Triumph Big Kahuna Miami/GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Homestead-Miami Speedway Homestead, Florida September 21, 2012 Provisional Qualifying Session One Results (all on Dunlop tires): 1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R6), 1:24.645 2. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R600), 1:25.794 3. Jake Gagne (Yam YZF-R6), 1:25.901 4. Jason DiSalvo (Tri Daytona 675R), 1:25.978 5. Bobby Fong (Yam YZF-R6), 1:26.148 6. Dane Westby (Suz GSX-R600), 1:26.156 7. Tommy Aquino (Yam YZF-R6), 1:26.310 8. Jake Zemke (Duc 848EVO), 1:26.417 9. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6), 1:26.592 10. Joey Pascarella (Suz GSX-R600), 1:26.928 11. Cory West (Suz GSX-R600), 1:27.270 12. David Gaviria (Yam YZF-R6), 1:27.305 13. Austin Dehaven (Yam YZF-R6), 1:27.377 14. Michael Beck (Yam YZF-R6), 1:27.923 15. Barrett Long (Duc 848EVO), 1:27.944 16. Shane Narbonne (Yam YZF-R6), 1:27.948 17. Benny Solis (Yam YZF-R6), 1:27.986 18. Nicollas Ferreira (Yam YZF-R6), 1:28.192 19. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R6), 1:28.200 20. Huntley Nash (Yam YZF-R6), 1:28.230 21. Fernando Amantini (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:28.636 22. Kenny Riedmann (Tri Daytona 675R), 1:29.464 23. Melissa Paris (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.028 24. Kris Turner (Tri Daytona 675R), 1:31.475 More, from a press release issued by GEICO Suzuki: Another strong start for GEICO Suzuki pro Cardenas, this time in Miami HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Sept. 21) — The penultimate event of the 2012 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series has arrived at Homestead-Miami Speedway and championship points leader Martin Cardenas already has established himself as a favorite. Cardenas opened qualifying for the Triumph Big Kahuna Miami with a steady 1:25.745 lap around the 14-turn, 2.21-mile circuit, good enough for the second slot in the provisional field of the GoPro Daytona SportBike category. Cameron Beaubier was first with a 1:24.645. “I did what I could; there was no holding back,” said Cardenas, who holds a hefty 76-point lead in the standings. “We only used one set of tires that session to see if they could go the distance so there were no big times coming from our team at the end of the session. I just rode the course and found a comfortable line.” Weather always is a factor in South Florida, although despite some heavy cloud cover at times it remained mostly rain-free throughout the day. “The weather was a little unstable both times out but we managed to get some dry time on the track and work on some things,” Cardenas said. “We changed rear shocks between practice and qualifying and it seemed to respond. I think there is more to get and perhaps we can improve. “If it’s dry in the morning then I think the top group of riders will all be quicker. It’s hard to tell what will happen. The humidity changes can be very dramatic here. I know the GEICO Suzuki team will be prepared for anything that might come our way.” Qualifying resumes with a second and final session at 8:50 a.m., Saturday, which will set the field for both races. Race 1 takes place at 2 p.m., Saturday, with Race 2 slated for 2:15 p.m., Sunday. SPEED TV will carry all the action. More, from a press release issued by LTD Racing: IMPROVEMENT THE GOAL FOR LTD RACING AND HUNTLEY NASH AT HOMESTEAD Homestead, FL (September 21, 2012) LTD Racing and Huntley Nash kicked off the Homestead AMA Pro weekend on Friday. Nash finished the first session 13th after running inside the top ten despite mixed weather conditions and then qualified 20th in the afternoon session despite some technical issues. Nash, a promising young racer and three-time winner in the SuperSport class, was frustrated at not reaching his targeted lap times after the session. “I have raced at Homestead before and I know what lap times I should be doing,” he said. “We’ll regroup and try to do better tomorrow.” Nash’s goal for the season has been to gain more experience running with the lead pack. In several races, he’s been able to do that, notably at Road America. At Homestead, the 20 year-old is faced with running in AMA Pro’s deepest field. Huntley will attempt to improve his starting position at the 2.2-mile, 14-turn infield circuit on Saturday morning for the DSB doubleheader. Races are Saturday and Sunday. More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer: ULRICH AND M4 SUZUKI QUALIFY SIXTH ON FRIDAY AT HOMESTEAD Team Hammer came out swinging on Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway to open the penultimate round of the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing season in fine fashion. The team’s four riders spread across three divisions were all solidly on the pace today, notching up provisional second row grid positions across the board. The day was particularly encouraging in the premier AMA Pro Superbike class where M4 Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich led the way, posting the sixth best time of the session at 1:23.823. The Californian made the most of the available dry track time, throwing down his quick lap in the session’s early stages before the skies opened up. Ulrich’s strong effort was backed up by that of Roberto Pietri, who secured the outside of Row 2 on the provisional Superbike order with a lap of 1:24.172 on the Team Venezuela GSX-R1000. Ulrich said, “We made a big step from the morning to the afternoon. We got out early and had a little bit of luck with the weather, but it’s not like the guys right ahead of us are light years ahead. It’s good to be competitive. “It’s fun to be on the middle of the second row — it’s not like I just squeaked on. It’s all positive. The bike settings are quite good, and I’ve just got to ride the thing. It’s taken me all year to get to this point. I spent the entire month of August doing what I would have done in December last year if I would have been healthy. We’re fit and hopefully all the hard work will pay off. Racing is a lot more fun when you’re up front.” Ulrich’s M4 Suzuki teammate, Dane Westby, was equally strong on Friday, placing sixth in the day’s Daytona SportBike qualifying session at 1:26.156. The Oklahoman is looking to solidify his current runner-up ranking in the SportBike points standings this weekend by adding to his tally of eight ’12 podium results. Suzuki SportBikeTrackTime.com’s Elena Myers registered a similar performance in the SuperSport class by qualifying seventh best provisionally. The two-time SuperSport race winner stopped the clocks at 1:26.825 on Friday aboard her GSX-R600 racebike. Team Hammer will look to transform Friday’s promising start into season-best results come Saturday’s race action at Homestead-Miami Speedway.