Page 43 - GRRIT-11

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Never ceases to remain consistent among his MotoConcepts Honda, using Detroit to silence the haters.
Not that the night proved to be anything too special, Mike Alessi’s round 11 proved he still does have the ability needed to challenge the classes’ top riders.
A rather normal night for Mike starting out, he was unable to qualify directly out of the heat race due to never really finding the fast line in
his first 6 laps. Surprisingly, he didn’t get out of the gate well and was unseen among the leaders on the first lap. He had started the heat a distant 7th, losing two spots and gaining one back over the course of the race. Finishing in 8th, Alessi was forced into Semi #1 along with a bunch of other unsatisfied racers willing to do anything to avoid the dreaded 450 LCQ. In the semi, the #800 was able to drop the hammer faster, pulling out a 3rd place start behind Baggett and Musquin. A theme to Alessi’s style, he struggled a bit in the whoops, letting the #33 of Josh Grant by for 3rd. Here, Alessi followed suit, riding his Honda into a comfortable 4th place finish and into the main event.
Now I know what you’re thinking, that my next line is going to go something like, “As the main event started, Alessi got out to a ridiculous start, leading the entire 450 class around the tightly-funneled first turn,” but I wasn’t going to go there. In fact, Detroit’s gates didn’t seem to
be under Alessi’s control as he got out to what would be considered for him, a mediocre 6th place start. Being in the heat of many of today’s top riders, Alessi was passed by Baggett, Tomac and Canard over the course of the first half of the race. Now it may sound like he faded hard, but Alessi actually held his own. He rode solid, losing a few seconds to the leaders each lap, and remained competitive within the group he rode. He started to fade a bit when Peick and Roczen poked into the top 10, forcing Alessi back to 11th around lap 10. As the intensity unwound, a mistake by Canard and a few riders having to pull off, Alessi found his way back to 8th as the end drew nearer. A late race charge from the red #41 of Canard on lap 16 got around Alessi for a second time, pushing the #800 back to it’s resting place of 9th. With only a few laps to hold on to, Alessi rode smart, calm and collected, picking up his first top 10 ride of the 2016 season. Now 14th in points, Alessi has some upside before the tour heads back west for Santa Clara in two weeks.
words/BRENTECKERT
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