race recap
DYLAN FERRANDIS GRIT-227 450MX
July 18, 2023
DYLAN FERRANDIS | GRIT-227 | 450MX
Yamaha's Dylan Ferrandis would scan the Millville track for qualification on Saturday, believing that he could find lines that rivaled the best in the division - and that's exactly what was presented as practice laps were concluded and the entirety of the 450cc MX classification rolled to the starting gate for the first moto of the afternoon. Ferrandis would have a slight bit of trouble (after being immersed in traffic) throughout the first corner of action, as he was able to accrue a standing of eighth when the green flag was thrown to begin this exhibition. With precision though, he made passes; and would reach fifth, on the eighth lap, after overtaking Adam Cianciarulo. Once into this respected position, it would be a difficult task to overtake Aaron Plessinger and Jason Anderson (who were ahead)...but Ferrandis continued to give it his all, throughout the seventeen-lap contest. The checkered flag was then thrown, and Dylan's final score of fifth would be a placement to work from in the latter stages of the afternoon. Once the gate(s) fell for the final portion of racing, Ferrandis immediately worked his way into the top-tier of the field...where the battle for third, between he, Plessinger, and Cianciarulo was on. The trio cleared the ten-minute mark, but it was evident that Ferrandis aptitude could translate to an eventual third-place categorization - which was accrued just after the halfway point, in the right-handed corner alongside the mechanic's area! A brilliant outside pass was demonstrated (to overtake Cianciarulo), and had the number fourteen cemented into the final position on the podium, with an open track ahead of him. After a few swipes of tear-off's, Ferrandis could sense that Plessinger wasn't going to "fade away" that easily, therefore Dylan proceeded to engage in an abundance of prominent laps while heading into the final four circuits of action. There was little he could do to stop the pursuit(s) of Jett Lawrence, but Ferrandis was insisting that he leave it all on the track as the checkered flag was thrown...and with well-respected honors, he would defend the third-place standing from that of KTM's Aaron Plessinger; obtaining a bronze medal overall categorization in the record books (with moto scores of fifth and third), and building momentum prior to embarking on round eight of Washougal, for the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship.