Troy Herfoss Cashes In For Team KTM/HMC
Millennium/KWS Suzuki at Mid-Ohio
Millennium/KWS Suzuki at Laguna I
Noonan Racing–“Repeat the Feat”
Troy Herfoss Cashes In For Team KTM/HMC
XTRM/AMA Supermoto Series: Round 2, Stafford, Connecticut —For 2008, round two of the series was back in Connecticut for the Doug Henry New England Supermoto Grand Prix. The return to Stafford Motor Speedway was bittersweet for Australian native Troy Herfoss after tossing away the potential victory while leading during the 2007 race. The chance to stand on the upper rung atop the podium had been a long time coming for Herfoss. The Factory KTM/HMC rider not only nailed his first victory but he did it with conviction.
Right from the get-go, Herfoss set out to avenge his 2007 performance at Stafford. The momentum kicked off as Herfoss gated against the reigning 450 supermoto champion, Mark Burkhart, during the first of two 450 heat races. The KTM rider met the challenge and propelled his 450SX-F to the lead and made it stick. Herfoss’ teammate, Chris Fillmore, also rose to occasion aboard his KTM during heat two with a five-second victory over Cassidy Anderson. This set the scene for a potential four-way battle in the main event.
As the green light flew in the main, it was Anderson with the early lead. His glory would be short-lived as the gaggle of riders entered the dirt section. A slight bobble opened the door for Herfoss to take over the helm and never look back. From that point, Robbie Horton moved into second while Burkhart and Fillmore started to soldier through the field back from fourth and fifth place.
With Herfoss taking a commanding lead of the race, it took a few laps for Burkhart and eventually Fillmore to push their way to the front of the field. By lap seven, Fillmore had made his way past Anderson and Horton to secure his spot on the podium.
Up front, many figured that Burkhart would eventually run down Herfoss and steal his glory but there was going to be none of that. It was clearly evident that this day belonged to KTM and Herfoss. Even with his head down and a hard charge, Burkhart was no match for Herfoss.
At the finish, there was nearly an eight-second gap over Burkhart with Herfoss taking his first of what should be many more victories. Fillmore held true with a solid third-place finish keeping the prominent color of orange on the podium. With his victory, Herfoss is now only two points behind Burkhart in the race for the championship.
In the Unlimited class, KTM/HMC’s Kurt Nicoll was at the race but absent from the starting grid. During the X Games, Nicoll made contact with a track barrier and injured his hand and will be out for some time and will possibly miss the next two rounds.
Nevertheless, Steve Drew kept the KTM name atop the podium with his second AMA victory of the year and his career. The Rockstar/Hart & Huntington/Mach 1 Motorsports rider put his KTM 505 on the box as did fellow KTM-mounted Josh Chisum with a third-place finish.
In the 250 Lites division, KTM nearly claimed its first victory in the class with Matt Burton. Burton led the first part of the race before battling with Brandon Currie. Even in second, Burton kept the pressure on by trying to recapture the lead but was held up in lapped traffic as the laps wore down. Burton finished second and trails Currie in the championship race by a measly six points.
On a somber note, Team KTM/HMC expresses deep sadness and extends their thoughts and prayers to the Hart family and the entire Rockstar/Hart & Huntington team for the tragic loss of racer Anthony Hart over the weekend.
Round three of the XTRM/AMA Supermoto series moves to Shawano, Wisconsin on August 24.
XTRM/AMA Supermoto Race Results
1. Troy Herfoss, Australia, KTM
2. Mark Burkhart, Pataskala, OH, Yam
3. Chris Fillmore, Oxford, MI, KTM
4. Robbie Horton, Augusta, GA, Hon
5. Micky Dymond, Placentia, CA, Hus
6. Ben Carlson, West Bend, WI, Aprilia
7. Cassidy Anderson, Provo, UT, Hon
8. Jason Conlon, Mount Airy, MD, Hon
9. Tyler O’Hara, Petaluma, CA, Yam
10. David Pingree, Temecula, CA, Hon
XTRM/AMA Supermoto Point Standings
1. Mark Burkhart, Pataskala, OH 47
2. Troy Herfoss, Australia, 45
3. Chris Fillmore, Oxford, MI 38
4. Cassidy Anderson, Provo, UT 36
5. Ben Carlson, West Bend, WI 30
6. Robbie Horton, Grovetown, GA 29
7. David Pingree, Temecula, CA 27
8. Jason Conlon, Mount Airy, MD 26
9. Derek Costella, Las Vegas, NV 22
10. Tyler O’Hara, Petaluma, CA 17
XTRM/AMA Supermoto Unlimited Race Results
1. Steve Drew, Buckeye, AZ, KTM
2. Darryl Atkins, San Clemente, CA, Aprilia
3. Josh Chisum, Bakersfield, CA, KTM
4. Travis Marks, Templeton, CA, KTM
5. Micky Dymond, Placentia, CA, Husqvarna
6. Monte Frank, Oklahoma City, OK, ATK
7. Chris Fischer, Thomaston, CT, Aprilia
8. Timm Kiener, Lake Orion, MI, Husb
9. Michael Ingle, Conroe, TX, KTM
10. Chris Kemp, Ellsworth, IL, KTM
XTRM/AMA Supermoto Unlimited Point Standings
1. Steve Drew, Buckeye, AZ 50
2. Josh Chisum, Bakersfield, CA 40
3. Darryl Atkins, San Clemente, CA 37
4. Micky Dymond, Placentia, CA 32
5. Derek Costella, Las Vegas, NV 27
6. Monte Frank, Oklahoma City, OK 27
7. Chris Fischer, Thomaston, CT 25
8. Travis Marks, Templeton, CA 24
9. Timm Kiener, Lake Orion, MI 23
10. Kurt Nicoll, Murrieta, CA 22
XTRM/AMA Supermoto Lites Race Results
1. Brandon Currie, Anaheim, CA, Yam
2. Matt Burton, Ottumwa, IA, KTM
3. Danny Casey, Pacifica, CA, Hon
4. John Lewis, Brandamore, PA, Yam
5. Matt Abbott, Conyers, GA, Hon
6. Robert Loire, Salem, WI, Yam
7. Jamie Siever, Belle Plaine, KS, KTM
8. Casey Yarrow, Fairfield, CA, Yam
9. Kyle Jones, Peoria, AZ, Kaw
10. Andrew Hyder, Canal Winchester, OH, Hon
XTRM/AMA Supermoto Lites Point Standings
1. Brandon Currie, Anaheim, CA 50
2. Matt Burton, Ottumwa, IA 44
3. Danny Casey, Pacifica, CA 40
4. John Lewis, Brandamore, PA 36
5. Jamie Siever, Belle Plaine, KS 30
6. Robert Loire, Salem, WI 30
7. Matt Abbott, Conyers, GA 27
8. Casey Yarrow, Fairfield, CA 27
9. Andrew Hyder, Pataskala, OH 23
10. Kyle Jones, Peoria, AZ 22
Millennium/KWS Suzuki Suffer Bad Luck at VIR
Alton, VA — August 2008 —Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Suzuki of Orangeburg made a huge gamble on set up in Saturday’s Superbike race that could have paid off big on Sunday, but random mechanical problems kept Rider Ben Thompson off the podium.
The Millennium Technologies team struggled all weekend at VIR with setup and team rider Ben Thompson did an amazing job of qualifying his Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the eighth position for Superstock with a time of 1:26.351. In Superbike, Ben qualified fourteenth with a time of 1:27.042.
Superbike Race One was a huge gamble for the team. After struggling all weekend with setup, crew chief Michael Godin and Thompson decided to make a major change to virtually every setting on the bike with the knowledge that it may not work out for the race. Ben got a great start and was racing in the twelfth place position. Although the set-up change to the bike was positive in every way, the team decided to bring Thompson in several times during the race to refine the new direction in the hopes that they would be in a better position for Sunday’s Superstock race.
The Gamble paid off and in Sunday morning warm up Thompson was able to turn his fastest time of the weekend and the team had a lot of confidence going into the Superstock race.
Thompson got a great start in the Superstock race and was racing in fifth place. Once again, with the new chassis set up Thompson was able to reset his fastest time of the weekend during the race. Unfortunately, with only a few laps to go and a top five finish in hand, the Millennium/KWS Suzuki slowed dramatically on the front straight with a failed fuel pump.
Although devastated by a seemingly random mechanical failure the LeoVince Exhaust sponsored team regrouped and began preparation for Superbike Race Two only an hour after the Superstock race. In Superbike Race Two Thompson was racing in the eleventh position only to have his GSX-R1000 Superbike overheat just past the halfway mark.
Ben Thompson — “I am disappointed for sure. Michael, Chip, and Kevin are working so hard and the bikes were so good this weekend. It just was not meant to be. I really want to thank the Millennium Technologies crew for coming out and supporting us this weekend. Their support means so much and they are great group of people.”
Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) — “Unfortunately we can’t prevent every mechanical failure on the bike. The bikes were fresh before the weekend and ran flawlessly up until the time when it mattered most. Ben is riding great and he did everything he could to put us in the position to do well, lady luck just had other ideas. We will regroup and go at it again at Road Atlanta. It’s our home track and I feel confident that we can learn from this and move forward.”
Millennium/KWS Suzuki finishes Seventh at Mid-Ohio
Click here to see the video at www.onthethrottle.tv
Lexington, OH — Aug 2008 —Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Suzuki of Orangeburg finally broke the string of bad luck and had a complete weekend of solid finishes, highlighted with a seventh place finish in Superstock. The team is excited and is hoping to build upon this weekend’s performance and take some momentum into the last three rounds of the season.
Team rider Ben Thompson was fast from the beginning of weekend at Mid-Ohio. In Superstock qualifying Thompson turned a lap of 1:26.541 to qualify on the second row in the seventh position. In Superbike qualifying the young Alaskan rider qualified on the fourth row with a time of 1:26.699.
Lasting for more than two hours and suffering three red flags and four starts Thompson was lucky to survive the incident plagued Supebike Race One. With a mixture of a little luck and a lot of skill Thompson was always in the right place when the problems happened and he was able to bring the Millennium Technologies Suzuki GSX-R1000 home in eleventh place.
The Superstock race went much smoother with virtually no incidents. Thompson got a great start from the second row and immediately started riding with the lead pack. In the middle of the race Thompson tried to conserve his rear Dunlop N-Tec Slick while still keeping touch with group in front of him. Thompson stepped it up and in the end turned his fastest lap on lap eleven. This allowed Thompson to break free of the Spanish Formula Xtreme National Champion Kenny Noyes and finish in the seventh position.
In Superbike Race Two Thompson again got a great start going around Factory Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden on the outside in turn one. Thompson fell into a comfortable pace and brought home the Pit Bull Sponsored Millennium/KWS Suzuki home for his second eleventh place finish of the weekend.
Ben Thompson — “It was a pretty solid weekend. The results weren’t stellar, but they are something to build on for VIR and Road Atlanta. Michael Godin, Dustin Cyr, and Chip Spalding worked hard all weekend and we enjoyed and incident free event.”
Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) — “Finally!!! An incident free weekend! Hopefully this means the monkey is off our back and we build on this success. Ben is healthy again and riding really well. With a little bit of consistent development, we can give him a bike to match his talent and skill. I want to thank all the sponsors for their support and words of encouragement.”
Millennium/KWS Suzuki at Laguna I
Monterey, CA — July 2008 — Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Suzuki of Orangeburg did not get the results they wanted this weekend, but they did come away with a lot of good set up information for the final AMA round at Laguna Seca held in September. The July Laguna Seca AMA round is held in support of the MotoGP series with the Superbike and Supersport only. The Millennium Technologies team decided to use practices, qualifying and the race to prepare for the September event which will run the Superstock series.
In Qualifying, the team used both bikes and several different set-ups to turn a time of 1:27.866 for nineteenth position on the grid. In the race Thompson got a bad start and entered turn two in last place. This turned out to be a good thing as he was able to avoid incident in turn two involving three rider’s right in front of him. Thompson quickly put his head down and began to fight his way back through the field. On lap 12 Thompson pulled in and the team made some adjustments to his Dunlop shod GSX-R1000. The bike continually got better through out the race and Thompson was able to turn his fastest lap at the very end.
Ben Thompson — “The weekend did not turn out how we wanted it to, but we learned a lot and we will be much better prepared for the next round at Laguna. I want to thank Michael and Chip for all their hard work and the sponsors for all their support.”
Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) — “The factory teams have tested at Laguna twice this season so we knew that we were going to be behind. The guys put their best effort in, but they could never get the front suspension right until the last part of the Superbike race. We have four more races to go and we feel very confident going into this last half of the season.”
Noonan Racing Land Speed–“Repeat the Feat”
El Mirage – May 2008 – After John Noonan & Bob Moreland made history last year as the only team to capture both the points championships for cars and bikes for the SCTA points Championship they decided to once again try for glory and “repeat the feat” in 2008 as well.
This year started off great with all four vehicles taking 4 spots in the top 10 and all of them setting records, first off was Bob driving the #1 car from last season. The Moreland, Noonan and Lux Turbo-Busa Velocity powered rear engine modified roadster ran the 1.3 mile dirt course and set a new personal best and recorded a new record of 185.197 from last seasons top speed of 174+ mph.
Second off was John running the #1 bike from last season, the Noonan/Moreland Turbo charged sidecar set a new record as well at 209.441 mph and now holds all three of the fastest sidecar records anywhere in the world at 209, 212 & 216 mph.
Later in the meet the #539 bike of Noonan/Derwin was ridden by John and set another record in the un-faired class of A-BG-1350 at a great speed of 223.331 mph and later during the event the bike was “loaned” to teammate Bob Moreland who ran 218+ mph his first time on a turbo Hayabusa and remember this was without any frontal streamlining! At that time that was the second fastest speed of the meet for the bikes.
The fourth record was also in the vintage classes like the other roadster however in this car the engine is mounted in the front and sideways, and the entry name is Eyres, Moreland, and Noonan. Russ Ayres ran against the record set by the championship points winner from 2005 and reset the record from 135.414 to 144.085 this car also has a good chance at capturing a top spot at seasons end with regards to the SCTA points championship and was highly admired by the longtime SCTA roadster racers.
With running a few vehicles and being busy with all four of them no pictures were taken during this event however there are pictures on the www.SCTA-BNI.org web site. Also please see Cycle World’s July issue for our test session at Lemoore Naval Base.
