Supermoto: St. Louis summary

Jeff Ward Wins Inaugural AMA Supermoto in St. Louis
Ben Carlson wins first for Aprilia in Supermoto Unlimited

ST LOUIS (May 19, 2007) -- Honda's Jeff Ward won in come from behind fashion at the AMA Supermoto season opener at The Verizon Amphitheater. Ben Carlson registered the first series win for Aprilia in AMA Supermoto Unlimited, while Yamaha's Brandon Currie won the AMA Supermoto Lites main event.

Ward is the reigning AMA Supermoto champion, but off the start, he was relegated to the back of the pack as Husqvarna's Adrien Chareyre, of France, took early control. Ward battled through Honda's Mark Burkhart, of Menifee, Calif., and Kawasaki-mounted Chris Fillmore, of Oxford, Mich., and set his sights on Chareyre.

On lap 12 of the 20-minute race, Ward made a pass for the lead and used his experience to hold off Chareyre, who rode on Ward's rear tire for the final three laps.

"The St. Louis track was fast, I had to be aggressive out there", said Ward, "Everything worked out great I really liked the dirt section and was able to make up time in it. It feels great to get the first win of the season".

Carlson, of West Bend, Ind., started from the pole position and led every lap of the 15-minute race. The win was the first-ever for Aprilia in North America and also marks the first time the Italian motorcycle manufacturer has had a rider in the points lead. Husaberg's Robert Loire, of Salem, Wis., was second, followed by KTM's Josh Chrism, of Bakersfield, Calif.

"Capturing Aprillia's first win feels amazing," said Carlson, "I am very happy for this team and everyone involved I have been working hard and I want to put a great season together for everyone here".

Honda's David Pingree, of Temecula, Calif., started on the pole for AMA Supermoto Lites and held the lead for a majority of the race. With two laps to go, Currie, of Anaheim, Calif., capitalized on a Pingree mistake to take over the lead. Pingree would finish second, followed by Husqvarna's Adam Cini, of San Diego.

-credit: ama