Supermotard

Tenacious Aussies snare Supermoto challenge

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After the veritable USA whitewash of the first round Team Australia fights back (171 to 178) to claim the inaugural Yamaha Supermoto Challenge at Coffs Harbour on March 6.
American Chris Fillmore slipped up in the All Powers but dominated the S2 class. Photo: Phil Smith
Husqvarnaå_s newest charger 18 year old Troy Herfoss lead the charge in the first of the feature ten lapper but it was the ever consistent Stuart Bennett (KTM SMS450) who secured the title for the locals. The jewel in the Supermoto crown, Coffs Harbourå_s Raleigh International Raceway lived up to its reputation of supplying the most exciting racing in Australia. The amphitheatre style circuit was bathed in sunshine throughout the day and even hotter on the track. Chris Fillmore (Troy Lees Designs CRF450) continued to show his dominance from the outset carding the fastest lap in early morning practice to just outplace a much improved Herfoss with the S2 class shaping up for a battle royale. The opening ten lap feature All Powers race was a cracker, Fillmore lead the field around for the first lap but a minor slip on the dirt section left him plenty of work to do. Herfoss was hounding Bennett for the lead in the opening lap with Californian Micky Dymond (KTM SMS450) hot on both their tails. Herfoss was able to make his move on the dirt section after the third attempt to clear away for a well deserved win. Bennett was second with Dymond a distant third. Fillmore was able to recover from dead last to card a respectable fifth.
Huaqvarna's Troy Herfoss has come on in leaps and bounds and was a force to be reckoned with at Coffs. Photo: Phil Smith
Race two was a whole new ball game with Fillmore and Dymond taking it up to the Aussies in a masterly display of raw speed and power. Herfoss was to suffer the same fate as Fillmore did in the first, falling in near identical circumstances. Dymond was able to slip underneath Fillmore in the early laps to never be headed. Fillmore was second from a distant Bennett. In the wash-up Australia carded 75 aggregate points from their top three place finishes for the day from the USA 66 taking the totals from both rounds to 178 vs. 171. While Fillmore failed to capitalise on the All powers race he made up for in the S2 class for machine up to 450cc taking home yet another gaggle of trophies. Dymond was second with series promoter Mark Avard (Yamaha YZ450) showing he's lost none of his speed for third on the day. The third race was his swansong pushing Fillmore throughout the race forcing the 18 year old Californian to make a mistake and slide into the grass on the uphill right-hander. KTM Australiaå_s Rob Twyerould (KTM SMS540) put down the spanners for another weekend to compete in the up to 700cc Husqvarna S1 class. True to form he continued his unbeaten record with three easily wins from three starts. Australia #1 Josh McFarlane was set for a better weekend than last but had another shocker with a crashed plagued weekend. Team USAå_s only S1 class competitor Craig Mason, still sporting some massive bruising, showed some form in the second race to hold onto second place. Ben London was able to hold onto second overall from Jason Kain filling the minor place.
Promoter Mark Avard was demoted to track inspector - close up inspector. Photo: Phil Smith
Newly signed Husqvarna youngster Jake Magee was unstoppable in the Bridgestone S3 class for 250cc machines taking three straight wins. Michael Avard (Yamaha YZ250F) narrowly held out Marco Kroese (Subway Yamaha YZ250F) for third. One rider to sit out the second round of the Challenge was American Casey Yarrow. Yarrow still smarting from his crash at Oran Park was seen hobbling around with the use of crutches protecting his badly swollen knees. Steve Drewå_s luck didnå_t improve for Coffs Harbour with the Southern Californian still plagued by niggling problems. After practice while making adjustments to his Two Brothers exhaust he inadvertently dropped an allen key down the end pipe requiring the complete removal of the pipe to retrieve it. More was to come. A sticking throttle caused some concern but was soon rectified and a quick re-valve of the front forks during lunch was to have the biggest impact. It took till the very last race of the day to see Drewå_s true performance sixth in the all powers race. The team of Chris Fillmore were able extract anther three horsepower during the break between Oran Park and Coffs but that was mainly due to running his Vortex ignition on the right curve. å_Yeah I thought it was running a bit strange,å_ was the comment when the problem was detected. There was plenty of talk about the slick dirt section at Coffs mainly with the timing of the watering. While the thick clay based dirt was fast and grippy when dry, just the slightest hint of water made it unbearable. The S1 class was to bare the worst with no less than six riders falling in the opening two laps. Josh McFarlane and Craig Mason were to suffer the most. Main Photo: Winner Stuart Bennett leads Mark Avard
Credit: Phil Smith

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