TOP RIDERS SLATED TO RACE COPPER MOUNTAIN AMA SUPERMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER OPENER
13 August 2004 - AMA Pro Racing

A number of leading riders from several racing disciplines are slated to take to the track in the 2004 AMA Supermoto Championship doubleheader season opener at the Copper Mountain Resort and Village in Copper Mountain, Colo., on Aug. 28-29.

The doubleheader is part of the annual Suzuki CycleFest.

Jeff Ward is expected to be on hand at Copper Mountain. Ward, a Motorcycle Hall of Famer, won seven AMA National Championships and proved to be perhaps the most versatile rider in the history of the sport winning AMA National titles in 125cc, 250cc and 500cc motocross as well as AMA Supercross. During his motocross career Ward won a total of 56 races, placing him third on the all-time motocross/Supercross win list at the time he retired from motocross in 1992. He had one of the longest careers of elite motocross riders covering 15 seasons in the pro ranks.

Ward, at 43, has proven that he hasn’t lost his competitive spirit. Last year he won three AMA Supermoto events and finished second ranked in the regular season standings. Ward took third in the season-ending championship race in Las Vegas.

Doug Henry is another motocross legend making the transition to AMA Supermoto. Henry, a three-time AMA Motocross Champion, only came to supermoto racing midway through last season. In the three rounds leading up to the championship race Henry, from Torrington, Conn., scored three podium finishes, including taking a surprise win at the Irwindale Speedway round in only his third AMA Supermoto race. With a half season under his belt, Henry is counted as one of the leading contenders in the championship this year.

Steve Drew is another rider showing great improvement in the pre-season. The former motocross racer from Southern California showed plenty of speed in the supermoto race in the recent X-Games. Drew’s top finish in the featured Supermoto class last year was fifth. Look for him to improve on that result this season.

In 2003, Chris Fillmore was a 16-year-old racing phenom that shocked the veteran riders with his performances last year on a factory KTM machine. Fillmore battled for the championship lead all season last year in the Supermoto Unlimited class and was one of the few AMA Supermoto riders to get experience in world championship rounds. With that kind of experience, look for the now 17-year-old from Oxford, Mich., to make a serious bid for the title this year.

Ben Carlson is another of the young guns making a name for himself in supermoto. Carlson comes from flat track racing and showed awesome speed last year if not a little inconsistency. If Carlson finds steadiness in his riding this year he could easily be a rider to watch to possibly go all the way.

Perhaps the biggest name to make the jump to AMA Supermoto this season is former AMA Motocross Champion and X-Games Gold Medallist Travis Pastrana. Pastrana made his supermoto debut in the X-Games earlier this month and showed great adaptability despite suffering injuries from a freestyle crash the night before. The popular rider from Maryland, is slated to race the entire series on a Cernic’s Suzuki-sponsored DRZ400, before switching to the all-new 2005 Suzuki RMZ450 later in the year.

World Supermoto contender Jurgen Kunzel, of Germany, and Kurt Nicoll, a former British motocross great now living in Austria and heading up KTM’s racing team, are expected to be two of the leading international riders lining up at Copper Mountain. Both riders scored victories in the Supermoto Unlimited class last season.

Grant Langston will return to AMA Supermoto this year after earning the Supermoto Unlimited class championship in Las Vegas last November. Langston, from South Africa, is another former AMA Motocross Champion racing in supermoto this season and he’ll be on a factory-backed KTM.

Road racing will be represented by three-time AMA Superbike champion Doug Chandler. Chandler was one of the leading AMA Supermoto contenders last year – he won the South Boston, Va., round – before suffering a broken leg in the Columbus, Ohio round and missing the rest of the season. Now healthy and sharp from racing the HMC Ducati Milwaukee in the AMA Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series, Chandler could continue were he started off last year.

The Copper Mountain AMA Supermoto doubleheader will be taped and later televised nationally on OLN. For additional information on the Suzuki CycleFest and AMA Supermoto doubleheader contact (303) 377-3278 or visit the website www.cyclefestco.com.

For immediate post-race results, points, live transponder scoring, in-depth series and rider information and much more, log onto www.AMASupermoto.com.

Schedule of Events

Friday, August 27

3:00 - 6:00 PM - Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors, Media & Guests

3:00 - 6:00 PM - Tech inspection

6:00 PM - Entries Close for All Classes for both Rounds

Saturday, August 28

7:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Registration: Crew, Sponsors, Media & Guests

7:00 AM - Tech Inspection Opens

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM - Practice: 1. Supermoto Group A - 10 minutes; 2. Supermoto Group B - 10 minutes; 3. Supermoto Unlimited - 10 minutes; 4. Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto Challenge - 8 minutes

9:00 AM - Mandatory Riders Meeting

9:30 AM - Timed Qualifying Session #1: 1. Supermoto Group A - 12 minutes; 2. Supermoto Group B - 12 minutes; 3. Supermoto Unlimited - 12 minutes; 4. Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto Challenge Practice - 8 minutes

10:30 AM - Timed Qualifying Session #2: 1. Supermoto - group A - 12 minutes; 2. Supermoto - group B - 12 minutes; 3. Supermoto Unlimited - 12 minutes

11:30AM - 12:00 PM - Lunch Break/On Track Autograph Session

12:00 PM - Heat Races: 1. Supermoto - 4 races, 8 laps; 2. Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto Challenge - 6 laps; 3. Supermoto Unlimited - 2 races, 8 laps

2:00 PM - Opening Ceremonies

2:15 PM - Semi-Finals: 1. Supermoto - 6 laps; 2. Supermoto Unlimited - 6 laps

2:45 PM - Supermoto Superpole (top 8 riders from heats)

3:10 PM - Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto Challenge Final - 10 laps

3:30 PM - Supermoto Final - 24 laps

4:00 PM - Intermission (track prep)

4:30 PM - Supermoto Unlimited Final - 24 laps

Sunday, August 29

7:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Registration: Crew, Sponsors, Media & Guests

7:00 AM - Tech Inspection Opens

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM - Practice: 1. Supermoto Group A - 10 minutes; 2. Supermoto Group B - 10 minutes; 3. Supermoto Unlimited - 10 minutes; 4. Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto Challenge - 8 minutes

9:00 AM - Mandatory Riders Meeting

9:30 AM - Timed Qualifying Session #1: 1. Supermoto Group A - 12 minutes; 2. Supermoto Group B - 12 minutes; 3. Supermoto Unlimited - 12 minutes; 4. Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto Challenge Practice - 8 minutes

10:30 AM - Timed Qualifying Session #2: 1. Supermoto Group A - 12 minutes; 2. Supermoto Group B - 12 minutes; 3. Supermoto Unlimited - 12 minutes;

11:30AM - 12:00 PM - Lunch Break/On Track Autograph Session

12:00 PM - Heat Races: 1. Supermoto - 4 races, 8 laps; 2. Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto Challenge - 6 laps; 3. Supermoto Unlimited - 2 races, 8 laps

2:00 PM - Opening Ceremonies

2:15 PM - Semi-Finals: 1. Supermoto - 6 laps; 2. Supermoto Unlimited - 6 laps

2:45 PM - Supermoto Superpole (top 8 riders from heats)

3:10 PM - Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto Challenge Final - 10 laps

3:30 PM - Supermoto Final - 24 laps

4:00 PM - Intermission (track prep)

4:30 PM - Supermoto Unlimited Final - 24 laps

www.amaproracing.com

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