Joined Aug 2004
531 Posts | 0+
CA, USA
AMA Pro Supermoto Round Four (Reno) Race Report - 10.02.2004
We arrived at the track on Friday, and John the AMA pit steward wedged us into a tight spot between Mark Burkhart and the Husqvarna team. At first glance, the track looked tight, slippery, and dangerous, with manhole covers, metal grates, yellow and white reflective stripes and other hazards in abundance. Cheney and I walked the track on Friday night, and we agreed that though it looked a bit sketchy, it wasn't all that bad. It was a really imaginative track, and the spectator access that it offered was the best at any 2004 AMA round to date.
The way that the AMA structures the day's schedule doesn't leave a lot of margin for error. We ran our bike through tech on Friday afternoon, then went through our pre-race checklist. The bike was good to go, with zero mechanical issues in evidence. Saturday morning was beautiful, and the sun put a lot of heat into the pavement almost immediately. Cheney went out in the first practice and was pretty quick, though some of the aforementioned hazards spooked him a bit. The bike was working well - in the second practice session, we added a couple of clicks of rebound, and that was it.
Cheney drew the second heat race, and he got a reasonably good start. Finished fourth, which put him on the outside of the second row for the main. We put on new Dunlops, soft front, soft rear, and then we settled in for what would be a long wait for the Unlimited main event.
After the 450 heats and Superpole, it started to rain. At first we figured that it would be a quick shower, and that the race program would be intact. Unfortunately, the cloud cover built to a thick layer, and it poured for about 20 minutes. It stopped raining at about 4:30 PM, and the AMA officials started running around like chickens with their heads cut off. They discussed postponement, cancellation, and finally decided on radically shortening the race program. So the 450's ran a ten lap main, the Honda Red Riders got four laps, and the Unlimited class ran an eight-lap main.
Our rider started on the outside of the second row, surrounded by orange bikes. By the second corner, the top ten guys were basically in the same positions in which they would finish the race. The top three, Nicholl, Kunzel, and Carlson, checked out. The rest of the field raced in groups of two or three, though Cheney was by himself the whole time. His eighth place finish, though not illustrious, was the top non-KTM spot, and in my book, the best dollar-for-dollar result in the field. The teams who finished in front of us were, without exception, big-budget organizations. We're looking forward to getting some help from the factory, which I hope will provide Cheney with the necessary "Oomph" to push him to the front of the pack.
I'd like to thank Dan & Ann from MotoXotica for coming out to the track and spending some quality time. Husaberg fans were also out en masse, and Cheney was mobbed every time he came in from the track. The blue and yellow bike drew a ton of attention. Graham is on his way to South Boston VA for this weekend's rain-date, then we'll be back on the west coast at Del Mar on October 17. Thanks a lot for all of your support.
Brett Saunders
We arrived at the track on Friday, and John the AMA pit steward wedged us into a tight spot between Mark Burkhart and the Husqvarna team. At first glance, the track looked tight, slippery, and dangerous, with manhole covers, metal grates, yellow and white reflective stripes and other hazards in abundance. Cheney and I walked the track on Friday night, and we agreed that though it looked a bit sketchy, it wasn't all that bad. It was a really imaginative track, and the spectator access that it offered was the best at any 2004 AMA round to date.
The way that the AMA structures the day's schedule doesn't leave a lot of margin for error. We ran our bike through tech on Friday afternoon, then went through our pre-race checklist. The bike was good to go, with zero mechanical issues in evidence. Saturday morning was beautiful, and the sun put a lot of heat into the pavement almost immediately. Cheney went out in the first practice and was pretty quick, though some of the aforementioned hazards spooked him a bit. The bike was working well - in the second practice session, we added a couple of clicks of rebound, and that was it.
Cheney drew the second heat race, and he got a reasonably good start. Finished fourth, which put him on the outside of the second row for the main. We put on new Dunlops, soft front, soft rear, and then we settled in for what would be a long wait for the Unlimited main event.
After the 450 heats and Superpole, it started to rain. At first we figured that it would be a quick shower, and that the race program would be intact. Unfortunately, the cloud cover built to a thick layer, and it poured for about 20 minutes. It stopped raining at about 4:30 PM, and the AMA officials started running around like chickens with their heads cut off. They discussed postponement, cancellation, and finally decided on radically shortening the race program. So the 450's ran a ten lap main, the Honda Red Riders got four laps, and the Unlimited class ran an eight-lap main.
Our rider started on the outside of the second row, surrounded by orange bikes. By the second corner, the top ten guys were basically in the same positions in which they would finish the race. The top three, Nicholl, Kunzel, and Carlson, checked out. The rest of the field raced in groups of two or three, though Cheney was by himself the whole time. His eighth place finish, though not illustrious, was the top non-KTM spot, and in my book, the best dollar-for-dollar result in the field. The teams who finished in front of us were, without exception, big-budget organizations. We're looking forward to getting some help from the factory, which I hope will provide Cheney with the necessary "Oomph" to push him to the front of the pack.
I'd like to thank Dan & Ann from MotoXotica for coming out to the track and spending some quality time. Husaberg fans were also out en masse, and Cheney was mobbed every time he came in from the track. The blue and yellow bike drew a ton of attention. Graham is on his way to South Boston VA for this weekend's rain-date, then we'll be back on the west coast at Del Mar on October 17. Thanks a lot for all of your support.
Brett Saunders
I think Cheney is doing a stellar job on his shoe string budget. I just hope that OLN gives Cheney and the Berg some airtime, they didn't give Scott any at all for the CO event. 
