FREDDIE NOREN

The track would be heavily watered for practice on Saturday, with the maintenance crew emphasizing precipitation across all lanes of the course, in order to combat the heat that was set to be presented throughout the day. And even with the muddy conditions of qualification, the number twenty-two of Freddie Noren was exceptional as he charged from corner to corner. He was also exceptionally fast in the whoop section before the finish line...which was sustained throughout the opening segments of moto-one as well. Ruts were now trenched among various inside(s) around the circuit, and established berms on the outer perimeter of the course, could also be used as a means to make passes. He was conducting a superb flow using both, of the aforementioned sectors, and after advancing from the eleventh-place position, Noren sought a position within the top-ten. He would surpass Grant Harlan, along with Derek Kelley before undergoing a battle of sorts with Christian Craig. Harlan wasn’t going to let him drift away that easily though, and kept Noren honest, in the sense of forcing the Swedish rider to defend multiple insides...all the while, Freddie aspired to use outside pathways (at times) in order to make time on Christian Craig ahead of him. The strategy would work, but the Husqvarna rider (i.e. Craig) was riding exceptionally well...creating quite a difficult task, for Noren to try and conquer. Freddie then advanced as Phil Nicoletti descended outside of the top-ten, resulting in an eighth-place position...and as he soared through the final three laps with excellent fortitude, the Kawasaki athlete would garner that aforementioned result as well — exiting the course, just inside of the top-ten. For the second moto, Noren’s reaction time off of the line, and accompanying first lap movement, equated to a standing of fourteenth. Despite being a bit further back in the pack (in comparison to moto-one), Freddie wasn’t going to quit...and had somehow worked his way into ninth, by lap four! Brad West, Marshal Weltin, amongst a multitude of others were then surpassed...where at that stage (i.e. fourth circuit), it was then time to overtake Derek Kelley. That goal was then completed, with Noren proceeding to work on the rear wheel of Christian Craig thereafter! Though after passing the Californian, it was Justin Cooper who simultaneously advanced passed Freddie. This left him in an eighth-place standing, and he would do his best to try and stay attached to the pace that the New York native was presenting...through the sixteenth circuit, to collect another eighth-place finish, and eighth overall as well!