RYDER DIFRANCESCO

With the forecast starting that roughly eighty degree and sunny skies were set to be in play for this mid-June weekend, all in attendance, including Ryder DiFrancesco, appeared ready for racing action as practice began in the early morning hours. This circuit in Pennsylvania seemed difficult for everyone within the 250MX division, but the talent of the GasGas rider was evident as he soared through the Pennsylvania skyline. He carried that intensity into the opening moto, where he contended for the lead alongside Chance Hymas and Ty Masterpool — battling with the Honda and Kawasaki rider for the pinnacle position (and sustaining it for a few moments), before residing third at the green flag. Despite Jo Shimoda and Tom Vialle passing him in the laps thereafter, Ryder would continue to defend his position within the running order from that of Julien Beaumer. He was also simultaneously passed by a hard-charging Haiden Deegan, but in return, would surpass Tom Vialle due to a mistake by the French rider. He and the number 929 of Beaumer, were nearly paralleled across the longest of straightaways...diving into the same sections within only seconds of one another, and constantly gauging their speed off of the fellow combatant. This set the stage for a three-lap sprint, when hopping over the finish-line tabletop — where every tactic within DiFrancesco’s arsenal was set to be displayed, with the rider out of Bakersfield willing to lay it all on the line. He maintained perfect arcs through the longest of corners, steady on the throttle with slight stabs of the clutch to heighten his RPM’s...and those traits would carry him to the eventual checkered flag — where he rounded the concluding corner, sped by the official who cued engines to cease, to claim an exceptional fifth-place result in moto-one! There was little time to waste before embarking on the second portion of competition, but once into the fray, DiFrancesco appeared to acquire a position around the thirteenth-place standing. He was adamant, on moving forward as quickly as possible — creating unorthodox lines, that nearly clipped the track marker(s) (at times) while making pass on Nicholas Romano, Ryder McNabb, and Coty Schock. He had sustained an admirable flow, until nearing the checkered flag when his pace began to lessen, just a bit. The continuation of time lost, via missed lines, off-balanced corner maneuvering, and inability to charge as he once did, would result in being overtaken by opponents like Julien Beaumer, Jordon Smith, Casey Cochran, and Coty Schock...resulting in an eventual score of thirteenth. However, his overall standing of seventh, was something to build from in the coming weeks!