From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA Red Bull Supermoto team championships heating up coming into Irwindale

Red Bull HMC KTM leading both team classes

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Oct. 27, 2003) — The team titles in the AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship are coming down to the wire as round five of the series heads to Irwindale, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 1. The powerful Red Bull HMC KTM squad leads the series in both the Supermoto class as well as the Supermoto Unlimited class. Red Bull HMC KTM could wrap up the overall team title in Supermoto Unlimited at Irwindale. Team championships are determined by the best score of the top two riders from each team at each round. There will also be an individual champion crowned in each class.

The competition is very close in the Supermoto class. The Red Bull HMC KTM Supermoto Racing Team 1 with riders Grant Langston, Ben Carlson, Boris Chambon, Doug Chandler and Chris Fillmore hold a narrow 10-point lead over the charging Troy Lee Designs Honda squad of Jeff Ward, Jeremy McGrath, Troy Lee and Jake Zemke. Red Bull HMC KTM Team 1 has had a steady season with Chandler taking the win at the rain-delayed South Boston, Va., round, but with three wins by Ward and two podiums by McGrath, the Troy Lee Designs Honda team has stormed back into contention, in spite of missing the Virginia race.

Another good performance by Ward and McGrath could put the Troy Lee team atop the standings after this coming round. Should both of the powerful leading two supermoto squads have problems, the CHM Exhaust McAllister Motorsports Honda I team is not far behind in third place.

In Supermoto Unlimited action, Red Bull HMC KTM Supermoto Racing Team 1 has seen less competition and has dominated the team series all season. The team’s closest rival is the Red Bull HMC KTM Racing Team 2 with Larry Pegram and Ken Coolbeth. Carlson, Chambon and Fillmore have all won rounds in Supermoto Unlimited this season aboard the potent KTM 525 SMC. The East Hills Motorsports Harrington Vertemati squad is a distant third.

In addition to bragging rights, teams are gunning for their share of the $25,000 year-end championship point fund that will be awarded to the top-15 Supermoto class teams based on points earned throughout the season.

The Irwindale round is the last race leading up the AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship finale at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino on Friday, Nov. 21 in Las Vegas. The Irwindale round will be taped for a Nov. 20 airing on Outdoor Life Network.

The event at Irwindale Speedway will be held on a NASCAR-style paved oval similar to that of South Boston Speedway. Featuring high-speed sweeping turns on the track’s banked corners as well as tight, technical sections constructed in the facility’s infield, the race promises to deliver plenty of close racing.

For additional information on the coming race, contact Irwindale Speedway at (661) 816-7647 or visit www.supermotowest.com. For tickets call (626) 358-1100.