MDM/Bubble Gum Racing Wins ASRA Team Challenge Overall

CCS Southeast and Atlantic/ASRA Team Challenge

April 11-12, 2015

Riders Jimmy Fotinopoulos and Xavier Zayat of Team MDM/Bubble Gum Racing won the GTU class of the AMA Sanctioned ASRA Team Challenge presented by Michelin Tire on board their Maher Motorsports built Yamaha YZF-R6. The riders were the only team to complete all 75 laps of the race, finishing first in their class and taking the overall combined victory as well. Fotinopoulos rode the first and last legs of the race, initially chasing early leaders Lloyd Bayley and Stefano Mesa. After passing holeshot winner, Lloyd Bayley, and just ten laps into the race,

Mesa dropped out with mechanical issues. Around the halfway mark, MDM/Bubble Gum Racing made their first rider swap, with Zayat was on board and in the lead when he came in for the final pit stop. Fotinopoulos was back on board after a quick rider change, maintaining the advantage and bringing the team to their second victory of the season.

“We blew a motor yesterday, and so we spent all day yesterday putting in a replacement motor,” Fotinopoulos stated, after the race. “I didn’t think we were going to make it, but we did. And, it was a really old motor that we put in. I was just hoping to finish the race, and we won it. It was great. It was a good fight with Lloyd the whole race. Stefano checked out on us. So, I just tried to keep pace with Lloyd. I didn’t want to go down. I wanted to stay in the lead group. We were able to do it, and Xavier is a strong partner as well.” Fotinopoulos was thankful for all the support he has received from Maher Motorsports, Metric Devil Moto (“I could not have done it without Mike”), Pirelli, Penske, and Team Pro Motion.

Lloyd Bayley, of Team LB Sports, finished second overall and first in the GTO class of the Team Challenge on his Suzuki GSX-R1000, with pit stops for fuel only, no rider or tire changes. Fuel pump issues forced Bayley to pull in for additional fuel stops, knocking him out of the overall lead. Seth Starnes and Bart DeFrancesco won the GT Lights class on the Team Mavros Ducati 1000 (848 hybrid). Starnes also rode the first and last legs of the race, taking the checkered flag on the rear wheel. With the second Team Challenge of the season in the books, the three class winners are also currently in the points lead for each of their classes.

Stefano Mesa was the winningest expert of the weekend his first time at CarolinaMotorsportsPark, and also his first time riding Honda. Mesa took home six victories during the CCS twin sprints weekend for his new team, TTR on board both the Honda CBR1000RR and CBR600RR machines. On Saturday, Mesa won the Unlimited Superbike, Heavyweight Superbike, and Unlimited Grand Prix races. Sunday, he followed up with another three wins in Middleweight Superbike, Heavyweight Superbike, and Unlimited Superbike.

Frankie Babuska, Jr., won the Unlimited Grand Prix race on Sunday, after running away with an early lead and opening a gap on the rest of the field. Babuska was untouchable and took the checkered flag without challenge. He also won the GTO and Unlimited Supersport classes on Saturday, and the Unlimited Supersport race again on Sunday.

The next ASRA Team Challenge race is scheduled for May 16-17th at Blackhawk Farms Raceway. The CCS Atlantic Region will compete again at

New JerseyMotorsportsPark May 2-3rd, and the Southeast Region will be at VIR June 13-14th. For results, lap times, and additional information, please visit www.ccsracing.us.

ASRA TEAM CHALLENGE RESULTS:

OVERALL COMBINED: 1. MDM/Bubble Gum Racing (YAM YZF-R6); 2. LB PSports (Suz GSX-R1000); 3. Grease Monkey Racing (BMW S1000RR); 4. Jimba Ittai (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Team Mavros (Duc 1000); 6. LWT Racer 61 (Suz SV650).

GTO COMBINED: 1. LB Sports (Suz GSX-R1000); 2. Grease Monkey Racing (BMW S1000RR); 3. MI Boys (Suz GSX-R1000); 4. Drummer Racing (Bue 1125); 5. TwinCity Racing (Yam YZF-R1).

GTU COMBINED: 1. MDM/Bubble Gum Racing (Yam YZF-R6); 2. Jimba Ittai (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Pure Action Sports (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Ol Boys Racing (Hon CBR600RR); 5. Moto Rider Shop (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Bad Wolf Brewing Company (Yam YZF-R6).

GTL COMBINED: 1. Team Mavros (Duc 1000); 2. LWT Racer 61 (Suz SV650); 3. Ducati Depot (Duc 1100); 4. Turbo Turtle Racing (Hon CBR500R).