AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike Road America Preview – Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 1, 2010) – With his team leading the points and their home base of operations located just south and west of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin’s Road America, you could call the June 4-6, 2010 Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike weekend a home game for owner Michael Jordan. Jordan would like nothing better than to see his team and rider Jake Zemke take another win at this classic road course just north of Milwaukee. Zemke, majestically riding his National Guard Jordan Suzuki, won the opening two races of the 2010 season with MJ looking on and he has backed that up with a series of top four finishes only to have his worst finish of the season (sixth) the last time out. Quietly lurking just four points behind Jake is Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Tommy Hayden. With two second places at the season opener at Daytona, Hayden took his first AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike victory earlier this year and only a pair of sixth place finishes is holding him back in the points. Hayden’s riding this year has been very steady and he has been competitive virtually everywhere at some point during the doubleheader race weekends. Another rider who is commanding attention is Team Graves Yamaha rider Josh Hayes. Coming off of his two dominant victories at the last race, you would think he would be on everyone’s short list for the victory laurels at the four-mile ultra-fast Road America road course. Even Ben Bostrom and his recently on-form Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha team could be considered a favorite going into this weekend’s race. Bostrom took two strong second place finishes behind Hayes at Infineon and was the only rider that looked to have anything for him at the tight, twisty California road course, except for one other particular rider. Last year, this rider took his first AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike victory in ten years. This popular win propelled him to two more wins in 2009 and he carried the momentum into this year with strong showings at Daytona and one race win at round two of American SuperBike competition where he came close to winning both races. He actually took the fight to Hayes and Bostrom at the last race and proclaimed himself pretty happy all things considered as he heads into the track that should favor his Foremast Insurance Ducati. Larry Pegram rides, runs and works on his family-owned team and the overall presentation and preparation of the team and Ducati motorcycles is second to none. And Pegram is riding as well as anyone in the sport. So, as he revisits the sight of his popular breakthrough victory last year, the fan favorite will be a race favorite too. Another rider who had a breakthrough weekend at the last race was Jake Holden. Now on the M4 Monster Energy Suzuki, Holden raced better than his results showed and he should be a regular at the front now that he has become better acclimated with his new team and situation. Hayes really put on a demonstration at the last round, with two wins as a result and he was appreciative of the role his Team Graves Yamaha and team played in his success. But don’t let that fool you, Hayes puts forth a massive effort in his physical conditioning and his outstanding performance at Infineon can be attributed to his own hard work as well. One rider who has soldiered on all season and continues to do a nice solid job is Taylor Knapp. He currently sits ninth in points, just behind M4 Monster Energy Suzuki rider Chris Ulrich. Knapp, who rides the RidersDiscount.com Suzuki that Mat Mladin rode last year, has been putting up a steady stream of results right around the top ten with a pair of seventh place finishes (Daytona & Road Atlanta) being his best. Knapp has ridden well and the experience he is gaining will continue to help him as he progresses to the top of the sport. This race at Road America is one not to be missed. The unique layout of the track and the scenic views at every corner provide a perfect backdrop for the fans to enjoy the AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike division. Practice and qualifying begin on Friday, June 4th with final qualifying and race one of two commencing on Saturdeay, June 5th. Sunday, June 6th will feature the second race of the Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader weekend in all three AMA Pro Road Racing classes and also the inaugural race in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series that features the classic Harley-Davidson XR1200 with special Vance & Hines race kits. Please visit www.roadamerica.com for ticket and schedule information of the Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader Weekend. Visit www.amaproracing.com for series information. SPEED TV will be showing flag-to-flag coverage of both AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL races in same weekend broadcasts, visit www.SPEEDTV.com for broadcast times. More, from another press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL Road America Preview – Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 1, 2010) – After literally dominating the early season races but with very little to show for it, reigning AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL Champion Danny Eslick finally brought home the bacon with his first victory of the 2010 season at the last race at Infineon Raceway. And with that win, Eslick now finds himself in a familiar position, at the top of the points standings, heading into the Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader, to be held at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin’s Road America from June 4 – 6. Just because Eslick has assembled an impressive series of results, one win, three second places, one third and two fourth place finishes in the first seven races, don’t make the mistake of thinking that this class has been a runaway for him. In fact, this series has produced some of the most compelling racing with any number of at least ten riders vying for victory at every race. The amazing Martin Cardenas has four wins on his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki including one at Infineon Raceway. But in the two races he didn’t win, he didn’t score any points and with this group of riders, any dropped points are critical. The points leader going into the last race and the winner of the prestigious Daytona 200 on his Team Graves Yamaha was Josh Herrin, who kept up the pressure by taking second to Eslick in race two at Infineon and, combined with his other series win at Auto Club Speedway earlier this year, is now right behind Eslick in the points. Project 1 Atlanta rider Dane Westby has put together a strong season and he is currently fourth in points. Cory West is riding for the Vesrah Suzuki team and he has a series of top ten finishes that have him only ten points behind Westby. The rider that has featured every weekend is Team Latus Motors Racing Ducati rider Steve Rapp. Rapp has been on the podium twice this year and has qualified up front at virtually every race and as the second race at the last round wound down, it looked like Rapp was finally going to take his first victory since he won the 2007 Daytona 200. He took the lead with four laps to go and even the eventual winner Eslick said to himself that Rapp looked pretty strong up front but it wasn’t to be and with two laps left, Rapp had an unfortunate fall, ending his chance for the win. But like his team, Rapp never gives up and he heads into Road America with the confidence of having won there in 2003. Melissa Paris had her best result in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike competition with a 15th place finish at Infineon Raceway earlier this month. Riding her own MPH Racing Inc. Yamaha, Paris is recapturing the form she showed at Daytona and she should be competitive again at Road America. Practice and qualifying for the Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader weekend at Road America begin on Friday, June 4. Final qualifying and race one of two are on Saturday, June 5th with a host of other activities on offer at Road America all weekend including the AMA Pro Racing Fan Walk and autograph sessions. Please visit www.roadamerica.com for ticket and schedule information of the Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader Weekend. Visit www.amaproracing.com for series information. SPEED TV will be showing flag-to-flag coverage of both AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL races in same weekend broadcasts, visit www.SPEEDTV.com for broadcast times. More, from another press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: AMA Pro SuperSport Road America Preview Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 1, 2010) – After the historic accomplishment of Elena Myers winning her first AMA Pro Road Racing SuperSport race at the last round at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, the ultra competitive AMA Pro SuperSport class picks right up where it left off this weekend at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin’s Road America for the June 4-6, 2010 Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader. Myers will once again be joined by the exciting group of young riders that have been providing action packed races since the very first race of the season at Daytona International Speedway, where the first race was won by the margin of 0.0001 of a second. The winner of that incredible race, Cameron Beaubier, also took a well deserved win at the second of the two races at Infineon Raceway and is poised to really make his mark on the SuperSport series at Road America. Beaubier has a ten point lead in the Young Gun East Division standings over his Rockwall Yamaha teammate, J.D. Beach, who rejoins the action at Road America. J.D. has two wins in SuperSport, both at Road Atlanta earlier this year, and also won last weekend’s AMA Pro Flat Track Singles division final in the Springfield T.T. Elena Myers rode her Lucas Oil Roadracingworld.com Suzuki right into the history books at Infineon Raceway by taking the first AMA Pro Road Racing victory for a female with her popular victory in the first of two weekend races. On Sunday, Myers again featured strongly in the race and even after a coming together with another rider, she fought back to finish fifth. Week in and week out, Myers is right on the pace and she is currently second in the Young Gun West Division points behind the runaway points leader, Joey Pascarella. After his second place finish at Daytona, Pascarella went on a bit of a terror and ran off three wins in a row, all from pole position and he looked like he would extend his run at Road Atlanta when misfortune struck and Pascarella fell on the warm-up lap as a result of some dropped fluid on the track. Pascarella ended up missing both races. As he was racing out of his division, he didn’t lose any points but it did give his competitors an opening to stamp their own mark on the SuperSport class. Beach and Beaubier did just that and then when Pascarella suffered two falls at Infineon, Myers and Beaubier were more than happy to take their own well-deserved race wins. In the time between Road Atlanta and the last race, Pascarella had moved from his LTD Yamaha team over to the DNA Energy Drink CNR Motorsports Ducati team and in all fairness to Pascarella, he hadn’t had a lot of time working with his new team and motorcycle. Road America features long straight-aways and as much as the last race emphasized nimble handling, power and handling are paramount at the four mile natural terrain road course through the Kettle Moraine countryside. Another rider who is right in the middle of the mix is Huntley Nash on his LTD Yamaha. Nash is racing in all of the SuperSport races and he chalked up another podium finish in the second race at Infineon to accompany his bevy of top three results this year, in and out of his Divisional races. Nash’s LTD Racing Yamaha teammate Tomas Puerta has quietly put together a vey impressive season as well. If not for all the fireworks at the front of the packs, Puerta might be the story of the season. His consistency is impressive and he has fought for every position in every race he has run. Ryan Kerr has been a regular competitor on his MJ Racing Kawasaki and he looks to add to his fifth place points total in the East Division. Kerr sits only two points ahead of Daniel Guevara on his Roadracingworld.com Suzuki who is looking to get his season back on track after dealing with a recurring injury that has cost him momentum this year. This weekend’s double header AMA Pro SuperSport race weekend will begin on Friday, June 4th with practice and first qualifying. Saturday will see final qualifying in the morning and then the first of two races. Sunday will feature the second exciting SuperSport race as well as the full schedule of other AMA Pro Road Racing classes including the debut of the new AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series featuring Harley-Davidson XR1200 motorcycles. Please visit www.roadamerica.com for ticket and schedule information of the Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader Weekend. Visit www.amaproracing.com for series information. More, from another press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series to Debut at Road America with Harley-Davidson Contingency Program DAYTONA BEACH, FL (June 1, 2010) – The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series is set to debut at this weekend’s Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader, to be held June 4-6 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and Harley-Davidson will be posting a recently-announced contingency program for competitors that will add $5,000 a weekend to the existing race purse. In addition to the announced $5,000 AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series prize money, Harley-Davidson will also contribute $5,000 to the top ten finishers in each race: $1,250 for the win; $1,000 for second; $750 for third; $500 for fourth and $250 for fifth through tenth places. The purse for each race of the five-race series now totals $10,000 and pays down to tenth position. $3,750 will go to the winner of each race, $2,000 to second place, $1,500 to third place, $1,000 to fourth, $500 to fifth and $250 to sixth through tenth places. “We’re excited to support this grassroots racing class with a contingency program that rewards racers deep into the field,” Steve Piehl, Harley-Davidson’s Director of Customer Experience, stated in a press release. “Our contingency fund doubles the generous purse previously announced by Vance & Hines and AMA Pro Racing and should provide an extra incentive to racers considering competing in this series.” The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series is a spec-bike five-race series featuring specially modified Harley-Davidson XR1200 motorcycles. Vance & Hines is the title sponsor and official kit supplier for the class. The special kits consist of a Vance & Hines XR1200 exhaust system, a Fuelpak fuel management system, race bodywork including number plate, single-seat tail section and belly pan, 17- inch front wheel with matching front fender, steering damper, oil cooler relocator and race decal package. The cost for the complete kit, which does not include the price of the motorcycle, is $3,500.00. As in all AMA Pro Road Racing divisions, Dunlop will provide the spec tire for the class and Sunoco will fuel the racers with their Sunoco 260 GTX fuel. In addition to the Vance & Hines supplied kit parts, teams will be able to upgrade their suspension, hand and foot controls, brake components and instrumentation. This exciting new series will provide loyal Harley-Davidson owners, dealers and enthusiasts a chance to join the action at selected AMA Pro Road Racing weekends throughout the country. In addition to the inaugural race at Road America, which is just north of Harley-Davidson’s Milwaukee, Wisconsin headquarters, the series will visit Mid-Ohio (July 16-18), Virginia International Raceway (August 13-15), New Jersey Motorsports Park (September 3-5) and conclude at Barber Motorsports Park (September 24-26). AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.