race recap
DYLAN FERRANDIS GRIT-222 450MX
June 6, 2023

DYLAN FERRANDIS | GRIT-222 | 450MX
Believing that he had the speed to contend for an overall victory, Dylan Ferrandis' mentality was second-to-none as practice began in Hangtown on Saturday. With every rider in the field aiming for Jett Lawrence (and his tremendous time of 2:06), there was little to critique when watching Ferrandis' output of velocity from afar. Every segment of the course would be accelerated upon by he and his Yamahamachine, where he carved his way amongst corners and roller sections with authority prior to entering into the first lap of the moto number one. His starting sequence to the moto would be spectacular, but somehow Jett Lawrence would manage to edge his way by on the outside with a daring line on the initial fly away tabletop (just after the pack had stormed through the first two corners). Ferrandis was then motivated to exhibit every bit of energy possible in order to move his way around Jett, but the Australian was truly riding at a phenomenal level as laps progressed in the minutes that follow. With the number eighteen establishing a gap that was substantial, Ferrandis would be forced to deal with a hard-charging Aaron Plessinger as well, where a once gap of roughly three-seconds (over the Ohio native) would turn into mere bike lengths as the halfway point and twenty-minute mark were passed! It was then an all out battle between the two athletes while they sprinted to the finish line, with lap traffic coming into play as Dylan would have to race with a defensive mentality! Doing his best to move forward while blocking the inside(s) from the number seven, it would be the French rider who ultimately prevailed by the smallest of margins at the finish line...setting the stage for the second moto that followed. Once here, Ferrandis (again) would somehow be passed by Jett Lawrence within the first few corners after the Yamaha rider would attempt to deter the Australian from moving to the inside in the first few seconds of action. The number fourteen though wasn't going to down without a fight though, once action was transpiring; despite being passed by Aaron Plessinger and Cooper Webb as well. He would stay just behind the KTM teammates for nearly the entire moto, until Aaron Plessinger's crash would have the French rider inheriting third (with Cooper Webb slightly pulling away). Knowing that the second place overall was his, he would reside behind the North Carolina native to the finish line...claiming third in the moto, while once again obtaining a silver medal overall and hoping to surpass Jett Lawrence in the rounds on the horizon.