HOLDEN RACES TO THE LIME, TAKES POLE POSITION AND SECOND IN BARBER SUPERSTOCK RACE. Corona Extra Honda Racing and rider Jake Holden had a big weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, taking his Honda CBR1000RR to second place in the SuperStock event after putting the lime green Honda on Pole position. Team mate Matt Lynn backed this up with a creditable ninth in the second SuperBike race, in with the factory bikes. The weekend started well for the Team with both Matt and Jake up to speed in only the second race weekend ever for the brand new 2008 CBR1000RR. Matt finally got the Honda onto the third row in twelfth right next to the number 17 Factory Honda. The big news for the weekend was Jake putting the Corona SuperStock bike into pole position – the first time in many years that a Honda has been top of the grid for the class. Jake called his bike “Spectacular” and credited his crew for getting it so good in such a short time. He had not been able to test at the track last month, waiting on parts for the bike, so had his work cut out to get up to speed! In the first SuperBike race of the Doubleheader weekend, Matt got a good start and was in the thick of the factory bikes, holding a solid 10th position after seven laps when his gearshift linkage snapped in half, forcing him into the pits for a replacement. He rejoined the race a couple of laps down and soldiered on but was unable to make up much time by the end of the race, settling for nineteenth. It was terrific to see the Corona Extra Honda at the front of the SuperStock field and garnering the media attention the only Honda in the race and right at the top! Jake’s start had him third after the first lap. He quickly put his head down and took the lead on lap two. He led the race for nine laps pulling away from the field with the exception of Aaron Yates who put on a spirited ride and chased him down on lap ten. Jake didn’t give up and hounded Yates until the last lap when a couple of back markers took away his chance of passing Yates, leaving him two seconds down at the flag. He was ecstatic however with his second place finish, coming right after finishing 13th at Daytona. Jake said: “I didn’t get a good start but took off pretty good after that. My crew has been working really hard on the bike and it’s really great now. Not testing here probably made the difference in the race but Aaron rode really hard and deserved to win. I can’t wait for the rest of the season!” Holden is currently lying fourth in the SuperStock Championship. In the second SuperBike race, Lynn worked his way up to tenth on lap six and then had a race long battle with Geoff May, finally getting the better of him on lap 22 and taking advantage of Hacking dropping out to take ninth. Lynn is currently eleventh in the SuperBike championship. More from a press release issued by Kenwood Rim Racing: Kenwood Rim Racing’s Formula Xtreme rider Mike Morgan dislocated his left hip during qualifying for the race at Barber. Morgan was out on a hot lap and highsided exiting turn 5. Morgan was transferred to the University of Alabama Birmingham for initial treatment and there were no signs of anything broken. Morgan will follow up with a specialist after returning home in Indiana. More, from a press release issued by H-D of Macon Racing: Rider Report – Payton Sassaman AMA Superbike at Barber Motorsports Thursday Promotor Practice I had a little bit of the pre-race jitters going on. The last two sessions though, I did some good lap times by myself, a 1:32.?? so I ended the day pretty happy. Friday AMA Practice and FX Qualifying I got a good nights sleep on Thursday so I was good and ready for Friday, I really wanted to put the hammer down and drop my lap times. ` In qualifying, I shook out the pre-race jitters and dropped about 2 seconds, a 1:30.3, so I was pretty satisfied, I qualified 12th in Formula Extreme; a 3rd row start! Saturday Supersport Qualifying and FX Race Supersport Qualifying went alright, yet I really wanted to get into the 1:29’s. I did a low 30 and qualified 19th. Our original plan was to use the Formula Extreme practice and qualifying for track time for our Supersport effort, but due to me having such a good qualifying result, it was a sure thing for me to do the Formula Extreme race. I got a really good start, I caught a Suzuki-supported rider and passed him, yet I almost tucked the front in turn 4, so that set me back a little bit, and I couldn’t get close enough to set him up for a pass again. All in all, my crew and I were ecstatic to get my first top 10 in my 2nd AMA race ever. As far as lap times, I ran consistant 1:29’s, with my fastest time being a 1:29.77. I think that this finish will only better me and give me more confidence for the next races. Sunday Supersport Race I felt really good going into the Supersport race, I had a great FX race, the weather was perfect, and I was ready. I was gridded on the 5th row, at 19th. I got a good start, but really got through turn 1 and 2 good. I got stuck behind two riders early, then I continued to pick off positions and ended up 14th, with my fastest lap time of a 1:29.59. I was really happy with my weekend as a whole, a top 10 and top 15 in my 2nd AMA Pro weekend ever, I felt that I grew as a racer and really did learn a lot in the past 4 days. Also it’s a great feeling to have a lot of support behind me, with not only sponsors, but family and friends too. I hope that I represent myself and them in a good manner. More, from another press release issued by H-D of Macon Racing: AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport Round 2 Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds AL April, 3-5 RIDER REPORT: Brett Sassaman #180 Thursday Promoter Practice Thursday’s Promoter Practice was a productive day for us, as we dropped 3 seconds from our best lap time at Barber in last year’s WERA race. By the end of the day we were both in the 1.32’s and I had a few tenth’s on Payton. Friday Supersport Practice I dropped another second from Thursday’s best, and was now at a 1.31. With ten minutes remaining in the session my bike started running on 3 cyclinders and I pulled in. While my crewchief Chuck Giacchetto diagnosed the problem and changed spark plugs, the session ended and Payton eclipsed my lap time. Saturday Supersport Qualifying We made a gearing change to carry more speed mid-corner. I was having a chatter problem in turn 5, that we couldn’t work out with changes to the suspension settings (we now know it was caused by a slipper clutch failure). I was not happy with my qualifying position-25th. But, I was confident in my starting ablilty, and looking forward to a good result. Sunday Supersport Race The Supersport race was a heart breaker for me. I got a good jump off the line from Row 6, passed two riders on the outside in the carousel, and was on Payton’s wheel when I noticed my clutch slipping on the exit of turn 5. By the time I got to the chicane the clutch was gone, and my race was over. It’s unfortunate, but that’s how things go sometimes, I’m really looking forward to our next event. I feel like it would have been a good race, as my fastest lap of the weekend came in the Sunday morning warm up a 1.30.05 which was right there with Payton’s race times. Congratulations to Payton on his Formula Xtreme top ten and Supersport 14th place finish. This morning in the race shop Chuck discovered 2 broken clutch plates causing the slipper clutch failure. I want to thank my team, sponsors, family, and friends for their support . More, from a press release issued by Rockwall Honda: GOBERT SIXTH IN BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK FORMULA XTREME Leeds, Alabama (April 22, 2008) — Aaron Gobert finished sixth in the Barber Motorsports Park Formula Xtreme race last weekend in the second AMA Formula Xtreme race of the year. Gobert rode a measured and steady race, rising from tenth place on the first lap of the 16-lap final. He held off an assault from current class champion Josh Hayes and Danny Eslick to finish at the lead of a three-rider pack. The Pro Honda Oils Supersport race saw Gobert finish 16th in the final. “I’m disappointed with our results because we expect to run at the very front, but the team is working hard and we have some ideas for Fontana,” said Gobert, a former AMA champion. “The engine was much better at this race and we’ve made some good progress in this area. We had a meeting with everyone after the race and we have some good ideas to try at California Speedway. We’re going to try a new set-up for at Fontana and I know the team and I are working hard to find some more speed. We’re up for the challenge.” “It was a learning weekend for us,” said Rockwall Honda crewchief Gary Medley. “I think we definitely learned some things and we have a lot more to learn at this point in time. Before this race, we did some work with the engine and found some improvements. Now we need to find the ‘sweet spot’ of the settings and give Aaron the best bike we possibly can. Some of the things we need to do are in the suspension area. We’re trying to improve and we’ll work on that at Fontana. Our rider is putting in his full efforts to get where we want to be and the team is, too.” Gobert and Rockwall Honda will next race at California Speedway this weekend. More, from a press release issued by Safety First Racing: Safety First Suzuki switches tire manufacturers heading into Barber Safety First Suzuki headed to round two of the AMA Superbike Series armed with their new 2008 Suzuki GSXR 600’s. Team owner, Kevin Hanson, explained what’s been happening at the race shop since Daytona. “It’s been absolutely nuts! We received our new bikes less than a month ago and everybody on the team has really been working long hours getting them ready. The week before Barber we went to Texas to test at Cressen on Thursday and Friday. That was a nightmare getting there because American Airlines cancelled half of our flights. Bobby had to catch a red eye with 3 connecting flights to make it Thursday. Bob and I had to road trip 16 hours in the Sprinter van through severe thunderstorms all night long to make it to Cressen. There simply weren’t any flights available to get to Dallas which is American’s main hub,” explained Hanson. “At Cresson, we were supposed to be testing the new Michelins that we’ve been waiting for since before Daytona. Michelin wasn’t able to provide us with the new fronts that we were looking for in providing more front end feel,” explained Hanson. “I really enjoy working with Ron Wood and the Michelin guys. However, Michelin couldn’t guarantee when the new stuff would be here. I think it comes down to Ron’s hands are really tied in what Michelin will send from overseas. After testing Pirelli’s, I made the tough decision to switch tire manufacturers. Bobby was immediately fast on the Pirelli’s and Gabor currently races on them in Europe,” stated Hanson. Upon arriving at Barber, Bobby and Gabor were quickly up to speed. Bobby had dipped into the 28’s by Saturday with Gabor right behind him. Qualifying went pretty well with Bobby qualifying 14th and Gabor struggled a little bit and qualified 16th. Supersport Race Results: Bobby Fong 12th Gabor Rizmayer 13th At the start of the race, Bobby settled into a good battle with Garret Carter, Aaron Gobert, Michael Beck and Gabor. “When I was behind Carter I could see that he was pushing the front and spinning the rear everwhere on the track, At that point, I just sat behind him for awhile and decided where I wanted to make my pass because we had lost touch with the group in front of us. I got around him with a few laps to go and just soldered on to the finish. I’m little disappointed in my finish because I made a wrong rear tire choice,” commented Bobby. I really like the Pirelli’s and just need to get used to them a little more and get better at tire selection. I’ve really got a lot of confidence in the front and how hard I can push it” stated Fong. “I thought it was an ok race for me,” stated Rizmayer. “I need to qualify better so I am not so far back because I always get faster as the race goes on. I caught up to Bobby, but the other riders were too far ahead to do anything. Now I am off to the Germany for the next round of the German Championship next weekend and unfortunately have to miss Fontana,” stated Rizmayer. Upon righting this press release, Kevin Hanson, got a call from mechanic and semi driver Michael Neely that someone had just backed into the semi and smashed the mirror among other things at a truckstop in Oklahoma. I guess it never ends”¦”¦and people thought racing was easy! See you at Fontana for the next round as we test our ability be autobody experts as well.