Photography By: Andrea Wilson
The on-again, off-again KTM Superbike team is definitely on again with HMC Racing team owner Mitch Hansen confirming the fact that he will indeed run a KTM 1190 RC8 R with Chris Fillmore in this year’s AMA Pro Superbike Championship.
I’m very excited,” Hansen said in a phone conversation yesterday. “It’s really a relief that KTM decided to go back racing and obviously Chris Fillmore is very happy. It was our plan originally at the end of last season to continue forward with this. For a while it was put on hold, but it looks like obviously they decided that it was good thing to do here in the U.S. and go AMA Superbike racing. So we’re very grateful.”
The KTM/HMC team raced three times last year, the pairing of Hansen and Fillmore getting back together after a successful prior teaming in AMA Supermoto racing. Fillmore raced for Hansen’s team as a 16 year old in 2003 and again in 2008 when he finished second in the AMA Supermoto Championship.
Fillmore’s best finish last year on the RC8 was a seventh at Mid-Ohio in July.
“We were very proud of what HMC and Chris accomplished in 2011, entering the highly competitive Superbike class in the middle of the season,” said KTM product line manager John Hinz. “We feel confident in our HMC program, Fillmore and the RC8 R that we will see even more success during the 2012 season.”
Fillmore is also fired up for the challenge.
“I have been testing the RC8 since it first arrived in the states and the race spec bike is very competitive,” Fillmore said in a team release. “I am very excited to be racing in the Superbike class again and am looking forward to competing in a full season and improving on our success from last year. “
