Triple Victory for Swan Yamaha at Cadwell Park The Swan Yamaha team continued their strong performance from Sunday’s opening race through to the two races yesterday at the ninth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship with a double win and second place for Tommy Hill whilst Michael Laverty claimed a race win and two podium finishes. Hill and Laverty were on top form for the opening race of the weekend on Sunday, the rescheduled second race from the previous round 7 at Oulton Park on the 17th July and proceeded to deliver the team’s first ever one-two finish of the season and Laverty’s first race win of the year. The two Swan Yamaha riders got off to a perfect start from the front row on the grid and immediately pulled out an advantage over the field. Hill was shadowing his team-mate for the lead, however at the start of the eleventh lap the race was red flagged for rain. In the first race on Monday the Swan Yamahas got off to a flying start yet again as Hill led the pair on the opening lap before Laverty took the lead at Charlies. Hill then regained the advantage at the Hairpin and then edged out his team-mate to win the race. Laverty had led at the start of the third and final race of the weekend but Byrne stole the position at Park on the opening lap before he regained the lead and then was fending off team-mate Hill who was able to pass Byrne for second. Hill then took the lead and as Laverty focused his attention on trying to regain the top spot he made a mistake at Mansfield, which gave Brookes the opportunity to make a move with Laverty forced to settle for third. Hill now leads the standings by 7 points with Laverty in fourth place 19 points adrift of his team-mate. The next phase of the British Superbike Championship is the showdown, where the top six riders battle it out in the remaining 3 rounds; Donington Park,Silverstone and Brands Hatch to claim the 2011 championship title. After this weekend at Cadwell Park the top 6 was finalized and their scores increased to 500 points and then podium credits that they’d accumulated through the season were added. Yamaha are currently topping the Manufacturers Standings with a total of 365 points, while Tommy Hill is leading the Speedy “Fastest Lap League” with 8 points. Tommy Hill Swam Yamaha Team “It is another fantastic result for Swan Yamaha and I knew it would be a long race so to win that one was great and I am really chuffed. I just rode my own race and it is crucial to get every lap inch perfect here but the boys kept the pressure on me throughout. It was a great job by the Swan Yamaha team after finishing second yesterday so we wanted to repeat that in the last race. In the final race I knew I had to try and make a move on Michael because I had unfinished business from yesterday’s red flagged race, so I made a move because until then I hadn’t quite had the power to get ahead of him in the slipstream. I also did my fastest lap of the race with just two laps remaining so I was even happier with that! My thanks have to go to the team as this has been a great weekend and now we have the lead going into the Showdown. On a separate note my thoughts are with the family of Ben Gautrey after his accident today. The riders in the other classes generally aspire to be doing what we are and I want to send my condolences and dedicate my third win to them.” Michael Laverty Swam Yamaha Team “There wasn’t any more I could have done in the second race to try and get the win. I just tried to adjust the traction during the race as I was struggling a bit with side grip in places and that meant I was unable to catch him again. I hadn’t made any real changes from yesterday’s race through to today so we looked at the data to see what could resolve the issue. I was happy to have been on the podium in that last race again but to be honest I didn’t realise that Josh Brookes was that close to me and I made a few mistakes and it gave him the chance he needed to make a move. I had wanted to try and make a move on Tommy Hill on the last lap and I am kicking myself a bit now not to have tried to do it sooner to try and win another race here. It was a pity not to have won but I think we should be getting our share in the Showdown. I think this weekend has shown that I am a title contender and I won’t be giving up without a fight.” More, from a press release issued by Road and Track Suspension: Davis Rod and Cycle win CMRA Mini Endurance on CBR250 (1st CBR250 win?) Road and Track Suspension would like to congratulate Ryan Andrews and Jesse Davis of Davis Rod and Cycles for the win in the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association’s mini endurance race August 27th, 2011. Many hours of last minute preparation went into making the 2011 Honda CBR250 into a race winner. Davis Rod and Cycle used R&T built racing forks along with a Penske rear shock to achieve the first known race wins for the Honda CBR250 in the United States. Thanks also to Penske shocks for the quick turnaround and a great working shock. Along with the overall win in the endurance race Ryan Andrews won the E Superstock sprint race by over 7 seconds on the Davis Rod and Cycles Honda CBR250. Brandon Altmeyer won the Road & Track Suspension Formula 4 sprint race and finished 3rd in E Superstock on his Kawasaki Ninja 250 sponsored by Road and Track Suspension. Road and Track Cycles & Suspension is a motorcycle service and repair shop in San Antonio, TX specializing in all types of motorcycle suspension. www.VonHertell.com More, from a press release issued by Quay Garage Tyco: Hickman Scores two fifth places Peter Hickman bounced back to top form with two fifth places on the Quay Garage Tyco Honda at Cadwell Park in the ninth round of the MCE British Superbike championship on August Bank Holiday. Hickman got his weekend off to a positive start with eighth place in Sunday’s extra race postponed from Oulton Park. Better still he had also qualified third for Monday’s two races and following two good starts was able to run the pace of the fast men up front all weekend. He said: “I’m really happy with the weekend. We qualified well and it was a really fast pace in both of Monday’s races. We were running 1:27s lap times all race even on the last lap. “In Monday’s first race Josh Brookes held me up a bit and started to gap me but then I chased him down and was back with him. He was so late on the brake though which made it impossible to pass but I’ve got to say I was really happy with my performance. “In the second of Monday’s races, I ran with the leaders throughout the entire 15 laps and it was much the same story I had the pace to do the lap times but I didn’t quite have enough to put a move on any of them.” Hickman’s team-mate Patric Muff didn’t have such a good time on his first full race meeting at the demanding Cadwell circuit. He finished seventh in the Evo class in all three races. Muff said: “It’s not been a good weekend in terms of results but I can’t be too disappointed because this has to be one of the most difficult tracks that I’ve ever raced on.” Team owner Ian Woollacott added: “We’re delighted with Peter’s performance this weekend. He was on the pace from the very start and in the race was able to run with the leading pack in both of Sunday’s races. Now we’re hoping he can carry that momentum into the next round at Donington Park in two weeks time. “We always expected that Patric would find the Cadwell Park circuit difficult to learn and while it’s disappointing that he wasn’t able to push further up the results, he’s already looking forward to coming back here next year.” More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson: O’Hara and Fillmore Split AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Races at Indianapolis Runner-Up Rapp Closes Championship Gap Milwaukee Tyler O’Hara and Chris Fillmore shared wins in a pair of historic AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 races presented by Harley-Davidson Insurance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway August 27 and 28, as the thundering sound of Harley-Davidson racing motorcycles returned to the famous Brickyard for the first time since the track’s first year of racing in 1909. In Saturday’s first round of the double-header, held in conjunction with the Red Bull Indianapolis GP round of the FIM MotoGP World Championship, privateer racer O’Hara, running without external sponsorship, broke through for the first AMA Pro road racing win of his career in a dramatic victory over Parts Unlimited’s Steve Rapp and Latus Motors’ Jason DiSalvo in the first of two 10-lap contests at the Speedway. Following a first lap crash that knocked several bikes out of the race, O’Hara, Rapp, DiSalvo, Fillmore (RMR/Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing) and Jeremy McWilliams (Harley-Davidson of Bloomington-Indiana) broke away in a five rider pack that diced for the lead until the final lap, when McWilliams, the 2010 UK XR1200 champion, tangled with Fillmore in a clash that left the championship leader on the ground and out of the race and points. O’Hara held on for a 0.048-second win over Rapp. “It just feels really good right now,” said an emotional O’Hara in the victory circle. “This is my first AMA Pro win, and I feel phenomenal right now; it’s been a long time coming. I’ve been racing pretty much my whole life, about eighteen years, and I’ve had a lot of upsets, led a lot of big races, and never really caught a break, and it seems like this weekend I was in the right place at the right time and caught a break there at the end.” In Sunday’s second round of the double-header, Fillmore rebounded from Saturday’s disappointment to take his fourth XR1200 series win of the season, leading Rapp across the Speedway’s yard of bricks start/finish line by 0.169 second, with O’Hara in third 1.083 seconds behind. “My plan going into [Race 1] was to kind of play it a little bit conservative,” said Fillmore. “After the crash I had on Friday, I wasn’t sure how I was going to be on the bike. That didn’t go as planned, so [for Race 2] I came in with a game plan of trying to throw down and pull away. It didn’t happen, and those guys were right there the whole time, so we just had to race it out. It was a little stressful for me, but I wasn’t going to let them by and I was going to do everything I could to keep it out front.” With his pair of runner-up finishes, Rapp closed Fillmore’s championship lead to 12 points going into Labor Day Weekend’s season finale. O’Hara stands third ahead of Drag Specialties’ Michael Barnes, who finished fourth in both races. The AMA Pro Racing Vance & Hines XR1200 Series concludes the 2011 season September 3-4 at New JerseyMotorsportsPark in Millville, NJ. Indianapolis Race 1 August 27 Result: 1. Tyler O’Hara (Tyler O’Hara Racing), 10 laps 2. Steve Rapp (Parts Unlimited), +0.048 3. Jason DiSalvo (Latus Motors Racing), +0.107 4. Michael Barnes (Drag Specialties), +17.735 5. Steve Crevier (Motosports Plus), +24.430 6. Shawn Higbee (Indianapolis Southside Harley-Davidson), +24.440 7. Michael Corbino (Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing), +43.778 8. Michael Beck (J&P Cycles), +6.587 seconds, +44.008 9. Darren James (Deeley Harley-Davidson), +44.497 10. Jeremy McWilliams (Harley-Davidson of Bloomington-Indiana), +52.629 11. Cody Matechuk (Privateers Harley-Davidson), +56.110 12. Barrett Long (Longevity Racing), +56.686 13. Patrick McCord (HOG Racing/Harley Owners Group), +1:02.227 14. Chris Harmon (Vision Harley-Davidson), 1:31.886 15. Paul James (Hoban Brothers/Dark Horse Crankworks), +1:43.860 16. Jeremiah Johnson (BE-EV.com ·New Roc Harley-Davidson), +1:47.605 17. Oliver Spilborghs (Trev Deeley Motorcycles), +1:52.751 18. Pete Demas (Bob Schaefer/Jim Howard/Dave Duffin), +1:52.896 19. Gene Burcham (ERMCO Electric), +1:52.936 20. Shelina Moreda (HOG Racing/Harley Owners Group), +2:15.161 21. Chris Fillmore (Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing), 9 laps 22. Kyle Wyman (Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing), DNF 23. Gerry Signorelli (Kuryakyn), DNF 24. Shane Narbonne (Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson), DNF 25. Samuel Proulx (Sherbrooke Harley-Davidson), DNF 26. John McRae (Deeley Harley-Davidson), DNF 27. Josh Chisum (Troy Lee Designs), DNF 28. Michael Morgan (Python Exhaust), DNF 29. Chase McFarland (Latus Motors Racing), DNF 30. David Estok (Black Hills Harley-Davidson), DNS Indianapolis Race 2 August 28 Result: 1. Chris Fillmore (Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing), 10 laps 2. Steve Rapp (Parts Unlimited), +0.169 3. Tyler O’Hara (Tyler O’Hara Racing), +1.083 4. Michael Barnes (Drag Specialties), +11.567 5. Jeremy McWilliams (Harley-Davidson of Bloomington), +12.342 6. Steve Crevier (Motosports Plus), 32.746 7. Michael Corbino (Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing), +39.798 8. Michael Beck (J&P Cycles), +41.337 seconds 9. Kyle Wyman (Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing), +43.036 10. Shane Narbonne (Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson), +43.205 11. Cody Matechuk (Privateers Harley-Davidson), +47.021 12. David Estok (Black Hills Harley-Davidson), +47.163 13. Barrett Long (Longevity Racing), +47.666 14. John McRae (Deeley Harley-Davidson), +57.600 15. Chris Harmon (Vision Harley-Davidson), +59.858 16. Michael Morgan (Python Exhaust), +1:06.340 17. Patrick McCord (HOG Racing/Harley Owners Group), +1:07.297 18. Jeremiah Johnson (BE-EV.com ·New Roc Harley-Davidson), +1:27.186 19. Paul James (Hoban Brothers/Dark Horse Crankworks), +1:34.512 20. Pete Demas (Bob Schaefer/Jim Howard/Dave Duffin), +1:51.563 21. Shelina Moreda (HOG Racing/Harley Owners Group), 9 laps 22. Chase McFarland (Latus Motors Racing), 8 laps 23. Gerry Signorelli (Kuryakyn), +4:09.690 24. Jason DiSalvo (Latus Motors Racing), 6 laps 25. Josh Chisum (Troy Lee Designs), +1.22.131 26. Gene Burcham (ERMCO Electric), 5 laps 27. Darren James (Deeley Harley-Davidson), 2 laps 28. Samuel Proulx (Sherbrooke Harley-Davidson), 1 lap 29. Shawn Higbee (Indianapolis Southside Harley-Davidson), DNF 30. Oliver Spilborghs (Trev Deeley Motorcycles), DNS XR1200 Series Points Standings 1. Chris Fillmore, 199 2. Steve Rapp, 187 3. Tyler O’Hara, 135 4. Michael Barnes, 131 5. Kyle Wyman, 111 6. Michael Beck, 110 7. Michael Corbino, 107 8. Chase McFarland, 74 9. Paul James, 58 10. Michael Morgan, 52 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 Jon Block Group, Inc.: Pascarella Grabs 3 Wins On Pirelli Tires Willows, CA – Joey Pascarella showcased the depth of his riding talent by dominating 3 classes during round 6 of the AFM series at Thunderhill Raceway this past Sunday. Joey gave his sponsors something to celebrate by pulling off a trifecta, securing 1st place finishes in 750 Superbike, 600 Superbike and 600 Production. “I knew I had my work cut out for me, especially with my 4th row grid position in 750 Superbike. My team and I were able to find an effective set up this weekend. Our Yamaha YZF-R6 performed well in the near 100-degree ambient temperatures. As expected, our Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa 120/70/17 SC2 front and 180/60/17 SC1 rear tires delivered superior performance. We also had the opportunity to test the new FMF Apex system and were happy with the results. I had a blast out there today! Of course, none of this would be happening without the long-standing support from all of my sponsors, including JonBlockGroup.com, CT Racing/Pirelli, Mach 1 Motorsports, Cortech, FMF, Shoei, Ken Hill Coaching, Yamaha School of Champions, Zero Gravity, GPR, CRG, Galfer, FBW, Spider Grips, BG Racing, Full Specturm Batteries. Thank you all!” Corey Neuer, CT Racing: “To say we were very happy with Joey’s performance would be a genuine understatement. Observing him progress in each race was a nail-biting experience. With Sunday’s mercury approaching 98 degrees, we were hoping our tire decisions were suitable for the conditions; apparently so, based upon Joey’s results. The Diablo Supercorsa SC2 front and SC1 rear tires performed beyond our expectations, a true testament to the many hours of research and development Pirelli places into their product line.” Kurt Burgess, JonBlockGroup.com: “It was a pleasure for our firm to have the opportunity to collaborate with Joey and CT Racing this past weekend. Joey is an amazing talent who strives to improve his skill-set each time he throws a leg over his bike. His noteworthy results both here in the U.S., as well as overseas, gives us ample reason to continue this burgeoning sponsorship program. He’s always exciting to watch.” About CT Racing: Long-standing exclusive Pirelli motorcycle racing tire distributor for California, Nevada Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Headquartered in Ventura, CA with warehouse and distribution operations in Santa Cruz, CA. About JonBlockGroup.com: An internationally recognized clinical affairs consulting firm based in San Francisco specializing in orthopedic medical devices including treatments for sports-related injuries. The primary mission is to expedite regulatory approval and clinical acceptance of emerging and cutting-edge technologies. More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson of Bloomington: Former MotoGP star Jeremy McWilliams returned to the MotoGP arena at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP Aug 26-28. to race in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series. Friday’s qualifying session saw McWilliams narrowly miss the front row of the grid, grabbing 4th spot. In race 1 a first lap crash knocked several bikes out of the race, leaving O’Hara, Rapp, DiSalvo, Fillmore and Jeremy McWilliams (Harley-Davidson of Bloomington-Indiana) to break away in a five rider pack that diced for the lead until the final lap, when McWilliams, the 2010 UK XR1200® champion for Warr’s London, tangled with Rapp and Fillmore in a clash that left the championship leader Fillmore on the ground and out of the race and points, this melee caused McWilliams to run off line and go down at the next turn. O’Hara held on for a 0.048-second win over Rapp….McWilliams remounted and finished a brave 10th. In race 2 McWilliams fought for a stronger result, running for much of the 10 lap race in 4th spot, although eventually losing out to Barnes on the final lap, finshing a creditable 5th. Meanwhile, Fillmore rebounded from Saturday’s disappointment to take his fourth XR1200® series win of the season, leading Rapp across the Speedway’s yard of bricks start/finish line by 0.169 second, with O’Hara in third 1.083 seconds behind. Jeff Stevens owner of Harley-Davidson Bloomington said, “None of us are satisfied with our results at Indianapolis, but I could not be more proud of our team’s effort. Crew chief Richard Hankins and Joe Stines, in a very short period of time, did an incredible job of building and tuning an XR1200 capable of running up front, and Jeremy did just that. It was truly an honor to have Jeremy ride for H-D of Bloomington and I sincerely hope we have another opportunity to work with him in the future.” Jeremy McWilliams said, “I am privileged to have been invited to race at Indianapolis with a great team. Harley-Davidson of Bloomington put together a competitive bike and we were able to push the lead group, it would’ve been the icing on the weekend had we made it onto the rostrum. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be, however the atmosphere and experience was incredible, thanks to Jeff, his team and sponsors for making it all possible.” Harley-Davidson of Bloomington, Indiana would like to thank its partners, Biker’s Choice, Rider Insurance, Vance & Hines, Warr’s Racing, Roadracing World.com , Alpinestars, Mobil 1, Dunlop, Rizoma, K-Tech Suspension, Muc-Off, SBS Scandinavian Brake System, Shark Helmets, Steel Horse TV, Johnny’s Signs, Hoosier Hills HOG, and French Lick Harley-Davidson. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Indianapolis Grand Prix debrief with Hirohide Hamashima Round 12: Indianapolis GP Post-Race Debrief Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Thursday 1 September 2011 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Hard. Rear (asymmetric): Hard, Extra Hard For the 2011 Indianapolis Grand Prix the infield section, from turns five to the final corner, had been resurfaced which left the tarmac much smoother than previously but provided several new challenges for the tyres and the riders. Ultimately, the new surface was much faster with a new qualifying record and lap record being set by Casey Stoner, who on Sunday also set a new fastest total race time, but at the start of the weekend it was very slippery and provided something of a moving target for the teams in terms of setup. Stoner romped to victory, his seventh of the season, ahead of Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa and American Ben Spies. Hirohide Hamashima Assistant to Director, Motorsport Tyre Development Division What can you say about the new surface and what did it mean for tyre performance? “The new surface started off slippery on Friday morning and because of this we experienced quite a bit of tyre graining during the first free practice, particularly of the rear tyres. The more laps were run on the circuit however, across all classes, the more conditions improved. The line became clearer and more grippy as more rubber was laid down on the racing line and this changed the challenge for the tyres and also the focus of bike setup. As the general grip level improved, rear tyre graining was reduced a great deal but as rear grip improved, many riders experienced the front tyre pushing and so front tyre graining and wear rate were higher, and this point in particular proved decisive in the outcome of the race. In fact, I can say that overall durability was good as many riders set their fastest laps towards the end of the race, including Casey’s lap record on lap 20 and Andrea whose personal best came on the very last lap. “The conditions over the weekend demonstrated very clearly the importance of a good rider and machine package in maximising tyre performance. Apart from Nicky, every rider used exactly the same tyre specifications in the race yet there were those such as Casey, Dani and Ben who were able to lap much more consistently than others and had a much better wear rate of their tyres. “By the end of the race we could see just by the wear appearance of the tyres that the grip and character of new tarmac was much better, but I don’t think it has reached its full potential yet. The wear appearance of the tyres, particularly from those at the front of the field, was the best it had been all weekend after the race so I think, bearing in mind how new the tarmac is and how little it had been used before this GP, IMS have done a good job in their resurfacing work.” What can you say about the tyre compounds Bridgestone selected for the Grand Prix? “I am satisfied we chose the best-suited tyre compounds, front and rear, for this Grand Prix. In general, front tyre performance was good all weekend and we had no tyre problems. As the track condition and bike setups changed, different demands were placed on the fronts and in some instances this led to graining, but this is a symptom of the new track surface rather than a tyre issue and selecting different compounds would have made no positive difference. We will carefully analyse race tyre performance but based on the new surface we may revise the tyre severity rating for next year, although by then the character may have changed again so we will need to carefully consider this. “For rear tyres, there were some rider comments on Friday, when the track was in its worst condition of the weekend that the extra hard compound rear was too hard to be used, but the balance at Indianapolis is one of tyre temperature. Even though the circuit was slippery, rear tyre temperature was very high, particularly in the left shoulders, and by the end of the race some riders experienced small blisters, which is incredibly rare. Had we chosen a softer rear compound, initial grip would have been improved but durability would have suffered meaning it wouldn’t have been a suitable option for the race.”