race recap
RYDER DIFRANCESCO GRIT-217 SX FUTURES
April 25, 2023 · Ryder DiFrancesco

RYDER DIFRANCESCO | GRIT-217 | SX FUTURES
Seeking to find success in the Northeast, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Ryder DiFrancesco would return to action at MetLife Stadium, believing that he could ascend to the front of the field just as he'd done at events prior. The roster of riders that were registered for the "SX Futures" showcase would be eager to begin their opening practice sessions on Friday, where DiFrancesco immediately dashed onto the raceway in hopes of climbing to the top of the leaderboard. Navigating through the multitude of steep bowl turns throughout this stadium near the NYC metro area, his Kawasaki seemed to propel forward with an eye-opening sense of entrance speed when barreling into the whoop section. Although it was a brief pattern of moguls, the Californian made sure to demonstrate his newfound skill amongst the rollers which had been attained in last year's off-season. Nevertheless, he would walk away with third in the standings (for Friday's festivities) which would place him just behind Julien Beaumer and Daxton Bennick as final results were displayed. Shifting into gear for Saturday's qualification, in totality the Bakersfield native would be finalized in third prior to shifting his outlook forward to the main event. Once here, his clutch release from the line would be swift; powering down the long straightaway thereafter and rolling through turn number one near the top five. His pathway in the rhythm section that followed was calculated and wise, where he jumped through the lane on the inside to make a pass into second just before the mechanics area. Which would spare his machine from being involved in the pile-up with Evan Ferry and other racers on the double thereafter...nevertheless Ryder would put as much power to the ground as possible in hopes of containing the lead that Beaumer was creating. But the number twenty-nine was riding extremely well and created a significant pace at the front of the field that was hard to nullify. All the while, Daxton Bennick was closing in rather quickly, and as Ryder held the second-place position through lap three, it would be the number 241 who emerged in his immediate radius with just under three minutes left on the clock. Bennick had made quite the charge in the whoop section during that time span, and would proceed to push Ryder wide in the corner that followed as the Kawasaki drifted to the right - residing third by the time the two opponents hit the finish-line. And from that point forward, it was Ryder who remained composed and focused on the task at hand, which was logging laps in preparation for his professional "SX" debut in the near future. That game-plan remained at the forefront of his thought process as the checkered flag was thrown shortly thereafter, claiming a remarkable third place score in the final standing(s) before exiting the raceway.