Gregory LEBLANC (Ninja ZX-6R) French 2012 Supersport Champion! Two rounds before the end of the 2012 championship, Gregory Leblanc clinches the French national Supersport Title after a fantastic double win in Dijon. Pole position, race lap record and double wins, Gregory Leblanc was THE man of the Supersport this week-end. A strong performance which gives him definitely the title he deserved. His team mate, Julien Da Costa is now close to the Superbike crown after an other strong races week-end. Grégory Leblanc : « I’m really delighted tonight. The team and I made a very strong and consistant season even if we had few tough races after my accident and broken leg. The challenge at the start of the season was not an easy one but we made it and for sure we can be very proud of it. I would like to thank all the Kawasaki SRC team for the job that has been done and I hope that on the next race we can celebrate the Superbike title with Julien. Now I’m strongly focused on our next challenge: the Le Mans 24 Hours race scheduled for the beginning of September. I really hope we will be able to have a hat trick there. If we can succeed it will be a fantastic year after our Bol d’Or win, my Superpsort title and the Superbike crown that Julien deserves. » Julien Da Costa : « Weather conditions were difficult this week-end but it was the same for everyone. That’s in these conditions that you appreciate to have a big gap avantage on the championship standing. I’m really happy for Gregory and I hope I will be able soon to grab the Superbike title too. » Gilles Stafler, Kawasaki SRC team manager. « One part of the job is done today and I’m really happy for Gregory and the team. We will have to be more patient for the Superbike title but I’m sure it’s just a question of time. Julien knows it and I’m sure he will be doing everything to get there on the next race. » FSBK standing after Dijon race Supersport 1 LEBLANC Gregory KAWASAKI 262 Pts 2 PERRET David YAMAHA 140 Pts 3 MASSON Etienne KAWASAKI 140 Pts 4 MAURIN Axel YAMAHA 131 Pts 5 LAGRIVE Matthieu Mol YAMAHA 111 Pts FSBK standing after Dijon race Superbike 1 DA COSTA Julien KAWASAKI ZX-10R – 281 Pts 2 GIMBERT Sebastien BMW – 219 Pts 3 DIETRICH Guillaume BMW – 176 Pts 4 PHILIPPE Vincent SUZUKI – 140 Pts 5 MUSCAT David DUCATI – 127 Pts More, from a press release issued by Bel-Ray: Bel-Ray Weekend Racing Wrap Up July 16, 2012 Racing action continued last weekend for Bel-Ray’s teams and professional racers. Racing took place in Italy, Latvia and the United States in both on and off road competition. MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3 The MotoGP tour continued their series last weekend in Italy for the Gran Premio d’ Italia TIM. Held at the famous Mugello circuit in the beautiful Tuscany countryside, north east of Florence, Mugello is a challenging circuit for the racers and is known as one of the most modern and scenic stops on the tour. MotoGP The Bel-Ray backed Power Electronics Aspar team was once again the top CRT this past weekend at Mugello. During the 2012 season, the two man team of Randy De Puniet and Aleix Espargaro has been swapping back and forth as the top CRT racer. In Mugello, the nod for the top spot went to the Frenchman De Puniet. Espargaro was in 13th position, just one spot behind De Puniet in 12th. De Puniet spoke fondly of the day’s events following Sunday’s race. “I am very happy. This is the third time in a row that we have reached our target of being the top CRT. I am very satisfied and I think that my team did a sensational job. It is very rewarding to take results like today’s and I hope to do the same at the next GP. We have a good base and I think that at Laguna Seca we can get another great result.” Espargaro was also happy with the day despite an early error that saw him go off track in the early stages of the race. “Today I started very well and on the first corner. I was able to pass two official bikes on the outside. The opening two laps were really fun. Then, with the tank still full, I was unable to get a good pace going and I noticed that the bike wasn’t cornering well. I wasn’t comfortable, lost concentration and ran off track when I locked up the front. I recovered as quickly as I could and focused fully, trying to do my best to recover positions. I went fast and was able to cross the line as the second best CRT, behind my teammate Randy. I am happy, because I kept up a good pace despite the run-off, but our aim is to be the best CRT, so we will have to work hard and try again at Laguna Seca.” Moto2 Mapfre Aspar racer Nico Terol performed well and scored his best result of the 2012 season. His 13th place finish was a positive showing for the team. Toni Elias and the team have parted ways for the remainder of the season and he wanted to go out with a positive result to thank the team for their hard work and support. An unfortunate crash and DNF were not how he hoped to conclude his time with the team. He spoke about the day and thanked the team for their support following the race. “I am very happy, despite the crash. The team did a good job with the setup for the race. I gave my all and had some problems, but at least I can take the positives from having made that comeback through the field. Fortunately, I was uninjured in the crash. Today was my last race for the Mapfre Aspar Team and I want to thank every member of the team. Above all, thanks to Jorge, because he has treated me fantastically and has shown what a great person he is. In the end, we have made an amicable split. Our paths continue and I wish the Mapfre Aspar Team all the best.” Terol was very pleased with his results and takes those positive thoughts into the break in Moto2 class action. “This has been my best weekend of the year. I am very happy to have found a good feeling with a bike again. I am starting to go fast with the Moto2, faster every time, and this is very positive. We took a big step forward in qualifying and today’s warm-up was excellent. The opening laps of the race were spectacular and it has been a while since I was up with the leaders. At mid-race, we had some battles with other riders which made me lose a little concentration. I think a top eight finish would have been on the cards were it not for that. The entire weekend has been positive, so I go into the break feeling very optimistic. I am happy with our work and with our race pace. We are closer to the leading riders every time and just need to keep focused for the second half of the races.” Moto3 The Bel-Ray backed Mapfre Aspar duo of Hector Faubel and Alberto Moncayo experienced mixed results in Mugello. Faubel scored points with a 10th place finish while teammate Moncayo experienced a DNF following a crash with another racer. Faubel was positive with the results from the weekend. “The start was a difficult one for me, but fortunately, my braking on the opening turn allowed me to regain the places that I had lost. I tried to stick with the front group. There were riders who got ahead of themselves and crashed out right in front of me. The second crash, that of Oliveira, came right as the group was making a push. The bike was in the middle of the track and I lost a lot of time avoiding it. I tried to keep up by giving my all. The weekend had been going well, and the only thing that we didn’t have was luck in the race. We saw today that we are capable of leading, but we need to improve our acceleration with long gears that will give us that little bit extra that we need to start thinking about podiums.” Moncayo spoke about his race and the disappointing finish. “I knew that I could do well today. We did a good job this morning and that made me comfortable in the opening three sectors. The engine has also improved a lot from race to race, and I was able to take a tow from the riders ahead of me and even pass them on the slipstream. I was very competitive today and wanted a good finish to the race, but (Luis) Salom put himself in so tightly up the inside that he clipped my front brake and ran me off at turn three. I crashed and it was shame to end the weekend this way.” World Motocross Round 10 of the 16 round 2012 World Grand Prix Motocross Championship Series continued in the Latvian city of Kegum this weekend. The Bel-Ray sponsored riders competing experienced mixed results. MX1 Despite an injury he experienced during Saturday’s qualifying races, Christophe Pourcel of the Bel-Ray backed Team CP377 Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit battled his way through the weekend to score a respectable finish and keep his World Championship title hopes alive. An eventual 11th place overall finish keeps him in 3rd place in the overall series’ standings. He spoke about the weekend following the second moto on Sunday. “The crash at the start of the qualifying race ruined my weekend. I had pain in my stomach and had to stop at the pits; after a short rest I was able to race at the same pace as the leaders, but the laps I lost in the pits meant that I only had the twenty-fifth choice of gate. From the outside of the gate, it’s impossible to have a good start here, and twice I was in the pack; because of the rain there were not so many lines, so it was very difficult to pass and I didn’t want to take too much risks.” Teammate Sebastein Pourcel also suffered from a crash in qualifying and a blow to the stomach in moto 2 that hampered his finishing position. Sebastein’s 11-17 moto results placed him in 15th overall for the event. He had this to saw following the race. “I had twelfth choice of gate despite the crash at the start of the qualifying race, but today my starts were not very good. I finished fourteenth in the first race, but I had troubles to control the bike, with a huge blister in my hand. At the second start, I got the handlebars in my stomach; it was painful and I was last, but I was quickly to seventeenth before I crashed and had to spend the rest of the race recovering the places I had lost.” MX2 Bel-Ray’s racers in the MX2 class experienced completely different results in Sunday’s competition. Joel Roelants scored his first ever FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship overall victory, while teammate Tommy Searle suffered from 2 DNF’s and zero points for the day. Roelants won the first moto in confident fashion eventually taking the checkered flag by more than 10 seconds over his nearest competitor. The second moto saw the young Belgian racer stop for fresh goggles due to the awful conditions, but still gain enough positions to finish second place in the moto and take the overall victory. Roelants spoke after the second moto about the day and his impressive victory. “I’m so happy to win my first GP today after six seasons of racing in the World Championship. We worked hard this winter and the season started well, but it has taken me some time to recover from my big crash at round three in Italy. In Sweden, I had a good feeling again, and I was confident here as rain has never affected my riding. In the first moto, I waited patiently for a few laps and then passed both Butron and Nicholls in the same corner. My goggles got filled in already at the start of the second moto because of all of the water on the track and I had to stop for fresh goggles, but I had good speed all day and was able to recover to second in the moto and that was enough to secure my first-ever GP win.” Teammate Tommy Searle suffered horrible luck in Latvia as he experienced a DNF in both motos due to no fault of his own or the team. An errant rock damaged the oil pipe in the first moto, while a defect in a tire forced him out of the second moto. Despite scoring no points for the day, Searle is still second in the overall series’ point’s standings. Despite the misfortune, Searle was optimistic about the remainder of the season. “I started third in the first race and was confident of another victory as I moved up on the leaders, but I soon realized I wasn’t going to see the checkered flag. I could see the oil coming out and it seized on the third lap because of the damage from a rock. I was determined to fight back in race two, but bad luck stopped me even sooner as the rear tire came off the rim. I am absolutely devastated; I just lost all of my gains of recent weeks through no fault of my own or the team. But there are still six more GPs and I will not give up chasing the title; it could be the turn of my rivals to have bad luck next weekend.” AMA National Motocross Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville, Minnesota was the site of this weekend’s round of the 2012 AMA National Motocross series. Bel-Ray’s professional teams and Elite racers competed in both the 250 and 450 classes. In 450 class racing, Andrew Short finished 5th overall, followed by Derek Anderson in 16th, Ronnie Stewart in 18th and Dakota Kessler in 30th. In the 250 class, Blake Wharton was 5th, Jason Anderson 9th, AJ Catanzaro 17th, Lowell Spangler 26th, Hunter Hewitt 34th and Steve Roman 39th. The second moto also marked a career best finish for Elite racer Ronnie Stewart. He finished 11th place in the moto, right behind fellow Elite racer Derek Anderson in 10th. The series continues this weekend in Washougal, Washington. ATV Motocross Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, New York was the site of this weekend’s ATV MX Championship series event. Bel-Ray backed Baldwin Motorsports rider Josh Upperman retained his fourth place overall series position with a consistent fifth place in the first moto followed up with a seventh place in moto 2. His seventh place was the first time this season that Upperman has been out of the top 5 this season. He will regroup and look for a podium finish when the series continues in Michigan on July 28th. Follow Bel-Ray racers in action all season long on www.belray.com and www.belrayracing.com. Bel Ray Company Inc was founded in 1946 and is a privately held, woman owned business serving the lubrication needs of powersports, industrial and mining customers worldwide. Bel-Ray is recognized as the leader in the specialty lubricants industry for setting high standards of quality and performance with products formulated for the motorcycle, automotive, aviation, energy, food, marine, military, mining, OEM, Industrial steel, and textile industries. “Flex Your Engine” with Bel-Ray’s superior Powersports line that delivers top quality Made-in-the-USA products to motorcycle and recreational vehicle enthusiasts around the world. Bel-Ray products are available at powersports dealers worldwide. Visit Bel-Ray.com for a complete dealer listing. Like us on Facebook.com/BelRay or follow us on Twitter/Bel_Ray More, from a press release issued by C&H Racing: C&H Racing Has Bitter Sweet Weekend At New Jersey Motorsports Park C&H Racing entered New Jersey Motorsports Park this past weekend for round 6 of the ASRA Team Challenge series with determination. The team finished just off the GTO class podium in round 5 at Virginia International Raceway and were hungry for their first overall podium finish. Brandon Cretu returned to ride with teammate Dennie Huff this weekend. Cretu is fresh off his injury he received during his fall at the 2012 Isle of Man TT Superbike race. Huff took the C&H Racing CBR1000RR to the track for the trackday on Friday to test some big new changes the team decided to make for this race weekend. Halfway through the day Huff instantly felt more confident with the new setup and was able to drop 2-3 seconds off his best time with the old setup. Huff spent the entire day on Friday adjusting to this change as well as getting up to speed for Sunday’s race on the very technical NJMP Thunderbolt race course. Saturday would be Cretu’s first time back on a liter bike since his incident at the TT back on June 2. He was able to quickly get up to speed but still a second off of teammate Huff. Cretu would be unable to get out for anymore than one practice sesson Saturday morning due to wet track conditions from rainfall. The team felt confident going into Sunday. Cretu was able to match teammate Huff’s practice times in Sunday morning practice and they knew they finally had a shot to get within range of an overall podium finish and possibly contest for the win. The team decided to have Huff start the race as he had a slightly better pace than Cretu and Cretu was still unsure of his fitness due to his injury from the TT. Huff got away to a great start and latched onto fellow competitor Walt Sipp with Thrashed Bike Racing. The team had spent all season a few seconds off of their competitors and was now within striking distance! Huff followed Sipp during a majority of his stint which helped him drop down into a best ever laptime at NJMP of a 1:28. Thanks to clever pit strategy, at the end of Huff’s stint, the team sat in second place overall behind Chester’s Auto Repair rider Eric Helmbach. Huff handed the C&H Racing CBR1000RR over to Cretu a few laps past the halfway point in the 64 lap race. Cretu started off the lap easy and began to try to match his teammate’s pace so he wouldn’t waste Huff’s hard work. A few laps into his stint Sipp, with Thrashed Bike Racing, passed Cretu. Cretu was sure he had to keep the pace with Sipp in order to maintain an overall podium so he began to push a bit more than he was comfortable with during the early portion of his stint. Unfortunately, this would be the end of the teams hopes for their podium finish as Cretu tucked the front end in the right hander after wheelie hill. “Dennie rode such a great race today and had us setup for our first overall podium of the year. I am gutted to say that it was my fault we did not see this come to happen. I just made an stupid error going into the right turn after wheelie hill. The bike was handling awesome so all I can say is we will regroup and come back swinging for round 7 at our home track of Summit Point. ” said Huff. C&H Racing by Continental Tires will compete in round 7 of the ASRA Team Challenge at Summit Point Raceway in Summit Point, WV on August 26. In the meantime follow them on their website, www.cretu-huffracing.com. Cretu and Huff would like to thank their sponsors for their support this year as they would not be able to compete without their help. HEL Performance, Moto-heaven.com, MOTUL, RevZilla.com, REV’IT!, EBC Brakes, Bell Helmets, Drippinwet.com, Moto-D, FP Racing, MRP Motorsports, Lithium Motorsports, Supreme Protein, Blue Monkey Motorsports, Zero Gravity, GB Racing, Spyder Leatherworks, Action Motorsports of York PA, NESBA More, from a press release issued by American Suzuki: SUZUKI SPORTBIKETRACKGEAR.COM’S ELENA MYERS SHINES AT MID-OHIO Myers brings home fifth & eighth in AMA Pro SuperSport Races LEXINGTON, OH Team Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com rider Elena Myers turned in yet another solid performance in this past double-header race weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH. Myers put her head down and raced her Suzuki GSX-R600 to two impressive finishes a very impressive fifth in Sunday’s AMA Pro SuperSport race and a respectable eighth in Saturday’s race. In the weekend’s first 17-lap AMA Pro SuperSport race, Myers got a good start on her Suzuki GSX-R600 and slotted into sixth place. She rode a smart, smooth race and went on to finish eighth. On Sunday, Myers got a decent launch and was running in eighth when a red flag was thrown for a downed rider. On the restart, Myers got an excellent launch and ran in fourth place for several laps before eventually finishing fifth. “Overall I think this weekend was a step in a very positive direction for us,” said Myers. “It’s been a rough past few races for me and I feel like I keep building momentum. I felt really strong in race two and I feel really good about my performance. I can’t thank my Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com crew enough for supplying me with such an awesome bike as the Suzuki GSX-R600, so hat’s off to them.” This past weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio was part of the AMA Pro SuperSport East Series, but the next race on the schedule at Northern California’s Laguna Seca is part of the West Series. Although Myers is contesting the entire AMA Pro SuperSport season, she’s officially campaigning the West series where she’s third in the overall championship points. “I can’t wait to relax at home for a few days and then head out to Monterey,” said Myers, who is a Northern California native. “Laguna Seca is my favorite track, so it’s always great to go there.” The Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com team’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro SuperSport season is at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA, the weekend of July 27 – 29, 2012. About American Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded the Motorcycle and ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, CA, in 1963. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 147 distributors in 201 countries/regions. For more information visit www.suzukicycles.com. Follow Suzuki on facebook for exclusive team content www.facebook.com/SuzukiCycles. More, from a press release issued by Rockstar: ROCKSTAR ENERGY’S JORGE LORENZO SCORES MAGNIFICENT MUGELLO VICTORY LOS ANGELES, CA Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo delivered his second consecutive Mugello master class Sunday, repeating last year’s performance to take victory in the Grand Prix of Italy. Starting from second on the grid, Rockstar Energy’s Lorenzo was quick to pass pole man Dani Pedrosa and take the lead on the first lap. Although initially difficult to pull away, the Mallorcan put everything into his pace, dropping into the 1’47s to become unbeatable and gradually extend a lead to finish 5.223 seconds clear by the finish line. The win, his fifth this season, puts him on 185 points, 19 clear of Pedrosa in second. “From the beginning I felt great on this track, the asphalt was completely different to Sachsenring which was a nightmare for us,” said Rockstar Energy’s Lorenzo. “From the first practice here I felt very strong, very good on the bike and a fast constant pace. It was a pity that we had the problem in the last lap of qualifying but the important thing was the race. Today I was hammering a lot to open a gap at the beginning of the race as I thought my competitors would have problems on cold tires. Unfortunately I couldn’t do it immediately. Only hammering every lap and going faster and faster from 1’48.1 then into the 47s could I open a bit to Pedrosa then little by little it got better and I could start to breathe. It’s been a great win for the whole team’s efforts and for Yamaha who have given me such a good bike.” The next event for Rockstar Energy’s Jorge Lorenzo is round ten of the 2012 MotoGP Championship at the Grand Prix of USA in Monterey, CA on July 29th. About Rockstar: ROCKSTAR is the world’s most powerful Energy Drink. Enhanced with the potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng and Milk Thistle, ROCKSTAR is formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles – from athletes to rock stars. ROCKSTAR Energy Drink is available in nineteen amazing flavors and worldwide in 25 countries. For more information visit www.rockstar69.com. More, from a press release issued by Öhlins USA: Three Double-Header Races, Three Brands, Six Wins, One Shock: Öhlins For immediate release: July 17, 2012 Lexington, Ohio: The thing about competition is, if everyone had the same advantage, it wouldn’t be an advantage. An Öhlins rider won both superbike races, Öhlins riders won both Daytona Sportbike races, and an Öhlins rider won both SuperSport races, during the AMA Pro Superbike event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, this past weekend. Öhlins isn’t why these racers won, it’s why they won with comfort. Graves Yamaha rider Josh Hayes took both AMA Pro National Guard Superbike wins on his Yamaha YZF-R1, while Dustin Dominguez with team Castrol Triumph GE Capital Latus Motors Racing earned two wins in the Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport races, while M4 Broaster Chicken Suzuki rider Dane Westby traded GoPro Daytona SportBike wins with Cameron Beaubier on a YES Graves Yamaha. All the while, it was an Öhlins’ weekend in all of the AMA sportbike classes. It was only in the XR1200 class that Öhlins riders claimed second- and third-place finishes, and omitted earning first. These races were nearly all epic, with the wins coming in some following last-lap passes and crafty riding. These wins were Öhlins TTX MKII rear shock, with its redesigned piston and material changes to its body. This twin-tube shock is an Öhlins Racing AB innovation, now available to all street and track riders, and tunable to all levels of riding. The next AMA Pro Series round is at Laguna Seca, in conjunction with the MotoGP series event, July 27-29. For a one-on-one at that event with an Öhlins technician, just stop by and talk to one of them on Ducati Island. Öhlins USA distributes and services the world’s leading performance suspension components for automobiles, motorcycles, and ATVs. Öhlins develops its proprietary and trend-setting suspension components, steering dampers and oils, at the highest levels of racing from open-wheel car racing, to Moto GP, to off-road competition on two and four wheels. Öhlins USA also provides training for service centers and dealers. Öhlins USA can be contacted at: 828-692-4525; www.Ohlinsusa.com More, from a press release issued by Speedcell Technologies: SPEEDCELL EQUIPPED RIDERS GO FOUR FOR FOUR IN PREMIER CLASSES AT MID OHIO July 17, 2012 (Las Cruces, New Mexico)– Speedcell equipped riders domination of AMA Pro Racing premier classes rolls on unimpeded at Mid Ohio. Speedcell equipped riders took four victories in four premier class races at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. Superbike Monster Energy Graves Yamaha rider Josh Hayes was unstoppable again at Mid Ohio. Hayes, on his Speedcell equipped R1, set his seventh pole position of the season, earned two laps lead bonus points, and finished both races on the top step of the podium. Saturday’s race was all about the dueling Joshes, the Monster Energy Graves Yamaha pair running 1-2 on their Speedcell equipped R1s until Herrin crashed out of second while trying to stay with Hayes. When Herrin slid off, Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s Blake Young inherited second place on his Speedcell equipped GSXR1000 and kept his title hopes alive. Steve Rapp had a great ride to fourth place on his Speedcell equipped Attack Performance Superbike. Sunday’s race was another victory for Hayes on his Speedcell equipped R1. The race was not a typical display of Hayes domination. Hayes battled it out with a resurgent Roger Hayden who was never more than a couple of bike lengths away during the closing stages of the race. Hayden successfully passed Hayes on the back straight on the last lap, but the experienced Hayes was able to repay the favor before they reached the finish line and snatch his ninth victory of the year. Josh Herrin added to his podium tally on his R1 in third. Steve Rapp backed up his fourth place on Saturday with another fourth place on his Speedcell equipped, Attack Performance machine. Daytona Sportbike Speedcell equipped riders swept the podium of Saturdays Daytona Sportbike race. M4 Broaster Chicken’s Dane Westby and GEICO Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas harried each other all race long, resulting in a last lap slug fest that saw Westby earn the top step of the podium at the finish line. Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha Cameron Beaubier lost touch with the lead duo in the final laps but still set the fastest lap of the race on his Speedcell equipped R6 en route to third place. Sunday’s Daytona Sportbike race saw Westby and Beaubier battling it out once again for the victory. Beaubier’s Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha crew made some changes to the R6 overnight that gave him the ability to run up front, control the pace and hold off a charging Westby. Speedcell equipped riders once again dominated AMA Pro Roadracing– Winning all four premier class races over the weekend at Mid Ohio. About Speedcell Technologies Speedcell Technologies, a division of Navitus Group, was established in 2008 to create a lightweight lithium battery alternative to original equipment lead acid batteries. Speedcell engineers design and build all batteries in-house, in the USA. Speedcell builds OEM battery replacement and custom battery solutions for specific applications. Speedcell also works with various cell chemistries and builds battery management systems. Speedcell supplies batteries to the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy. Speedcell is a proud supplier to Attack Performance, Monster Energy Graves Yamaha, Yoshimura Suzuki Racing, GEICO Suzuki, M4 Suzuki, Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha, Roadrace Factory RedBull Yamaha, SuzukiScoopFans Suzuki. Speedcell also supplies batteries to the Factory Yamaha Snowmobile team. More, from a press release issued by Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki: RIDERS DISCOUNT VESRAH SUZUKI FINISHES THE BUCKEYE SUPERBIKE WEEKEND AT MID-OHIO WITH TOP 10 RESULTS. All of the Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki team riders improved upon their Race 1 results during the 2nd races at the Buckeye SuperBike Weekend at Mid-Ohio presented by Dunlop in Lexington Ohio. Cory West, Jake Lewis and Joey Pascarella were all able to garner top 10 finishes in their respective races to finish off the difficult weekend on a more positive note. Cory West was able to finish just outside of the top 5 with a 6th place finish in the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Race 2 while Joey Pascarella finished just inside the top 10 in 9th place. The teammates have now swapped places in the 2012 AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Championship with Cory now in 9th and Joey 10th. Jake Lewis saw his points lead in the 2012 AMA Pro Supersport East Championship evaporate this weekend as he is now in a tie for the championship points lead. Jake was able to move forward 3 positions from qualifying brining home an 8th place finish in race 2 to try and help minimize the points damage. Breeann Poland Team Manager Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki “The team swapped the crews between Cory and Joey in the Daytona SportBike class before this weekend and it seems to have helped both of them. Jake losing his points lead was not good but it is nice that he had a big enough lead that he only dropped to a tie for the lead with his rival having such a great weekend. “ Cory West Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #57 “Today’s tire selection helped tremendously over race distance. I had a pretty good battle today and my group ended up losing touch with the leaders, but it was nice to keep them in sight for so long. I feel like I’m gelling well with my new crew, Boyd and Bubba, and hopefully we can keep this momentum through the rest of the season. It’s nice to be up in the battle again so hopefully we can find some more time in the bike and start getting some top 5’s again. Thanks to the whole Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki crew for the hard work this weekend!” Joey Pascarella Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #52 “Race 2 was a jump for us on set up. We ran a different front end, which felt better allowing me to be a lot more comfortable and get a top 10 result. I’m really looking forward to Laguna Seca in 2 weeks!” Jake Lewis Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #85 “Today’s race I struggled again with the bike and it was all I could do bringing it home in 8th. We couldn’t manage to find a good set-up on the bike and had some big issues. After all we went through this weekend it feels good to still be tied for the points lead. We need to figure some things out and continue to work hard to get back up front where we belong.” Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki would like to thank their sponsors for the 2012 season: Vesrah, Riders Discount, MCJ Motorsports, American Suzuki, Nielsen Enterprises Suzuki, Parts Unlimited, Penske Racing Shocks, Traxxion Dynamics Fork Components, Yoshimura, Catalyst Racing Composites, Shoei, Cortech, Sidi, Held, Motion Pro, Sudco Int., Bazzaz, Factory Pro, Maxima Racing Oils, Spiegler Brake Lines, Adjustable-levers, Vicci, Vortex, DID Chain, Zero Gravity, GPR Stabilizers, Trek Bicycles, Suzuka Tire Warmers, K&N Filters, Full Spectrum Batteries, Oakley (Jake), Roclun (Jake), Progressive Trail Design (Cory), Jon Block Group (Joey), 509 sunglasses (Cory and team), Andrew Swenson Designs and Drippinwet. More, from a press release issued by Dunlop: Dunlop makes history at Mid-Ohio AMA Pro Road Race National Buffalo, NY: History was made this past weekend at the AMA Pro Road Racing national at Mid-Ohio when Dunlop riders topped the podium on U.S.-built Dunlop 200/55R17 KR449 rear slicks. This new tire””developed with input from the top AMA Pro Superbike racers and manufactured in the U.S.””was recently introduced to the AMA Pro Superbike riders as an additional option to Dunlop’s two current UK-made rear slicks, and at Mid-Ohio it proved to be the tire of choice. In Saturday’s National Guard AMA Pro Superbike race, the top six riders all used the KR449 rear slick, and on Sunday the KR449 again swept the Superbike podium. Roger Lee Hayden turned the fastest race lap of the weekend chasing down double-winner Josh Hayes, and that lap time was three-tenths of a second quicker than the fastest race lap set in 2011 by Blake Young, proving that the development of the KR449 has contributed to even more competitive lap times in the AMA Pro Superbike field. More impressive, the same Buffalo, NY-built Dunlop 200/55R17 KR449 rear tire that topped Mid-Ohio in the hands of the fastest Superbike riders in the country is also available to amateur racers through Dunlop’s Race Tire Service (see additional information below). “To win back-to-back AMA Pro Superbike races and sweep both podiums on a tire that’s affordable and available to amateur racers is something we are very proud of,” said Sabastian Mincone, Dunlop Senior Road Race Manager. “Now you can race on the same tire that Josh Hayes used to win back-to-back nationals at Mid-Ohio. The KR449 has been in development for some time and marks a significant commitment from Dunlop to offer our top racing products to racers at every level.” The KR449 is available through Race Tire Service at 800-772-TIRE (800-772-8473). The direct line for orders or tech questions is 615-641-3323; fax 615-641-8959. Also, the KR449 can be ordered via email at [email protected], and online orders or requests for information can be obtained at www.dunlopracing.com. Race Tire Service is available for phone orders from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Central time (7:00 AM – 3:00 PM Pacific time). Orders placed before 2:00 PM Central time will ship that day. All messages left will be returned the next day so orders can be shipped as quickly as possible. About Dunlop Dunlop is the largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S. and the only manufacturer of motorcycle tires in North America””with North American operations headquartered in Buffalo, NY. High-quality Dunlop tires have been made and sold in the U.S. since 1923. For more information, visit www.dunlopmotorcycle.com. More, from a press release issued by Team Rotobox/Nexx: Bryce swapped his rear shock for the recently updated Ohlins TTX rear shock as well as the new Graves Motorsports rear shock link before the weekend to continue to improve the suspension on his Yamaha YZF-R6. The first practice we made the wrong tire compound choice initially which cut down Bryce’s practice time holding him back and completing the session 23rd quickest. The shock and link were working well and Bryce noticed immediate improvement the changing the bike’s direction quickly. The first of two qualifying sessions Bryce made great strides finding solutions to the problem areas he was experiencing on track. Consistently dropping time, Bryce wrapped up Q1 in 16th position but knew he could find more time. Q2 on Saturday morning had undesirable weather conditions initially and almost no riders went faster than their Q1 times placing Bryce 16th on the grid. Saturday afternoon’s GoPro Daytona Sportbike race 1 saw a plethora of crashes and mechanical issues as teams throughout the paddock suffered to get their riders to the end of the 21 lap race. Bryce kept his head down turning consistent laps and held off a group of challengers to cross the line in 12th place. On Sunday afternoon race 2 we tried slightly different suspension setting and Bryce was able to drop 2 more seconds. Involved in some battles, Bryce still crossed the line 15th in race 2 improving from his starting grid position. Bryce Prince: “The bike felt great after we changed to the soft rear tire. The Graves Motorsports shock link and new Ohlins TTX shock did an awesome job making the bike easier to flick back and fourth. We’re getting the Ohlins gas forks this week to have the fully updated Ohlins suspension package for Laguna. I’m really excited to race Laguna again in front of the MotoGP world championship crowd. Last year I had the pace for a top ten finish, but lost the clutch on the start. A red flag on the opening lap meant we’d be able to restart, but since I had to jump on the B-bike it was from pit lane after the entire field had passed. I was still able to fight through traffic and take 15th place despite the pit lane restart so I’m confident I’ll have a solid performance this year.” Catch up with Bryce’s latest here: www.facebook.com/BrycePrince Bryce would like to thank his sponsors: Rotobox Wheels, Nexx Helmets, Yamaha, Graves Motorsports, NCompass International, Motoyard.com, Dunlop Tires, Tuned Industries, Dynojet, Catalyst Racing Composites, SBK Paint, Icon Screening, EFSigns.com, GOLDfren Brakes, Pit Bull, Cycle Pirates, HT Moto, Zero Gravity, Racing Batteries, R. Tillery Powersports, Superbike Chassis, Walter’s Mercedes Benz, and Lucky Management.