After proving that his talent was elite on the SMX circuit last week, France’s Dylan Ferrandis would embark on another round of the three-race playoff format while residing in Joliet, Illinois for the weekend. The former outdoor motocross champion would be pleased to see the wide-open layout that was on tap for the weekend’s festivities, and proceeded to exclaim a sense of outright speed while barreling through countless laps in qualification. Yet, he still engaged in a systematic approach as the first moto of the evening began — where he was registered in fifth to begin the twenty-minute (plus) sequence, while constantly ascending to fathered speeds as the moto progressed. His momentum on the far-side surface of the Illinois layout was notable, where he sustained a spectacular sense of momentum behind Justin Barcia well through the first quarter, and halfway margins of opening contest. It was then a matter of defending a top-five standing from Aaron Plessinger, with the Ohio native charging extremely hard in order to work his way around the French athlete. And even though Dylan would put forth a strong line of defense with the KTM rider just behind him, it was the number seven who ultimately prevailed which translated to Ferrandis occupying sixth as all concluded for the first round of racing. Following his finish of sixth in the first moto, Ferrandis was ready for whatever the competition threw his way in the following segment of the evening’s showcase. And following an extensive battle amongst the most elite members of the pack, the Yamaha rider could be found in a standing of around the seventh-place standing as minutes began to transpire. Floating through the rather abrupt double-double section, he had to compress his suspension to the fullest extent in order to stay low and shave valuable seconds off of his lap-time(s)...especially with Plessinger (again) trailing his rear wheel, along with Jason Anderson. The tenacity that was displayed by the Star Racing rider was admirable, but the willpower of Plessinger was an attribute that couldn’t be nullified. Therefore, as the number seven made his way forward around the halfway point, Ferrandis would have no choice but to oblige and attempt to draft behind the KTM rider while pursuing the checkered flag. Dylan, however would have enough stamina and pace to keep Anderson at bay on this occasion...leading to an admirable fifth place residency being occupied as engines ceased for the latter portion of competition — and an applaud-worthy fifth place overall score being configured, amongst this elite 450cc classification.