Page 85 - MPG15

theGRIT
JEFF COX
Having spent the last three rounds putting in the best finishes of his career, the weekend wasn’t quite what the Audette camp was looking for. Gannon qualified 6th in timed practice for the night, I mean day, show and pushed hard in the gnarly main event that saw a lot of familiar faces up
front. In his heat race, heat one to be exact, Audette started off in seventh and worked his way up a position to 6th by the time
the checkers flew. As the sun lowered and the track become more slick, Audette appeared to be all set when the bikes began to rattle the starting line in anticipation of the drop. By the time all twenty-two riders funneled into the flat left-hander, though, Gannon seemed to have blinked at the initial twitch of the gate crossing lap one in 12th, way further back than predicted for the recent top-5 rider. Realizing the significance of starting so far back, Audette made quick work in the first four laps to make his way into 8th before settling behind RJ Hampshire for the majority of the main event. RJ and Audette appeared to settle in, together, as the two riders were all alone in the battle for 7th. RJ had the upper hand by keeping his 7th place ride protected until lap fourteen when Audette couldn’t hold back any longer. Sliding around the #31 Geico Honda, Gannon made his late-race push count with only one-lap to
go as the Kawasaki privateer squad was able to hold off Hampshire for the remainder of the race. Finishing 7th and coming off four top-7 finishes in the last four rounds, Audette continues to surprise the industry with his recent reliability. With stable factory- level results thus far in the season, Gannon is almost a sure-thing in getting a ride for next year but with one round to go in East Rutherford next weekend, the war rages on for the #61.
>>
words/BRENTECKERT
WWW.GRITMOTO.COM
85