As the gate slammed down for the final lap of the day, Nhlapo found himself in a sea of orange and to everyone’s surprise, Ivo van der Putten (NED) emerged as the early leader, with team mates Martin Scherpen and Raymon van der Biezen in tow. Damien Godet (FRA) tucked in behind the wall of orange and his smooth style would put him into the mix heading into the second straight. He used the momentum of the big jumps to pass van der Biezen on the inside and put himself in podium position heading into turn three. Scherpen, not content with a second place, continued to push van der Putten. But experience triumphed over youth as van der Putten captured his first Supercross win. It was van der Puttin’s first main event and after a tough 2008 season, he was finally able to celebrate. Scherpen was second and Godet, a 2008 Olympic main event finalist, finished third.