Liam Draper to Fill In for FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley in AMA National Enduro
Press Release | March 12, 2020
Liam Draper to Fill In for FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley in AMA National Enduro
This is a press release from KTM…
Murrieta, CA (March 12, 2020) – The FMF KTM Factory Racing Team announced that 2019 NE Pro 2 Champion Liam Draper will fill-in for the injured Ben Kelley in the 2020 AMA National Enduro Championship’s NE Pro 1 class, beginning with the upcoming Round 2 in Texas.
The New Zealand native will race aboard Kelley’s factory-prepped KTM 350 XC-F until Kelley makes his expected return to racing in July. From there, the team will make a decision concerning Draper’s role for the remaining rounds. Furthermore, Draper will continue to race under his KTM-supported Tely Energy Racing Team in the complete 2020 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) and Full Gas Sprint Enduro (FGSE) series.
Antti Kallonen: “I’m happy to be able to give one of our support riders this opportunity to race the National Enduro Series under our Factory program. We expect Liam to do well even with the short notice and preparation. He raced and won the NE Pro 2 class last year in the series and now jumping into the NE Pro 1 class, he should adapt just fine.”
Ben Kelley recently underwent shoulder surgery to repair injuries sustained during a routine practice session the week leading up to the opening round of the GNCC Series and he is expected to return by the end of July.
For more information on KTM and its athletes, please visit www.ktm.com/us.