Atkins report.

St Louis. Rd1 2007.

 

Factory Aprilia Rip It Energy Racing’s Ben Carlson wins.

The Debut of the Factory Aprilia Rip It Energy Fuel racing team resulted in victory for Ben Carlson making his debut on the Aprilia SXV 550 in the AMA Supermoto Unlimited class. This was the first American victory for the revolutionary Aprilia V-Twin racer. Team Owner Darryl Atkins finished a strong fifth place despite suffering the effects of arm-pump all weekend and losing considerable strength on the brakes.

A close race at the start saw Carlson challenged by larger displacement machines on the long straights of the St. Louis course. A pack of riders showed their determination to win at the outset with a battle up front entertaining the crowd. Carlson qualified on pole with Atkins one row behind on the grid. The entire field seemed to nail the start maintaining their grid order into turn one.

As the twelve laps wore on Carlson held off competitors leveraging the horsepower of the SXV 550. The long front straight and sweeping first corner suited the Aprilia, however it was not a cake walk as the level of competition has steadily increased over the years in the large displacement class. A few laps in Carlson proved his talent on the front straight by stretching his lead. By mid-race Carlson showed his championship form and started to gap the field, ultimately winning by over ten seconds.

Atkins pushed through his personal battle on the track with an unusual case of worsening arm pump. Back in 1994 Atkins was involved in a near fatal car crash which caused extreme damage to his right shoulder. With the C2, C4 and C5 nerve roots torn from his neck, surgeons at Oxford made the decision to perform a procedure which was predominantly experimental. A nerve transplant from Atkins rib cage was aimed at enabling the arm to regain basic function. The fact that he has been able to maintain basic movement, let alone win multiple championships on a motorcycle, continues to baffle medical professionals at England's Oxford University, and around the world. Despite his smooth riding style, over the course of the race he lost power in his braking hand, a true disadvantage on the fast course. Atkins finished fifth with a comfortable lead on the trailing positions.

“I am so fired up that we took a win in our fist round,” says West Bend, Wisconsin native Carlson. “The team gave me a great bike, and we made very few changes to the set-up over the weekend. I have to thank Darryl for bringing me on to this team and putting the whole effort together. His development work last year is paying off now, and it’s a huge bonus that he is a great teammate.”

“ We had ideal machines for this track,” says Atkins. “The chassis really worked for us and we finally had a course where the bikes could stretch its legs. I’m really disappointed that I was unable to podium because we had a great package and really wanted to come out of the gates strong. I want to especially thank Aprilia USA and Rip It Energy for their primary sponsorship of the team. We had a good weekend from a teams point of view but from a riders, I know what I need to do to be ready for the next event in New Jersey in two weeks.”

Carlson raced the 450 class making history again, as the 2007 AMA rules now allow multi-cylinder machines in the Premier class. The race immediately following his victory in the Unlimited class tested Carlson's mental and Physical stamina. Girded 8th, the outside of the second row, the crowed watched as Carlson hovered his front wheel off the grid applying maximum power against the best Supermoto racers in the country. His extended experience on the track by racing two classes helped him stay in the top group for the full race. Carlson finished a very strong 6th place. “The SXV 450 is a great bike and has the ability to stay with the best factory machines on the track,” enthused Carlson. There was a couple corners where the single-cylinder machines had an advantage and that kept me from moving up. Mistakes by competitors and a smooth performance through the dirt pull Carlson up the ranks. "Overall I’m pretty happy with the SXV 450, and I know more time on that bike will only help us develop that machine into as competitive a racer as the SXV 550 is.” Atkins broke a finger one week before the event and he decides to concentrate on the Unlimited Championship for the first round.

Race Results:

Unlimited Class
1st Benny Carlson
5th Darryl Atkins

Unlimited Teams Championship
1st Factory Aprilia Rip it Energy Racing

450 Class
6th Benny Carlson

The next round in the AMA Supermoto Championship will have teams heading East to Englishtown New Jersey on June 3rd at the Raceway Park. For more information on the race and to buy tickets, log on to www.amasupermoto.com.

The Factory Aprilia Rip It Energy Fuel team wishes to thank its sponsors:

Aprilia USA: www.apriliausa.com
Rip It Energy Fuel: www.ripitenergy.com
Dunlop Motorcycle Tires: www.dunlopmotorcycles.com
Parts Unlimited: www.parts-unlimited.com
Bel-Ray oils: www.belray.com
Beringer brakes: www.beringerbrakes
Groove wines:
Race Tech: www.racetech.com
Scott goggles: www.scottusa.com
Thor: www.thormx.com
Alpinestars: www.alpinestars.com
Renthal: www.renthal.com
Asterisk: www.asterisk.com
K&N Air filters: www.knfilters.com
Works Connection: www.worksconnection.com
Suzuka Tire Warmers: www.tirewarmer.com
AF1 Racing: www.af1racing.com
Regina chain: www.regina.it
Ogio bags: www.ogio.com
Mechanix wear: www.mechanix.com
East Coast Wheels: www.eastcoastwheels.com
ZLT: www.zltracing.com
Pit Bull: www.pit-bull.com
G2: www.g2ergo.com
CR&A: www.cracustoms.com
Acerbis: www.acerbis.com
Fastway Footpegs: www.promotobillet.com
TecBolts:
Alpina Wheels: www.aplinaraggi.it
Ap Designs: www.apdesignsusa.com
VP Fuels: www.vpracingfuels.com
Power Commander / Dyno Jet: www.powercommander.com

For media inquires and photos, please contact: Darryl Atkins via: apriliaracing@cox.net

 

Also see:

 

History of the Backflip

Round 1 AMA report. 2006

Atkins and Aprilia team up.

www.amasupermoto.com

2005 AMA Final Report

AMA Round 2 2005 Report

Nasmoto Report

Atkins fourth at round 1 AMA 2005

Atkins team announcement.

Atkins Supercross report.

Atkins 2004 Supermoto bio

2004 Wrap up.

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