Dylan Ferrandis – going under the radar in 2023?

It was a difficult year for Dylan Ferrandis in 2022. The 2021 450 outdoor champ came in with big momentum in 2022 but bad starts and injury halted his progress and, even when he came back to outdoors late in the year, he got unceremoniously dumped out of the series by an aggressive Justin Barcia.

One of the few rays of light came at the end of the season at the MXoN. Ferrandis showed no ill effects of his back injury sustained at Budds Creek and was absolutely flying all weekend – the results not totally reflecting the speed due to a couple of crashes. But that all important speed and pure determination were both there in abundance. Ferrandis showed to everyone, including himself, that he still had what it takes to run at the front.

But that’s still the question mark for Dylan coming into 2023, we know he has the speed, the dedication and desire but can he stay away from the mistakes and, crucially, can he get the starts?

Ferrandis apparantly loves the new 2023 Yamaha, feeling much more comfortable in supercross, but those starts are still the question mark and it is often bad starts that lead to mistakes for Frenchman as he furiously tries to make up time before the leaders get away. But as he told me at the MXoN, he has no desire to return to MXGP, showing how determined he is to accomplish his 450 supercross goals in America.

If and it’s a big if, Ferrandis can deliver good starts, I think he can be one of the frequent podium contenders and a potential race winner. The title might be too far to progress to this season but there is no reason that he can’t be on the Tomac, Sexton, Anderson, Webb, Roczen level if he gets away in the top five more often than not. Don’t sleep on the Frenchman in 2023!

Article: Jonathan McCready

Image: Yamaha

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