MDK KTM Race Report

May 5, 2008, 1:28pm

Las Vegas, NV – The final round of the Supercross Series that kicked off at Sam Boyd Stadium was jam packed of the world’s finest riders including MDK KTM Factory rider Nick Wey and MDK KTM Lites Team riders Justin Brayton, Matt Goerke, and Ryan Sipes.

Justin Brayton

Brayton was up first in Lites heat #1. After a 12th place start he found himself in a second corner pile up. He was last to remount which set him 20 seconds back from the rest of the pack ultimately sending him to the LCQ.

Goerke and Sipes hopped out front early in Lites heat #2 coming down the long start straight in 4th and 5th respectively. Goerke continued to move forward at an aggressive pace quickly moving into 3rd. He caught up and battled with the 2nd place ride of Trey Canard but wasn’t able to make the pass stick. Goerke finished 3rd in his heat. Sipes managed to cross the line in 7th after a couple late moto mistakes cost him a few positions.

Matt Goerke

Wey pulled off a tremendous start in his heat for the third week in a row coming out of the starting area in 2nd place. Unfortunately, he made a mistake in the whoops on the first lap allowing two riders to go past, dropping him to 4th. He held 4th for the rest of the moto to easily qualify for the main.

In the Lites LCQ Brayton redeemed himself by pulling a massive holeshot leading the race from start to finish, never looking back. “I was bummed to have to qualify through the LCQ but I was glad it was an easy win for me,” reported Brayton.

Ryan Sipes

The first KTM to come into the stadium off the start of the West vs. East Coast Shoot Out was Goerke sitting in 8th. His teammate, Brayton, got held up on the start and was back in 18th. Sipes had even worse luck when he crashed in the first turn, setting him back nearly a lap. Back inside, Goerke was on the gas moving through the pack. Just short of the halfway mark, Goerke had worked his way into 6th and was closing fast on the 5th place ride of Ryan Morias when he crashed hard over a small table jump before the finish line. Goerke’s crash knocked the wind out of him and caused him to retire from the race.

Meanwhile, Sipes, who was still down a lap after his start, was giving his best effort to catch any rider he could. By the end of the moto, he ended up 19th overall. The highlight of the Shoot Out was Brayton’s charge through the pack. Despite his near last place start he blasted through the pack passing one or more riders on each lap. When the checkered flag flew he had moved his way up from 18th to 6th less than a bike length back from the 5th place rider.

Nick Wey

The Supercross main event was a replay of Wey’s heat as he came flying out of the gate in 3rd position. Andrew Short managed to make a pass on Wey, but Wey stayed close and maintained 4th position for a while longer until Reed made a move. Wey stayed close not letting the gap between the top four riders get out of site. Soon he was battling for 5th with Honda’s Davi Millsaps. The two battled back in forth for the last few laps with Wey out front and then Millsaps. On the last lap Wey tried to make a pass stick but bobbled over a jump allowing Millsaps to jump ahead as they crossed the finish line. In his best looking ride of the season Wey finished 6th. “Nick (Wey) looked very fast tonight and we were incredibly impressed on his last minute charge for 6th. We feel incredibly confident in his speed as we leave here and begin to prepare or the outdoors,” commented MDK KTM Factory Team Manager Steve Lamson.

Overall Race Results:
1. Chad Reed
2. Kevin Windham
3. Andrew Short
4. Josh Hill
5. Davi Millsaps
6. Nick Wey – KTM
7. Charles Summey
8. Travis Preston
9. Tim Ferry
10. David Vuillemin

Overall Series Points:
1. Chad Reed - 365
2. Kevin Windham - 352
3. Andrew Short - 281
4. Davi Millsaps -278
5. Josh Hill - 228
6. Tim Ferry - 218
7. Nathan Ramsey - 173
8. David Vuillemin - 169
9. Nick Wey – 159
10. Paul Carpenter – 145

West vs. East Coast Shoot Out Results:
1. Ryan Dungey
2. Ryan Villopoto
3. Trey Canard
4. Dan Reardon
5. Ryan Morias
6. Justin Brayton – KTM
7. Brett Metcalfe
8. Kyle Chisholm
9. Broc Hepler
10. Austin Stroupe