Press Release | September 9, 2018
Alex Dumas and the KTM Orange Brigade Team Clinch MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship
This is a press release from KTM…
Round 9 – MotoAmerica Junior Cup – September 9, 2018
Millville, NJ (September 9, 2018) – Alex Dumas and the KTM Orange Brigade Road Racing Team wrapped up the inaugural MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship on Sunday in difficult conditions at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Dumas rode a conservative, championship-winning race on a rain-soaked track on the RC 390 R, equipped with the new SS300 Race Kit, to mark the first-ever U.S. National Road Racing Championship for the KTM brand and further extends this significant accomplishment from the young Canadian native.
Through the first 15 races Dumas has earned eight victories and two podium finishes, making him the most winningest rider in MotoAmerica’s young Junior Cup history. The 2018 Champion will continue to battle for race wins as the series heads into its final two races of the season at the end of the month.
Dumas endured a tough day on Saturday. He got a good start from third on the grid and was running inside the top five when he made a mistake in the difficult, wet conditions and crashed out with four laps to go. Sunday’s race saw Dumas get another good start and intelligently slow his pace as his championship rivals struggled to come to terms with the rain-soaked track. His seventh-place finish was enough to secure the Junior Cup Championship with two races to go in the series.
In addition to a $15,000 championship bonus check from KTM North America, Inc., Dumas has been presented with a wild card opportunity to represent North America under the canopy of the German KTM-Supported Team Freudenberg in the WorldSSP300 class for Round 11 of the FIM Superbike World Championship in Magny-Cours, France. Dumas will be racing a KTM RC 390 R with the competitive Customer Racing SSP300 kit, just like the one he pilots in the U.S. MotoAmerica Championship.
Dumas’ teammate, Sean Ungvarsky, showed a return-to-form after struggling at the previous round. He got a good start in Saturday’s Race 1 and quickly worked his way up the running order to a seventh-place finish. In Sunday’s Race 2, Ungvarsky struggled with the more difficult conditions and finished in eighteenth-place.
Chris Fillmore, KTM Orange Brigade Team Manager: “I am extremely proud of Alex for all of the hard work, focus and determination he has displayed this season at such a young age and he looks to have a very bright future. Due to Alex’s dominance in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship, KTM was able to secure one seat for him as a wildcard entry at Magny-Cours. It’s the perfect opportunity for him to present his abilities on the world stage and is aligned perfectly with KTM’s continued vision for growing and pushing youth road racing. We are very happy and grateful to the team at KTM Customer Racing and Team Freudenberg for facilitating this opportunity. On behalf of KTM, the Orange Brigade Team and Crew Chief Uli Toporsch, we want to congratulate and thank Alex for earning the first U.S. National Road Race Championship for KTM!”
Alex Dumas, #23 KTM Orange Brigade Rider: “I felt good in qualifying this weekend and got a good start in Saturday’s race. My KTM RC 390 R was feeling good and I had good pace despite the difficult conditions. I made a small mistake late in the race and crashed out. My team worked really hard last night to get the bike back together, and the bike felt good during the morning warm-up session. The conditions today were even more difficult than yesterday, but I got another good start and rode a smart race to claim my first MotoAmerica championship! I never thought I’d win a National Championship, but we had a great start to the season and I had really good pace in every round this season. I cannot thank KTM, my team and my family enough for the support they have given me this season.”
Sean Ungvarsky, #48 KTM Orange Brigade Rider: “This weekend was definitely a learning experience for me. I do not have a lot of experience racing in wet conditions, and I was learning something new every lap. We had a great race on Saturday, and I am aiming to take the strides we’ve made with our KTM RC 390 R’s set-up this weekend into the next round at Barber Motorsports Park.”
