The following press release comes from Greg Primm, a long-time friend of Troy Lee and proprietor of the Primm MX Collection in Las Vegas.

I have been a strong supporter of Nellis Air Force Base here in Las Vegas for as long as I can remember. I try and give back as much as possible to those who keep us safe. Four years ago I met Colonel Terrence “SkinS” Fornof who, like myself, has been a fan of motocross his whole life. Through my love for the Air Force and “SkinS” love for MX we have built a great friendship. Three years ago “SkinS” put a tour of Nellis Air Force Base together for Heath Voss and his family and extended an invitation to me. I rarely pass up a chance to see fighter jets fly!

This tour was designed to show the supercross industry what the military does on a daily basis to keep us all safe and allow us to do what we love. The Air Force’s professionalism and patriotism is second-to-none, which is why it is imperative for the supercross industry to be conscious of it.

In three years the tour has gone from fourteen people to over fifty this year. For this tour we wanted to take another step forward and add a charity component to raise money for a Nevada based military charity. The non-profit charity we have chosen is Nevada Military Support Alliance.

The Nevada Military Support Alliance (NVMSA) is designed to provide support and coordinate integration to all Nevadans who have served or are presently serving in the United States military at a level that has not been achieved until today. The Nevada Military Support Alliance works with all aspects of the military to identify gaps in service and create the bridges to close those gaps.

The Nevada Military Support Alliance was “created by the leaders of The Nevada Patriot Fund and the Nevada Military Support Alliance, who recognized the missions of their organizations overlapped and neither offered the full complement of services that Nevada’s soldiers, sailors, marines or airmen require, decided to combine both organizations to create a single entity that will offer an unprecedented level of assistance and support to Nevada’s military members and their families” (The Nevada Military Support Alliance).

My friendship with Troy Lee goes back many years, as a result I knew that he was the only person who could design something that would look as cool and go as fast as the United States Air Force. Troy designed an amazing tribute helmet and is launching his 2011 gear line with a tribute to the United States Air Force in support of the Nevada Military Support Alliance. Troy and his amazing staff of dedicated people at Troy Lee Designs (TLD) have given 100% to make sure this tour and charity auction are a success.

TLD will auction off one set of race worn gear, including this one-of-a-kind tribute helmet of the United States Air Force. The helmet will be signed by pilots of an F-15 Eagle, F-16 Viper, F-22 Raptor, A-10 Warthog, C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globe Master III, MQ-1 Predator UAV as well as the TLD race team.

I look forward to seeing Team TLD and the United States Air force Tribute TLD gear on the podium this Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. If you are a supporter of our troops, please consider making a bid.

Auction Information

SE2 Helmet / SE Jersey / SE Race Pants
eBay item number: 250627670999
Auction Begins: 5/10/10 – 12pm PST
Auction Ends: 5/20/10 – 12pm PST
You can follow this auction at: www.troyleedesigns.com/auctions.

Murphy, ID – FMF/KTM Factory rider David Kamo put in a solid run to come out 2nd overall at the fourth round of the AMA National Hare & Hound Series just 9 seconds behind the leader.

Kamo, an Idaho native, started the day well running inside the top three the whole race. Kamo stayed close to the leader, Kendall Norman, on the first loop but really reeled him in on the second loop. The dust played a major factor during the race as it obstructed vision and made it much more difficult to pass. “I finally got close enough to make a pass on the second loop but made a mistake and almost went over the bars. I also had a small problem with my clutch after the first loop and spent the rest of the race trying to get it worked out,” remarked Kamo.

When it was all said and done, Kamo was able to maintain his 2nd place position behind Norman. “I am happy with my race today. I have been working hard to remain consistent in this series and hope to continue to improve each round.”

Kamo’s teammate, David Pearson, was running up front at the start of the race but suffered a problem after the first 20 miles that caused him to DNF the race. “I had a technical problem, and unfortunately, wasn’t able to make it back to the pits for the repair. It’s just part of racing. I will be back in the hunt at the next round,” stated Pearson.

Next Event: Round 5 – Jericho, UT – April 10, 2010

Overall Results –
1) Kendall Norman
2) David Kamo – KTM
3) Gary Sutherlin
4) Jacob Argubright
5) Robert Underwood
6) Destry Abbott
7) Justin Imhof – KTM
Bobby Prochnau – KTM
9) Nick Burson
10) Josh Mott

Point Standings –
1) Kendall Norman – 94
2) David Kamo – 87
3) Destry Abbott – 86
4) David Pearson – 64
5) Jacob Argubright – 52

The weekend started off on the right foot with the Honda of Troy Squad being featured on Press Day. Michael Willard- and his Canadian racing history- made him a favorite with the news and television crews.

The additional track time proved to do our guys some good, making a transfer from the day practice into the night program a breeze. #92 Willard ran impressive laps inside the top 10 in timed qualifying. The gate lineup put Kilbarger and Willard in the First Heat and Durham and Lipanovich in the Second. Kilbarger and Willard rode a solid heat race and qualified directly into the main with a 12th & 18th gate pick for the main. Durham and Lipanovich didn’t fair as well as Lipanovich got one of his patented good starts but struggled through the first long timing section. Sean found himself just outside of qualifying in 12th place come race end. Durham was running a strong 6th on lap 2 of the second heat. He made a pass on Metcalf for 5th and gapped him about a second when a technical rhythm section claimed him, sending him over the handlebars, head first into the ground and right into Metcalf’s path. Darryn struggled to get to his feet and the medical staff did what they could to comfort him. It was off to the Asterisk Medical truck for him where an examination showed no breaks just a solid shot to the head that would keep him out of the last chance qualifier and there for main event.

The main event was on and it was some of the best racing we have seen yet this year. #412 Kilbarger shot out of the gate with a respectable 12th place start. #92 Willard got pushed to the outside of the track and into the tuff blocks. He was forced to stop and kick a tuff block cover off of his bike putting him about a full straightaway down on the last place guy – he had his work cut out for him. #412 was in an intense battle with multiple riders and this slowed his pace allowing Willard to catch their pack. Willard and Kilbarger put on one heck of a race with each other for about 5 laps before the sand section caused Kilbarger’s rear wheel to lock up and his bike to stall on lap 6. #92 Willard never looked back and charged forward. Michael rode with intensity that we have not see out of him to this point. Over each and every jump he had his head on a swivel looking to see who was in front of him and who he was going to claim next. Come lap 8, he saw #341 Izzy was about 5 seconds out and he put on an inspiring charge catching and passing Nicco on lap 12. At the end of his charge Michael was able to net himself 9th in the main-an impressive finish when taking into account he passed 10 competitors to earn his place. After refiring, the #412 Kilbarger was able to fight off multiple riders and still put in a solid 14th place finish. Levi shows the heart and desire of a true champion and deserves the opportunity to show what he can do when he is healthy. He continues to battle the pains of his leg injury and has been plagued with fatigue issues.

Everyone is looking forward to heading to Dallas this week and experiencing the new Dallas Stadium – The HoT crew and team continues to grow and improve with each and every passing week. Darryn Durham is fully ready to go this week with only a few bumps and bruises that he will not let stifle his quest towards the podium.

The Honda of Troy/Kilbarger Racing Team would like to acknowledge the sponsors who make this effort possible.

Honda of Troy, Kilbarger Racing LLC, Eleven 10 Mods, WAR – We All Ride, Fox Racing Shox, Cycra Racing, Motorex, TAG Metals, Yoshimura, Motion Pro, Renegade Race Fuel, Faction Mx, N-Style, Dunlop, DP Brake Pads, QTM, G2 Ergonomics, ARC, Boyesen, Light Speed, Hinson, RK/Excel, Ride Eng., Hammerhead, Straight Shot Air Filters, Bell Helmets, Hot Hedz Designs, Von Zipper, Total Image AutoSport, Kicker, ICW, Rocks Racing Services, Injectioneering, IMS Foot Pegs, Franklin Equipment, and Gabriel Logan

For more information regarding dates, times and sign up, please contact Devin Mitchell at devinmitchell@rocketmail.com or call 951-767-1872

Nobody could have predicted the storm that would pass through El Centro during round three of the series. “It was warm and sunny on Saturday as we were prepping for the race. Nobody was prepared for the storms that passed through on Sunday completely soaking the desert course,” commented David Pearson.

Pearson got a great start sitting in 4th position at the end of the bomb behind Kendall Norman, Jacob Argubright and Destry Abbott. Argubright went over the bars early in the race, losing a position and helping Abbott and Pearson to move into the top three. Abbott and Pearson remained close and battled for a good portion of the race. Pearson was able to pass for 2nd position and held that spot until he got stuck in a mud hole and had trouble starting the bike. After he recovered, he was down 2 minutes. He eventually charged forward to pick up 3rd place and finish on the podium.

Pearson’s teammate, David Kamo, also had a good start off the line. Shortly into the race he got water in his goggles and struggled with poor visibility through the remainder of the race. When the checkered flag flew Kamo had worked his way into 5th overall.

Next Round: March 21, 2010 – Murphy, ID – Round 4

Overall Results –
1) Kendall Norman
2) Destry Abbott
3) David Pearson – KTM
4) Robert Underwood
5) David Kamo – KTM

Overall Points –
1) Destry Abbott – 71
2) Kendall Norman – 64
3) David Pearson – 64
4) David Kamo – 62
5) Jacob Argubright – 34

Race Day:
I can’t believe the first three rounds have been wet and this one was by far wetter than any of them. The start had puddles everywhere, and I only ran the bomb three times before the race since I was soaked, cold and it was raining again. When the banner dropped I didn’t get a first kick start, but it started the next try. I was trying to pass guys, but was getting soaked by a ton of riders with all the standing water. A mile out I had already used all my tear-offs and knew right away I should’ve went with roll-offs. UGH! A few miles in I was around 10th and just was trying to play it smart and get a good feel for the ground, since it was so slippery. I kept picking guys off, but was having a tough time seeing out of my goggles. At this point I saw Jacob on the ground, and he gave me the thumbs up so I kept going. By now I had moved into 4th and had Gary Sutherlin right in front of me with David Pearson right in front of Gary. I knew Kendall was leading, but couldn’t see him. Just before the alternate pit (mile 21) I was able to get by Gary, and get right on David. I stopped for a splash and put roll-offs on. I left a little bit behind David, but was able to get right on him and then made the pass. I could now see Kendall and wanted to get on him so I could key off him. Around the 35-mile mark, I lost my front end over some really slicks hills and went down. I was soaked with mud and my gloves and left grip were really bad. I took off and was thinking this isn’t going to be good, but luckily I came up to a big water crossing and I slowed down to clean the mud off and then was back on the gas. After the first 59-mile loop was over, Kendall had about 2-minutes on me and David was about 45-seconds in front of me. I stopped for a quick splash and changed my gloves (which was really nice since it was still raining). Now I knew the second loop was where it was going to be won, but Kendall had a pretty good lead on us. I was pushing and was able to catch David about 10-miles into the last 37-mile loop. I passed him, and then once we got into the rocks I started to really feel comfortable and had a great pace going. However, David was able to stay on me since it was so much easier to key off the guy in front of you. The rain really played havoc on the arrows, and they folded up or fell off so it was super hard to follow the course (not the clubs fault). Halfway into the loop I could tell we had really closed the gap on Kendall, and were within a minute of him. David and I kept pushing each other and were going back and forth for quite a while. Next thing I knew we were within about 20-seconds of Kendall, and was looking forward to a three way battle for the win! David was ahead of me at this point, and I was following him down this really tight ravine that had two big drop offs that were filled with running water. Unfortunately David rolled off it and went flying over the bars. I sat there for a few seconds and I could tell he was struggling to pick it up so I figured I would try and jump over his front end, but it was going to be tight. I tried anyway and boy was it a bad call on my part! My front end slammed into his, and now we were both stuck in the deep puddle of water and neither one of us could do anything to get unstuck. He finally had to lay down his bike the opposite way we were going to get it unstuck, but there still wasn’t enough room to get by so I had to sit there and wait for him to try and get his bike flipped around. I knew we had just thrown away any shot we had at the win, since we were there for at least 2-minutes. Once we took off it was another epic battle and we kept going back and forth, but with about 3-miles to go he made a good pass on me. Right after that his bike came to a stop and I knew it was because of the huge wash we were trying to ride up that was flowing a few feet deep in areas. I was thinking I should be on a jet ski here instead of a dirt bike (it really was that deep for a good mile). I ended up finishing 2nd and a few minutes ahead of David who finally got his bike started. Kendall put in a great ride and got his first National H&H win.

Overall Summary:
Even though I finished 2nd I had a blast and felt really good on the bike again (my conditioning is getting better too). I really felt I could’ve been right there for the win, until the last mistake which was my fault. The conditions really made it fun, and challenging, and then to have some great battles just made it that much better. Definitely a fun day of racing for me!

Results (Overall):
1st Kendall Norman
2nd Destry Abbott
3rd David Pearson
4th Robert Underwood
5th David Kamo

Other Notes:

Here’s a short video clip from Beau. He wasn’t able to get a ton of coverage because of the weather, but it’s still pretty cool! http://www.promoto.tv/

It’s nice to be in the points lead, but I really want to be pulling off some wins again. I’ve been close, but just haven’t won one this year! Come on Idaho!

I would rate this H&H with one of the coolest ones I’ve done in years. The first loop was unbelievably slick and you had to ride smart. The second loop was awesome, and the weather conditions made it interesting and challenging. Even though I didn’t win I had a blast, and thought the club did a great job considering the conditions they had to deal with (all the rain). It definitely wasn’t easy and I think that’s what national events should be like, but the rain did help make it that way!

I’d like to give a big thanks to the Argubright’s for letting Jonny and I use their truck to help us stay dry. Jacob was putting in a great ride and was running 2nd early, but took a big digger and had to call it a day.

Yesterday Gary Sutherlin teamed up with Justin Soule to win the Laughlin Hare Scramble and then showed up late last night to race the H&H. He had a solid 4th place until he bent his sprocket really bad, 20-miles from the finish, and ended up with a DNF.

I have this weekend off and then have a long drive up to Idaho the following week for round four of the H&H series.

Here’s a little video clip that me and my teammates did to plug Kawasaki’s new Facebook page. It was kind of funny! http://www.kawasaki.com/Racing_news/Article.aspx?id=1360

——————–

Best Wishes,
Destry
www.destryabbott.com
2010 Sponsors: Monster Energy Kawasaki, Thor, Dunlop, GPR stablilzers, Shoei, Akrapovic exhaust, Stephen Gall Training, SIDI, IMS, Zip-Ty, HoyFox.com, Motion Pro, BRP, Braking, Works Connection, Concept2, CTI2, Maxima, Kicker, O’GIO, Traxxas, Renthal, Hinson, Jonre Multimedia, dragonfireracing.com, Scott, Cyto Sport, N-Style, UNI, Parkway Chiropractic, Tire-Balls, and ZLT.

Caselli started the weekend well winning the Individual Pro race during Saturday’s main event. Caselli started 3rd around the first turn and then took the lead part way into the first lap. He led each lap of the race until he crossed the checkered flag lapping all but four riders by the end of the race. In addition to Caselli’s Individual Pro race win he also won the Unclassified race well fellow KTM rider Colton Sanders won the Open A and 4-Stroke A class.

On Sunday, an estimated crowd of 30,000 spectators lined the streets of Adelanto for the highly popular team race. The team race starts LeMan’s style with one team member holding the bike while the other has to run to the bike, jump on and take off before the others. They then proceed to switch off each lap until the end of the race.

Caselli and Ritzman nailed the holeshot when Caselli was the first to run to his bike, press the electric start button on his KTM 450 XC-F and pin it to the first turn. From the start of the race to the finish, the KTM team led it all, eventually stretching out their lead to over 4 minutes. The KTM Team averaged a speed of 60 mph on the 6 mile course which included fast paced paved and dirt roads, a water jump and a small motocross section. “This was the scariest race I have participated in my life because the people and objects just seem to jump out in front of you at all times. And, it is so fast,” commented Ritzman. “But at the same time I can also say it is the most fun I have had in a while and I am happy that Kurt and I came away with the win.”

Caselli was equally satisfied with the team win, “Our bike was the fastest bike hands down. When you have a great product behind you the rest came easy. Brenden was a great teammate, he was on it all day long and our bike set-up is similar which it made it really easy to switch back and forth. I was happy to come out to this event and take the win. My goal this year is to get back to my roots and participate in many of the local desert races – this one was my first priority,” stated Caselli.

Both riders will spend the week practicing in California before heading to Primm, NV for the second round of the WORCS this Sunday.

JP Davis headed out to the District 36 Hare Scrambles at E Street MX track. With over 20 Pros on the line, the field was stacked. JP got off to a slow start with an uncharacteristic 10 kick start. He wasted no time charging through the pack and was up to 9th at the end of lap 1. He continued to push forward till he caught the leader. A battle ensued until he made the pass stick. From there he pulled away to over a minute lead. When the checkered flag came out, as the clock ran down to zero, he put in 1 more lap than anyone else. First overall the hard way.

Robby Bell showed up for the SRA GP at Glen Helen. In the heavyweight expert class, he took a 3rd place start. Half way through the first lap, he moved into 1st. From here he pulled away to an easy win. With only a 15 minute break until the team race (which he iron maned), it was gas and get back to the line. A poor start put him near the back of the 20 rider front row. He wasted little time getting to the front and at the end of the first lap was 2nd. Lap two he took the lead and disappeared. He improved on his first race lap times, and finished with nearly a 2 minute lead.

Justin Seeds also ran at the SRA GP. In the heavyweight expert class, he took 5th. He ran strong against a field of many pro riders. Then he iron maned the team race. He was nearly last after something jammed his rear brake. He charged on to pass into 4th at the finish.

Next up is the WORCS race at Primm, Nevada this weekend.

KTM offers contingency in multiple off-road and motocross series throughout the United States. The 2010 program has been expanded to include more motocross series and increased payouts to the existing off-road series that are on the schedule.

“KTM understands that economic times are tough and riders can use every bit of help to keep their bikes properly maintained for race day,” remarked FMF/KTM Team Manager Antti Kallonen. “That is why KTM has decided to increase the contingency payouts in the off-road series while also expanding the amount of motocross events on the schedule. We are excited about this news and hope that the KTM riders will be equally pleased.”

KTM Cash is awarded to top place finishers at the qualifying events. Awards range from $75 to $2,000 and can be redeemed at a local participating KTM dealership. KTM Cash rewards are distributed online through XTRM. Riders must possess a valid XTRM Plus account in order to be eligible for KTM Cash. To sign up to be an XTRM Plus member and start redeeming KTM Cash rewards log on to www.xtrm.com today!

For a complete schedule and more information on the KTM Amateur Contingency Program and eligibility requirements please visit www.xtrm.com/ktm.