage of Jarrett Frye and Seth Hammaker mistakes to move up into the top 5. Miller was able to get past Tijero on the 3rd lap, but the two of them were able to pass Jace Kessler a couple of laps later. Tijero ended up finishing in 5th place, 1 second behind Miller and a 1⁄2 of a second ahead of Kessler, which wrapped up 3rd place overall for the KTM rider out of California.
words/LAKEKILPATRICK
88
GRITMOTO • OCTOBER 2016