Bloomington Power Sport
Kawasaki’s Chase Guthrie
and KTM’s Jason Hine split Pro Class wins at
Michigan Supermoto Championship round two
John Lukasik, Jr. and Shannon Kelsey are double
winners,
while Keith Witherspoon earns his first supermoto win
CLIO, Mich. (June 21,
2011) –
Athletes began packing up their supermoto race bikes and gear
last weekend from parts of Canada, Michigan and Indiana to
compete in round two of the Michigan Supermoto Championship. The
race at Auto City Speedway on Sunday, June 19 also served as a
points-paying round for the Canadian-American Supermoto
Championship. Seven Canadian racers joined the Americans in this
most unique form of motorcycle racing. Bloomington Power Sports’ Chase
Guthrie continued
his streak, winning the first Pro main. However, the streak
ended as KTM’s Jason
Hine won the
second Pro main.
The weather was near-perfect for
racing with mid 80-degree temperatures and low humidity. The
course at Auto City Speedway includes use of the asphalt front
straight, high banks, infield figure-eight and a dirt section.
The promoter, MISuperMoto.com, its crew and the
Bentwheels M/C
flaggers were on top of things all day to ensure that safety
remained the priority. Lap times in the Pro Class were about
1:08. Racers competed on all forms of specialized motocross
bikes with slick tires, road race-style front brakes, and
slipper clutches. They typically use new-generation four-stroke
motorcycles.
Besides, a points-paying round
for the 2011 Michigan Supermoto Championship and
Canadian-American Championship, the event also qualified some
local riders for the Taco Bell Ogemaw Hills Supermoto
Spectacular on July 15 in downtown West Branch, Michigan.
“I want to thank all the riders
for making the journey to Auto City Speedway to put on a great
show,” said Dave Duprey, promoter of the series and owner of
MISuperMoto.com. “Every heat race had intense battles for the
top three spots and no one was giving up an inch. It was some of
the best racing I had seen in years. We want to thank the
Canadian riders who made the trip and were competitive in their
classes. We had racers with enduro, motocross, flat track and
road racing backgrounds, proving again that supermoto crosses
all disciplines. Supermoto is easy to break into as shown by
flat track racer Kirk
Cheney who landed
on the Pro podium after only his second supermoto race.”
The most exciting race during
the day was a fierce, but clean, battle between round one Vet
35+ Class winner, Kensington Motorsports’ John
Lukasik, Jr. on a
Yamaha and Team199.com/Cernic’s/Red Bull’s Ron
Meredith on a
Suzuki. During the eight laps it was an intense battle with
multiple passes between the two competitors. At the end,
Meredith held off Lukasik by a mere second to earn pole for the
main event. During the Vet 35+ Class main Lukasik, who competed
in both the Pro and Vet 35+ classes, had other plans when he
eventually cleared from Meredith during the race and walked away
with the Vet 35+ Class win for the second-consecutive event.
The Pro Class also had fierce
racing with Guthrie, Hine, Lukasik and Cheney on a Honda
battling it out for the top three spots in both pro mains. Hine
tried relentlessly to overcome Guthrie in the first main;
however it was not be as Guthrie walked away with another win.
Although Hine did stay close to him on his KTM 250SX-F compared
to Guthrie’s more powerful Kawasaki KX450F. In the second Pro
Class main, Guthrie had a horrible start and with the other
riders close in speed he had trouble getting through the pack.
Midway through the race, Guthrie high-sided and crashed.
Thankfully he suffered no major injuries, though he was unable
to finish the race. Hine took advantage to come up with the win
and take the lead in the Pro Class series championship points
with 82 points versus Guthrie’s 75 with two rounds remaining.
In the other two classes during
Michigan Supermoto Championship round two, Shannon
Kelsey on a
Yamaha continued his streak in the Amateur Class by emphatically
winning the main. Keith
Witherspoon, also on a Yamaha, won his first supermoto race
with first in the Beginner Class. Enduro ace John
Love on a KTM was
close behind at the finish. Witherspoon now controls the lead in
the Beginner Class point standings. Jason Hine’s twin sister, Danielle
Hine, also on a KTM 250 SX-F, competed in the Beginner Class
earning sixth place and is now fourth in the class series
standings.
The podium finishers from each
main event during Michigan Supermoto Championship round two
follow:
Pro Class Race #1
1. Chase
Guthrie, Kawasaki
2. Jason
Hine, KTM
3. John
Lukasik, Yamaha
Pro Class Race #2
1. Jason
Hine, KTM
2. John
Lukasik, Yamaha
3. Kirk
Cheney, Honda
Beginner Class
1. Keith
Witherspoon, Yamaha
2. John Love, KTM
3. Chris Parks,
Honda
Amateur Class
1. Shannon Kelsey,
Yamaha
2. Joe Sangster,
Honda
3. Scott Sangster,
Yamaha
Vet 35+ Class
1. John Lukasik,
Jr., Yamaha
2. Ron Meredith,
Suzuki
3. Chris Barendret,
Husqvarna
Complete results and standings
are available at www.misupermoto.com.
The third round of the Michigan Supermoto Championship will be
on Friday, July 15 at the Taco Bell Ogemaw Hills Supermoto
Spectacular in downtown West Branch, Michigan. MISuperMoto.com
will release additional event information prior to July 1. All
Michigan Supermoto Championship rounds are held rain or shine.
Events will run in all conditions.
Never seen supermoto before or
hopped on a supermoto bike? Want to know what the supermoto
track at Auto City Speedway looks like? Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYbYdt-9Kcc.
2011 Michigan
Championship Schedule (remaining
2 of 4 rounds)
Friday, July 15
Ogemaw Hills Supermoto Spectacular West
Branch, Michigan
Sunday, August 28
Auto City Speedway
Clio, Michigan
2011 MISuperMoto Test
and Tune Schedule (remaining
practice sessions)
Sunday, August 14
Jackson Speedway Jackson,
Michigan
Sunday, September 11 Auto
City Speedway Clio, Michigan
Sunday, October 2
Jackson Speedway Jackson,
Michigan
Sunday, October 23
Auto City Speedway Clio, Michigan
To learn about the rules, bike
set-up and entry fees and keep posted to schedule updates for
the Michigan Supermoto Championship and MISuperMoto Test and
Tune Days, visit www.misupermoto.com.
MISuperMoto offers a membership this year that helps riders save
money who participate in both the Michigan Supermoto
Championship races and the Test and Tune Days. Check the website
or contact Dave Duprey at 810-459-1806 to
find out more.
About MISuperMoto
MISuperMoto is the premier
regional supermoto racing and track day series east of the
Mississippi. Its Test and Tune Days enable current enthusiasts
to ride supermoto on a safe course, while new riders can try
their hand at this growing motorcycle discipline including
renting a demo bike. In 2011, MISuperMoto will promote the
four-round Michigan Supermoto Championship and eight Test and
Tune Days. These Michigan-based events are held at Auto City
Speedway in Clio, Jackson Speedway in Jackson and during Ogemaw
Hills Bike Week in West Branch. Support is made possible by Taco
Bell, Bridgestone, Magnum Distributing, MotoPR, Midwest
Motorcyclist, Violation Goggles and ActionSportsTV.com. Visit www.misupermoto.com for
more information.
About MotoPR
Detroit, Michigan-based Moto
Public Relations, LLC (MotoPR) brings best practice public
relations and marketing to action sports to increase public
interest and corporate support. Our integrated services include
public relations programming, media relations, media training,
promotion development, social media, sponsorship acquisition and
management, and event production. Visit us online at www.motopr.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bryan Peckinpaugh
313.575.1245
bryan@motopr.com
