Lewis Wins, Lewis Wins, Lewis Wins!
Taking The White Flag in Mid Air!
Supermoto Unlimited racer, Johnny Lewis, took the Team Red Bull KTM HMC #4 bike across the stripe in 1st place.
Lewis took a huge step in his career at the Music City Motorplex in Nashville, TN on Saturday night, outclassing a deep field of AMA Supermoto Unlimited competitors to claim his first-ever victory in the class.
The Pennsylvanian has shown flashes over the past two seasons under the tutelage of Team Red Bull KTM HMC owner Mitch Hansen, and Lewis’ triumph again proved Hansen an accomplished Supermoto talent scout, having earlier discovered the likes of Ben Carlson and Chris Fillmore.
In fact, Saturday’s Unlimited race was a major triumph all around for the Red Bull KTM HMC squad with class title leader Carlson opening up his points lead just a bit heading into the Long Beach season finale. Carlson took second, one spot ahead of rival David Baffeleuf of Team GP Husqvarna.
Meanwhile, Micky Dymond, the reigning class champ who was also in the thick of things this season prior to Saturday night, suffered a disastrous blow to his title hopes. While the experienced All Access Racing star tore off into the lead at the green light, he crashed in the first turn and struggled to get his bike restarted.
He ultimately finished all the way down in 13th.
Lewis took the lead following Dymond’s mishap and spent much of the race fending off teammate Carlson (with no team orders in effect, obviously). Wisconsinite Carlson was balked by a lapped rider late in the race, allowing Lewis just enough breathing space to calmly secure his first career AMA Supermoto Unlimited win.
“That was great,” Lewis commented. “I was surprised; I was running like fifth fastest all day and then in my last qualifying session I got the pole. Before that my best starting position all year was fourth. I led the whole race, which was awesome for me. I haven’t felt anything like this my whole career. I didn’t really change anything, I just felt comfortable. Growing up racing dirt track, I felt comfortable with the high speeds around the banking on the oval.”
Carlson said, “I kind of rode a little bit conservatively I guess but Johnny rode the wheels off his bike. The main thing is we stayed ahead of David and got the points, which are crucial. That’s what we needed to do. We should have come out of here with a win; I thought we could do it but sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Long Beach ought to be a good race.”
Carlson’s runner-up finish pushes him to a still-slim four-point advantage over Baffeleuf (178 vs. 174). Lewis, meanwhile, has overtaken Dymond for third (160 vs. 157).
South African Supermoto star Brian Capper picked up fourth for the celebrating Team Red Bull KTM HMC, while Loire Racing Aero PA Husaberg’s Robert Loire came home in fifth.
Baffeleuf’s teammate, Gary Trachy, finished sixth, followed by Aprilia Pacifico Racing’s Darryl Atkins. Monte Frank (SSFU Motorsports), Justin Ross (Joker Machine QTM), and Eddie Ray (DMXS Radio) rounded out the top ten.
Supermoto Unlimited Standings – Round 9 - Nashville, TN
| Pos. | Rider name | Hometown | Machine | Team name |
| 2 | Benny Carlson | West Bend, WI | KTM 610SMR | Team Red Bull KTM HMC |
| 1 | David Baffeleuf | Cournon D Avuergne | Husqvarna SMR510 | GP Husqvarna |
| 4 | John Lewis | Brandamore, PA | KTM 610SMR | Team Red Bull KTM HMC |
| 3 | Micky M. Dymond | Placentia, CA | KTM 450SMR | All Access Racing |
| 5 | Robert P. Loire | Salem, WI | Husaberg FS650c | Loire Racing Aero PA Husaberg |
AMA Pro Racing Press Release
Larry Lawrence & Chris Martin
