Ward Wins Two

Rounds five and six of the AMA Supermoto Series got off to an unpredictable start today at the Copper Mountain resort in Colorado. Before the racing even got started Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Doug Henry was on his way to the hospital after a serious crash in morning practice. The championship leader coming into the Colorado round was reported in stable condition in a Vail hospital with various injuries, the worst of which was a collapsed lung. Henry will be hospitalized until the end of next week (see separate story).

In Henry’s absence it was a good opportunity for Team Troy Lee Designs Honda’s Jeff Ward to get his season back on track after failing to win a race thus far this season.

Race one got started under cloudy skies and after the track had already been soaked by rain showers prior to the start. Ward got the holeshot from pole position and was never challenged for the entire 16-lap event. Running second for the entire race - and at the finish - was Utah rider Cassidy Anderson, the CHM Exhaust Honda rider putting in an impressive ride ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Kurt Nicoll.

Nicoll had worked his way around teammate Jurgen Kunzel, the German suffering clutch problems as the race wore on. Team Troy Lee Designs Honda’s Chris Fillmore took advantage of the fading Kunzel to work his way past at the halfway point to take over fourth. Kunzel ended up fifth.

The battle for sixth position was between Red Bull Cernics Suzuki’s Travis Pastrana, who was clearly the quickest rider on the track’s long dirt section, Frenchman David Baffeleuf on the HMC KTM and Italian Ivan Lazzarini on the Pacifico GP Husqvarna. Pastrana eventually took the position with Baffeleuf seventh and Lazzarini eighth. Alex Thiebault and Troy Herfoss rounded out the top 10.

Race two got underway under better conditions. Despite threatening clouds, the track was almost completely dry as the race got under way. This time around, however, it was Anderson getting an excellent jump on the field, with Ward right on his heels. A notable absentee from the front row of the grid was Red Bull KTM’s Nicoll, the Brit having terminal bike problems on the warm-up lap and not making the start of the race.

Anderson held the lead for a lap before Ward worked his way past and cruised to another commanding victory, the win giving him the points lead in the absence of the injured Henry.

Fillmore was the happiest rider at the end of the second race as he was able to get a great start through the hole on the grid left vacated by Nicoll. Fillmore quickly worked his way into third and then was able to get by Anderson in the fast left-hand dirttrack corner on lap seven. The other rider who was pleased to get on the podium was Kunzel, the KTM star able to stay right on the heels of Fillmore the entire race though he couldn't find a place to make a move.

Pastrana put in his best-ever AMA Supermoto performance with a fourth-place finish after getting around Anderson on the white-flag lap. Anderson held on for fifth.

Lazzarini was able to reel in teammate and fast Aussie Troy Herfoss late in the race to take sixth, with Herfoss seventh. CHM Exhaust Honda’s Thiebault and Two Brothers Racing Suzuki’s Steve Drew battled with Gary Trachy in a fierce battle for eighth position, with Thiebault taking the spot. Drew was ninth and Trachy 10th.

The Supermoto Lites race belonged to Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Mark Burkhart with Two Brothers Racing Kawaski's Joel Albrecht taking a strong second ahead of Brandon Currie, who who was also on a Kawasaki KX250F.

The Unlimited race lost two of its key protagonists before a single lap was completed. Team HMC KTM’s David Baffeleuf crashed in turn one on the first lap and damaged his KTM610SMS’s motor, the oil spilling from his damaged sidecase enough to bring out the red flag. On the restart a turn-one collision saw front-runner Micky Dymond go down and get relegated to the back of the field in last place.

Meanwhile, Pacifico GP Husqvarna’s Herfoss and Team HMC’s Darryl Atkins battled up front. Herfoss got by Atkins early and went uncontested for his first-ever AMA Supermoto victory, while Atkins held on for second ahead of an amazing through-the-field ride from Dymond.

Ward heads into rounds seven and eight tomorrow at Copper Mountain, day two of the doubleheader, with a three-point lead over Red Bull KTM’s Kunzel, 120-117. The injured Henry sits in third on 87 points, with Fillmore fourth on 80. Ben Carlson in fifth with 74.

Day two at Copper Mountain will feature a full schedule with two more Supermoto events supported by single Supemoto Lites and Supermoto Unlimited events.