The final round was as a double-header at Miller Motorsports Park that started off with promoter practice on Friday, round 7 of the XTRM AMA Racing Amateur Championship series on Saturday and rounds 5-6 of the AMA Pro Racing series running on Sunday.

Going into Sunday’s festivities, the bets were pretty solid that Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Honda rider Jeff Ward might take the 450 championship, KTM’s Kurt Nicoll had a good shot at the Unlimited title and the 250 crown was between Danny Casey and Matt Burton regardless of the fact that TLD’s Joey Pascarella was returning to the class after a suffering a broken wrist while riding motocross earlier in the year.

Most of the predictions held water unless you were talking about the always-volatile 450 class. Whatever could go wrong or right, depending on what side of the fence you were on, happened. Going into the final two rounds, Ward led CHM Pro Honda Oils rider Sylvain Bidart by a slight advantage of three points. And not to mention Monster Energy Burkhart HMC Racing rider Mark Burkhart only trailed Ward by six points.

Supermoto 450 Premier Start

Supermoto 450 Premier Bidart, Costella, Currie in action

Supermoto 450 Premier 2009 Champs

SERIES RESULTS

PREMIER/450:
1.      Sylvain Bidart
2.     Mark Burkhart
3.     Brandon Currie
4.     Jeff Ward
5.     Micky Dymond

LITES/250:
1.     Dan Casey
2.     Matt Burton
3.     Dustin Hoffman
4.     Jacob Lehmann
5.     Joey Pascarella

UNLIMITED:
1.      Kurt Nicoll
2.     Steve Drew
3.    Justin Ross
4.     Monte Frank
5.     Josh Chisum

Results:
To view all the PRO results, click here.
To view all the AMATEUR results, click here.

Thanks to all the riders, teams, sponsors, fans, promoters and volunteers for making this another successful Supermoto season!

For more photos visit XTRM.com and join our XTRMSupermoto community.

XTRM Sports Network

XTRM Announces the Results of the Summer X Games 15 Round of the 2009 XTRM AMA Supermoto Championship Series –

Ivan Lazzarini Edges Out Mark Burkhart for the Win!  Chareyre, Bidart and Anderson round out the top 5!

Results from ESPN X Games 15 – Aug 1, 2009
MOTO X SuperMoto Final at The Home Depot Center

Name                                               Hometown                  Finish
1) Ivan Lazzarini                            Pesaro, Italy                       29:32.710
2) Mark Burkhart                           Pataskala, OH                    29:34.388
3) Adrien Chareyre                       Anduze, France                  29:45.005
4) Sylvain Bidart                           Gan, France                       29:54.038
5) Cassidy Anderson                    Provo, UT                           29:58.120
6) Brandon Currie                        Anaheim, CA                       29:59.727
7) Jeff Ward                              Newport Beach, CA               30:01.627
Derek Costella                         Las Vegas, NV                    30:04.808
9) Micky Dymond                         Placentia, CA                      30:07.415
10) David Pingree                        Temecula, CA                     30:11.407
11) Danny Casey                         Vacaville, CA                      30:20.731
12) Matt Burton                            Ottumwa, IA                    30:23.556
13) Kurt Nicoll                              Cambridge, GBR                30:29.512
14) Darryl Atkins                          San Clemente, CA             30:30.515
15) Jason Conlon                        Mt. Airy, MD                         30:45.366
16) Steve Bonsey                       Salinas, CA                          30:51.126
17) Steve Drew                           Buckeye, AZ                        30:57.971
18) JR Schnabel                         Campbellsport, WI               31:52.480
19) Carey Hart                            Las Vegas, NV                     34:17.632
20) Joey Pascarella                    Vacaville, CA                        36:06.903

Information on all X Games events can be found on www.xgames.com.

REMINDER:  The final 2 rounds of the Supermoto Championship series are coming up!  Who will come out on top???

Miller Motorsports – September 5th & 6th
Mammoth Mountain – September 19th & 20th

REGISTER NOW AT: http://xtrm.com/supermoto/schedule.htm

Riders, Teams & Fans…
Coming very soon…camping, lodging, track maps and more…

For up to date information, visit www.xtrm.com/supermoto

On-Line Registration for round two is now open and will be held at the world class Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. This year’s series is featuring both pro and amateur competitors from around the World to see who will end up on top at the end of this high action series.  Fontana brought Jeff Ward out of retirement and found Matt Burton capturing his first career supermoto win.  This season, which will culminate at the finals at Mammoth Mountain in the fall, got out of the gate in bar to bar fashion with tight competition in all classes. 

The 2009 XTRM AMA Pro Racing Supermoto National Championship features Yamaha, Honda, Aprilia, and KTM factory supported Supermoto teams including a host of new teams and racing stars from the US and abroad. All are vying for top honors in the Premier 450, the Unlimited, and the 250 Supermoto Lites class.

Running in conjunction with the pro series is the2009 U.S. Amateur Supermoto championship series. The events take place on Saturdays with a huge turn-out of riders from around the US.

XTRM encourages manufacturers and sponsors to gain additional bang for the promotional buck through the powerful XTRM Sports Network platform. XTRM efficiently manages the complete process from online registration and live timing and scoring to credentials, sponsorship and contingency programs.

2009 XTRM AMA Supermoto Championship Series Schedule:
1.    Results are up xtrm.com/supermoto
2.    May 17:  Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA
3.    May 31:  Southpoint Casino, Las Vegas, NV
4.    September 6:  Miller Motorsports, Salt Lake City, UT
5.    September 20:  Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, CA

2009 XTRM Supermoto USA National Championship Series (Amateur):
1.    Results are up xtrm.com/supermoto
2.    May 16: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA
3.    May 30:  Southpoint Casino, Las Vegas, NV
4.    June 21:  Willow Springs Raceway, Rosemond, CA
5.    July 12:  Thunderhill Raceway, Willows, CA
6.    August 30:  Reno Fernley Raceway, Fernley, NV
7.    September 5:  Miller Motorsports, Salt Lake City, UT
8.    September 19:  Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, CA 

“The XTRM team is taking the series this year to the next level. We have selected venues that will bring value to our sponsors and by keeping the series on the west coast to really make the series accessible to a large majority of the teams. “Says Steve Tsuruda, VP of Sales. “Despite the soft economy, our team of professionals for the series are focused on quality and making the racing fun for racers and spectators alike.”

To view the entire schedule and for additional race details, go to http://www.xtrm.com/supermoto

For information about Supermoto event and series sponsorship opportunities, contact XTRM VP of Sales – Steve Tsuruda, steve@xtrm.com.

About XTRM Sports Network
XTRM Inc. is the fastest growing online and offline action sports network.  XTRM provides huge value for sponsors, advertisers, properties, event organizers, athletes and fans.  XTRM is headquartered in Belmont, CA with distribution throughout the United States and Europe. For more information, please visit http://www.xtrm.com or call 866.367.9289.

About AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines.  From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT.  AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

Online Registration is open for both Pro and Amateurs for Round Two and Three.

Quad Registration can be found in the Pro Registration – Round Three.

Grey is Street Brown is Dirt

The 2009 XTRM AMA Pro Racing Supermoto National Championship features the Yamaha, Honda, Aprilia, and KTM factory supported Supermoto teams as well as a host of new and existing teams and racing stars competing for top honors in the Premier 450 Supermoto class, the Unlimited Supermoto class, and the 250 Supermoto Lites class.

.

2009 XTRM AMA Supermoto Championship Series Schedule:

1. March 22: Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA Results are up http://www.xtrmlive.com

2. May 17: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA

3. May 31: Southpoint Casino, Las Vegas, NV

4. September 6: Miller Motorsports, Salt Lake City, UT

5. September 20: Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, CA

2009 XTRM Supermoto USA National Championship Series (Amateur):

1. March 21: Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA Results are up www.xtrmlive.com

2. May 16: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA

3. May 30: Southpoint Casino, Las Vegas, NV

4. June 21: Willow Springs Raceway, Rosemond, CA

5. July 12: Thunderhill Raceway, Willows, CA

6. August 30: Reno Fernley Raceway, Fernley, NV

7. September 5: Miller Motorsports, Salt Lake City, UT

8. September 19: Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, CA

To view the entire schedule and for additional race details, go to http://www.xtrm.com/supermoto

For information about Supermoto event and series sponsorship opportunities, contact XTRM VP of Sales – Steve Tsuruda, steve@xtrm.com.

About XTRM Sports Network

XTRM Inc. is the fastest growing online and offline action sports network. XTRM provides huge value for sponsors, advertisers, properties, event organizers, athletes and fans. XTRM is headquartered in Belmont, CA with distribution throughout the United States and Europe. For more information, please visit http://www.xtrm.com or call 866.367.9289.

About AMA Pro Racing

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines.  From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT.  AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

Online Registration is open for both Pro and Amateurs for Round Two and Three.

Quad Registration can be found in the Pro Registration – Round Three.

Grey is Street Brown is Dirt

The 2009 XTRM AMA Pro Racing Supermoto National Championship features the Yamaha, Honda, Aprilia, and KTM factory supported Supermoto teams as well as a host of new and existing teams and racing stars competing for top honors in the Premier 450 Supermoto class, the Unlimited Supermoto class, and the 250 Supermoto Lites class.

.

2009 XTRM AMA Supermoto Championship Series Schedule:

1. March 22: Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA Results are up http://www.xtrmlive.com

2. May 17: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA

3. May 31: Southpoint Casino, Las Vegas, NV

4. September 6: Miller Motorsports, Salt Lake City, UT

5. September 20: Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, CA

2009 XTRM Supermoto USA National Championship Series (Amateur):

1. March 21: Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA Results are up www.xtrmlive.com

2. May 16: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA

3. May 30: Southpoint Casino, Las Vegas, NV

4. June 21: Willow Springs Raceway, Rosemond, CA

5. July 12: Thunderhill Raceway, Willows, CA

6. August 30: Reno Fernley Raceway, Fernley, NV

7. September 5: Miller Motorsports, Salt Lake City, UT

8. September 19: Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, CA

To view the entire schedule and for additional race details, go to http://www.xtrm.com/supermoto

For information about Supermoto event and series sponsorship opportunities, contact XTRM VP of Sales – Steve Tsuruda, steve@xtrm.com.

About XTRM Sports Network

XTRM Inc. is the fastest growing online and offline action sports network. XTRM provides huge value for sponsors, advertisers, properties, event organizers, athletes and fans. XTRM is headquartered in Belmont, CA with distribution throughout the United States and Europe. For more information, please visit http://www.xtrm.com or call 866.367.9289.

About AMA Pro Racing

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines.  From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT.  AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

March 24, 2009

Ward back on top in Premier, Burton takes his first in Lites and Nicoll is victorious in Unlimited
The opening round of the 2009 season marked a new era for supermoto with XTRM Sports Network promoting the AMA Pro Racing Series. This year’s pro series will make six stops on the calendar at venues all over the Western states, including a round at the Summer X Games and a grand finale in the majestic mountain community of Mammoth Mountain, Calif.

In addition to the XTRM AMA Pro Series, there will also be five rounds of the XTRM AMA Amateur Supermoto National Championship the day before the big boys hit the track.  The amateur series will make three more stand-alone stops on their calendar before heading to Mammoth for the final event of the year.

The start of the season saw the return of 2006 450/Premier champion Jeff Ward to Team Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/Honda/Seaspan/PPG and the 2007 450 number-one plate rider Mark Burkhart made the switch from Graves Factory Yamaha to Monster Energy/HMC/Burkhart Racing/KTM. Two-time 250/Lites champion Brandon Currie made the jump to the 450 class aboard a BC Racing Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha YZ450F.

The opening round took place at Auto Club Speedway during the AMA Superbike weekend in Fontana, Calif. A special track was built for the supermoto race inside the stadium. After dodgy weather kept the track wet during the morning practice sessions and qualifying, the sun broke through and dried the track out just in time for the main events.

450/Premier Main
It was no surprise to see Burkhart on the pole for the main event but when the light turned green, Jeff Ward, a seasoned veteran and motorcycle legend, took the early lead. Burkhart was right there from the get-go while CHM Exhaust/Honda/Pro Oils rider Sylvain Bidart held down the third position. It didn’t take long for Burkhart to make the pass on Ward and the idea was to check out. Ward held steadfast and wasn’t about to allow Burkhart to spoil his full-time return to the series and was hot on Burkhart’s tail.

Last year’s 450 series champion, Troy Herfoss, landed a Factory Suzuki ride to road race in Australia this season. He will be missed and he was bummed he couldn’t run his well-deserved number-one plate but the opportunity to go road racing aboard a Factory bike was too good to pass up.

Meanwhile, Currie was mounting his attack and made a bold move on Bidart in the dirt through the whoops and made a block pass to take the position and advance into third place. Up front, Burkhart may have been a tad overzealous and that got the best of the former champ and he ended up tucking the front wheel and going down. This mistake opened the door for Wardy to take over where he had started the race but the battle was far from done. Currie was all over Ward’s tire like a three-year-old on his mother’s skirt.

At one point, it looked like Currie had the upper hand and it was only a matter of time before he made his move. But while Currie looked ahead, he had to keep an eye on Bidart who had reeled the leaders back in and was mounting his own charge.
Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water, Currie got chopped down at the knees. Hot on Ward’s tail, the young Currie clipped his foot peg on a inner corner marker one turn before the dirt and down he went. He sprung back up in a flash only to go down several more times while trying to make up for lost ground.

The charge to the front was all Burkhart. Recapturing his composure after sliding out, Burkhart piloted his Monster Energy/HMC/KTM through the field and ended up passing his way all the way back to third place at the finish.  Ward crossed the line with his first AMA victory in well over a year while the European rider Bidart put himself on the podium in second place and his CHM teammate, Micky Dymond, finished fourth.

250/Lites
With Currie exiting the class, the championship is up for grabs this season. As expected, Matt Burton would be a likely contender after running right with Currie several times in 2008. The class also welcomed the newest member of the TLD/Red Bull/Honda squad, Joey Pascarella. When the Red Bull Rookies Cup was canceled for 2009 in America, the young phenom was seeking a ride and he found a home at TLD. The boy is fast and he proved that riding the final round of the season in ’08 aboard a 450. Despite several crashes, including one during the main event, Pascarella showed he has what it takes to possibly take the title.

The start of the race saw Mach 1 Motorsports-backed Danny Casey yank the holeshot and take the early lead. Burton was hot on his tail and in no time applied the pressure. The two riders locked bikes exiting the dirt and Casey received the short end of the stick. Casey would recover and end up finishing third.

With Burton out front, the race was on as Pascarella was on the gas and starting to close in slightly. Pascarella pushed just a little too hard and slid out in a low-speed corner. He was able to remount in a flash and retain his position.  In the end, Burton claimed his first career Supermoto National win while the rookie Pascarella flew the TLD colors with pride with a solid runner-up position.

Unlimited
In a Cinderella story that fell in Steve Drew’s direction in ’08, he is the only rider back to defend his title from last season. With support from Mach 1 Motorsports and the Rockstar Hart & Huntington team, Drew earned the right to fly the big single digit.

Drew leapt out into the early lead in the main but it was Josh Chisum hot on his tail early. Chiz went down and gave up his prime position to KTM’s Kurt Nicoll. Nicoll pushed and pushed to close the gap on Drew and make a go for the lead. Drew over pushed his limits in the whoops a bit too much and blew through the berm giving up the spot. By the time Drew got back on the track, Nicoll had yarded him. He made a valiant effort to close the gap back up and at one point did make up some real estate but it was too little, too late and the champ had to settle for second.

Monte Frank showed up to the event with one of the unique 2009 Husaberg 570 enduro bikes. With supermoto forks, wheels and a slip-on exhaust, Frank made the ’Berg look like it was born as a supermoto machine. Frank put in a career-best finish in the class with his first podium.

The next XTRM AMA Pro Supermoto Championship event is set for May 16-17 in Sonoma, Calif., at Infineon Raceway. This is a combined event and will feature round two of the Amateur National Championship as well as the Pro National. For more information about either series visit xtrm.com/supermoto.

RESULTS
450/PREMIER
1    Jeff Ward         HON
2    Sylvain Bidart    HON
3    Mark Burkhart    KTM
4    Micky Dymond    HON
5    Brandon Currie    YAM
6    Derek Costella    HON
7    Kiyoshi Saai         HON
8    Martin Lind         HIG
9    Jason Conlon    HON
10    Travis Marks    HON

250/LITES
1    Matt Burton        KTM
2    Joey Pascarella    HON
3    Dan Casey        HON
4    Jacob Lehmann    HON
5    Dustin Hoffman    HON
6    Steve Marty         KTM
7    Dillon Van Way    KTM
8    Sean Butterman    YAM
9    Mike Ingle        KTM
10    Brandon Ward    HON

UNLIMITED
1    Kurt Nicoll        KTM
2    Steve Drew        KTM
3    Monte Frank        BERG
4    Justin Ross        KTM
5    Josh Chisum     KTM
6    Craig Peyron     KTM
7    Doni Wanat        KTM
8    Matt Stewart        HUS
9    Dustin Sullivan    KTM
10    Chris Kemp        KTM

To see full results go to xtrmlive.com.

Select XTRM/AMA Supermoto as the promoter, round 1 pro or amateur as the event, then the class you wish to view.

Pictured: Sylvain Bidart, Jeff Ward, Mark Burkhart

Premier Podium (left to right) – Sylvain Bidart(2), Jeff Ward(1), Mark Burkhart(3)
Photo Cred: Scott Hoffman, Supermoto Racer Magazine
To register for these events, visit:  http://www.xtrm.com/supermoto

To view the entire schedule and for additional race details, go to http://xtrm.com/supermoto/schedule.htm