Monster Energy’s Doug Henry Wins @ Inaugural Detroit AMA Supermoto!
Henry’s fastest all weekend, overcomes first race crash to win
second race; Monster Energy teammate Mark Burkhart podiums in first race
CARLSBAD, Calif., (July 11, 2006) – Monster Energy’s Doug Henry,
battling hard all weekend with AMA Supermoto Championship series
points leader Jeff Ward, overcame a first race crash on Saturday to
win the second race of the inaugural Detroit AMA Supermoto at
Waterford Hills Road Race, Inc., in Clarkston, Mich.
Henry, who dominated the first moto as well – only to tip over late
in the race and get passed by eventual winner Ward – came back with a vengeance in the second AMA Supermoto class race to win the second race going away.
“It was just a silly little mistake and it cost me the win,” said
Henry of his first race accident. “I caught my handlebar on one of
the tires (marking the edge of the track) and it pulled me down.”
By swapping wins in the two-race format in front of an estimated
6,000 fans at Waterford Hills Ward and Henry remained 1-2 in the
overall points chase with Ward leading at the halfway point of the 20-
race season, 203-192.
In the first race the Yamaha-mounted Henry, 36, pulled the holeshot
in the 24 racer field and led the race through lap 12 of the 14 lap
contest. The Superpole was won by Henry’s Monster Energy teammate Mark Burkhart, who nearly stuffed his Yamaha YZ450F on the fastest portion of the course, but held on to win the pole. A miscalculation by Henry coming out of a technical section on the dirt portion of the combination asphalt/dirt course would send him to the ground. Henry was able to collect his bike and finish the race in fourth, however Ward had inherited the lead and would cruise in for the victory with Burkhart in second place.
In the second race it was again Henry taking the early lead with a
rocket ship start and smooth riding through the road-to-dirt
transitions. Burkhart would go down in the asphalt-to-sand section
and Ward would reel in and hang tight with his friendly rival Henry,
the two of them distancing themselves from the rest of the field.
On lap eight it would be Ward that hit the deck, again in the dirt
portion of the track that felled Henry and Henry would take the
checkers with ease.
In the AMA Supermoto Lites division Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha-backed Brandon Currie finished 2nd overall. Currie trails Lites class points leader Cassidy Anderson 125-104 at the halfway point of the 2006 AMA Supermoto Championship season.
Next up for Monster Energy’s Henry and the AMA Supermoto Series is the Denver Supermoto, August 26-27.
