Rispoli Holds off Mesa for Supersport Win
Henny Ray Abrams | September 22, 2012
Photography By: Andrea Wilson
HOMESTEAD, FL, SEPT 22 – Celtic Racing/Orient Express Racing’s James Rispoli led early and late to win the Supersport East race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Rispoli took the lead on the fourth of 18 laps, lost it on the 13th, then took it back on lap 15. For the final three laps he had to hold off a persistent Stefano Mesa, the Kneedraggers.com Yamaha rider whose drive was blunted when he lost his visor on the 15th lap.
Mesa made one serious run at Rispoli on lap 17, but was rebuffed, with Rispoli then keeping in front of the rider who lives in Boca Raton to the end.
The margin of victory was .564 secs.
Road Race Factory/Red Bull Yamaha’s Tomas Puerta was two seconds back in third after holding off a furious run to the flag by Rider’s Discount Vesrah Suzuki’s Jake Lewis.
Lewis closed in on championship leader Dustin Dominguez (Latus Motors Racing Triumph), who failed to finish the race. With three races remaining, Dominguez leads Lewis 208 to 206, with Mesa third at 194. Rispoli, the reigining Supersport East champion, is contesting the Supersport West title.
Supersport East Results:
1. James Rispoli (Suzuki)
2. Stefano Mesa (Yamaha)
3. Tomas Puerta (Yamaha)
4. Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
5. Corey Alexander (Suzuki)
6. Hayden Gillim (Yamaha)
7. Travis Wyman (Suzuki)
8. Garrett Gerloff (Yamaha)
9. Charlie Long (Suzuki)
10. Colter Dimick (Yamaha)
Henny Ray Abrams | Contributing Editor
Abrams is the longest-serving contributor at Cycle News. Over the course of his 35-some years of writing and shooting photos, he’s covered events from MotoGP to the Motocross World Championship - and everything in between.
