All-New KTM Bike at Stateline Supermoto Challenge

April 9, 2007, 9:20am

All-New KTM Bike and South African Michael Kok Will Join Team KTM/HMC Racing For Stateline Supermoto Challenge

Primm, Nevada (April 4, 2007) - After some musical chairs in the pilots' seats, Team KTM/HMC Racing has set its lineup for the Stateline Supermoto Challenge coming-out party on April 13-15.

With Johnny Lewis sidelined with a broken wrist, team owner Mitch Hansen has been on the lookout for an early-season replacement to augment strong and steady Troy Herfoss and veteran KTM jockey Kurt Nicoll. Two hot South African KTM champions caught his attention - Brian Capper and Michael Kok - with the latter agreeing to come stateside for the huge border showdown in Primm.

Numerous tight turns and plenty of dirt characterize this year's Stateline Challenge track, designed as always by the event organizer Marche Karger, who is himself a racer.

Kok joins nearly 600 other entries for what has become North America's largest supermoto race after only three years of existence. Every OEM team will be represented, and classes also include Quad and UTV (side-by-side) racing. Complete event information is available at www.statelinechallenge.com.

"We first saw Michael race in South Africa a few months ago," says Hansen. "All he did was win all six motos he was in. We were very impressed. This guy is the real deal."

Another new addition to the HMC camp for Stateline is the all-new KTM 450 SX-F, with its completely re-designed chassis, suspension and engine, plus that must-have competition feature, the e-starter."We'll be testing the new KTM right up until flag drops at Stateline," noted Hansen.

"We're looking forward to some good results from our riders on that machine. And we're also happy to be welcoming back Dunlop, Silkolene, and Akropovic as our charter sponsors."

The Stateline Supermoto Challenge takes place at Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino in Primm, Nevada, just a couple of hours from L.A. and less than an hour from Las Vegas. The venue is a fully self-contained resort, making it the ideal location for fans and racers to spend an action-packed weekend kicking off the supermoto season.