ust as they did in August, supermoto racers from across the Midwest arrived in record numbers to compete at Springfield’s excellent Mid State Kart Club race course. They found a freshened track, with a bigger, faster motocross style jump, and an extended dirt section with a newly added dirt turn. The soft earth of the new segment created some chaos in the morning’s first practice by adhering to riders’ cold tires. At one point, course marshals in a subsequent corner were inundated with crashes, frantically waving yellow flags, righting bikes, and attending to riders. Despite the pandemonium, there was little damage, and no serious injuries. By the second practice session, the dirt section had been “seasoned”, and the riders were much more aware of what the course and their tires would and wouldn’t allow.

The day’s racing action began with the 450 class. GNC rising star Rob “Bugs” Pearson, riding an Innovative Technologies Honda CRF450, leapt to an early lead from the pole position, and held it for the duration of the contest. Behind Bugs, a four-way battle for second place raged for ten nail-biting laps. Wisconsin motocrosser Robert Loire led the brawl for a lap before being passed by Iowan Danny Stookesberry on his RJ Performance Yamaha YZ450F. Loire, young pro flat tracker Clayton Riggle, and AMA flat track Horizon award contender Aaron King ran in a tight knot on Stooksberry’s rear tire. The deadlock broke when Riggle bobbled and King put his KTM 450 into fourth place on lap six. King, who suffered some abrasions and a gash to his right hand over the course of the morning practice sessions, continued his attack, passing Loire on lap seven, and Stookesberry on lap nine to finish second. Stookesberry held off Loire and Riggle to earn third place.

The Open Class final was a much more orderly affair, with Bugs Pearson leading from start to finish, followed by Cole Walsdorf, the 2004 Superbikers2 Open Premier series runner-up. Cole put in an excellent performance on the Promotorsports/Walsdorf Roofing/CHM Exhaust KTM. Aaron King, who started from the back row after crashing in the heat race, quickly knifed his way up to third place, picking off three riders on the first lap, and two more on the second. Pearson, Walsdorf and King finished the remaining 13 laps in that order.

In the Sport Moto class, Terry Vestal put on a sliding clinic, pitching his stock wheeled KTM 525 into the asphalt corners with crwod pleasing dirt track style. Vestal, with backing from Redline Cycle and Petrie Motorsports, dominated the main, leading every lap to the finish. Rounding up the podium were Fred Thomas of Bloomington, and Chicago’s Charles Spreitzer. All three riders are enjoying their first year of supermoto racing.

The event’s most recognized rider, Rich King, long time Grand National Flat Track star, made his supermoto racing debut in Gateway Supermoto’s Vet Open class aboard a King Racing KTM. King lapped the entire field in the twenty lap main, save for second place finisher and event organizer Chris Caplinger on his KTM. Caplinger, who has competed in several rounds of the AMA Supermoto Unlimited series, finished ahead of former road racer and current pro supermotard Perry Prichard. Prichard completed the podium on his KTM.

The headlining event, the Open Money race, drew thirteen starters and paid out over $500 to the top six finishers. From the green flag, Rich King took the lead, with Bugs Pearson hot on his heels. In the third lap, Bugs made a desperate first corner pass, but couldn’t get slowed in time to make the turn into the dirt section. With his rear wheel a foot in the air, Bugs overshot the tight right hander, coming to a stalling halt at the hay bales. The entire field passed him before he got his Honda lit again. Lap after lap, Bugs tore back through the field to claim third place. With his only real challenger down almost a full lap, Rich King sailed to victory. Cole Walsdorf put in a solid ride, staying in second place after Pearson’s mistake. Rich’s son Aaron was the only other rider to stay on the lead lap, finishing fourth.

Gateway Supermoto plans to bring supermoto racing to Springfield Illinois numerous times in 2005. Additional information about supermoto racing can be found at their web site, http://www.gatewaysupermoto.com/

Results

OPEN MONEY: 1. Rich King (KTM);2. Cole Walsdorf (KTM);3. Rob Pearson (Hon);4. Aaron King (KTM);5. Clayton Riggle (VOR);6. Danny Stookesberry (Yam);7. David Duprey (Hon);8. Perry Prichard (KTM);9. Michael Johnson (Yam);10. Chris Young (Hon);11. Terry Vestal (Yam);12. Kevin Kilkenny (Hus);13. David Kilkenny (KTM)

OPEN CLASS:1. Rob Pearson (Hon);2. Cole Walsdorf (KTM);3. Aaron King (KTM);4. David Duprey (Hon);5. Jon Goodwin (Hon);6. Andy Goodwin (Hon);7. Kevin Kilkenny (Hus);8. David Kilkenny (KTM)

450 CLASS:1. Rob Pearson (Hon);2. Aaron King (KTM);3. Danny Stookesberry (Yam);4. Robert Loire (KTM);5. Mike Harlow (Hon);6. Wes Orloff (Yam);7. Ron Stanley (Yam);8. Doug Scronce (Hon);9. Clayton Riggle (Vor)

VET OPEN:1. Rich King (KTM);2. Chris Caplinger (KTM);3. Perry Prichard (KTM);4. Doug Scronce (Hon);5. Ron Stanley (Yam);6. Walter Bass (KTM);7. Terry Vestal (KTM);8. Charles Spreitzer (Hon);9. Sam Leiske (KTM);10. Allen Hansen (Hon);11. Wes Orloff (Yam)

SPORT MOTO:1. Terry Vestal (KTM);2. Fred Thomas (Hon);3. Charles Spreitzer (Hon);4. Gene Showalter (Hon);5. Dan Johnson (Suz);6. Jerry Holm (Hon);7. Michael Johnson (Hon);8. Chris Young (Hon);9. Jim Foster (Suz)

250 CLASS:1. Adam Hickmann (Yam);2. Michael Johnson (Hon);3. Christopher Hansen (Hon);4. Chris Young (Hon);5. Mike Heiden (Yam);6. Andrew Johnson (Hon);7. Andrea Walsdorf (Hon)

MINI CLASS:1. Michael Johnson (Hon);2. Nicholas Hansen (Hon);3. Andrew Johnson (Hon);4. Aaron Rentschler (Yam);5. Charlie Buffum (Hon);6. Chris Quillman (Yam);7. Mark Stiles (Yam);8. Aaron Stein (Yam);9. Brian McLaughlin (Yam);10. Mitchel Stein (Hon)

MICRO MINI CLASS:1. Slade Pruitt (Hon);2. Alexander Stein (Hon);3. Kathleen McLaughlin (Hon);4. Mitchel Stein (Hon)