Graves Motorsports Yamaha riders Mark Burkhart and Brandon Currie
claimed the 2007 AMA Supermoto and Supermoto Lites championships in
Cabazon, CA. on Sunday, November 11. The coveted titles are Yamaha’s
first in AMA Supermoto and second in Supermoto Lites. On the way to his
Supermoto #1 plate, Burkhart finished the weekend doubleheader with a
win and a third place aboard his YZ450F, while Currie raced his YZ250F
to 2-1 finishes to claim the Lites championship – his first professional
title. Adding excitement was the presence of X Games gold medallists
Doug Henry and Ben Bostrom, with Bostrom nearly cracking into the top
10 in Supermoto on Sunday.
Supermoto... In the premier Supermoto class, Burkhart edged close to
the title on Saturday by winning the event with rival Jeff Ward in third.
Needing only an 18th place finish on Sunday, Burkhart lapped securely in
the top three for much of the 12-lap final before letting Troy Herfoss
past. But Herfoss soon got a flat tire, allowing Burkhart to regain the final
podium spot – and take the championship. Burkhart is now the only rider
to have won both AMA Supermoto and Supermoto Lites titles. “We have
a great team atmosphere at Graves, and we have put a lot of hard work
into getting the whole package to work better,” he said afterwards. “Plus
the durability of the YZ450F is just great – better than any other
manufacturer.”
Supermoto Lites... Despite entering the weekend’s final rounds with
points advantages, Currie still had to finish well to earn their titles. Currie
went into Saturday’s Supermoto Lites race with a 21-point margin over
rival David Pingree, but he charged to a close second-place finish anyway
at the Morongo Casino track. Nor did having the championship on the line
slow him on Sunday. Currie rocketed away at the start and led all eight
laps to claim his fourth victory of the year. Amazingly, when Currie
wasn’t winning he finished second in every other race this season.
yamaha-motor.com