Honda of Troy Atlanta Race Report
March 2, 2010 10:30am
#412 Levi Kilbarger continues to be the Teams top performer. Levi made qualifying easy for himself by getting a decent start in the second heat race and riding to a solid 7th place and a direct transfer to the main event. In the Main, Levi and his Honda of Troy / Kilbarger Racing CR250F surged out of the gate and netted another mid pack start and at the end of lap 1 he found himself in 10th place. Kilbarger was ready for battle in this very deep field of Lites riders and a battle was what he was in for. In the early stages of the race, Cunningham gained ground and got by but Levi put his head down and put on a charge of his own. Passing #32 on lap 5 and never looking back. In the late stages of the race Kilbarger set his sights on the 8th place position of Jake Moss. Levi closed a 6.3 second gap to under a second and on the last lap he came up just short of passing the talented Moss. This weekend’s race in Atlanta has given him even more focus and confidence allowing Levi to put previous injuries further and further behind him. Look for the #412 to be making a run on the top 5 in the next few weeks.
#92 Michael Willard found qualifying a bit more challenging this week. Michael was in the first heat and he began the night with a poor start. He put a determined assault on the field of lites riders; however, he came up one spot short of qualifying-sending him to the dreaded LCQ. Willard has suffered from poor starts this season and the Last Chance Qualifier is not where he was hoping to be but the #92 Honda would not be denied of the holeshot. He ripped the perfect start and rode a flawless race securing the LCQ win and giving him and his sponsors some great Television coverage in the mean time. The Main Event start was not as strong and Michael had his work cut out for him. He made several savvy passes and at the end of lap one he was in 16th place. As the race wore on, Michael picked up on a few fast and very technical lines and when the checkered flag flew he found himself in a respectful 13th place. Michael is working hard this week on setting up his bike for the challenges of the Daytona Track and he is very much looking forward to bettering himself and his finishes each week.
#36 Darryn Durham- Saying these last two weeks have been frustrating for Darryn would be a major understatement. Darryn has showed the speed, qualifying in the top 10 both weeks in the timed sessions. Darryn’s bike has been strong, his riding has been good but his decisions on the track have caused him to get a late start on obtaining his share of East Coast Lites points. In the next few weeks, expect Darryn to put it together and be back at the front of the pack where he belongs and deserves to be. This week Darryn qualified in the timed session 8th overall and going into the second heat things were looking good. In the second heat, Darryn got an average start and began working his way to the front. He was the only rider in his heat jumping the 80 foot quad jump. One over aggressive pass attempt put him off the track, directly on the tuff blocks, and at the back of the pack. The short LCQ didn’t go his way and once again he was watching from the stands.
#505 Sean Lipanovich is making strides every week and in Atlanta he put the #505 in his first night program. Sean is a strong starter and in the first heat race he nabbed an impressive 4th place off the gate. A few bobbles by other riders claimed Sean and put him back in 8th place. Holding his own for several laps, Sean was looking like he was going to transfer into the Main when a miscue sent him off the track and down. By the time Sean remounted he was headed to the LCQ. In the Last Chance Qualifier, Sean didn’t get the best of starts and the race showed him no mercy. Sean is making huge strides each week and it is only a matter of time before you see Sean in the Main of a Supercross.
The Team is staying down at MTF this week, testing and working on set-ups for the weeks to come. With our race effort we are making strides each and every week learning, adjusting and improving.
The Honda of Troy/Kilbarger Racing Team would like to acknowledge the sponsors who make this effort possible.
Honda of Troy, Kilbarger Racing LLC, Eleven 10 Mods, WAR - We All Ride, Fox Racing Shox, Cycra Racing, Motorex, TAG Metals, Yoshimura, Motion Pro, Renegade Race Fuel, Faction Mx, N-Style, Dunlop, DP Brake Pads, QTM, G2 Ergonomics, ARC, Boyesen, Light Speed, Hinson, RK/Excel, Ride Eng., Hammerhead, Straight Shot Air Filters, Bell Helmets, Hot Hedz Designs, Von Zipper, Total Image AutoSport, Kicker, ICW, Rocks Racing Services, Injectioneering, IMS Foot Pegs, Franklin Equipment, and Gabriel Logan
#92 Michael Willard found qualifying a bit more challenging this week. Michael was in the first heat and he began the night with a poor start. He put a determined assault on the field of lites riders; however, he came up one spot short of qualifying-sending him to the dreaded LCQ. Willard has suffered from poor starts this season and the Last Chance Qualifier is not where he was hoping to be but the #92 Honda would not be denied of the holeshot. He ripped the perfect start and rode a flawless race securing the LCQ win and giving him and his sponsors some great Television coverage in the mean time. The Main Event start was not as strong and Michael had his work cut out for him. He made several savvy passes and at the end of lap one he was in 16th place. As the race wore on, Michael picked up on a few fast and very technical lines and when the checkered flag flew he found himself in a respectful 13th place. Michael is working hard this week on setting up his bike for the challenges of the Daytona Track and he is very much looking forward to bettering himself and his finishes each week.
#36 Darryn Durham- Saying these last two weeks have been frustrating for Darryn would be a major understatement. Darryn has showed the speed, qualifying in the top 10 both weeks in the timed sessions. Darryn’s bike has been strong, his riding has been good but his decisions on the track have caused him to get a late start on obtaining his share of East Coast Lites points. In the next few weeks, expect Darryn to put it together and be back at the front of the pack where he belongs and deserves to be. This week Darryn qualified in the timed session 8th overall and going into the second heat things were looking good. In the second heat, Darryn got an average start and began working his way to the front. He was the only rider in his heat jumping the 80 foot quad jump. One over aggressive pass attempt put him off the track, directly on the tuff blocks, and at the back of the pack. The short LCQ didn’t go his way and once again he was watching from the stands.
#505 Sean Lipanovich is making strides every week and in Atlanta he put the #505 in his first night program. Sean is a strong starter and in the first heat race he nabbed an impressive 4th place off the gate. A few bobbles by other riders claimed Sean and put him back in 8th place. Holding his own for several laps, Sean was looking like he was going to transfer into the Main when a miscue sent him off the track and down. By the time Sean remounted he was headed to the LCQ. In the Last Chance Qualifier, Sean didn’t get the best of starts and the race showed him no mercy. Sean is making huge strides each week and it is only a matter of time before you see Sean in the Main of a Supercross.
The Team is staying down at MTF this week, testing and working on set-ups for the weeks to come. With our race effort we are making strides each and every week learning, adjusting and improving.
The Honda of Troy/Kilbarger Racing Team would like to acknowledge the sponsors who make this effort possible.
Honda of Troy, Kilbarger Racing LLC, Eleven 10 Mods, WAR - We All Ride, Fox Racing Shox, Cycra Racing, Motorex, TAG Metals, Yoshimura, Motion Pro, Renegade Race Fuel, Faction Mx, N-Style, Dunlop, DP Brake Pads, QTM, G2 Ergonomics, ARC, Boyesen, Light Speed, Hinson, RK/Excel, Ride Eng., Hammerhead, Straight Shot Air Filters, Bell Helmets, Hot Hedz Designs, Von Zipper, Total Image AutoSport, Kicker, ICW, Rocks Racing Services, Injectioneering, IMS Foot Pegs, Franklin Equipment, and Gabriel Logan