MX Diary: Coates digs deep in Boston
By Sean Lawless on 28th Apr 16
Paul Coates (Ti-Lube Honda) had a tough time at round seven of the Monster Energy Supercross 250 East series in the Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, on Saturday.
Heavy rain made conditions treacherous in the morning but the Brit qualified well and was confident of progressing through his heat race. However, on the first lap a rider crashed in front of him which put him near the back of the field.
After battling through from 20th to eighth, setting the fourth fastest time in the process, he was docked two positions for jumping when the yellow flag lights were flashing which meant he was forced to go to the last chance qualifier.
He breezed through the LCQ in second and got a good start in the Main Event but hit a tuff block on the third lap which dropped him from 14th to 21st. Despite pulling back seven places he ended the day outside the top 10.
"It was a very frustrating incident and by the time I got going I was really far back in last,” he said. "I pushed hard but could only climb back up to 14th. Although the Main wasn't what we wanted there is still a couple of positives to take away from the day so the team and I will keep striving to show our full potential.”
Paul currently sits in 12th in the standings but is just six points from a top-10 position. His next race is on Saturday at East Rutherford, New Jersey.
