Great Clips West Coast Moto Jam Recap:
AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 11, 2012) – With 54 riders signed up for the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race at Infineon Raceway, the field was large and competitive. Unlike Road Atlanta, where James Rispoli and Jake Lewis ran away, a trio of riders challenged in Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport Race 1 on Saturday and no less than five riders battled at the front in Race 2 on Sunday.
Dustin Dominguez (Castrol Latus Motors Racing Triumph) and Rispoli (Orient Express Celtic Racing) split the victories in Sonoma, Calif., trading the first two spots on both days. Some of their competitors were much closer than at the previous race at Road Atlanta, however.
On Saturday, a red flag came out on lap 4 when Cameron Gish (Z2 Racing) crashed in front of a helpless Hayden Gillim (RoadRace Factory/Red Bull). The on-track incident injured Gish, who was transported to an area hospital for evaluation. According to a team representative, the young standout was diagnosed with multiple pelvic fractures and minor injuries to his foot, knee and hands and is currently recovering at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
After the restart, Dominguez trailed Rispoli and Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki’s Jake Lewis. Dominguez made a nifty double pass on lap five to take the lead, but could not split from his rivals until three laps from the end. He eased a slight gap, which evaporated with a wild celebratory wheelie over the stripe.
Dominguez was glad to be able to challenge his rivals in California after disappointment in Georgia, showing that he and his Triumph could best Rispoli and Lewis.
“At Road Atlanta, I got terrible starts,” Dominguez said. “I think I was like 11th going into turn one and just happened to work up through all that traffic. By the time I got there they were pretty much gone. We got a good start today and just being in that league pack gives you momentum to keep going and I think that was the key.”
Tomas Puerta took fourth place. The RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha pilot wasn’t pleased with his setup, but promised to do better on Sunday.
Garrett Willis (GWR Leo Vince Honda) came out on top after a hot fight for the top five. After taking a couple of seasons off from road racing, Willis returned to beat out young rider Wyatt Farris (Mach 1 Motorsports), Stefano Mesa (Kneedraggers.com Yamaha) and Travis Ohge (Meen Motorsports).
Corey Alexander (National Guard Fairhills Group Celtic Racing) finished in ninth position despite a five-second penalty for anticipating the start.
Gillim’s bike was repaired during the red flag with no time to spare and he managed to pass 37 riders on the track to take one of the hardest-fought top ten finishes on record.
For Sunday, Rispoli wasn’t to be denied, and neither were the red flags.
The first red flag stoppage came on lap 5 when Nadr Riad (Meen Motorsports) and local rider Nick Hayman (Munroe Motors) came together. Hayman was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he is listed in critical condition. Team representatives have set up a status update page for those wishing to offer support for Hayman at ~http://www.munroemotors.com/service~
The second red flag situation led to a ten-lap showdown. Puerta led the early stages just like he had on Saturday but was passed, first by Rispoli and then by Dominguez five laps later.
Rispoli rebounded to earn his third win of the year and has established a 44-point lead in West points over Elena Myers (Suzuki Scoop Fans Sportbiketrackgear.com M4 Suzuki). After the race, James (sporting a platinum blonde hairstyle for the event) said he could hear the Triumph triple of Dominguez closing in on him.
“It was like ‘Jaws’ out there, getting louder and louder. I could here him out there. I just tried to run my own pace and if he came by, he came by,” said Rispoli. “I only made a couple of mistakes and it was really good.”
Domiguez was pleased with second and a great weekend. The Triumph ride collected the brand’s first win of the year along with a second on Sunday. “It was a little chaotic with the red flags and I didn’t really get a good start in any of the starts,” he said. “I had to put my head down and make some pretty aggressive passes to get up there. I caught up with James with two to go but he was on rails. I’d used up my tires and it started spinning up. Hats off to him for the win.”
Puerta was 14 seconds closer to the front on Sunday and the former AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race winner said his 2012 season was finally on the right track. “We made a lot of changes for this race. The first red flag helped me a lot, too.” said Puerta. “We made a couple more changes that were really good. We’re a new team and working really hard. We struggled the first two races but now we’re on the podium.”
Lewis passed Gillim for fourth on the last lap. The top five finished within 2.65 seconds of the winner. Mesa was 6th on his Yamaha ahead of Alexander. Willis was 8th on Sunday ahead of Ohge and Gearzy Yamaha’s Colter Dimick.
AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport, the AMA Pro series for up-and-coming riders and fast local club racers, will return at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah later this month at a more wide-open circuit that offers a different challenge than Infineon Raceway.
Top 10 Finishers from Infineon Raceway:
Race 1
Dustin Dominguez (TRI) James Rispoli (SUZ) Jake Lewis (SUZ) Tomas Puerta (YAM) Garrett Willis (HON) Wyatt Farris (YAM) Stefano Mesa (YAM) Travis Ohge (YAM) Corey Alexander (SUZ) Hayden Gillim (YAM)
Race 2
James Rispoli (SUZ) Dustin Dominguez (TRI) Tomas Puerta (YAM) Jake Lewis (SUZ) Hayden Gillim (YAM) Stefano Mesa (YAM) Corey Alexander (SUZ) Garrett Willis (HON) Travis Ohge (YAM) Colter Dimick (YAM)
AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport West Division Point Standings After Round 3
James Rispoli – 107 Elena Myers – 63 Hayden Gillim – 61 Travis Ohge – 42 Garrett Willis – 29 Colter Dimick – 25 Sebastiao Ferreira – 22 Rocco Horvath – 17 Tyler Linders – 16 Wyatt Farris – 15
Year-End Award Updates
With a total of 659.93 miles and 243 laps completed so far in the 2012 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport season, Stefano Mesa leads the Sunoco “Go The Distance” Award.
Current Sunoco “Go The Distance” Award Standings After Round 3
Stefano Mesa – 659.93 mi. Zach Herrin – 650.29 mi. Colter Dimick – 636.36 mi.
AMA Pro Road Racing will next head west for Round 4 with a stop at Tooele, Utah. The BigM Weekend will take place at Miller Motorsports Park in three weeks time, May 26-28. For tickets and event information, please visit http://www.millermotorsportspark.com
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.
More, from another press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
Great Clips West Coast Moto Jam Recap:
AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 11, 2012) – Michael Barnes was forced to wait nearly seven years to claim his second AMA Pro Road Racing victory after claiming his first early on in his career. However, that was nothing compared to the wait to get a third.
The Bartel’s Harley-Davidson ace pulled off an improbable last-gasp victory in Sunday’s AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series final to collect his first AMA Pro win in more than 15 years.
Just like at the previous round at Road Atlanta, Barnes battled Bartel’s Harley-Davidson teammate Tyler O’Hara for the win. And like at Road Atlanta, O’Hara proved incredibly strong on the brakes.
However, this time around O’Hara left a small opening for ‘Barney’ exiting the final corner, and the experienced Barnes took full advantage to power by just as they took the checkered flag.
“Tyler was really strong on the brakes again, but I figured if I could just stay there, one little mistake and I could capitalize,” Barnes said. “It caught me by surprise when he missed a shift. We were out of the last corner already and I was already thinking I would have to wait for the next one. But I heard his Bartel’s Harley-Davidson miss a gear and I just made myself real narrow. There was just enough space for me to get through.”
“It feels pretty good. I’ve come close, and not just on the XR but also in 600 Supersport a few years ago. The win before ’96 was ’89 so they few and far between. ’89 was my first year doing the nationals and ’96 was a really good effort for me. But for it to come 16 years later, it shows how tough this sport is. You just don’t ever want to give up. And that’s how we are — we just keep on digging, whether it’s the first race or the last race, the first lap or the last lap.”
“Barney kept me honest the entire time and it just took one mistake,” O’Hara said. “Coming out of 11 my Bartel’s Harley-Davidson popped out of gear. But I’m not disappointed at all. It’s one of those things and I’m really happy for Barney… Hats off to him.”
KLR Group/Spike’s Harley-Davidson/Vesrah Racing’s Kyle Wyman picked up another distant third. Unlike at Road Atlanta, where Wyman was forced to switch to his back-up bike and race his way up through the field, he got away cleanly from his starting position on the pole. However, illness and arm pump issued hindered his efforts and he was unable to challenge the Bartel’s men for the win.
Wyman said, “I was there for the first few laps. It’s unfortunate what happened to me because I definitely had the bike to be up front. I don’t know whether it’s a combination of getting this cold and taking medicine and my diet and how it’s changed over the past few days, but arm pump came like a brick wall about lap 4 or 5 and I just couldn’t hang onto the bike, so I decided to settle in a little bit.”
Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson’s Shane Narbonne narrowly defeated XP Motorsport’s Michael Corbino to claim fourth.
Three races into the 2012 AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series three different men have stood atop the podium — Wyman, O’Hara, and now Barnes.
Top 10 Finishers from Infineon Raceway:
XR1200 Race
Michael Barnes (HAR) Tyler OHara (HAR) Kyle Wyman (HAR) Shane Narbonne (HAR) Michael Corbino (HAR) Josh Chisum (HAR) Travis Wyman (HAR) Gerry Signorelli (HAR) David Estok (HAR) Darren James (HAR)
AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series Point Standings After Round 3
Tyler OHara – 83 Michael Barnes – 77 Kyle Wyman – 74 Travis Wyman – 47 Michael Corbino – 43 David Estok – 41 Gerry Signorelli – 38 Darren James – 37 Josh Chisum – 36 Shane Narbonne – 33
Year-End Award Updates
With a total of 398.34 miles and 145 laps completed so far in the 2012 AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series season, Darren James also leads the Sunoco “Go The Distance” Award. Current Sunoco “Go The Distance” Award Standings After Round 3
Darren James – 398.34 mi. Gerry Signorelli – 382.73 mi. David Estok – 364.19 mi.
Next Event
AMA Pro Road Racing will next head west for Round 4 with a stop at Tooele, Utah. The BigM Weekend will take place at Miller Motorsports Park in three weeks time, May 26-28. For tickets and event information, please visit http://www.millermotorsportspark.com
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.