Lazzarini Tops X Games Supermoto

The X Games 15 SuperMoto X final went off at the Home Depot Center today, and a fast, fairly simple course was a marked change from X Games Supermoto races of the past. Without heavily complex rhythms in the dirt sections of the course, favor fell more toward the European Supermoto racers rather than those of a Supercross background, and the results showed it.

Aboard a Honda CRF450R borrowed from SMR Magazine’s Scott Hoffman, Italian World Supermoto Ivan Lazzarini ran a nearly flawless race to control the charge from start to finish, taking home the X Games Supermoto gold.

After getting off to a mediocre start, Monster Energy KTM-backed rider Mark Burkhart worked his way through the top five and into place behind Lazzarini where he began pressuring the race leader. Burkhart hoped for a mistake, but one never came from Lazzarini. He even got a wheel in on him in the turn after the ramp coming out of the stadium, but with the inside line, Lazzarini promptly closed the door on him.

It was the same turn where Jeff Ward caught his foot and re-injured his ankle, which he broke in June. Ward stayed in the race, but was not able to keep pace with the lead pack. He ran in second for the first several laps, but slipped back to seventh by the end of the race.

French Husqvarna rider Adrien Chareyre finished in third to collect the bronze medal in his first-ever X Games competition. Fellow countryman Sylvain Bidart finished fourth followed by TLD rider Cassidy Anderson who rounded out the top five.

Name                    Hometown               Finish
1) Ivan Lazzarini                            Pesaro, Italy                29:32.710
2) Mark Burkhart                           Pataskala, OH              29:34.388                 
3) Adrien Chareyre                       Anduze, France             29:45.005                                
4) Sylvain Bidart                           Gan, France                  29:54.038
5) Cassidy Anderson                    Provo, UT                       29:58.120
6) Brandon Currie                        Anaheim, CA                  29:59.727
7) Jeff Ward                                 Newport Beach, CA        30:01.627                              
8) Derek Costella                         Las Vegas, NV                30:04.808                           
9) Micky Dymond                         Placentia, CA                30:07.415
10) David Pingree                        Temecula, CA                30:11.407                          
11) Danny Casey                         Vacaville, CA                 30:20.731
12) Matt Burton                            Ottumwa, IA               30:23.556                         
13) Kurt Nicoll                              Cambridge, GBR     30:29.512                              
14) Darryl Atkins                          San Clemente, CA          30:30.515                                 
15) Jason Conlon                        Mt. Airy, MD                    30:45.366
16) Steve Bonsey                       Salinas, CA                     30:51.126 
17) Steve Drew                           Buckeye, AZ                  30:57.971
18) JR Schnabel                         Campbellsport, WI          31:52.480
19) Carey Hart                            Las Vegas, NV               34:17.632                            
20) Joey Pascarella                    Vacaville, CA                   36:06.903