SEPTEMBER 1, 2005
--press release--
Team ALDO KTM Royal rider Michael Willard cemented his status as one of the hottest emerging talents on the Canadian Pro circuit by winning the Walton TransCan MX2 East/West shootout on his KTM 250 SX-F.
Willard claimed national MX2 bragging rights having carded a 1-3 for top honors at Walton, his victory coming exactly a week after he sealed the #1 plate for KTM Canada in the MX2 East Championship finale at Ste-Julie, Quebec.
While rain heralded the start of the weekend, when it came time for Michael Willard, Pierce Chamberlain and Matt Barnes to hit the dirt for KTM on Sunday morning the sun was shining and track conditions were perfect. All three riders were in a relaxed mood and looking forward to some fun on track having wrapped up all their championship campaigns a week earlier.
Sunday’s first moto kicked off with yet another textbook holeshot from Willard. The 19-year-old fired himself into an early lead while MX2 West Champion Dusty Klatt and the rest of the pack gave chase. Pierce Chamberlain held top-five at the start while Matt Barnes kept himself in the thick of the action a few spots back. At the half way marker the lead changed as Dusty Klatt ignored yellow flags, indicating a downed rider at the huge step up, and he passed Willard as the MX2 East Champion slowed down acknowledging the caution signals.
The move proved to be costly for Klatt as he would be penalized five spots at the end for passing Willard under the yellows.
Michael, well aware of the rules and with a comfortable advantage over the rest of the opposition, settled for second at the checkered knowing his MX2 rival would be demoted to hand him the win. Chamberlain rode well to take the third and final podium place with Matt Barnes three spots down in sixth.
The second moto started with a repeat performance by Willard, the teenage charger nailing the holeshot once again. A rare slide from the American allowed five riders to pass but Michael put his head down and set to work, knowing he had to finish fourth or higher to capture the shootout win.
This time round Dusty Klatt won fair and square on track but Willard’s relentless pursuit of the leaders was rewarded with third place and the overall MX2 victory – Michael claiming his second title in seven days and another champagne soaking for Team ALDO KTM Royal. Behind Willard, Barnes beat Chamberlain to the checkered, the KTM duo finishing fifth and sixth respectively in Moto2.
Pierce Chamberlain joined the final podium celebrations, his 3-6 performance capturing third overall behind Klatt and Willard at the end of the day. Matt Barnes made it three KTM riders in the top four as the MX2 action concluded for the season.
Delighted with another victory Team Manager Andy White commented:
“It was a stress free weekend and we had a lot of fun at Walton. The guys showed their true colors with some terrific performances. Michael continued to do an awesome job. It was too bad the penalty situation in the first moto robbed the fans of an East-West fight to the flag but Michael knew what needed to be done.
“Pierce came out to play which was great and I was delighted to see him on the podium at the end of the day. It was a great way to end the year and we met lots of very enthusiastic race fans. I’m hoping we can carry our momentum into the Supercross series starting in Montreal in October.”
Team ALDO KTM Royal hits the track this season thanks to support from the following partners; ALDO, Royal Distributing, Axo, FMF, Protech Suspension, M2R, Pirelli, Polisport, Regina Chain, Renthal, Twin Air, Motorex, TAG Metals, Ogio, Mechanix Wear, NelsonMX.com, TriStar, SDG, SFB Racing, Universal, Arnette, DRD, One Industries, LRP, Furious, Hinson Clutch Components, E-Line, Cycra, Excel, Works Connection, Atpac, Aussie/Sport, Jagg448, Sponsorhouse.com and SBS Brakes.
