Michigan SuperMoto Sees First Time WInners
August 23, 2010 12:36pm
CLIO, Mich. – The unusually hot summer weather in Michigan led to the biggest turnout this season for the final round of the Michigan SuperMoto Championship. Competitors were vying for bragging rights for next year and awards including the Open Class purse. The finishers also earned points towards the 2010 Great Lakes SuperMoto Championship.
A number of first-time supermoto competitors came out to Auto City Speedway in Clio, Mich. on Sunday, August 15. This included Brad Baker, the defending national AMA Pro Pro Singles Flat Track Champion. With rain the night before, the course was in perfect condition. The layout included a large portion of the oval speedway with the 15-degree banked, high-speed turn, and infield asphalt sections. The dirt section had a long tabletop and a rhythm section.
Recognized as one of the most organized promoters where safety comes first, MISuperMoto.com's Dave Duprey, a former AMA Superbike racer, ran a race that didn't see any major injuries.
The fans came out to watch as the heat races set the grid for the four main events. In the Open Pro Class, the heat race saw many battles as riders were fighting for the pole position. First-time supermoto racer Brad Baker showed he was catching on fast by getting up to second place and then hounding leader and new father, Chase Guthrie who was last year’s Michigan SuperMoto Champion. In the main event, the Open Pro Class riders were ready for battle and somewhat surprised by the Mike Cheza/Shift/Arai-sponsored Baker on his dirt track-prepped Honda who went to the front quickly and held the lead all the way to the checkers. The battle ensued behind him for second and third places between Great Lakes Powersports/Owosso Honda's Adam Beldyga, AXO/Alpina/Beringer/Michelin's Jason Hine and Bloomington PowerSports/Metzler/Leo Vince/Kawasaki's Guthrie. Beldyga and Hine ended up finishing second and third, respectively, while Guthrie rounded out in fourth.
Indiana's Don Peterson led the Beginner Class main from the pole position and didn't look back riding his Honda so smooth that it looked effortless, clearly winning his first Michigan SuperMoto Championship race. The Vet 35+ and Dirt Track classes were combined for a main event that saw previous round winner Team 199/Cernic’s/MCR/Red Bull's Ron Meredith win convincingly from the pole. Keith Witherspoon rode smooth on his dirt track-prepped Yamaha race bike to finish third in the race and first in the Dirt Track Class. He was a series first-time winner. In the Amateur Class, Kelsey Racing's Jon Kelsey became a back-to-back class winner riding smooth as glass to decimate the field on his KTM.
Following the races, prizes were awarded to the top three in each class with each receiving a hard case toolkit from Flagstar Bank. Class winners received a set of Violation Goggles and Magnum Distributing handguards. The final Michigan SuperMoto Champion in the Open Pro Class will receive a Pro-Level Sponsorship from Dubach Racing Development (DR.D).
Bridgestone and Flagstar Bank were on hand at the track. Bridgestone offered tire support along with its cash contingency program that was available for every class, while Flagstar Bank provided a giveaway drawing and basic financial information.
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Page Two – Michigan SuperMoto Championship Auto City Results
Open Pro Class
1. Brad Baker Honda
2. Jason Hine KTM
3. Adam Beldyga Honda
4. Chase Guthrie Kawasaki
5. Allan Doneth Honda
Amateur Class
1. Jon Kelsey KTM
2. Andrew Fulkerson Yamaha
3. Scott Sangster Honda
4. Joe Sangster Honda
5. Pat Delong Honda
Vet Class
1. Ron Meredith Suzuki
2. Shannon Kelsey Yamaha
3. Kris Weide Husqvarna
4. Andreas Mayer Husqvarna
Dirt Track Class
1. Keith Witherspoon Yamaha
2. Marty Rugenstein Kawasaki
Beginner Class
1. Don Peterson Honda
2. Marty Rugenstein Kawasaki
3. Pat Filgo Husqvarna
4. Ryan Graves Husqvarna
5. Keith Witherspoon Yamaha
MISuperMoto.com will announce, in partnership with SuperBikers2, the final standings for the 2010 Great Lakes SuperMoto Championship shortly following the SuperBikers2 double-header on September 11-12 at Road America in Elkhart, Wisconsin. Keep posted to www.misupermoto.com.
About MISuperMoto
MISuperMoto is the premier regional supermoto racing and track day series east of the Mississippi. Its Test and Tune Days enable current enthusiasts to ride supermoto on a safe course, while new riders can try their hand at this growing motorcycle discipline including renting a demo bike. In 2010, MISuperMoto will have the three-round, second annual Michigan SuperMoto Championship, and 11 Test and Tune Days. These Michigan-based events are held at Auto City Speedway in Clio, Jackson Speedway in Jackson and Ogemaw Heights High School in West Branch. The series is made possible with support from Taco Bell, Flagstar Bank, Dubach Racing Development (DR.D), Bridgestone, Dean Arbour Ford, MotoPR, Midwest Motorcyclist, Speed Technologies MX, Woody's Cycle, Silkolene, MagnumDistributing.com, Violation Goggles, Auto City Speedway and Jackson Speedway. Visit www.misupermoto.com for more information.
About MotoPR
Detroit, Michigan-based Moto Public Relations, LLC (MotoPR) brings best practice public relations and marketing to action sports to increase public interest and corporate support for athletes, teams, events, and other properties. Our integrated services include public relations programming, sponsorship acquisition and management, media relations, and media training. Visit us online at www.motopr.com.