Practice
Friday was all day practice the weather was warm but overcast most of the day. A full day of practice was a great Idea and everyone had plenty of track time to get the bikes ready for the opening event.
Race Day
Race day weather was very nice in the morning and afternoon, the sun was out most of the day. For some reason the promoter decided to charge everyone admission of $10 to attend the Supermoto this was on top of the price to get in the gate for the Superbike races. The extra fee limited the crowd and way too few people were there to witness really great racing.
Qualifying
Timed qualifying went good VDB was low time, 3 or 4 guys were around the same times, the usual guys Henry Ward, Kunzel most dropped 2 to 3 seconds off the previous days practice times. Open class most of the top riders from last year have dropped this class. Baffelauf was the favorite from last year. Nigel Pitsch, Mark Avards mechanic, came over from Australia with a very impressive young rider Troy Herfoss who ended up second for the final, both Troy and VDB were the fast new faces to the AMA Series.
Yamaha
The Graves Motorsports Yamaha team was out in full force with a large crew. Chuck Graves, team owner, didn't get to see much Supermoto as he broke his foot on Friday. Yamaha had a large crew at the race including Racing division Manager Keith McCarty. Keith has an unparalleled passion for racing and has caught the Supermoto bug, with guys like Doug Henry in the pit it isn't hard to get hooked.
Burkhart looked on top of his game on the 250F, this weekend's event was the first time I saw Mark ride the "Lite" bike and he seemed at home racing it. Mark borrowed his Mechanic from Jamie Hacking since Jamie is sidelined with injuries.
Pastrana
Travis Pastrana couldn't make the race; he had to attend a rally car but should be at the next event and the rest there after. Travis really enjoys Supermoto and should do much better on the new RMZ450. I hear he is building a supermoto track at his house.
KTM
KTM put in an awesome showing bringing in the big guns VDB and Kunzel. Van Den Bosch and his bike were both blazing fast and he left the round with the series lead. Nicoll, Hebon and crew came ready to race and it showed. KTM's support of the series has been tremendous.
HMC
Mitch Hansen is one of the nicest people at the race and he has put together a great team. Congratulations to Ben Carlson for a podium finish and leaving the round in 3rd place for the 450 points and Baffelauf leading the Unlimited points. Chuckie McCarty another thumpertalk regular is one of their ace mechanics, I don't think he ever takes a break. Good job on the successful weekend.
TLD
Troy Lee has done so much for the sport it's awesome. Wardy could have easily have won the second race it was that close, his charge to the front in the rain was incredible. Chris Fillmore had a tough weekend with a 7th and a 20th place finish, he is on pace and some good luck and he will be on the podium again.
Qualifying and Superpole
This year they don't have heat races but do have timed qualifying. Fastest riders go to the main event, after that the remaining rider's race in the LCQ for a spot on the grid, everyone gets a chance to race.
The top 4 timed qualifying riders in the 450 Class go to Superpole to have first pick at grid position, these spots are for both moto's, even though each is scored separately.
Once again they save the fastest timed 450 rider up for Superpole last. unfortunately as they started Superpole it started to sprinkle and by the time all four riders had concluded it was the start of a full rain storm with lightening. Henry won the Pole followed by Kunzel, Ward and VDB.
Getting ready for the 450 Season opener and rain
The 450 race immediately followed Superpole, by then it was a steady downpour. The first 450 race was up and the AMA had told everyone it was rain or shine, a change that I heard few complain about. Supermoto is supposed to be about the best all around rider and rain is a good extra challenge.
The race was delayed to give everyone a chance to outfit rain tires, the Dunlop crew had to call in some help to get everyone rains but the race was a go. Both the Dirt section and the metal Urbancross jumps were bypassed for the first 4 races.
450 Main event
In the pouring rain VDB took the holeshot in the first main event and started pulling away from the pack right from the start. Henry was in second, I don't think he's ever been on rain tires before or not very much, he was having problems and fell back to 5th place. Going into the first corner Henry then had the most spectacular Supermoto wreck I have ever seen, Sparks were flying 10 feet in the air and coming down like fireworks, even on the rain slick pavement. Henry restarted the bike fast after the long slide and managed to pass some people, it was a disappointing finish for him.
I think Henry took a page from the book of Quarterback techniques where they tell you have a short memory, that is exactly what he did for the second moto. Henry put race one behind him and won the second race in a moto not to be forgotten, especially by VDB.
Wardy ended up in the back of the pack around 18th place on lap 3 where he put on a charge working up to 4th place, Ward looked like the fastest rider on the rain soaked track but was not in a position to capitalize.
Benny Carlson put in a great ride at his home track to finish second, he is in 3rd place in the points now after his 6th in the second moto. Kunzel finished off for the third podium position in moto one.
250 Lite
The Next moto was Lite class where Burkhart took the pole position to a victory in the rain, I really don't think he missed a mark or breaking point all weekend rain or dry. Brandon Curry was extremely impressive all weekend, I expect to see a lot of podium finishes from the young TLD Kawasaki rider. Curry ended up in a collision with Casey Yarrow leaving him with a disappointing 5th place finish and Yarrow a 22nd place spot, both riders are players in the title hunt. Brandon's older cousin Casey Currey looked comfortable on the wet track and was running with the leaders early in the race, he finished with a 4th place finish.
Diedrich a local rider finished in second with a very impressive ride. Probably one of the most personable riders on the circuit Matt Persley (thumpertalk fast guy) finished the podium with a strong ride. I'm still not sure why he didn't spray Scottie with the Champaign shower while in the podium. Haha :lol:
Unlimited
Next race was the Unlimited race where Baffeleuf won with Australian Troy Herfoss finishing second and Leroy Baggins finishing 3rd. The moto left two TC510 Husqvarna's on the podium for their best Unlimited finish ever and one very happy Husqvarna team. Congratulations guys a very good job!
The track
The rain had stopped by the time the Red Riders hit the track. One of the riders I believe Natasha Waschek from Minnesota fell hard in the first corner chicane. They red flagged the race and an ambulance was brought on the track. I am not sure how he is but it was a nasty crash, I hope he recovers quickly.
The crash caused a delay in the program that allowed the track to dry up quite a bit because the sun was out and the wind was blowing strong. Dry pavement was in sight for the big 450 show down.
The Sun is shining 450 race #2
The track was mostly dry by the second 450 moto and the track officials opened up the Urbancross but left the dirt section of the track closed.
Everyone was off and VDB took his second holeshot of the day with Henry on his heals closely followed by Kunzel then Wardy. The four riders broke away from all the other riders. The entire race all four riders were wheel to wheel, it was incredible.
The rookie Herfess and the Unlimited champ Nicoll came together on the Urbancross ruining both riders race eventually getting lapped. Nicoll continued to circulate the track with his front number plate dangling from his bike.
Ward and Kunzel were only 20 feet out of the lead, it was a heated race to the end. Henry was faster in some of the corners especially after the Urbancross and ending in the last corner but wasn't close enough to make a pass. Henry hit VDB's rear wheel with a few laps to go and Kunzel passed him for a brief second but Henry came right back to hold the second place spot.
The last lap came and it was Doug Henry's time to do or die, Henry lost some time during the lap but on Henry's strongest section of the track he ran it in on the last corner for the victory.
It doesn't get any better than that, four guys going at it all with a chance for the lead the entire race.
WOW!
That's it end of a spectacular weekend.
Congratulations to Graves Motorsports for a successful weekend their first race out.
Also HMC and KTM for victories.
That's all I can remember, I think I got it right.
Friday was all day practice the weather was warm but overcast most of the day. A full day of practice was a great Idea and everyone had plenty of track time to get the bikes ready for the opening event.
Race Day
Race day weather was very nice in the morning and afternoon, the sun was out most of the day. For some reason the promoter decided to charge everyone admission of $10 to attend the Supermoto this was on top of the price to get in the gate for the Superbike races. The extra fee limited the crowd and way too few people were there to witness really great racing.
Qualifying
Timed qualifying went good VDB was low time, 3 or 4 guys were around the same times, the usual guys Henry Ward, Kunzel most dropped 2 to 3 seconds off the previous days practice times. Open class most of the top riders from last year have dropped this class. Baffelauf was the favorite from last year. Nigel Pitsch, Mark Avards mechanic, came over from Australia with a very impressive young rider Troy Herfoss who ended up second for the final, both Troy and VDB were the fast new faces to the AMA Series.
Yamaha
The Graves Motorsports Yamaha team was out in full force with a large crew. Chuck Graves, team owner, didn't get to see much Supermoto as he broke his foot on Friday. Yamaha had a large crew at the race including Racing division Manager Keith McCarty. Keith has an unparalleled passion for racing and has caught the Supermoto bug, with guys like Doug Henry in the pit it isn't hard to get hooked.
Burkhart looked on top of his game on the 250F, this weekend's event was the first time I saw Mark ride the "Lite" bike and he seemed at home racing it. Mark borrowed his Mechanic from Jamie Hacking since Jamie is sidelined with injuries.
Pastrana
Travis Pastrana couldn't make the race; he had to attend a rally car but should be at the next event and the rest there after. Travis really enjoys Supermoto and should do much better on the new RMZ450. I hear he is building a supermoto track at his house.
KTM
KTM put in an awesome showing bringing in the big guns VDB and Kunzel. Van Den Bosch and his bike were both blazing fast and he left the round with the series lead. Nicoll, Hebon and crew came ready to race and it showed. KTM's support of the series has been tremendous.
HMC
Mitch Hansen is one of the nicest people at the race and he has put together a great team. Congratulations to Ben Carlson for a podium finish and leaving the round in 3rd place for the 450 points and Baffelauf leading the Unlimited points. Chuckie McCarty another thumpertalk regular is one of their ace mechanics, I don't think he ever takes a break. Good job on the successful weekend.
TLD
Troy Lee has done so much for the sport it's awesome. Wardy could have easily have won the second race it was that close, his charge to the front in the rain was incredible. Chris Fillmore had a tough weekend with a 7th and a 20th place finish, he is on pace and some good luck and he will be on the podium again.
Qualifying and Superpole
This year they don't have heat races but do have timed qualifying. Fastest riders go to the main event, after that the remaining rider's race in the LCQ for a spot on the grid, everyone gets a chance to race.
The top 4 timed qualifying riders in the 450 Class go to Superpole to have first pick at grid position, these spots are for both moto's, even though each is scored separately.
Once again they save the fastest timed 450 rider up for Superpole last. unfortunately as they started Superpole it started to sprinkle and by the time all four riders had concluded it was the start of a full rain storm with lightening. Henry won the Pole followed by Kunzel, Ward and VDB.
Getting ready for the 450 Season opener and rain
The 450 race immediately followed Superpole, by then it was a steady downpour. The first 450 race was up and the AMA had told everyone it was rain or shine, a change that I heard few complain about. Supermoto is supposed to be about the best all around rider and rain is a good extra challenge.
The race was delayed to give everyone a chance to outfit rain tires, the Dunlop crew had to call in some help to get everyone rains but the race was a go. Both the Dirt section and the metal Urbancross jumps were bypassed for the first 4 races.
450 Main event
In the pouring rain VDB took the holeshot in the first main event and started pulling away from the pack right from the start. Henry was in second, I don't think he's ever been on rain tires before or not very much, he was having problems and fell back to 5th place. Going into the first corner Henry then had the most spectacular Supermoto wreck I have ever seen, Sparks were flying 10 feet in the air and coming down like fireworks, even on the rain slick pavement. Henry restarted the bike fast after the long slide and managed to pass some people, it was a disappointing finish for him.
I think Henry took a page from the book of Quarterback techniques where they tell you have a short memory, that is exactly what he did for the second moto. Henry put race one behind him and won the second race in a moto not to be forgotten, especially by VDB.
Wardy ended up in the back of the pack around 18th place on lap 3 where he put on a charge working up to 4th place, Ward looked like the fastest rider on the rain soaked track but was not in a position to capitalize.
Benny Carlson put in a great ride at his home track to finish second, he is in 3rd place in the points now after his 6th in the second moto. Kunzel finished off for the third podium position in moto one.
250 Lite
The Next moto was Lite class where Burkhart took the pole position to a victory in the rain, I really don't think he missed a mark or breaking point all weekend rain or dry. Brandon Curry was extremely impressive all weekend, I expect to see a lot of podium finishes from the young TLD Kawasaki rider. Curry ended up in a collision with Casey Yarrow leaving him with a disappointing 5th place finish and Yarrow a 22nd place spot, both riders are players in the title hunt. Brandon's older cousin Casey Currey looked comfortable on the wet track and was running with the leaders early in the race, he finished with a 4th place finish.
Diedrich a local rider finished in second with a very impressive ride. Probably one of the most personable riders on the circuit Matt Persley (thumpertalk fast guy) finished the podium with a strong ride. I'm still not sure why he didn't spray Scottie with the Champaign shower while in the podium. Haha :lol:
Unlimited
Next race was the Unlimited race where Baffeleuf won with Australian Troy Herfoss finishing second and Leroy Baggins finishing 3rd. The moto left two TC510 Husqvarna's on the podium for their best Unlimited finish ever and one very happy Husqvarna team. Congratulations guys a very good job!
The track
The rain had stopped by the time the Red Riders hit the track. One of the riders I believe Natasha Waschek from Minnesota fell hard in the first corner chicane. They red flagged the race and an ambulance was brought on the track. I am not sure how he is but it was a nasty crash, I hope he recovers quickly.
The crash caused a delay in the program that allowed the track to dry up quite a bit because the sun was out and the wind was blowing strong. Dry pavement was in sight for the big 450 show down.
The Sun is shining 450 race #2
The track was mostly dry by the second 450 moto and the track officials opened up the Urbancross but left the dirt section of the track closed.
Everyone was off and VDB took his second holeshot of the day with Henry on his heals closely followed by Kunzel then Wardy. The four riders broke away from all the other riders. The entire race all four riders were wheel to wheel, it was incredible.
The rookie Herfess and the Unlimited champ Nicoll came together on the Urbancross ruining both riders race eventually getting lapped. Nicoll continued to circulate the track with his front number plate dangling from his bike.
Ward and Kunzel were only 20 feet out of the lead, it was a heated race to the end. Henry was faster in some of the corners especially after the Urbancross and ending in the last corner but wasn't close enough to make a pass. Henry hit VDB's rear wheel with a few laps to go and Kunzel passed him for a brief second but Henry came right back to hold the second place spot.
The last lap came and it was Doug Henry's time to do or die, Henry lost some time during the lap but on Henry's strongest section of the track he ran it in on the last corner for the victory.
It doesn't get any better than that, four guys going at it all with a chance for the lead the entire race.
WOW!
That's it end of a spectacular weekend.
Congratulations to Graves Motorsports for a successful weekend their first race out.
Also HMC and KTM for victories.
That's all I can remember, I think I got it right.
