Page 102 - APRIL_ISSUE_2017

Andy Mathieu
Vet (35+)
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Andy Mathieu had an incredibly consistent string of results at the 2017 JS7 Freestone Spring Championship, never finishing off the podium in each of the four motos that he raced. The veteran made the gargantuan journey from his home state of Maine to contest the Junior (25+) class as well as the Vet (35+) class, and he managed to come away with a second and first place finish, respectively. Mathieu really stepped it up in the Vet (35+) class as he remained undefeated between both motos, cement-
ing himself as the man to beat on his Husqvarna. In the opening race, Mathieu rocketed out of the gate and secured an early advantage ahead of Clayton Miller and Don Bisceglia. He threw down the fastest lap of the race on the first flying lap and never looked back, building himself a gap of almost ten seconds in the process. Mathieu kept it smooth and consistent on a continually roughening track as he clicked off the laps. By the time he crossed the finish line and greeted the checkered flag, he had accu- mulated an advantage of almost fifteen seconds ahead of the home state rider of Bisceglia, putting him in an optimal position for the second moto. The gate dropped on the final race and Mathieu was able to replicate his performance from the opening affair. He fell under pressure from Bisceg- lia in a battle for the overall victory throughout the opening course of the race, but he was able to fend off the charge from the Husqvarna rider by setting the fastest lap of the moto at the midway point. Mathieu paced himself on his way to the checkered flag with the overall in mind, eventu- ally crossing the line with an advantage of more than five seconds in hand as he secured the number one plate in the Lone Star State.
102 MPG • APRIL 2017