Page 116 - ISSUE-47

ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ
250 SX / 19TH
MAGE / MPG WORDS / LANNAN DESIGN / WILSON
>> Anthony Rodriguez is now in his third full season as a pro. Heading into 2017, Anthony had solidified his self as a top ten contender and was ready to keep the ball rolling. This year, A-rod contested for the 250 East Coast region series and opened up his season with an impressive 7th place finish at Minneapolis. Since then, he has kept his Yamaha inside the top ten and was ready to finish up strong as the day began in Vegas. Anthony took to the dry track and put down some good laps early on in qualifying. As he lined
up for the 250 East Heat, Anthony knew that he was going to do everything he could to qualify for the Main. The gate dropped, and so did the clutches. Anthony launched his self into a decent mid pack start. He rounded the first corner just inside the top ten and was determined to stay in qualifying posi- tion. Anthony made his way into 8th place and rode a relatively quiet race all the way to the last lap where he was feeling pressure from Zach Osborne. Anthony made a good run through the whoop section but a small bobble at the end would be just the thing that Zach needed to snag the spot. Anthony would go on to the Main with a 9th place in the Heat. When the East/West Shootout began, Anthony was forced off the track as chaos ensued in the first corner. He tiptoed his way back on to the track but was near the back of the pack at this point. Anthony put his head down and made the best of other rider’s mistakes throughout the first lap. He was now running 12th place
and even made it up to 10th before lap 4. Unfortunately, the track conditions weren’t favorable, causing a mistake from Anthony. He would drop to the rear of the pack and focus on finishing the race. He would end up with a 19th place in Vegas.
116 GRITMOTO • MAY 7, 2017