Editorial note: Some of these press releases regarding the Daytona 200 are inaccurate due to being based on provisional race results, before officials made significant revisions to the results late last night. FMF Apex Rider Neil Hodgson Finishes Second in Daytona Corona Extra Honda factory rider Neil Hodgson rode to an impressive second place finish at the first round of the AMA Superbike series at Daytona speedway. Hodgson’s CBR 1000RR equipped with a full FMF Apex exhaust system helped him rocket off to a great start, and also provided the power needed to pass Tommy Hayden down the last stretch. It was the closest Hodgson has ever come to winning an AMA Superbike race and he is eager to accomplish that goal with FMF Racing’s new Apex exhaust. The Apex exhaust is truly next level aftermarket racing exhaust. With its sleek looks and incredible weight savings along with its huge performance gains, this exhaust is the most advanced slip-on exhaust on the planet. The Apex has an integrated fit for each model for maximum cornering clearance on the track. The Apex also features two material options, carbon with titanium caps or titanium with carbon caps and is available for most late model road applications at a dealer near you! For more information regarding Apex please visit www.fmfracing.com today. More, from a press release issued by RK Excel America Inc.: RK Racing Chains sweep the podium in the AMA Pro Superbike series at Daytona International Speedway! RK racing chain 1st, 2nd and 3rd! “We are really excited about our results in the new AMA Pro Racing Pro Superbike class. “RK has a long list of motorcycle road racing championships over the years, but this result is really special! The fact that we swept the podium is exciting, but it is more so that it was done with two manufacturers; Suzuki’s GSXR1000 and Honda’s CBR100RR” says Kipp McGowan, Sales Manager of RK Excel America Inc. “This is what we strive for at RK; to build quality drive chains that can withstand the rigors of these high performance motorcycles. Whether you own a road bike, dirt bike or ATV, we have a winning pedigree and a great drive chain for your application. Daytona Pro Superbike RK Racing Chain sponsored Results: 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Rockstar Makita Suzuki RK Chain 2. Neil Hodgson (Hon CBR1000RR) Corona Honda RK Chain 3. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Rockstar Makita Suzuki RK Chain 9. Michael Laverty (Suz GSX-R1000), Celtic Racing RK Chain 18. Scott Greenwood (Suz GSX-R1000), Greenwood Racing RK Chain 19. Shane Narbonne (Suz GSX-R1000), Team Hooters RK Chain 20. Mark Crozier (Yam YZF-R1), Crozier Motorsports RK Chain 26. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), 944 Racing RK Chain More, from a press release issued by Team M4 Suzuki: DISALVO THIRD IN 68TH DAYTONA 200 Team M4 Suzuki opened their 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing season in tremendous form on Friday night, claiming a podium finish in the 68th running of the famed Daytona 200. Jason DiSalvo finished third in a spectacular debut ride for the team at Daytona International Speedway, fighting for the win right down to the checkered flag aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600 Daytona SportBike. The always-unpredictable race was especially so in its first-ever running under the lights, proving to be a hectic affair that included a pair of full course yellows, a red flag, and numerous laps run behind the safety car. DiSalvo and his crew successfully negotiated all of the challenges presented to them and finished just 0.072 seconds off of second, and just 0.624 seconds behind race winner Ben Bostrom. Following his trophy-winning ride the delighted DiSalvo said, “The M4 Suzuki was really strong on top out there. I think if we could have been a little bit closer and set up a little better on the final lap we might have been able to make a run. I was sitting in third thinking we might get the double draft and that things might really work out for us, but it wasn’t to be tonight. “I have to say the crew did a fantastic job. I came in early on in the race in fifth or sixth place and I ended up going back out in second. We had phenomenal pit stops. My hats off to my crew.” DiSalvo’s teammate, Martin Cardenas, showed race-winning potential himself early on, mixing it up for the lead during the race’s opening third. The Colombian ultimately got shuffled back following the confusion of the yellows, but regrouped to give the team a second top-ten result in the prestigious event, finishing in eighth position. Kris Turner didn’t fare as well in his first-ever attempt at the arduous contest, falling twice and being credited with 68th after crashing out following 37 laps. Team M4 Suzuki will be back in action on March 20-22 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA for the second round of the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing Championships. More, from a press release issued by Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki: WIKLE THIRD IN DAYTONA OPENER FOR TEAM ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki kicked off the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing season at Daytona international Speedway with a strong opening round, claiming a podium result and putting in several gritty rides during a sometimes-trying week. Chris Ulrich found himself fighting an uphill battle early in the opening round of the new AMA Pro American Superbike era, battling limited track time and struggling to find grip as he set up his GSX-R1000. The Californian qualified on the fourth row, posting the 14th fastest time at 1:41.147. He got a terrific launch off the line from there, quickly working his way past a number of premier-class competitors. However, his race got a whole lot tougher when he ran wide while still working the opening lap, dropping all the way to the back of the field. Ulrich spent the remainder of the 15-lap race dicing up through the pack, ultimately reclaiming his starting position, finishing 14th at the checkered flag. “I’d say the whole weekend was hectic,” Ulrich said. “Not too much track time and this is the big class now so it’s a big adjustment. We searched for grip all week. The first practice started perfect — we were in the top ten but in the second practice we tried some stuff to find some more grip and it didn’t work and we got caught out. In qualifying we had issues with the radiator when we came in for the tire, so that was bad luck. I wasn’t that confident going into the race. “I got a good start and went by (Ben) Bostrom and the other guys right off the bat. I went into Turn 3 looking for my hole and I was maybe just a little bit wide and the back came around and it swapped a couple times. Once I got it collected back together, there was no way I was going to make the turn without crashing. I went straight and came back on and was dead last. I worked up from 33rd to 14th, which isn’t a bad day, but going from 14th to tenth would have been better. We stayed the same from qualifying to race, but we’re a little bit disappointed. “It’s Daytona and Daytona is weird. Some guys left here without any points and we got some. We’ll roll on to Fontana. We’ve got two races there and plenty of time to make up ground.” 17-year-old Russell Wikle proved to be one of the stars in the debut of the new AMA Pro SuperSport class, a new category designed to groom the stars of the future. The Alabama native took full advantage of his front row qualifying position (3rd, 1:44.738) and fought for the win throughout the race on his Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R600. After leading nine of the race’s 12 laps, Wikle ended up third at the flag, just 0.002 off of second. “I was sitting pretty fat and happy in third,” Wikle explained of his final-lap strategy. “I thought I was going to be able to draft by both of them with ease. But coming out of the chicane I kind of timed it a bit wrong I think. I was right alongside Joey and we went side-by-side around the whole banking and I couldn’t quite get in his draft. Just about got second — 0.002 of second is pretty close!” Ulrich said, “Russell did a fantastic job. He led all the good laps except the last one. He never ceases to amaze me. He’s very mature considering the time he’s spent in this paddock. First round he’s already got a podium and we’re looking for big things from him.” Wikle and Santiago Villa rounded out the week by handing the team a pair of top-20 results in the 72-rider deep Daytona 200, contested Friday night under the lights. Wilke edged the vastly more experienced Miguel DuHamel in the run to the checkered flag by a mere 0.094 seconds to claim 14th position in his first-ever attempt at the 200-miler. Meanwhile, Villa raced up from his 41st-place starting position to cross the stripe in 19th in the end. Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki will next head to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA for the second round of the AMA Pro Road Racing Championships on March 20-22. More, from a press release issued by Honda: AMA Pro Road Race Championship at Daytona International Speedway Friday, March 6, 2009 Weather: Cool Temperature: 17-degree ambient Zemke disappointed after 10th place finish in controversial stop-start Daytona 200 Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke scored a top ten finish in the first ever nighttime running of the Daytona 200 on a cool Friday evening at Daytona International Speedway. Though the race was indeed historic, it was not without controversy, and Zemke was caught up in the confusion over the scoring. Immediately after the race, Zemke, the reigning Formula Xtreme champion and former Daytona 200 winner, was listed in 22nd position, but the Erion Honda team was able to prove to race officials that he deserved better. A review of the lap charts gained him 12 positions and he was listed as 10th in the provisional results. Still, Zemke believes he should have been higher up the order. “We’re obviously disappointed,” he said. “The guys we were racing with are sitting up there on the podium. I rode the whole first half of that race with (Josh) Herrin and (Jason) DiSalvo,” the second and third place finishers. “I really don’t understand the scoring myself, because I know I was on the lead lap.” Zemke had qualified his Erion Honda CBR600RR eighth in Thursday night’s first ever Daytona SportBike Superpole session and quickly jumped into the top five at the start of the scheduled 57 laps. He was fifth when he made the first of his pit stops on lap 20. A crash on the 35th lap brought out the safety car and what followed changed the complexion of the race. Prior to the safety car, the lights illuminating the back straight chicane had begun to fail. “I think a couple popped and then they all popped,” Zemke began, “but it got dark in a hurry back there, that was for sure.” As the safety car was entering the chicane soon after, one rider rammed another from behind, creating a chain reaction that brought out the red flag to stop the race. Scoring reverted to the end of the 37th lap with Zemke fifth at the time. The rulebook states that any red flag stoppage shortens the race by two laps. Racing resumed with a single file re-start after more than a 45 minute delay. Having not made his second pit stop, Zemke immediately ducked into the pits for his final service. (Working on the motorcycles is forbidden during a red flag stoppage.) But when he returned to the track he was greeted by another safety car, this time for a separate incident in the International Horseshoe. And the safety car would come out again a lap later. The sequencing of pit stops and safety cars dropped him out of the top five, despite his best efforts. In the end, once the safety car cleared, the race would be a ten-lap sprint. It was won by Ben Bostrom (Yamaha) from teammate Josh Herrin. Jason DiSalvo (Suzuki) was third. Jake Zemke, 10th Place We were good. We had one little issue with the bike that started in the first session of the race before we ever went to the first pit stop. We’re not sure really what caused it, because it’s been running great all week, but I was still able to run the times with the guys. We were just kind of hanging out there and it’s a long race and we were waiting for the race at the end. Unfortunately for us, the red flag came out and I’m not sure how we lost that many positions because of it. It doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense at this point. We were in fifth position as racing resumed and went green. I came into the pit, I got serviced, and as I’m coming down pit road they were just opening pit road because the last riders had just come through turn one, and that’s kind of how our plan was going to work. And we go out onto the track and we receive the next safety car and the yellow flags. So I was still on the lead lap, I never came off the lead lap. Daytona SportBike Final: 1. Benjamin Bostrom (Yamaha) 2. Josh Herrin (Yamaha) 3. Jason DiSalvo (Suzuki) 4. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki) 5. Shawn Higbee (Buell) 6. Chaz Davies (Aprilia) 7. Dane Westby (Yamaha) 8. Martin Cardenas (Suzuki) 9. Leandro Mercado(Kawasaki) 10. Jake Zemke (Honda) More, from a press release issued by Buell Motorcycle Company: Higbee Puts Buell in Daytona 200 Top 5 Eslick DQ’d for Passing Under Yellow East Troy, Wis. (March 7, 2009) Shawn Higbee made an incredible and unexpected run from a 16th place start to a fifth place finish in the 68th running of the Daytona 200 Friday night at Daytona International Speedway with a Buell 1125R that was virtually built from the ground up in the Speedway garages in the days prior to the race. Higbee, who arrived at Daytona earlier in the week with a sparse crew, a stock street bike, and a crate engine, worked his way up near the top ten and benefitted from a strategic decision by his crew chief to pit during a mid-race caution. “It worked out good, but if I had been better prepared, I think we had a package to win the race,” said Higbee, who scrambled over the past month to assemble a bike and team after a deal to race with another team fell through. His team replaced the frame and engine of his motorcycle to prepare it for the long-distance race in between practice and qualifying sessions. “I’m so thankful to all the people who helped me.” The 57-lap race’s first caution came out on lap 36 after an electrical fire caused a malfunction with the track’s lighting system in the backfield chicane. While the field was under caution, a rider crashed, forcing the race to be red-flagged while AMA officials fixed the lighting and reset the field for a restart. During the brief period between the caution and the red flag, Higbee pitted under yellow for a new rear tire and fuel and restarted in 12th position. As riders ahead of him pitted, Higbee moved up the field and held on for a fifth place finish in the final 10-lap sprint to the checkered flag. “I ran a conservative first stint to save the front tire. I was rolling out of the throttle in a lot of corners to save gas,” Higbee said. “It wasn’t a flat-out run, and we had to use a lot of strategy.” While all six Buells entered in the 200 finished the race, Higbee’s top five finish blunted the disappointment of problems that plagued front-row starter Danny Eslick’s Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR Buell. Eslick diced with the leaders for the first ten laps of the race, briefly leading, before being forced to pit to repair loose body work that dropped him far down the order. Eslick worked his way back through the field, aided by cautions and restarts, and was initially shown as finishing in 13th position. However, he was subsequently disqualified for passing under yellow during a caution period. Eslick’s teammate Michael Barnes brought his Geico Powersports/RMR Buell home in 25th position, followed by Latus Motors H-D/Buell teammates Alan Schmidt and Josh Bryan in 34th and 36th, respectively, and Bryan Bemisderfer (H-D/Buell of Frederick) in 64th. SunTrust Moto-GT The Liberty Waves Racing Buell 1125R sponsored by Dairyland Insurance and Antelope Valley H-D/Buell and ridden by Eric Pinson and Eric Haugo finished in third place in the Moto-GT1 class and fourth overall in the season-opening two-hour SunTrust Moto-GT series race at Daytona International Speedway March 6 after a dramatic series of events that saw them relinquish an early lead and run out of gas on pit lane. For most of the first 17 laps of the race, Haugo battled for the lead with the TeamHurtByAccident.com Suzuki GSX-R600 before breaking away to a build a lead of more than a minute over the rest of the field. On lap 37, problems with a rear tire change during a pit stop dropped the team to fourth in class. Haugo battled back to third place until his bike ran out of gas on lap 55 coming out of the infield. After coasting along the banking, the bike died on pit lane and Haugo began pushing the Buell toward his pit stall. After a quick splash of fuel, Pinson remounted for the final two laps and a well-deserved spot on the podium. The race was won by the Wisconsin Racing Ducati 848. “I didn’t know it was going to be a foot race,” said Haugo, who sprinting down half the pit lane with his bike until his crew was able to assist him. “It was intense, and a lot of emotions were flying,” Pinson said. “We didn’t come here expecting to run up front, but the Buell was great. I’ve really got to thank the Kellerman family and Antelope Valley Harley-Davidson/Buell for all their help putting together this bike for us.” The James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing Buell team sponsored by H-D/Buell of Appleton fought through adversity as lead rider Paul James crashed the team’s “A” bike during the afternoon warm-up and the team had to revert to its back-up bike for the race. On lap 17, the bike lost a piece of bodywork that damaged the cooling system and caused the team to retire in 7th place. Founded by visionary motorcycle designer and former privateer racer Erik Buell in 1983, Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel, including the 1125R superbike and air-cooled XB-series Ulysses, Firebolt, and Lightning. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, or to locate the dealer nearest you, log onto www.buell.com.