DYLAN FERRANDIS

The new signee for the Honda manufacturer, was that of Dylan Ferrandis. The multi-time champion was as skilled as any rider in the field, and vowed to give it his all while competing at the prestigious Thunder Valley Raceway on Saturday. He scanned the track throughout practice and seemed to find an efficient rhythm while alongside the top in the point standings...which made his idle to the line for the opening moto of the afternoon that much more confident, before putting the goggles on. Once “into the zone” per se, Ferrandis upshifted when dragging across the initial hill and never looked back. Located in a standing of thirteenth, he immediately knew that he belonged closer to the front of the pack...and would begin to march forward while hopping through the rollers in the middle of the course. Floating from the top(s) of various singles, he would scrub his way from the take-off’s, through the air and land on the downslope with an aggressive (but lugging) sense of momentum amid the transmission. His efficiency had enabled him into secure the tenth-position rather quickly, where he took a bit of time to find his way around Christian Craig, but would pass the San Diego native after a bit of persistence. He too, would overtake Malcolm Stewart with methodical line selection...passing the Floridian on lap nine, but quickly, did Stewart rebound and surpass the number fourteen! It was a battle until the end — with both competitors fighting fatigue while making split-second reactions, never letting off the throttle when accelerating across this pristine Colorado landscape. The moto would span sixteen laps in duration, and though Stewart would finish ahead of Ferrandis, Dylan was satisfied with the effort he displayed to secure eighth in the running order...gaining a position (as well) with the mistake on behalf of Jason Anderson. Not long thereafter, would the second portion of event(s) come to fruition. Ferrandis took the seventh-place position with authority, and kept Malcolm Stewart at bay for a significant amount of time... all the while pursuing Justin Barcia, whom he would pass with superb line selection and proficient maneuvering on the sixth circuit of action. With Chase Sexton now the next rider to be approached, Ferrandis seemed to be on a prominent path...until positions were lost en route to the checkered flag. Barcia, Malcolm Stewart, and Aaron Plessinger would all pass him with only a small bit of time remaining on the clock. But even with that, Ferrandis was able to gather ninth...and had undoubtedly proven (in terms of raw speed) that his talent was still there — which solidified him as ninth (as well) in the overall standings of the 450MX division.