2011 AMA Pro Racing
Less than 24 hours after the worst day of his season, GEICO rider Chris Fillmore showed the racing world exactly why he’s the championship points leader in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series by winning the Sunday Indianapolis Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Fillmore entered the twin-bill weekend with a comfortable 31-point advantage over championship rival Steve Rapp, but that cushion was literally taken out from under him when a part-time rider knocked him and his Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/Revolution Performance Harley-Davidson out of Saturday’s race on the final lap.
“It wasn’t the best-case scenario,” said Fillmore, who had never finished off the podium until that race. “All I could do was put it behind me and focus on today.”
Riding with purpose, Fillmore battled for every inch Sunday and posted the quickest lap when he needed it most – on the final circuit – to edge out Rapp by .168 seconds at the famous yard-of-bricks finish line. The victory moved his margin over Rapp to 12 points with just one race left next weekend in New Jersey.
Chris Fillmore says: “I knew what I needed to do and figured if I could stay out front then I’d be in control of everything that happened.
“I got the holeshot and just kept it pinned. Rapp and I went back and forth for quite awhile and Tyler (O’Hara) got in there as well. I even fell back to third at one point but I made a quick move and went right back to the front. That’s where I wanted to be.
“I was hoping to dominate but those guys kept me honest. When we got down to two laps to go I went around Rapp on the outside of Turn 1 and really never looked back from there. He stayed close but I wanted that win more than anything.”
Rapp finished second, and O’Hara third.
Fillmore’s Richie Morris Racing teammates Mike Corbino and Kyle Wyman also had strong showings Sunday, with Corbino taking seventh and Wyman finishing ninth. Wyman currently holds down fifth place in the standings, while Corbino is seventh.
The final event of the season takes place next Sunday at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.
2011 Indy AMA XR1200 Series: Race 2 Results
Pos | No. | Rider(s) | Bike | Interval | Gap | Best Lap | Points |
1. | 55 | Chris Fillmore | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 10 Laps | WINNER | 1:55.433 | 0 |
2. | 5 | Steve Rapp | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 0.168 | 0.168 | 1:55.435 | 0 |
3. | 29 | Tyler OHara | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 1.083 | 0.914 | 1:55.624 | 0 |
4. | 34 | Michael Barnes | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 11.566 | 10.483 | 1:56.623 | 0 |
5. | 99 | Jeremy McWilliams | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 12.341 | 0.775 | 1:56.934 | 0 |
6. | 14 | Steve Crevier | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 32.746 | 20.404 | 1:58.427 | 0 |
7. | 15 | Michael Corbino | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 39.742 | 6.996 | 1:59.496 | 0 |
8. | 60 | Michael Beck | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 41.337 | 1.594 | 1:58.676 | 0 |
9. | 33 | Kyle Wyman | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 43.035 | 1.698 | 1:59.410 | 0 |
10. | 164 | Shane Narbonne | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 43.204 | 0.168 | 1:58.497 | 0 |
11. | 111 | Cody Matechuk | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 47.020 | 3.816 | 2:00.026 | 0 |
12. | 123 | David Estok | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 47.163 | 0.142 | 2:00.298 | 0 |
13. | 2 | Barrett Long | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 47.666 | 0.503 | 1:59.784 | 0 |
14. | 227 | John MacRae | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 57.599 | 9.933 | 2:00.946 | 0 |
15. | 169 | Chris Harmon | Harley-Davidson XR1200 | 59.858 | 2.258 | 2:01.307 | 0 |