The following is from the AMA Supermoto Championship…
SAN DIEGO, CA (September 8, 2014) – The AMA Supermoto Championship hits the streets of downtown Sturgis for the South Dakota Pro-Am National on September 13-14 for round five of the series. Championship leader Gage McAllister, on the Intents Racing Honda, looks to repeat last year’s victory and keep his three-race win streak rolling to secure the Open Class title – the premiere class of the championship.
The 19-year-old from Northern California has pretty much grown up racing Supermoto and although has been racing in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Championship the past few years (finishing second at the opening round at Daytona International Speedway), Supermoto has been his main focus.
McAllister looks forward to returning to Sturgis and he’s happy with his success so far this season against some tough opposition.
“It’s a really unique event so I’m really glad that we’re coming back,” McAllister said. “The season for me has been going really good. The only problems that I’ve had were at round one where I had a flat tire and still managed to finish third, but the rest of the rounds have been going really good for me. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to hit all of them and win the rest of them, which has been good.”
M&G Homes/Ajax Kawasaki’s Monte Frank, who hails from Newcastle, Oklahoma, trails McAllister in the championship by 15 points.
Frank started his career in motocross before switching to ArenaCross and moving on to four-wheeled racing, but he got back to racing two-wheels again in 2006 with Supermoto and has pretty much been racing it ever since. He is also looking forward to returning to Sturgis.
“The city’s 100 percent behind it, the spectators were good and all the local businesses seemed to like it. It’s definitely a fun event, one that we look forward to every year for sure,” Frank said.
The 41-year-old Frank is also looking to gain an advantage in the title chase at the unique downtown track, which combines racing on the city streets and dirt sections designed to showcase the versatility of Supermoto racers.
“I’m the old guy in the series… kind of makes it fun to beat up on all the kids,” Frank said. “I figure it will be good. It’s a completely different track than all the other tracks we race, this being a downtown track, an urban setting. I think that some guys that are fast at some of the other tracks it will be different at this one. So hopefully I will have a better chance at beating Gage [McAllister] at this one to make up a few points in the championship.”
Just two points behind McAllister is Brandon Ward, son of motocross racing legend Jeff Ward. The 22-year-old Californian has had a solid year with two-podium finishes.
Since Sturgis is considered the crown jewel of the series, the event draws attention from some of the best Supermoto racers from around the world, including former Daytona 200 winner Joey Pascarella, French Supermoto Champ Alexis Marie Luce and two-time AMA 125 Motocross and 2005 AMA Unlimited Supermoto Champ Micky Dymond.
The two-day event kicks off with the Sturgis Supermoto Charity Races on Friday, September 12 at the Knuckle Saloon from 6-9 p.m., an event that will benefit local charities. On Saturday, September 13 the pros take center stage for the penultimate round of the series and on Sunday the amateurs take over to see who will be crowned National champ. The top five in the amateur class advance to the final round of the Series in Las Vegas, Nevada in November. The event is free for all spectators.
For more information on the event, click here.
