AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Presented by AMSOIL Road Atlanta Braselton, Georgia April 16, 2010 Provisional Qualifying Session One Results (all on Dunlop tires): 1. Tommy Aquino (Yam YZF-R6), 1:29.496 2. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R6), 1:29.547 3. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R600), 1:29.645 4. Clinton Seller (Yam YZF-R6), 1:29.851 5. Dane Westby (Yam YZF-R6), 1:29.863 6. Steve Rapp (Duc 848), 1:29.888 7. Cory West (Suz GSX-R600), 1:29.896 8. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.113 9. Bobby Fong (Duc 848), 1:30.564 10. Chris Fillmore (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.647 11. Jake Holden (Duc 848), 1:30.674 12. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.937 13. Lenny Hale (Yam YZF-R6), 1:31.351 14. Dominic Jones (Yam YZF-R6), 1:32.172 15. Kris Turner (Suz GSX-R600), 1:32.256 16. Fernando Amantini (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:32.384 17. Mark Crozier (Duc 848), 1:32.610 18. P.J. Jacobsen (Suz GSX-R600), 1:32.690 19. Russ Wikle (Suz GSX-R600), 1:32.801 20. Barrett Long (Duc 848), 1:33.052 21. Kyle Wyman (Yam YZF-R6), 1:33.068 22. Andres Londono (Suz GSX-R600), 1:33.894 23. Michael Morgan (Suz GSX-R600), 1:34.254 24. Abe Stacey (Suz GSX-R600), 1:34.325 25. David White (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:34.387 26. Ryan Clay (Yam YZF-R6), 1:34.774 27. Reese Wacker (Suz GSX-R600), 1:36.748 28. Melissa Paris (Yam YZF-R6), 1:37.319 29. Wes Humphryes (Suz GSX-R600), 1:38.170 30. Marie-Josee Boucher (Hon CBR600RR), 1:40.791 More, from a press release issued by Team M4 Monster Energy Suzuki: CARDENAS HOT IN ATLANTA Team M4 Monster Energy Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas got his weekend off to a quick start at Road Atlanta on Friday, securing a spot on the provisional front row of the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike grid. The Colombian, who ranked near the top of the charts throughout the day’s free practice and qualifying session, registered the day’s third best time aboard his GSX-R600. His best time of 1:29.644 was just 0.148 seconds off of the provisional pole in a bunched up session that saw the top seven riders lap within 0.4 seconds of one another, setting the stage for yet another thrilling weekend of Daytona SportBike race action. “Today was good,” Martin said following qualifying. “The bike is feeling very good. We’re going to try a couple things for tomorrow to improve the set-up a little bit for a few parts of the track but the pace right now is very strong. We are posting fast laps consistently.” The Auto Club Speedway race winner finds himself playing catch-up early in the season, currently ranked sixth in points after a couple early falls. The former Spanish Supersport champion is determined to find the ultimate balance that will allow him to win with regularity while avoiding the costly mistake. He explained, “I will try to win as many races as I can, but I also will try to not to crash more because I think that’s enough for the moment. I’ll just do the best I can in every race and try to win as many as possible. I think tomorrow in the race there will be maybe six bikes battling for the lead. I think it’s going to be a very interesting race — a great battle.” Meanwhile in the AMA Pro American Superbike class, John Hopkins put his GSX-R1000 on the provisional second row while Chris Ulrich missed out on a spot in the top ten by a meager 0.054 seconds. Hopkins clocked a fastest lap of 1:26.470 to rank eighth best on Friday with an eye on improving further during tomorrow morning’s final qualifying session in preparation of the first of two 20-lap Superbike finals. Ulrich’s quick time was 1:27.776, which puts him on the third row provisionally, eleventh fastest on the day. On Saturday Team M4 Monster Energy Suzuki will claim their grid positions at Road Atlanta in the morning’s final qualifying sessions and then kick off the weekend’s races in the afternoon. More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: Suzuki SuperBike Showdown – AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL Day One Report BRASELTON, GA (April 16, 2010) – Today, a rider broke a run of bad luck and hopefully put his season back on track where it belongs. Team Graves Yamaha rider Tommy Aquino has had a number of unfortunate setbacks in the early part of the 2010 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL season but he hasn’t let it dampen his or his team’s spirits and today, he showed why he is one of the most highly regarded riders in the sport by putting his Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 on provisional pole position with a time of 1:29.497/102.574 MPH for the Road Atlanta AMA Pro Daytona SportBike doubleheader race weekend. Showing the strength of Team Graves Yamaha, Daytona 200 and Daytona SportBike points leader Josh Herrin showed good speed right off the bat during the morning practice and continued the trend with a solid second position running. Third up was Martin Cardenas, who captured his first AMA Pro Racing win here last year on his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki. Local team Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha gave the Georgia fans something to cheer about (as did Dublin, GA’s Herrin) as Clinton Seller jumped up the time sheets on his 17th lap of the 50 minute qualifying session to take fourth. Fifth was Seller’s Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha teammate Dane Westby, followed by Steve Rapp, who continues his strong 2010 form on his Team Latus Motors Racing Ducati. Vesrah Suzuki rider Cory West was next up in seventh ahead of Daytona 200 pole sitter Danny Eslick riding his GEICO Powersports Richie Morris Racing Suzuki. Also continuing his steady progression up the charts is DNA Energy Drink CNR Motorsports Ducati rider Bobby Fong, who ran quick in practice but slipped to ninth in qualifying. Rounding out the top ten was Chris Fillmore on the second Vesrah Suzuki. Local favorite and Gainesville rider Geoff May also had a solid day on his GMR Suzuki, finishing up 12th. Aquino, who likes the flow and rhythm of the 2.56-mile Road Atlanta permanent road course looks forward to tomorrow’s final qualifying session and race one of two on this double header Road Atlanta Suzuki SuperBike Showdown weekend. Visit www.roadatlanta.com for schedule and ticket in formation. Flag-to-flag coverage of this weekend’s AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL doubleheader can be in seen in same-day delay broadcasts Saturday and Sunday evenings on SPEED. Check your local listings for broadcast times. 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.