HMC KTM Factory rider Troy Herfoss took home his first Premier class win over the weekend at the second round of the AMA Supermoto Series.
The momentum kicked off as Herfoss gated against the reigning 450 Supermoto Champion, Mark Burkhart, during the first of two 450 heat races. The KTM rider met the challenge and propelled his 450 SX-F to the lead and made it stick. Herfoss' teammate, Chris Fillmore, also rose to occasion aboard his KTM during heat two with a five-second victory over Cassidy Anderson. This set the scene for a potential four-way battle in the main event.
In the main event, Herfoss managed to start in 2nd place with Fillmore one spot back in 3rd. Herfoss managed to pass the current leader, Cassidy Anderson, before the end of the first lap. Shortly into the race Fillmore came together with another rider that cost him two positions but he regained momentum quickly to fight his way back up front. With Herfoss taking a commanding lead of the race, it took a few laps for Burkhart and eventually Fillmore to push their way to the front of the field. By lap seven, Fillmore had made his way past Anderson and Horton to secure his spot on the podium.
Up front, many figured that Burkhart would eventually run down Herfoss and steal his glory but there was going to be none of that. It was clearly evident that this day belonged to KTM and Herfoss. Even after Herfoss suffered a late moto crash, Burkhart was no match for Herfoss who quickly recovered to maintain his lead.
At the finish, there was nearly an eight-second gap over Burkhart with Herfoss taking his first of what should be many more victories. Fillmore held true with a solid third-place finish keeping the prominent colour of orange on the podium. With his victory, Herfoss is now only two points behind Burkhart in the race for the championship.
Herfoss:
"I am very happy and thankful for all of my sponsors that have helped me earn my first win in the Premier class. I even received a hug from my boss - which means I must have done well,".
In the Unlimited class, HMC KTM's Kurt Nicoll was at the race but absent from the starting grid. During the X-Games, Nicoll made contact with a track barrier and injured his hand and will be out for some time and will possibly miss the next two rounds. Nevertheless, Steve Drew kept the KTM name atop the podium with his second AMA victory of the year. The Rockstar/Hart & Huntington/Mach 1 Motorsports rider put his KTM 505 on the box as did fellow KTM-mounted Josh Chisum with a third-place finish.
On a sombre note, Team HMC KTM expresses deep sadness and extends their thoughts and prayers to the Hart family and the entire Rockstar/Hart & Huntington team for the tragic loss of racer Anthony Hart over the weekend.
Next Event: Round 3 - Shawano WI - August 24, 2008
| Overall AMA Supermoto Results |
| 1. Troy Herfoss | - KTM |
| 2. Mark Burkhart | |
| 3. Chris Fillmore | - KTM |
| | |
| AMA Supermoto Point Standings | |
| 1. Mark Burkhart | - 47 |
| 2. Troy Herfoss | - 45 |
| 3. Chris Fillmore | - 38 |
| 4. Cassidy Anderson | - 36 |
| 5. Ben Carlson | - 30 |
