Troy Lee's own team, Troy Lee Designs Honda, claimed two championships including the AMA Supermoto (450 Championship), going to Jeff Ward, and the Lites title going to Cassidy Anderson. In the Unlimited class, All Access Racing's Micky Dymond took the win for the day, but the championship was awarded to Red Bull KTM's Benny Carlson.
The first Supermoto race set the tone for what was a day filled with down-to-the-wire racing. TLD Honda's Chris Fillmore pulled the holeshot ahead of his teammate Ward, who soon got around him for the lead. Fillmore fell back as Ward moved ahead, stretching his lead over the field. But the two Graves Yamahas of Doug Henry and Mark Burkhart didn't let him get far. Burkhart worked his way past Fillmore and his teammate, Henry, to challenge Ward. On the last lap, he would duck under him for the win.
Although the first win went to the Yamaha team, Ward had enough at that point to clinch the Championship.
"I wasn't always the fastest at every race, but I was the most consistent. So I'm happy with my season. I know how to stay on the bike and bring it to the finish."
In the second moto, Ward was out front, once again fighting off the relentless charge of Burkhart. But this time, Burkhart's aggressive riding bit him, as he went down late in the race after losing the front end. Ward held on for the win followed by Henry, Fillmore, Jurgen Kunzel and Mike Metzger.
"This year I just felt like I didn't have the pace right off," Henry lamented after accepting his second place finish for the season. "I finished second the first year and again this year. I've been the bridesmaid twice. Hopefully next year I'll be the bride."
In the Lites class, TLD Honda's Cassidy Anderson kept it calm and conservative, riding to a fifth place finish to close the Championship off strong. Out front it was Racer X staffer David Pingree leading the charge, fending off hard-charging Graves Yamaha of Brandon Currie. Currie and Pingree had an exciting battle, with Currie relentlessly hounding Pingree in the last laps. Ping finished a nose ahead of Currie, who finished second on the day and in the series.
The Unlimited class is where things really heated up. The GP Husqvarna team and Red Bull KTM both enlisted the help of their team riders from other classes to help buffer the finishing order. With only four points separating leader Benny Carlson (KTM) and David Baffeleuf (Hus) for the Championship, with a filler in second place, it could be a winner-take-all.
Things got ugly in the first turn when Husky rider Troy Herfoss attempted to duck under Calrson. Herfoss came together with his teammate Alex Theibault, sending the two catapulting off the course, injuring themselves and bystanders in a spectacular wreck that took nearly a half an hour to sort out. The meatball flag went out, and teams retired to the pits before the program was back underway.
In the second (much cleaner) start, Dymond got off to the early lead ahead of Carlson and KTM Team Manager Kurt Nicoll, who was pulling double time in the Unlimited class. Nicoll guarded Carlson all the way to the finish, and Carlson claimed the Unlimited Championship.
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