DYLAN FERRANDIS - GRIT 253 450SX

GRIT-253 | 450 SX

June 5th, 2024 3:30 pm

Hoping to battle at the front of the pack, just as he'd done in year's past, the former outdoor champion was determined to make an impact for practice rounds at the Hangtown National. France's Dylan Ferrandis was one of the most talented athletes on the motorcycle, and carried his intensity through the early morning laps, well into moto-one of the afternoon program. Beginning the opening segment in sixth, he and Aaron Plessinger seemed to be on a similar trajectory as Ferrandis leapt from the largest ski jump(s) the track had to offer. Floating over the monstrous outbound triple as well, Ferrandis would land in a taller gear and hover around the outside of the racing landscape - rarely, if ever, over-revving the 450cc engine and instead, riding the Honda machine in its optimal output of power. Dylan's continuous momentum was acknowledged by all in attendance - where he was staying within a respectable distance from the rear wheel of Plessinger, while also combatting the speed of both, Justin Barcia and Malcolm Stewart who were behind him. But the Honda and Husqvarna riders would partake in a battle of sorts - and Dylan, after competing with Stewart, seemed rather solidified in the sixth-place position...though as the three-quarter mark passed, the Husqvarna athlete was remaining within striking distance. Ferrandis couldn't seem to pull away (definitively) from Stewart even as they made their way into lap traffic. But the prowess of the French rider appeared to prevail as the checkered flag became nearer and he would reside sixth, before exiting the raceway. For the second moto, after beginning the race in fifteenth, Dylan would infiltrate the top-ten just after the halfway point. The athlete aboard the number fourteen machine would pass Grant Harlan to occupy a single digit standing (i.e. ninth) on the seventh circuit...while Freddie Noren and Justin Barcia were the next two competitors ahead of him. He could sense that he was a bit faster than Noren, and would overtake him on the thirteenth circuit - and would manage to lunge for the rear wheel (of Barcia) in the final stages of competition as well, through the seventeen-lap contest. Though unable to work his way around the New York native, Ferrandis was solidified in a solid sixth overall residency with an eventual eighth-place accolade in this final moto...continuously making improvements to both, his riding style and the newfound Honda machine.

More from GRIT