Nick Wey & MDK/KTM Complete Best-Ever 450 SX Season
Wey steps up @ Vegas and places a season-best 6th overall, setting yet another first for the KTM 450SX four-stroke in its most successful season of American supercross racing to date
CARLSBAD, Calif., (May 8, 2008) – Team MDK/KTM’s Nick Wey gave the factory KTM program its best-ever AMA Supercross class finish this past weekend at Las Vegas, putting an exclamation point on a season of firsts and best-ever milestones in American supercross racing for the Austria-based motorcycle company.
With a couple rocket ship starts in both his heat race and main event on his KTM 450SX, Wey was able to deliver a 6th place overall finish for KTM – something the company’s never experienced before here in the States with its premier SX class bikes.
“The entire MDK team worked very hard this year with testing and preparing the KTM 450SX and feel we got some solid results throughout the competition year,” said Wey. “Based on that we will be able to provide KTM with some valuable data on the bike.
“(Mike) Alessi proved the bike’s capable of making the podium outdoors (six podium finishes on the 450SX in ’07). We’re looking forward to applying what we learned supercross and continuing to work hard to insure the success of the 450SX outdoors in when the season kicks off at Glen Helen here in a couple weeks.”
Wey was on it in Vegas. His starts were the best he pulled all year and those close to the MDK/KTM camp said it’s the best he’s raced all year. Wey agreed. “Everything lined up nicely at Vegas. My starts allowed me to run up front early, which was a big help (2nd in his heat, 3rd in the main). Apart from that just a few minor mistakes on my behalf and we’d have been in the top five – easily.”
In addition to his best-ever premier AMA SX class main event finish for the KTM 450SX at Vegas, other firsts for Wey and the factory bike include:
·Best overall season finish ever in the premier AMA SX class:
9th
·Most top ten finishes in one season in the premier AMA SX
class: Seven
·Most consecutive top ten finishes: Four (rounds four through
seven)
·Most premier AMA SX class main events made in one season: 15
Writing himself into factory KTM’s record books with his gutty performance this year, Wey was pumped to take the KTM 450SX to competition levels the bike’s never attained before. “This was my first year with the KTM program and I feel we put up some solid numbers,” said Wey. “I look forward to having the opportunity to expand on what we did and continue to advance the KTM brand on the world’s leading supercross proving grounds – the AMA Supercross Series.”
Next up for Wey and the MDK/KTM team is the opening round of the 2008 AMA Outdoor Nationals at Glen Helen Raceway (San Bernardino, Calif.), May 25th.
Also stepping up to back Wey this year, along with MSR and KTM, are a number of high level sponsors including: Spy Optic, Oxtar, Vans and Bell.
For more information on Wey and the MDK/KTM Motorsports team, link to: www.mdkspeed.com .
