XTRM/AMA Supermoto Kicks Off in Seattle

In a wet opening round in Monroe, Washington, Graves Yamaha riders Mark Burkhart and Brandon Currie got off to a good start in defending their number one plates. Burhkart took top honors in the Supermoto premier class while Brandon Currie dominated the Lites class. In the Unlimited division, Hart & Huntington’s Steve Drew took the win.

Gloomy skies loomed over Evergreen Speedway throughout the day, threatening to open up at any moment. Despite some well-timed drizzle, taking place between the end of practice and the start of the heat races, the skies held off for most of Saturday evening’s program. But the opening 2008 round of the XTRM/AMA Supermoto Championship concluded with a red flag in the premier class event. Just after the halfway point, the rain started to fall resulting in an extremely slippery track. The red flag came out and officials reverted a lap for the final finishing order.

Cassidy Anderson had the holeshot, but Burkhart made quick work of him and secured the lead. Anderson remained in second – where he finished – while the HMC KTM’s of Troy Herfoss and Chris Fillmore dueled it out for third. Fillmore actually got around his teammate at the halfway point, but after reverting back a lap after the red flag came out, third was awarded to Herfoss.

LITES

Brandon Currie proved that he is on a level all his own in the Lites division. After setting the fast lap in qualifying – nearly two seconds faster than the rest of the field – Currie continued to dominate, taking a commanding win in the Lites class.

Behind Currie was some of the closest racing of the weekend with a six-rider train battling it out for second. Dan Casey, Robert Loire, Jamie Siever, Johnny Lewis, Matt Burton and Matt Abbott followed split seconds apart. Burton charged through the pack to claim second overall while Dan Casey rounded out the podium.

UNLIMITED

In his first career victory, Steve Drew, newly on board with the Rockstar/Hart & Huntington team, piloted his KMT 505 SX-F to a win over HMC KTM’s Kurt Nicoll and privateer rider Josh Chisum, marking an all-KTM podium.

Nicoll grabbed the holeshot but Drew’s teammate Travis Marks took the early lead. Drew blasted by both of them in the whoops on the first lap and secured the lead, which he would hold to the finish. Nicoll followed close behind Drew for much of the race, but was unable to match his pace for the duration and decided to settle for second. Chisum ran a solid third, and got his KTM on the podium, his first podium finish as a privateer.

Supermoto riders will face off again at the Summer X Games, which is a non-points paying invitational. The following week, the XTRM/AMA Supermoto Championship picks up again in Hartford, Connecticut at the New England Supermoto Classic.