Atkins & Aprilia Rip it Energy fuel win AMA Supermoto Championship Event, Shawano WI.

Our weekend at USA International Raceway in Shawano, Wisconsin turned out to be an exceptional experience for the Aprilia Rip It Energy Fuel race team. An ample gathering of spectators adorned the elite race circuit on the flawless summer day. This track proved to be the best of the season (so far,) making for a great start to Round Three of the AMA National Championship.

It was an important weekend for the team, as both riders needed to accumulate enough points to substantiate a chance at winning each individual title.

Atkins made a fine showing in the Unlimited final - quite possibly the best supermoto race of his career. Coming from 5th position, he worked his way up to 4th. On lap 6 of the 10 lap final, the crowd started to get excited. On lap 7 he out braked Chisum in a tight left hander. With three laps to go, he had his work cut out for him. The very next lap he made an aggressive pass going into the dirt section, passing series leader Steve Drew (Rockstar Hart and Hunnington Team). With one and half laps to go, the crowd was really starting to get pumped up for the Aprilia Rip It rider. Crossing the line for the final lap, Micky Dymond had a 1.5 second gap. Atkins rode the wheels off his bike, and got close enough to make the same pass on Dymond going into the dirt. The crowd went crazy as Atkins crossed the line with arms in the air.

Atkins commented, "I really needed to make points on these guys today. I have been 2nd before, and this year, I'm not going to settle for anything less than number 1. My Aprilia ran awesome, and the extra power helped - however, if it was not for Paul Thede (from Race Tech,) I wouldn't have had the chassis and grip to make those passes like I did today. My Team worked so hard to give me the best bike imaginable. I'd like to send out a special thanks to Chuck, Amauri, John, Steve, my wife Heather for her constant mental support - it was a great day for me. Mike Bell's training program really gave me the extra edge to get through the race without wearing myself out in the least. I'm excited about the Salt Lake City round coming up in two weeks. This weekend at Shawano has kicked off my season, and everything is really coming together nicely for us."

Carlson got off to a 5th place start and quickly made his way into 4th. He held Burkhart (Monster Graves Yamaha) off for half the moto while trying to chase down Honda Red Bull rider Cassidy Anderson. The crowd was enthusiastic as ever for Wisconsin native Aprilia Rip it rider Benny Carlson. Burkhart worked his way past Carlson, pushing him down to 5th. With two laps to go, Carlson was able to capitalize on a mistake Anderson made in the dirt, and took over 4th position. Carlson brought it home in style in front of his home crowd.

" It was great to be on a track like this with the Aprilia. Even though I live here, I don't get a whole lot of time on this track. I must say, it was a great day for the fans and me. Developing the 450 with the team has been a lot of hard work. Each weekend we race, the more and more we improve. A big thank you goes out to my family and friends for supporting both myself and Darryl this weekend. Of course I'd also like to thank the team sponsors and crew. Salt Lake is just around the corner, and I will be focused on improving the result again." Said Carlson as he signed post race autographs for his fans.

The Factory Aprilia Rip Energy fuel Team and sponsors received an enormous amount of positive attention this weekend. With three rounds remaining, Atkins has now moved into 2nd in the Unlimited Class Championship. Carlson shows improvement with every race, and is now 4th in the 450 class championship points. As earlier mentioned, the Factory Aprilia Rip it Energy Fuel race team looks forward to the next event in Salt Lake City on September 6th and 7th. We welcome you all to come out to support our team for this coming event.

For more information on Factory Aprilia Rip-it Racing, visit www.apriliausa.com