MDK KTM Announces 2009 Lites Team Members
Press Release | August 25, 2008
MDK Racing, LLC (MDK) and KTM Motorsports are proud to announce three returning members, Justin Brayton, Ryan Sipes and Martin Davalos to the MDK KTM Factory Lites Team as the two companies prepare for their second year together. Justin Brayton and Ryan Sipes will be returning to the team to fulfill the second year of their two-year contract. Both riders will race aboard the KTM 250 SX-F machine. Brayton competed aboard the 250 SX-F and the 450 SX-F this season but will ride Lites classes only in 2009. Sipes, a consistent top ten finisher in the 2008 series, has steadily improved during the last half of the motocross season and has been inches away from a podium finish. “We believe with the progress Ryan (Sipes) and Justin (Brayton) have shown in the past couple of months that they will be serious contenders for both the AMA Supercross Lites and Motocross Lites Championship in 2009,” commented MDK KTM Factory Lites Team Manager Danny Paladino. Joining Brayton and Sipes in his third year with KTM and second year with the MDK KTM team is Ecuador’s Martin Davalos. After missing the first two rounds of the AMA Motocross Lites Series Davalos came back on fire finishing on the podium in three different motos while also pulling numerous holeshots. “I feel very comfortable with the MDK KTM Team and believe the bikes are the best of any factory team. I struggled with injuries in 2008 and look forward to competing 100% healthy in 2009,” stated Davalos. While Brayton, Sipes and Davalos will all be competing in both the AMA Supercross Lites and AMA Motocross Lites Series, a fourth member will join the team to compete for the 2009 Motocross Lites Championship. The motocross-only competitor is none other than Great Britain’s Tommy Searle. Currently sitting second in the Grand Prix MX-2 class, Searle is eager to come over to the U.S. to race against new competition. Searle has signed a two-year contract with MDK KTM which will consist of racing the Motocross Lites class in 2009 and both the Supercross Lites and Motocross Lites Series for 2010. “Each of these riders has the ability to be a champion. They are each dedicated athletes that have a championship as their main goal. I have no doubt that they will each be top competitors in the 2009 Lites Championship Series,” reported KTM’s Director of Racing, Kurt Nicoll.
