"It's always good to win races, and I haven't done it yet," Laninovich
said. "Well, I did tonight. [Laughs.) I've had a lot of injuries and a little
bit of bad luck. Hopefully, I've got that off my back now."
Tedesco battled Boost Mobile Yamaha/Troy Racing's Danny Smith
for the Butterfinger Holeshot Award, with Smith collecting the dough
and taking the lead, followed by Tedesco, Nathan Ramsey, Laninovich
and Short. Tedesco and Red Bull KTM's Ramsey then collided in turn
two, and both went down.
Laninovich jumped past Smith in a rhythm section to take over the
lead on lap two. Short also shot by Smith to run second on the same
lap and close to within about four lengths of Laninovich for much of
the race. But in the closing stages, Laninovich's decision to triple-tripletriple the final whoop section allowed him to make time on Short, who
had to settle for the runner-up position for the second week in a row.
"He [Laninovich) was just more consistent," Short said. "I was making little mistakes, and those add up. He just rode a better race, had
better lines and put himself in a good position."
Short was complimentary of Laninovich's performance.
"I ride with him every day," Short said. 'i\l1 those [Amsoil Honda)
guys are fast, and our class is so unpredictable. It all comes down to
the start, putting yourself in the right poSition. He just hasn't had the
right breaks. It has happened to all of us. Ivan has been really consistent, and Billy hasn't had the best of luck, so it didn't surprise me to see
him up there clicking off the laps."
DUring the race, Tedesco was the one who was clicking off the
fastest laps, however, as he tore through the pack after his altercation
with Ramsey. He was 16th after the first lap, but he passed six riders
in just two laps to run 10th. Two laps later, lap five, and Tedesco was
