Chris Fillmore Versus Barber Motorsports Park

Chris Fillmore was forced to make a difficult decision at the end of the 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Race Championship. When KTM HMC Racing withdrew from the Superbike class, leaving him without a ride, Fillmore set aside his leathers and accepted a position with KTM North America. Fortunately, that job often takes Fillmore to the racetrack, where he continues to exercise the skills that earned him the 2011 AMA Pro Vance and Hines XR1200 Series title.

Earlier this month, Fillmore, who also serves as an ambassador for the MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup, traveled to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, for its annual vintage motorcycle festival. During the always well-attended three-day weekend, Fillmore raced three modern KTM motorcycles: a 1290 Super Duke R, an RC Cup racebike, and a 450 SX-F in supermoto trim. Fillmore also contested the motocross class on a 1974 Penton 400.

At one time a top contender in the AMA Pro Supermoto series, the easy-going Michigan native was clearly at home sliding the slick-shod SX-F around the rolling, 15-turn, 2.38-mile track. "I've got a soft spot for it in my heart," he said. Fillmore initially played down the otherworldly performance of the 1290 Super Duke R before admitting, "It's a wheelie machine." Watch the video and decide for yourself.