Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA Supermoto Championship Alex Thiebault rounding out the top 10. Ward was on a mission, and he wasn't about to squander the opportunity to get a win and take home a full load of points, and he ran uncontested to the finish. "The track was good, and it dried out; it was real slippery in a couple of areas," Ward said. "I was just riding smooth and laid down a couple of good laps at the beginning and then just kept my pace and watched where everybody was to see if somebody was going to start creeping up." Holding down second place for the entire race was CHM Exhaust Honda's Anderson, the Utah rider putting in an impressive ride ahead of Nicoll. "The track was awesome," Anderson said. "The more dirt, the better for me. I feel a lot more comfortable if there is more dirt. I got a second-place start and then was just trying to keep Ward in my sights, follow his lines and just try to keep him there. I was pushing the whole time. I got a little tight towards the end and started making a few mistakes. My arms started to pump up and tingle a little bit, but I ended up pulling it off." Nicoll had worked his way around teammate Kunzel early, only to be repassed by the German, but Kunzel would start to suffer from clutch prob- lems as the race wore on and would fall victim to his boss Nicoll once again, on lap eight. "It was good - the whole part through the dirt, I'm really good," Nicoll said. "I really don't like the places where it is halfwet and half-dry. I'm a little bit of a girl there. I never really practice in the wet, and I don't really race that much - and when I race in the States, it's usually dry. So I was kind of nervous and not really fast through there. I thought I could catch up [to Anderson); I was way qUicker through the dirt, and I think I would have had a chance down into the tight bends, but he had a good gap on me and I was just too nervous." Team Troy Lee Designs Honda's Fillmore took advantage of the fading Kunzel as well, a lap later on lap nine, and moved into fourth place - a position he would hang on to until the end. ''At the start, people were hitting everybody and it was mayhem into the first corner," Fillmore said. "I think I came out in like eighth or ninth way back there. Then I just kept it consistent throughout the entire race." Kunzel was back to fifth, and he would manage to repel the pressure from behind to finish there. "The start was the highlight of my race - I had a really good start," Kunzel said. "Then I got into third in the race. I had a problem with my clutch, and this was my race; in fifth position I saved some points." The battle for sixth was among Red Bull Cernics Suzuki's Pastrana (who was clearly the qUickest rider on the track's long dirt section), Frenchman David Baffeleuf on the HMC KTM, and Italian Ivan Lazzarini on the Pacifico GP Husqvarna. Pastrana had a couple of close calls during the race as he and Baffeleuf hooked handlebars in the air over the final jump exiting the rhythm section. Pastrana eventually took the position, with Baffeleuf taking seventh and Lazzarini eighth. "It's really tough for me here, because I'm a lot slower on the pavement and a lot faster than some of those guys on the dirt," Pastrana said. "If I don't get them in the dirt, I'm just losing time. A lot of guys are going to the left [in the rhythm section), but I don't care, I'm just jumping everywhere. Everything worked out really good. That was my best Supermoto finish yet, and we were real close to third for most of the race. I just have to get through the pavement without getting passed. If I have an open track on the dirt, I can run the lap times with anybody. If I get held up in the dirt, I just get passed again on the pavement." One of the more impressive rides of the race had to be that of young Aussie Troy Herfoss, who was 15th at the end of lap one but was battling with Alex Thiebault for ninth by the latter stages of the race, though he wasn't able to get by the French rider, taking 10th. RAce TWO Race two got started in better conditions, as the track was almost completely dry, despite threatening clouds. This time 30 AUGUST 31,2005 • CYCLE NEWS around, it was Anderson getting an excellent jump on the field, with Ward right on his heels going into turn one. A notable absentee from the front row of the grid was Red Bull KTM's Nicoll, the Brit's bike haVing suffered terminal engine problems on the warmup lap. Anderson held on for a lap before Ward worked his way past and disappeared into the distance. Once in the lead, Ward pulled a repeat of his performance earlier in the day, cruising to a commanding 4.576-second victory and taking over the points lead at the same time. "That was good; I felt really good," Ward said. "That was actually better than the first moto, I think. In the first moto, I was just trying to control the pace so I wouldn't burn out in the second race. It felt good. I didn't get the start, but once I got by him [Anderson), I opened up a pretty decent gap there." Fillmore had received a gift in the form of Nicoll's absence from the grid, as he was able to get a great start through the hole left vacated by the KTM team manager. Fillmore quickly worked his way into third and was able to get by Anderson in the fast left-hand dirt-track corner on lap seven when Anderson ran wide. "I guess what happened is that Kurt [Nicoll) broke down, and he was right in front of me [on the grid)," Fillmore said. "It just made a hole, and I just blew by all those guys. I had an awesome start, and that's really what you need at a track like this, I'm so happy. I just tried to pressure Cassidy [Anderson). He made a mistake or got tired; I don't know, but he made a mistake at the end of the dirt straight. He overshot it, and I got by him, and then I just kept my head down the whole time." The other rider on the move was Kunzel, who had worked his way past Anderson, the Utah rider struggling in the asphalt sections on the now completely

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