Ferrandis got the day off to a good start by topping qualifying for the seventh time this season. In his Heat race, he took the lead but then had a tip over while fighting off defenders and had to work his way back from 15th to seventh. In spite of a less than ideal gate pick in the Main Event, the Frenchman bagged another holeshot and was managing a gap up front. On lap 14, he was thrown off by a yellow flag and missed a rhythm, allowing the competition to close the gap.
The following lap, his rival made the move in the right hander after the finish line and they made contact. Ferrandis kept it on two wheels and got back on track but unfortunately was trailing by almost five seconds. He was able to gain back some time and set the fastest lap of the race, but ultimately had to settle for second. The defending 250SX West Champion heads into next Sunday’s East-West Showdown with a seven-point lead.
As for Cooper, he rebounded from a tough day of qualifying to lead his Heat race from start to finish. Unfortunately the New Yorker was unable to duplicate his holeshot in the Main Event, but was able to work his way to ninth on the first lap. He put his head down and tried to make his way through the pack, but the front runners had already built up too much of a gap and he ended the day sixth. Cooper heads into the season finale third in the standings, 17-points behind his teammate.
Next week, Shane McElrath and Colt Nichols return for Round 8 of the Eastern Regional 250SX class (Round 16 of the series) on Wednesday June 17 in Salt Lake City.
