Homestead, FL – KTM/HMC Factory Superbike rider Chris Fillmore made history when he became the first KTM rider to lead a lap aboard the KTM 1190 RC8 R during the second day of racing at the eleventh round of the AMA Pro SuperBike Series.
Fillmore’s history-making day did not come easy. Fillmore had a bad qualifying time heading into the weekend due to a mechanical issue in the first qualifier and heavy rain in the second and third. “I just couldn’t get in a good lap so I was stuck starting in the last row,” remarked Fillmore.
On the first day of racing, Fillmore started at the end of the pack but pushed hard to work his way into the top ten. At his highest placement Fillmore was sitting in 8th place after passing four riders throughout the first half of the race. With only a few laps to go, Fillmore closed in on David Anthony and set-up for an inside pass. As they entered a corner neither rider wanted to give up the position which caused them to bump bars. The collision caused Fillmore’s brake lever to fall out of place. “I had to take my hand off the bars to adjust it which cost me about three positions. I was really upset because I had just worked really hard to pass into 8th and I lost it in a matter of seconds while trying to get my controls back in position.” Fillmore continued to pressure the group ahead of him but eventually had to settle for 11th at the end of day one.
Day two greeted race fans with a large amount of rain fall. There was such a heavy downpour prior to the race that Fillmore and his KTM/HMC team decided to run a rain tire in the race. The tire paid off in the first third of the race as Fillmore rocketed his KTM off the line and quickly moved from last to 7th by the end of the third corner. Fillmore continued to make passes in each corner until he had moved into 2nd as the riders started the second lap. On the third lap Fillmore made history as he passed Geoff May for the lead and went on to lead the next lap of the race. That lap marked the first lap ever led by a KTM rider in the sport of AMA Pro SuperBike racing.
“It felt great to lead that lap. Everything was clicking in those first few laps. Where everyone was cautious, I just pushed forward and was able to get out front,” stated Fillmore after the race. Unfortunately, the next few laps the track began to dry out as the rain stopped falling. Fillmore’s rain tires started to deteriorate in the dry conditions and by the halfway point he had fallen to 8th place while trying to salvage his tires. For safety reasons, he decided to pull into the pits to get the tires changed. Fillmore returned to the race in 15th position. In the three laps remaining he was able to log in enough laps to bump him to 14th overall for the day.
“This definitely wasn’t the finish I had hoped for after running in the lead at the beginning of the race,” stated Fillmore. “I am still very proud that we were able to lead a lap but I am bummed that we suffered on our tire choice and it cost me a decent finish. Luckily, we are learning from every race and I know we will come back stronger at the next one.”
Next Race: NOLA Motorsports Park – October 5-7, 2012
Overall Results Day 1 –
1. Roger Hayden
2. Danny Eslick
3. Blake Young
4. Geoff May
5. Ben Bostrom
6. Chris Ulrich
7. David Anthony
8. Larry Pegram
9. Taylor Knapp
10. Aaron Yates
11. Chris Fillmore
12. Josh Hayes
13. Jordan Burgess
14. Robertino Pietri
15. Barrett Long
Overall Results Day 2 –
1. Josh Hayes
2. Steve Rapp
3. Ben Bostrom
4. Josh Herrin
5. Geoff May
6. Robertino Pietri
7. Bruno Silva
8. Chris Ulrich
9. Sean Dryer
10. Roger Hayden
11. Jeffrey Lampe
12. Felipe McClean
13. Taylor Knapp
14. Chris Fillmore – KTM
15. Larry Pegram