Wyman Wins AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Race at Barber O’Hara Second as Barnes Takes Third over Estok Leeds, Ala. KLR Group/Spyke’s Harley-Davidson’s Kyle Wyman won a thrilling back-and-forth contest with Bartels’ Harley-Davidson/Scrubblade rider Tyler O’Hara Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park to earn his second straight AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series race by a slim 0.047-second margin. Wyman and O’Hara checked out at the front of the field at the start of the race, with polesitter O’Hara losing the lead to Wyman at the end of the first circuit. O’Hara and Wyman then traded the race lead back and forth over the next three laps, with O’Hara maintaining the front position on laps four through ten until Wyman made his race-winning move on the final trip around the 2.3-mile track. “It was a lot of fun up front, dicing and battling back and forth with Tyler,” Wyman said. “There were areas he was a little stronger than me and other spots where I was faster. It was a great race; the first I’ve ever won where drafting wasn’t a big factor. The last lap set up perfectly. I passed in the Museum Corner and then rode as tight a line as I could the rest of the way in. I didn’t want to give him any space because I knew he’d pass me [back] if he could. Equally spirited was the three-way race for the third step on the podium that developed between MOB Racing’s Michael Barnes, Deeley H-D’s David Estok and Kuryakyn’s Gerry Signorelli, who worked his way up to fourth on lap nine before crashing out of the race on the penultimate lap. Barnes’ ultimate margin over Estok for third was 0.146 second. Further back, Benjamin Carlson (Suburban Motors H-D) took the fifth position ahead of Michael Corbino (XP Motorsports/Rossiter’s H-D) and Harv’s Harley-Davidson’s Travis Wyman. Josh Chisum (Bartels’ H-D/Scrubblade), Nicholas Hansen (Suburban Motors H-D) and Brice Cooper (Hoban Brothers/Woodstock H-D) rounded out the top ten. Final Results: 1. Kyle Wyman (KLR Group/Spyke’s H-D), 7 laps 2. Tyler O’Hara (Bartels’ H-D/Scrubblade), +0.047 second 3. Michael Barnes (MOB Racing), +10.947 seconds 4. David Estok (Ruthless Racing/Deeley H-D Racing), +11.094 seconds 5. Benjamin Carlson (Suburban Motors H-D), +25.380 seconds 6. Michael Corbino (XP Motorsports/Rossiter’s H-D), +26.574 seconds 7. Travis Wyman (Harv’s H-D), +26.594 seconds 8. Josh Chisum (Bartels’ H-D/Scrubblade), +43.565 seconds 9. Nicholas Hansen (Suburban Motors H-D), +1:04.645 10. Brice Cooper (Hoban Brothers/Woodstock H-D), +1:08.007 11. Paul James (Hoban Brothers/Woodstock H-D), +1:10.185 12. Gerry Signorelli (Kuryakyn), -1 lap 13. Ray Delaney (None listed), +1:45.391 14. Shane Narbonne (Suburban Motors H-D), -3 laps, DNF XR1200 Championship Points 1. O’Hara, 165 2. K. Wyman, 159 3. Barnes, 144 4. Corbino, 89 5. Estok, 88 6. T. Wyman, 79 7. Signorelli, 78 8. D. James, 63 9. Chisum, 62 10. Carlson, 54 The next round of the Vance & Hines XR1200 series is July 14-15 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, which will be the final opportunity to set the top ten competitors who will battle for the XR Showdown over the final four events of the season beginning with the doubleheader at Indianapolis. Company Background Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit harley-davidson.com. More, from a press release issued by Celtic Racing/Orient Express: Celtic Racing’s Rispoli Wins Sunday SuperSport Race At Barber Celtic Orient Express Racing James Rispoli marked his fourth race win of the season and visit to the top step of the podium Sunday in brutally hot and humid weather at Barber Motorsports Park. Sunday’s seventeen lap race was stopped twice after two red flag incidents that claimed four riders, with only one unable to restart. James Rispoli and friendly rival Jake Lewis led the front pack of five riders who broke away after the third restart, and were trading the lead most of the race with Tomas Puerta and Hayden Gillim participating in the battle at the front for a portion of the race. Corey Alexander worked his way around Elena Meyers into fifth place on the National Guard Fairhills Group Suzuki GSX-R 600, and was working to close the gap to the lead pack as the race wound down. An unfortunate mistake by Alexander on the closing lap would allow five riders to get past, but he was able to finish tenth and salvage valuable points. James now has a commanding lead in the AMA SuperSport West Championship with 232 points total with five West rounds in the books. Corey holds fifth place in SuperSport East with 80 points after only three rounds of East points events. James Rispoli rode hard all weekend, and his rigorous training in the Florida heat certainly paid dividends at Barber. James took two podium finishes aboard the Celtic Orient Express Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600 this weekend with a victory Sunday and a third place finish Saturday. Over all he was very happy stating that “It was a good weekend, a tough weekend, but with good results. We worked on a bunch of suspension and tire set ups Friday and Saturday. We have two really good bikes, my K-Tech Suspension felt great, really stable, and I was great on the brakes thanks to Galfer — I was able to brake deep and late. My crew has done a great job and gave me the machine to win on today. Everything came together for us during the Sunday morning warm up session where we tried something new and went back to basics, after I sat down with William, Dustin, Eric and JP and had a good talk about Saturday. I’m really happy to have brought this win home and collected more points for the championship. Many thanks to my personal sponsors AGV Helmets, Dainese Leathers, Monster Energy, and Techmount for all their support with my program, and special thanks to Dynojet for their help this weekend.” Though Alexander’s weekend did not finish on the high note he had hoped for, he was able to learn from his mistake and score important points for the SuperSport East Championship. Corey said that “Unfortunately after a decent start to the weekend I made a mistake on the last lap of the race on Sunday that pushed us back to 10th from 5th place. My team gave me a great bike all weekend and they worked hard on my National Guard Fairhills Group Suzuki in the Alabama heat and I feel like I let them down a little bit. Overall it wasn’t a bad weekend other than my own personal mistake and I have to thank everyone involved with the team for that and for working so hard. Shout-out to Arai Helmets, Spidi Leathers, XPD Boots, and everyone behind me.” Celtic Racing is traveling down to New Orleans for a two day AMA Pro Road Racing test event at the new NOLA Motorsports Park ahead of the season ending race there in October. Testing is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, but everyone will be watching the weather carefully because of a large storm moving through the Gulf that might affect on track activities. 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 Ohlins USA: Three Poles, Three Podium Sweeps, Five Wins, 96-Degrees: Ohlins at Barber Birmingham, Alabama: Riders on Ohlins occupied the AMA Superbike Series top spots in AMA Pro National Guard Superbike and GoPro Daytona SportBike, this last weekend at the ultra-groomed Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. It was single-rider double wins in Superbike and Sportbike, with Josh Hayes and Cameron Beaubier taking home all of the heaviest hardware with two wins each in their respective classes, respectively. In Superbike, Ohlins damped racers swept the podium on Saturday and Sunday, complemented by a Daytona SportBike Sweep in Saturday’s race. In Superbike the podium riders were Hayes, his Graves Yamaha teammate Josh Herrin and Suzuki Yoshimura’s Blake Young. On Sunday the order was Hayes, Young, and Herrin. In Daytona SportBike the finishing order of the proudest three were pole-winner Cameron Beaubier on his YES Graves Yamaha, followed by M4 Suzuki’s Dane Westby, followed in turn by Tommy Hayden, teammate of Beaubier. On Sunday, Beaubier capped off his perfect weekend pole, win, win while Westby took a second second. Jason DiSalvo had another strong weekend in Daytona SportBike on his Team Latus Motors Racing Triumph, finishing fourth and sixth and ending up tied for second-place in the championship with Dane Westby. In the Vance & Hines XR1200 championship, Kyle Wyman was far from fraught with another hard-fought win on the booming twin. This finish lifted Wyman closer to the championship leader, who he now trails by a scant six points. In the Motorcycle-SuperStore.com SuperSport class, Latus Motors Racing Triumph’s Dustin Dominguez took the pole for the weekend’s races, where he then finished second and sixth, adding to the number of podiums earned by riders using Ohlins suspension components: a total of 14 from the possible 21, and five of the seven wins. Yes, we do keep count. Ohlins USA distributes and services the world’s leading performance suspension components for automobiles, motorcycles, and ATVs. Ohlins 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. Ohlins USA also provides training for service centers and dealers. Ohlins USA can be contacted at: 828-692-4525; www.Ohlinsusa.com More, from a press release issued by Dainese: Dainese and AGV riders Triumph Superbike Classic Following a three week break after back to back race weekends, AMA Pro Road Racing heads to Barber Motorsports Park for the Triumph Superbike Classic where Dainese and AGV riders continue to heat up the battle for the leads in the championships. Leeds, AL-Breaking in his new custom Dainese race suit under the hot Alabama sun, Celtic Racing’s James “The Rocket” Rispoli started third from a grid of forty riders. Reeling off consistently quick times in SuperSport Race 1, Rispoli maintained third position for most of the 17 laps to take 3rd on the podium and collect more points in his quest for a second championship. Any drama that may have lacked in the first SuperSport race of the weekend was made up for in Race 2 as the on-track action was halted by two red flags and a photo finish. Running a tight race from the second restart with his rival Jake Lewis, James Rispoli shook off the sweltering heat and heavy pressure. Battling greasy grip from his tires in the final laps, Rispoli came away with the checkered flag after a final push by Lewis to draft him across the line. Not far off their pace, Dainese and Roadrace Factory’s Thomas Puerta put the full perforation of his Stripes suit to use bringing home a fantastic 3rd place finish in front of his visiting father. After a hard crash in practice late Friday deployed Dainese and Yoshimura Suzuki rider Blake Young’s D-Air Racing suit, he was able to line up on the grid for SuperBike Race 1 healthy and ready to battle. From the drop of the flag the field spread out quickly and settled into a rhythm after an early crash from Jordan Suzuki and Dainese rider Ben Bostrom relegated the uninjured racer to watch from the pits. Graves Yamaha and Dainese’s Josh Herrin locked onto the coattails of his teammate Josh Hayes to capture a 2nd place finish while Blake Young struggled with rear grip crossing the line in 3rd. Off the pace of the race leaders and still nursing a healing wrist, Dainese and AGV rider Attack Kawasaki’s Steve Rapp finished 9th. Off to a late start following the earlier red flags in the second SuperSport race, SuperBike Race 2 held its own drama. A bad start from Blake Young saw him claw his way forward from 7th position. Riding like a man possessed, he fought his way back to a battle for 2nd place with fellow Dainese racer Josh Herrin. When Herrin ran off track, Blake took full advantage to try and put distance between them knowing Herrin would battle back. In a fight to the finish, Young refused to relinquish 2nd place. Herrin finished just over 2 seconds behind him. Further back in the field, Ben Bostrom and Steve Rapp crossed the line in 6th and 7th, respectively. As the summer heat continues, expect conditions to create interesting challenges for the teams and riders when AMA Pro Road Racing commences at Mid-Ohio in two weeks. More, from a press release issued by Kneedraggers.com/Triplecrown Industries: The Kneedraggers.com/Triplecrown team produces a personal best for one rider and a season’s best finish for another at Barber Motorsports Park. After finishing fourth place in Saturday’s race, Stefano Mesa felt like he had the pace to run up front but an early push in lap two forced him to restart at the back of the 43 entires. With a long, hot race ahead of him, Mesa was able to put his head down and work through the field to salvage a seventh place finish and Supersport East points. Austin Dehaven was able to reclaim his Kneedragger.com/Triplecrown R6 from the clutches of the gravel pit when a rider almost took him out half way through race two. David Gaviria shattered his previous personal best at this track and Benny Solis had his best finish of the year in the Daytona Sportbike class. Overall, team owner David Brite was happy with the results and what they learned from Barber Motorsports Park. David Brite, Kneedragger.com/Triplecrown team owner said: “Sometimes you run into issues that are out of your control like we did with Austin but overall I think these riders and this team learned a lot this weekend. Even though it was his first time on this bike, David Gaviria went faster than he did in previous years and almost matched his best finish of the year. Benny Solis was looking great in race one and two, his seventh place finish in race one was his best finish of the year so far. Stefano might have tried to go a little early but he felt like he could win that race and he got a little excited. Sometimes that happens and we learn from it. Stefano was able to come from the back of the pack on the restart to salvage some points that keeps him in the running for the SuperSport East Championship. I’m happy that Austin was able to keep the bike up when a rider came under him and took him out. We made improvements in a number of areas and each race we get closer to the front.” Stefano Mesa: “The bike was perfect, exactly how I wanted it and I knew that I had a chance to win the race. I was going for the lead in lap two, tried to make a pass on Jake and he tried to out brake me. I had nowhere to go and was in the grass, you can’t control the bike in the grass and I did everything I could to not make it bad for the other guys. Dustin and I went down pretty hard, I don’t know about him but I was hurting pretty bad at the restart. We started at the very back of the grid and tried to pass as many people as possible going into turn one but it was sketchy. When the second red flag came out we had to do it again but I just stayed with Dustin as we kept passing riders. I ended up finishing right behind him in seventh place. It was a tough day because I really felt like I had the pace to win.” Austin Dehaven: “On Saturday we were having issues with the pre-load so the bike wasn’t exactly what I wanted so we switched to a new front end. About half-way through the race, I passed a rider in the long sweeper and as we came around he tried to pass inside of me going on to the straight but the bike spun around which caused me to go wide into the gravel. I did everything I could just to keep it up and was lucky to not go down. I felt like I would have been running 10th which would have been my best finish of the year.” David Gaviria: “In 2010 I was running 1:34’s at Barber so I am very happy with a personal best of 1:31 and this being the first time on this bike. After Saturday we made changes and during the warm up I knew that those changes were better. There was progress today, I felt good during the race and the bike handled well. There are still some things we can improve to make it more comfortable for me. On Sunday, I moved up four spots from Saturday to 16th and that was good. At the end of the race the tire was spinning a lot but I know we are on the right path, the next race should be even better.” Benny Solis: I had a little bit of a chattering issue, I couldn’t find a decent line out of four and five and was losing time each lap. I couldn’t get a good enough drive coming out of two and that’s where Beach and Zemke had gained on me. The heat didn’t bother me, I think I adjusted to it by coming out a couple days early. A seventh place finish is the best I’ve had all year but I feel like I can run in the top five. We still have a little work to do, I’m still new to this team but you can see that we are figuring things out.” More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura: IT WAS A DOUBLE-PODIUM SUPERBIKE WEEKEND FOR YOSHIMURA SUZUKI AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Young picks up 11th Superbike podium in 11 races BIRMINGHAM, AL Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing celebrated two more AMA Pro Superbike podium finishes this past double-header weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. Blake Young raced his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to second- and third-place finishes at the picturesque Southern race course, while teammate Chris Clark improved his overall standings in the points chase. On Saturday, Young had a good showing by getting a good start and settling into third place by the end of lap one. He went on to bring home third, and remained unfazed by the Alabama heat and humidity. On Sunday, Young suffered a poor start but made the most of his talent and the power of the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to finish second. This result marks Young’s 11th AMA Pro Superbike podium in as many races. “I ended up third on Saturday, though I felt pretty good about it,” said Young. “I’ve been kind of struggling, but I don’t think I could’ve gone any quicker. The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 was feeling good and my team is giving 100 percent. On Sunday, the start was a bit of a struggle. But I put my head down and had a good race. Now, I’m looking forward to going home for a few days and then off to Mid-Ohio. I enjoy that track and the fans are great there.” Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Clark also had a consistent race on Saturday. Getting a decent start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, he worked his way into eighth place and stayed put to the checkers. On Sunday, unfortunately, Clark took a spill while running in the top 10. Even so, he still moved up a spot to eighth in the overall championship points standings. “I got an OK start on Saturday,” said Clark. “And I got into eighth on the first lap and stayed there. On Sunday, I tucked the front. I was pretty disappointed because I was feeling good. But we’re getting closer and closer to the front pack and I’m hoping to improve on that at Mid-Ohio.” Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series is at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH, the weekend of July 13 – 15, 2012. Barber Superbike Results, Race 1: 1. Josh Hayes 2. Josh Herrin 3. Blake Young 4. Geoff May 5. Roger Hayden 6. Larry Pegram 7. Danny Eslick 8. Chris Clark 9. Steve Rapp 10. David Anthony Barber Superbike Results, Race 2: 1. Josh Hayes 2. Blake Young 3. Josh Herrin 4. Geoff May 5. Roger Hayden 6. Ben Bostrom 7. Steve Rapp 8. Larry Pegram 9. David Anthony 10. Chris Ulrich 2012 Superbike Class Standings: 1. Josh Hayes 320 2. Blake Young 283 3. Josh Herrin 197 4. Geoff May 159 5. Roger Hayden 158 6. Larry Pegram 151 7. Ben Bostrom 126 8. Chris Clark 124 9. Danny Eslick 121 10. Steve Rapp 115 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 146 distributors in 198 countries/regions. For more information visit www.suzukicycles.com. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS TEAM BRINGS HOME TOP-FIVE FINISHES IN SUPERBIKE AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK BIRMINGHAM, AL The Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) team is really starting to see the impressive fruits from its collective labor. MJM teammates Roger Hayden and Ben Bostrom both raced their Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000s to solid finishes in the double-header AMA Pro National Guard Superbike weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Hayden bounced back from recent crashes to qualify on the front row of the grid this weekend. On Saturday, he got a good launch on his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 and finished fifth. Sunday’s 21-lap race saw a repeat of Saturday, with Hayden getting another good start and riding confidently to bring home another fifth. “I got a good start on Saturday,” said Hayden. “And I settled into a rhythm and got up to fifth. I’m still trying to get my comfort level back after I had a few crashes one weekend, so I’m not as aggressive on the bike as I can be. But I got a better start on Sunday and I felt like I was riding better overall. We’re going to Mid-Ohio next and that track has been good to me. I got my first Superbike podium there, so I’m looking forward to it.” MJM’s Bostrom also qualified on the front row and got a great start on his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 on Saturday. He was running in third when he lost the front and had to retire for the day. On Sunday, however, Bostrom rallied and got another good start and battled with his teammate Hayden before finishing sixth. “I was pretty disappointed on Saturday,” said Bostrom. “The Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 was working great and I know it was capable of a podium. On Sunday, I got a good start but it was really slick out there. I know I couldn’t have gone any quicker than I did. I raced as hard as I could for every lap. Now I’m focusing on Mid-Ohio. I can’t wait for that race, the track has lots of corners and we’ll go good there.” In the 2012 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship points standings, Hayden sits in fifth place, while Bostrom is seventh. The Michael Jordan Motorsports team’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship is at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH, the weekend of July 13 – 15, 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 American Suzuki: SUZUKI SPORTBIKETRACKGEAR.COM’S ELENA MYERS CAPTURES FIFTH AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK Myers turns in top-five performance in AMA Pro SuperSport race in Alabama BIRMINGHAM, AL Team Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com rider Elena Myers brought her “A” game to this weekend’s double-header AMA Pro SuperSport event at the scenic Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. Although Myers has been recovering from early-season wrist surgery, the past race weekend saw her put in an inspiring ride on her Suzuki GSX-R600 and bring home fifth- and seventh-place finishes. Although Myers is contesting the entire AMA Pro SuperSport season, she’s officially campaigning the West series where she’s third in the overall championship points. Myers came into this race weekend with a new look and a revised team name. After American Suzuki changed the title of the “SuzukiScoopFans” facebook page to simply “Suzuki,” the Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com team followed suit and adopted the facebook-style, thumbs-up “Like” logo to accompany the traditional Suzuki emblem on Myers’ GSX-R600. Team updates are available on the Suzuki facebook page at www.facebook.com/SuzukiCycles. In Saturday’s 17-lap race, Myers got a pretty good start on her Suzuki GSX-R600 and quickly slotted into sixth place. She hung with the pack and then moved up to battle for fourth for several laps before finally finishing seventh. “I got off the line about eighth,” said Myers. “And then I made a few passes in the first couple of laps, which is the time to do it. I ran up there for quite awhile but I didn’t have the pace to run with the front-runners. So I ended up in a fight for fifth for most of the race and that was a whole lot of fun. Overall, it was a step in the right direction, I feel like I’m improving and my wrist is healing. The Suzuki GSX-R600 was running good. It was definitely capable of a podium today, I just wasn’t quite there yet.” On Sunday, Myers came through unscathed after two red flags were thrown for crashed riders. In all three race starts, Myers got good launches on her Suzuki GSX-R600. In the final and most important effort, she battled for fifth for the entire race before finally taking over the coveted spot on the last lap. “It was a crazy race,” said Myers. “Two red flags in just a few laps. But I got decent starts, and in the last re-start I was running fifth for the first half of the race. Then I dropped back a bit but was able to latch on and get back into fifth on the last lap. It was a good result for the Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com team overall. Now we’re going to Mid-Ohio. I haven’t had the best results there but that’s going to change this year. I’m training hard until then.” The Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com team’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro SuperSport season is at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH, the weekend of July 13 – 15, 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 146 distributors in 198 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 KTM: KTM/HMC Superbike Racing Team Report Barber Motorsports Birmingham, AL KTM/HMC Superbike Racing Team rider Stefan Nebel finished 11th during Sunday’s AMA Pro SuperBike Race held at BarberMotorsportsPark. Nebel and his teammate, Chris Fillmore, arrived to Barber Motorsports eager to race the sixth round of the AMA Pro SuperBike Racing Series. Unfortunately, Fillmore suffered a crash on the third lap of practice which resulted in a broken hand. His injury forced him to withdraw from the race in order to return home to get it treated. Fillmore’s goal is to return to racing for the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca round. With Fillmore out, Nebel was the lone KTM on the track. He continued to improve his lap times with each lap on the course and felt comfortable about Saturday’s race. Off the start of Saturday’s race, Nebel suffered a mechanical problem and had to return to the pits on the first lap to grab his other bike. He returned to racing action but had lost a lot of time in the switch. He finished the race in 20th place. In Sunday’s race, Nebel got off to a much better start. He found himself in a three-way battle for 9th position throughout the majority of the race. On the last lap, it was a close battle for 9th, and unfortunately, Nebel was squeezed out at the end and finished 11th. “I am really happy to get one good finish out of the weekend,” remarked Nebel. “I would have liked to be in the top ten, but I feel confident that we have made a lot of progress and I was happy with my speed on Sunday. We are now heading to a two-day test which should help us make solid improvements for the next round.” Next Event: Round 7 Lexington, OH July 13-15, 2012 More, from a press release issued by Waznie Racing: Szoke Starts Out the Season with 41 Points Seven Time Canadian Superbike Champion Szoke started out Round One of the CSBK Championship right, claiming pole position at the Shannonville Motorsports Park 2.45 km “pro track” with a time of 1min 4.749 seconds. Szoke has his sights set to earn back his title for an unprecedented eighth time aboard his self managed Waznie Racing/Parts Canada/BMW Mottorad team. “I felt really comfortable and I think I could have gone quicker,” said Szoke, who placed second in 2011. “We’re really concentrating on consistency and getting a nice feel with the bike over a lot of laps. We’ll make some minor changes for tomorrow but I’m really happy with our lap time.” By the time the lights went out on Sunday afternoon, our Superbike racers found themselves with very damp conditions. “It was really too bad that we had a wet race.” admitted Szoke, “We were ready to put in some very fast, very consistent lap times after our qualifying result so we were a bit disappointed with the weather.” After the end of the first lap, Jordan found himself in fifth position with the race leader checking out quickly. “I knew I had to get around everyone fast, and I wasn’t as aggressive during the start as I needed to be. ” This found Szoke finishing on the box in third position. When asked about his third place finish Jordan smiles, “This is the first race in a long season, we have some of my favorite tracks coming up and I look forward to chalking up some wins there. Remember, this is what I do, I win championships.” Watch for Jordan and his Waznie Racing/Parts Canada/BMW Mottorad team during Round #2 of the CSBK series in Autodrome St Eustache July 6th – 8th. Jordan Szoke would like to thank: Waznie Racing Inc, Parts Canada, BMW Motorrad, Alpinestars, HJC, Akrapovic, Pirelli, Motul, BlackfootDirect.com, Vortex, Hotbodies, DID, Oakley, NGK, BK Designs, RobbieO Enterprises, Medical Data Carrier, Ohlins, Hot Lap, ViSalusSport.com, Stomp Grip, Chickenhawk, Strodes, Bicycle Works, photobOb, Just Transmissions, Gas Gas Pacific More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision: RICHARDS AND MCCONNELL TRIUMPH AS KENNEDY MAINTAINS LEAD The Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph team celebrated a double win in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag races at Knockhill last weekend as Glen Richards and Billy McConnell scored victories whilst title leader Jack Kennedy took podium finishes. In the Sprint race Richards headed off Kennedy to take his third win of the season and clawed back vital points in his bid to regain the crown. The Aussie started his Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph from pole and was never pushed down the order while behind Richards there was hectic position changing. McConnell ran second for the first four laps before losing out to the determined Seton Yamaha rider Sam Warren but Martrain Yamaha’s Kennedy was closing before moving up to second over the final laps. McConnell took fourth place ahead of Oxford TAG Triumph’s Richard Cooper and Luke Mossey while title contender Ben Wilson struggled on the Gearlink Kawasaki finishing eleventh. In the Feature race McConnell took his second win of the season after a dog fight with team-mate and Sprint race winner Richards as the Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumphs locked out the top two on the podium. Richards took the lead on the first lap from Christian Iddon and McConnell with Warren on the Seton Tuning Yamaha chasing hard. Warren then high-sided spectacularly out of the race and was able to walk away but his hopes of closing the advantage in the standings were over. McConnell then took the lead at the Hairpin on the eleventh lap with Richards instantly snatching the position back and the pair continues to duel for the win before McConnell took the lead again and then defended hard to hold off his team-mate. Championship leader Kennedy finished third to maintain his title lead with Ben Wilson claiming fifth place for Gearlink Kawasaki. McConnell said: “I really went for it and it is a big credit to the team to put me up front. We made a change to give me a bit more corner speed so I was on it from the word go. I was really happy to get the win for myself and the team. Now I’ve got to keep winning races to pull back points on Jack.” Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag Sprint race result: 1. Glen Richards (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 2. Jack Kennedy (Martrain Yamaha) +1.002s 3. Sam Warren (Seton Tuning Yamaha) +1.251s 4. Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) +1.592s 5. Richard Cooper (Oxford TAG Triumph) +1.868s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag, Knockhill Feature race result: 1. Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 2. Glen Richards (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) +0.366s 3. Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) +6.841s 4. Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +8.441s 5. Luke Mossey (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) +10.534s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag standings after Knockhill: 1. Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) 182.5 2. Glen Richards (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 164 3. Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 129 4. Sam Warren (Seton Tuning Yamaha) 123 5. Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) 121 For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com More, from a press release issued by Team Rotobox/Nexx: Weighing heavy on our entire team’s conscious, we made the trek across country to Barber to race in Rocco Horvath’s honor. Bryce Prince, competing in the GoPro Daytona Sportbike class, put his Graves Motorsports supported Yamaha YZF-R6 into the top 20 in final qualifying while battling with suspension set-up. Prince knew he was capable of finishing further up the order, and he proved it in both races. Finishing in 16th and 17th respectively, Bryce is still far from satisfied with his results. The team will be headed back to California for our next round of WERA West racing where Bryce leads both of the B & C Superbike classes we compete in with our Rotobox carbon fiber wheels. Using the WERA weekend to experiment with more suspension settings, Bryce plans to win his WERA races and arrive at the next AMA Pro Road Racing round at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with tested suspension options to be closer to the top ten right away. Bryce Prince: “This weekend was difficult but we made a lot of progress with suspension set-ups. Finishing 16th and 17th in my two races is far from where I know I can compete. Top tens are where I know I can finish and I’m going to work hard with the team to find more comfortable settings and reach our goals. Buttonwillow with WERA will be an easy and fun weekend where I can try and break the track record I set last year. Then we’re off to Mid-Ohio where I’m aiming for that top ten!” Tyler Linders represents Team Rotobox/Nexx in the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Supersport class without his teammate Rocco. This was Tyler’s first time riding at Barber so he had a lot to learn in the short practice and qualifying sessions Friday and Saturday morning. Suspension set-up was also a sticking point with Tyler’s qualifying where he ended up on the outside of row three in 12th position. Linders did the best he could with the bike set up in race 1 fighting to get the bike to turn properly. After running wide heading through the Alabama Coaster (turns 7, 7a, 7b, 8, and 8a), Tyler lost time running through the grass but kept it upright and only lost 2 positions. He put his head down and regained the two positions shortly after and held 8th place till the checkered flag. Race two saw a rocky start with two red flags in the opening laps as numerous riders went down. Linders had an issue with his electronics during the start of the race which put him literally at the back of the pack in 37th position on the grid for the restarts. Working feverishly during both red flags, the team successfully corrected the electronics problem and were able to get Tyler’s bike to run close to its normal performance. Wasting no time, Tyler took over 20 positions in the first few laps. Linders was able to claw his way through the thick field of Supersport riders and cross the finish in 14th. Although not in the top ten where Tyler knew he could finish, 14th was a great achievement considering his starting position on the restart. Tyler Linders: “I had a pretty good weekend at Barber Motorsports Park considering our circumstances. The facility at this track was amazing, it was definitely the nicest track I have seen. On Saturday I had a good battle, finishing 8th at a track I had never seen before this weekend. Sunday was a different story; we had electrical problems during the race. I started 37th and finished 14th. Overall I was happy with the weekend and I can’t wait for the next round.” Tyler would like to thank his personal sponsors: Next Moto Champion, Hypercycle, Shareasale, Motul, Yamaha Champions Riding School, KATRA Racing, David Benkle, All 3 IT, Cycle Gear, Fastrack Riders, Cortech, C5, GPR STabilizers, BARF, Falco, & PSR. Luke Huff (team owner): “I’m very proud of the ambition and tenacity of Bryce and Tyler this weekend at Barber. Both faced difficulties and made positive progress throughout the weekend. As we head back to California for a club racing round with WERA West, we’re all keeping tabs on our third team member, Rocco Horvath, regarding his health condition. He’s in good spirits and still dedicated to working hard toward his rehabilitation and focused on staying positive. The team would like to thank their sponsors: Rotobox Wheels, Nexx Helmets, Graves Motorsports, Yamaha, NCompass International, Adopt-a-Pet.com, Motoyard.com, Dunlop, Tuned Industries, Dynojet, Catalyst Racing Composites, SBK Paint, Icon Screening, EF Signs, Cycle Pirates, Pit Bull, HT Moto, Zero Gravity, Racing Batteries, R. Tillery Powersports, Superbike Chassis, GOLDfren Brakes, Walter’s Mercedes Benz, Lucky Team Management. Follow the team on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamRotoboxNexx More, from a press release issued by K-Tech/Orient Express: K-Tech Suspension Celebrates Successful Weekend Of AMA & CSBK Racing K-Tech Suspension equipped racers in AMA Pro Road Racing and the Canadian Superbike Series enjoyed race wins, podium finishes, lap records, and consistently fast lap times in race events this past weekend. K-Tech Suspension continues to grow and expand its presence at every level of competition across North America. At Barber, K-Tech engineer Chris Nash and CTR Suspensions’ Jon Tyus provided trackside support, and worked hard in the heat to keep all the riders and teams serviced. James Rispoli rode his Celtic Orient Express Racing GSX-R 600 to two podium finishes at Barber in the SuperSport class, after qualifying in third position on the front row. Rispoli’s machine features K-Tech 20DDS front fork cartridges and a 35DDS rear shock. Despite the intense heat and humidity at Barber, Rispoli was able to stay in the front of the 40-rider field to finish third on Saturday and to secure the victory and his fourth win of the season on Sunday. His Celtic Racing teammate Corey Alexander rode his National Guard Fairhills Group Suzuki GSX-R 600 to qualify fifth for the races, and finished a strong fifth on Saturday, and tenth on Sunday. The Bartel’s Harley Davidson XR-1200 team of Tyler O’Hara and Josh Chisum also enjoyed success at Barber, with O’Hara qualifying on pole for Sunday’s race with K-Tech 25IDS front fork cartridges and MT35 rear shocks on his XR-1200, over a second faster than pole in 2011, and three seconds faster than his 2011 qualifying time. In some of the closest racing of the weekend, O’Hara battled with eventual race winner Wyman, finishing just 0.047” behind to take second place. Tyler O’Hara also set the fastest lap of the race, but was not able to equal his qualifying times. Teammate Josh Chisum would finish in 8th on his Bartel’s XR-1200. In the AMA Pro Road Racing Superbike class both Jordan riders qualified on the front row; Roger Hayden rode his National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R 1000 to qualify fourth and on the front row for both Superbike races at Barber Motorsports Park, alongside his teammate Ben Bostrom who qualified third aboard the Jordan Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R 1000. Bostrom would crash out of race one on the opening lap after a great start on Saturday, but Hayden would go on to finish in fifth after settling into a nice race rhythm. Hayden is recovering from injuries sustained at the previous two rounds and was admittedly not as aggressive as he usually is over the course of the weekend at Barber. In Sunday’s Superbike race, both Jordan riders got great starts, and would wind up finishing fifth and sixth. Both Ben and Roger’s machines are equipped with K-Tech 20DDS front fork cartridges and 35DDS rear shocks. Bobby Fong rode his #50 Meen Motorsports Yamaha YZF 600 R6 hard all weekend in Daytona Sportbike with K-Tech 20DDS front fork cartridges and 35DDS rear shock to take sixth place on Saturday in race one. Fong improved his results to finish fifth on Sunday in race two where he ran as high as second place gaining valuable confidence. Fong showed consistent speed all weekend and is currently seventh in the overall points at the halfway mark of the season. The first Canadian National round was held in Shannonville Ontario this past weekend, and K-Tech riders made their presence known. In the premier Superbike class, Andrew Nelson took his K-Tech equipped BMW S1000RR to second in qualifying and then decimated the field in Sunday’s wet race, pulling a comfortable lead before the end of the first lap. Bodhi Edie, also on a K-Tech equipped BMW S1000RR, is entering his first year on a Superbike and is approaching the season calmly, and with a great deal of maturity. Qualifying in eighth position for the grid, Bodhi started his first superbike race with wet tires and a wet track. Taking the first couple of laps to feel out the conditions and adapt to his BMW, Bodhi started to move forward as his comfort level rose. Bodhi eventually finished seventh – a great start to this up and coming rider. Sebastian Tremblay, yet another K-Tech equipped rider, rounded out the top ten on his Moto Nation BMW S1000RR. In the XR-1200 class, series champion Steve Crevier showed why he is the current class champion and number one plate holder. Nabbing the pole by almost a second, Steve was off to a great start for the weekend. Crevier immediately pulled a gap from the rest of the field in the race, Steve — his K-Tech equipped Harley Davidson XR-1200 tore to a seven second lead by race end. John Ross McRae, also using K-Tech products, qualified third and finished third in the race to back up the performance and quality of the K-Tech product. Propulsion and Fast Company would like to say congratulations to all the K-Tech users and thank them for their confidence and support. K-Tech’s trackside representative Jamie Bruines of Propulsion was in attendance all weekend supporting K-Tech equipped racers and their machines. Jamie and Propulsion will attend the second round of the CSBK championship at St Eustache the weekend of July 6-8 providing suspension service and consultation. Orient Express is proud to be the exclusive North American importer and distributor for the complete range of K-Tech Suspension products. For more information regarding K-Tech, please contact Orient Express through our website http://www.orientexpress.com, send an email to [email protected], or call 800.645.6521 / 631.231.9552 (NY/International). Since 1973 Orient Express has provided enthusiasts around the world with the finest high performance parts, service, tuning and expertise. Contact us today so we can help you, or contact an authorized K-Tech service center in North America for local support. K-Tech Suspension front fork cartridges and rear shocks combine cutting edge technology with easy set up straight from the box. K-Tech is pleased to offer trackside support for many racers through on-site factory technicians as well as authorized K-Tech Suspension service centers. More, from a press release issued by BYR/Fogi Racing Development Team: Young’s Progress Hindered by Heat and Electrical Gremlins at Barber THORNBURY ONTARIO, CANADA June 26, 2012 Coming off his best finish to-date in the AMA Pro Go Pro Daytona Sportbike class, a 16th place at Road America, Ben Young battled grueling high temperatures and an electrical gremlin this past weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. In Friday afternoon’s first practice session Young seemed to be adapting reasonably well to the increasingly slick track conditions posting a 17th fastest time with a 1:31.958. However, adapting to the heat and humidity proved to be an ongoing challenge. The young rider commented on the unseasonably hot weather. “High heat and humidity really hit us hard. I couldn’t drink water fast enough!” Five minutes into the first qualifying session the Canadian-Scottish pilot found himself hanging off the side of his Yamaha YZF-R6 after the rear tire broke loose. The bike ghost rode itself for about 150 feet and gently fell on its side. Young got up and ran as fast as he could and quickly picked up his machine. He was able to ride it back to the pits where it was determined that no major damage had been done, just a few minor scrapes. Young returned to the track and managed to salvage 20th fastest. During Saturday morning’s second and final AMA Pro Go Pro Daytona Sportbike qualifying session he improved his pace earning 18th fastest of the session. In the first race of the double-header weekend Young, starting from 18th on the grid, got a good start and quickly moved up to 16th place running behind Fernando Amantini. Running confidently for the next few laps a series of minor errors allowed three riders to pass him resulting in a 19th place finish for FOGI Racing’s apprentice. In the second race of the weekend Young struggled with his launch off the grid however he quickly regained composure and began to improve his pace. On the 8th lap Young started to have electronic problems with his motorcycle and slowly began to lose positions. Young retired from Race 2 on lap 15 of the 21 lap race. “In the first race I made a few mistakes letting other riders get by me, no ones fault but my own.” said Young. “In race two the bike was running pretty good and I was feeling about the best I had all weekend but it seems the ECU went into safe mode ending our day early. I did have lots of fun riding and we’ll be back stronger for the next round.” added Young. Up next for the BYR/FOGI Racing team will be the Buckeye SuperBike Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH – July 13 15. Ben Young Racing (BYR) and the Fogi Racing Development Team would like to thank the following outstanding companies for their support; Scotbuild Developments, Arai Helmets, GP Tech LLC, Tim Hortons – Sudbury, K&N Filters, EBC Brakes, Arlen Ness Racing boots, Armour Bodies, BCL Motorsports Pit Kit, Vortex Racing, Akrapovic Exhaust Systems, RS Taichi Leathers, The Graphix Factory, Four Feathers Racing, The North American International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW and Liquid Performance. To keep up-to-date on Ben Young and the Fogi Racing Development Team, visit www.fogi.us, www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing and on Twitter @86BY.