Michael Barnes will replace the injured Martin Cardenas for Team M4 EMGO Suzuki at upcoming AMA rounds. Barnes signed a three-race contract with the team for the next events at Infineon Raceway, Miller Motorsports Park and Road America. Barnes could race other events for the team after those three, depending on Cardenas’ recovery process.
“I’m excited to be riding for M4 EMGO Suzuki and to be representing the team again,” said Barnes. “I have always had a good relationship with Team M4 EMGO Suzuki and (team owner) John Ulrich. It’s never good to be replacing someone after they are injured but I wish Martin the best and hope he comes back as quickly as possible.
“I’m hoping to be as quick as we can be over these next races,” said Barnes, who raced a Formula Xtreme machine owned by the team in the Daytona 200 earlier this season. “Infineon Raceway is a very physical track but I’m feeling good, better even than I did at Daytona.”
Barnes raced with the Team M4 EMGO Suzuki from 2005 through 2007, with plenty of highlights along the way. In 2005, Barnes quickly got up to speed by finishing in the top five his first weekend with the team at Pikes Peak and also led the Superstock race at Road America and took a podium in Formula Xtreme in his second race. In 2006, Barnes notably finished third in AMA Supersport points with six podium finishes in 10 races. His 2007 season started with a third place in the Daytona 200 but was then plagued with injuries.
“I can’t really explain it,” laughed Barnes. “The older I get, the faster I get. When I came on the team in ’05, I got more experience running up front on some really good equipment and that made me a better rider. In ’06, I started feeling even more comfortable with the team and we found even more speed. The results really started going our way. That made getting hurt last year, ironically at Sears Point, so disappointing.”
“Barney is a great racer and a fine gentleman. We enjoyed working with him before and had some nice success and look forward to racing with him again while Martin is out,” said M4 EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry.
Cardenas broke his femur in a crash at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California April 27th; he had surgery to place a titanium rod in the femur and then flew home to recover in Medellin, Colombia. “In general, everything is OK,” said Cardenas. “My leg looks much better and I’m feeling it is getting better. Now, I am just waiting to see what the doctor says and what time he predicts before I can to go back to racing. I’d like to say thank you for all the support and recovery messages sent by my fans and to my team for all their support.”
Team M4 EMGO Suzuki will next race at Infineon Raceway this coming weekend, May 16-18.