JAKE LEWIS TAKES A PAIR OF SUPERBIKE PODIUMS AT ELKHART LAKE
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden on Podium in Road America’s Race One
ELKHART LAKE, WI – It was three podium finishes in two races for Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s dynamic duo Sunday at a sunny, cool and crisp Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. MotoAmerica Superbike rookie Jake Lewis scored a pair of podium finishes on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike in front of a big crowd at the scenic, four-mile road course. His teammate Roger Hayden was runner up in race one and finished fourth in the second leg.
The finishes kept Lewis and Hayden in third and fourth respectively in the MotoAmerica AMA Superbike standings after eight races.
Lewis qualified on the front row, third, in the rainy Superpole on Saturday. Yet it was a weekend of marked contrast in both the changeable spring Wisconsin weather, but for rider luck as well. Hayden raced a little beat up on Sunday after crashing in the rain during Saturday’s qualifying session.
The fall off in Superpole meant Hayden started from ninth on the grid on Sunday, but that proved not to be an issue as he was able to quickly motor his way to the front in race one using the horsepower on tap with his GSX-R1000. Hayden nearly put himself in a position to draft into the lead at the finish of race one, but came up just shy of taking the victory. The official margin between Hayden and winner Cameron Beaubier was a scant 0.136-seconds.
“I kind of put myself into a hole in qualifying, crashing out and having to start ninth,” Hayden admitted. “But I got a really good start and was right there with the leaders in turn one thanks to the power of the bike. I just hung on there for a while and then Josh (Hayes) crashed and we lost a little bit of time. I caught back up to Cameron and just was right there. I was really hoping to make a pass on him on the last lap, but I just didn’t make it happen.
“The second race didn’t really go as planned. We had little bit of an issue that hampered us the whole race and we got fourth. We still had a good showing and almost got the win in the first race. I feel like we’re right there and I’m looking forward to Barber. It’s one of my strongest tracks. I’ve got to thank my whole team because they had to do a lot of extra work after my Saturday crash. They did a great job as always.”
An illustration of just how strong Hayden and the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 combination was came in race one when Hayden turned the fastest lap of the race with a 2:13.798.
For Superbike rookie Lewis, Road America marked a pair of races running consistently up front. Two consecutive podiums shows that the maturation into an elite Superbike rider by the lanky Kentuckian is continuing at a pace better than many expected. Lewis finished third in both Elkhart Lake rounds.
“This weekend was pretty good,” Lewis explained. “I was pretty happy with two podiums and I felt I rode a lot better than I have recently. I was able to run with the front guys in both races and see what I need to work on. I had a good qualifying session and got off to two great starts. I felt good in all the conditions we had here. It gives me a lot of momentum and confidence going into the next round. Hopefully I’ll be fighting up front again and finish even a little higher up.”
The Road America races will be nationally televised on June 7th on CBS Sports Network at 2:00 pm Eastern.
The Yoshimura Suzuki squad returns to action on June 12-14 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Check out www.motortrendondemand.com/live/ to watch the races live on June 14.
Elkhart Lake AMA Superbike Race 1 Results:
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam)
2. Roger Hayden (Suzuki)
3. Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
4. Danny Eslick (Honda)
5. Chris Fillmore (KTM)
6. Josh Hayes (Yam)
7. Elena Myers (Suzuki)
8. Bernat Martinez (Yam)
9. Stefano Mesa (Honda)
Elkhart Lake AMA Superbike Race 2 Results:
1. Josh Hayes (Yam)
2. Cameron Beaubier (Yam)
3. Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
4. Roger Hayden (Suzuki)
5. Danny Eslick (Honda)
6. Chris Fillmore (KTM)
7. Bernat Martinez (Yam)
8. Elena Myers (Suzuki)
2015 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Points:
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam), 176
2. Josh Hayes (Yam), 150
3. Jake Lewis (Suzuki), 116
4. Roger Hayden (Suzuki), 101
5. Bernat Martinez (Yam), 84
6. Elena Myers (Suzuki), 70
7. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki), 54
8. Danny Eslick (Honda), 48
9. Stefano Mesa (Honda), 35
10. Chris Fillmore (KTM), 32
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki Motor of America, Motorex, Parts Unlimited, Dunlop, Shorai, Sunstar, K&N Performance Filters, NGK Spark Plugs, RK Racing Chain, Genmark Automation, Pilot, Chicken Hawk Racing and Zeta.
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.
About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. SMAI’s supplier, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com
More, from a press release issued by BYR/Fogi Racing:
Young Earns First MotoAmerica Supersport Podium
ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN – Scottish Canadian Roadrace Factory rider Ben Young not only achieved his first ever MotoAmerica Supersport podium this past weekend at Road America with a 3rd place finish, he got to share the podium with some very special people.
Unseasonable weather conditions this past weekend normally wouldn’t phase the hearty young Scot who’s lived in Canada since 2007. However, adding the power of a Roadrace Factory prepared Yamaha YZFR6 to a cold wet track was going to make for an interesting weekend.
Young and the team struggled to get a good cold weather dry setup during Friday’s morning’s Supersport practice. The team made additional changes to the set up but missed the mark with Young achieving a provisional 10th on the MotoAmerica Supersport grid.
During the second qualifying session on the track known as the ‘four miles of fun’ Young was fourth fastest yet was unable to better his time from the previous day. Young was optimistic about the wet set up his team had made to his #86 Roadrace Factory prepared Yamaha YZFR6.
The resident of Thornbury Ontario has recently struggled with getting a good start so far this season but got off the line in well in Saturday’s wet feature Supersport race. With his experience racing in cooler and often wet conditions last year in the British Superbike Championship (BSB) Superstock class Young new consistency, patience and keeping his R6 on two wheels was going to make the difference to get him within striking distance of the lead group.
With front runner Garrett Gerloff succumbing to the wet track conditions, Roadrace Factory teammates Tomás Puerta and Cameron Petersen began to challenge for the lead. Petersen would eventually open up a small lead on Josh Herrin and teammate Puerta, yet Petersen would also succumb to the conditions but quickly remounted. Young was hungry to join the battle at the front on behalf of his team and doggedly worked his way forward.
Young swapped spots on and off with JD Beach and would eventually cross the finish line in 3rd behind teammate Puerta and closely followed by Beach. This would be Young’s highest finish to date in the series and his first podium of the year.
“I couldn’t feel my right hand for the last five laps – it was that cold!” said Young. “I was extra stoked to be on the podium with my teammate Tomás and my good friend Josh. In previous years I have always run to cheer for Josh on the podium from the sidelines. This time I got to celebrate right beside him!”
Young didn’t fair quite as well during the second Supersport race on Sunday but at least the sun was shining to help offset the cold temperatures. Young struggled with handling throughout the race and would cross the line in 9th.
“We worked hard on our dry setup in the cold and we just didn’t get what we wanted.” said Young. “We rolled the dice for the race and I managed to better my qualifying time significantly but it wasn’t enough to get to the front.”
After this past weekend’s results Young now sits in 6th overall in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship standings, behind Tomás Puerta and David Anthony who are tied for 4th in the points.
MotoAmerica Round 4 from Road America will air on Sunday, June 7, at 2:00 PM EST with a replay later that day at 5:00 PM EST, and a second replay on Monday, June 8, at 2:00 AM EST.
Young is thankful for the support of the RoadRace Factory team‘s partners and is proud to represent his personal sponsors; Scot-Build Developments Inc., Tim Hortons (Sudbury), AXO America and Bell Helmets.
To connect with Ben Young visit: http://www.fogi.us , on Twitter: @bcyoung86, and on Facebook: http://www.fogi.us
To learn more about the RoadRace Factory team visit: www.facebook.com/RoadRaceFactory on twitter: @RoadRaceFactory and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RoadRaceFactory
Corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available with Ben Young, a team member of RoadRace Factory, one of the most visible and marketable teams in the MotoAmerica paddock.
Contact: Scott at: benyoungracing @ hotmail.com or Mike at: motorsports @ infinetdesigns.com for more information.
More, from a press release issued by Millennium Technologies/Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR):
Career-best finishes for all three Millennium Technologies-sponsored Wyman brothers at Road America
MACEDON, N.Y. — For the Millennium Technologies/KWR team, all three Wyman brothers scored career-best finishes in their respective classes in this past weekend’s races at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. for the MotoAmerica Superbike Doubleheader.
Travis Wyman earned his first win in four seasons on Saturday in a wet shootout between him and series rival Joe Roberts. Wyman bested Roberts with a late-race pass for the lead after overcoming a deficit of more than three seconds.
“I felt really comfortable in the wet conditions,” Travis said. “In the beginning of the race I was content to sit behind Joe and study his lines, and then I made a huge mistake in turn one and lost a lot of ground. From there I just rode my Millennium Technologies Yamaha as hard as I could to bridge the gap and it worked out great. It feels amazing to get a win for the KWR team.”
It was Travis’ second-career victory, his first also coming in Road America in 2011. For youngest brother Cody, a 6th place result bested his previous highest finish in the class.
“I just thought Saturday was a better time than ever to put in a good result,” Cody said. “It was super cold and wet out there, but I wanted to make a good race for Millennium Technologies as it was their home race. I had a great battle for fourth, and I wanted more, but I can’t be disappointed with sixth.”
For the premier 600 class of MotoAmerica Supersport, oldest brother Kyle also faced full-wet conditions and brought home a 6th place finish in Saturday’s race one. The result would match his best finish in the class despite two close calls during the race.
“I felt comfortable on the bike after we spent some time dialing in our K-Tech suspension for the rain,” Kyle said. “It was just flat-out pouring and windy during the race, but it was the same for everyone. Twice my feet slipped off the footpegs on corner entry and I ran off the track both times. I was really fortunate to keep it upright and bring home a 6th place finish for the team.”
Sunday’s weather brought the same wind and cold, but with sunny skies as opposed to Saturday’s wash-out. The KWR team took to dry conditions and finished off the weekend with more strong finishes. Kyle nabbed another top-10 finish with an 8th place in Supersport race two, while brothers Travis and Cody filed 3rd and 13th finishes in Superstock 600 race two, respectively.
“Although we have been consistently in the top-10 this season, I feel that we haven’t nearly reached the potential that I know our team is capable of,” added Kyle, who leaves Road America sitting 7th place in series standings. “I know that I have to dig deeper in order to get to the front, and I can’t thank my crew enough for continuing to believe in me while we find our way. I’m proud of my brothers for keeping up the hard work and getting results in the Superstock 600 class. Our sponsors like Ballistic Performance Components, Lucas Oil, K&N Filters and many others deserve the exposure for all they do for KWR.”
The series heads next to Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama for the fifth round of AMA/FIM MotoAmerica road racing June 12-14, 2015.
Stay up to date with KWR by visiting www.kylewymanracing.com
About Millennium Technologies:
Millennium Technologies is a premier supplier of high performance engine services and parts for many types of vehicles, notably in the powersports market. Starting in 1997 as a Nickel-Silicon-Carbide cylinder relating and servicing company, Millennium Technologies has branched out into complete service for cylinders, heads, crankshafts and top-ends and also supplies relevant parts such as pistons, gaskets, camshafts and more by working with OEMs, dealers, race teams and weekend mechanics. Millennium Technologies is also the parent company of its extended branches Revolution Performance, Xport CNC Services, Ballistic Performance Components and Forward Motion. For more information visit www.mt-llc.com
About Kyle Wyman Racing:
Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR) was formed in 2011 as a motorcycle road racing team focusing on healthy sponsorship opportunities for companies within and outside the motorcycle industry. KWR is the 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson series championship winning team and current partner with Millennium Technologies family of companies. For more information visit www.kylewymanracing.com
More, from a press release issued by Team21Motosport/McGraw Powersports:
McGraw Powersports’ Superbike Racer Elena Myers Finishes 7th and 8th at Road America
Team21Motosport’s rider Elena Myers earns seventh and eighth position in the doubleheader weekend in Wisconsin.
Elkhart Lake, WI – MotoAmerica’s Superbike rookie, Elena Myers finished seventh and eighth in Sunday’s Superbike Race 1 and 2. Currently sitting 6th in points overall leaving Road America, Myers is hoping to continue her momentum going into Barber in two weeks time.
“This was another great learning weekend for not only myself, but for the team as well,” said Myers. “The tricky conditions all weekend made it tough to find a good set-up for the two dry races on Sunday but overall I’m happy with the progress we made. I still have so much to learn on the 1000 but as long as I’m moving forward then I think we’re in good shape.”
Myers’ crew chief, Joe Capelli had this to say about the weekend, “In spite of Wisconsin throwing us all manner of meteorological madness, Elena stayed focused on learning to ride the big Suzuki in all conditions. Through it all she made good progress and is chipping away at the gap to the front – she’s on her way!”
Along with two solid finishes, the team was also very excited to have the Sheboygan County Humane Society out to the track this weekend to raise awareness of homeless animals needing forever homes and to spay and neuter your pets. McGraw Powersports Racing/ Team21Motosport plans on continuing to support the Humane Society at each of the remaining races on the 2015 calender.
Team21Motosport would like to thank the following partners for the 2015 season: McGraw Powersports, Suzuki, Woodcraft CFM, Armour Bodies, Yoshimura, Maxima Racing Oils, DynoJet, SpeedCell, Spiegler, Arai Helmets, GiMoto, NPMoto, and Freewheeling Suzuki.
More, from a press release issued by Chisum/Motul Racing:
Tyler O’Hara Struggles With Bike Issues At Road America
The Chisum/Motul Racing rider remains in third position in the Superstock class
Elkhart Lake, WI (June 2, 2015) – Chisum/Motul Racing riders Tyler O’Hara and Josh Chisum competed at the four mile Road America track over the weekend. O’Hara finished in eighth and fourth positions due to bike issues in both races but still holds on to third place overall in the series championship standings.
The practice and qualifying sessions were a struggle for O’Hara because of bike setup issues and he ended up qualifying in thirteenth position. Despite the bad starting position O’Hara quickly moved into the top ten in the first few turns of race one, and eventually put himself in sixth position. However, an electrical problem caused the bike to stop running and he had to pull off the track. After fixing the problem O’Hara reentered the race a lap down and passed numerous riders to finish in eighth position at the checkers. In the second race of the day O’Hara pushed hard at the beginning of the race to move into third position. He battled with Danny Eslick and Chris Fillmore for most of the combined Superbike/Superstock race but the same electrical problem from the first race came up again. He rode as hard as he could with limited power but he was passed with two turns remaining in the race to drop him to fourth position.
“Unfortunately, I had issues with my ECU in both races that cost me a podium finish,” explained Superstock rookie O’Hara after the race. “Despite losing some points to the championship leaders I think we made some real progress and we’ve found the right setup. This is the best I’ve felt on the bike and I learned a lot today.”
Team owner and rider Josh Chisum finished in seventh place in the first race and didn’t finish the second race in his return to action after missing the first three rounds. “I didn’t really know what to expect from myself since I haven’t been able to practice,” said Chisum. “This is the first time that I’ve competed on the 1000 and it was certainly a handful for me. I’m not happy with my ride but I’m looking forward to improving my results at Barber in a couple of weeks.”
The Chisum/Motul Racing Team will be competing at Barber Motorsports Park for round 5 of the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship on June 12-14, 2015. The team would like to thank Motul, Motion Pro, Sidi, Performance Friction Brake Pads, Core Moto, RS Taichi, Barnett Clutches, Moto Liberty, Arai, Troy Lee Designs, K-Tech, Orient Express, Yoshimura R&D and Shorai Batteries.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia HSBK Racing:
Houston, TX (June 2, 2015) – Aprilia HSBK landed on the box for both races at MotoAmerica’s Subway Superbikes Doubleheader this weekend in Elkhart Lake, WI. The team welcomed new rider Sheridan Morais of South Africa to the team earlier this week and were elated with his results his first weekend on the bike. Rider Devon McDonough was cleared to ride and was back on the bike Friday after missing the races two weeks ago at VIRginia Raceway.
The team found themselves fighting through the wet and cold conditions early in the weekend. Rider Sheridan Morais used Friday’s first practice session to learn the track and get acquainted with the new bike despite the rain. In practice two, Morais was able to put his head down and run the fastest SuperStock 1000 lap of the day running nearly a second faster than second in class at 2:37.859.
Saturday morning, practice three was wet and significantly colder than Friday. The team had McDonough put down laps, but kept Morais off the track as his times were already one of the strongest in SuperPole 1. Before the SuperPole 1 officially began Saturday Afternoon, McDonough went down and his bike sustained damages that couldn’t be fixed before the end of the session. Morais put down laps in SuperPole 1, but suffered from the same issues that put McDonough down. The track was colder and wet and with new tires they had very limited rear grip preventing them from pushing themselves and the bikes to their potential.
The team went into Sunday with two healthy riders and ready to attack the day. Race one Morais was on the dry bike for the first time and was strong throughout the race, but learned a lot about the bike and had feedback for race two. He finished a second place his first race on the track and bike. McDonough ran consistent lap times throughout race one and was also taking notes after his first time on the dry bike at this track and finished in sixth.
Race two, Morais was running in a strong pack. Josh Day’s motor blew in front of him spraying oil on his visor and tires. He was unable to get good visibility for several laps, but eventually was able to start pushing his way back to the front. He finished a solid third and again put down faster laps than he had all weekend. The team looks forward to continuing to tune the bike and learning the tracks. During race two, McDonough struggled through the first several laps and started to improve by lap five. McDonough ran his fastest lap of the weekend and finished with another sixth place. The team looks forward to the next round at Barber Motorsports Park.
Special thanks to Aprilia USA, Houston Superbikes, RSRacecraft, Pilot, Motion Pro, EVOL Technology, Galfer USA, TAW Performance, Ohlins, Capit, GB Racing, Dynojet, Full Spectrum, Sunstar, Zero Gravity, DNA Air Filters, RaceSeats, Samco Sport, DB Holders, BikesPlast, Austin Racing, Andrew Swenson Design, and Drippin Wet.
Aprilia
Aprilia boasts 54 World Titles (38 in MotoGP, 7 in World Superbike and 9 in off-road disciplines) making it one of the most victorious brands on a global level in motorcycle racing and the most successful among the European brands. www.apriliausa.com
HSBK Racing
Founded in 2011, HSBK Racing is a division of Houston Superbikes showcasing its race craft and experienced technicians. Known for its bold and distinguishable red and black livery, HSBK Racing prides itself on showcasing up-and-coming riders. They are proud to be Aprilia HSBK Racing for the 2015 season. www.facebook.com/HSBKRACING
Houston Superbikes
Established in 2005, Houston Superbikes caters to motorcycle enthusiasts with its diverse line of high performance bikes, parts and apparel. Houston Superbikes is proud to offer their own line of carbon fiber and billet accessories for racing and street applications. Offering dyno tuning, engine building services and suspension setup, they are an industry leader in building race machines. For more information regarding Houston Superbikes, or to find out what they can do for you, please visit www.houstonsuperbikes.com