Burkhart Wins, Takes Points Lead in Michigan

Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Mark Burkhart took the lead in the AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship with his third victory in a row, today’s win coming on a sweltering day at the Waterford Hills Road Race course in Clarkston, Michigan.

Burkhart was third for the first two laps before making his move. He picked off Troy Lee Designs Honda’s Jeff Ward on the inside of the very fast right hand turn one on lap three. Then he took Ward’s teammate Cassidy Anderson in the same spot a lap later.

Then he sped away, lapping more consistently and faster than Ward and Anderson, who fought over second to the end. Anderson made the pass on the eighth of 15 laps and withstood the pressure of the defending class champion.

Still, it was Burkhart’s day and now his season, and he credited his success to improvements to the Graves Motorsports’ Yamaha YZ450F.

“This is the best my bike’s handled anywhere all year at all of our races,” Burkhart said, “so we’re working on it; it’s definitely getting way easier to ride.”

Anderson was second at 2.697 seconds, with Ward only .4 secs back in third.

With four of 10 rounds completed, Burkhart has 93 points to 89 for Ward. All Access/Parts Unlimited Honda’s Micky Dymond, fifth today, is third with 66 points.

Aprilia/Rip It Energy Racing’s Benny Carlson beat his teammate and team manager Darryl Atkins in a race to the wire in the AMA PPG Supermoto Unlimited race. Carlson prevailed by 1.412 secs. to keep his perfect season alive and extend his championship lead.

With four wins in four tries, Carlson leads BP Racing/Troy Lee Designs’ Josh Chisum (KTM), sixth today, by 30 points, 100 to 70, after four of ten races.

KTM Hard Equipment’s Kurt Nicoll arrived in the area at 2:00 a.m., but still had enough energy to finish a comfortable third.

The most lopsided victory of the day went to Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull Honda’s David Pingree. Pingree went flag to flag to win his second AMA Hot Wheels Lites race in a row and move into a tie for the championship lead with Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Brandon Currie, second today at 4.334 seconds. The pair have 94 points four races into the ten race season.

Currie got the holeshot, but bobble in the whoops on the first lap, letting Pingree by.

"I got the holeshot and just made a mistake on the first lap," Currie said. "You can’t do that."

Pingree was smoother in the whoops and Currie struggled and it would continue that way to the end.

Frenchman Eric Sorby finished third in his AMA Supermoto Lites debut after a quick apprenticeship under Pingree. The pair rode together for a month prior to the race, with Sorby a fast learner, Pingree said. Sorby had raced Supermoto in Europe, but it had been several years, he said. In todays race he was alone in third, 12 secs. behind Currie.

Supermoto:

1. Mark Burkhart (Yam)

2. Cassidy Anderson (Hon)

3. Jeff Ward (Hon)

4. Troy Herfoss (KTM)

5. Micky Dymond (Hon)

6. Xavier Bellerophon (Husq)

7. Chris Fillmore (Kaw)

8. Benny Carlson (Apr)

9. Robbie Horton (Kaw)

10. Gary Trachy (Hon)

Supermoto Unlimited:

1. Benny Carlson (Apr)

2. Darryl Atkins (Apr)

3. Kurt Nicoll (KTM)

4. Brian Capper (KTM)

5. Robert Loire (Hus)

6. Josh Chisum (KTM)

7. Travis Marks (KTM)

8. Cory Gabbert (KTM)

9. Donald Wanat (KTM)

10. Monte Frank (KTM)

Supermoto Lites:

1. David Pingree (Hon)

2. Brandon Currie (Yam)

3. Eric Sorby (Hon)

4. Adam Cini (Husq)

5. Drake Eric McElroy (Hon)

6. Matt Abbott (Kaw)

7. Dalton Dimick (Kaw)

8. Jamie Siever (Yam)

9. Steve Hatch (KTM)

10. Andrew Hyder (Yam)