FILLMORE EARNS CAREER BEST FINISH AT AMA PRO SUPERBIKE FINALE!

The weekend started off well for Fillmore after he qualified inside the top ten to place 8th on the starting grid. During Saturday’s race he started from the second row and maintained his pace to remain in 8th for the first half of the race. With eight laps to go, Fillmore picked up the pace and went into attack mode as he began to close in on the front pack of riders. His first pass was on Larry Pegram for 7th position. Once past Pegram he quickly set to work on Steve Rapp. In a tremendous pass in the thirteenth corner he passed Rapp and took over 6th position.

Fillmore continued to push forward and soon caught the 5th place rider Robertino Pietri. The next lap Ben Bostrom had a mechanical and fell out of the race and allowed Fillmore to move up to 5th. With three laps to go, Fillmore turned his fastest lap of the race and continued to gain on Pietri. On the final lap with three corners to go, Fillmore made the pass on Pietri for 4th and held on through the checkers to take his best finish of the season.

“Everything clicked today,” commented Fillmore. “I felt really good on the bike the whole day and it carried over into my race. I am very proud of the progress our team has made this season.”

Fillmore carried his momentum into Sunday’s main event where he again started 8th on the grid. On the first lap he moved up to 6th position but quickly fell back on the next few laps. “I struggled in the beginning half of the race and didn’t feel as comfortable as I had during Saturday’s race,” stated Fillmore.

Fillmore fell as far back as 12th position before he began to turn things around. At the halfway point he moved up to 10th position and continued to ride a smart race to maintain his pace. “I let this race come to me,” stated Fillmore. “A lot of people were making mistakes and I was able to keep it on two wheels and capitalize on their errors.”

While others made mistakes, Fillmore was able to move up in position and soon found himself in 5th place with a few laps remaining. He held on to 5th to conclude his career best weekend of racing. His 5th on Sunday’s race marked his third career top five finish to date.

“It feels great to end the season on a high note,” remarked Fillmore. “We have all worked very hard and I am happy to finish the year with our best result. We are returning next year full-time and I couldn’t be happier with my bike and team. I am really looking forward to the 2013 AMA Pro SuperBike racing season.”

Results AMA SuperBike New Orleans Saturday
1. Josh Hayes (USA), Yamaha, 30:18.774 min (18 laps)
2. Blake Young (USA), Suzuki, +10.212 sec
3. Roger Hayden (USA), Suzuki, +23.408
4. Chris Fillmore (USA), KTM, +24.036
5. Robertino Pietri (YV), Suzuki, +29.478
   
Results AMA SuperBike New Orleans Sunday
1. Hayes, 30:19.313 min (18 laps)
2. Ben Bostrom (USA), Suzuki, +9194 sec
3. Danny Eslick (USA), Buell, 13.466
4. Aaron Yates (USA), BMW, +25.978
5. Fillmore, 30.158

Finals Standings AMA Superbike Championship 2012
1. Hayes, 580 points
2. Young, 426
3. R. Hayden, 314
4. Josh Herrin (USA), Yamaha, 307
5. Geoff May (USA), Buell ,277
11. Fillmore, 176
17. Stefan Nebel (D), KTM, 71 (only started in 5 of 12 rounds)

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