ATKINS’ AMBITIONS STOPPED BY RAIN
27 August 2006 - Aprilia

The second day of racing in Denver, valid for the Supermoto AMA Championship, was unfortunately ruined by the rain, which forced the race organizers to change the program due to the wet track.

Many of the free trials were eliminated, along with many participants who disputed two qualifying turns in the afternoon.

Darryl Atkins, official rider for Team Aprilia Pacifico Racing, got seventh in the Supermoto Unlimited class in the saddle of the SXV 5.5. But with the passing of the riders, the dirt part of the new track, created in the Mile High Stadium, was literally melted. As a result, after qualifiers and races of other classes, even the asphalt part was covered in a layer of mud. It was like driving on ice and many riders, even those of first rate ability, were involved in several falls. At the start of the race, a pile of men and bikes was formed almost immediately, and it also involved Atkins. The New Zealander started again, taking the first lap in seventeenth place. The rider for Team Aprilia Pacifico Racing threw himself into a difficult, if not impossible given the conditions on the track, attempt at recovery; however in the fifth lap he found himself down once again and lost a lot of time. He was reached and lapped by the leading group, to which he had previously returned, before he progressively lost ground. The end of this race for Atkins, unanimously judged as “impossible” by the riders themselves, was a withdrawal, after the umpteenth fall, two laps from the finish line. At that point, there was no reason to finish, as no points would have been gained. A true disappointment for Darryl, who just the day before had moved up one spot in the championship, only to lose it again today, returning to tenth due to the zero points earned.

The race was won by the French rider David Baffeleuf (Husqvarna), now the sole leader of the classification with 139 points, followed by Carlson (Ktm) and Trachy (Husqvarna).

www.aprilia.com

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