HOLDEN TAKES SUPERSTOCK SIXTH FOR CORONA EXTRA HONDA AT ROAD AMERICA Jake Holden rode his SuperStock Honda CBR1000RR to sixth position at a very wet and wild Road America this weekend. Electrical gremlins sidelined Teammate Matt Lynn’s effort in SuperBike. Both riders struggled to get a good set up for the 4.3 mile track owing to severe weather delays with heavy rain and tornado warnings through most of the weekend! Lynn qualified on the third row, eleventh in SuperBike and Holden made it to the front row, taking third in SuperStock but both complained that the track conditions were very “sketchy”. In the first SuperBike race, an electrical gremlin appeared on the warm-up lap and even though the crew replaced some components just after the start, Matt retired after four laps. Jake crashed twice in the warm-up practice session on race day, run in torrential rain, so was understandably gun-shy come race time! Knowing how important consistent finishes are Jake decided to ride at a steady pace and not take any chances of falling off he brought the CBR1000RR home in a fine sixth place in his second ever wet race! Jake remains in second place in the championship points. The crew removed all the electrical components of the SuperBike and replaced them with new items in an attempt to solve the electrical problem that had sidelined Matt in race one. The bike worked fine in practice and for the first laps of the SuperBike race, with Matt getting up to ninth and holding the position for eight laps when the misfire problem began again and slowly got worse until eventually Lynn had to retire on lap 13. A very dejected Lynn said; “the bike started missing at peak revs and the miss slowly got lower in the rev’s until it was cutting out coming off the corners. I just had to park it!” Lynn is twelfth in the championship points. For more information please visit Corona Extra Honda Racing online at www.corona-racing.com or call 310 521 9802 Corona Extra Honda Next Race: Laguna Seca, Monterey, California July 18-20, 2008. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Hacking Makes It Six In A Row at Road America Elkhart Lake, Wis. (June 8, 2008) Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking earned the final podium spot during the second AMA Superbike race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. With wild weather making conditions interesting, Hacking brought home another podium finish for the year, totaling an impressive six-consecutive podiums on his Kawasaki ZX-10R. Kawasaki Under the Kawasaki Tent Running with the Front After rain had drenched the track most of the morning, the riders were unsure how the track would be at race time. Hacking felt comfortable right off the start and ran with the front-runners for more than half the race. When coming across a wet spot, he backed down and ended the race with a comfortable nine-second gap over fourth. Jamie’s Race Recap Check out what the podium-finisher had to say about his race. Points Chase With his consistent finishes over the past month, Hacking has pulled within one point of third place in the point’s standings. Davies Even with an injured hand, Davies went out in the AMA Supersport race determined to get a good finish. As the red flag flew, he was in the lead, but would get caught in a large pack of riders at the restart and came across the finish in seventh. “It’s a little frustrating because we were running so well before the red flag,” said Davies. “Obviously I didn’t want to go down so I tried to be aggressive without riding over my head.” Notch Up One Point After qualifying first Sunday morning for the AMA Supersport race, Rapp led the pack after the restart to come across the finish in first. Even with the fastest time in qualifying and a breakaway pace during the race, the win was taken away due to what the AMA called an illegally modified tire. Rapp ended up walking away with one point for his great lap in qualifying. Next Race The next race will be held at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. This racetrack is a favorite to many including Hacking. “I’m really looking forward to the next race since its at one of my favorite tracks,” said Hacking. “Hopefully we can keep pushing and be right there with the front few guys.” Results AMA Superbike Series Road America Elkhart Lake, Wis. June 8, 2008 AMA Superbike Class 1. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki 2. Matthew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki 3. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 4. Neil Hodgson, Isle of Man, UK, Honda 5. Eric Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha 6. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda 7. Geoff May, Gainsville, Ga., Suzuki 8. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki 9. Alastair Seeley, Northern Ireland, Suzuki 10. Chris Peris, Calgary, AB, Suzuki AMA Superbike Points Standings 1. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki, 378 2. Matthew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki, 338 3. Neil Hodgson, Isle of Man, UK, Honda, 293 4. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 292 5. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha, 265 6. Eric Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha, 254 7. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda, 238 8. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 234 9. Geoff May, Gainsville, Ga., Suzuki, 199 10. Scott Jensen, Longmont, Colo., Suzuki, 188 AMA Supersport Results 1. Ben Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha 2. Jake P. Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda 3. Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda 4. Blake Young, Wanuakee, Wis., Suzuki 5. Cory West, Eureka Springs, Ark., Suzuki 6. Garrett Carter, Royal Oak, Mich., Suzuki 7. CHAZ DAVIES, KNIGHTON, UK, ATTACK KAWASAKI 8. Aaron Gobert, Murietta, Calif., Honda 9. Gabor Rizmayer, Budapest, Suzuki 10. Danny Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Suzuki 40. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI AMA Supersport Points Standings 1. Ben Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha, 191 2. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 187 3. Blake Young, Wanuakee, Wis., Suzuki, 156 4. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha, 153 5. Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda, 152 6. CHAZ DAVIES, KNIGHTON, UK, ATTACK KAWASAKI, 139 7. Cory West, Eureka Springs, Ark., Suzuki, 139 8. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 125 9. Danny Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Suzuki, 119 10. Garrett Carter, Royal Oak, Mich., Suzuki, 102 12. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 73 More, from a press release issued by Brad Hakala: 2008 WERA SPORTSMAN SERIES Roebling Road Raceway, Georgia June 15, 2008 Team 4 Wheel Parts.com/E-Racings rider, Chris “Opie” Caylor raced in the sweltering Georgia heat last Sunday at Roebling Road Raceway and won both the WERA Open Superstock and B Superstock expert races, while finishing second in the Formula 1 expert race. In the Open Superstock race, Caylor and his GSX-R1000 battled with Josh Day and David Weber, with Caylor finally taking hold of the lead at the final turn. On the fifth lap of the race, Caylor was in the lead when both Webber and Day momentarily passed him. During the same lap, Caylor re-passed Weber and then battled with Day, with Caylor outdriving Day to the checkered flag. “I can’t say enough about the team’s GSX-R’s, as these things are just missiles and are helping me to be the first one to the finish line.” In the Superstock B race, Caylor grabbed the hole shot on his GSX-R750 and never looked back. On-track surface temperatures on Sunday exceeded 145 degrees, and “even though the track seemed like it was on fire, my Dunlop tires stuck like I needed and gave me the ability to get the drive out of the corner and win.” Later on, Day got his revenge from the earlier Open Superstock race, beating Caylor to the checkered flag by 0.007 of a second in the Formula 1 race. When asked about the weekend, Caylor stated “I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend of racing, winning both expert Superstock races. To just get here on Sunday and only have a short warm-up session for each bike, things turned out great. I would have liked to win all three races, but winning the first two races and coming in second place in the third race by only 0.007 of a second on next to no practice time is still a pretty good weekend.” 4 Wheel Parts.com/E-Racings Team will be racing next at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway in Alabama on June 14-15, and is looking forward to August, when the AMA Superbike Series returns back from the West Coast. More, from a press release issued by Salt Lake Motorsports: Local Utah Team from Salt Lake Motorsports takes first in Mediumweight Superbike and fifth overall at WERA National Endurance Series Round 4 at Miller Motorsports Park The local team of Salt Lake Motorsports rode their Michelin-shod Ducati 848 to first place in class, Mediumweight Superbike, and fifth overall in the 6-hour fourth round of the Bridgestone/WERA National Endurance Series at Miller Motorsports Park this Saturday. The team, which comprises Michael Bunds, Kory Cowan, Patrick Lansu and local fast guy Shane Turpin, is not a regular at WERA endurance events but managed a 2 lap victory in their class. “We’re thrilled with this victory; we have tremendous respect for the WERA Endurance Series, and to be able to come in here and compete successfully with these teams makes us very proud,” said Cowan. The team says that keys to victory were a great bike, consistent pace on track, mistake-free pit stops, and awesome Michelin tires, including a front tire that lasted the entire 6 hour event. Team captain Bunds went on to note “the fact that the front tire maintained excellent grip for over 500 miles of hard racing is a real testament to the quality of the product, and the excellent bike set-up help we’ve received from sponsors Corporate Suspension and Salt Lake Motorsports.” The team’s Ducati 848, prepped by Matt Spencer at Salt Lake Motorsports and Jason Eldredge of Corporate Suspension and fitted with a custom oversized gas tank, ran flawlessly. Lansu, a long-time Ducati rider said “I can’t believe how easy this bike is to ride fast,” while Turpin, the team?s ringer, stated simply, “this thing is money.” More, from a press release issued by KTM: Photo Finish For Mercado And Gagne Leandro Mercado of Argentina won the seven-lap Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup race from Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, beating Jake Gagne of Ramona, Calif., by 0.0019 seconds according to the AMA’s photo finish system. Emerson Connor of Burlington, Ontario, Canada charged through the field to finish third. The race was delayed until the end of the day due to weather conditions, but those at the track who waited were treated to one of the best races in the U.S. this year. The race-long battle for the lead featured numerous lead changes between the two riders and came down to the final run to the checkers, one that left both riders wondering if they had earned the victory. Gagne was credited with leading five laps and Mercado two. Mercado was able to get by Gagne at the flag and took the win by inches. “The last lap was the longest lap ever for me. Much longer than four miles!” said Mercado, 16 years old. “I was hoping in the last corner to get in Jake’s draft. After Infineon, I did not want to make a mistake and lose out on points. I did not have a strategy in particular but I wanted to keep up with Jake coming out of the corners because I knew he was very quick in practice and I did not want him to get away from me. This is the best race and the closest one I have ever had!” Gagne’s third-ever road race nearly netted him a victory. “We couldn’t go more than a couple of corners without the lead changing hands,” said Gagne, 14 years old. “I couldn’t tell who won the race and it was really close. I think he had the corner speed on me but I was good down the straights and I think I was able to brake a little later in a couple of the corners. We changed position about three or four times so it was fun. Every time I’m on the bike I get a little faster.” Connor charged to third and got stronger as the race continued. He put a gap of nearly eight seconds on fourth place in the closing laps. “It was just late braking and trying not to make any mistakes,” said Connor of his best finish of the year. “I’m really happy with how I did today. I didn’t score points at Barber and this makes up for it. I had a lot of fun out there and I am really excited!” Huntley Nash of Marietta, Ga., finished fourth. He topped a four-rider pack along with Toriano Wilson of Bermuda, Joey Pascarella of Vacaville, Calif.,and Tomas Puerta of Colombia. All crossed the line within 0.7 seconds of each other. Cameron Gish of Shingle Springs, Calif., was eighth. Two New Yorkers, Corey Alexander of Ossining and Corey Rech of Liverpool, rounded out the top ten. Jake Cunningham of Kimberly, Wis., was 13th. Series points leader Benny Solis, Jr., from North Hollywood, Calif., had a difficult day, finishing 19th. Solis jumped the start and later crashed and remounted. Hayden Gillim also had a tough race, crashing out of the lead on lap one but remounted. Garet Tomlinson from Aledo, Tex., crashed out of the race. The next Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup race is July 20 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. More, from a press release issued by Rockwall Honda: GOBERT AND ROCKWALL HONDA WIN ROAD AMERICA FORMULA XTREME Aaron Gobert earned Rockwall Honda their first-ever AMA win on Saturday in the Formula Xtreme race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Gobert won the twice red-flagged race held in difficult conditions on the RockwallPerformance.com Honda CBR600RR, running at the front after charging through the field. Aaron was able to find his pace despite changing weather that eventually saw the race stopped because of rain. “To win again in Formula Xtreme this weekend was really good,” said the Australian. “I even said to Jake Zemke in the pits, ‘This is going to be good fun, huh?’ For Gobert, a former Superstock champion, the victory was his sixth career AMA win. “The race started and again I was bogged down at the start. I was back like near tenth at the start and I just did what I had to do to get back to the front. Really, the race to me was in the Carousel when (Steve) Rapp, (Chaz) Davies, and Jake (Zemke) were three-wide going around there and I went around the outside of all three and that’s when I figured, ‘Yeah, I have some pace on these guys. I should get the lead quick and try to take off’.” Gobert was challenged but took the win by 1.14 seconds. He held off Jake Zemke and Larry Pegram and crossed the line first. “I did two laps once I got the lead and I couldn’t hear the Ducati and then one lap later I could hear it again, so I knew Larry Pegram was back on and I just set the pace. And then I heard a four cylinder and figured someone was coming, so then I picked up the pace again,” said Aaron. “It was a comfortable race and I had a good time. I’ve got to thank all the boys at Rockwall Performance because those boys just work constantly trying to find whatever we can. After every session, the bike is on the dyno. Dunlop is helping us too, so I’ve got to thank them. Things are going really well for us right now and you can’t beat a victory.” Crewchief Gary Medley said, “There’s nothing like winning a race! I’ve been fortunate to be a part of a lot of wins in my career and Aaron has too, but we have a young team here so it’s great for our entire team to get a taste of it. We’ve all worked hard this year and this was a nice payoff for us. We’ve gotten one under our belts and now we’ll try to keep improving and do it again.” Team owner Michael Worrell added, “Aaron did a fantastic job out there for us and seeing him on the top of the podium and the rest of our team in the winner’s circle sure was sweet. It’s the team’s first win so it will always be a great memory for us. I’d like to thank Aaron, the RockwallPerformance.com crew, and all our sponsors and partners for making it possible.” Gobert also finished eighth in Supersport in the fog and wet at Road America. The RockwallPerformance.com team will race at Laguna Seca July 18-20.