FIRST DUTCH PODIUM FOR BURNS AT ASSEN CHRIS Burns took his maiden ONK Dutch Superbike Championship podium as he crossed the line third at Assen yesterday. The Newcastle rider and the GS Racing Team powered their way to a podium spot to finish the race as first Honda home and the first of the Dunlop runners. The result comes after weeks of hard work by the Dutch squad, who had fitted a new engine, suspension, exhaust and electronics to the CBR1000RR after the last race at Spa-Francorchamps last month. Burns had started Sunday’s race at the famous track from fifth on the grid, and got one of his trademark quick getaways as the lights turned green. As the pack poured down towards the first corner, Burns found himself almost level with leader Arie Vos on the BMW. “I was level with Arie as we got to the end of the straight but he just got it under braking,” he said. “I was holding second for a few corners but then on the fifth or sixth I missed my gearing, and went through in third instead of second. “This gave the guys behind me all they needed and four bikes went through. It was my own mistake and I was sixth at the end of the first lap. I knew I had some work to do, so I just had to get on with it.” Burns clawed back two places within a couple of laps, and then set his sights on the bike in third place. “I was getting closer and closer to him but then he just out-braked himself on the straight and ran off. “I was kind of gifted third, but I had worked hard to get back up there, so I was more than happy to take it. After that I tried to catch the two guys ahead, and at the end I finished about half a second behind Raymond Schouten who was second, and four seconds off Vos, who won it.” Not only does Sunday’s result mark Burns’ first podium since joining the hard-fought series, it marked a turning point in the development of the Honda. “The team have worked incredibly hard on the bike and the results just speak for themselves. The graft has paid off. “I went to Assen chasing a top four, so to get top three is just fantastic. I’ve got to thank everyone in the team for working so hard to give me a bike that’s capable of fighting up at the front.” GS Racing Team Manager Gijsbert Spilt added: “We are all very happy with the result of Sunday’s race. Chris has done a very good job and we are all very pleased with this podium.” More, from a press release issued by Philip Wain on behalf of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship. James and Winn star at Brands but Reeves continues to lead the way The second round of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship took place at Brands Hatch over the weekend and the full Grand Prix circuit played host to some terrific racing with Barry James taking his first ever race wins in the series. Partnered by Jamie Winn, James took two wins and a second in the three races but Championship leaders Tim Reeves/Gregory Cluze were close behind all the way and with one race win and a brace of seconds they were able to leave the Kent venue with an increased advantage of 44 points. With dry, sunny conditions, Saturday’s opening race saw immediate drama when polesitters Reeves/Cluze suffered a broken chain as the lights turned green and behind them a three-outfit pile-up ensued as all the crews tried to avoid the stranded Reeves. Kevin Cable, Rod Robinson and Brian Gray were all involved and although all drivers and passengers were ok, subsequent machine damage kept them out of the rest of the meeting. With time running out on Saturday, the race was carried over to Sunday and shortened to five laps but when it did get underway, it saw a titanic battle between Reeves/Cluze and James/Winn. It was the former that took control in the early stages ahead of Andy Peach/Charlie Richardson and James/Winn but the latter were steadily getting into their stride and they moved into 2nd on the second lap. A lap later they hit the front for the first time as the leading pair began to edge away from the rest of the field. There was nothing to choose between James and Reeves as they lapped the sweeping Grand Prix circuit and although Reeves tried everything he could to get the better of James, he was unable to make a pass stick and so James/Winn crossed the line at the end of the 5 laps to get the verdict by just 0.321s for their first ever British Championship win. Further back, Peach/Richardson fell into the clutches of Scott Lawrie/James Neave and it was the Scottish driver who took over the final podium spot on lap 3, a position he was able to hold until the chequered flag. Peach had to settle for fourth a further 1.5s back with Roger Lovelock/Rick Lawrence coming through for fifth with Ben Holland/Lee Watson crossing the line in a somewhat lonely sixth. The second race, held over the longer distance of 11 laps, saw a similar pattern unfold as Reeves and James again went head to head. The duo put on a superb show with positions changing hands with frequent regularity, the Championship leader holding onto the lead for the first 4 laps before James took over. He held on for two laps before Reeves reasserted himself at the front on lap 6 but the Santander Salt-sponsored driver was in determined mood and re-took the lead with just two laps remaining. Aided by the fastest lap of the race and, indeed, the weekend, James/Winn made it two wins from two starts with Reeves/Cluze again having to settle for second, this time 0.660s adrift. The battle for third was equally fraught between Lovelock, Peach and Lawrie, the former holding onto the place until lap 7 when Peach seized control. All the time, Lawrie was keeping a watching brief and he moved into third on the tenth lap, holding on from Peach and Lovelock. Only 1.4s separated the trio at the chequered flag with Holland/Watson again crossing the line in sixth to maintain their consistent start to the season. The third and final race saw Reeves/Cluze avenge their earlier defeats with a comfortable victory. There was plenty of drama further back though and although Holland crossed the line in 3rd place, he was missing his passenger Watson as he’d fallen out of the chair at Clearways and so he was removed from the results. The same fate had earlier befell Lovelock with Lawrence falling out on the run down to Graham Hill Bend on lap 4 but he was able to climb back in for an eventual 12th. All of this meant that Peach/Richardson were finally able to claim their first podium of the season, just over half a second clear of Ben Bygrave/Callum Lawson who had their best result to date in fourth. John Clarke/Stuart Graham took fifth ahead of Lawrie/Neave, the pairing fighting their way back through the pack after slipping to ninth on lap 3. Reeves/Cluze have extended their championship lead and now head the table on 115 points followed by Lawrie/Neave 71, James/Winn 70, Lovelock/Lawrence 55, Peach/Richardson 53 and Bell/Hawes 47. The Championship moves North of the border now with round 3 taking place alongside the premier British Superbike series on June 17-19. More, from a press release issued by Boulder Motor Sports: Boulder Motor Sports’ Shane Turpin Wins MRA Race of The Rockies at PPIR Boulder, Colorado – Boulder Motor Sports rider Shane “Tornado” Turpin showcased the teams Ducati 1198R in the premier “Race of the Rockies” Superbike class at Pikes Peak International Raceway during the second round of the 2011 MRA season. The team was challenged with setup throughout the weekend with a brand new bike, but managed to qualify 5th on the grid. As the lights went out, Dalton and Colter Dimick jumped out to an early lead with Turpin close in pursuit. By lap three, Turpin managed to get a great drive off turn two on his Ducati 1198R and grab the lead away from Dalton Dimick. For the remaining 17 laps, Turpin was able to run a consistent pace to bring home the win for the Boulder Motor Sports Team. Shane Turpin ” I was really looking forward to riding the new bike this weekend. The entire Boulder Motor Sports team did a fantastic job this weekend with preparing and setting up the new bike. We struggled a bit early in the weekend with grip and tire selection, but with the help of Vanmar Racing and Michelin we managed to make the right call for the race. I especially want to thank my team and the engineers at Nemesis for the outstanding traction control system that enabled me to drive the Ducati off the corner, lap after lap.” In addition to the first place finish in Race of the Rockies, the team also placed first in Heavy Weight Superbike, third in Open Superbike and third in Middleweight Superbike. The Boulder Motor Sports team will be back in action on June 12th for Round 3 of the MRA’s 2011 season at High Plains Raceway in Byers, Colorado. About Boulder Motor Sports: Boulder Motor Sports is a Ducati-specific service shop specializing in high-performance upgrades along with routine service needs designed to make the Ducati motorcycle riding experience the best for their owners. For more information about Boulder Motor Sports and upcoming events please visit www.bouldermotorsports.com Boulder Motor Sports is proudly sponsored by Snap-On Tools, Michelin Tires, Vanmar Racing, Walnut Room, Junkyard Ink, Imperial Sportbikes, Nemesis Traction Control Systems, Pierobon, Motul Lubricants, EBC Brakes, Metal-Tech Racing Components, Performance Technology Levers, Intermountain Race Fuels, Corsa Components, Bell Helmets, TCX Boots and Spy Optics. More, from a press release issued by EDR Performance: EDR Performance wins big at OMRRA. EDR Performance-built engines win a record 11 classes and 29 podiums. May 21-22 — OMRRA hosted Round 2 of the 2011 racing series at Portland Int’l Raceway under beautiful skies and dry conditions. EDR Performance-built engines had another spectacular weekend of results with its supported riders in some of the closest racing in recent years. In Formula Ultra, OMRRA’s premier class for the overall championship, it was an all-EDR sweep of the podium on Saturday. Tony Porter, Sam Verderico and Kevin Boisvert all riding EDR-built GSXR1000s separated themselves from the rest of the field and had a great three-way battle with Porter coming out on top. “It’s great to get that first FU win in the dry”¦to prove I can win in the dry as well as I did in the wet in 2010,” said current #2 plate holder Tony Porter. In Open Supersport it was the same great podium sweep for EDR Performance, this time with Kevin Lafavor bringing up third. Porter and Verderico battled for the win, with Verderico eventually coming out the winner. “I rode pretty tense. I’m leading the championship and that’s causing me to be too conservative, but Porter and the others are really pushing,” said Verderico. Other class wins for EDR Performance included: 1st Place 600 Superbike Matt Presting 1st place MW Superbike – Andy DiBrino 1st Place Formula Female – Christine Porter 1st Place 450 Superbike Andy DiBrino 1st Place Twins Superbike – Don Headrick 1st Place Novice NV4 Steve Naito 1st Place Open Supersport Senior Don Headrick 1st Place 750 Supersport Senior Jason Doody 1st Place 600 Supersport Senior Jason Doody EDR Performance is located at 11000 SW 11th Street, Suite 440 Beaverton Oregon 97005. Online: www.edrperformance.com or www.facebook.com/edrperformance. Telephone: (503) 672-RACE More, from a press release issued by Four Feathers Racing: Palmer Kling scored a hat trick of a weekend with three races and three wins! Jennings, Florida was the scene of the event as he contested the WERA regional races on May 21st and 22nd in the sweltering sun and triple digit heat. The eleven year old prodigy rode his Toyota/Lucas Oil backed (4FR)Four Feathers Racing Youth Program Moriwaki MD250H to overall victories against expert riders on much faster machines and completely dominated his 125GP class where his bike is on a level playing field. Palmer took to his duties with calculated precision and set a goal of running a 1:24 lap time by the end of the event. He and his dad, Kerry Kling, worked through the many facets that make a better lap time and on the last lap of his last race he did a 1:24.2 in route to crushing his competition by over 9 seconds! “Palmer has now incorporated a GPS lap timing system into his program and can race against himself. He is to the point now where he is bored when he has nobody to chase, so this will help.” said 4FR team principal Scotty Van Hawk “Kerry asked me about them and I explained how we use them on the pro team in order to help the riders improve our times. Quite honestly, Palmer is developing at an unexpected rate and as he continues to hone his skills we will need to incorporate more and more of the techniques that we use for our professional riders.” Once again Palmer has fulfilled his only team obligation of having fun, 4FR is proud to be able to help him achieve his dreams. About 4FR– Four Feathers Racing Inc. is a non for profit public benefit company that uses the motorcycle racing platform to make a positive impact on the world one mind at a time. 4FR is proudly supported by Toyota, GreenerAcres.org, Lucas Oil, MavTV, K&N, Arai, RS Taichi, Race Tech, Moto Liberty, FMG, GoPro. Inquiries are always welcome by email [email protected] Follow the team on the web at www.fourfeathersracing.com Social Media-Twitter/ @scottyvanhawk – Facebook /ScottyVanHawk More, from a press release issued by Dainese USA: AGV Dainese Road Racers in Strength at AMA Pro Infineon Costa Mesa, CA Despite the wind and at time inclement weather, Round 2 of the AMA Pro Road Racing series saw a lot of close and hard fought racing last weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. It was another intense weekend for all AGV and Dainese racers who are battling for the title in the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike and AMA Pro Motorcycle-Supersport.com SuperSport Classes. The 2011 AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike series is going to be a long one with the top 10 riders all being very close on the track, continuously battling for position. Confirming their form of Daytona, Blake Young, Martin Cardenas and Ben Bostrom battled for top positions all weekend. Martin made the podium with 3rd on Saturday (but suffered a crash on Sunday which lead to his amazing come back from dead last to 8th) while Blake scored another podium finish on Sunday. AGV and Dainese was proud to see Steve Rapp return to the big class, on board his San Diego BMW/Locust Powered by Lee`s Cycle BMW S1000RR. After showing solid speed with a 4th-fastest qualifying time, Steve took his BMW to 6th and 4th, climbing straight to 11th in the point standings. We would like to send all our support and best wishes for a prompt recovery to M4 Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich who suffered a nasty crash just two corners into Race 2 as he was sent flipping over his bars as the pack barreled into Turn 2. AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike Points Standings (after 4 of 18 races) for AGV Dainese riders: Blake Young 3rd Martin Cardenas 4th Ben Bostrom 6th Steve Rapp 11th Chris Ulrich 12th Geoff May 13th In the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Supersport.com SuperSport Class, Dainese’s Tomas Puerta and teammate David Gaviria continue to show their determination and speed, taking Dainese to the podium on both day for Tomas while unfortunately David couldn’t repeat his Race 1 podium performance on Sunday due to a crash in turn 1, on lap 5, while battling for the lead with Puerta. Puerta now leads the overall AMA Pro SuperSport points chase by virtue of his win and three second places this year. AMA Pro Motorcycle-Supersport.com SuperSport Class Infineon Raceway Race 1 for AGV Dainese: Tomas Puerta 2nd David Gaviria 3rd AMA Pro Motorcycle-Supersport.com SuperSport Class Infineon Raceway Race 2 for AGV Dainese: Tomas Puerta 2nd Along with his new endeavor in the SuperBike class, Steve Rapp continue his 2011 charge in the AMA Pro Vance & Hynes XR1200 series, finishing 3rd at Infineon, Raceway . Rapper is now 2nd in points in that series. Infineon was an important date for another longtime AGV Dainese rider as AMA Pro Flat-Track star Sammy Halbert did his road racing debut in the AMA Pro Vance & Hynes XR1200 series. Slammin’ Sammy finished 13th. AGV Dainese would like to congratulate all of our riders for racing hard and representing us with pride on the always difficult Daytona speedway. Dainese, an Italian company founded in 1972 by its current President Mr. Lino Dainese, started out as a manufacturer of leather motocross pants. The company’s history has been intertwined with that of legendary riders who have made motorcycling history: from Giacomo Agostini, Barry Sheene, Freddy Spencer, Kenny Roberts and Kevin Schwantz in the FIM Road Racing Championship to Edi Orioli and Franco Picco in the Paris-Dakar off-road race. Champions have been wearing and helping to improve Dainese apparel and protection since the 1970’s. Today, the tradition is carried on by the most illustrious names in motorcycling like Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi, Nicky Hayden, Marco Simoncelli and many others. AGV helmets are the result of 64 years of hard work finding the best solution in safety and design. A tradition carried on by some of the most important riders of all times who helped AGV make motorcycling history. Among them Giacomo Agostini, Angel Nieto, Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts, Gennady Moiseev, Randy Mamola, Ezra Lusk, as well as Formula 1 racing legends such as Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi. Today the legend is carried on by the 9 times MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, who has been wearing an AGV helmet since the beginning of his thrilling career, as well as 2008 250cc World Champion Marco Simoncelli, 2008 FIM MX1 Motocross champion David Philippaerts, motocross freestyle legend Travis Pastrana and Women Motocross star Ashley Fiolek. A passion for design, engineering and development leads the success of AGV helmets. For further information on AGV and Dainese, visit www.dainese.com and www.agv.com