KTM CANADA – RED BULL – THOR RACE TEAM'S JACOB PICCOLO KEEPS RED PLATE AFTER RUNNER-UP RESULT AT PILOT MOUND

PILOT MOUND, MB – KTM Canada – Red Bull – THOR Race Team’s Jacob Piccolo continues to hold onto the red plate early in the 2022 Triple Crown Series after capturing an impressive second-place overall result at the third round. It marks his third runner-up finish this season. Teammate and 250 Pro class rookie, Sebastien Racine, put in a solid ride to come away with sixth overall at Pilot Mound.

With temperatures skyrocketing on race day, riders were faced with the first extremely hot conditions of the year in Canada. In Moto 1, Piccolo got off to a commanding start on his KTM 250 SX-F and led from start to finish. About a third of the way through the moto, he set the fastest lap of the race. In the second moto, the defending champion once again put his machine into the lead out of the gate. However, his competitor was not going to make it easy on him. He had a narrow margin throughout the race and felt the pressure from behind. He managed to hold off his competition until the last couple of laps, but Piccolo had to settle for second at the line. 

With 2-1 finishes, Piccolo secured second overall, allowing him to extend his early points lead after three rounds of racing.

Jacob Piccolo, KTM Canada – Red Bull – THOR Race Team 250 Rider:“My day was good, I went 1-2 for second overall. I won the first moto and struggled with the heat a little bit the second moto but overall, it was a good day. I still have the red plate coming into Walton, so I’m stoked.”

Sebastien Racine blasted into fourth off the start of Moto 1 and moved up to second by the next lap. He held the spot until the last third of the race. On the last lap, he was shuffled back to fourth, where he ultimately crossed the line. Moto 2 was not as kind to Racine as he found himself on the ground twice on the opening lap, sending him to the back of the pack early on. Lap after lap, he worked his way through the field. By the halfway point, he had worked up to 12th on his KTM 250 SX-F. He wasn’t going to settle for a position outside of the top 10, so he continued to push hard for the remainder of the moto. He landed 10th when the checkered flag flew. 

The rookie in the class matched his season opening performance with a sixth overall.

Sebastien Racine, KTM Canada – Red Bull – THOR Race Team 250 Rider:“Round three wasn't too bad. I kind of struggled with arm-pump in qualifying and then in the first moto, I got a good start behind Jacob and was second for a while but the heat kind of got to me and I faded at the end. I'm just gonna keep working on that. Second moto, I fell in the second corner and then I fell again on the first lap, so I was pretty far back and made my way up to 10th, which wasn't too bad. I got a sixth overall on the day, just have to keep working on my cardio and then we'll make it back to the podium again.”

Team rider Jess Pettis suffered a race-ending crash at the start of the first moto last weekend and as a result, did not line up at Round 3.

Next Race: Round 4 – Walton, ON – July 3, 2022