MOB Racing fielded four riders in the 16-rider main event of the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 race Sunday, September 9 at NJMP placing three riders in the top 10! #46 Shane Narbonne rode a brilliant and calculated race to a VERY popular victory at his and the team’s home track. #59 Jake Holden made a late-race charge that saw him as high as 3rd place before Mike Barnes got by him, and then the Kyle Wyman incident shuffled him back to 5th, where he would finish out his race. That’s not the last you’ll see of Jake either, stay tuned! Meanwhile, #77 Eric Stump in his first appearance of the season in the class finished in 10th place within a very talented field. Local NJ racer and longtime Team Pro-Motion coach Bill Sink in his first-ever AMA Pro race overcame stalling his #32 XR1200 at the start and put his head down all the way to the finish, which saw him land in 13th place for his efforts! “The XR race was the most exciting race of the weekend in my eyes, eight riders battling back and forth until the last turn! That’s spec racing at its best! Jake was great to work with, and we’ll be talking as soon as I get back down from cloud nine! Our first win was very special, and having Shane deliver it was only fitting. I can’t think of too many more people that deserved a great win like that. Now it’s time to regroup and head to Homestead with a full head of steam,” says Team Co-Owner Dennis Espinosa Supersport rider Alex Shaw carded a 14th and 18th place finish after making drastic suspension changes mid-weekend to a Penske shock that dropped his times by 1.5 seconds. “In CCS I run Pirellis with an Ohlins shock but just couldn’t get the feeling I needed when I switched to the Dunlops. A big thank you goes out to Mike Himmelsbach of Penske for helping me out when Dennis Espinosa recommended he come over and talk to me. We swapped shocks with a setup Mike thought would work, and a few clicks later I was feeling the difference!” In Daytona Sportbike, #46 Shane Narbonne again had his best weekend in the class finishing 13th in race one and cracking into the top 10n during race two2, eventually taking home an impressive 11th place result! Anthony Fania and his MOB/KSW-backed Yamaha R6 had his best result in years, finishing race two in 18th place! Look for more news shortly from MOB Racing! MOB Racing is sponsored by: Newsholme Financial Center, Teterboro RAMS LLC, Team Pro-Motion, Designstar3.com, Motion-Pro, Saddlemen, Get-in-Gear, Markbilt, Trebour Motorcycles, Penske, K Tech, Orient Express, Vanted Solutions, Precision Heavy Equipment, Woodcraft and Armour Bodies. More, from a press release issued by Muench Racing Team: German electric motorcycle team gains champion titles MUENCH is back-to-back European and International Champion at Le Mans Le Mans/Lohfelden. In the third season of the electric motorcycle championships, the German MUENCH Racing Team competed again against teams from the USA, Europe and Asia. Matthias Himmelmann, the champion has kept his electric motorcycles crown. Last Friday, he masterfully won the FIM e-Power International Championship race series and the European TTXGP Championship for the second year in a row. Thanks to a second place in the final race, the driver of the German MUENCH Racing team secured the title of the two major electric motorcycle racing series FIM e-Power International and TTXGP European Championship. His teammate Katja Poensgen made the double victory perfect and thus ranked second of the overall FIM ranking. Thomas Petsch, visionary manager of the team commented on the victory: “We have achieved a great deal with limited financial means once again. The whole team has done an excellent job, which was made possible by our sponsors. We are on the right track and our pioneering work shows that electric mobility is on the rise in Germany.” “A fantastic feeling” said Matthias Himmelmann about the renewed titles, “Although we did not win the race this time, we have proven that we are fully able to compete against fierce competitors such as the North American teams.” With this statement, Himmelmann refers to the AMA Superbike and AMA Supersport Champion Miguel Duhamel, the first man to travel with his team all the way to Europe to compete and win by a few seconds the French Grand Prix. The pioneers of electric mobility will have to travel from Germany across the Atlantic for what will be the last race of the season. The TTXGP World Final will be held at Daytona International Raceway in the United States. More information can be found via www.muenchmotorbikes.com, www.egrandprix.com und www.fim-live.com/en/sport/e-power. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Josh Brookes produced his best ever performance in Tyco Suzuki livery to take a double victory in Sunday’s British Superbike races at Donington Park aboard the team’s GSX-R1000. The Australian completely dominated the ninth round of series with two pole positions and two fastest laps; which takes him into the end-of-season Showdown just 10 points behind series leader Tommy Hill. Josh Brookes: “In the first race I put my head down and tried to gap them, but I could hear the Yamaha behind me, so I just kept at it and after a couple of laps it went quiet and I thought ‘yes’ I’ve gapped them! In the second race I got away with a good start and everything was working perfectly on the bike. I got into a rhythm and put some good laps together, but I didn’t get an instant advantage, as Michael was right with me. I made a little mistake, which let him past and he impressed me. Once I got back past I was confident the Suzuki would have more tyre life in the closing stages and I was able to create a gap and win quite comfortably. I’m glad the championship is now going into the Showdown stage as we’ve finally got to the part of the season where it counts. Thanks to the guys this weekend who gave me a great set-up with the GSX-R1000 – the package is working superbly.” Alastair Seeley’s bad luck continued when he suffered an oil pump problem in the opening race, which forced a red flag situation, but the Ulsterman was fortunate to stay on his bike when the problem occurred down through Craner Curves. He was forced to sit out the second race. Alastair Seeley: “I though the back brake had jammed on when I tipped into Craner but as soon as I braked the smoke came through the bike and I knew we had some sort of problem. I just had to pick it up and run over the grass and back over the circuit to get it stopped, but we put some oil down. We tried to get it sorted for the second race but the problem re-occurred and we had to pull the bike off the line.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “We are obviously over the moon to take our first double in British Superbikes and to do it in such circumstances with two fastest laps and pole position in both races is the icing on the cake. There’s only one way to describe Josh Brookes today and that is superb. He was in an absolute class of his own and proved beyond doubt that the Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 is more than capable on all levels. “I’ve been saying for a while now that Donington would be a key round as it is important to carry momentum into the Showdown and Josh has done that. Alastair was unfortunate to crash on Saturday after starting the weekend strong on Friday and the oil pump problem ended the weekend for him. “Thanks to Tyco, Suzuki and all our other associated sponsors for the support this far; it was a memorable weekend for us all. Also big congratulations to Leon Camier and the Crescent Suzuki guys on their World Superbike podium and the SERT Suzuki team on winning the World Endurance Championship. It has been a memorable weekend for Suzuki.” BSB Championship points [For Showdown] 1 Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 535, 2 Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 525, 3 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki) 523, 4 Michael Laverty (Honda) 514, 5 Alex Lowes (Honda) 502, 6 Tommy Bridewell (BMW) 500. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: EWC: BMW finishes season on the Le Mans podium. BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent is second overall in the 2012 Endurance World Championship after claiming third in Le Mans BMW successful in three categories. Le Mans/Munich, 10th September 2012. BMW Motorrad had a successful outing at the “24 Heures Moto” at Le Mans (FRA) this weekend with BMW S 1000 RRs finishing on the podium in three different categories. In the 24 hour race marking the 2012 FIM Endurance World Championship season finale, BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent claimed a historic third place, putting a European motorcycle on the podium for the first time ever in this prestigious race. With this result the team, with riders Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon (both FRA), Damian Cudlin (AUS) and Hugo Marchand (FRA), ended the season second in the overall EWC classification for the second year in succession. The BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport backed squad arrived at Le Mans trailing the championship leaders by 19 points and well aware that a win was required in the 35th running of the “24 Heures Moto” if they were to stand even the slimmest chance of wresting the world title away from SERT in the final hour. The weekend started well, with Gimbert, Cudlin and Nigon securing pole position for the second time in as many years aboard the #99 BMW S 1000 RR. However, after a solid opening stint by Cudlin, a low speed crash for Gimbert less than two hours into the race left the team chasing a gap to the leaders that, ultimately, proved impossible to close. As Kawasaki and SERT, the two leading teams, battled it out at the front of the field, the BMW Motorrad France riders focused on making up places with each stint, eventually moving up to third place just before the sun appeared across the Bugatti circuit in the morning. They then defended against a concerted challenge from Yamaha GMT94 for the final place on the podium. In the closing stages the pace and consistency that has been evident all weekend paid dividends, with the #99 RR pulling a gap on the pursuers before taking the chequered flag in third place. “If you’d offered me a podium finish at Le Mans when we started this project then I’d have happily taken it,” says Team Principal Michael Bartholemy. “But we’ve come a long way since the start, establishing ourselves as one of the main contenders for the championship, and our expectations have increased as a result. Finishing on the podium in the biggest race of the season is an achievement, but we came here to fight for the championship and, once again, we stumbled at the final hurdle. I couldn’t have asked any more of the team. They did a fantastic job here this weekend, as they have done at every race this season. I’d like to say a big thank you to BMW Motorrad France, to Michelin and to my co-principals, Volker Scheck and Jeff Souren, without whom none of this would have been possible. Congratulations to SRC Kawasaki for the win and to SERT for once again winning the championship. Will we be back next year to try again to beat them? You’d better believe it!” “I’m pleased to be on the podium, but obviously we wanted to win the race and the championship. However, the guys who beat us here did so fair and square, so it’s down to us to up our game just a little more,” Cudlin comments. “We’ve come second in the championship twice now, which is pretty good for a new team. With a bit of work in the off-season, and the same level of support we have now, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t challenge for the championship again next year.” “We finished third, putting a European bike on the podium at Le Mans for the first time in its 35 year history in the process, so I’m pretty happy with that,” Nigon reports. “It wasn’t an easy race. A lot of riders crashed, a lot of bikes broke and the conditions were quite difficult, but we still finished on the podium, which is good but our first objective was the title and we’re second again, which is not quite as good. However, it shows our potential and it makes me even more motivated to come back next year to fight for the title once again, only this time even harder.” “I’m happy to be on the podium here at Le Mans, but also a little disappointed not to have been able to fight for the win and the championship this weekend,” Gimbert admits. “I was pushing hard to catch the Kawasaki and Suzuki on my first relay, but then I lost the front after passing a slower rider. We’ve been second in the championship for two years now, so there is only one way for us to go next season.” BMW celebrated title honours in the FIM World Endurance Superstock-Cup, with the Penz13.com Kraftwerk Herpigny Racing Team being crowned 2012 champions. Riders Arie Vos (NED), Pedro Vallcaneras (ESP) and Jason Pridmore (USA) finished the 24-hour-race in second on the podium thus, the Rico Penzkofer team secured the first ever world cup title for the RR. In the final FIM Sidecar World Championship race, BMW duo Jörg Steinhausen (GER) and Gregory Cluze (FRA) finished second, securing second overall in this championship. “For me it’s been a day of mixed feelings,” says Marcel Driessen, Director BMW Motorrad France. “We came to Le Mans with the conviction that we could win and maybe even come away with a world championship title too, but our hopes were dashed with the crash early in the race. But the team and the riders didn’t let their heads drop and fought back to secure a podium in the biggest race of the year. Our BMW S 1000 RR is also the first European motorcycle to finish on the podium in the ’24 Heures Moto’ at Le Mans, and that makes me very proud. In fact, this weekend has been a very successful one for BMW. Team Penz13.com Kraftwerk Racing were crowned Superstock World Cup Champions, while Jörg Steinhausen and Gregory Cluze took their RR powered outfit to second place in the Sidecar World Championship. A very good weekend indeed.” “It was a very successful weekend for our teams”, comments Berthold Hauser, Head of BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport. “We knew before the race that it would be a difficult task to claim the title in the Endurance World Championship. The BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent did a great job once more and the riders rode an impressive race. Everybody was fighting to win the race and the title, and they could count on our full support. Our competitors put in a great performance without making errors, so congratulations to SERT for winning the title. Anyway, our squad worked brilliantly over the whole season which was only its second year in this series. Being second overall on both years of competing in this championship is a great effort. In the other categories, the good cooperation of HP RaceSupport and the teams was rewarded with success with winning the title in the Superstock World Cup and the second overall in the Sidecar World Championship. We only can be happy with these results.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Speed Racing’s Adrian Bonastre claimed victory aboard his GSX-R1000 in the sixth round of the Spanish Superbike Championship (CEV) at Albacete on Sunday. Bonastre, who also took victory at the previous fifth round at the same circuit, led for the first eight laps of the Stock Extreme race before being overtaken by BMW’s Javi Forés, but soon forced past to regain the lead and then get the better of an exciting battle with series leader and champion-elect Carmelo Morales (Kawasaki). Team mate Javi del Amor had a less successful weekend finishing sixth overall, but is aiming to be back on full form at the final round of the Championship at Valencia. Adrian Bonastre: “The race strategy was to ride hard from the start. Forés passed me mid-race and then I went a couple of laps with Carmelo behind me. I had the opportunity to pass Forés and fight until the end to get the win. My thanks to the team for their hard work and support throughout this weekend.” Javi del Amor: “I’m not happy with the outcome of this weekend. My hope for this race was to win, because a month and a half ago when I was last here, I was challenging for the win, but I could only manage sixth. I need to find out what the problem was and come back strong for the next round. The team has given 100%, the mechanics have given 100% and I have given 100%. Congratulations to Adrian on his victory and I am looking forward to the next race.” José Regaña – Team Principal: “We are very happy with Adrian’s victory, as he’s been very competitive all weekend and has proven that our team and collaboration with Dunlop is really competitive. With Javi del Amor we have not improved this weekend so we have to find a solution to what the problem was. We greatly appreciate the support of Dunlop, sponsors and our fans and big thank you to all of them.” The next round of the championship will be at the Circuit de Valencia on November 18th where Team Suzuki Speed Racing hopes for another victory and also secure runner-up position in the Stock Extreme category. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: GRANDys duo Suzuki riders Marko Jerman and Andy Meklau clinched the Polish Superbike and Formula X-Treme Championship titles aboard their GSX-R1000s at the weekend’s sixth and final round at Poznan in Poland. Jerman, who also collected the Alpe Adria Superbike title last week at Slovakiaring, secured the the Number one plate on Saturday with third place in the opening race, but the newly-crowned Champion suffered tyre issues in Sunday’s race and DNF’d. Multi-time Champion Meklau finished the series on top by winning both Formula X-Treme races and also the Superstock 1000 events; taking third overall in the latter class for the season. GRANDys duo Supersport rider and now fully-fit Daniel Bukowski – who missed several races due to injury – won both events after setting pole position and moved up to third place in the final standings, recording the most wins of the season in the process. The team also picked-up more honours with teenager Szymon Strankowski winning the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award for his fourth place overall in the Supersport class, plus GRANDys duo topped the Superbike and Superstock team tables. Said Team Manager Jacek Grandys: “On Saturday Marko rode very sensibly without going into the fight for the race win and third place was enough to win the title. I’m also pleased for Daniel on his return from injury and he showed that he is very strong mentally. Applause also belongs to Andy who showed that when bad luck does not haunt him, as it has done at times this year, he is invincible. “I’m glad that this – at times – unlucky season has come to the end. Injuries and some minor issues cost us a lot of points and for certain a few more titles, but it didn’t change the fact that our riders are some of the best in Europe. We still have the European Championships in Albacete coming up, but we’re now beginning to work hard on a new, ambitious project for the future. I congratulate all the winners and thank all the teams for the excellent competition this season.” More, from a press release issued by Öhlins USA: Not Close, Real Close, and Too Close: Öhlins Riders Score Four Wins and Numerous Podiums in Jersey Millville, New Jersey: Josh Hayes made it look easy in Millville, New Jersey, romping to two wins in two days on the 2.25-mile Thunderbolt race course in the New Jersey Motorsports Park complex, on his Monster Energy Graves Yamaha in the AMA Pro Superbike races. It’s just too cool that he rides on Öhlins. Once again, where it was double wins in a double header for Hayes, he’s nearly cleared the way to another championship with his new extended growth to his significant points lead. In Race Two, the second blue and white Josh that being Herrin finished second for a one-two for the Yamaha YZF-R1s of the Monster Energy Graves Yamaha team. In Saturday’s running of the Daytona Sport class, at the checkered flag Cameron Beaubier led the way of a cache of riders battling within inches for the win, taking the prize by a mere 0.022 seconds from the second-place finisher. Beaubier’s team YES Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 was complemented on the podium by team M4 Suzuki’s Dane Westby, who hard-earned his third-place finish from a fourth-row starting position. Westby though about stole the show Sunday, even though he was still hindered by his deep grid position in the second Daytona Sportbike race. In Race Two Westby blistered the pavement with a charge to the front that eventually saw him carry the lead for numerous laps, ending up second by losing the drafting battle, crossing the line just 0.053 seconds behind the winner. Yet, in Westby’s effort, he turned the fastest race lap of any Daytona Sportbike competitor, igniting the traps with a 1:23.308 lap time, a full half second faster than any rider in the field. In total, Westby didn’t win two races by a combined 0.518 of a second. Our bet is that next time he won’t start on the fourth row. But wait, there’s more. In Sunday’s Supersport race Dustin Dominguez took the win on his Triumph 675, eking it out at a 0.013 advantage at the flag, over the second-place finisher. Dominguez and the Latus Motors Racing team are leading the AMA Pro Racing SuperSport East championship chase, with four races remaining. 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