Klatt Scores His Best Finish in the Daytona Mud

Riverside, CA, (March 10, 2008) – The Cernics Kawasaki team entered round ten of the Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM Championship with high expectations.  The heavy rains that poured down on Daytona International Speedway had every rider preparing for a wet and muddy night of racing.  Team rider Dusty Klatt, a Canadian native, has ridden in the mud many times and was more than ready to compete.  His mud riding skills were put to the test and he secured his best finish of the season.

Klatt and his teammate, Jeff Gibson, were both in the first heat race and looked forward to qualifying directly to the Supercross class main event.  Klatt pulled an impressive holeshot and led the opening laps.  As he pulled a gap on the rest of the field he made a mistake and chose a rut that was too deep.  His footpegs got caught up in the deep mud and he was trapped.  Unfortunately, he couldn’t get the bike going quickly and failed to qualify out of his heat race.  Gibson also had misfortune race and both riders had to go to the Last Chance Qualifier.

Both Cernics Kawasaki riders secured good starts in the last chance qualifier and finished first and second to get into the main event.

Prior to the main event, the rains started falling even harder and the track looked more suited for a Kawasaki Jet Ski®.  The entire track looked more like a lake and ruts were hidden under knee-deep water making it difficult to find a good line.  “I don’t mind the mud,” explained Canadian native, Klatt.  “I feel very comfortable riding in wet conditions so I felt like I had a great chance to do something good tonight.”  Klatt showed his wet riding skills as he moved into a battle for third position in the beginning of the race and settled into fourth place.

Gibson’s main event wasn’t going as well and he got stuck in one of the treacherous parts of the track.  It was an incredible site to see as his front wheel stood straight up in the air while his entire rear wheel  and swingarm was under the mud.  Unfortunately for Klatt, Gibson’s bike was sitting in his normal line forcing him to look for another route.  As Klatt took the alternate line he made a mistake and stalled the motorcycle.  Once again, Klatt could not get the bike restarted quickly and he fell to the back of the pack.  But as the race progressed, Klatt persevered and moved past numerous riders to finish in thirteenth position.   In only his third race in the premiere Supercross class, Daytona ended up being Klatt’s best finish of his career.

The Cernic’s Kawasaki Racing Team will travel to the Metrodome in Minneapolis, MN next week for round eleven of the Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM Championship on March 15, 2008.

Visit www.cernicskawasaki.com for team news and updates.

Team Sponsors
Cernics – Kawasaki Motors Corp

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