MORE BAD LUCK FOR BRIDEWELL

After an indifferent start to the season, any hopes that Tommy Bridewell had of his luck changing were dashed as once again he missed out in round two of the Italian Superstock Championship at Monza at the weekend.

After the opening round of the series was washed out a couple of weeks ago, the 20-year-old from Etchilhampton near Devizes in Wiltshire was hoping to build on the disappointment of a non-points scoring finish in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup at Assen last weekend, which he is also contesting, but having taken delivery of a brand new Yamaha R1 from his Lorenzini by Leoni team, Bridewell spent much of the weekend setting up the machine.

After qualifying well down the order as a result, Tom stormed through to hold a top ten placing when the race was red-flagged and in the re-run, he got another great start but an off- track excursion and then taking evasive action to avoid a fallen rider meant he scraped home in 18th place at the flag.

“I must say that the new bike is so much better than the old one and straightaway, I was two seconds a lap faster so it was just a case of getting everything set up and now I feel we are making real progress. I can count myself very unlucky as I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and the result doesn’t tell the true story. We now have a good base setting for next weekend’s Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race back here at Monza so hopefully, my luck will change and we can get a decent result.”

The Italian track will host the third round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and Bridewell is hoping to add to his points in the opening round in Spain when it gets underway at 10.40 (GMT) on Sunday.

More, from a press release issued by SMT Honda:

SMT Honda advance further up BSB Championship table

SMT Honda enjoyed another profitable weekend in the British Superbike Championship on Monday when Jason O’Halloran put in two superb rides at Oulton Park. The Australian ace took 8th and 10th in the two 18-lap encounters and the results have moved him up to 8th overall in the Championship table after the first two rounds of the series.

Despite never having raced at the undulating 2.69-mile circuit before, the 21-year old soon got to grips with the track and it was only a flying last lap by fellow Australian Josh Brookes that knocked him out of the final stages of the Swan Combi 50 ‘Roll for Pole’ qualifying. Nevertheless, 11th place on the grid meant a third row start and hopes were high going in to race day although the fine weather of Saturday and Sunday was replaced by grey skies and drizzle on Monday.

O’Halloran suffered on the opening lap of the first race and slipped back slightly to 13th but, with a clear dry line forming on the track, he soon got in to his stride and proved, once again, that overtaking was no problem. By lap 5 he was up to 12th and that became 11th on lap 7 whilst a pass on Gary Mason three laps later saw him move in to the top ten for the first time. With further successful overtaking manoeuvres on Brookes and Chris Walker, Jason slotted in to 8th and only just missed out on overhauling Ian Lowry for seventh by 0.322 seconds.

In the second race, problems surfaced as early as the opening lap when the rear tyre spun on the rim and with chatter affecting both the front and rear of the bike, Jason was unable to move forward or lap at the pace he would have liked. Another determined ride though saw him take 10th at the chequered flag for six more solid Championship points.

In the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock race, conditions were at their worst with a wet track making the surface extremely slippery but fellow team member Adam Jenkinson made a perfect start from his 6th place on the grid and completed the opening lap in a brilliant third place. However, hopes for a debut podium for the team were dashed two laps later when he slid off at Shell Hairpin, the treacherous conditions catching out no less than 11 of the 40-strong field.

Speaking afterwards, team owner Robin Croft said:

“We’re so happy with Jason’s performances and he’s been a breath of fresh air ever since he joined the team. The feedback he’s giving the mechanics and his appetite for success is allowing us to move forward all the time and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s a superstar in the making. He’s proving that the factory teams and riders can be beaten and we’re edging closer all the time. We’re only a small team and are operating on a very limited budget but we’re making our presence felt and I’m sure if we could secure a bit more financial support we’d be running in the top six on a regular basis.”

“He put in a storming ride in the first race and it was only the tyre problem that prevented him from repeating the result, if not going better, second time around. Adam had been in excellent form all weekend, overcoming the loss of the first free practice session to run comfortably in the top six, and a podium looked very much on the cards. The weather made it a bit of a lottery and one minute he was peeling in to the corner, the next he was down. It was just one of those things that can happen in the wet but he’s perfectly alright and we’re now all eagerly looking forward to the next round at Donington.”

The third round of the Championship takes place at Donington Park, Leicestershire over the weekend of May 23-25.

More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist:

Superb podium position for McGuinness

John McGuinness put in a superb ride at Oulton Park on Monday when he took third place in the second round of the Metzeler National 1000cc Championship. Riding the Padgetts Honda, McGuinness was in great form all weekend and led the race in the early stages before settling for third and 16 points, a result that also moved him up to an excellent third place in the Championship standings.

The Morecambe ace signalled his intentions in the first qualifying session when he placed second behind Richard Cooper but he was unable to improve his time in the second session when he repeatedly got baulked by slower riders and subsequently slipped back to fifth on the grid. Nevertheless, it was a confident McGuinness that lined up for the 15-lap race.

The fine weather of qualifying had been replaced by damp, tricky conditions but a brilliant start saw John immediately up to third and by the end of the opening lap he was up to second, right in the wheel tracks of team-mate Steve Brogan. The gap was down to just 0.001seconds as they started their third lap and John seized the lead for the first time on the run along Lakeside. Brogan regained the lead two laps later but there was little between the pair and, at two-thirds race distance, the gap was still less than half a second.

However, first round winner Alastair Seeley was coming up on the duo rapidly and he overhauled them both in the final stages to claim the win leaving John in a strong, and happy, third place, his first short circuit podium since finishing second at the same venue in the Supersport class in July 2007.

Speaking afterwards, it was a delighted John that said:

“I’m over the moon with today’s result and although I felt strong enough in the dry to challenge for the win, I was equally comfortable in the wet and I cannot fault how the bike performed, it was perfect. I got the best possible start and tucked in behind Steve but I felt I could go quicker if I got to the front and made my move early. I opened up a bit of a gap only to suffer a big slide and it was enough to let him by again.”

“I just sat on his rear wheel for the next few laps but then Seeley came by and we ran into the backmarkers and it was enough for me to lose that little bit more ground. Conditions were really tricky so I just concentrated really hard in the final laps and brought the bike home for a great podium finish. The team have worked really hard as always so it’s great to reward them with a strong result and it puts me in a great frame of mind as we begin to head towards the road race season.

John’s next meeting comes at the International North West 200 road races in Northern Ireland with practice taking place around the 8.9-mile circuit on Tuesday May 12th and Thursday May 14th and the races on Saturday May 16th.

More, from a press release issued by Uel Duncan’s publicist:

Up and down weekend for Johnson

Gary Johnson and the Uel Duncan Racing/Robinson Concrete team endured a mixed weekend at Oulton Park where they were contesting the second round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship. The Lincolnshire rider looked extremely strong during practice, in both the dry and the wet, and was running in fifth place in the 15-lap race when he fell victim to the treacherous conditions. Using the meeting primarily as a warm-up for the International North West 200, Johnson made major strides forward with the Honda Fireblade over the two days of practice and qualifying and, having placed 17th in the first qualifying session, he took over one and a half seconds off his lap time in the final session to move up to a very strong 10th place on the grid. Strong in the dry, Johnson then proved he was even stronger in the wet when he recorded the third fastest time in the damp morning warm-up. With conditions barely improving for the 12.00pm start, the 28-year old made a strong start to the race and completed the opening lap in eighth place. A lap later he moved by Luke Quigley and when Adam Jenkinson and Richard Cooper crashed out in quick succession he was up to fifth as he started his fifth lap. However, his fine showing came to end soon after as he slipped off whilst braking for the Hizzy’s chicane, the extremely slippery surface catching out over a quarter of the field. Speaking afterwards, team principal Uel Duncan said: “It’s been a valuable weekend for all of us and although race day hasn’t gone as planned we’ve learnt a lot and now have the bike working well in readiness for the road races. There have been a lot of plus points, notably Gary getting even further back up to speed and running strongly in all weather. He was strong in qualifying and was right in the mix with his fellow roads men Cameron Donald and Conor Cummins whilst third in morning warm-up gave us a lot of hope for the race. The spill was unfortunate but it could have happened to anyone in those conditions and the good news is that Gary’s knee stood up to the fall and there was only cosmetic damage to the bike. We came here to get some valuable time on the bike and to get a good set-up with the bike and we’ve done just that, in both dry and wet weather. For sure, we could have done without the crash but we’ve moved forward considerably and are now eagerly looking forward to the North West.” Practice for the International North West 200 commences on Tuesday 12th May with the races taking place on Saturday 16th May.

More, from a press release issued by Wasserman Media Group:

BRADLEY SMITH DOMINATES JEREZ MOTOGP SECURING FIRST EVER GRAND PRIX WIN

Carlsbad, CA Professional GP rider, Bradley Smith, dominated the 125cc class competition at Spain’s Jerez MotoGP among the 120,000 race spectators and seized his first ever grand prix win. The 18-year-old British Bancaja Aspar Aprilia team rider qualified second fasted and remained focused throughout the race determined to leave Spain with the win. Smith’s amazing lead of nearly 20 seconds at one of the race stages led to his final winning time of 13.524 seconds. Smith’s win secured his 2nd place overall standing for the championship in the 125cc class with 36.5 points, just one point behind 1st place.

“The bike went awesome today, and I can’t thank my team enough. I was able to get away and had an extremely fast pace for the whole race. In the last seven laps I had a fifth gear problem that cut the advantage, but I knew how to bring the bike home for the win. I want to thank my entire team for their work since I joined, and it is so satisfying to see that our hard winter work has paid off,” said Smith.

Bradley Smith would like to thank the following sponsors: Bancaja Aspar Aprilia, AXO, Shoei, Monster Energy, W2 Boots, adidas and Merit Merrell.

More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports:

MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS RETURNS TO THE PODIUM

BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 4 2009) After a month-long break, Michael Jordan Motorsports returned to AMA Pro Racing action this past weekend. The picturesque circuit of Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama was the backdrop for Round 4 of the American Superbike Championship and the racing debut of the 2009 Suzuki GSX-R 1000 for both the #23 Jordan Suzuki and #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki teams.

Despite limited practice time going into the weekend races, the two Michael Jordan Motorsports teams stormed into the top five in Sunday’s Race 2, with Aaron Yates of the #23 Jordan Suzuki team earning a second place finish and Geoff May of the #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki team finishing fifth.

With the riders and crew working to unlock the set-up mysteries of the all new GSX-Rs and battling challenging weather conditions, the teams’ Saturday results did not measure up to either squad’s potential, with May finishing seventh and Yates, tenth. Both teams worked hard into the night Saturday making changes that made for much improved results in Sunday’s Race 2.

The teams now head into Round 5 at Infineon Raceway May 15-17 with #54 Geoff May third in the American Superbike points race and #23 Aaron Yates having garnered a MJM season-high second place finish.

Aaron Yates, Jordan Suzuki No. 23 Aaron Yates and his #23 crew had a weekend more turbulent than the weather forecast at Barber. Hampered by a red flag during Basic Qualifying that saw the team fail to make Superpole, the #23 team went from a hard-fought tenth place finish on Saturday to a well-run and impressive ride to second place on Sunday. Yates leaves Barber Motorsports Park sitting in seventh place in the American Superbike Championship with 98 points, moving up from the eighth position.

10th PLACE, SATURDAY RACE 1 Yates started Race 1 from 12th position on the American Superbike grid. After sitting on the grid for an extra hour due to a delay while the track dried, Yates finally took off for the warm-up lap under sunny skies. While waiting for the flag, Yates made some last minute adjustments to his clutch, which resulted in a small miscue on the start, resulting in a Jump Start penalty and forcing the Georgia-based rider to come in for a Ride Through. Upon rejoining the pack, Yates muscled his way through the entire field and made a heroic push for the top 10 as the laps wound down, posting his fastest lap (26.8) on one of the last laps of the race. Yates brought home valuable championship points and a final finishing position of 10th place.

“My clutch was grabbing funny during the warm-up lap and I was fiddling with it on the grid,” said Yates. “I was focused on that and warming it up when I saw the lights come on and I just reacted. I’ve been doing a bit of drag racing lately and think that may have been the cause. After coming in for the Ride Through, I just put my head down and kept reeling guys in. We were happy to get out of this race with a Top 10 and the new 2009 GSX-R is getting better”

2nd PLACE, SUNDAY RACE 2 Sunday’s Race 2 was an event that everyone in the paddock wasn’t sure was going to happen. With tornadoes touching down in the Birmingham area and a severe thunderstorm hammering the pits, teams scrambled to take down canopies and went running for safety. A few short hours after taking cover in the concrete shelter, Yates and his #23 Jordan Suzuki were gridded up on a mostly dry, but still patchy-wet, racecourse and ready to do business. When the green flag flew, Aaron “Yikes” Yates proved his nickname true, as he blasted up through the field and made some daring passes on the opening lap to slot himself into the front group. Yates soon moved into second position behind race winner Mat Mladin and kept the factory Suzuki honest and within 2 seconds for much of the race. Other than a near-highside coming out of T2, Yates ran a flawless race in the tricky conditions and brought his #23 Jordan Suzuki home in second position, the highest finish in 2009 for Michael Jordan Motorsports.

“It’s been an up-and-down year for us,” said Yates. “We got the ’09 Suzuki a couple of weeks ago, did some riding on it and got a few things sorted out. I’m really feeling good about the bike and it’s running pretty good. It really feels good to get up here, back on the podium and show that the Jordan Suzuki guys are working hard and the new GSX-R1000 is going good.”

Geoff May, National Guard Jordan Suzuki No. 54 Geoff May and his #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki team had a learning weekend on the brand-new 2009 GSX-R 1000 and regained third position in the American Superbike Championship. The team rebounded from a seventh place finish on Saturday to an improved fifth place in Sunday’s match-up. The team concluded Round 4 with 122 championship points and much-needed data on the new Suzuki.

7th PLACE, SATURDAY RACE 1 May started Race 1 from third position on the grid, but a poor start saw the National Guard Jordan Suzuki rider fall back through the order on the opening laps. May soon regrouped and pushed hard throughout the remainder of the race, bringing his 2009 GSX-R home in seventh position at the finish.

“I would like to have finished higher today and know we have the motorcycle to do it,” said May. “I didn’t do myself any favors with that start and I had some issues with the set-up as the race progressed. We got some good data today and expect to be higher up in the order tomorrow.”

5th PLACE, SUNDAY RACE 2 When Race 2 finally got underway, after hours of tornado and thunderstorm delays, May and his #54 Suzuki were ready. Getting a good start and putting his National Guard Jordan Suzuki with the front group, May quickly settled into a rhythm. The arrival of the Safety Car at the mid-point of the race caused May to lose his rhythm slightly upon the restart, losing touch with the front group on the restart. May kept his head down and brought his 2009 Suzuki home inside the top five, giving him enough points to move back into third position in the Championship.

“Considering we didn’t think we were going to race today, I’m happy to get out of here with third in the points,” said May. “The track was really tricky and after the Safety Car I wasn’t able to get back into the early race rhythm I had. I’m glad to get out of here with good championship points and lots of information on the new National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Stiles:

Team Stiles took the opportunity that the Michelin Pro Team Challenge race at Road America presented, to test out new machinery and prepare for the upcoming AMA Moto-Gt race in June. The recently engaged Team Stiles riders, Meghan Stiles and Scotty Ryan were anxious to take to the track for their first opportunity to compete together in an endurance effort.

Scotty Ryan started the race for the team on their Michelin shod Yamaha R6, with a class holeshot and ran third overall for the first 13 laps of the race while closely following Jason Farrell of SpeedTech Motorsports. Until encountering a mechanical mishap which forced the Team Stiles rider to pit early to rectify the issue. Thanks to the fast thinking of the crew, the team was able to get the issue resolved,bike fueled and handed off to second team rider Meghan Stiles, in a timely fashion. Meghan ran consistently fast lap times for her entire stint, which allowed Scotty to hop on the bike for the final stint and bring the bike across the finish line First in the Michelin Pro GTU class and fourth overall…

Meghan took here Bliss Machine/Team Stiles R6 to a class win Friday in the newly formed Femmoto Middleweight class, and a Second place finish in the class on Sunday.

Scotty took his stock motored/Trackside Suspension & Engineering/Team Stiles Yamaha R6 to second place finishes in the Heavyweight Superbike class both Saturday and Sunday. While working on setting up his new bike and adapting to Michelin’s new tires – he was able to set the fastest lap of the race during the second Heavyweight Superbike race of the weekend.

Look for Team Stiles to be in contention for a win next month at Road America’s AMA Moto-Gt event….

Team Stiles would like to take this opportunity to thank its sponsors: Bliss Machine LTD., Trackside Suspension & Engineering, Michelin, Hindle, Penske, DP Brakes, Vanson Leathers, Suomy, Woodcraft, SpeedTech Motorsports, Maxxx Motorsports, Zero Gravity, Wisconsinsportbikes.net & Redlinephoto.com

More, from a press release issued by Conor Cummmins’ publicist:

Top ten for Cummins at Oulton

Manxman Conor Cummins put in a fine ride in difficult conditions at Oulton Park on Monday when he took tenth place in the second round of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship. Riding the Team Blackhorse Yamaha, Cummins made significant progress over the course of the weekend and was able to record his first top ten finish of the short circuit season whilst he was also the first Yamaha rider home in the 15-lap race. Still working hard to find the optimum set-up with the all-new R1 machine, the 22-year old was again affected by rear grip issues during qualifying but with constant adjustments to the suspension settings he was able to move forward from where he finished at Brands Hatch and a time of 1m41.345s in the first qualifying session placed him 13th on the grid, heading off the fourth row of the grid. After the dry, bright weather of qualifying, race day dawned damp and cool with only morning warm-up giving riders the opportunity to test on the wet 2.69-mile circuit prior to the race. When the lights changed to green, Conor maintained his 13th place but with conditions treacherous, it was clear that it would be a race of high attrition and, concentrating hard on staying smooth and consistent, Conor was soon moving up the leaderboard. By lap 5, he was up to 10th and this soon became 8th when both James Hillier and Gary Johnson crashed out. Overhauled by Cameron Donald and Marshall Neill at two-thirds race distance on the drying track, Conor then set about holding on to his top ten position and this he duly did for for the remainder of the race to pick up six hard-earned Championship points. The result also moved him to 11th place overall in the Championship table. Talking later, Conor said: “It was really tricky out there today and it’s no exaggeration saying that conditions were extremely slippery. There wasn’t an awful lot of grip out there so I just focused really hard on staying on the racing line and hitting all of the apexes. It was so easy to make a mistake, or just be caught out by the conditions, so I was pleased to bring the bike home inside the top ten and also be the first Yamaha rider to finish. The bike’s brand new and we’re learning all the time with it but I’m still searching for more grip from the rear so are trying new things all the time. We’ve definitely made good progress since Brands and the whole team have been working really hard so we’re certainly heading in the right direction and should be a lot stronger at the next round at Donington.” It’s back to the roads next for Conor though as he resumes duties with the McAdoo Kawasaki Racing team at the International North West 200 with the meeting taking place from May 12-16.

More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Honda Racing:

JAKE HOLDEN TAKES CORONA EXTRA HONDA SUPERBIKE TO SEVENTH, EIGHTH AT BARBER

Jake Holden, handling the riding duties for Corona Extra Honda Racing, rode the CBR1000RR Superbike to solid eighth and seventh places at this weekend’s Barber Motorsports event.

The weather was a key factor in the race weekend planning with thunderstorms, heavy rain showers and tornado’s all around the beautiful Birmingham located facility being the cause of extended delays throughout the weekend

Qualifying saw Jake get into Superpole and eighth place on the grid. At the drop of the green flag, after more than an hours delay owing to wet areas around the track, the race settled into a procession with the lead group including Jake breaking away from the rest of the field. Jake opened up a gap of several seconds over ninth but was unable to make a dent in catching seventh. He maintained his eighth spot throughout the race and though slowing towards the end brought the Corona Honda Superbike home in the same slot.

Race two had major excitement prior to the start when a tornado formed across from the paddock facility sending everyone dashing for protection under the media building. Though the winds and rain were stunning it passed and eventually the track dried allowing the race to start several hours late and shortened from 21 to 16 laps. Jake was able to work up to seventh before the pace car came out due to a crash. He lost a place on the restart but was able to take back the position and make a challenge on sixth but came up three one-hundredths of a second short at the flag just needing another lap! Jake said; “I was starting to get comfortable on the bike in the second race and though the track was a bit sketchy in places was able to get my head down and catch Larry (Pegram) and have a go for the position but just ran out of time. Still it was really close at the end!”

More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist:

The weekend didn’t quite go to plan for Woodhall Spa ace Steve Plater as the differing weather conditions made tyre choice a lottery. But despite opting to use dry weather tyres the H M Plant Honda star dug deep and was able to bring the bike home safely in a creditable 11th place.

Plater spent his weekend working on set up with the HM Plant Honda Supersport machine and posted some quick times in qualifying to secure a second row start to Monday’s 16-lap affair and soon moved into fourth place as the race began.

But a crash involving the leader brought the pace car out, shortly followed by the red flag and Plater had it all to do again.

With rain clouds again forming over the Cheshire circuit a quick decision was made to stick with the dry tyres and gamble the rain would hold off long enough for the race to be completed.

At the re-start, this time the race being run over the shortened 14 lap distance, Plater moved straight into second place before taking the lead on lap two. But after a couple of laps the rain began to fall causing chaos on the track as those on dry weather tyres began to fall back or crash.

Plater rolled it back, dropping down the order as far as 13th place. But his vast experience shone through and the Lincolnshire rider took his time and stayed in control of his machine. He made up two places on the final lap to cross the finish line in 11th place and claim five championship points to move to third in the rider points.

“After the red flag on lap three, the re-started race started off dry and I was up there mixing for the lead and settled into a really good pace. But then it started to drizzle and whilst my tyre choice was good for the dry, it was no good for a damp race distance,” explained Plater.

“A number of riders went down in the wet so I decided it was better to keep to a steady pace and bring the bike home in one piece with some points rather than risk anything. It’s not the result either the bike or I are capable of but that’s racing and at least we salvaged some points out of a bad weather weekend and closed the gap on the championship lead. Now I’m looking forward to the North West 200 and then the third round of the Supersport championship, where I hope to be back on the podium.”

Plater returns to Cheshire at the weekend to take part in the annual Thundersprint event at Northwich. Following that he will travel to Ireland to prepare for the North West 200 races where last year he rode to victory in three of the four main events.

More, from a press release issued by Guy Martin’s publicist:

Martin shows strong form at Oulton

Guy Martin showed his true racing colours on Monday when he was competing in round 2 of the British Supersport Championship at Oulton Park. The Hydrex Honda star had endured two up and down days of qualifying but moved from 25th on the grid to 8th in the race after just three and a half laps and although he pulled in shortly after due to rain falling, he did more than enough to show his racers’ credentials. Having placed 25th in the first of Sunday’s qualifying sessions, Guy knocked three tenths of a second off his time in final qualifying but this still left him in 25th on the grid and he spearheaded the seventh row. However, conditions were far from ideal come race day and this played right into Guy’s hands as he took advantage of his rivals’ reservations. After the first race was aborted, Guy made a great start in the re-start and a scintillating first lap placed him 12th having overhauled no less than 13 riders in just 2.69-miles. He continued to advance forward in the next couple of laps and had worked his way up to 8th on the 4th lap. However, despite a top ten position being very much on the cards, Guy opted for caution over valour when rain began to fall and, mindful of the forthcoming road races, wisely pulled in which proved to be a sensible decision with almost half the 31-man field failing to finish. Speaking after the meeting, Guy said: “There are still a few things with the bike I’m not 100% happy with but we’ve made good progress this weekend and are definitely heading in the right direction, it’s just a case of fine tuning the bike now to give us those last few tenths. I was a bit disappointed with my position on the grid as I felt I was strong enough to get inside the top 15 but I got my head down on the first lap and passed people here, there and everywhere!” “I worked my way up to eighth and had the group in front of me firmly in my sights so I was confident of climbing even further up the leaderboard but when the rain started to fall the circuit was really greasy and there was too much at stake to risk falling off at a short circuit race. I opted to pull in but I showed I can cut it on the circuits and we can head to the North West 200 in a good frame of mind. We’ve still got a lot of work to do but I’m confident we’ll be in the mix when race day comes.” The International North West 200 races take place on the 8.9-mile public roads that lnk the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush. Practice gets underway next Tuesday with the races taking place on Saturday 16 May.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

Sylvain Guintoli served notice today that he is very much a real contender for the BSB championship crown.

While placing third twice and losing his championship lead to rival Leon Camier – who took two wins – may seem a less than ideal outcome, the underlying message is Guintoli has the skills and aptitude to deal with the toughest of British tracks as well as the toughest of British racers.

Today’s races proved the only things holding back the Worx Crescent Suzuki ace are his starts. As at Brands Hatch, Guintoli made two very indifferent starts, necessitating him to fight through the lower leaderboard in each race. To come away with two podiums meant he rode at a pace identical to the race leaders. Confirmation of which came in his lap times – on this first visit to this highly technical course Guintoli’s best lap time was barely 0.3-seconds off Camier’s.

Guintoli finishes the weekend second in the BSB championship standings, trailing Camier by 11 points.

Sylvain Guintoli:

“All weekend we have played catch-up. The team have put in so much effort to put me in a position to challenge for the podium. Because of the time taken to learn the circuit we didn’t have a perfect set-up for the first race and this hurt me from mid-race on as I struggled for grip. But we made some adjustments and for the second race the bike was brilliant.

“I am happy to come away with two thirds, but I am not happy too. It could have been a lot worse and – because of my starts – it could have been a lot better! For sure, we’ll be doing more work on my starts.

“Now I’m really looking forward to Donington. It’s a circuit I know really well and I know it’ll let the GSX-R1000 show exactly how powerful it is. We will be very competitive there, Leon had better be ready!”

Jack Valentine:

“This qualifies as a good day at the office. Sylvain’s track learning and his race pace has been nothing less than brilliant. Now all he has to do is master these starts. His second one particularly left him with a lot of work to do – and he really doesn’t need to be making the job so hard for himself. Sylvain has more than the capability to ride with Camier; he has the capability to beat him. The two of them will make this a fascinating championship.

“The GSX-R1000 has again been nothing less than fantastic this weekend. What little problems we encountered in the first race we solved with a few minor changes ready for the second. It’s a great bike for us to work with.”

Race 1 (18 laps): 1. Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 29:14.802 2. Karl Harris (Hydrex Honda) +1.062s 3. Sylvain Guintoli (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +5.378s 4. Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) +5.485s 5. James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) +14.763s 6. Glen Richards (HM Plant Honda) +15.145s 7. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +19.939s 8. Jason O’Halloran (SMT Honda) +20.261s 9. Gary Mason (Quay Garage Honda) +25.040s 10. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +25.494s

Race 2 (18 laps): 1. Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 29:07.389 2. Karl Harris (Hydrex Honda) +7.326s 3. Sylvain Guintoli (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.792s 4. James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) +11.908s 5. Glen Richards (HM Plant Honda) +12.295s 6. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +15.447s 7. Gary Mason (Quay Garage Honda) +17.702s 8. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +19.420s 9. Chris Walker (Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha) +19.535s 10. Jason O’Halloran (SMT Honda) +25.749s

Championship points (after two rounds): 1 Leon Camier 88, 2 Sylvain Guintoli, Worx Crescent Suzuki, 77, 3 Glen Richards 62, 4 Karl Harris 60, 5 James Ellison 44, 6 Stuart Easton 42, 7 Gary Mason 33, 8 Jason O’Halloran 26, 9 Chris Walker 22, 10 Simon Andrews 22.

More, from a press release issued by Ohlins USA:

Sensational Cardenas Takes Two Wins on Ohlins Suspension at Barber

For immediate release: May 5, 2009

Hendersonville, North Carolina: The hottest rider in AMA Pro Road Racing today might very well be Martin Cardenas, riding for M4 Suzuki and taking two wins in the Daytona SportBike class at the Barber Motorsports Park round of the series.

The quiet Colombian, Cardenas, is showing himself as both fast and smart, making the most of his Suzuki GSX-R600, outfitted with the latest Ohlins TTX rear shock and fork kits, the same that are available to all racers. In Saturday’s Daytona SportBike race Cardenas led the most laps on his way to the win, battling teammate and pole winner Jason DiSalvo, who was racing him hard all the way to the checkered flag. On Sunday, the win was again hard earned, with Cardenas stalking and then passing Jamie Hacking for the top step on the podium.

Cardenas said, “Jamie was running really well and so I had to find out where he was weaker than me. I followed him until the second from the last lap, knowing by then where I had the best options to make a pass that I could keep until the end of the race. The left-hand turn in the infield was one place where I knew I could take him and when we arrived there, with a little over a lap to go, there was traffic and I thought I could also use that to my advantage also. After I made my way around I put the traffic between us and put in a couple of fast laps. I saw that I had pulled away from him before I reached the finish line.”

With these two wins, Cardenas, has a secure third place in the Daytona SportBike season’s point standings, sitting just a scant four from the lead, with his total of 142 points. Cardenas is also one of only two riders with wins, who are competing for the Daytona SportBike championship. The other rider sharing wins in the Daytona SportBike races since Daytona is Danny Eslick, riding a Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/Richie Morris Racing Buell 1125R. Cardenas, DiSalvo and Eslick all use Ohlins suspension and the hands-on tuning skills of Ohlins USA Road Racing Manager Mike “Fitz” Fitzgerald. Of note is how disparate these two winning machines are from each other, showcasing the effect of a properly tuned suspension.

Ohlins USA distributes and services the world’s leading performance suspension for automobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, and snowmobiles. Ohlins develops its proprietary and innovative suspension components at the highest levels of racing from open-wheel car racing, to Moto GP, to off-road competition on two and four wheels. Ohlins USA also provides training for service centers and dealers. www.Ohlinsusa.com.

More, from a press release issued by Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati:

Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati Strengthens Championship Lead

Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati strengthened their championship lead in the Suntrust Moto-GT endurance championship this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, despite the hindrance of rain and red flags. Rider’s Frank Shockley and Dane Westby finished in second place on the Ducati PS1000LE # 77 bike while the # 38 bike of Pete Friedland and Brad Phillips suffered electrical problems and had to retire early from the race.

The team started on pole after Westby set a cracking qualifying time on Friday, his first time on the bike. Oil left on the track from the previous race delayed the start shortening the race by thirty minutes. Westsby started, the now, hour and a half race, choosing DOT tires on what looked to be a drying track – the same choice as the rest of the field bar the HurtByAccident team who took a gamble with rain tires. A gamble that inevitably paid off.

Rain forced the field to make a premature pitstop where both bikes changed riders and tires. Shockley returned the #77 bike to the track in second position, over a minute behind the Ducati PS1000 of HurtByAccident who only needed to change riders in their pitstop, not tires. He was fast reeling in the Ducati when the red flag appeared indicating more oil on the track. The team owner had closed the gap to just 26 seconds with over 30 minutes remaining in the race. But after the pace car set the pace for 15 minutes race officials called an early race, robbing the team of the chance to close the gap.

The second place finish still awards the team 26 points to the already four point lead they had over runner-up champions Pair-A-Nine Kawasaki who crashed halfway through this race and failed to finish.

“Had it been a dry race it wouldn’t have been a contest”, said Shockley after the race, referring to Westby’s pole position and fast start to the race. Westby was standing in for Ryan Elleby who is currently recovering from surgery.

Brad Phillips began the first stint on the #38 bike, also on DOTs. When the down pour started he chose to stay out, gingerly riding on the road tires, allowing the team time to change tires on the #77 bike. By the time he pitted and Friedland returned to the track, they were well down in the field but still in the top ten in their class. Then four laps into the second stint the bike stopped and he had to park it, watching the remainder of the race from the flag stand. “Up until that point the bike was running great and I think we had a good chance of making up some lost ground”, said Friedland.

The team heads next to Road America the first weekend of June.

More, from a press release issued by Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies:

The Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team Scores a Fourth Place Finish at Barber Motorsports Park.

Leeds, AL May, 2009 The Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies team scored its best finishes of the year in Sunday’s Daytona SportBike race with a sixth place result from Ben Thompson and a fourth place finish from Chaz Davies, only .027 of a second off the podium.

The team continued its trend of ever improving results with the Aprilia RSV1000R in qualifying. Team rider Chaz Davies impressed many with a blazing lap in Superpole to qualify in the third position. Ben Thompson kept the momentum going from Atlanta and qualified in his best starting position of the year so far in the fourteenth position.

Professional motorcycle racing is an extremely difficult endeavor and everybody has bad days sometime. Saturday’s Daytona SportBike Race One was the LeoVince sponsored Factory Aprilia team’s bad day. Chaz Davies, who ran as high as second place at one point in the race, but crashed out of third when a rider in front of him drug dirt on the track with his knee. In brilliant display of determination, Davies picked up his injured RSV1000R continued the race to finish in the twenty-eighth position. Davies also turned the fastest lap of the race. Thompson and crew took a gamble with set-up that didn’t pay off. Despite running in the top ten early on, Thompson faded back to nineteenth with no rear grip.

Sunday’s Race Two almost didn’t happen with the tornados in the area and thunderstorms battering the track for most of the day. Fortunately the northern Alabama track got a break in the weather and the AMA did a great job of getting three great races off for the soaked, but enthusiastic fans.

Race Two started with a wet, but drying track. Both Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies riders started the race with rain tires and hoped that the track didn’t dry out too fast. Davies and Thompson both got great starts. Davies immediately jumped into the second spot and battled for the lead. Thompson put his head down early and raced his way through the field well into the top ten. As the track started to dry both riders struggled with rear grip. The last half of the race both Pit Bull sponsored Aprilia riders battled with the Danny Eslick and Michael Barnes for sixth place, in a multi-lap, four way battle. On the last lap third place rider Chris Peris and fourth place rider Dane Westby made contact and crashed leaving Chaz and Danny to fight for the last spot on the podium. Despite a heroic effort by Davies, he could not make up the power advantage enjoyed by Eslick’s 1125cc bike and lost the drag race to the finish line by twenty-seven thousandths of a second or about four inches at that speed. Thompson finished less than two seconds behind his teammate in the sixth position. This is both Thompson and Davies best finish of the year.

Chaz Davies “The team took advantage of the short three week break between rounds and made some huge improvements to the Aprilia RSV1000R. We had at least a podium finishing bike both days and we just didn’t get the right circumstances to make that happen. Despite my frustration at not getting on the podium, I am very happy with the progression of the team. I want to thank Rocky Stargel and Jimmy Le for all their hard work this weekend and Michael Godin for all his work at the shop. “

Ben Thompson “The weekend was very difficult at the start but we made some tremendous gains on Sunday morning and I think we finally have a baseline set up with this bike that is going to allow me to finally ride the Aprilia like I know I can. I want to thank my crew, Michael Godin and Marty Ashmore for all their hard work and I am looking forward for going to Infineon next week and moving forward.”

Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) “It was a good weekend and the team did a great job. To be this competitive, this early, with a new program like this is a testament to the riders, the crew, and the structure the AMA has put together. My hat is off to Michael Godin for stepping up our motor program and to Rocky Stargel for sorting the chassis. I also want to thank both riders for their professionalism in some pretty ugly conditions.”

The Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team is proudly sponsored by:

Aprilia USA, Millennium Technologies, KWS Motorsports, Pit Bull, LeoVince Exhaust, Motion Pro, Bazzaz Performance, Sebimoto Bodywork, Yoyodyne, Slednecks, EK Chains, Motul, Performance Friction Brakes, Worldwide Bearing, K&N Filters, Zero Gravity Windscreens, Suzuka Tire Warmers, Stomp Grip, Hel Brake Lines, Spider Grips, ETI FuelCel and ASV Inventions.

For Information: http://www.kwsapriliaracing.com