Team Morse Racing Wins at Miller Motorsports Park Opening Round Rocky Mountain Team Morse Racing riders Aaron Clark and Dave Gallant attended the season opening round at Miller Motorsports Park this past weekend taking home three wins and a second place finish. The weather is impossible to predict for early spring racing in the Rocky Mountains. To keep all racers on their toes, mother nature provided snow for Friday”s morning session at Miller Motorsports Park, but then quickly followed that up with high 60 degree temperatures for Saturday and Sunday”s racing action. Both Team Morse Racing riders in attendance spent Saturday dialing in their bikes and testing the new tires available from Pirelli. Master”s of the Mountains defending number one plate holder Aaron Clark was already very comfortable with his 2006-spec GSXR 1000 superbike, and he used the day to test new tire and chassis combinations. Riding entirely new motorcycles, Dave Gallant started from scratch and spent the day learning the chassis and tire dynamics of his new 2007 Suzuki GSXR 600 and Suzuki GSXR 750s at the winding Miller Motorsports Park east course. Cooler temperatures and cloudy skies greeted the racers on Sunday, however the lap times continued to drop. Aaron Clark spooned on a set of the 2007-spec Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa slicks, then qualified on the pole position of the King of the Mountain race a full two seconds ahead of the closest competitor. He then followed that performance up by taking the line for the morning Open Superbike race and winning the seven lap race by a healthy margin at the checkered flag. From practice and race times it was clear to fans and racers alike that Aaron Clark is determined to defend his number one plate in the Master”s of the Mountains series. Starting from the pole position in King of the Mountain race, Aaron took the holeshot leading into turn one then proceeded to lead every lap while continually pulling from the rest of the field during the 12 lap main event. After winning every race entered, Clarkie commented “These new Pirelli tires are outstanding, and all of the hard work Pirelli has put into these tires has really paid off. I threw everything I had at them for the entire 12 lap race, and they felt as good on lap 12 as they did on lap 1! Pirelli racers around the country have already been breaking lap records on these tires this season, and I expect that to continue as we find the true potential in them.” All of Dave Gallant”s hard work put in on Saturday paid off big time on Sunday. After fine tuning the rear shock and putting on a set of the new Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa DOTs, Dave Gallant lined up on his new Suzuki GSXR 750 for the first time in Open Supersport. Although starting at the back of the grid due to no previous season points, Dave Gallant quickly picked his way up to the top three riders while continually dropping his lap times. Once in third, Dave took his time and shadowed the 2nd place rider to better learn his new bike and the track. Lap after lap Dave swapped positions providing great close racing for the fans, then on the last lap on the last corner he out-braked to take the 2nd place podium position and held it to the line. After a splash of water and a quick suspension change, Dave Gallant was back out on the grid for his back-to-back Heavyweight Supersport race. Dave started from the third row, but took the lead by turn two and quickly broke away from the pursuing field with a pack of three riders. In what looked like a replay of the first race, Dave Gallant traded the lead lap after lap really giving the announcer something to talk about. Once again, on the last lap, he made his move to take the lead and pulled away to win the opening Heavyweight Supersport race. “These new Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa DOTs are simply amazing. I did two back-to-back sprint races at 100% and they look practically new. The new profile makes this bike steer so easily and I can get on the gas as soon as I want. Rob Oliva of Lithium Motorsports convinced me to try a set of SBS Dual Carbon brake pads this weekend as well, and to be honest I didn”t think a brake pad could do what these things just did. The hotter they get, the better they work, and there was absolutely zero brake pad. Between the great bike, the great tires, and the great brake pads, there really was no reason for me not to be able to run up front even on a brand new motorcycle” commented Dave Gallant after his 2007 season debut. Both Aaron Clark and Dave Gallant plan to compete in the next Master”s of the Mountain series, April 21st and 22nd at Miller Motorsports Park. More, from a press releas issued by Miller Motorsports Park: Miller Motorsports Park Has Successful Start to Season TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (April 3, 2007) “” The first racing event of the 2007 season at Miller Motorsports Park is in the books, and it was deemed a success on many levels. The weekend included the first race of the seven-round Honda Presents the Plaza Cycle Masters of the Mountains Series, as well as a regional race for the Utah Region of the Sports Car Club of America and the first round of MMP’s five-round Icebreaker Kart Championship. The Honda Presents the Plaza Cycle Masters of the Mountains Series, organized by the Utah Sport Bike Association, raced on the 2.24-mile East Track, attracting local and international talent battling for points and bragging rights among a highly competitive field of racers. Defending series champ Aaron Clark of Longmont, Colo., turned in the fastest lap of the weekend at 1:36.64 to win the King of the Mountain (KOTM) GTO class over second-placed Jason Parkinson. Jeremy Stepper of Canada won the KOTM GTU class, followed closely by Jeff Brown in a field of 21 expert racers. The brightest spot of the weekend was the 90-racer turnout and the success of the Novice and Clubman classes showcasing new talent, including 14-year-old Shane McGoey of Cameron Park, Calif., winning the Novice GTO class and David Lewis of Herriman winning the Novice GTU. The series continues April 21-22 on MMP’s 2.20-mile West Course. For full results and more information, log on to www.utahsba.com/racing. The Utah Region of the SCCA held its April Fool’s Race on the West Course, and it was the Utah Region’s first road race in more than 30 years, as last year’s SCCA races at MMP were sanctioned by the Colorado Region. More than 35 competitors were on hand to compete, and local drivers figured prominently in the results. Salt Lake City’s Chris Farrell won the open-wheel race in his 2006 Stohr WF1 D Sports Racer, and Lara Tallman, also of Salt Lake City, won the closed-wheel race in her 2004 Mitsubishi EVO VII. The region’s next event at MMP will be the Great Salt Race Double National event, scheduled for May 25-27. For more information and race results, visit www.utahscca.com. The Icebreaker Kart Championship kicked off on the 0.9-mile Miller Kart Track with 113 racers competing. A lot of new faces joined the Utah karting community and got their first taste of wheel-to-wheel competition. Racers compete in a three-race format, with two qualifying heats and a main event. Aiden Gordon, Riley Hale, Jason Malloy, Kaitlyn Malloy, Steve Nye, Sophia Price, Madelyn Snow and McKenzie Tingy were all winners in the 5-8-year Kids Kart class. Main event winners and championship points leaders were Madison Snow (Junior 1 2-Cycle); Alex Yates (Junior 1 4-Cycle); Holden Jung (Junior 2 4-Cycle); Mark Morgan (Sportsman); Steve Nye (Senior 4-Cycle); Michael Self (Rotax International); Colby Yardley (Junior Rotax); Maverick Bartlett (Rotax Masters); Parker Smith (Junior 80 gearbox); Mike Riley (80 gearbox); RJ Edgington (125 Heavy); and Mike Beeny (125 Lite). The series continues on April 14. This weekend, the fun continues at Miller Motorsports Park with the first 2007 rounds of the Miller Park Racing Association (MPRA) and the Plaza Cycle Utah Supermoto Championship. The MPRA is a MMP-sponsored racing series designed to build local and regional car racing in Utah. The Plaza Cycle Utah Supermoto Championship is also an MMP-sponsored series to grow the fast-growing sport of Supermoto, a hybrid style of motorcycle racing that combines asphalt road racing with dirt motocross. The MPRA cars will race on the 2.24-mile East Track on Friday and Saturday, while the Supermoto bikes run Saturday on the MMP Supermoto Course that combines parts of the 0.9-mile Miller Kart Track with adjacent dirt jumps. There is no racing scheduled for Easter Sunday, but the Miller Kart Track will be open for those who want to rent karts. “It was good to get the first racing weekend of the season under out belts,” said MMP CEO/General Manager Alan Wilson, “and it was great to see cars, bikes and karts racing here again. We’re looking forward to kicking off this year’s Miller Park Racing Association this weekend, and to the first round of the Plaza Cycle Utah Supermoto Championship.” Tickets for this weekend’s events at Miller Motorsports Park are all Trackside Viewing, with no assigned seating, and will be priced at $7.50 per person, per day. Tickets can be purchased at the Miller Motorsports Park Welcome Center or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Children aged 12 and under are always admitted free of charge at Miller Motorsports Park. For more information, visit the track’s website at www.millermotorsportspark.com or call (435) 277-8500. More, from a press release issued by USBA: Round 1, Masters of the Mountains motorcycle road racing series at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah Tooele County, UT — The Utah Sport Bike Association kicked off the 2007 motorcycle road racing season April 1st weekend at the beautiful Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Round one of the Honda Presents the Plaza Cycle Masters of the Mountains series drew local and international talent battling for points and bragging rights among the highly competitive field of racers. Defending 2006 champion Aaron Clark of Longmont, Colorado turned in the fastest lap of the weekend sprinting to a 1:36.64 on MMP’s east track to win the KOTM GTO class over second place Jason Parkinson. Jeremy Stepper of Canada won the KOTM GTU followed closely by second place Jeff Brown in the 21-rider field of expert racers. The brightest spot of the weekend was the 90-racer turnout and the success of the Novice and Clubman classes showcasing new talent, including 14-year-old Shane McGoey winning the Novice GTO class and David Lewis winning the Novice GTU. Round 2 of racing is April 21-22 on MMP?s west track. For more information, visit www.utahsba.com/racing. Full race results can be found at mmp.mylaps.com Clubman GTO: 1) David Phillips, 2) Matt Meza, 3) Joe Brady Clubman GTU: 1) Robert Sumner, 2) Peter Wright Jr. Novice GTU: 1) David Lewis, 2) Mac Millner, 3) Shane McGoey Open Superbike: 1) Aaron Clark, 2) Jason Parkinson 3) Danny C. Norr Twins GTO: 1) Courtney Lindorff, 2) John Hopperstad, 3) Shannon Moham Middleweight Superbike: 1) Shannon Moham, 2) Dylon Husband, 3) Peter Jenner KOM GTU: 1) Jeremy Stepper, 2) Jeff Brown, 3) Dylon Husband Amateur GTU: 1) Todd Seaver, 2) Kory Cowan, 3) Chase Twitchell Open Superstock: 1) Jason Parkinson, 2) David Gallant, 3) Dylon Husband Heavyweight Superstock: 1) David Gallant, 2) Dylon Husband, 3) Shannon Moham Novice GTO: 1) Shane McGoey, 2) David Lewis, 3) Brian Whipple Middleweight Superstock: 1) Jeff Brown, 2) Shannon Moham, 3) Jeremy Stepper Twins GTU: 1) Shannon Moham, 2) John Hopperstad, 3) Jeff Bernard Formula 220: 1) Ryan Brand, 2) Stoner Lasley, 3) Justin Mathewson KOM GTO: 1) Aaron Clark, 2) Jason Parkinson, 3) Dylon Husband Formula 40: 1) John Hopperstad, 2) Michael Bunds, 3) Garth Callaghan Lightweight Superbike: 1) Shannon Moham, 2) Dan Short, 3) Dan Giles Amateur GTO: 1) Kory Cowan, 2) Chase Twitchell, 3) Shane White More, from a press release issued by Nicky Moore: Nicky Moore of Team Pedercini started the season at Donington Park last Friday, plagued with rain showers and bike set up problems, and the practice and qualifying sessions did not go as well as Nicky would have hoped. “The weekend started badly, the weather was very unpredictable. The first session was raining pretty good making it difficult for me to try and learn a new track in those conditions” said Moore. “The next session the track was very patchy, water on 70 percent of the track and the rest was dry as a bone; which made bike set up almost impossible.” Day two the conditions were slightly better, it was sunny yet still sprinkling throughout the some of the sessions. The team struggled for the majority of the morning to the get bike dialed in; due to the weather conditions meanwhile Nicky continued to learn the track. Prior to the Qualifying session the team decided to make a gearing change but several other adjustments were needed and time played a major factor in Moore’s qualifying results of 30th on the grid. Saturday evening the team sat down and discussed the difference in riding styles, Nicky, coming from a flat track background requires very different bike geometry compared to many other riders. The suspension tuner came to a conclusion that for this style of riding Nicky needed the rear ride height to be much higher than the current set up. Sunday morning a change was made to the ride height and it seemed to be a far better set up; starting 30th, Nicky moved up the field every lap and was gaining on the front. Nicky’s lap times were comparable to those within the top ten, running 1.36.300 while battling traffic. Nicky said, “I am very excited for the next race now that we have a base line on the bike setup and I have tested twice at Valencia. Team Pedercini is a great team and they work very hard to ensure we are prepared for each event and most importantly, we all work well with one another. We are making progress every time I ride the bike and collecting data for the next event. I seem to be adapting well for coming off a Yamaha R6 at home and only riding the Ducati 1098 three times this year.”