Open Pro podium in his first
full year in the class after two
dominant Pro II Championship
seasons, as it demonstrated he
not only has the pace but now
has the setup on his Dunlop/Mo
-
torex/Moose Racing-backed 450
XC-F much closer.
"I was in front of Dante for
over an hour [of the 90-minute
feature race]," Semmens said.
"He came from a fair way back; I
knew he was going to be there at
the end—he always is, right?
"[After my little crash] I knew
he was going to be on me and
that he was! Unfortunately, I had
that little crash, but I'm stoked
with how I rode. I've wanted this
[sort of ride] for a while, obvi
-
ously. We've been close, and this
one feels good."
Mateo was glad to finish on
the podium once again aboard
his Acerbis/FMF/Fly Racing FE
450 yet was frustrated not to
break out of his streak of third-
place finishes, which was his
fifth of the season.
"I had a good little battle with
my brother for two laps, then
after he got me, I just wasn't
able to latch on and kind of rode
by myself," Mateo said. "A third
when you're a minute-plus back
is frustrating. I don't feel like,
at this stage, with how fit and
strong I am, nobody should be
riding away from me, so I'm a
little confused. Still, a lot of posi
-
tives. I don't think I've ever ripped
through the pack like that, so
that was good."
Lynn finished strong for
fourth, just clear of a trio of Pro
II riders who'd battled from the
start. Zip-Ty Racing Husqvarna's
Dustyn Davis led the first half,
intent on making it two in a row
after his breakthrough triumph at
round four.
However, he couldn't shake
Simi Valley Cycles YZ250-mount
-
ed Cody Simpson and class
points leader Sam Pretscherer,
the three seemingly within five
seconds of each other the entire
90 minutes.
But SLR Honda's Pretscherer
would not be denied, and he
eventually worked his way past
Simpson, then leader Davis,
though they stuck stubbornly to
VOLUME ISSUE APRIL , P55
Third here in the
early going behind
Pro II leader
Dustyn Davis and
Cody Simpson,
Sam Pretscherer
eventually passed
both to pad his class
points lead.
