Words and photos from Gizmo Racing Yamaha
Round 2 was shaping up to be a strong event for our team. Following Friday afternoon’s press ride sessions, all of the riders felt great on their bikes and headed into Saturday confident and ready to race. With perfect weather conditions, it was an ideal day for competition.
The first qualifying sessions went well, with all riders posting solid lap times. Due to an error in the event’s live timing loop, it initially appeared that Freddie Noren was sitting inside the top five in 450 qualifying. Once it became clear that the timing was inaccurate, the team knew strong laps would be needed in the second qualifying session.
The riders were delivering exactly that when, with only a few minutes remaining, Stephen Rubini attempted to lay down another blazing lap. While charging aggressively through the whoops section, Stephen hit the tabletop with such force that he suffered a torn Achilles. There was no crash or major mistake, just immense stress and pressure that resulted in the injury. At that point, all riders had already qualified for the night show and were focused on improving their times to secure better gate positions for the heat races.
Stephen’s injury was a tough blow for the team, but Keegan and Freddie remained focused and ready to race. Both riders faced challenges in their heat races, including a crash for Noren. In the LCQs, however, both riders put together strong performances. For Keegan, it marked a career-best ride as he continues to gain strength and confidence. Noren found himself stuck behind another rider for too long in the LCQ, preventing him from making the late push needed to secure a transfer to the Main Event.
Despite the setbacks, both Keegan and Freddie leave Round 2 with confidence and a clear understanding of what’s needed as the team looks ahead to Round 3.
Freddie Noren #63
Here’s what Freddie had to say after the night, “I had a good week leading into San Diego and made some minor changes to the bike’s suspension, so I felt more comfortable which I’m happy about. Of Course, I’m not pleased with not making the Main Event, but I made some good improvements in a lot of areas. I’ll keep building on this and keep logging laps to get where I want to be.”
Stephen Rubini #106
Stephen’s comments after the emotion of getting injured, “A real bummer ending the SX season this early. I felt like I made a good step forward coming into Round 2, and felt good on press day, qualifier 1, and even qualifier 2. Unfortunately, it has appeared that I separated my Achilles in the 2nd qualifier, so I will need to go to Doctor’s this week to get results of severity. I want to thank all the members of the team, the sponsors, my wife, family, and fans for the support. I will be back!”
Keegan Rowley #900
Keegan left Round 2 hungry for more! “Feels good to build. Goal was to be better than last weekend and I did that. I’m happy withe the progress, I just need to keep building.”, is what Keegan said after the Event.
