News & Features

The buzz about AMA Supermoto that has been building for months came to an exciting crescendo this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Teammates Jeff Ward, Jeremy McGrath and supermoto specialist (and former motocrosser) Kurt Nicoll set a blistering pace in the first-ever AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship race Sunday, July 13.

The three outdistanced the rest of the 25-rider field with McGrath leading the charge with the holeshot and early lead until lap 17 where a small bobble caused the seven-time AMA Supercross Champion to fall from first to third. Behind him, Ward, who was hounding him up to that point, and Saturday's KTM Unlimited Supermoto race winner Nicoll, snuck up under McGrath for first and second leaving McGrath to finish third.

With many motorcycling diversions to choose from at the Monterey, California facility, thousands made their way over to the supermoto track, lining the fences and hillsides for a glimpse of the history in the making. Never before have so many current and former racing legends taken to the same grid, for example, three-time AMA Grand National dirt-track champion Chris Carr lining up against X-Games Gold Medal winning freestyler Mike Metzger.

Back to the racing. Pre-race favorites McGrath and Ward didn't disappoint. And while McGrath got the holeshot and looked to be in control early on, Ward was waiting for McGrath to make a mistake. It happened on lap 17, when the front wheel of McGrath's Honda CRF450F stepped out just enough for Ward, and then Nicoll, to slide under McGrath in the 180-degreen hairpin Sidi turn. From there, Ward and Nicoll turned up the needle, leaving McGrath scrambling to keep with them.

According to both Ward and McGrath, the pace set by the first- and second-place riders was no surprise. Ward's Friday qualifying heat time was nearly 14 seconds faster than McGrath's. "I was really bummed out that Jeremy got a better start because I thought I had a better pace than him," said Ward, who suffered from slight arm pump following McGrath. Ward picked out the hair pin turn as a likely passing zone. He had come up on McGrath's rear wheel a few times before the passing lap. "I knew the place I could get him and if he made one little bobble that I could peel over and get underneath him."

McGrath knew both Ward and Nicoll were right on his tail. McGrath attributed the mistake to some sand that had gotten on the track from the tire barriers being bumped during racing. "I spun out the back end and lost it, then started to go again and overcooked the corner and left the door open. Jeff went in and I started to turn down and Kurt got in there too."

After that, McGrath struggled to keep pace with the two leaders. "I think I may have been holding them up a little bit. When they went by I tried to stay with them a little bit, but they were going faster than me."

The winner Ward was pleased with the win, but confessed he needs to gain more speed. "I got to pick it up a little bit. I need to ride more motocross to get my arms more relaxed. We're going to go to them all and get ready for Vegas."

Race Notes:

• Unfortunate crashes were all too many for the AMA Flat Trackers in attendance. KTM HMC Supermoto Racing 2's Joe Kopp posted the best finish in the Red Bull Supermoto final with sixth. Kopp's KTM HMC Supermoto Racing 1 teammate Larry Pegram came home 15th. JR Schnabel and Chris Carr both didn't finish the event due to crashes. Schnabel was caught in a lap one, turn one pileup and Carr highsided into the back kink tire barriers. After the hard hit, Carr decided to call it a day. "I rode a few more laps to see if anything was broken (both on him or the bike) and it got to the point where I wasn't comfortable anymore," said a battered Carr afterward. "And I certainly didn't want to get in the way of the leaders, so I pulled in with eight laps to go." Of course, leading the AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship points battle also played a role. Carr is gunning for his fourth AMA Grand National Championship.
  
  

• All eyes were on eight-time AMA Champion Jeremy McGrath. He was the focus of pre-event media and on-site media. He was swarmed by photographers on the starting grid and was cited by a few non-motocrossers in attendance as one of the big reasons they want to try supermoto. Roger Lee Hayden was in the pits during the racing and said that not only does the racing look like fun; but that he wants to try it so he can say he raced against McGrath. And three-time AMA Grand National Champion Carr acknowledged the star factor in Jeff Ward. "It was cool to say I was in a race with Jeff Ward. That guy was in 'On Any Sunday' 30 years ago!"
  
  

• Kurt Nicoll probably had the most successful weekend. The head of KTM's Austrian-based racing division, won Saturday's KTM Supermoto Unlimited race and took a close second to Ward in Sunday's Red Bull Supermoto final. When asked if he thought it was weird to say that Jeremy McGrath was holding people up, he paused, then threw out grinning, "He should have stuck with KTM."
  
  

• There were a number of racers spectating the first-ever AMA Supermoto event. Here's a rundown in no particular order: Travis Pastrana, Stephane Roncada, Ben Spies, Jake Zemke, Roger Lee Hayden, Tommy Hayden, Ben Bostrom and Aaron Yates.