From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
AMA RED BULL SUPERMOTO A-GO-GO LOADED WITH WORLD CLASS TALENT
MotoGP rider Hoffman to ride Kawasaki KLX400 in its AMA Supermoto debut
The AMA Red Bull Supermoto A-Go-Go this Saturday, Nov. 13, will not only feature the top riders from the AMA Championship such as Jeff Ward, Doug Henry and Jurgen Kunzel, but will also introduce U.S. fans to a number of top level riders who don’t regularly compete in the AMA Supermoto Championship.
Perhaps the most intriguing entry is that of Kawasaki’s MotoGP rider Alex Hofmann. The 24-year-old German started his career as a motocross racer before switching to road racing so he should feel right at home in supermoto racing. Hofmann will ride a specially prepared Kawasaki KLX400, a motorcycle that has never been raced in AMA Supermoto competition.
Ben Bostrom came to a last-minute agreement with Honda to race in Las Vegas. The defending AMA Supermoto champ is a natural on a supermoto bike. He showed that last year by taking victory in the action-packed championship finale over Doug Henry and Jeff Ward. Bostrom solidified his claim to being one of the best supermoto riders in the world when he made a riveting last-lap pass on Eddy Seel to win the inaugural X-Games Supermoto final. Bostrom will have an advantage of a factory-prepped Honda CRF450R, which promises to be one of the fastest bikes in the field.
Eddy Seel is eager to exact revenge for the ruthless move Bostrom pulled on him in the X-Games. Seel, a Belgian who is the defending S1 Supermoto World Champ, is expected to make a major impact in Las Vegas on the Pacifico Husqvarna.
Boris Chambon will return to AMA competition in Las Vegas on a Red Bull KTM. Chambon made a few appearances in the AMA series last year and had an unfortunate early exit from the Supermoto A-Go-Go last year after crashing in the dirt section on the second lap. The 29-year-old French Supermoto champ will be looking to make up for last year’s error.
Leighton Haigh is a British Supermoto Champion and he could sneak under the radar and surprise some folks at Las Vegas. Ditto for Swiss ace Daniel Muller. Both have raced in AMA prior to the weekend, but are better known for their exploits across the pond.
Headlining the Supermoto Unlimited entries is Gerald Delepine. Delepine, comes into this Saturday’s race ranked fourth in the S1 Supermoto World Championship. The 34-year-old factory Husky rider was the runner up in the world championship in 2002 and is definitely favored to give the dominating KTM duo of Jurgen Kunzel and Kurt Nicoll a challenge on the big bikes.
Frederic Fiorentino is another fast Belgian and a former top-10 rider in the world championships. Fiorentino will ride for Fast 50s. Another name rider in the Supermoto Unlimited class is Graham Cheney, who won the Queensland Supermoto Championship in Australia earlier this year. Cheney will ride a Husaberg.
All of these international riders added to the mix are certain to make for the most exciting AMA Supermoto race in the short two-year history of the series.
The AMA Red Bull Supermoto-a-Go-Go at Bally’s will feature practice and qualifying on Friday, Nov. 12 and heat races and finals on Saturday, Nov. 13. The race is open free to the public and pit passes are available for purchase. The races will be telecast nationally on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) on Nov. 17.