Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Smith Narrowly Misses Podium in Daytona

Courtesy of Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (March 11, 2017) – Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Jordon Smith put up a fight until the very end as he tried to grab his second podium finish, ultimately settling for fourth during a grueling 15 laps at Daytona International Speedway. Both Smith and his teammate Alex Martin overcame mid-pack starts, with Martin coming away with an eighth-place result.

Smith continued to show improvement on the difficult Daytona track after qualifying sixth during timed practice. He scored second in his heat, providing a good gate pick and some extra confidence for the main event. At the start of the main, Smith got a good jump but was forced inside the 180-degree turn, pushing him down the running order early. It didn’t take him long to make up the time, sitting seventh after only four laps. He pushed his way toward the front runners, never giving up until the checkered flag flew, awarding him fourth for the night.“The start really hurt us but I think I was able to show some good speed out there tonight,” said Smith. “I feel like if we had one more lap, I may have been able to get onto the podium, but we’re leaving with a solid result after a few weeks of ups and downs. We’ll see if we can get back on the box next week.”

The day started out really well for Martin who scored the top qualifier during timed practice. He then took that speed into the heat where he collected his first-ever heat race win. Like his teammate in the main event, the start pinched Martin off in the first turn, forcing him to hold up more than he wanted. He came around the first lap in ninth, and after some back and forth battling through out the race, Martin settled for eighth.“I really thought the main event was going to go differently,” said Martin. “After the tough start, it was hard for me to really get into a groove. I picked off some people right away but then struggled to get back going. I’d like to take the positive learning experience from the top qualifier and heat win into Indianapolis so we can hopefully get back on the podium.”

Next weekend, the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM team will get their shot at another podium inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.   Smith and Martin wore the SE Corsa Red Racewear during both practice and the main event, which was accompanied by the SE4 Composite Team Helmet. See all of the 2017 gear sets and the 2017 Moto Helmets online and at your local TLD retailer.

250SX Class Main Event Results Adam Cianciarulo (Kawasaki) Joey Savatgy (Kawasaki) Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha) Jordon Smith (KTM) Zach Osborne (Husqvarna) Lorenzo Locurcio (Yamaha) Kyle Cunningham (Suzuki) Alex Martin (KTM) Luke Renzland (Yamaha) Dakota Alix (KTM)

# # # About Troy Lee Designs: For over 30 years, Troy Lee has been customizing helmets “For The World’s Fastest Racers.” TLD’s relentless commitment to creating products that exceed the cutting edge of style, design and quality, has earned them the reputation as an innovator in many different fields of racing. Troy Lee Designs has since expanded into a full force operation, offering a complete line of helmets, apparel and premium protection for off-road motorcycling and bicycling, sportswear and accessories, and operating the TLD supercross and motocross teams. Based in Corona, California, Troy Lee Designs has a global network of distributors.

About KTM:

“READY TO RACE” for KTM, these three words are far more than a simple slogan. They stand for the entire company philosophy of developing vehicles that can without any modifications comprehensively assert themselves in any race. Direct from the dealer onto the track and into the battle for victory. Designers, engineers and riders are bound by a clear common denominator: an unconditional passion for motorcycles. The whole KTM family is a living example of this worldwide. Countless offroad World and European championship titles plus brilliant victories in the world’s toughest races (International Six Days Enduro, Dakar Rally, Erzbergrodeo, and many more) all speak for themselves. And KTM Supermotos, Naked Bikes, Superbikes and the X-Bow all demonstrate what an “orange” lead means on asphalt.

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