Ice Man 1st, Carlson 2nd in Round 7
French ice racing legend David Baffeleuf took full advantage of his slick surface racing skills on Saturday at Invesco Field in Denver, CO, pulling away at the front of the wet AMA Supermoto Unlimited race that featured a vast number of crashers behind him.
Baffeleuf, who is known as the ‘Ice Man,’ steadily rode away from the pack so smoothly that he almost looked slow while dropping his slipping and sliding (and falling) rivals. At the end of the 14-lap affair, he had built up a massive 17.362-second advantage to second place.
The GP Husqvarna ace’s win sees him reclaim sole possession of first place in the Unlimited points race.
Ice Man Cometh
After the tricky contest he said, “The conditions were terrible. I was sliding all over the track and the dirt section was very, very difficult. I got a good start and for the first five laps I held a good speed. Today I was the ‘Rain Man’!”
Up and Down and Still Held on to 2nd
Team Red Bull KTM HMC’s Ben Carlson was one of the many crashers in the race, as the Wisconsin rider fell in the downhill transition from the dirt to pavement that also caught out a multitude of others. Carlson slid an incredible distance on his side but somehow managed to keep his KTM 560SMR running, which allowed him to reenter the fray and grab second at the flag.
“I’ve never ridden in conditions like this,” Carlson admitted. “Whenever we’ve ridden in the rain at Road America there was no dirt. It was tough but it was fun. Everybody has the same track. When I crashed I just instantly pulled in the clutch and held the thing wide open because I didn’t want it to die. I spun it around and kept it going fortunately.”
Gary Trachy 3rd
Baffeleuf’s teammate, Gary Trachy, gave the Husqvarna squad a pair of podium finishers, coming home in the third position. The Californian later claimed to have had a grand time in the difficult race. “I was just trying to keep smooth and consistent laps. I have to hand it to these guys. They were really flying. It was just getting slicker and slicker. There were bad spots and then there were really bad spots. It was a blast. This is as fun as it gets — I think it was more fun than when it’s dry.”
Carlson’s young teammate, John Lewis, picked up fourth, followed by Red Baron Racing’s Steve Hatch.
Defending champion Micky Dymond took a somewhat disappointing sixth aboard his All Access Racing KTM after his second consecutive class victory had moved him into a tie at the top of the title race on Friday evening.
Loire Racing Aero PA Husaberg’s Robert Loire finished in seventh with SC Racing’s Nick Daniels, Lucky Bucket Motorsports’ Daniel Jannette, and Rocky Mountain Racing Works KTM’s Brian Lehfeldt completing the top ten.
Following seven of ten rounds, Baffeleuf now leads Carlson in the title race 139-131. Reigning champ Dymond is still in contention with 129 points.
Press Release: AMA Pro Racing
Photo: amasupermoto.com
By: Larry Lawrence & Chris Martin
