NEWS \ News & Features

by Chris Martin

Team Motodynamics Tuluie Yamaha's Doug Henry earned his first career AMA Red Bull Supermoto victory in improbable fashion under the lights at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night, Nov. 1.

• Irwindale Supermoto Photo Gallery

Over the first half of the race, Henry could only watch from second as World Supermoto standout Jürgen Künzel stretched out a massive advantage at the front. But just when it looked like the Red Bull HMC KTM guest star was set to cruise home to the most lopsided victory in the series' brief history, disaster struck for the German.

While holding an incredible 17-second advantage on lap 11, Künzel low-sided entering the tricky left-hander that led up onto the oval. He managed to remount in time to keep control over first, but the damage was done. His lead was slashed to just two seconds, breathing new life into Henry's charge.

The three-time AMA Motocross champ gobbled up the slowing KTM rider through the dirt section and leapt through into the lead with an impressive triple-jump pass on lap 13. Künzel, also suffering from a lost rear brake lever, had nothing left for Henry, but soldiered on to take second.

Afterward taking his first supermoto win and third podium in just three attempts, Henry said, "I felt pretty good in the beginning, but Jürgen was just flying out there. He was running his pace, and he just gapped me. But later I saw a KTM on the outside, and when I realized that it was him, I got a boost of energy.

"I could catch him in the dirt by doing the triple. I figured if I could stay close enough in the pavement, I might be able to get him with a triple, and it worked out really good for me."

Despite his disappointing loss, World Supermoto ace Künzel managed to qualify for the upcoming AMA Red Bull Supermoto A-Go-Go Championship finale in Vegas with his effort and will certainly rank among the pre-race favorites.

He was still puzzled by his misfortunate. "I went into the corner and braked normally and then my front tire... I crashed and I don't know why. And then I saw Doug, and I pushed very hard. I drove very near to a tire, and lost my foot brake and had to ride without it for the rest of the race."

Mike Metzger claimed his first AMA Supermoto podium in Irwindale, gradually working his way up from an 11th place starting position to wind up third in the 20-lap event. The Zoo York Honda pilot moved into a podium position on lap 16, driving past KTM's Ben Carlson with a superb exit out of the dirt section.

"Glad to finally put together a podium finish," he remarked. "Three weeks from now we'll be at the finale in Vegas, so I'm looking forward to getting another podium and hopefully winning the thing."

Carlson spilled almost immediately afterwards, attempting to respond to Metzger's move, but regrouped to hold down fourth.

Carlson and Metzger's duel could have easily have been for fourth and fifth if Honda Racing's Ben Bostrom had not dropped his CRF450 out of third on lap 13 in the same corner that caught out Künzel. Bostrom was also able to pick his bike up, and he rode home fifth, making it an astonishing three crashers in the eventual top five.

Third KTM man Joe Kopp took sixth ahead of Pacifico Saunders Suzuki's Mark Avard, who ended the regular season on top of the points standings.

Meanwhile, the points leader entering the Irwindale round, Jeff Ward, retired on lap 10, falling and stalling his Honda shortly after being overtaken by Metzger for sixth.

KTM Supermoto Unlimited

It took visiting KTM World Supermoto hotshot Jürgen Künzel a couple of laps to work past his quick starting American teammate Ben Carlson in the KTM Supermoto Unlimited final. Once the German dove into the lead on the brakes on lap 2, however, he wasted no time in displaying his world class skills; just moments after sliding into first, Künzel was already decidedly pulling clear from the field.

He built up a near double-digit lead before cruising home to a 3.893-second margin of victory, crossing the line on one wheel, standing on the seat of his 525 KTM.

Afterwards, the 2002 German Supermoto champion said, "Ben was very fast early, and then I pushed a little bit more. Once I got in front, I went my speed, and that was the race for me."

Fortunately for the spectators, the race for second wasn't quite as predictable. Carlson, 2000 AMA Grand National champ Joe Kopp, and another World Supermoto regular, Gerald DeLepine, fought a spectacular battle to sort out the final podium positions.

DeLepine dropped from the tussle on lap 14 of 20 with mechanical problems, making it a two-man race to decide the runner-up; Carlson and Kopp traded the runner-up spot back and forth, with Kopp finally making a definitive maneuver exiting the dirt section on the last lap.

"The first few laps I wasn't willing to push it, and when I got comfortable, I noticed I started catching Ben," Kopp stated following the race. "I passed him about halfway through, but he got me right back. I thought, 'well that wasn't too smart, was it?' So I followed him a while, and when I saw five to go, I counted the laps down and got him where he wouldn't have any time to get me back, and it worked. Congratulations to Jürgen, he rode a heck of a race. I couldn't even see him up there."

Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto Challenge

Chad Cose got his revenge on AJ Stay after finishing second to him in the day's earlier Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto heat race by topping him in the 8-lap main event.

The 12-year-old Cose climbed up from fourth on the opening lap of the Jr. Supermoto Challenge -- a contest featuring riders between the ages of 12-15-year-old riding identically prepped Honda CRF150s -- to slip into the lead on lap 3. Once through, he fought off the challenge of Stay, who eventually crossed the stripe 2.545 seconds in arrears to place second.

14-year-old Sean Jones took third despite struggling with a malfunctioning rear brake throughout the race.

Notes

• The Irwindale supermoto circuit utilized sections of both the speedway's half-mile oval and its infield -- reminiscent of the racecourse featured at South Boston Speedway earlier in the season, only even faster. The .7-mile, 18-turn track sent the riders halfway around the oval at full-speed before a chicane directed them to the inside of the oval's Turns 3 and 4, which then led to a tight hairpin. Following was the winding infield and four-corner dirt section.
  
  

• The dirt was overly damp in the morning following overnight showers, forcing the opening practices to be run on the asphalt only. The dirt section was then groomed and modified slightly, resulting in a minor redesign that was widely considered an upgrade over the original layout.
  
  

• With the Irwindale event serving as the last possible round to qualifying for the AMA Red Bull Supermoto A-Go-Go Championship finale, a handful of big name participants turned up to put in last gasp efforts to make it to Vegas. Among them were '98 AMA Superbike Champ and multi-time World Superbike race winner Ben Bostrom (Honda Racing) and AMA Motocross ace Ryan Hughes (Red Bull HMC KTM), two very familiar names who made their AMA Supermoto debuts on Saturday.
  
  

• With plenty of fast pavement sections to attack, you'd assume that Bostrom would lean heavily on his road-racing techniques. You'd be wrong. While a number of racers did take the knee-down approach in several corners this weekend, Bostrom was not among them. "I'm going total dirt tracker -- foot down. Kind of a 'moto-dirt track' style. I didn't even bother having knee sliders put on my leathers."
  
  

• While considerably less well known in the States than Bostrom or Hughes, World Supermoto front runners Gerald DeLepine (Vertemati) and Jürgen Künzel (KTM) certainly increased their American name recognition with impressive AMA Supermoto debuts.
  
  

• Künzel looks to be a major player in Vegas in both the Red Bull Supermoto and KTM Supermoto Unlimited finales, while DeLepine will be a favorite in the Unlimited class -- despite his machinery troubles, he was credited with 20th on Saturday night and picked up the solitary point needed to qualify for the championship round.
  
  

• One racing celebrity checking out the action at Irwindale, but unable to compete was Travis Pastrana. Still on the shelf mending from a knee injury, Pastrana instead spent his time at the track signing autographs and talking with his fans.
  
  

• Along with a full day of supermoto racing, the fans in attendance had plenty to entertain them at the speedway, including freestyle motocross, skateboard and BMX demonstrations, live music, and a Red Cross fire fund raffle.
  
  

• All four Red Bull Supermoto heat races featured tight two-man dogfights at the front. Jürgen Künzel held off Jeff Ward (despite Ward setting the fastest lap of the race) in the first heat. Joe Kopp then fended off Doug Henry in the second. Ben Bostrom won the third heat race after crashing while running a close second (he and then race leader Chris Fillmore crashed simultaneously without contact). And in the last heat race, Larry Pegram swapped the lead with Mike Metzger until Metzger was brought in for a stop-and-go for jumping the start.
  
  

• There were no major surprise non-qualifiers in the heat races, with basically all of the top names qualifying straight into the finals. There was almost a monster happening in the first heat race, however, as multi-time '03 race winner Ward was just able to get his Honda started in time following much drama moments prior to the green light.
  
  

• CHM Exhaust McAllister Motorsports Honda's Brett Landes and Casey Yarrow won the two semifinals.
  
  

• Doug Henry claimed the top spot on the grid and a brand-new gold Timex with a stellar effort in Superpole. Henry posted a 1:15.424 during the flying-lap qualifying procedure, more than a full second better than next quick Jürgen Künzel.
  
  

• With the regular season complete, next up on the slate is the big one: The AMA Red Bull Supermoto A-Go-Go Championship finale at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on November 21. You can find event information and order tickets at www.redbullsupermoto.com and www.showtickets.com, or by calling (888) 217-9565.