Editorial Note: Revised official results for Saturday’s 67th Daytona 200 AMA Formula Xtreme race at Daytona International Speedway, reflecting the disqualification of race winner Josh Hayes for technical infractions with his Erion Honda CBR600RR, will not be issued until Monday, March 10, according to AMA Superbike Series Media Manager Eric Putter.
An attempt to reach Josh Hayes via his cell phone mid-day Sunday was not successful.
More, from a press release issued by American Honda:
Daytona 200 winner Josh Hayes disqualified by AMA officials
Josh Hayes was disqualified as the winner of the Daytona 200 by AMA officials after they found his race-winning machine to be in violation of the AMA Road Race rulebook. “We’ve appealed their decision and basically that’s our side of it,” Rick Hobbs, Hayes’ crew chief said. “We’ve appealed the technical inspection and also the penalty, disqualification.” He added, “At this point we’re not going to make any statement on what our version is until we file the appropriate paperwork with them.”
The crankshaft on the race-winning Honda was found to be “polished, surface treated and metal was removed from it,” AMA Pro Racing said in a press release announcing the infraction. “This is in violation of the 2008 AMA rulebook section 5.4.”
The release cites a section of the rulebook which states that for multi-cylinder liquid-cooled machines, homologated crankshaft “may not be altered from the originally homologated model except that the “Bearing surfaces may be polished or surface treated.”
The press release was issued late Saturday night, well after team owner Kevin Erion had left Daytona International Speedway. He was told by a team member of the infraction just before returning to his home in California.
The appeal process begins with the filing, which “must be received at AMA Racing headquarters by 5:00 p.m. on the third business day after notification to the participant via fax, telephone, or mail of the ruling or incident in question,” according to the AMA Road Race rulebook. The appeal board, which is chosen by the Senior Director of Racing, consists of three people “with no material interest in the matter at hand,” the rulebook states. The appeal must take place within 45 days of the incident.
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsports:
Dramatic disqualification hands BMW Duo fifth and sixth!
Well after the post-race celebrations had finished, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport found out that the Formula Xtreme Daytona 200 winner Joshua Hayes had been disqualified because of a technical infringement. So, Chaz Davies (Kawasaki), who finished second, was awarded the victory. This means that BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Richard Cooper and Brian Parriott move up the order to fifth and sixth places respectively. After the news was broadcasted, Berti Hauser (Director of Motorrad Motorsport) said, “The news is fantastic for sure. We were very happy with the results yesterday, so to now get fifth and sixth makes us even more happy and an even bigger reward for all the hard work the whole team have put in this week.”
Results
1. Chaz Davies, Kawasaki, 69 laps 2. Steve Rapp, Kawasaki, 69 laps 3. Larry Pegram, Ducati, 68 laps 4. Martin Cardenas, Suzuki, 68 laps 5. Richard Cooper, BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 67 laps 6. Brian Parriott, BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 67 laps 7. Bobby Fong, Suzuki, 67 laps 8. Bostjan Skubic, Yamaha, 67 laps 9. Steve Atlas, Honda, 66 laps
More, from a press release issued by Jordan Suzuki:
MICHAEL JORDAN MOTOR SPORTS EARNS TOP-TEN FINISHES AT DAYTONA
Aaron Yates Takes Sixth with Teammate Geoff May Tenth
Daytona, FL (March 8, 2008) Michael Jordan Motor Sports Suzuki riders Aaron Yates and Geoff May each earned top-ten finishes in Saturday’s season opener of the AMA Superbike championship at the famed Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.
With a qualifying session time of 1:37.553, Yates, starting from eighth position in the second row, earned a sixth place finish on the difficult race course. His teammate May bettered his starting position by one, finishing tenth in today’s 15 (70k) lap event. May, who rides a Superstock spec Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the Superbike class, qualified with a time of 1:38.634.
“We’re pleased with the results,” said Pete Mauhar, team technical manager. “It’s a great start to the season for the team. We’re leaving Daytona with good points for Aaron and Geoff in both Superstock and Superbike.”
Overnight rainfall and wind gusts of up to 25 mph caused AMA racing officials to delay today’s on-track activities. The early morning Superbike practice session was shortened and rescheduled, and the live television broadcast of the Daytona 200 postponed the Superbike event until 5:00 p.m. EST.
With Michael Jordan in attendance, Yates earned the team’s first win of 2008 in Thursday’s season opener of the AMA Superstock championship. May finished in third place. The AMA Superbike Championship series resumes April 18-20, 2008 at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, AL.
For more information on the Jordan Suzuki team, visit the race team website at www.23race.com. Fans can watch the AMA Superbike Championship series on SpeedTV.
Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motor Sports in 2004 as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. His mission is to bring a new level of excellence and style to the motorcycle racing industry.
More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki:
CARDENAS FOURTH IN DAYTONA 200
Team M4 EMGO Suzuki closed out the 2008 AMA season opener with another fine day at Daytona International Speedway, securing a top-five result in the prestigious Daytona 200 and a top-ten finish in the premier AMA Superbike class.
Martin Cardenas put in a heady and consistent ride aboard his Formula Xtreme-spec GSX-R600 in the grueling 200-miler. While many of his rivals encountered difficulties and were knocked out of contention, the Colombian picked up a healthy allotment of championship points for his efforts.
Cardenas took the checkered flag in fifth position and was later bumped up to fourth following the disqualification of the original race winner.
Last year’s Daytona 200 third-place finisher, Michael Barnes, crashed his Team M4 EMGO Suzuki GSX-R600 on lap 11 and was transferred to Halifax Medical Center.
Blake Young finished his incredible AMA debut weekend as a member of Team M4 EMGO Suzuki with a ninth-place ride in the AMA Superbike final aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000. Young won out in a three-way fight for the position with Geoff May and former World Superbike star Akira Yanagawa.
Earlier in the week Young finished second in the AMA Superstock season opener and fifth in the AMA Supersport race.
Team M4 EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry said, “Top five is always great in the 200 where so much can happen. A lot of guys come out of here with virtually nothing and we still got top five. I can’t complain with that.”
He continued, commenting on Young’s performance, “He had a good weekend, no doubt. He’s still learning and we’re still learning him. We’re very encouraged with Blake. He’s riding really well.”
The next race on the schedule takes place on April 18-20 at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, AL. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki will prepare for the event with a test in the near future.
Perry explained, “We’re going to go test there in about ten days. We’re looking forward to hopefully having some decent weather so we can have a successful and beneficial test and be ready to go when the race weekend comes. We always look forward to Barber. It’s close to home and we hope we can do well there.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki:
ULRICH FOURTH IN DAYTONA SUPERSTOCK
Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki opened their 2008 AMA Superstock campaign in stellar fashion at Daytona International Speedway. Chris Ulrich and Robertino Pietri guided their Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000s to a pair of top-ten finishes, including Ulrich’s fourth-place result, equaling Pietri’s finish last season at Miller Motorsports Park as the best AMA result in team history.
The Californian Ulrich had to battle hard to earn his top-five placing, nearly running off course at the start of the second lap and dropping to tenth position. Ulrich sliced his way back up the pack in the short 13-lap contest and finally found himself in a late-race dogfight to the checkered flag with Michael Barnes and Chris Peris.
Ulrich moved into fourth with just over two laps to go and held strong thanks to some successful high banks strategy. He took the flag just fractions of a second ahead of his rivals, 0.04 seconds ahead of Peris and 0.047 seconds ahead of Barnes.
Venezuelan Pietri got his season off to a solid start as well, claiming eighth place just over two seconds behind Ulrich. Pietri showed his speed during the race, posting the fifth-best lap of the race at 1:39.114.
Following his fantastic season opening ride, Ulrich was in a positive mood while reviewing the race and looking ahead to the rest of the season.
He said, “I came through at the end of the first lap and almost ran off the track. I was all the way out on the white paint in Turn 1. I got a big draft and I thought that I was in big trouble. Then I started passing people, one guy here, one guy there. All of the sudden I was past Peris and saw Barnes. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m catching Barnes and I’m catching the leaders too.’
“I got Barnes and just put my head down really hoping he’d hold Peris up. I got by him and saw +0 on my board. I looked back going to the white flag and thought, ‘If he doesn’t pass me now, he’s not passing.’ In the infield and in the chicane I just made sure I got a really good drive. Peris pulled up next to me but I pulled it down to the yellow line. He wasn’t getting by. Right at the line I felt someone sucking on my draft but we just got to the line first. It was close but we got fourth. It was a great finish.
“It’s very good to start the season on a high note. The crew was very happy. I ran really fast the entire time. It’s taken me a while to get back to the level where I feel I should be but I’m very optimistic about the season. I changed a lot of things during the winter and I feel pretty good. In ’06 we were hoping for top tens, last year it was top fives, and now we feel we will be fighting for podiums and the top three in the championship.”
Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki will head to Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, AL for the second round of the 2008 AMA Superstock Championship on April 20-22.
More, from a revised press release issued by Pirelli:
Pirelli Wins and Sweeps Daytona 200 from First to Sixth
Rome, Georgia: Pirelli pulled off an absolutely perfect, totally dominating finish in the 67th Daytona 200 by winning, sweeping the podium, and taking all of the top-six places. By supplying the best tires to the best teams with the best riders and equipment, Pirelli bested the rest in the Daytona 200 with four different brands of motorcycles: Kawasaki, Ducati, Suzuki and BMW.
Attack Kawasaki defended its Daytona 200 crown with Chaz Davies riding his ZX-6R to first place while teammate, and last year’s winner of the Daytona 200, Steve Rapp took second place. Next in line in the AMA Formula Xtreme class of the 200 were Pegram Racing’s Larry Pegram on a Ducati 848 in third, rounding out the podium, and Martin Cardenas in fourth on an M4 EMGO Suzuki GSX-R600. Completing Pirelli’s top-six sweep were the two BMW HP2 Sports of Richard Cooper and Brian Parriott.
While the top four finishers started the race from the front rows, both BMW HP2 Sport riders came up from the middle of the grid for their top-six finishes. Richard Cooper, from the United Kingdom, finished fifth after qualifying 26 out of the field of 69 riders on his BMW Motorrad prepared bike. Brian Parriott’s stunning ride to sixth place for the BMW AG/Mersoleil Wine/San Jose BMW team was achieved from his 33rd starting position on the inside of row nine of the grid. Both of these BMW factory efforts were overseen by team manager Bertie Hauser.
Davies said, “One thing I tried working on this year was exiting the pits. I watched video of last year’s race and saw that I wasn’t being aggressive enough there so I made sure to run faster through the long pit exit. During the race it’s hard to figure out exactly where you are with the other riders around you.”
Rapp, second-place finisher in the 2007 FX championship, said, “We had a new team but everything went quite well, except for a miscue with one of our pit stops when I was sent back out. I still got on the podium again so that’s the main thing. The tires are even better than last year so the season looks good.”
Pegram said, “We considered whether or not we could do the race in one stop. Fortunately, the team called me in and the bike was running out so I’m glad we did that or we wouldn’t have made it.”
Pirelli’s historic sweep of first through sixth in the Daytona 200, with the Diablo Superbike Slicks, follows on the heels of last year’s sweep of the podium.
In the AMA Superbike race run late in the day due to early morning winds, Pirelli rider Blake Young finished first amongst riders on Superstock-spec bikes, taking ninth overall for the M4 EMGO Suzuki team. Ninth also put Young in front of some factory Superbike riders. Rounding out the top 15 was Chris Ulrich, again this week showing the consistency of his performance. Pirelli heads to the next race at Barber Motorsports Park with four podium finishes under its laurels for the 2008 season after just one event. And again with ownership of the biggest race of the season.