TEAM ROCKSTAR MAKITA SUZUKI CELEBRATES AMA SUPERBIKE VICTORIES & PODIUMS AT DAYTONA Blake Young sweeps both AMA Superbike races & Tommy Hayden double-podiums at season-opening round DAYTONA BEACH, FL Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki celebrated a tremendous AMA Superbike opening-round weekend at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with Blake Young winning both races and teammate Tommy Hayden joining him on the podium in both events. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki riders raced their Yoshimura-prepared Suzuki GSX-R1000s flawlessly, with Young celebrating the double victories in style and Hayden bringing home impressive second- and third-place finishes. The weekend’s first AMA Superbike race saw Young in a multi-rider battle for almost all 15 laps on the famed Daytona racecourse. When the dust had settled, however, Young took the win over his teammate by just .026 of a second. In the second race, Young was biding his time until the final lap when he stormed the front-runner and took the lead along with his second victory of the weekend. “Today was great,” enthused Young. “The only thing we could have done better was to lead more laps and get that pole position. Coming out of here with two wins, I’m ecstatic. I haven’t had the best of luck at Daytona. Last year we had a fifth and a seventh, so this year is definitely a positive. But it’s a long season, and Daytona is just one of the races. We just need to chalk this one up and work hard in the seven weeks we have off. I’m happy for my guys, they worked really, really hard for me in the off-season to get me and my Suzuki on top of the box both days.” Meanwhile, Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Hayden was right there with his head down for both races. Although Hayden was leading on the last lap of the first race, the checkered flag saw him finish in second place. In the second race, Hayden again was right there with his teammate and battled competitors as well as the famous Daytona draft before settling into third position. “Today’s race was about what I expected,” said Hayden. “Blake and Josh (Hayes) were riding really well, so it was a tough race for me and my Suzuki. I was third today, and I thought it was an all right position. I was second yesterday, and Blake won from third yesterday, you know, so I figured I’d try it from that way. But I didn’t get a very good run on the straight. That’s the way this place goes. Yesterday, I got too good of a run, today not good enough.” The 2011 Rockstar Makita Suzuki team’s next event of the 2011 AMA American Superbike Championship series is at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, on May 13 15, 2011. Daytona Superbike Race 1: 1. Blake Young 2. Tommy Hayden 3. Josh Hayes 4. Ben Bostrom 5. Roger Hayden 6. Martin Cardenas 7. Larry Pegram 8. Jeremy Toye 9. Chris Ulrich 10. David Anthony Daytona Superbike Race 2: 1. Blake Young 2. Josh Hayes 3. Tommy Hayden 4. Martin Cardenas 5. Ben Bostrom 6. Larry Pegram 7. Chris Clark 8. Eric Bostrom 9. David Anthony 10. Chris Peris 2011 Superbike Standings: 1. Blake Young 60 2. Josh Hayes 49 3. Tommy Hayden 46 4. Ben Bostrom 34 5. Martin Cardenas 33 6. Larry Pegram 29 7. Chris Clark 24 8. David Anthony 23 9. Roger Hayden 22 10. Chris Ulrich 22 More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS RIDERS BEN BOSTROM AND ROGER LEE HAYDEN HAVE SUCCESSFUL DEBUTS AT DAYTONA DAYTONA BEACH, FL The Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) team had a successful weekend with new riders Ben Bostrom and Roger Lee Hayden at the first event of the 2011 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Both riders ran in the lead group on both days, with Bostrom finishing fourth on Friday and fifth on Sunday. Hayden raced to a fifth place on Friday, but suffered a minor tip-over in Saturday’s race and re-mounted to finish in 15th place. On Friday, after qualifying fifth, Jordan Suzuki’s Bostrom got a great start on his Suzuki and slotted into fourth place. After losing contact with the front group, he fell back to fifth but was able to work his GSX-R back up to cross the line in fourth. On Saturday, Bostrom was running in sixth when teammate Hayden crashed in the infield, promoting Bostrom to fifth, where he ultimately finished. “I felt like the weekend was a big test,” said Bostrom. “Each session we ran a different bike and each race we ran a different bike than we had run in the previous practice. Today we tried something pretty radical, and maybe one too many changes. I rode hard, and Roger rode with a lot of heart, too. I could see him almost crashing every lap, and I was having many moments. I kept my head down and hoped we’d catch the guys, and that’s the hardest I’ve ridden a motorcycle in awhile. We just had too many moments and fell back.” Roger Lee Hayden, on the National Guard Jordan Suzuki, had a front-row start for both races, after qualifying a strong third on Friday. In the first race, he ran with the leaders before finishing two seconds behind teammate Bostrom. On Saturday, Hayden got a good start and ran in fifth place until crashing unhurt in the west horseshoe turn. Hayden re-mounted and raced back up to finish 15th to garner valuable championship points. “I got a pretty good start again today,” Hayden said. “We made some changes to the bike and it was better in some places and hurt us in a few others. I was just barely hanging on. I was pushing pretty hard. One of the tight corners in the back, I hit the paint on the inside and just lost the front end. It was a pretty easy crash. I bent the bars pretty bad, but I was able to get up and get going, and picked off a few guys and got a few points. I would have liked it to have been better, but I felt like the team and I can take a lot of positives from this weekend. We did run up front on my Suzuki, and we just have to keep improving and get closer to the guys. We still have some work to do. Daytona is behind us and we can keep moving forward.” The Michael Jordan Motorsports team’s next event of the 2011 AMA American Superbike Championship series is at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, on May 13 15, 2011. ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN MOTOR SPORTS: 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. Michael Jordan Motorsports is proud to partner with: Jordan Brand (a division of Nike), National Guard, American Suzuki, Upper Deck, Hanes, Gatorade, Bazzaz, MMI – Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Vortex Racing Components, Gemini Racing, K-Tech Suspension-Orient Express Racing, Maxima Racing Oils, K & N Air Filters, Dainese Leathers, AGV Helmets, Ancra Tie-downs, Chicken Hawk Racing Tire Warmers, Armour Bodies, DID Chains, FMF Racing Exhaust, Factory Pro Dyno, Roclun International, STAR Motorcycle School, Motion Pro Tools, Zero Gravity Windscreens, with transportation provided by Eastside Trucking. More, from a press release issued by Bel-Ray: Bel-Ray Race Report – Weekend Wrap-Up As March reaches the mid way point, motorcycle racing is in full swing across the globe and Bel-Ray is amidst all the action. Racing not only tests the complete product line at the highest level of performance, but allows for new products to be born under the high-pressure environment of professional racing. Bel-Ray racers had success across the globe this past weekend beginning in the United States with the Daytona 200, which is held on the famous tri-oval at Daytona Beach Florida. Long time Bel-Ray racer, Ricky Orlando proved the durability as he competed in yet another Daytona 200. After just 3 laps, Orlando became the new leader in all time miles in the classic road racing event. Congratulations on a job well done! Orlando went on to finish in 20th place in this prestigious event aboard his Bel-Ray backed Orlando Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R. He was followed across the line in 23rd by another Bel-Ray backed, long time Daytona road racer, Anthony Fania and his KSW Racing Suzuki GSXR-600. Heading northwest to Indianapolis, Indiana, the Monster Energy Supercross series is continuing to heat up. There were 6 Bel-Ray backed racers in action on Saturday night. TwoTwo Motorsports team rider, Chad Reed held onto third place and another podium, his 4th in a row and 6th this season. Hart and Huntington / Dodge Motorsports team riders, Ivan Tedesco and Chris Blose both had an off night with crashes affecting their results. Blose was 18th and Tedesco was 19th at the end of the night. Elite support riders Steve Roman, Ronnie Stewart and Frankie Lettieri all made the cut to the night show, but all fell short of qualifying out of their heats for the 20 man main event. Across the ocean in Australia, the 2011 season got underway in motocross with Round 1 of the Australian Motocross Championship in Broadford, Victoria. The Team 07 Axis Motorsports Honda racer was 4th overall in the Lites class. Also taking place in Australia this weekend, was round 1 of the Yamaha YMF Loan Australian FX Superbike Championship in Eastern Creek NSW. YRT racers, Kev Curtain was the overall winner, ahead of teammates, Rick Olson in 2nd and Pat Medcalf in 4th. Curtain was also the winner in theFX600 division. Another great weekend of racing awaits team Bel-Ray next week. Watch www.belray.com for results and race reports all season long. Bel-Ray Company Inc was founded in 1946 and is a privately held, woman owned business serving the lubrication needs of powersports, industrial and mining customers worldwide. Bel-Ray is recognized as the leader in the specialty lubricants industry for setting high standards of quality and performance with products formulated for the motorcycle, automotive, aviation, energy, food, marine, military, mining, OEM, Industrial steel, and textile industries. “Flex Your Engine” with Bel-Ray’s superior Powersports line that delivers top quality Made-in-the-USA products to motorcycle and recreational vehicle enthusiasts around the world. Bel-Ray products are available at powersports dealers worldwide. Visit Bel-Ray.com for a complete dealer listing. Like us on Facebook.com/BelRay or follow us on Twitter/Bel_Ray More, from a press release issued by James Rispoli’s publicist: ANT Racing/Star School’s James “the Rocket” Rispoli Podiums at Daytona in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport Class. James Rispoli on his ANT Racing/Star School sponsored Suzuki GSX R600 had a great weekend of racing his first time on the Daytona International Speedway. James ran well on day one fighting set up problems causing him to lose contact with the lead group early in race one. Fighting back hard he managed a 7th place finish for the day. Not happy with that, he and his team consulted with engine builder and experienced crew chief Michael Tjon. Acting on the information discussed, the team worked on the motorcycle and completely changed the set-up of the chassis. With the support of Race Tech’s Lenny Albin adjustments were made to suspension to complement the changes. This was a big gamble but James knew he had to find away to stay with the lead group and make up a 2 second deficit in race two to do it. With changes made the team tested the new set up on Sunday mornings 20 minute practice. James reduced his single lap time by one second and when he came in requested additional changes. Ready for the race the team was excited. On the start James managed to come from 7th on the grid to 2nd in the lead group. He was shuffled back to 4th where he worked hard to stay with the lead pack. Super aggressive on the brakes at the end of front and back straights in turns one and the chicane James stayed in the draft of the lead group for seven laps as the quartette gapped the rest of the field by over eight seconds. Running a best lap of 52’s the late braking and worn tires finally caught up with the young rider and in turn one had a big moment sliding and losing contact with the lead group of now three. Relegated to non-mans land in 4th place he kept his head down to finish the remaining laps. On the last lap the third place rider went down in the chicane giving James a clear run for the last spot on the podium. David Ashi Team Owner ANT Racing/Star School “I am so happy about what this new young team accomplished this weekend. Some teams never podium at Daytona so to do this first time out is simply amazing. The crew worked hard all weekend. James did an amazing job riding the wheels off the bike too. We only had one bike for the event and I know James was a bit nervous in case he crashed the bike. We also knew coming in to the race we were behind on weight, horsepower and our team/rider experience so this accomplishment means much more to us than you can imagine. We now have huge momentum going into the season.” James Rispoli ANT Racing/Star School #43 “Man this was an awesome weekend. I knew I had the ability and I knew we had to find a way to ride my equipment over the edge to stay with these guys. I had a tough time on Saturday. On the first start I was right there with the lead group but a red flag created a complete do-over. On the second start I got pinched a little and by the time I got in position to sniff the lead group they were on the banking and got away. We had nothing for them on our own and the second group I got stuck in was too slow to work with to move up and give chase. On day two we made huge changes to the bike because I told the team I have to make up 2 seconds. The only way to do that was to have some better handling and be ultra aggressive on the brakes to close the gaps after getting yanked on the straights. Our equipment just could not get off the corners as well as the others and could barely stay in the draft so I knew what I had to do. In the race I aggressively moved my way up front and charged really hard the first two laps to keep pace. I had my fastest time on the second lap dipping into the 1’52’s to make sure I kept in contact. It didn’t take long, maybe lap 7 when I buried it hard in turn one and had a big moment. That little bit caused me to loose touch which meant I was racing for 4th. On the last lap I saw Mesa tuck it in the chicane. I just kept my head down not making a mistake to take the last spot on the podium. I want to say a huge thank you to my team and crew who totally believe in my ability and always give me the best they can to work with. And, to my new sponsors, NationalGuard.com, PEI, S.H.A.T.K.I. Warriors, Techmounts, LeoVince, and all the rest, I couldn’t have done it without you.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Elena Myers started the 2011 AMA SuperSport season with a bang aboard the new GSX-R600 Suzuki at the opening round at Daytona International Speedway at Daytona Beach in Florida at the weekend. Myers piloted her new 2011 SuzukiScoopFans Suzuki GSX-R600 to a sixth-placed finish in Friday’s race and a seventh-place finish on Saturday; which puts her second in the series. Coming off of her first professional season last year, 17-year-old Myers said: “Saturday’s race was a good one overall. I think it was crazy in the first few turns here at Daytona. The restart was better: I got a good launch on my GSX-R600. Guys in Turn-One are pretty bossy in there, but I had to boss them right back! Overall, I rode a good race, but so did everyone else. They ended up getting past me at the line. I guess leading out of the middle of the last banking isn’t the greatest thing, but I got it yesterday, so I guess it was my turn to be at the back.” Although Myers is contesting all the 2011 AMA SuperSport rounds, officially she is only competing in the West Coast Championship. The first race for that region is the next round at Northern California’s Infineon Raceway, which puts a bit of pressure on the young rider, but she remains undaunted. “Last year was my coming-out season,” reflected Myers. “It was basically my learning year. This year is more hammer-down, getting ready for SportBike. Sixth and seventh place isn’t bad at Daytona, but I’m just working on going uphill from there. Right now, I’m second in the West Coast Championship leaving here. I have Infineon, Miller and Laguna to look forward to. This is my first weekend on the new 2011 SuzukiScoopFans Suzuki GSX-R600, and it’s a great bike right off the start and I’m pleased with it.” The 2011 SuzukiScoopFans team’s next event of the 2011 AMA SuperSport series is at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, on May 13 – 15th. 2011 SuperSport West Standings: 1. David Gaviria – 59 2. Elena Myers (Suzuki GSX-R600) – 29 3. Benny Solis – 18 4. Sebastiao Ferreira – 16 5. Corey Alexander – 13 6. Zared Leon – 9 7. Jett Chandler – 8 8. Travis Ohge – 6 9. Cristian Olguin – 4 10. Roi Holster – 3 More, from a press release issued by DNA Energy Drink/Roberson Motorsports: Daytona Beach Fla- The DNA Energy Drink/Roberson Motorsports team leaves Daytona with eager determination to put the Ducati upfront for Round 2 of the AMA Pro Racing Championship. Throughout the weekend the #59 rider Jake Holden proved that throughout this season he would definitely be a front-runner in the AMA Daytona SportBike class. But sadly lady luck wasn’t on his side when it came to race time. Holden was running with the lead pack when he had to pull in for an unscheduled pit stop due to a front tire issue. Not letting this affect him, Holden and his crew powered through the pit stop in no time and he was back on track working his way back up through the field again. After picking riders off one-by-one Jake was able to make is way up to 12th position the race was red flagged. The red flag was due to front tire issues. After a long delay and front tire changes for all participants the race was shortened to a 15-lap sprint race. Holden was able to get a great start and rejoin the front of the field. After battling for the lead with as many as seven riders for the first 10 laps Holden’s Daytona demons seemed once again to pop back up and due to an electrical issues we was forced out of competition and had to retire from the race. Jake Holden- Rider “I was really frustrated when I had to come in early to get my front tire changed, but thankfully there ended up being a red flag. This gave me the opportunity to re-group and get back up there with the front-runners. After battling back and forth for the lead and feeling confident about getting a win for the team and myself, my bike experienced an electrical issue and I was forced to stop. I was really hoping to come to Daytona and finally get a good result here. It didn’t happen this time around, but I am confident that the DNA Energy Drink/Roberson Motorsports Team and myself will have a season filled with great results.” Robbie Roberson-Team Owner We came to Daytona as basically a brand new team, lean and focused. Having Jake take the new Ducati 848 EVO out in practice and qualifying proved to us that we have a good package and the energy from everyone was awesome. We qualified well and were running up in the front group in a good position, however our situation changed quite drastically when Jake came in on lap 13 for an unscheduled pit stop. The front tire was badly chunked and I am grateful that Jakes experience brought the bike back uncrashed. On the restart Jake again proved his abilities by quickly getting up in the lead pack it just wasn’t meant for us this year, an electrical problem parked his bike with less than 10 laps left. While we did not finish the race all of us at DNA Energy Drink/ Roberson Motorsports celebrated the fact that we will be a strong contender this year, and look forward too much continued success. I would like to thank Jake and the entire DNA Energy Drink/Roberson Motorsports team as well as our friends and sponsors for supporting us! DNA Energy Drink/ Roberson Motorsports would like to thank the following sponsors: DNA Energy Drink, Ultra Graphix, Melillimoto Ducati, Motul, FMF,K&N Filters,Vicci, Pit-bull, Motion-Pro, Zero Gravity, Bazzaz, Speedy Moto, Chicken Hawk, Vortex, Goodridge, Liquid Performance, Shark Skinz More, from a press release issued by GP Bike Parts Racing: After the first AMA pro road race weekend of the year, the Gp Bike Parts Racing team returns home from Daytona International Speedway, making great progress as a team. All four team riders haven’t ever ridden the famous Daytona speedway, went out this past weekend, gaining valuable points towards the Sportbike and Supersport championships. Within the Supersport class, rider Jett Chandler made his first Pro road racing debut, finishing this weekend in 6th place in the AMA west division championship. Travis Ohge put in a great effort after qualifying 8th on the grid, leaving the weekend in 5th place in the west division championship. Travis suffered no injuries after having a huge highside in race two on Saturday, trying to avoid an accident that happened in front of him with the lead group. Sebastiao Ferreira rode a very consistent pace, finishing 10th in the second AMA Supersport race and left the weekend 4th in points in the west division championship. The team’s Top Gun Supersport champion from last year, Tyler O’Hara made his Daytona Sportbike debut, racing in the famous 70th annual Daytona 200. Enduring some technical difficulties during qualifying, the team was not able to put any laps in and had to start last on the grid. Tyler finished a very impressive 17th place, passing a total of 20 riders. The team currently needs more sponsors for the next race and the remainder of the season, more info can be found at www.gpbikepartsracing.com The Gp Bike Parts Racing team looks forward to the next race at Infineon raceway May 13-15th. Special thanks to Radio Medics for their continued support of the team in 2011.