RYDER DIFRANCESCO

The talent of Ryder DiFrancesco was evident as he circled the Red Bud Raceway for qualification laps. He seemed confident, and rather fearless when launching along the numerous elevation changes — constantly upshifting and using all of his throttle mechanism, in order to reach higher speeds! This translated to an eleventh overall result, in regard to gate position — though a bit of misfortune on the first lap, would halt his forward momentum (briefly), deterring him to thirty-first in the running order. Nevertheless, DiFrancesco vowed to race with the utmost intensity when storming through the pack in the laps that followed, flying through the Pro Section on the outside(s) of the raceway, and using the outer rim of the course as a means to carry his speed. He was sensational when weaving through the array of braking bumps, floating from mound to mound with a subtle stabbing of the clutch on occasion...using the steepest lips to hop from one mogul to the other — and as result, remained efficient while nearing the final laps of the moto. He had carved a path past opponents like Talon Hawkins, Daxton Bennick, and Jett Reynolds — before encountering a duo of Yamaha riders that were rather cemented in the running order, displaying phenomenal instances of speed en route to the finish line. It was Nicholas Romano, and Mark Fineis who approached the checkered flag just ahead of him, leaving Ryder to obtain an applaud-worthy thirteenth-place standing, after fighting for numerous positions among the field! In the second round of racing, his start was nearly executed to perfection — and he would soak-up airtime across the finish line jump, on lap one, to acquire a standing of third. The fight to stay within the top-five was demanding, but after being passed by Levi Kitchen and Ty Masterpool, DiFrancseco sustained that honor through the ninth circuit. At that point, it was Tom Vialle who surpassed him...but Ryder latched onto the French standout before battling with Haiden Deegan when nearing the finish line. Both West Coast native were profound with their skills and talents, and had areas of the track where they excelled. However at the checkered flag, it was Yamaha’s Deegan who narrowly edged his way ahead of the GasGas athlete. Though Ryder’s second moto score of seventh, was certainly an achievement to build from, as he was categorized in eighth overall, as well!