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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542397
end of race one, I nearly had the speed. But it w"s- n't a good finish." KTM's Kurt Nicoll flnished sixth, some five sec- onds behind Herfoss. ''lt's not my best track," Nicoll said. "l missed the setup on the bike a liftle bit. I changed the front tire and I had a lot of front end trouble." Micky Dymond was catching Nicollas time ran out. "l started in the midpack, and it's hard to make pzrsses when everyone is going so close in speed," Dymond said. " lf they're a little bit faster than you then it's hard to do anlthing. You iust follow around. Seventh is good for race one and we'll iust keep makinE improvements." The first race of the day foretold the following three, as passing proved to be near impossible. "Unless somebody makes a mistake it is really hard to get by them," said Henry "We are all running such a close speed. lt's tough to get by somebody when they are only running a tenth of a second slower." SUP€RMOTO RAC€ T\^/O Ward's second race was much like the fi6t, leading from the start and never seeing another rider's front wheel sneak along side. "The first race was a little harder for me," Ward said. "l was a linle tight. l'm always better in the sec- ond moto, and I was really loose today in the second moto, I was iust tryin8 to conserve." Ward's tearnmate Fillmore was second, again, at the end of the opening lap, but both Henry and Kunzel passed him on the second lap. Nicoll held second, with Burkhart in seventh and seeing the meatball flag. "l jumped the start and then I stopped," admitted Burkhan. "l ended up coming out like seventh - and I 8ot the meatball flag. I definitely moved and any- time you move it's a iump. I take the blame for that. I'm real happy with my ridinS; I just didn't get good starts all day. I need to flgure something out." Henr/'s throttle suned slipping on lap three, allowing Kunzel to move to second, while Nicoll moved all the way up to third with a pass on Fillmore. "The throttle loosened up," explained Henry ''You rwist the thrortle and the whole housing turns, and it doesn't go." At the halfway point, Fillmore took third back from Nicoll with a pass out of the last turn before the straightaway. ''ln the second race I had the bike set up much befter, and I rode much befter," said Nicoll. "But I had a couple of lappers mess me up and knock me back." As the race went on Ward took note of Kunzel's strong ride in second place. "l saw Kunzel back there." Ward said. ''l hadn't raced him all day and I didn't know his pace. I was iust trying to stay ahead of him and then he caught me. He didn't ride the flrst moto - well, just two laps - so he was real fresh and charg- ing hard trying to wear me out. But I think I wore him out." Ward chanSed his riding tactics in the dirt with a shift from the outside line on the berm to the inside line that hugged the corners. "l saw what lKunzel] was doing the inside line in the dirt. I thought maybe that was a faster line. When I went to it the gap stayed the same and then I pulled out a little bit- ln the second moto the inside line got a really good blue groove and the little whoops were gone." Kunzel's second place was welcomed consolation after his DNF in the first race. "l finished the race so it was much better than the first race," the defending champion said. "l didn't really have a chance to win. I came close to Ward, but we are so high level. You know after the race you can talk, Burkhqrl (harer Henry, mechqnicql problems in who suffercd lhe 3scond ro.e. Defending Supermolo Ghomp Jurgon Kunzel suffercd o broken chqin in the first roce. The purse at Elkhan Lake was $l0,0dl spread equally betlveen the four races. First place paid $300. The riders at Elkhan take were introduced to the new AMA director of Supermoto, loel Grover. Grover was most recently with Clear Channel working on fr€estyle motocross. Supermoto series rnanager Todd Eatan reports to Grover. Another new face on the Al'4A staf{ was series announcer Will .Sharpie" Nielson. Nielson was an announcer for freestyle motocros working for Grover. "l'm here to get people e"xcited and pumped up, and that's what I do best." Nielson said his nickname "Sharpie" came from the time when a group of treestyle motocrosserr pinned him to the ground and colored his face with magic marke6. Road Ameri(a and the AMA announced a second Supermo- to round on September 22-23. the same weekend of the cir- cuit's Champ Car event. "l have to say it was [Champ Car president] Stevelohnson's idea," said Road America presi- dent George Bruggenthies. "He told rne that he was talking to former AHA Pro RacinS CEO] Scott Hollingsworth for over a year about po6sible combination of an AMA program along with Champ Car. He wanted to get a different demo- grephic at the event and create awareness. Then he called me and said he wanted a Supermoto went at the September Champ Car race. He thought Supermoto was an exciting, X- Games kind of sport that appeals to a younger demographic than what appeals to Champ Car. He is trying to create a happenint more like what we have on a bike weekend." Supermoto fans hoping to see a little motorcycle road rac- ing at the September event can forget that idea, added gruggenthies. "The road-racing bikes would be difficult to run the same weekend as Champ Car. Theae are different is5ue5 bewveen bikes and cars. Air bags don't work well for Champ Cars. And there is a dillerent configuration ofthe track. The Al'1A uses the bend while the Champ Cars use the kink. And there are loSistical issues with timing and scorint. Thus, the Supermoto made sense." Most rideB had kind words lor the Elkhart Lake Supermo- to circuit, but were quick to comment on what areas ne€ded improvement. "There's a few spos fon the pave- ment] that have patches on tiem, and they're kind ofslip- pery so you have to be caretul," sajd Dout Henry "The dirt section it pretty fast - ),ou can make a lot of time there or lose a lot of time there. You are kind ofon the edge the entire time in the dirt section. lt's a tricky s€ction." lur8en Kunzel especially liked the hills. "l think it's a r€ally nice tr.ck. You have to like it i{ you are goint to iace it. to be able to go out aM have fun. lt's not !o long, the dirt se.lion, and it's not so technical. But it's a good din section - you see the difference between good riders and the rest. The paved section is nice wit$ the up and down hills. lt's realty.pecial and makes for a good experience. lt's a lot of fun." Micky Dymond aSreed with Kunzel$at the hills were something that sets Elkhart Lake apart from most other courses, "The ovo tracki we have in Wisconsin are the two best track on the sahedule as far as race surface. This also has elevation. The dirt sections leave a little more to be desired. lthink they've done a good iob with what they've got, but I think they could have brought in some din and really made it spectacular. And now without the urban- cross, there are no real jump6 on the course. There's a jump comint down dle hill, but it'r a small one." Like most oth6r riders, Mark Burkhar't bemoaned the fact that there was only on€ iump on the course- "lt's got a lot of nice, swe€ping tums and it flows together reel well. I realt like this track. The dirt section is prett), good: it's got an outside line and an inside line- There's only one jump though. I like it with a lot ofiumps." Briefly... 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