Round 1 AMA Supermoto Championship - Monroe, WA

The season opener kicked off just outside of Seattle at the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA. The track was laid out with 70% road, and 30% dirt which made for a challenging course. The excessive amount of debris and dirt being dragged onto the pavement kept the riders on their toes throughout the weekend.

Our team's fresh new look captured the attention of local enthusiasts, and proved to yet again be a focal point for spectators and media alike. Due to the removal of the Team's Championship, (which we won in 2007) we have decided to focus on 2 separate individual championships - Benny on the 450 class, and Darryl on the Unlimited. From time to time, the team will have an additional rider in one of these two classes.

Qualification:

Benny - 6th 450

Darryl - 4th Unlimited

Heat Race:

Ben - 3rd

Darryl - 6th
*Exiting the first corner - fighting for 1st position - Darryl had a dramatic crash and was hit by multiple riders. This resulted in a re-injury to his November 2007 shattered wrist, yet he managed to resume the heat race and work his way from last to 6th, ensuring a spot in the final.

Final:

Benny: 6th *The rain caused the race to be prematurely cut short, and was red flagged about 6 laps prior to the scheduled finish. This unfortunately didn't give him the chance to better his final result, as he was in hot pursuit of 5th place rider, David Pingree.

Carlson commented after the race: "It was a shame that the rain caused our race to be cut short, as I felt I had it in me to break the top 5 today. I'm excited for the next round in Connecticut since it should be a much better track for our bikes."

Darryl: 6th
*Due to the qualification result, Darryl was placed near the rear of the starting grid. After the 1st lap, he was in 14th position (definitely not a position hoped for.) With a strapped up arm, and on heavy medication, Darryl was able to steadily work his way up through the pack.

"I'm disappointed that I got into the situation of having an injury going into the first final race, however I knew that it was extremely important to salvage a result here today. Though I was in a lot of pain, I was happy to come out with 6th position. We have 4 weeks now until Connecticut, and I know I need to start getting some podiums to put me back in contention for the championship." Said Atkins after the race.

Our next event will be X Games 14, and the weekend directly after that we'll be in Connecticut for round 2 of the AMA Supermoto Championship. The team wishes to thank you for all of your support you've so generously offered to make this effort a great success! We'd also like to extend a special thanks to our hard working crew that made the weekend at Monroe run especially smooth. These outstanding individuals include: Amauri Nunes, Chuck McCarty, John Weiss, Ed Cook, and Steve Mora.

Courtesy of Aprilia Racing For more information, visit http://www.apriliaracing.com