Kyle Cunningham – 1st Overall. Nick Schmidt – 1st in Series.
American Kyle Cunningham scored overall victory aboard his RM-Z450 Suzuki at the penultimate round of the ADAC SX Cup at Chemnitz Arena in Germany as fellow Suzuki rider Nick Schmidt extended his lead in the series.
More than 10,000 spectators witnessed the dominance of Suzuki machinery as Cunningham, riding for Team Castrol Power 1 Suzuki Moto-Base, became the new "King of Chemnitz."
The Texan, who had already celebrated victory the weekend before in Munich, displayed tremendous speed against a strong field of Supercross talent. Despite terrible starts he ended both Main Events in second place to convincingly clinch the event overall. Cunningham impressed the fans with his fighting spirit and come-from-behind rides. He said: “I didn´t have a great start on either night. That´s why I couldn´t win a Main Event. But I showed really-strong pace moving forward through the field. Taking the overall isn’t that bad!”
Schmidt, aboard his Sturm Racing Team Suzuki, arrived at Chemnitz as ADAC SX Cup leader. The American had to live through the emotions of missing Friday´s main event, but bounced back decisively. “I made some mistakes on Friday and had to pay the price,” he said. “Saturday I was at my best and made amends and I could extend my lead in the standings again.”
Charles Lefrancois (Team Twenty Suspension) also showed great form. The Frenchman overcame smaller problems from the opening rounds to make the top three. He said: “Finally everything was fine. To be up there on the podium is motivating. Let´s hope I keep going like this.”
Jesse Wentland, riding for stielergruppe.mx Johannes-Bikes Suzuki, was in the mix as well. The U.S. rider took fifth overall, being the fourth Suzuki rider inside the top five in Chemnitz.
In the SX2 class it was up to Adrien Malaval (Team Diga-Procross) to shine. The French rider earned third place overall and won the final moto on Saturday. Frederik Goul Jensen (Team Twenty Suspension) rode consistently in all four races. He ended eighth in the classification.
The final round of the ADAC SX Cup 2016/ 2017 takes place on January 13-15th at Dortmund.
ADAC SX Cup Standings:
1. Nicholas Schmidt / USA / Suzuki -108 Points 2. Kyle Cunningham / USA / Suzuki - 85 Points 3. Gavin Faith /USA / Honda - 70 Points 4. Christopher Blose / USA / Yamaha - 68 Points 5. Jace Owen / USA / Honda - 60 Points 6. Dominique Thury / GER / KTM - 51 Points 7. Charles Lefrancois / FRA / Suzuki - 49 Points 8. Steve Mages / USA / Yamaha - 47 Points 9. Jesse Wentland / USA / Suzuki - 40 Points 10. Boris Maillard / FRA / Suzuki - 35 Points
