It Doesn’t Get Much Better Than Winning for Benny Solis, Jr. Kennesaw, Georgia Young Benny Solis, Jr. puts in as much seat time as possible in an effort to gain experience and further his budding racing career, and last weekend’s WERA GNF at Road Atlanta gave Solis plenty of experience with winning. On Saturday of the race weekend Solis competed in the Sportsman Series Final , winning the championship for the Regional run-offs in the C Superstock Expert and C Superbike classes. “It was a fun battle between Hayden (Gillim), Garrett (Gerloff) and me through most of the first race in 600 Superstock,” said Solis of Saturday’s racing, “I was trying my best to play it smart and once Garrett and I got past Hayden I put my head down and led the rest of the race. Garrett was running really strong the entire race and it was a hard last lap but it was a lot of fun!” On Sunday Solis won the 600 Superstock Expert class, taking home the National Championship in that class. Also on Sunday Solis won the 600 Superbike Expert class which, placing him second in that Championship. “Garrett and I were both racing for the Championship in the 600 Superstock Expert,” reflected Solis, “I knew it was going to be a tough race but my Graves Yamaha R6 was running stronger than ever and my set up was perfect so I knew I had a good chance at the win.” Solis went on to thank Kyle Guglielmetti Perry Melneciuc and Rick Boyles for their hard work and excellent set up on his motorcycle. In addition to his sprint race duties Solis made an appearance in Friday’s Four-Hour WERA National Endurance race on the P1A / SE Composites machine along with Ed Sullivan and place second in the Mediumweight class and fourth overall. Graves Motorsports is a leading motorcycle sport bike parts and accessories manufacturer. Graves Motorsports produces exhaust systems, fender eliminator kits, frame sliders, velocity stacks, engine case covers, engine performance and the leading resource for Dynojet Power Commander + accessories. Graves Motorsports has two locations: Van Nuys, California and Kennesaw, Georgia. www.gravesport.com More, from a press release issued by Paul Allison’s publicist: PAUL ALLISON WRAPS AMA PRO ROOKIE SEASON WITH TOP 5 FINISH West Chester, PA A fourth place finish at AMA Pro Racing’s season finale at Barber Motorsports Park was icing on the cake for Paul Allison as he continues his ascent through the ranks of competitors in the AMA Daytona Sportbike class. The last race weekend of the 2010 season started out with uncertainty for the team when, at the beginning of the first race on Saturday, Paul’s bike was inadvertently forced off the track in a Turn 1 incident. Sunday’s race in the rain was a completely different story. Paul got an excellent restart after a series of incidents had stopped the session with a red flag. He quickly moved up into 6th position, where he then exchanged passes with Cardenas and West to finish taking the checkered flag in 4th position. “The crew worked really hard to get the bike back together in time for Sunday’s race. I’m glad I was able to deliver the result they deserve”, said Allison. Overall, the team is extremely pleased with their performance this season. In this, his first year in pro competition, Paul has achieved multiple top 10 qualifying spots and multiple top 10 finishes. “Our goal for this season was to get up front and gain experience riding with the leaders, and we accomplished that. I had a lot of fun dicing with the top guys in the class.” Paul now feels an AMA podium is within reach, and is currently exploring growth opportunities with top AMA teams and sponsors for the 2011 season. Paul Allison Racing wishes to recognize and thank all current sponsors who have made this season’s success possible: Chronic Motorsports, chronicmotorsports.com Fast Bike Industries, fastbikeindustries.com Graves Motorsports, gravesport.com Dunlop tires, dunlopracing.com Arai helmets, araihelmets.com Heroic leathers, heroicracing.com Sidi boots, motonation.com Woodcraft, woodcraft-cfm.com Armour bodies, woodcraft-cfm.com Team pro motion, teampromotion.com Moto-heaven, moto-heaven.com Chicken Hawk tire warmers, chickenhawkracing.com More, from a press release issued by Vesrah Suzuki: VESRAH SUZUKI’S NICK MCFADDEN IS THE 2010 USGPRU MORIWAKI MD250H NATIONAL CHAMPION. Vesrah Suzuki development rider Nick McFadden wrapped up his successful 2010 season with the USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H National Championship and 3rd place in the 2010 USGPRU Moto3 National Championship. Nick had the same final standings in these classes for the USGPRU East Coast championships. Consistent riding with Nick finishing on the podium in over 77% of the Moriwaki MD250H races he competed in led the way to this title. In the Moto3 class Nick finished lower then 5th place only one time in 7 events and was on the podium 3 times. Mark Junge Team Owner Vesrah Suzuki “I’m proud of Nick capturing the USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H National Championship in his first attempt. It has been a pleasure to work with Nick and his family this year and I’m looking forward to our continued relationship with Nick as the Vesrah Suzuki Development Rider. I have to thank Tray Batey and Tony Pogue for the effort they put forth in supporting Nick this year.” Nick McFadden #195 Vesrah Suzuki “I am so excited to be the National Champion for the Moriwaki class for 2010. The trophy is so big and I keeping looking at it and thinking how cool it is!” “I tried to stay consistent with my finishes all year, stay healthy and make all the events so that I could try to contend for the points championship, but I had a lot of help. The Vesrah Suzuki team members who worked with my bikes had our equipment working well all year, and with Tray Batey as my crew chief and coach, I was able to learn a lot about my bike and studying the racetracks. I am thankful to Mark Junge for the opportunity to run with this team – it was a struggle for them to run an AMA program and keep me going in the USGPRU. Thanks to Tony Pogue for helping me finish out the season at Miller Motorsports Park, filling in for Tray.” “Also, I would like to thank the USGPRU – East and West Coast officials, the Vesrah team sponsors, my Mom and Dad and my brother and sister who give up many things so I can race. And thanks to our friend, Danny Freels, who gives support and help to my race program. All of these people and many more help make it possible for me to race.” Vesrah Suzuki and Nick McFadden want to thank all of their sponsors for their support for the 2010 season Vesrah, American Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Drink, Nielsen Enterprises Suzuki, West Side Heavy Hauling Inc, Dunlop Tires, Traxxion Dynamics Fork Components, Arai Helmets, Graves Motorsports, Hotbodies Racing Bodywork, Sudco Int., Bazzaz, Factory Pro, Maxima Racing Oils, Vortex, DID Chain, Penske Racing Shocks, GPR Stabilizers, Trek Bicycles, GP Tech, Active & Road Rage Designs More, from a press release issued by Team Tuned: Back to Back Race Weekends for Team Tuned Team Tuned Race Review – USPGRU and BMRC Race Weekends in October Team Tuned Motorcycle Racing’s riders Bruce Degrilla Jr and Cody Sousa-Saints were accompanied by Andrew Decosta as they travelled to Salt Lake City, Utah to compete in the final round of the USGPRU National Championship over October 8-10, 2010. It has been a very busy few weeks for these racers as they competed in the local BMRC Championship on October 3rd prior to leaving for the international race as well as competing this past Sunday, October 17, 2010 upon their return to island! USGPRU Finals at Miller Motorsports Park – Overview Bruce, Cody and Andrew competed within 3 race categories in the USGPRU event during October 9th and 10th. The riders rode Honda Moriwaki 250cc four-stroke race machines in all their races for the events competing against several specifications of race bikes. The final event attracted quite a large field within a few categories which proved to be very exciting for the riders. Miller Motorsports Park is one of the largest race facilities in the United States with a race course measuring almost 4.6miles in total distance. The Bermudian young men competed in 6 lap sprint races which would total over 35 miles in distance including their warm-up and cool-down laps; longer than the total length of Bermuda! It was a great experience for Andrew, Bruce and Cody as they continue their adaptation to competing on an international stage. BMRC Round 12 at Bermuda Motorsports Park – Overview Upon returning back to Bermuda’s beautiful sub-tropical weather Bruce and Cody were back to business in their local campaigns for the BMRC National Championship Series. Both riders were accompanied by their team mates Shae Darrell and Kewuan Gilbert competing in the 12th round of the BMRC Championship. Climate changes on island gave all riders slight issues with the cooler air and ground temperature reducing the grip level compared to the summer months. Shae Darrel, who has clenched the GP70 Championship with two rounds to spare, competed in his first official race in the GP80 classification in early preparations for his 2011 championship challenge. Following the completion of the 12th Round of the BMRC National Championship Series the team has already won 1 National Championship whilst leading another with a total of 43 wins and 80 podium finishes in 2010. The final round of the BMRC National Championship Series is scheduled for October 31, 2010 and will be held at the Bermuda Motorsports Park in Southside, St. Davids. We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their dedication and support of our program: Capital G, Zurich, CellularONE, Bermuda Custom Mechanical, Autobahn Accessories, Tuff Dogs and Sub Zero. If you are interested in supporting our youth development program feel free to contact us at [email protected] for more details. Follow Team Tuned on Facebook with live race updates, race reports, photo galleries and more! More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Canada: Roadracing World Young Gun Royce McLean on the Yamaha R6 wins all 3 Western Canadian Championships and 4 regional championships in 2010. Young Gun Royce McLean on a very tight budget, had a great season and accomplished the following championship titles in 2010, 2010 Western Canadian Expert Superbike Champion 2010 Western Canadian Expert 600 SuperSport Champion 2010 Western Canadian Expert Open SuperSport (1000cc) Champion 2010 EMRA Expert Superbike Champion 2010 EMRA Expert 600 SuperSport Champion 2010 EMRA Expert Open Sportbike (1000cc) Champion 2010 CMRA Middleweight Sportbike (600cc) Champion Note: The Western Canadian Championship was comprised of a 6 race series with double headers at Edmonton AB, Calgary AB, and Mission BC. The EMRA is the Edmonton Motorcycle Racing Association and CMRA is the Calgary Motorcycle Racing Association. Royce McLean is the 2008 USGPRU 125 Grand Prix West Coast Series Champion, he finished 2nd place in the 2008 US 125 Grand Prix National Championship Series and was on the podium for every 2008 USGPRU 125 race with no crashes. In 2009 at age 14 Royce returned to Canada and rode the R6 for the Yamaha Canada factory team in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship Series. With Royce’s tremendous progress on the R6 he was asked to race again in Canada, but due to the economy Yamaha discontinued their factory team for 2010. Royce riding his Dunlop shod Yamaha R6 continued with his development in Western Canada and 2010 proved to be another successful season. Royce who is now 16, is looking to continue racing in Canada for local seat time and planning to return to the USA to race in the AMA. Royce is currently looking for 2011 opportunities and sponsorship. For further information please go to www.roycemclean.com or contact Royce at [email protected] Royce would like to thank his following sponsors: Yamaha Canada, Arai Helmets America, Dunlop Tires, Spyke Leathers, Evan Steel Performance, Ferodo Brakes, Armour Bodies, Seitzco Motorsports, Yamalube, Bickle Tire Warmers, VP Racing Fuel, Kustom Auto Body, Full Bore Marketing, OTSFF, World Wide Bearings, Friesen Plastics, Data Control Management Solutions, Sport-Sight Innovations, LRX Performance, Progressive Fighting Academy, Sports Science Institute, Chiropractic Central. More, from a press release issued by Nadine Lajoie’s publicist: INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER & AUTHOR TAKES HER PASSION OF LIFE TO THE TRACK Press Release In the male dominated arena of competitive high-speed motorcycle racing Nadine Lajoie is holding her own. A natural survivor and fighter, Nadine isn’t one to back down to any challenge. That includes competing in three races in a row, on an unfamiliar course, with severe cold symptoms. The weekend at Street of Willow Springs Raceway defines what Nadine has been about her whole life. By herself, without a crew team to help her, Nadine loaded her bikes up on her trailer and headed up with one goal in mind, giving it her all. Even though this would only be her second effort on this track, she knew it would be a great chance to showcase and hone her skills even more. While keeping her mind focused on the task at hand, her body was fighting off fatigue and the threats of a cold. ” I wasn’t feeling good, and wanted to go home, but didn’t want to give up before starting”, Nadine said about preparing for the races. Still feeling the lingering consumption of a long work week and not being at her top optimum strength, Nadine began learning the track, practicing all day Friday and Saturday. Once she was able to get a good feel for how to approach each race, she was ready for the real races on Sunday and the insanely grueling task of three races in a row. In the Formula 2 race, she placed 8th, her best result for the weekend. Following that,she finished top 10 coming in 9th in the Formula 40 lightweight race. She concluded her day with a 10th place finish in the 600 Modified Production, and capturing her fastest time, finishing almost a whole 3 seconds faster than her Saturday practice time. “It was a good weekend overall. I had no crashes and I went at it despite no feeling good going into the weekend”, Nadine stated afterwards about her weekend efforts. Nadine’s efforts on the track are indicative of her personality and her life’s mission. Even though she holds a deep love for racing, it is not her only passion and dream. Recently Nadine finished her first book Win The Race Of Life, which compares life to the racetrack, sharing her secrets of success in personal growth and business. It’s currently under revisions by two publishers, but is available for pre-order at [email protected]. You can also register for FREE, at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/291887030 , for her influential coaching session, of October 26th. To learn about Nadine, her work, her past, her mission, upcoming races, and future projects, like her written collaboration with global speaking icon Les Brown, please visit www.NadineRacing.com. Merci à tous mes commanditaires / Thanks to all my sponsors Catalyst Reaction, Suomy, Bridgestone, Peak Investments, Importations Thibault, OK Pneus Médé, Notaire Jean-Guy Savard, Lajoie des Finances, Action Motosport, Elka, Xsura, etc… Nadine Lajoie #711 More, from a press release issued by 15-year-old Lex Hartl: Hi this is Lex Hartl I am writing you to tell you how I did with USGPRU Nationals at Miller Motor Sports Park, full course, on 10/11/10. This was a good race weekend, we just needed a little bit more luck. We had 2 days of practice. The first day of practice started cold. I had to go out anyway to learn the part of the track I had not done in previous races. At the end of Saturday I was fastest by a tenth of a second. That is practically nothing on a track so big and on a cold day. I think the day was very productive because I had never done turns 7,8,9 and I got a chance. The 2nd day of practice was good. We had the Moriwaki race that day. I qualified 4th, which was on the front row. I went out on my own in qualifying. I wish I had a chance to see what the other riders were doing, it probably would have improved the lap times. The Moriwaki race: this race was a fun race. I got 3rd. Me and number 85 were battling for first the whole race. It came down to the last 3 corners on the last lap 85 got in my draft. Going into the corner he was trying to make a pass on the brakes. We got on the brakes and as I was making my downshift, and I had a miss-shift, which pitched me sideways. Number 85 and 22 got by. I was bummed. I knew I could have had that race. 125GP: This was an OK race. I rode pretty well. I was battling for second with number 5 and number 127. I was in 3rd behind 127 going into turn one and for some reason number 127 grabbed an unbelievable amount of brakes to the point where I almost hit him. I was forced to run off the track. I had to finish the race 4th. In this race, I think what I could have done better was the transition between turn 11 to 12. I was slowing down too much instead of making that a quick transition. I was not making a quick transition because I did not have enough reference points. Even though I came 4th I ran the second fastest lap times behind the Aprilia of number 85. The next race was Moto3. I rode real well, We just needed better luck :(. I was battling for 2nd with number 5 Aprilia. Number 127 did not race but he was on the grid sheet. I wanted to race him again. Number 5 and I were battling the whole race until the last lap. We came up on some traffic – I had a few bikelengths on number 5. I went outside the traffic but the rider stood up in the corner and I was forced wide. Number 5 being a great rider took the chance ad passed us both on the inside. I had to finish 3rd but ran the second fastest times again. Overall this weekend went OK. All we needed was a little more luck. I think what I could have done better in the 125 was the transition from 11 to 12. I needed to make sure I had enough reference points. Until the moto3 racebikes were squeezing up to me in there. I would like to thank: Anscari Nadal Estape from Edna Racing for making my 125 as fast as the Aprilia 125s Tony Romo for servicing my Moriwaki Ben Solis our main tuner and friend from EBA racing California Superbike School California Cycle Design Race Tech Suspension Honda of Santa Monica DUNLOP Tires Arai Helmets Dainese Leathers Impact Armor F & L Fuel Galfer Brakes Motul Lubricants Power stands racing (PSR) Sharkskins body work The Track Club Fastrack Riders Zero Gravity And USGPRU for all of their time putting on a great event as usual.