Press Release | September 7, 2016
This is a press release from AMA Supermoto…
Denver, CO (September 4, 2016) – Normally-defending AMA Supermoto Pro Open champ Gage McAllister stands on top of the box, but at Colorado National Speedway it was his RSR KTM teammates’ turn to take the glory. Dustin Hoffman and Eric Stump split wins on the night, both with the same strategy – get out front and don’t look back.
It was not an easy track to pass on, so Hoffman knew that getting the holeshot was the key to victory and all went as planned in the first main.
“The holeshot eliminates a lot of problems for sure,” Hoffman said. “I didn’t have to really deal with anyone else – I knew my pace. I just kind of went out there and ran that and focused on getting somewhat clean laps.”
Although Hoffman won both of the Pro Brawls this year, the win in Denver was his first points-paying win of the season. Hoffman hopes to carry that momentum forward into the final round and next season.
“It feels good,” Hoffman said. “It’s a long time coming. I kind of struggled over the last year, coming off of an injury. So it’s good to finally get here.”
Joining Hoffman on the podium was McAllister and Stump, making it another RSR KTM sweep. The pair was able to take advantage of the melee that ensued in front of them in the second dirt section. The first to go down was O’Hara/Intents Racing/Motul’s Tyler O’Hara, then it was Lean Six Sigma Racing’s Josh McLean and Six-Four Motorsports’ Shane Narbonne. Both McLean and Narbonne were able to recover to finish, fourth and fifth, respectively. O’Hara, however, was forced to regroup for the second main.
In the second main, Stump took a page out of Hoffman’s book and grabbed the holeshot. His teammate kept him honest the entire race, but Stump was able to hold him off to take his second win of the season.
“That first main I got third place, and the only thing that held me back and kept me from doing better was just the start,” Stump said. It’s really hard to pass here. There’s a lot of guys that come from a dirt-track background and they’re on the gas early. So when you have that much traction right out of the corner it’s kind of hard to set people up.
“The second race I just got off the start really well. I got the holeshot. I knew where I was stronger than Dustin (Hoffman). He comes from a moto background. I come from a dirt track, flat track, road-race background. So I’m a little more risky on the pavement, which worked in my favor tonight.”
The win for Stump was also a big relief, as he too was coming off an injury from last year and had a few rough races after his first win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June. Stump looks to carry that momentum forward to the season finale in Tuscon as well.
“On a scale of one to 10, I’m an 11-teen on the pump Richter,” Stump said. “I kind of got the short end of the stick a couple times this season. But it’s always encouraging when I have my family who are so gung-ho behind me. They just keep me positive on into the weekend.”
Taking third was Narbonne, who held off McAllister in the final moments. The series-points leader made his move in the first dirt section, but the New Hampshire native was not going to give up the position to McAllister. O’Hara was able to slip past McAllister in the process to take fourth, relegating McAllister to fifth. As such, McAllister was unable to clinch his third-straight title a round early, but heads to Tucson with a comfortable 46-point lead over Hoffman.
Pulling double duty in both classes, Josh McLean continues to thrive in Pro Lites. The Australian worked his way to the front of the pack from the inverted grid and held off a determined Nicky Reimer on the Tri-County Powersports Husqvarna to take his second-straight win in Pro-Lites.
“It’s everything,” McLean said about the win. “It makes the trip worth it. It’s good to come over and finish fourth and fifth in the open class, but to get a win, it makes the 24 hours of traveling worthwhile.”
Joining the pair on the podium was Dallas Daniels on the Fat Boy Racing Yamaha. The young flat track racer had an impressive ride, winning a heated battle with Christian Payne on the LMR Racing Husqvarna, PDR Racing Dawson Schieffer and HB Racing’s Brady Tauson for that final podium spot on the podium.
Lean Six Sigma Racing’s Josh Jackson soldiered on in spite of a knee injury and was able to maintain his points lead as his title rival Cameron Welsh fared worse. The Welsh Racing Yamaha rider got held up in a first-lap incident and finished eighth behind Jackson. Defending Pro Lites champ Reimer made the most gains, moving up into the second spot in the championship, two points behind Jackson. Welsh now sits third, six points behind the leader.
In the Amateur National class, Monarch Honda’s Malcolm Barker took his second win of the year and moved back into the points lead. The Utah rider now holds a five-point lead over Lee Schmidt going into the final round in Tuscon.
“I have never raced that track, but I hear it’s a really good one,” Barker said about the season finale. “So I’m excited to go put in some fast laps and try and get another win.”
Fifty-six-year-old Mike Suratt held off South Dakota native Dean Frey to win the battle for second. In fourth was Schmidt and rounding out the top five was Joe Agley.
2016 Colorado National Speedway AMA Supermoto Results:
Pro Open Main One Results: 1. Dustin Hoffman (KTM); 2. Gage McAllister (KTM); 3. Eric Stump (KTM); 4. Joshua McLean (HUS); 5. Shane Narbonne (HON); 6. Tim Velasquez (HUS); 7. Ron Reed (HON); 8. Nicky Reimer (HUS) 9. Sam Knox (HON); 10. Dawson Schieffer (SUZ).
Pro Open Main Two Results: 1. Eric Stump (KTM); 2. Dustin Hoffman (KTM); 3. Shane Narbonne (HON); 4. Tyler O’Hara (HON); 5. Gage McAllister (KTM); 6. Joshua McLean (HUS); 7. Tim Velasquez (HUS); 8. Dawson Schieffer (SUZ); 9. Nicky Reimer (HUS); 10. Sam Knox (HON).
Pro Lites Results: 1. Joshua McLean (HUS); 2. Nicky Reimer (HUS); 3. Dallas Daniels (YAM) ; 4. Christian Payne (HUS); 5. Dawson Schieffer (SUZ); 6. Brady Tausan (KAW); 7. Josh Jackson (HUS); 8. Cameron Welsh (YAM); 9. Robert Pinney (YAM); 10. Ian Champness (KTM).
National Amateur Results: 1. Malcolm Barker (HON); 2. Mike Surratt (SUZ); 3. Dean Frey (SUZ); 4. Lee Schmidt (KAW); 5. Joe Agley (KTM); 6. Charles Hopper III (HON); 7. Kevin Wehr (KTM); 8. Glenn Fuller (HUS); 9. Bob Russell (HON); 10. James Jones (KAW).
For more information about the AMA Supermoto National Championship Series, click HERE.