Canadian Racers Millson and Glenn Third in Moto-ST’s ST Class at Daytona Daytona Beach, Florida The all-Canadian Go BIG Racing team took third spot on the podium in the Sport Twins (ST) Class, and placed thirteenth overall at the SunTrust MOTO-ST season opener, Daytona USA 300, held at the Daytona International Speedway. With a third place finish in the ST class, Keene, Ontario’s Paul Glenn and Hamilton, Ontario’s Ross Millson matched their outstanding finish from last October’s inaugural MOTO-ST 8 Hours at Daytona. The Daytona USA 300, endurance race began under clear skies with Millson at the controls of the #79, Go BIG Racing Suzuki SV650. Starting from the inside of row 19, Millson methodically worked his way up to through the field before handing over the bike to Glenn. “Our crew gave us incredible pit stops, and kept us in the hunt!” exclaimed Millson. “Having the quick-fill fuel cans this year definitely made a difference in our stops” added Glenn. Glenn ran a consistent pace, gradually picking up additional positions throughout his stint on the team’s Suzuki SV650, before handing off the bike back to Millson. In the final laps, Millson put in a concerted effort to catch the second place # 87 SpeedWerks.com, Suzuki SV650, while holding off the charging #99 Pair-A-Nines, Kawasaki EX650 Ninja. After completing 100 laps, the #79 Go BIG Racing Suzuki crossed the finish line, taking third in the Sport Twins (ST) class and thirteenth overall. “A third place finish is an excellent way to kick-off Go BIG Racing’s 2007 race season” said Millson. “We’re a small team competing against some well funded riders and have shown what we can do with the support of our existing sponsors, crew and family” said Glenn. With the help of additional sponsor support Millson and Glenn are hoping to return to Florida for Round 2 of the SunTrust MOTO-ST series in Homestead, April 13-14, and go for the win in the Sport Twins class. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Team Yoshimura Suzuki riders Shawn Giles, Craig Coxhell and Joshua Waters all finished in podium positions in the Australian support races at the second round of the Superbike World Championship race meeting at Victoria’s Phillip Island race circuit at the weekend. In a strong showing for the new-look team, Giles finished overall second in the Superbike class behind reigning Australian champion Jamie Stauffer, and like Stauffer was the only rider to secure a top-three result in all three Superbike races. Giles’ results were all the more impressive as the three-times Australian Superbike Champion had not raced at the fast and challenging 4.45km Phillip Island circuit for over 12 months. The 36-year-old proved he was back to full-race fitness after last year’s lay-off due to injury and was straight down to business when he was quickest in the opening Superbike qualifying session, then led two of the three races. In Saturday’s opening 10-lap race Giles finished a close second, just 0.337sec, behind the race winner, backing up with third in race two later that afternoon. Another second in race three on Sunday, this time 0.898sec behind the race winner, gave Giles the overall runner-up position for the weekend. Team mate Coxhell, showing the talent and determination that brought the Shepparton, Victoria rider the 2003 Australian Superbike Championship, charged through the pack in race three to secure third place, just 0.07sec behind Giles after momentarily getting ahead of his team mate two corners from the finish. Coxhell hadn’t raced at the Victorian circuit since 2003, the year he won the Australian Superbike Championship aboard a Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 before he headed overseas for the next three seasons. The lack of track time at the world’s fastest race track left the 24-year-old in 12th position on the grid after the two short qualifying sessions on Friday, making Sunday’s third place all the more impressive. Twenty-year-old Waters was another to impress. Following his strong debut showing aboard the Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600 at the opening round of the Australian Supersport Championship at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway two weeks ago, 20-year-old Waters continued that momentum in the three Supersport support races at Phillip Island. A third in Sunday’s final Supersport race was backed up by fourth place in each of the earlier two races on Saturday to give Waters fourth overall for the weekend. Team Yoshimura Suzuki race manger Phil Tainton was quick to praise Waters for his results on a motorcycle that has not long been out of its packing crate and is still in the early stages of its development. Tainton now turns his focus to Round Two of the eight-round Australian Superbike and Supersport Championship which takes place at Victoria’s Winton Raceway on March 22-25. Phil Tainton – Team Manager: “I couldn’t have asked for more from the riders this weekend – all three scored podium finishes at some stage. “Our Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbikes already have a lot of development behind them and Shawn and Craig showed how competitive they and the bikes can be, but I was especially pleased with progress with the new GSX-R600 Supersport. “It’s only in its second race meeting, and it’s never been raced in the wet before. Josh’s performance on the damp track on Sunday morning, when he finished third, was impressive. “We showed we have good speed from the bikes and all three riders can run at the front in both classes. “Congratulations to Jamie Stauffer and Jason O’Halloran on their Superbike and Supersport wins this weekend.” Shawn Giles: “It’s good to turn around the bad luck of two weeks ago at the opening round of the Australian Superbike Championship and get some good results. “The last time I raced at Phillip Island was at the same World Superbike meeting at this time last year, as I missed the GP meeting in September due to injury. “To lead two of the three races at some stage and to stand on the podium in all three races was a great result for the team in view of the limited practice time we had. “The bike had good speed all weekend and I can’t say enough about the team and the performance of the tyres. “Second overall on the weekend is good, but it’s one place short of where I want to be.” Craig Coxhell: “Third in the final race was a great way to finish off the weekend and I’m happy with the improvement in my lap times across the three days. “The last time I rode at Phillip Island was in 2003 and with only two short qualifying sessions it took a little while to get up to speed on the fastest track on the world calendar. “My best lap in race three was only one tenth off the fastest lap time set by the race winner and I had a great battle in that final race with my team mate Shawn – although he got me by 0.07sec in the run to the flag. “The team has been working on getting me comfortable on the bike and adjusting the settings to suit my riding style and the results are beginning to show.” Joshua Waters: “I’m happy with fourth overall on points from the three races as we’re still in the early stages of developing the Suzuki GSX-R600. “I hadn’t ridden the bike at Phillip Island before this weekend so with the limited track time under our belts it’s a pleasing result. “Getting on to the podium in the final race of the weekend shows that we’re heading in the right direction.” Superbike Overall Results: 1 Jamie Stauffer, 2 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 3 Scott Charlton, 4 Glenn Allerton, 5 Daniel Stauffer, 6 Adam Fergusson, 7 Craig Coxhell (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 8 Bryan Staring, 9 Shannon Johnson, 10 Anthony Gobert. Supersport Overall Results: 1 Jason O’Halloran, 2 Jeremy Crowe, 3 Jamie Stauffer, 4 Joshua Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600), 6 Gareth Jones, 7 Wayne Maxwell, 8 Bryan Staring, 9 Alex Tomassetti. 10 Brendan Watson. More, from a press release issued by Buell: BUELL RIDERS SHINE IN ASRA THUNDERBIKE AND MOTO-ST OPENERS Estok Wins Wet Thunderbike Race; Bilansky and Higbee Take GST Class Win DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Deeley H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless Racing rider David Estok rode a Buell Firebolt XB12R through heavy rain to win the opening round of the 2007 American Sportbike Racing Association (ASRA) Thunderbike series on Saturday, and on Sunday, Daytona H-D/Buell/Richie Morris Racing’s Dan Bilansky and Shawn Higbee took a hard fought class win in the MOTO-ST Daytona USA 300 GrandSport Twins class (11th overall) to wrap up a successful season-opening weekend of racing at Daytona International Speedway. In the Thunderbike race, Estok led from the start of the rain-soaked event and was chased by his Deeley H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless Racing teammate, Darren James. The 2006 Thunderbike champion, Hal’s H-D/Buell Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky, slotted his Buell Firebolt into third position. The pole-sitter for the event, San Jose BMW rider Brian Parriott, moved up through the field after a poor start and managed to pass first Bilansky and then James to claim second place. James finished third, with Bilansky in fourth position. Because of the rain and slick track, the race was shorted from the scheduled 10 laps to seven laps. This was the first race with the Deeley/Ruthless Racing team for Estok, who won the Thunderbike championship in 2005. “Daytona is always challenging and even more so in the rain,” said Estok. “The Deeley squad put me on a great bike and our set-up was perfect for the conditions. This is a great way to start a new season of racing.” James, the 2006 Canada Thunder champion, plans to contest the entire 2006 ASRA Thunderbike championship. Buell riders claimed five of the top six positions in the race. Hal’s Speed Shop/Badger Motorsports rider Greg Avello finished fifth, followed by Joe Rozynski on his Sound Waves/Hal’s Speed Shop Buell Firebolt. Also on Saturday at Daytona, Estok rode his Deeley H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless Racing Buell to victory in the Championship Cup Series (CCS) SuperTwins Expert class, a five-lap sprint race. The next event on the eight-race 2007 ASRA Pro Thunderbike series schedule is the Heart of America Cycle Fest, April 27-29 at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan. Buell Teams Score in SunTrust MOTO-ST Daytona USA 300 On Sunday, March 4, Daytona H-D/Buell Richie Morris Racing riders Dan Bilansky and Shawn Higbee won the GrandSport Twins (GST) class in the Daytona USA 300, the first round of the 2007 SunTrust MOTO-ST series. Riding a Buell Firebolt XB12R, Bilansky and Higbee spent much of the race in a fierce battle with the Hal’s Speed Shop/James Gang Racing Buell shared by Paul James and Greg Avello, who led 25 laps in the GST class during the event. Pacing the class by about 45 seconds, Higbee came in for a splash of fuel with just two laps left in the race and managed to maintain the lead, completing 100 laps in the 3-hour 20-minute endurance event, and finishing 11th overall. “It’s a fantastic win,” said Higbee, who was competing in his first motorcycle race since being injured at Daytona in 2005. “Making it to the finish was our number one priority and we hit the set-up pretty well. It was tough because the James Gang Racing Buell was pushing us pretty hard.” The Ducati SS1000 of Pete Friedland, Brad Phillips and Frank Shockley finished second in the GST class and 15th overall, while the James Gang Racing Buell placed third, just 3.1 seconds behind, and 16th overall. The next race on the 2007 SunTrust MOTO-ST schedule is the Homestead 500K, April 13-14 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com. More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: Pirelli Dominates Daytona CCS/ASRA: 15 Wins, 34 Podiums The all-new Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa DOT race tire, and Diablo Superbike Slick, proved Pirelli’s performance advantage at the CCS/ASRA races at Daytona International Speedway with wins in nearly every class the tires were raced in the 2007 Bikeweek event. Cold and wet or hot and dry, Pirelli racked up record numbers of wins, podiums, and top ten finishes in Expert and Amateur classes, on the high banks of “The World Center of Racing.” A highlight of Pirelli’s weekend of domination include Columbian sensation Martin Cardenas, winning expert Unlimited Superbike, with fellow Pirelli-rider Chris Ulrich finishing second. Earlier this season, Cardenas nearly set a new track record at Homestead-Miami Speedway in difficult conditions on his first visit to the track. Pirelli tires owned the show in sprint racing on the new layout of the speedway that uses only the east banking and a modified infield, and Pirelli tires showed their speed is matched with reliability. In the Pirelli-spec MOTO ST endurance series nearly 40 teams took the start of the 3.5 hour-long race, without a single one of them having a hint of any type of tire failures, something that has often plagued other brands at Daytona. Pirelli congratulates all of the competitors and, race winners, Aprilia USA 2 and its riders Federico Aliverti and Giancarlo De Matteis. Pirelli’s Expert winners in the CCS/ASRA event include: Middleweight Superbike, Cory West; SuperTwins, Dave Estok; Middleweight Grand Prix, David Anthony; Superstock, Geoff May; Thunderbike, Dave Estok; Middleweight SuperSport, Geoff May; Lightweight SuperSport, Kyle Keese; Heavyweight SuperSport, Michael Barnes; Thunderbike, Brian Parriott; Unlimited Superbike, Martin Cardenas; GT Lights, Brian Parriott; GTU, Michael Barnes; GTO, Geoff May. Pirelli-shod Experts placing second include: Heavyweight Superbike, Mike Debrabant; Superstock, Chris Ulrich; Thunderbike, Brian Parriott; Pro Sportbike, David Anthony; Thunderbike, Nate Kern; Unlimited Superbike, Chris Ulrich; GTU, Michael Beck; GTO, David Loikits, while third placing Experts are: Lightweight Superbike, John Linder; Superstock, David Loikits; Superbike, Alexander Miniaci; Middleweight SuperSport, Cory West. Amateurs who rode Pirelli tires to the podium include: Multi-winner Larry Karpinsky, Brian Sexton, Ryan Meade, and Dennis Espinoza. Congratulations to all. With this astounding success of the introduction of new Diablo Supercorsa, Pirelli eagerly anticipates competing in the AMA Superbike series at Daytona, this weekend. More, from a press release issued by Steve Martin’s publicist: Steve Martin made strides forward with the set-up and handling of his Honda CBR1000RR at this weekend’s second round of the 2007 Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island, Australia. Set-up changes throughout the weekend enabled the Aussie to make progress with his lap times over the three days and take 11th place on the grid in Superpole, followed by a 10th place finish in race one. Further improvements in results were hampered in race two however when clutch troubles forced Steve to retire on the first lap of the 22 lap race. Steve commented, “After the first round at Qatar I knew there was a lot of work we still needed to do on set up, but when I went out for the first session at Phillip Island the bike felt completely wrong. “For that to happen at a track I know like the back of my hand and also somewhere where I normally go really well, I knew right away what we needed to change in order to get an ideal base setting for my riding style. And by the end of the second qualifying on Saturday morning I was feeling much happier with the bike’s set up and handling. “So it was very frustrating when I was out on my final fast lap at the end of that qualifying session and it started to rain, as I had to back off towards the end of the lap and wasn’t able to improve my time or qualifying position. “The qualifying tyres also weren’t working too well and I was experiencing a lot chatter, so for Superpole I just had to ride round and my 33.9 got me 11th which I was actually surprised at!” As is tradition at the picturesque costal circuit of Phillip Island, Sunday morning’s warm up session brought rain and while still on slick tyres, Steve was able to run competitively with the other machines out on the damp track. Recounting the first race on Sunday Steve said, “I got a pretty good start and passed a few guys. My lap times were consistently in the 1:33 bracket and I was able to catch Nieto. I knew I could get past him but was struggling for opportunities and instead of waiting for a bit longer which I should have really, I took a bit of a chance to outbrake him going down into Honda corner and ran off, allowing Neukirchner to pass me and put me back to 10th rather than taking 8th which I was aiming for! And that’s where I stayed until the end of the race.” Steve pulled another good start in race two but knew by the first corner there was a problem with the clutch. “I felt really good off the start but some how fried the clutch, which I’m not sure how as we use launch control! But that was my race over as the clutch was slipping too badly to ride and so I had to pull in at the end of the first lap. “Considering we are one of the very few teams who didn’t test at Phillip Island over the winter prior to racing here, I’m encouraged by what we achieved in terms of set up and progress for going forward. There’s still a lot more work to be done on the electronics as the bike is too rough and aggressive on the throttle, but that’s our next area to look at and hopefully we’ll then make more strides forward, both with the bike’s performance and also with results.” Steve now returns home, just a few hours drive north of Phillip Island, for a final week with friends and family, before returning to Europe with Sandra and Axel for the start of the European rounds of the WSBK Championship. Steve’s Phillip Island weekend round-up: Friday Free Practice 1: 14th – 1:35.644 Qualifying Practice 1: 12th- 1:33.748 Saturday Qualifying Practice 2: 12th – 1:33.678 Free Practice 2: 8th – 1:33.641 Superpole: 11th – 1:33.994 Sunday Warm Up: 9th – 1:34.346 Race 1: 10th – Best lap 1:33.409 Race 2: DNF (retired on lap 1 due to clutch problem)