100% i-Style @ The Creek for Xtreme Finale. i-Style Aprilia Racing Team rider Ben Attard dominated the Formula Oz Class at the final round of the 2011 Australasian Formula Xtreme Championship, carding a 100% win record over the weekend, winning all 8 races, 5-6 November at Sydney’s Easter Creek Raceway. All but one of the Formula Oz races over the weekend saw Ben charge to lead by turn one and pull away from the forty-plus bike field to a clear victory, the outright speed of the Aprilia RSV-4 Factory clearly evident in the western Sydney heat. Race one on Sunday morning saw Ben demolish the Formula Oz lap record by half a second to an impressive 1:31.891. With only Friday practice to fine tune the i-Style Aprilia – at a circuit the team had not been to with this motorcycle – did not prove to be a challenge for the team. Ben was on the pace after only a handful of laps thanks to the slick work in the pits, Sundays lap record a direct result. Even more impressive was the fact the teams legendary Technical Director, Warren Willing, was absent this weekend while on duty at Valencia in Spain with the MZ RE Honda Team in the Moto2 Championship. Having developed the bike this year on Dunlop’s sensational N-Tech slick, the team had another challenge to deal with in the Thunder class for Sunday’s races, a control tyre of different specification and profile. This made it more difficult for the team, using a different controlled tyre for the pro thunder event which meant very quick geometry and suspension changes, because of the dramatic changes to the bike, the team decided to mainly concentrate their efforts on the Formula Oz class over the weekend. However the humid Sydney weather threw the i-Style Aprilia Team a wild card from left field with a short but severe burst of rain that called a brief halt to the racing program mid-afternoon – on Sunday. With a mainly wet and slippery track once again providing little testing benefit for the team the decision was made to miss race two of Formula Oz. With the progressive grid employed in the series, race three the last of the day would see Ben start the five lap race from row five of the grid an unfamiliar position for Ben and the Aprilia. A brilliant start and skill in the heavy traffic allowed Ben to take the lead from former Kirk McCarthy Award winner, Chas Hern, on lap two and pull away to another victory, by over 4 seconds. After carding his first race wins of the season, rider Ben Attard was impressed with the speed of the Aprilia RSV-4 at Eastern Creek “In all honesty, a 1:31.8 is only scratching the surface of what this bike is capable of around here, race 3 was a bit exciting having to start so far back but we got to the front and got the job done. All credit goes to the team this weekend, Brain and Skip are just so dedicated in the way they prepare that motorcycle”. “This has been a great weekend for Aprilia as we got to showcase to a different audience – the awesome power of the RSV4 Aprilia” commented Steve Trinder, Team Owner. “ After a two year absence, it was a delight to see a very professionally run series, a generous format to suit all competitors, and I was amazed at the size of the field in each category. With the television coverage and one of the best racetracks in the country we were able to unleash the Aprilia in two separate categories, both being televised, using the one bike, which shows just how versatile the Aprilia RSV4 can be. The bike performed faultlessly, Ben rode it superbly and the team worked hard all weekend, that lap record was a great reward for everyone” The team’s sights are now firmly set on the final round of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship at the world’s best racetrack Phillip Island over the weekend 17-18 November The i-Style Aprilia Racing team’s 2011 season would not be possible without the continued, ongoing support of their sponsors. More, from a press release issued by Bob Weiss: Oakland Valley Race Park Cuddebackville, NY November 8, 2011 Weiss-Jacobsen Endurance Finale at OVRP a Huge Success Promoters Bob Weiss and PJ Jacobsen presented the finale to their acclaimed Endurance Series this past Sunday at OVRP in Cuddebackville, NY. An early snowstorm postponed the race from Halloween weekend, but that did not stop riders, fans, and family members from coming out in all their Halloween costumes this weekend. There were a total of 22 stock and 14 modified F150 racing teams on hand. The series continued to draw top racers, such as three-time National Champion Kenny Coolbeth riding on the Weiss Racing team, Mike Himmelsbach on the TSI team, and SuperMoto specialist and top ten GNC dirt tracker John Lewis on Team Red. Before the green flag, promoters Bob Weiss and PJ Jacobsen led racers and fans for a one lap tribute to Marco Simoncelli. It was a gorgeous fall afternoon in upstate NY, where riders looked amazing in their costumes while lining up to start. From the very beginning, PJ Jacobsen’s Team ARMA Energy Snacks, Team Red, and Weiss Racing were in a constant battle for the lead in the mod class. The stock class had its share of action, too, which included the constant jockeying for position across the entire field of racers. The stock class was won by Northeast Chimney followed by Team Hurricane and Team 948 for the top three positions. Jacobsen’s ARMA Energy Snacks team finished first for the stock class. After the main event was the Dutchess Recreational Vehicles Dash-for-Cash. Dutchess Rec supplied the usual cash prize of $300, and Celtic Racing put up an additional $300 to make the take even sweeter. The Dash was won by ARMA Energy, with Weiss Racing and Team Red close behind. “This was the best attended race of the series”, said Heather Crowley, the Director of Special Event at OVRP. “People came out with their families and enjoyed a great day of racing at OVRP.” Bob Weiss, of Weiss Racing, added,” We set out to promote racing in the Hudson Valley region and we succeeded. Thank you to all the racers, fans, and sponsors who contributed to this success. We have some great ideas for next year, and are looking forward to another awesome series.” Dates to be announced. Stay tuned! More, from a press release issued by William Comicz: PJ Jacobsen Wins OVRP Endurance Race On Self- Built Ride! PJ Jacobsen devoted a good deal of time this season to promoting the F150 Endurance Series at OVRP in Oakland Valley, NY. And to cap off a season of hard work in impeccable style, Jacobsen built, and won on, his own motorcycle! PJ’s longtime friend and personal mechanic, Tom Campion said. “Building PJ a bike just seemed like the right thing to do. The motor build was pretty easy. The hard part was getting a clutch to handle the extra power reliably.” Evidently they were successful. PJ’s ARMA Energy Snacks team started the race fiercely competing against flat track legend Kenny Coolbeth on the Weiss Racing team, as well as against Mike Himmelsbach on the TSI team. They ultimately came out on top in both the 4-Hour event as well as the Dutchess Recreational Vehicles Dash-for-Cash. “It’s really thrilling to race and win on my own bike”, PJ said. “But even better is to see that our efforts to promote this race series had such a positive impact on riders and fans.” The bike was built by Tom and PJ using many original ideas, but also with a heavy reliance on original Honda parts. The bike was decked out with the colors of ARMA Energy Snacks, a major supporter of PJ’s racing efforts. When asked if they were planning on developing their ideas for custom built bikes, Tom Campion stated, “Absolutely. For the next motor build our goal is to make the engine breathe better. So enhancing the intake and exhaust will be next.” Good luck to Tom and PJ in their design endeavors. Winning with the first bike is a great place to start!