DAYTONA BEACH, FL (May 3, 2010) – It’s been several years coming, but Joe Kopp gave the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Team their first AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship victory at the Budweiser Arizona Mile. The first time event was full of firsts. The first win for Ducati, the first BMW in a Flat Track National since 1954 and the first Kawasaki since 1975 to make a National Main. All day long it appeared that Halbert Family / Kings Kustom’s Sammy Halbert was going to pick up where he left off in Daytona as he set fast time in qualifying, won the fastest heat and the five point, $1,000 Dash for Cash on his Harley-Davidson. While Kopp had been fast all day, he didn’t give Halbert too much trouble in their heat as he finished second on his Latus Harley-Davidson / ENI R&M backed Ducati well behind Halbert. When the National started, Kopp roared to the front as Halbert suddenly looked to be off his game, dropping to third behind Zanotti Racing’s Jake Johnson. On lap seven Johnson’s race started to unravel as he was passed by both Halbert and Lancaster Harley-Davidson / Dallas fort Worth Honda’s Chris Carr. “I realized I had to pick up the pace, I was afraid Joe was going to get away,” said Halbert. One more lap and Halbert was back in the lead and cruising. Kopp settled into second with Carr in third, but by lap thirteen Carr was under attack as Defending Grand National Twins Champion Jared Mees had his Rogers Lake Racing / Blue Springs Harley-Davidson backed Harley in contention for the last podium spot, taking third on lap fifteen. Just as suddenly on lap seventeen Kenny Coolbeth pushed his Harley-Davidson Motor Company backed XR-750 around both Carr and Mees, dropping Mees to fifth. Mees was able to regroup, re-pass Carr and just miss making a last lap pass for third. While this was a good race the race for the win suddenly heated up. “It looked like Sammy was having some brake problems, but he said not,” said Kopp. “With a couple of laps to go I realized I had a shot. On the last lap I caught him down the back straight, but I thought I better wait for the front straight to pass him. I was just barely able to draft past at the finish line.” “I let this one get away, it’s a learning experience for me I’ll not let that happen again,” said Halbert. “I should have won this.” Earlier in the day Rod Lake / Mike Velasco / Brothers Powersport’s Brad Baker had captured the Pro Singles Main as he led the twelve lap race wire to wire. Yamaha Corp / GTYR / Van’s Yamaha’s Jeffery Carver fought his way into second, but finished four plus seconds behind Baker. The race for third was a dandy as Monster Energy / Kawasaki / Werner-Springsteen Racing’s Chaz Springsteen and Priestley Racing / Vadnais Machine’s Corey Crawford ducked it out. Fast Qualifier Crawford was able to come out on top. RESULTS: AMA Pro Racing GNC Twins National: 1. Joe Kopp (Duc); 2. Sammy Halbert (H-D); 3. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 4. Jared Mees (H-D); 5. Chris Carr (H-D); 6. Jake Johnson (H-D); 7. JR Schnabel (H-D); 8. Rob Pearson (H-D); 9. Don Taylor (H-D); 10. Luke Gough (Suz); 11. Henry Wiles (H-D); 12. Aaron King (Rot); 13. Brandon Robinson (H-D); 14. Mick Kirkness (H-D); 15. Chad Cose (Suz); 16. Nichole Cheza (H-D); 17. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 18. Matt Wait (BMW). AMA Pro Singles Main: 1. Brad Baker (Hon); 2. Jeffery Carver (Yam); 3. Corey Crawford (Hon); 4. Chaz Springsteen (Kaw); 5. Mike Avila (Hon); 6. Jeremy Hamilton (Hon); 7. Mike LaBelle (Hon); 8. Wyatt Maguire (Yam); 9. Tony Davila (Hon); 10. Jake Cunningham (Suz); 11. Russ Wikle (Hon); 12. Harley Dunn (Hon); 13. Shayna Texter (Hon); 14. Michael Toon (Hon); 15. Mike Martin (Hon); 16. Chris Ponderous (Hon); 17. Kenny Malaguarnero (Hon); 18. Colt Chebultz (Hon). More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America: DUCATI TAKES ITS FIRST EVER GRAND NATIONAL FLAT TRACK VICTORY IN 2010 SEASON OPENER Joe Kopp takes the Ducati Hypermotard- powered dirt tracker to victory in Arizona. Cupertino, Calif (3 May 2010) Ducati is excited to have taken its first ever Grand National Flat Track victory in Saturday’s Yavapai Downs Mile. Saturday’s Ducati victory marks the first time that a readily available production engine has won a Grand National Twins race in 29 years. Limited production, flat track race-only Honda RS750 and Harley-Davidson XR750s have won every Twins National since 1981. In the season opening round- and Ducati’s third ever attempt at winning a modern era Grand National- Joe Kopp proved that Ducati’s don’t always need asphalt to beat the competition. The Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati Flat Track Project began only a year ago, when Ducati Superbike rider Larry Pegram approached friend and flat track team co-owner David Lloyd about the potential of Ducati’s air-cooled 992cc engine as an ideal flat track platform. Pegram Racing and Lloyd Brothers Motorsports joined forces to build a stock-framed dirt track bike from a Ducati Sport 1000. After a quick shakedown by Pegram the bike entered the 2009 Springfield Mile, where it immediately proved a formidable opponent to the dominant Harley-Davidsons by qualifying for the 18 rider main event directly from the heat race After a summer of modifications- including the addition of the 1078cc engine from borrowed from the Ducati Hypermotard and a custom racing chassis- Pegram entered the Indy Mile and missed the main event by one position in the semi qualifier. Incorporating everything learned over the 2009 season, the bike now races in its third generation of development. In Saturday’s season opener 2010 rider Joe Kopp put the Ducati engine in the position its knows best at circuits across the globe- the top of the podium. Taking the lead at the start Kopp ran a fantastic race, only facing competition from Halbert, whom he drafted past on the final lap to take the checkered flag by .025 seconds. Saturday’s race was also a significant event as the Ducati upset the might of Harley Davidson on the Mile, something no other manufacturer has been able to do for 17 years. The next race for the ENI USA R&M (formerly American Agip) / Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati entry will be the famed Springfield Mile on May 30; featuring a cameo by Larry Pegram on a second bike alongside Joe Kopp.