Miller time for the 13-year-old Jacobsen!
ODENTON, MD. Celtic Racing’s young racing phenom, PJ Jacobsen, placed another win on his resume this weekend at the first-ever combined USGPRU and AMA Pro racing event. The immaculate Miller Motorsports Park was the circuit chosen to host this event and the track couldn’t have been better suited for the USGPRU 125GP bikes. The flowing turns were technical enough to challenge all levels of riders and the long front straight let the motors really stretch and the drafting wars ensued. Young PJ didn’t win easily though. The battle started early in the weekend when Japanese native Nobi Iso started throwing down some very fast times on his Aprilia RS125. In qualifying, he set a blistering time of 2:02.563 early on and the rest of the 43-bike field struggled to get within 2 seconds of that time. But on his final lap, PJ threw down an amazing 2:01.944 time to claim the pole position as well as set a new official 125GP track record. The youngest lady in our field, Elena Myers, had her hands full with newcomer, Melissa Paris. Thirteen-year-old Elena served up a strong 2:05.898, but Melissa squeaked ahead with a 2:05.873.
West coast points leader, Benny Solis, had been struggling all weekend on his Bell-tuned Honda, but soldiered through to secure an eighth-place starting spot. Going into the main event, Solis and Jacobsen were tied for first with 150 points each. Iso trailed with 140 points. Solis didn’t seem to be a contender this weekend, so a win for Jacobsen would mean the points lead. If Iso won, he would be tied or possibly in the lead depending on how Jacobsen fared. But the youth-riddled field of bikes had enough wild cards throughout, that nobody could predict the outcome. At the start of the race, Iso ripped off a great launch, to lead the pack into turn 1. PJ was hot on his heals with Myers as well. Paris flubbed the start and had a fair bit of work to do in order to catch the front pack. Iso and PJ started to check out from the field, and proceeded to put on one of the best shows all weekend long. They swapped for the lead almost every lap, and often several times per lap. PJ seemed to have the advantage in the corners, but Iso’s Aprilia clearly had the horsepower and usually passed PJ down the long front straight. As the 13-lap event pressed on, PJ and Nobi started to encounter a lot of lapped traffic. While they both diced through the backmarkers with the precision of a pair of neurosurgeons, neither seemed able to secure a clear advantage. It all came down to the final lap, and despite some minor swapping of paint, the racing remained tight right up to the final corner when PJ was able to hold off Nobi down to the checkered flag. Twenty-three-year-old Paris charged through the crowd, and caught up to Myers mid-way through the race. The two ladies drag raced down the front straight in what appeared to be an absolute dead-even power battle. Paris had the advantage during the last lap, but Myers made a late charge to close the gap on the last lap. An incident with a lapped rider almost caused Myers to bin it and she was forced to settle for fourth as she watched Paris claim her first USGPRU National podium finish. Benny Solis was able to hang on to 5th place, and secured a few vital national points to keep his championship hopes alive. The USGPRU would like to thank the AMA for allowing us to join them this past weekend. We would also like to thank Miller Motorsports Park for inviting us to join in this wonderful event. We all really enjoyed the weekend.
Full official race results as follows: 1. Patrick P.J. Jacobsen (Hon RS125), 13 laps 2. Nobi Iso (Apr RS125R), -0.254 second 3. Melissa Paris (Hon RS125), -42.310 seconds 4. Elena Myers (Hon RS125), -44.929 seconds 5. Benny Solis, Jr. (Hon RS125), -62.451 seconds 6. Aaron Risinger (Hon RS15), -62.636 seconds 7. Hayden Gillim (Hon RS125), -75.458 seconds 8. Jon Schendel (Yam TZ125), -87.591 seconds 9. Dave Celento (Hon RS125), -90.611 seconds 10. Miles Thornton (Hon RS125), -90.696 seconds 11. Lloyd Ramsey (Hon RS125), -112.253 second 12. Jeff Lim (Hon RS125), -116.893 seconds 13. Troy Estabrook (Hon RS125), -116.906 seconds 14. Royce McClean (Yam TZ125), -118.942 seconds 15. Debra Barton (Hon RS125), -119.983 seconds 16. Brandon Warren (Hon RS125), -120.384 seconds 17. Cory Hildebrand (Hon RS125), -125.045 seconds 18. Brent Lyskawa (Hon RS125), -134.050 seconds 19. Austin DeHaven (Hon RS125), -150.644 seconds 20. Phillip Krenn (Hon RS125), -1 lap 21. Kevin Murray (Yam TZ125), -1 lap, 3.145 seconds 22. Kirk Snell (Hon RS125), -1 lap, 4.516 seconds 23. Boyd Bruner (Hon RS125), -1 lap, 4.922 seconds 24. Ryan O’Donnell (Hon RS125), -1 lap, 5.814 seconds 25. Allen Campbell (Hon RS125), -1 lap, 20.188 seconds 26. Matthew Elder (Hon RS125), -1 lap, 29.329 seconds 27. Zach Lee (Hon RS125), -1 lap, 38.519 seconds 28. Robert Johnson (Hon RS125), -1 lap, 38.942 seconds 29. Kim Brauneis (Yam TZ125), -1 lap, 56.170 seconds 30. Scott Thompson (Hon rS125), -1 lap, 56.853 seconds 31. Hector St. John (Yam TZ125), -1 lap, 68.724 seconds 32. Rebecca Henn (Hon RS125), -1 lap, 90.947 seconds 33. John Coulter (Hon RS125), -1 lap, 91.529 seconds 34. Joshua Steinberg (Yam TZ125), -1 lap, 92.659 seconds 35. Alex Lyskawa (Hon RS125), -1 lap, 129.144 seconds 36. Don Roberts (Yam TZ125), -3 laps, DNF 37. Federico Cortes (Hon RS125), -4 laps, DNF 38. Leon Cortes (Hon RS125), -5 laps, DNF 39. John Hjelm (Hon RS125), -8 laps, DNF 40. Tomas Bohn (Hon RS125), -9 laps, DNF 41. Tony Wang (Hon RS125), -10 laps, DNF 42. Brian Heess (Hon RS125), -10 laps, 22.553 seconds, DNF 43. Tyler Odom (Hon RS125), -11 laps, DNF
About USGPRU The USGPRU is the officially recognized Motorcycle 125 Grand Prix National Championship ® and 250 Grand Prix National Championship TM series. The USGPRU emulates true World MotoGP racing experience and serves to attract young riders to gain experience in a professional environment and provide a path to world-class motorcycle racing. The USGPRU structures events with extended-length grand prix racing exclusive to the GP machines, timed qualifying and strong contingency and sponsor support. For additional details, visit www.USGPRU.net
More, from a press release issued by ASRA Pro Series:
ASRA Pro Series Virginia International Raceway Alton, VA June 23-24, 2007 Event Review
Wood Swaps Records, Wins With Jensen at VIR
From the first ASRA qualifying session, Jeff Wood on the Bettencourt Yamaha’s and Robert Jensen on the Butler Machine Suzuki’s set the stage for the rest of the event as the two rivals swapped lap records and race wins. The pair shared the podium in three of the four ASRA Pro Sprints and spent the weekend dominating the rest of the Championship Cup Series events as both Suzuki and Yamaha contingency money was available at this pristine venue. Wood took wins in 3 out of 4 CCS races he entered while Jensen had 4 wins out of the 6 races he entered. Only Wood and the Bettencourt Yamaha kept Jensen from the sweep.
First up, in ASRA Pro Superstock qualifying, Wood posted a 1:27.972 for a new lap record and pole position using just 4 laps to best Jensen by ..489 seconds. Finishing off the front row was Mike Smith from Canton GA. who held off the teen sensation Shane Narbonne of Tyngsboro MA by a mere .097 seconds for third position. Amazingly, all four riders set their fastest laps on lap 4 of qualifying.
Next was the ASRA SuperBike presented by Strapless Transport Stands qualifier where Robert Jensen set a time of 1:30.757 on lap 3 and it wasn’t until the final lap of qualifying that Wood bettered that time with a 1:29.350 to steal the pole from Jensen. Wood’s performance gained not only the pole point but a new Strapless Transport Stand for his efforts.
The return of Nate Kern on the Morton’s BMW was the story of Pro ThunderBike as the Marietta GA took the top honors with a 1:34.311, followed by Dan Bilansky from Waukesha WI with the quickest Buell at a 1:34.358. David Estok on the Deeley’s Buell XB9R was third and local rider Brian Kraget finishing the front row on his Speedwerks Suzuki SV650.
Factory Pro Sportbike completed the Wood Pole Position sweep as he set a lap of 1:29.079 on lap 4 and could not be over-taken by Jensen, Narbonne or Smith.
Come race time on Sunday, it was clear that Jeff Wood was the man to beat when Pro Superstock took to the track for their 12-lap final, and Robert Jensen wasted no time in getting to the front, from the holeshot to the checkered flag, the Butler Machine sponsored GSXR 1000 lead the way to victory. Wood, aboard the Bettencourt R-1, was within two-bike lengths until an off track excursion on lap 6 put him more than 8 seconds back of Jensen. With the pressure off, Jensen cruised to the win with Wood in second and the 17-year old Shane Narbonne on his DASPerfomance.com Suzuki GSXR 750 rounding out the top three.
Round two of the Wood-Jensen rivalry took place during the Pro SuperBike presented by Strapless Transport Stands event where overcast skies and cooler track temperatures allowed Wood on the Bettencourts R-6 set a new lap record of 1:28.672 while gapping the second place Jensen by 6.535 seconds at the finish line. Shane Narbonne continued his rise to prominence in the series by finishing on the podium for the second time in his career by holding off former NASB Sportbike Champion David Rose.
All eyes were on Nate Kern and the Morton’s BMW when the Pro ThunderBikes pulled up to the start, but they should have been watching 2005 Champion Dave Estok as he nailed the start and lead the field for the first four laps on his Deeley XB9R. Then on the fifth lap, Speedwerks Brian Kcraget stuck his SV 650 underneath Estok to take the lead though it was short lived. While going into turn 7, Dan Bilansky on the D&G/Hal’s Buell tried an inside move but was carrying too much speed and he collided with Kcraget, sending both riders to the ground and leaving the lead to Estok. From there on, Estok used his pit board to keep track of the second place machine and to pace himself to another win on ThunderBike. After a poor result at Heartland-Park Topeka, Estok’s two wins in a row now have him leading the series by 16 points over reigning champion Bilansky. Kern was able to hang on to second place despite the pain from injuries sustained earlier in an earlier crash. Rounding out the podium in third was Estok’s teammate, Darren James.
The final ASRA Pro race of the day was Factory Pro Sportbike and this race would be the “rubber-match” to decide who the big winner of the weekend was going to be, Wood or Jensen. When the green flag dropped it was Wood who crossed the line first and never looked back. The Bettencourt rider only took 27 minutes and 11 seconds to complete the 18 laps and secure a 7 second win over Jensen and take bragging right to Road America with his second ASRA Pro win of the afternoon. While he started out well, the lengthy race proved too much for the injured Shane Narbonne who faded to fifth behind Bret Garretson on the Village Beverage Mart R-6 and Michael Garofalo who took his Yamaha R-6 to a career best third place in ASRA competition.
For complete results go to our website www.ccsracing.us or check out the next edition of Roadracing World Magazine for the complete story.
Next up it’s on to Elkhart Lake’s Road America on July 6-7-8 for Round 5 of the ASRA Pro Series Championship. At the Road America event, ASRA will join Moto-ST and Buell for the annual Buell Homecoming featuring the Red Flag Fund Charity Auction. Everyone’s invited to this event, for more information just go to WWW.CCSRacing.us, WWW.RoadAmerica.com or www.Buell.com.
The American Sportbike Racing Association LLC is the proud promoter of the ASRA Pro Series, the ASRA Team Challenge Championship and the USA’s largest sportsman motorcycle road racing series, the Championship Cup Series. For more information on any of our 60+ sanctioned events, call us at 817-246-1127 or check out our website at www.ccsracing.us.
More, from a press release issued by Millennium/KWS Suzuki:
Millennium/KWS Suzuki Gets Superbike Top Fifteen at Miller Motorsports Park.
Tooele, UT June 2007 — Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Ron Ayers Motorsports had a solid race weekend at Miller Motorsports Park. Riders John Haner and David Weber finished back to back in both Superbike races and raced in the top ten in Superstock before separate incidents took them out of contention for a top ten result.
David Weber was able to qualify in the twelfth position in Superstock with a time of 1:54.371. Teammate, John Haner qualified right behind Weber in the thirteenth position with a time of 154:385. In Superbike qualifying Weber was able to go faster still with a time of 1:53.617 to qualify in the nineteenth position. Haner qualified with time of 1:55.034 for the twenty-second position for Superbike.
Superbike Race One started with a bang when Haner was knocked off track in turn one. He completed lap one in the twenty-forth position but managed to fight his way back through the pack to finish right behind he teammate in the fourteenth position. Weber had an uneventful race on his Dunlop equipped Superstock Spec Suzuki GSX-R1000 to finish in the thirteenth position.
The Superstock class is the focus for Millennium/KWS Suzuki this year and the team had a good set up going into the thirteen lap race. Both riders got excellent starts and were in a four bike battle for most of the race for seventh place. Unfortunately with a lap and half to go Haner’s bike over heated. Haner was able to limp his stricken GSX-R to the line to finish in twenty-sixth place. Weber was able to continue the battle but crashed making a last lap attempt at seventh place. Fortunately he was able to pick the bike up and finish in the thirteenth position. This moved Weber up to tenth on overall Superstock points.
Superbike Race Two saw both Millennium Technologies sponsored riders fight back and forth for the duration of the twenty-one lap event. Haner eventually came out on top to finish in the fourteenth position and Weber in the fifteenth position. Weber’s consistent finishes have put him right outside the top ten in Superbike points and second in the AMA Superbike rookie of the year standings.
John Haner: “We had good weekend. The team is working so hard and we are so close to consistently fighting for a top five finish in Superstock. Dunlop had a great tire this weekend and the Penske suspension is working awesome. I can’t thank my crew enough, Michael Godin, Blake Kelley, and Chip Spalding. Laguna is the next and a track I traditionally do really well at, I can’t wait to get there!”
David Weber: “Overall I am happy with the weekend. I am disappointed with the crash in the Superstock race, but I was able to pick it up and finish thirteenth and that moved us into the top ten in points. I want to thank my crew, Rick Matheny and Matt Hill and the rest of the team. These guys are awesome to work with.
Kevin Hunt (Team Owner): “The team worked great this weekend. David is getting faster every weekend and I am very happy to see him running consistently in the top ten in Superstock. I want to thank Tim Godshall at Penske Racing Shocks, his knowledge and support is invaluable to our success. We have some down time between Miller and Laguna to bring the team back to the shop and regroup a little before the next half of the season. The team has been on the road almost constantly since April and the break will do them good.”
More, from a press release issued by Ilmor:
Ilmor honoured at Goodwood
After three days riding up and down the infamous hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Ilmor GP rider Jeremy McWilliams was presented with a prestigious Dunhill Goodwood Choice award by the festival’s owner Lord March. Jeremy accepted the ‘Most Impressive Motorcycle’ award on behalf of the Ilmor GP team on Sunday evening as the event drew to a wet and windy close. During the award ceremony Lord March paid tribute to the enormous efforts that Mario Illien and the team had gone to in designing the MotoGP bike, he also thanked Jeremy for entertaining the crowds once again in his unique style.
Despite the horrific weather on Sunday the Ilmor bike created quite a stir amongst the British motorsport fans in attendance. Team Principal Mario Illien has been an admirer of the event over the years and whilst his team continues to secure commercial partners he saw the perfect opportunity to get the bike back out in the public eye and keep it in the hearts and minds of the British public something like 80,000 fans attend each day at the historical festival in Sussex.
Commenting on the event and the award Mario Illien, Owner of Ilmor Engineering said: “It’s an honour to receive the award and more than that I think it’s a real acknowledgement of the team’s efforts to create such a special machine. The engineering crew at Ilmor are still working hard on continuing with the bikes engine development, as soon as we have secured funding we will be back out on track. At the factory in Brixworth we’ve been using the dyno to gauge progress and performance but I would really like get in another track test before the summer is out.
“Jeremy did a great job over the weekend, out of our two riders (McWilliams and Andrew Pitt) he was the natural choice as he has such resonance with the British public he and the bike were hugely popular. It was great fun and a very well organised event but hopefully next year will be back racing as well as making public appearances!”