Idaho’s first ever AMA Supermoto National Championship Round in the books!

CORONA, CA (April 17th, 2018)

Round 1 of AMA Supermoto took place on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at Idaho Expo West, as part of the Idaho Power Sports Show in the state capital of Boise, Idaho. The Idaho Power Sports Show featured a pop up track; a small .33 mile layout, comprising of two dirt sections at opposite ends, one end of which being the area’s established flat track arena. Make no mistake, the small track with its' unorthodox layout made for a big race weekend.

The highlight of AMA Supermoto Round 1 was Star, Idaho’s own Mason Muraira. Muraira may have been the only racer on track for the new ADVSupermoto Youth Series but he certainly didn’t disappoint as he tore around the track, hitting the doubles like a pro. At only 8 years old, Muraira already has over 5 years of racing under his belt and while this was his first Supermoto race, Dad said they had a blast and hope to make several of this year’s AMA Supermoto rounds with Mason chasing his first Youth Series Championship.

In Moto 1 of the Amateur National class we saw the emergence of Kody Kopp, son of flat track pro Joe Kopp.  Kopp took the lead on his CRF250 with the hole shot and leads the laps to take 1st over Mad Cow Racing’s Kevin Wehr and 805 Supermoto’s Parker Pitman who had a back and forth battle with Bakersfield’s Hadley Melton.  Amateur National Moto 1 finishes with Kody Kopp taking a win, followed by Kevin Wehr in second and Parker Pitman snagging the third place spot. 

Amateur National Moto2 started with Parker Pitman earning the hole shot from outside row 1 and he kept the lead for the nearly the entire 12 minute moto.  But in the closing minutes, a lap traffic incident causes Pitman to go down and a change of lead took place with Wehr, Kopp and Hadley getting by.  Pitman remounts to take fourth place.   Kevin Wehr takes the tiebreaker over Kody Kopp for the overall win, and Hadley Melton takes the tiebreaker over Parker Pitman.   

The Pro Lites class hosted the return of 2000 Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, returning to AMA Supermoto for the first time since 2003 when he appeared for the HMC KTM Team.  Kopp took the hole shot in Moto 1, on the same CRF250 his son raced in the Amateur National class, and kept the lead throughout Moto 1.  Behind Kopp a battle for third place began between reigning Pro Lites Champion Christian Payne and Tausan Racing’s Brady Tausan.  Ultimately Tausan claimed the third place spot on lap three, upping the stakes in a battle now for second place with TriCounty Powersports rider Austin Pecoraro. While Tausan passed Pecoraro, he only claimed the second place spot momentarily before taking a spill in the flat track arena with three laps to go.  Moto 1 finishes with Joe Kopp in first, Austin Pecoraro in second and Brady Tausan in third.  Last Min Racing’s Christian Payne finishes fourth with a broken foot he suffered the weekend prior at the Stateline Supermoto Challenge.

Pro Lites Moto 2 started strong with Pecoraro taking the hole shot and maintaining the lead for the duration.  Behind Pecoraro, Tausan, Kopp and Payne battle it out for the remaining spots on the podium. Brady Tausan goes down in the dirt yielding the podium to Austin Pecoraro first, Joe Kopp second and Christian Payne in third place.

Open Pro Qualifying promised a great show as Denmark’s Simon Vilhelmsen took pole by over .7 seconds from Bakersfield’s Bronson Pearce; Pearce being on a borrowed bike due to a mechanical issue earlier in the day.  Eric Stump third and 4 time AMA National Champion Gage McAllister started sixth.  

In Moto 1 Vilhelmsen took the hole shot over Pearce with Rider Smith Racing’s Eric Stump and Gage McAllister just behind.  Vilhelmsen looked to take an early lead but went down on lap 1 in the flat track arena.  Pearce pulled ahead for several laps before being passed by McAllister and Stump.  In a crowd pleasing display, Vilhelmsen works his way through the other riders, gaining time and positions and catches Stump in second place with only six laps to go.  On the final lap a slight mistake by Stump exiting the first dirt section gives Vilhelmsen his opportunity and Open Pro Moto 1 finishes with Gage McAllister, Simon Vilhelmsen and Eric Stump as top three.

Behind the battle for podium was a wheel to wheel fight for fourth place in the late laps between Bronson Pearce and TriCounty Powersports rider Nick Reimer.  Reimer secured the position in the final minutes of the race.

Open Pro Moto 2 opens with Simon Vilhelmsen taking the hole shot over Gage McAllister and Eric Stump.  Vilhelmsen and McAllister set a blistering pace on the small circuit and take the lead immediately.  It was a two rider clash for the entire 15-minute finale.  On the back straightaway on the final lap, McAllister and Vilhelmsen came in contact in the braking zone with both riders going down hard.  Gage McAllister manages to remount for the win, Eric Stump takes second and Simon Vilhelmsen finishes third.  A mirror image of Moto 1, Nick Reimer and Bronson Pearce combat for fourth place with Reimer finally getting the best of Pearce and claiming his fourth place overall. 

Round 1 in Boise saw the rise of young Mason Muraira and great racing across all three classes.  The next round of AMA Supermoto will be held on May 13 at the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, Arizona.  

Top 5 Finishers

Open Pro

1. Gage McAllister (KTM 450SX-F)

2. Eric Stump (KTM 450SX-F)

3. Simon Vilhelmsen (Husqvarna FC450)

4. Nick Reimer (Husqvarna FC350)

5. Bronson Pearce (Honda CRF450R)

Pro Lites

1. Austin Pecoraro (Honda CRF250R)

2. Joe Kopp (Honda CRF250R)

3. Christian Payne (Honda CRF250R)

4. Brady Tausan (Kawasaki KX250F)

5. Hunter Brooks (Yamaha YZ250F)

Amateur National

1. Kevin Wehr (Husqvarna FC450)

2. Kody Kopp (Honda CRF250)

3. Hadley Melton (Kawasaki KX450F)

4. Parker Pitman (Honda CRF450)

5. Joe Agley (KTM 450SX-F)

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About DRT Racing

DRT Racing was formed by the Mock brothers in 2014. Fueled by their passion for motorcycles, they bridged the gap between industry brands and riders worldwide. After years of hard work and dedication to the sport, DRT Racing established themselves as the promoter for the AMA Supermoto National Championship Series. DRT Racing will put supermoto in the spotlight worldwide with the new 3 year National Supermoto sanctioning with the AMA. The series crowns both professional and amateur champions and features four classes: the Pro Open class, the Pro Lites class, the Amateur National class and the new Kids program. For more information about the AMA Supermoto National Championship Series, follow IG: @drtracinginc or visit www.amasupermotonational.com or www.drtracinginc.com 

About Supermoto

Supermoto originated in the U.S. in the late 70s as a made-for-TV “Superbikers” show. Supermoto is a cross-discipline event in which road racers, dirt-trackers and motocrossers compete on a unique track that combines pavement and dirt, resulting in a very competitive race track. The races feature jumps, high speeds and back-it-in sliding. Tracks can range from football stadiums to closed-course streets to parking lots and more.