The Fay Myers Suzuki Supermoto Classic presented by American Supercamp is coming to Invesco Field at Mile High in downtown Denver on Aug. 25-26. The doubleheader weekend is rounds six and seven of the AMA Supermoto Championship presented by Parts Unlimited.
Jeff Ward, fresh off earning gold in X-Games 12, leads the AMA Supermoto Championship. At the X-Games he became the oldest male gold medalist in X Games history. Ward, who rides for Troy Lee Designs Honda, holds an 11-point lead over Graves Yamaha’s Doug Henry. Mark Burkhart and Chris Fillmore are in a tight battle for third in the AMA standings.
“With Denver being a doubleheader it makes these rounds the most important weekend of the season for the championship,” said Ward, who won five of the six previous AMA Supermoto races held at Copper Mountain. “Running four races in the span of two days at altitude will really reward the riders who are physically prepared. This weekend can make or break your season. You’ve got to approach this event a little differently than a typical race. If you have a good weekend in Denver it can help your chances in the championship, if you have a bad weekend it can ruin your season.”
Henry, a former AMA Motocross Champion, comes back to Denver a year removed from the season-ending crash he experienced at Copper Mountain. That crash resulted in a week-long hospital stay and injuries including a collapsed lung, cracked pelvis and cracked ribs.
“I’m sure that will be in the back of my mind a little bit,” Henry said of returning to CycleFest. “I’ve gone through this [coming back from injuries] before so you learn to deal with that. This is a big weekend and obviously I hope I come through it better than I did last year.”
Henry’s teammate Mark Burkhart is third in the standings and is one of four riders to win a Supermoto this season. Burkhart went undefeated in the Lites class last year and is hoping to prove he can run with Henry and Ward on a consistent basis. A good showing at Denver could keep him in the hunt for the title.
Australian Troy Herfoss could be a factor in Denver. Herfoss is a two-time Supermoto Unlimited winner at nearby Copper Mountain and could carry that success over to the premier Supermoto class in Denver this year.
Cassidy Anderson is in the same position Burkhart was in last year. The young rider from Utah is undefeated in Supermoto Lites coming into Denver, riding for the Troy Lee Designs Honda team. Yamaha’s Brandon Currie has been nipping at the heels of Anderson, but has yet to find a way to make a pass on the series leader late in the race. Look for Currie to step up his challenge at Denver. A local rider, Dalton Dimick of Ft. Collins, scored a podium finish in the last round of the series in suburban Detroit. Dimick could be the big hero of the event should he manage to win one of the two Lites rounds in Denver.
The AMA Supermoto Unlimited class is the most closely contested so far this season. The top four riders are covered by just six points with Frenchman David Baffeleuf leading the way on a GP Husqvarna. Baffeleuf is being closely pursued by Ben Carlson, Micky Dymond and John Lewis, all KTM mounted.
Related Linkswww.amaproracing.com
Related News
