Success at Armoy for Farquhar Ryan Farquhar battled his way through the difficult weather conditions at the Armoy ‘Race of Legends’ Road Races on Saturday to add two more wins to his haul for the season. The KMR Kawasaki rider took victory in the Supertwins and 450cc races whilst also claiming three more podiums thus ensuring another successful day’s racing. Conditions changed throughout the day as the rain came and went but Ryan opened his account with a comfortable victory in the Moto 450cc race, which was held in wet weather. The rain worsened for the Supersport 600cc race and after two warm up laps, the riders spoke to the officials and, with lots of standing water, the race was delayed. When it resumed, Ryan grabbed the holeshot and led for the opening three laps before the rain returned and so signalled to the officials, who had agreed to stop the race if conditions became unrideable. Michael Dunlop passed Ryan just before the line and, with another lap being completed, it was he was awarded the victory when the race was eventually stopped. Next up for Ryan was the first Superbike race and, with conditions still wet, he opted to take out his 600cc machine once more. Despite being at a major disadvantage against the 1000cc machines, he led for the first two laps before being overhauled by Dunlop and Guy Martin but third was an excellent result given the horsepower deficit. Meanwhile, team-mate Jamie Hamilton took a solid eighth and the duo then went head to head in the Supertwins race. There was little between the two but it all went wrong when Hamilton tried to out-brake his team leader and he crashed out. That enabled Ryan to take the win from Adrian Archibald and Michael Sweeney. The Grand Final was Ryan’s last race of the day and he again went head to head with Dunlop, leading in the early stages before his younger rival found a way through. There was nothing separating the two until the closing few laps when backmarkers came into play and it was enough to allow Michael to edge out a gap and so Ryan had to settle for second at the chequered flag. Speaking later, a pleased Ryan said; “It’s been a challenging day with the ever-changing weather conditions but they improved as the day wore on and we all got some good races in. It was really wet at the beginning of the day, especially in the 600cc race where there was that much surface water, it simply wasn’t safe to continue. The officials gave it some time to dry up and said if it started raining again, raise our hands. I did that and although the race win eventually went to Michael, I had no qualms finishing second on a race decided on safety grounds. With conditions still being far from ideal, I decided to take the 600 out for the Superbike race and I was pleased with third given the fact I was up against 1000cc bikes.” “The Supertwins race was going well for the team until Jamie crashed and I was lucky not to get caught up with him. Luckily he was ok but it’s a real shame as the bike is pretty badly bent and there might not be enough time to get it repaired for the Ulster. I managed to hold on to the win and that just left the Grand Final where I had a great battle with Michael. The Superbike’s about 95% there now and I’m just struggling to get the engine braking sorted but it was a real good race. It was a just a pity backmarkers came into play at the end as it would have been nice to have gone into the final lap with it all still to play for but I’m happy enough. I’m happy with the bike and I’m definitely going in the right direction so, overall, it’s been a solid day.” Ryan now turns his attention to the Ulster Grand Prix, with the meeting taking place on the high-speed Dundrod circuit on August 8-11. More, from a press release issued by American Suzuki: SUZUKI SPORTBIKETRACKGEAR.COM’S ELENA MYERS CARDS A SOLID SEVENTH AT LAGUNA SECA AMA PRO SUPERSPORT RACE MONTEREY, CA Team Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com rider Elena Myers turned in a respectable performance in front of her hometown crowd this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. Originally from Discovery Bay, CA, Myers had friends and family to cheer her on as she raced her Suzuki GSX-R600 to a very commendable seventh place in the AMA Pro SuperSport race on Saturday afternoon. At this weekend’s event, the AMA Pro SuperSport riders shared the Laguna Seca paddock with the MotoGP series, so they were subject to abbreviated practice and qualifying sessions and only one race, as opposed to the usual two. Despite the lack of track time, Myers made the most of her time on her bike. In the 16-lap race on the tightly undulating Laguna Seca course, Myers overcame a lackluster start to get right into the mix immediately on her Suzuki GSX-R600. Battling with the top 10, the 18-year-old Northern California native put her head down and slowly but surely picked off the competition one by one. Her strategy paid off and she made it up to seventh by the end of the race. “Overall I’m pretty happy with how the weekend turned out,” said Myers. “It started out well and continued to improve. My Suzuki GSX-R600 was phenomenal all weekend and I can’t thank my Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com crew enough for putting a great machine underneath me. Seventh isn’t too bad, I just had a rough start. I think if I had gotten off better, it could’ve ended with a better result. This weekend, I’m bummed there aren’t two races but, oh well, that’s racing.” Although Myers is contesting the entire AMA Pro SuperSport season, she’s officially campaigning the West series. Her results at the Laguna Seca West round helped her maintain her third-place spot in the overall championship points. Now the riders get a month off to rest and train before the next round in September. The Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com team’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro SuperSport season is at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, the weekend of September 7-9, 2012. About American Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded the Motorcycle and ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, CA, in 1963. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 147 distributors in 201 countries/regions. For more information visit www.suzukicycles.com. Follow Suzuki on facebook for exclusive team content www.facebook.com/SuzukiCycles. More, from a press release issued by Cardion AB Motoracing: Having recovered from his injury, Abraham is back among the top ten Czech MotoGP rider Karel Abraham is back after a two-month post-injury hiatus. His tenth place means the best, and the very first top-ten, result in this season. He was 1:22.076 slower than the winner of the race, Casey Stoner. Halfway through the season, having missed four races due to his injury, the Czech rider currently has ten points, which means eighteenth place overall. Karel Abraham “This time the start went well but I got stuck behind Hernandez from the very beginning. I knew I had what it takes to overtake him as soon as possible, but I couldn’t get in front of him. Ironically, he was able to get away on straights, even though he was riding the CRT bike. After I did get in front of him I managed to gain some distance. I was trying to eliminate Espergaro’s advantage, but sadly I did not overtake him. A few laps before the end of the race, following Valentino Rossi’s fall, some pebbles got onto the track. I was caught off guard a lot at first and Espergaro took advantage of it. There was no point in risking and trying to overtake him at all costs. The most important thing now is to collect points for good results. The hand hurts much more after the weekend, but the next race is in three weeks, which looks like enough for the full recovery. It does not hold me back any longer and I can practice.” More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: McGuinness takes tenth at Suzuka Morecambe’s John McGuinness took an excellent 10th place at the Suzuka 8 Hour event at the weekend to move up to 2nd in the Endurance World Championship. Riding for the Honda TT Legends team, John and team-mates Cameron Donald and Jason O’Halloran were able to steadily move through the field and were rewarded with their top ten finish. A busy day of qualifying saw the three riders take to the 5.8km circuit for two 30-minute sessions each and, despite temperatures of well in excess of 30 degrees C, all three were consistent in their times. It was O’Halloran who was the quickest of the trio with a lap of 1m10.940s so, in accordance with Suzuka 8 Hour rules, the fastest lap time posted by each rider decided their grid position and they duly lined up in 17th place on the grid. With the main aim of a safe and steady race, John and his two team-mates battled through the hot and humid conditions to put in another smooth and trouble-free performance. Whilst some of their rivals experienced problems, including the SERT, YART and BMW Motorrad France teams, the opposite was the case for the Honda TT Legends team and the ABS- equipped Honda Fireblade never missed a beat allowing the team to complete all their stints and pit stops without fault. They gradually worked their way up the leaderboard to claim a superb top ten finish and maintain their second place in the World Championship, just 5 points behind SERT. Speaking afterwards, a pleased John commented; “It’s been a tough few days and with the heat to contend with as well as the expert local teams, to end with tenth place is a great achievement. Practice and qualifying were tough and we had a lot of laps to do, swapping and changing riders but everyone went well and our qualifying position was pretty good considering we didn’t test here and so started three or four days behind everyone else.” “Some of the best riders in the world were here and after not getting past the first hour in last year’s race, this year’s couldn’t have been more different. I did my three stints with no mistakes, just like Cam and Jason, and I really enjoyed the race even if it was red hot! The team did a great job, the ABS and everything on the bike worked like a dream and we’ve scored some valuable points so with two rounds to go, we’re in a good position.” John now has a two-week break before heading to Oschersleben, Germany for the penultimate round of the Endurance World Championship with the race taking place on August 11/12. More, from a press release issued by KTM North America: Nebel Earns 9th at Laguna Seca AMA Pro SuperBike Race Monterey, CA KTM/HMC Factory Superbike rider Stefan Nebel earned his career best AMA Pro SuperBike class finish at the eighth round of the series held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Nebel was excited for the eighth round of the series as it was his first time at the premier race track that is also home of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. He turned decent lap times and was able to finish 12th fastest in qualifying. His qualifying position placed him a few rows back at the start of Sunday’s main event. He came around the first lap in 14th position. On the next lap, Nebel picked up a spot and moved into 13th. The next two laps he began to move forward placing his KTM RC8 R race bike on the rear wheel of Steve Rapp and Chris Clark. Rapp made the pass on Clark first and then Nebel followed suit to claim the 12th position on the fourth lap of the race. In the next few laps Nebel was able to move up two more positions when two riders suffered mechanical issues. Now sitting in 10th place, he was able to set his sight on Larry Pegram. Nebel trailed Pegram for a couple laps before making an impressive pass down the straight after turn one. With three laps to go, Nebel rode a strong race to hold off the pressuring Pegram to the checkered flag. Nebel’s 9th place finish marked his career best finish in the AMA Pro SuperBike class. “I enjoyed racing this track today; it was a very challenging course but very fun to ride. I have overcome my infection from the previous round and felt great all week. I am happy to walk away with my best finish and hope to improve upon that at the next race,” stated Nebel. More, from a press release issued by Celtic Racing/Orient Express: Celtic Racing’s James Rispoli Celebrates 5th Win Of The Season At Laguna Seca! Celtic Orient Express Racing’s James Rispoli started Saturday’s AMA Pro Road Racing SuperSport race from fifth on the grid and nailed the hole-shot to lead the 45 rider field. James would do battle at the front of the field the entire race with Hayden Gillim, with Rispoli riding his #1 Suzuki GSX-R 600 defensively every lap. The battle between Rispoli and Gillim was intense, with neither rider allowing a gap. Gillim managed a last lap pass in turn five and led Rispoli to the final corner, but a small mistake by Gillim allowed Rispoli to power past and take the race victory at the finish line by 0.036″! Corey Alexander started the race from second on the grid after a great qualifying session, and was pleased to be back on the front row for the start. Alexander showed good speed and consistency all weekend aboard his #5 National Guard Fairhills Group Suzuki GSX-R 600. Corey battled with a three rider pack most of the race and would finish fifth, just 2.7” behind third place – a good ride with solid results. Rispoli’s win on Saturday is his fifth win of the year, and serves to cement his 2012 AMA SuperSport West Championship with a 60 point lead over second place, and 279 points total. Just one West series event remains, the season finale at NOLA Motorsports Park in October. Alexander remains fifth in the 2012 AMA SuperSport East Championship with 106 points and six races remaining at the final three rounds of the series. The Celtic Racing team heads to New Jersey Motorsports Park for the next race, September 7-9th, on another tight 2.2 mile circuit. James Rispoli was thrilled to notch another race win, and really enjoyed the battle with Gillim, saying that “the race was so sweet! I went around the outside just like JP [Jason Pridmore] told me. I had no problem leading most of the laps, but I knew Hayden had a little corner speed on me in some spots. I knew I had good braking and good drives to keep the gap all race, and my K-Tech Suspension was working awesome. When he tried to pass midway in the race I quickly passed him back under braking in the corkscrew. When the last lap came I rode defensively into the second corner and he passed me in turn five, so I stuck on him hard, and he went a little wide in the last corner. That little mistake let me get the best drive and I out-drove him to the line. I’m so happy to be at the Laguna MotoGP weekend and win my fifth race this year. By far the best win of my career, many thanks to the team for a great bike, and to all my sponsors, AGV Helmets, Dainese Leathers, Monster Energy, and Techmount!” Corey Alexander has regained form as the season has progressed, and his results are improving steadily. Alexander stated that “right away I felt really comfortable on my National Guard Fairhills Group Suzuki GSX-R 600, my crew gave me a great bike right out of the truck. We were fast in practice and ended up second in qualifying. It was exciting to be up at the top of the charts again. The race went well, but after a few mistakes we lost touch with the top three which was unfortunate as I was expecting to bring home a better result. We have a long break now and I plan to keep riding intensely — a lot of motocross and if, possible do a bit of a road racing. I’m excited for our home race at Jersey so it should be exciting.” Corey would like to thank all his personal sponsors for their support, including Arai Helmets, Fairhills Group, Hudson Valley Motorcycles, Spidi Leathers, and XPD Boots. Both Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600’s showcase the best in road racing technology. Product support for both machines comes from: Michael Jordan Motorsports, American Suzuki, Armor Bodies, Chicken Hawk Racing, DesignStar3, Dynojet, FMF Racing, Full Spectrum Power, Hudson Valley Racing, Galfer Brakes, GB Racing, K-Tech Suspension, Maxima Oils, Motion Pro, Pit Bull, Riviera Country Club, Saddlemen, Star Motorcycle School, Vortex Racing, and Zero Gravity. Celtic Racing was established in 2001 by Barry Gilsenan, and over the past 11 seasons has established itself as a premier privateer racing team. Development of riding talent began with two-stroke 125cc, and 250cc machines competing in professional and regional championship events. More recent Celtic Racing efforts have focused on AMA Pro Road Racing in the Daytona SportBike and SuperSport classes with Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha four stroke motorcycles. Gilsenan’s talent for coaching racers of all ages and abilities has brought Celtic Racing worldwide attention and recognition, with many former Celtic Racing riders now competing on World Championship levels. Please join Celtic Racing on Facebook: ~http://www.facebook.com/CelticRacing~. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD The National Guard is the oldest military branch. Today, Citizen-Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while training part time, staying ready to defend America in the event of an emergency. The National Guard serves both state and federal governments. During local emergencies, Guard units assist residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard companies deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. Please visit ~http://www.nationalguard.com~ to find out more. FAIRHILLS GROUP Fairhills Group is a New York based alternative investment management firm that manages capital for the Bronson family and other high net worth individuals and wealthy families. Fairhills was established in 2002 for the purpose of providing public companies with alternative forms of financing, eventually becoming one of the most active investors in structured equity transactions. Fairhills has since grown to provide financing solutions to companies globally and recently has opened its doors for the first time to external investors, with a full range of alternative investment fund offerings. For more information on Fairhills, please visit ~http://www.fairhills.com~. ORIENT EXPRESS Established in 1973, Orient Express is a high performance motorcycle parts and accessories warehouse distributor; offering dyno tuning, engine building services and precision machine work. Orient Express has an extensive history of racing, including support of both professional and amateur race series and individuals. For more information regarding Orient Express, or to find out what Orient Express can do for your racing success, please call 800.645.6521 or 631.231.9552 (NY/International), visit ~http://www.orientexpress.com~ or join them on Facebook at ~http://www.facebook.com/OrientExpressRacing~. More, from a press release issued by Crescent Suzuki: Bad luck hits Camier and Yoshimura Suzuki at Suzuka FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier saw his hopes of success dashed at the 35th-Anniversary Suzuka 8-Hour World Endurance Championship third round in Japan as the Yoshimura Suzuki Team he was riding for were plagued with bad luck. Camier, along with team-mates Josh Waters and Nobuatsu Aoki were the early leaders after qualifying third-fastest. Unfortunately the team lost eight laps when they were forced to make an extra pit stop due to a mystery engine issue with the factory GSX-R1000. The Yoshimura squad then suffered a further, and terminal, setback in the closing stages when the 2011 Suzuka 8-Hour runners-up and six-time event winners were forced to retire after seven hours with the on-going problem. In a drama-packed event, many of the pre-race challengers were side-lined including Monster Energy Yamaha’s pole-setter Katsuyuki Nakusuga teamed with British Superbike riders Tommy Hill and Noriyuki Haga who crashed just 30 minutes into the race. Another crash by Ryuichi Kiyonari after five hours also ended the Musashi RT Harc-Pro team’s bid for the podium. Overall victory in the Suzuka 8-Hour which also celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Suzuka Circuit – went to the FCC TSR Honda team of Jonathan Rea, Kosuke Akiyoshi and Tadayuki Okada, who clocked-up 215 laps Camier is now on his way back to the UK to resume his World Superbike Championship duties with the FIXI Crescent Suzuki team at the British round of the series at Silverstone this coming weekend, where he and team-mate John Hopkins hope for a great performance in front of the home fans. Leon Camier: “Everyone’s disappointed but that’s endurance racing. It’s just one of those things – It’s like short-sprint racing but for eight hours. I’ve got to say Josh has done an amazing job all weekend, through testing and qualifying and he’s just been so fast. I had a bit of a problem as I didn’t feel comfortable on my Superpole lap. We’d changed something on the bike and wanted to try it, but it gave us a lot of chatter. It was a one-off to see if it worked, but I didn’t feel comfortable. “I had big crash on the first day and didn’t feel confident after that, but in the race I felt really good and was getting more-and-more confident as the race went on. I caught and passed Akiyoshi at one stage, then he got me back on the next lap because I pitted. “I didn’t realise the yellow flag incident and thought it was a different situation, but I did what I had to do, slowed down; and let him pass me back, but unfortunately we got penalised. The thing is, once you come down pit lane and then zoom back out, you’ve lost far more than 30 seconds. It’s difficult to say if we had the pace to win or not, but we would have definitely been an easy second, but we can’t count that now it’s the way it goes. I can honestly say that the team and everyone has done an awesome job to get the bike sorted for us so a big thanks to everyone; and if I get the opportunity, I’d definitely love to do it again if it fits in with my race schedule.” Suzuka 8-Hour results: 1. FCC TSR Honda (Honda) 215 laps: 2. TOHO Racing with Moriwaki (Honda) 211: 3. Yamaha France GMT94 (Yamaha) 211: 4. Moto Map SUPPLY (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 210: 5. Honda Suzuka Racing Team (Honda) 210: DNF: YOSHIMURA SUZUKI: More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: BMW S 1000 RR at Suzuka: A race with highs and lows. At the “Suzuka 8 Hours”, BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent closed the gap in the EWC overall classification but was denied a possible podium finish and the Championship lead. Suzuka/Munich, 30th July 2012. BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent achieved one of its main goals at the “Suzuka 8 Hours”, but leaves Japan with mixed emotions. The prestigious race marked the third round of the 2012 FIM Endurance World Championship. The BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport backed squad was determined to reduce the gap to the Championship leaders and fulfilled this mission. However, lady luck deserted the team and riders Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon (both FRA) and Damian Cudlin (AUS) in the closing stages of the race, meaning that they were denied a much bigger success, namely the historic first podium finish for a European manufacturer at Suzuka and the overall lead in the Endurance World Championship. The “Suzuka 8 Hours” is the most important motorcycle race in Japan. The competition is extremely strong, as the Japanese manufacturers field full factory machines and prominent international rider line-ups in order to claim this prestigious victory. Last year, BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent impressed with a sensational fourth place in this strong field of competitors. This year, an even bigger success was within reach for the French-Belgian squad. Starting from 11th on the grid, the #99 BMW S 1000 RR improved position by position. When the race entered the final hour, the BMW Team took over second place behind the leading Honda and looked certain to secure a podium and take the lead in the championship standings as a result. But with 40 minutes to go, the #99 RR had to pit with an electrical issue, which the team did not have time to remedy in the time remaining. Instead, Sébastien Gimbert had to do his best and fight hard in the closing stages on a bike that was now 20 seconds off the pace of the leaders. He managed to hold on to ninth place until the finish. With this result, the team closed the gap on Championship leaders SERT to 13 points with two more races to come. Round four of the 2012 Endurance World Championship, the “8 Hours of Oschersleben” (GER) will take place from 9th to 12th August. “Once again we are reminded that racing has its highs, but it also has its lows,” Team Principal Michael Bartholemy commented. “We came so close to a remarkable result, but it just wasn’t to be. All three riders and everyone in the team did an outstanding job this weekend and, had we not had some bad luck right at the end of the race, we’d have been celebrating a historic podium here. I want to say thank you to every single one of the team, to BMW and to Michelin, for all their hard work and commitment this weekend. We closed the gap on the leaders. Next time out at Oschersleben, I hope we can close the gap further with a win for BMW at home.” “I have experienced the biggest disappointment of my career so far,” said Erwan Nigon. “To finish second at Suzuka behind a full factory bike, ridden by the likes of Jonathan Rea, Kosuke Akiyoshi and Tadayuki Okada, would be like a victory for us, but it wasn’t to be. The team did a great job and we rode a near perfect race for seven and a half hours, only to lose out to a minor electrical problem within sight of the chequered flag. Unbelievable. Sébastien did a brave ride at the end to salvage ninth position and the all-important championship points.” “A podium finish at Suzuka is something that you dream about as a rider, something that you’ll be boring your kids with for years, so I’m devastated to have got close enough to taste it only to miss out in the last 40 minutes”, Damian Cudlin added. “We rode a textbook race, made no mistakes and we were in sight of the podium when I came in to hand over to Seb for the final run. We knew there was something wrong as soon as he started the bike and he was straight back in after one lap. There wasn’t time to start pulling the bike apart, so he went back out. However, he brought it home in the top ten, when I was convinced we weren’t even going to finish.” “It is not easy to find the right words after a race like that,” said Berthold Hauser, Head of BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport. “The team was so close to pulling off the great sensation in Suzuka. The fact that they were denied by a minor issue, which had never occurred before, is a bitter pill to say the least. The team fought bravely and the twelve points they scored are important. We must now look ahead. We still have two important races in this season’s World Championship, which the team will tackle with our assistance. Every single person will do their very best. The battle for the title is still on and the team is due its share of good luck.” More, from a press release issued by Öhlins USA: July 30, 2012 – Monterey, California: Suspension rules Laguna Seca, with three winners wrapping up their weekend on iconic, innovative, iterations of Öhlins shocks: from MotoGP prototype, to AMA Pro Superbike, to AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, all won by Öhlins equipped motorcycles. Congratulations from Öhlins USA go to Repsol Honda, Graves Yamaha, and YES Graves Yamaha, for these wins in MotoGP, AMA Superbike, and Daytona SportBike, respectively. And, congratulations to Yamaha and Yoshimura Suzuki, for contributing to Öhlins fitted motorcycles success in achieving podium sweeps in MotoGP and AMA Pro Superbike. MotoGP bikers are fitted with the latest innovation from Öhlins of through-rod shocks, while the AMA Pro Racing teams use Öhlins’ championship-proven TTX shocks with the unique feature of completely separate circuits for segregated compression and rebound adjustability. These are the same shocks available to street riders of most late-model sportbikes. A huge congratulations also goes to Danny Eslick for his battle for second place in AMA Pro Superbike. He finished fourth on his Erik Buell Racing 1190RS, missing second place by barely .400 of a second, in a four-way battle for that podium position. Öhlins USA distributes and services the world’s leading performance suspension components for automobiles, motorcycles, and ATVs. Öhlins develops its proprietary and trend-setting suspension components, steering dampers and oils, at the highest levels of racing from open-wheel car racing, to Moto GP, to off-road competition on two and four wheels. Öhlins USA also provides training for service centers and dealers. Öhlins USA can be contacted at: 828-692-4525; www.Ohlinsusa.com More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Racing: YOSHIMURA SUZUKI CONTINUES TO RACK UP SUPERBIKE PODIUMS Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Young brings home well-earned second place at Laguna Seca MONTEREY, CA Team Yoshimura Suzuki picked up its 13th AMA Pro Superbike podium of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA, this weekend, thanks to rider Blake Young, who piloted his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to second place. At this weekend’s event, the AMA Pro Superbike riders shared the paddock with the MotoGP series, so they were subject to abbreviated practice and qualifying sessions and only one race, as opposed to the usual two. Young overcame the difficulties of minimal track time, however, and maximized the laps he turned. Sunday afternoon’s 23-lap race saw Young get a good start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and battle for a podium position for the entire race. With just a few laps to go, Young slotted into a heated battle for second place before successfully walking away with the respectable runner-up position. “The race weekend started off pretty slow,” said Young. “But then we started picking up momentum. Qualifying sixth made it difficult for me, but I got off to a decent start on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, got into fourth and settled in behind another rider. I put in a pretty hard charge and got myself up to second with a few laps to go. It was pretty good racing, with a bit of a drag race to the finish line, and I ended up bringing home second. Now we have some time to rest and train and come back ready to race at New Jersey.” Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Chris Clark struggled at Laguna Seca. Although he started the race in the top 10, he was never able to find a rhythm and wound up finishing 15th. These results did allow Clark to increase his standings in the overall championship points, and he’s now looking forward to the month-long break before the series resumes in September. “Right off the bat, we were two seconds faster than I was here last year,” said Clark. “I was feeling really confident with my pace for the race weekend and I got a pretty good start in the race but I struggled with grip. Now, I’m looking forward to the down time to try and put together a physio-training program to help build up my shoulder muscles to help me feel more comfortable on the bike.” Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series is at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, the weekend of September 7-9, 2012. Laguna Seca Superbike Results: 1. Josh Hayes 2. Blake Young 3. Josh Herrin 4. Danny Eslick 5. Ben Bostrom 6. Geoff May 7. Taylor Knapp 8. Roger Hayden 9. Stefan Nebel 10. Larry Pegram 2012 Superbike Class Standings: 1. Josh Hayes 415 2. Blake Young 341 3. Josh Herrin 246 4. Roger Hayden 217 5. Geoff May 205 6. Larry Pegram 193 7. Danny Eslick 165 8. Ben Bostrom 162 9. Chris Clark 152 10. Steve Rapp 151 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 American Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded the Motorcycle and ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, CA, in 1963. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 147 distributors in 201 countries/regions. For more information visit www.suzukicycles.com. Follow Suzuki on facebook for exclusive team content www.facebook.com/suzukicycles. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS TEAM EARNS TOP-FIVE FINISH IN AMA PRO NATIONAL GUARD SUPERBIKE RACE AT LAGUNA SECA MONTEREY, CA (July 30, 2012) The Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) team turned in a solid performance at this weekend’s AMA Pro National Guard Superbike race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. MJM’s Ben Bostrom raced his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 to his fifth top-five result of the season, while National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Roger Hayden overcame a mid-race fluke to finish up a respectable eighth. Because the AMA Pro National Guard Superbike riders were sharing the Laguna Seca paddock with the MotoGP series, they were subject to abbreviated practice and qualifying sessions and only one race, instead of the usual two. Even so, the MJM crew made the most of their track time. MJM’s Bostrom started the weekend by picking up his best qualifying position this year. Starting from the second spot on the grid, Bostrom got a good launch on his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 and was the picture of consistency through all 23 laps of the race. Several times he put himself into position to battle for a podium spot before eventually finishing fifth. “Of course I’m disappointed not to have given the Jordan Motorsports boys a top finish today,” said Bostrom. “Now it’s going to be a long six weeks until the next race, but I still believe we will win one of these last races. Thanks to my team as always for putting a great bike like the Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 under me.” National Guard Jordan Suzuki teammate Hayden also qualified well, nabbing the third spot on the starting grid. When the lights turned green, Hayden was strong off the line and slotted into third position. He was battling for that podium spot when he had some bad luck and fell back to eighth, finishing there. “I had a pretty good weekend at Laguna,” said Hayden. “All the way up until the race. We were fast in qualifying and the Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 was really working good. Unfortunately, in the race we had a little bit of a problem. It’s unfortunate because we had such good speed all weekend. Once again, I have to thank the whole MJM crew for giving me a great bike and working so hard all weekend, and I can’t wait for New Jersey.” In the 2012 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship points standings, Hayden remains in fourth place while Bostrom moved up to eighth. The Michael Jordan Motorsports team’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship is at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, the weekend of September 7-9, 2012. ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS: Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports in 2004 as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. His mission is to bring a new level of excellence and style to the motorcycle racing industry. For more information on MJM, please visit www.23race.com, www.twitter.com/23race and http://www.facebook.com/23race. ABOUT THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: The National Guard is the oldest military branch. Today, Citizen-Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while training part time, staying ready to defend America in the event of an emergency. The National Guard serves both state and federal governments. During local emergencies, Guard units assist residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard companies deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. Michael Jordan Motorsports is proud to partner with: Jordan Brand (a division of Nike), National Guard, American Suzuki, Hanes, Gatorade, Bazzaz, Vortex Racing Components, FMF Exhausts, Gemini Racing, K-Tech Suspension-Orient Express Racing, Maxima Racing Oils, Mechanix Wear, K & N Air Filters, Dainese Leathers, AGV Helmets, Ancra Tie-downs, Chicken Hawk Racing Tire Warmers, Armour Bodies, DID Chains, Factory Pro Dyno, Roclun International, Cardo Scala Rider, STAR Motorcycle School, Motion Pro Tools, Zero Gravity Windscreens, with transportation provided by Eastside Trucking. More, from a press release issued by Rockstar: ROCKSTAR ENERGY’S LORENZO INCREASES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AT LAGUNA SECA LOS ANGELES, CA (July 30, 2012) Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo put in an impressive performance Sunday at Laguna Seca to take second in the Grand Prix of USA. Having started from pole, Lorenzo took the hole shot closely followed by rival Dani Pedrosa into turn one. The Rockstar Energy rider held the lead until a small incident in the corkscrew allowed Casey Stoner to close the already small gap, the Australian then passing him on the main straight on lap 21. Lorenzo tucked in behind in second, crossing the line just 3.429 seconds later. “I tried my best the beginning to open a gap and I managed it but then in the corkscrew I almost crashed,” said Rockstar Energy’s Lorenzo. “For Casey maybe that was a motivation and he caught me in one lap. After that I couldn’t keep the pace I had in the beginning, maybe the soft tyre was the best option for this race. Without a doubt Casey was riding in an excellent form today and it wasn’t possible to beat him.” The next event for Rockstar Energy’s Jorge Lorenzo is round eleven of the 2012 MotoGP Championship at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN on August 19th. About Rockstar: ROCKSTAR is the world’s most powerful Energy Drink. Enhanced with the potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng and Milk Thistle, ROCKSTAR is formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles – from athletes to rock stars. ROCKSTAR Energy Drink is available in nineteen amazing flavors and worldwide in 25 countries. For more information visit www.rockstar69.com.