Round 7 - Burhart Wins, Herfoss 3rd
Burkhart Takes A Convincing Win
Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Mark Burkhart made a statement on Saturday at the Deshutes County Expo Center in Redmond, OR, completely dominating the proceedings and claiming his fifth AMA Red Bull Supermoto win in seven tries this season as the series heads down the home stretch.
Burkhart opened the race from pole and jumped out front early, grabbing big chunks of padding at every possible opportunity. The Ohioan quickly proved he was not to be challenged on this day, guiding his YZ450F to a double-digit lead with apparent ease before finally backing down on the final lap to claim the checkered flag with a still-massive 9.086-second advantage.
The unstoppable Burkhart laid down the fastest lap of the race by nearly three quarters of a second and ripped off a full half of his laps faster than anyone else managed during the 14-lap contest.
The convincing victory broke a championship tie with Troy Lee Designs Honda’s Jeff Ward, who just held off a last-lap attempt by KTM HMC’s Troy Herfoss to claim second at the checkered flag. Burkhart now leads 158-155 with three rounds remaining.
Burkhart commented, “I’ve been working super hard when I go out and practice and it’s really helped me put my head down and ride 110% when the real deal is on.”
Despite Burkhart’s status as ‘the man to beat,’ the cagey Ward is still right in the thick of things thanks to a consistent season that has seen him land on the podium in every race.
After claiming the runner-up spot to his rival, the two-time series champ admitted, “I’m really happy to be up here and I need to find some more speed to get a little closer to Mark.”
After finishing a close third, up-and-comer Herfoss remarked,
It was great to get a good result after we’ve had some bad luck. And I’ve kind of created some of the bad luck myself so it’s great to get back on the podium with Mark and Jeff.
All Access Honda’s Micky Dymond was caught up in a scrap with Ward’s teammate, Cassidy Anderson, for fourth before a mishap dropped Anderson down several positions.
Mach 1 Motorsports’ Steve Drew finished fifth, his third top-five of the season. CHM Exhausts’ Jason Conlon, Unlimited dominator Ben Carlson, Anderson, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chris Fillmore, and Husqvarna USA’s David Baffeleuf completed the top ten.
Burkhart and Ward will take their ultra-tight championship battle to Galveston, TX for the Armadillo Supermoto at Moody Gardens on November 3-4.
Supermoto Standings
1 158 M. Burkhart
2 155 J. Ward
3 122 M. Dymond
4 118 T. Herfoss
5 102 S. Drew
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