YOSHIMURA SUZUKI DOMINATE MOTOAMERICA SUPERBIKE OPENER

Elias and Hayden Finish First and Second in Both Races at COTA

Chino, CA – Former Moto2 World Champion Toni Elias made a stunning MotoAmerica Superbike debut with Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing, sweeping both legs of the season-opening doubleheader at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Teammate Roger Hayden finished second in both rounds, giving Yoshimura Suzuki one of the most memorable opening weekends in team history.

The combined MotoGP/MotoAmerica event drew a three-day total of 131,881 spectators.

Elias, who is serving as a replacement rider for the injured Jake Lewis, won the Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superbike after the team made adjustments on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 during a red flag. The changes made all the difference in the world and Elias came out flying on the restart and at the checkered flag was 1.714 seconds ahead of Hayden.

Elias was even stronger in race two on Sunday. After battling with Hayden, Elias managed to pull out a gap late in the race, this time sprinting ahead to a 4.063-second margin of victory over Hayden to complete the sweep of the COTA weekend, giving Yoshimura Suzuki a 1-2 in both legs.

When asked in the press conference Sunday afternoon if he felt like the king after winning both races, Elias replied, “I’m not the King, just winning some races. I’m happy and I’m satisfied. At the beginning of the race, I was a little bit worried. I didn’t have a great, great feeling, but we start, I try to stay behind Roger (Hayden) and Cameron (Beaubier). Finally, I found myself again and try to go away but was impossible. Roger was there all the time.

“I want Jake (Lewis) to come back and this is his bike, but since we have started so well, I hope that somehow Yoshimura Suzuki will be able to have three bikes for the team and I can stay on and fight for the championship.”

For Hayden Saturday’s race one was especially heartbreaking, since he had a two-second-plus lead when the red flag came out due to oil on the track.

“I was running really good in race one,” Hayden explained. “It was a bummer for sure when the red flag came out, since I had a pretty big lead. That’s the way it goes sometimes. You have red flags and it’s the same for everybody. On the restart I didn’t feel as good and got second.

“On Sunday’s race I got up front and pretty much battled with Toni, until the last couple of laps I started struggling a lot with the rear grip. He set an incredible pace. I’m happy to start the year this strong. I know it’s only the first race, but I’m really happy with where we’re at as a team. I can’t be happier for Yoshimura Suzuki to sweep the weekend with a first and second. It shows you how hard they’ve been working.”

Earlier in the weekend Hayden was impressive in scoring the pole in qualifying on his powerful Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Hayden’s 2:09.151 set a new Superbike lap record at COTA, eclipsing the mark of 2:09.653 set by 2015 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier in qualifying for last year’s race.

Elias leads the series with 50 points to Hayden’s 40.

The 2016 MotoAmerica Championship now moves to Road Atlanta next weekend for the MotoAmerica Suzuki Superbike Shootout of Georgia on April 15-17. The races will be televised on beIN SPORTS.

You can keep up with the team’s progress by visiting www.yoshimura-racing.com and via YouTube at www.yoshimura-racing.com

Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki Motor of America, Motorex, Dunlop, Parts Unlimited, Shorai, Sunstar, K&N Performance Filters, NGK Spark Plugs, RK Racing Chain, Kushitani, Zeta and Chicken Hawk Racing.

About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.

About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. SMAI’s supplier, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com

More, from a press release issued by Yamalube/Westby Racing:

Sunday’s MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Race At The Circuit of The Americas Was One Of Adversity For Yamalube/Westby Racing’s Josh Day

Austin, TX – It’s an age-old axiom in motorcycle road racing that teams and riders who compete in the sport face ups and downs. For Josh Day and his Yamalube/Westby Racing crew, Sunday at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) was quite, literally, a down day.

It didn’t start out that way, though. In Sunday’s early-morning MotoAmerica “warm-up” session, Josh was the fastest Superstock 1000 rider on the track and the sixth-fastest rider overall in the combined Superbike/Superstock 1000 session.

Lining up seventh on the starting grid for Sunday afternoon’s Superstock 1000 Race 2, Josh got off to a good start in the 15-lap feature event. He was in a pack of Superstock 1000 riders and racing his way to the front of the class when disaster struck while he was working lap seven. Josh’s special, red-and-black-liveried #00 Yamalube/Westby Racing YZF-R1 stepped out, and before Josh knew it, he was down.

Thankfully, his Arai helmet and Spidi leathers did their job, enabling Josh to escape the scary crash with a few minors scrapes and bruises, with the worst injury being to his pride.

“I took a pretty good tumble,” commented Josh. “But, I’m OK. We were running a really good race right behind (eventual Superstock 1000 race winner) Bobby Fong. We seemed to be a little bit stronger on the brakes, but he always managed to get us back coming out of the corners. The crash happened quickly, like they always do, and suddenly, I was on the ground where I slid for a little bit.”

Josh, who raced at COTA for the first time this past weekend, continued, “I like the track. It’s quite a challenge to learn because it’s almost like two or three tracks in one circuit. A good many of the MotoGP guys also crashed in their race yesterday, so it seems like it’s a pretty challenging circuit for a lot of riders.

“I’m looking forward to Road Atlanta this weekend. It’s our home track, and the whole team and I are looking to rebound quickly and get some momentum going. I wish we were racing again today. That’s how anxious I am to put this one behind us.”

Josh and the Atlanta-based Yamalube/Westby Racing team will travel back home to Road Atlanta for Round Two of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which is this weekend.

For more Yamalube/Westby Racing news, results, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com

Also, visit “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media site.

About Yamalube

Located in Kennesaw, GA, under Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.’s (YMUS) Customer Support Group (CSG), Yamalube formulates the only oil “built around” the unique demands, operating characteristics, and applications of the various motorsports engines produced. In 1967, after more than a decade of racing and countless wins, Yamaha set off to conquer a new arena–racing oil. Collaborating with Yamaha engine designers, Yamalube’s global oil engineers formulate each oil from scratch, to be engine- and application-specific. Yamalube also makes lubricants, quality care products, maintenance products, fork oils, fuel additives, and adhesives. To find out more, visit http://www.shopyamaha.com

Get connected with “YamalubeUSA” on your favorite social media platforms.

More, from a press release issued by Millennium Technologies/Kyle Wyman Racing:

Millennium Technologies’ Wyman faces hard luck in MotoAmerica Superbike debut

AUSTIN (Apr. 11) — For the Millennium Technologies sponsored Kyle Wyman Racing team, the opening round of the 2016 MotoAmerica championship was full of misfortune at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Kyle did not finish either race in his Superbike debut.

After qualifying sixth in Superbike, Wyman was running fifth in race one before his Yamaha YZF-R1 suffered a mechanical failure. An oil leak caused the bike to catch fire, ending his race early.

“I feel very fortunate to be standing here after a scary moment like that,” Wyman said. “Not only was the bike on fire, but there was oil dumping onto the race track. I’m glad that I didn’t go down, and that nobody behind me went down. I was doing my best to signal the other riders to get off my line.”

The fire caused minimal damage and the team was able to grid up with a fresh motor for Sunday’s race two. Wyman got a great start and was battling through the sixth position before a crash early on put him on the ground. He was unable to continue the race.

“We made some big changes to the bike before race two and I was really starting to get comfortable,” Wyman added. “I made some passes and was finding a rhythm, unfortunately I made a small mistake and had a low-side in one of the slower corners. Luckily the D-Air Dainese air bag system did it’s job and helped me stay safe.

“We made some great progress with the bike however, and I feel really good about where we are in our program moving forward. My crew has put in a massive amount of work preparing for the season and I want to reward them with success.”

Wyman scored zero points in his Superbike debut at Circuit of the Americas, but with round two just days away, the KWR team is eager to have another go this weekend at Road Atlanta, in Braselton, GA. Kyle says the track favors his riding style.

“Road Atlanta is my favorite track on the circuit,” Wyman said. “It just fits me, I love the way it flows and I’m looking forward to getting back there. Hopefully the weather holds off for us because we had rain all of last year. I want to thank my sponsors – Lucas Oil, Motion Pro, and everyone, especially the crew for sticking behind me through this tough season opener.”

Younger brother Travis completed his second ever MotoAmerica Supersport race, finishing in the 7th position on his Millennium Technologies/KWR Yamaha YZF-R6.

“First practice we were already quicker than we were at the official test two weeks ago,” Travis said. “I felt really comfortable on the bike with the new setup. I had the opportunity to coach at Laguna Seca with the California Superbike School leading up to the race and with limited track time I think it helped me get up to speed. It was a good shake down for us to get our feet wet before the start of the Superstock 600 series at Road Atlanta next week.”

The second round of the MotoAmerica series at Road Atlanta is April 15-17, 2016.

For more information on the products and services offered by the Millennium Technologies family of companies, visit www.mt-llc.com

For mor information about Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR), visit www.kylewymanracing.com

About Millennium Technologies:

Millennium Technologies is the world leader in Advanced Engine Solutions. Starting in 1997 as a Nickel Silicon Carbide (NSC) cylinder plating and service company, Millennium Technologies has expanded into complete service solutions for cylinders, cylinder heads, crankshafts, big-bore kits, and supplies parts such as pistons, gaskets, camshafts, and more. Millennium Technologies provides services for all levels of the powersports industry including OEMs, dealers, pro race teams and weekend mechanics. Millennium Technologies is the parent company of Revolution Performance, who provides a complete line of high performance American V-Twin engine parts and services, as well as Ballistic Performance Components, the leader in lightweight lithium-ion starter batteries for powersports vehicles.

About Kyle Wyman Racing:

Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR) was formed in 2011 as a motorcycle road racing team focusing on healthy sponsorship opportunities for companies within and outside the motorcycle industry. KWR is the 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson series championship winning team and current partner with Millennium Technologies. For more information visit www.kylewymanracing.com