ROUNDS 7-8/JULY 13-14, 2013
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE/LEXINGTON, OHIO
AMA SUPERSPORT
P94
AMA MOTORCYCLESUPERSTORE.COM SUPERSPORT SER
PUERTA AND GILLIM SHARE
SUPERSPORT SPOTLIGHT
BIG SHIFT IN SUPERSPORT EAST STANDINGS
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN J. NELSON
R
oadRace Factory Yamaha's Tomas Puerta and
Team 95's Hayden Gillim
split wins in the Mid-Ohio Supersport races in a weekend that
saw Stefano Mesa fall from atop
the point standings with a crash
on Saturday. Corey Alexander left
the weekend as the new Supersport East leader in what is shaping up to be a great home stretch
battle in the series.
In Saturday's race Puerta
emerged from a five-rider battle
to pull away in the end to score
the victory. Puerta nailed a great
start and led a five-rider break-
away with Travis Wyman, Gillim,
Mesa and Miles Thornton in tow.
For a lap or two it was a six-rider
freight train when Nick McFadden moved up to join the lead
pack.
Puerta and Wyman traded the
lead mid-race and then on lap
nine Puerta got back in front and
led it the rest of the way. In the
closing laps he opened up a gap
and had 3.213 seconds on Gillim at the flag. Thornton held off
Wyman for third, a couple of second behind Gillim.
Puerta is a SuperSport West
rider so he gained no points with
the win.
"It was a tough race," said
Puerta. "Seventeen hard laps.
Tomas Puerta (12) leads Travis
Wyman (24) en route to victory in
Saturday's Supersport race at MidOhio.
Every time I looked at my board,
the message was '+0.' They
made me work hard. The last
four or five laps, I was really going. I wasn't worried about crashing, I was trying to bring the race
home, and they made me work
really hard."
On Sunday it was a thriller. Gillim and Travis Wyman had a riveting last lap duel for the lead, with
both making bold passes.
Saturday's race winner Puerta
led early and it looked to be a
great battle between him and Gil-
