AMA Superbike Championship Round 2: Barber Motorsports Park PICKERINGTON, Ohio – The AMA Superbike Championship picks back up on April 18-20 at Barber Motorsports Park, located just outside of Birmingham, Ala., for the second stop on the 2008 calendar. Second Season Opener After the high banks of Daytona, Barber Motorsports Park marks the first traditional road course on the schedule and the first of eight Superbike doubleheader weekends. In addition, the top teams take advantage of a six-week layoff following the Daytona opener for extensive testing and development at Barber. As a result, this week’s races at Barber Motorsports Park are viewed by many as something of a second season opener. Motorsports Enthusiast Paradise Barber Motorsports Park is a favorite among competitors and fans alike. The undulating 2.38-mile course wraps back upon itself multiple times, creating both spectacular sightlines and tight racing. The meticulously maintained circuit opened in the fall of 2003 and represents a dream project come to life for George W. Barber Jr., a former sports car racer and founder of a local dairy business that bears his name. In addition to the racing facilities, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is also located on the site. The museum boasts one of the largest and most renowned collections in the world, totaling more than 900 vintage and modern motorcycles. AMA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY PARTS UNLIMITED BMP History Aaron Yates won the first-ever AMA Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park, winning on the last Saturday of the 2003 season. In the second race of this doubleheader, Kurtis Roberts was victorious in the season finale the following day. Mat Mladin and Miguel DuHamel split the honors in 2004 while Mladin (’05 and ’07) and his Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki teammate, Ben Spies (’06) have traded double wins ever since. Suzuki Streaking In addition to claiming the last six races in Alabama, the factory Suzuki team carries a 28-race AMA Superbike win streak into the BMP weekend. In fact, the current generation GSX-R1000, introduced prior to the start of the 2007 season, is still undefeated in AMA competition, sweeping all of last year’s races, and claiming the ’08 openers, in Superbike and Superstock. History in the Making Six-time AMA Superbike champion Mladin increased his all-time records, taking both poles and wins at the Daytona season opener, upping his career mark in qualifying to 53 and victories to 64. The Australian swept both races the last time the series traveled to Barber Motorsports Park, but he had to overcome an intense challenge from Spies both times out, crossing the stripe less than a second ahead of the reigning Superbike champion in each 28-lap, 100k final. DiSalvo on the Box Despite coming up short of his goal of attaining a Superbike podium in his rookie campaign, Yamaha USA’s Jason DiSalvo didn’t take long to do the trick in his sophomore season, finishing third at Daytona. The New Yorker will be eager to repeat the feat as quickly as possible but can’t expect it to be too easy in Alabama with a number of other gifted pilots fighting to get in the top three as well, led by former Barber winner and ’07 BMP double-podium finisher Miguel DuHamel. AMA PRO HONDA OILS SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY SHOEI Youth and Experience Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s combination of youth and experience came together to produce a remarkable 1-2 finish in the Supersport season opener. Former AMA Superbike champ Ben Bostrom kicked off his first full-time Supersport title push in a decade by winning at Daytona International Speedway. The former World Superbike ace narrowly defeated his teenaged teammate, Josh Herrin, to do so, edging the up-and-coming 17-year-old by a scant 0.012 seconds at the checkered flag. Both riders have proven to be quick in Alabama, with Bostrom finishing third in last year’s Superstock final and Herrin taking the runner-up spot in the Supersport race. Gutsy Performance Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden opened his class title defense with a heroic ride at Daytona, bouncing back from a Superbike qualifying crash that left him with torn ligaments and chipped bones in his left wrist to fight for the lead and ultimately claim third at Daytona. Hayden won the Supersport final at Barber Motorsports Park in 2006. Don’t Forget Last Year’s Winner Erion Honda star Josh Hayes swept the 600cc classes at BMP in ’07, winning both the Supersport and Formula Xtreme finals in convincing fashion. AMA FORMULA XTREME SERIES Back for the Attack Attack Kawasaki teammates Chaz Davies and Steve Rapp gave the team its second consecutive Daytona 200 1-2 finish last month. Like Rapp the year before, UK resident Davies, won the prestigious race in his debut outing for the California-based squad. Last season Rapp backed up his Daytona triumph with a podium result at Barber. Davies, meanwhile, failed to finish in his first trip to Alabama. Out for Redemption (Again) Last season double FX king Josh Hayes made up for his Daytona disappointment by dominating the BMP weekend, claiming the pole position and winning the Formula Xtreme race going away. Hayes finds himself in a similar position this season after the Mississippian saw his picture-perfect ride at Daytona to an apparent victory erased due to a disqualification following the post-race tech inspection. Zemke Back in the Hunt Hayes’ teammate, Jake Zemke, is once again a FX contender after a two-year stint spent focused almost exclusively on the Superbike class. The Californian won his most recent two races in the class at Barber Motorsports Park, claiming victory in both 2004 and 2005. AMA SUPERSTOCK SERIES PRESENTED BY DYNOJET Yates Remains the Favorite Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates is a standout performer at Barber Motorsports Park, having claimed the track’s first-ever Superbike win and taken the last two Superstock victories at the circuit. The Georgian comes into the event already on an early-season roll after opening the year with a pole and win in the Superstock class at Daytona. Young Gun Blake Young made an impressive debut for Team M4 EMGO Suzuki in the ’08 season opener, finishing a close second to Yates, taking the checkered flag just 0.112 seconds behind his vastly more experienced rival. The runner-up result was the first AMA podium of the young Wisconsin native’s career. Young also took a top-five result in the Supersport season opener, adding to his head-turning first weekend with the highly-successful outfit. Coverage on SPEED TV Both rounds of the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited from Birmingham will be telecast nationally on SPEED. The races will be shown back to back on Sunday, April 20 starting with Saturday’s race at 3:00 pm Eastern followed by Sunday’s race broadcast at 5:00 pm. The AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei will be airing at 4:00 pm on Sunday April 20. Coverage of AMA Formula Xtreme and AMA Superstock presented by Dynojet begins at 12 p.m. Tuesday, April 22. Tickets Tickets for the April 18-20, 2008, Honda Superbike Classic are available online at www.barbermotorsports.com or by calling (800) 240-2300. More, from a press release issued by Zoom Motorsports, which manages Barber Motorsports Park: AMA Superbike Racing Returns to Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Ala. April 14, 2008 America’s premier motorcycle road race series, the AMA Superbike Championship, rolls into Barber Motorsports Park April 18-20. Coming from NASCAR’s high banks at Daytona International Speedway, which hosted the series’ opening round, this world-renowned circuit, located just outside Birmingham, Ala., marks the first traditional road course on the series’ 11-event 2008 calendar. It’s also the first of eight Superbike-class doubleheader weekends. Here’s a quick look at the national-championship battles coming to the Park. AMA Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited In addition to claiming the last six Superbike races in Alabama, the factory Suzuki team carries a 27-race AMA Superbike win streak into this weekend. At the Daytona season opener, Suzuki’s six-time AMA Superbike Champion, Mat Mladin outfoxed teammate Ben Spies. This bolstered the Aussie’s all-time records, a 53rd pole and 64th win, which is twice as many victories as the next racer in the record book, Honda’s Miguel Duhamel. AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s winning combination of youth and experience came together to produce a remarkable 1-2 finish in the Supersport season opener. Ben Bostrom, the 1998 AMA Superbike champ, kicked off his first full-time Supersport title push in a decade by losing 14 pounds in the off-season and promptly winning at Daytona. The former World Superbike ace narrowly defeated his teenaged teammate, Josh Herrin, edging the up-and-coming 17-year-old by a scant 0.012 seconds at the checkered flag. AMA Formula Xtreme Attack Kawasaki teammates Chaz Davies and Steve Rapp gave the squad its second consecutive Daytona 200 1-2 finish last month at Daytona. Like Rapp the year before, UK resident Davies won the prestigious race in his debut outing for the California-based outfit. Looking to recover from the heartbreak of his disqualification in the FX-based Daytona 200, defending champ Josh Hayes is out to repeat his Barber performance from last year, where he claimed pole and won the Formula Xtreme race going away. AMA Superstock presented by Dynojet Georgian Aaron Yates is the man to watch here, not only because he won the 2005 title, but especially now that Spies, the 2006 and ’07 champ, is concentrating solely on battling with Mladin for Superbike supremacy. Yates, riding for the Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki team, opened the season with a pole-winning performance and a comfortable win in the Superstock class at Daytona. Another local to watch is former World Superbike Champion, AMA Superbike Champion and three-time AMA Superstock title-holder Scott Russell, from nearby Conyers, Georgia. Seriously injured in a 2001 accident, the man known as Mr. Daytona came out of a six-year retirement and is racing again in the class he once ruled. AMA U.S. Red Bull Rookies Cup Based on the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in Europe, this unique series will make its American debut at Barber. The program was designed to create a level playing field so that the best and the brightest 13- to 16-year-old racers will rise to the top. The kids will compete on identical, purpose-built 125cc KTM race bikes. Event Details What: Round 2 of the 2008 AMA Superbike Championship When: April 18-20, 2008 Where: Barber Motorsports Park, 6040 Barber Motorsports Parkway, Birmingham, AL 35094 Web site: www.barbermotorsports.com Tickets: Charge by phone at 800-240-2300 or order online at www.barbermotorsports.com Kids 12 and under admitted free with an adult Other: On-site attractions include the Barber Motorsports Park Motorcycle Museum, paddock access, fan parade lap, racer autograph session, newly expanded Fan Zone and camping (Please note that some of these on-site attractions include additional fees. Refer to www.barbermotorsports.com for complete details.) About the AMA Superbike Championship The AMA Superbike Championship is the world’s most prestigious, most watched and most successful national stage for Superbike motorcycle competition. The Superbike Championship was created in 1976 to provide a level playing field for motorcycle manufacturers to demonstrate the hard-won engineering achievements incorporated on their state-of-the-art production bikes. This formula has spawned professional race teams and a healthy field of aftermarket parts suppliers that fight tooth and nail to win the series’ various championships. In 2008, the AMA Superbike Championship features four distinct classes; two for highly modified machines””Superbike and Formula Xtreme””and two for near-production versions of these bikes””Supersport and Superstock. For more information, go to www.amaproracing.com. About Barber Motorsports Park and ZOOM Motorsports Barber Motorsports Park opened in the spring of 2003. Since its inception, Zoom Motorsports, LLC has been the exclusive promoter and management team for the events at the Park. The 2.38 mile track is 45 feet wide, with 16 turns and elevation changes of more than 80 feet. Designed by well-known track designer Alan Wilson, the Barber Motorsports Park has been considered one of North America’s finest road courses for car and motorcycle racing. The Park also features the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, a 144,000 square-foot facility that houses more than 1,000 vintage and modern motorcycles from 17 different nations and more than 125 manufacturers. For more information, go to www.barbermotorsports.com.