Celtic/HVMC Suzuki’s Alexander Takes SuperSport Pole, First, And Second At Road America
Just two weeks after surgery to repair a broken collarbone, Corey Alexander put down a dominating performance in AMA Pro SuperSport at Road America this weekend. Alexander rode his #5 Celtic/Hudson Valley Motorcycles Suzuki GSX-R 600 with grit and determination, setting the pace from the beginning of practice on Friday and then capturing pole position. Wyatt Farris brought his #19 Celtic/HVMC Suzuki GSX-R 600 up to speed methodically, finding seconds with each practice and qualifying session, and eventually was fourth fastest ahead of the weekends races. Alexander would go on to win Saturday’s race one, and take second in race two, with Farris finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
In the AMA Pro SuperSport race one on Saturday, Alexander had a strong start and by turn five on lap one, he had taken the lead ahead of the forty rider field. There would be no challengers for the lead from that point forward, with Alexander maintaining a comfortable gap, using his pit-board and consistent riding to stay clear of the pack that was chasing him. Wyatt Farris worked through traffic and did battle with the lead pack behind his teammate. Farris continued to find speed and lower his lap times as the race progressed, making the most of improvements made to his machine. Farris would finish a solid fourth in Saturday’s race, just shy of the podium.
Sunday’s AMA Pro SuperSport race two saw Alexander get off to a good start before the race was halted for a red flag when another rider went down. After the restart, only a few more laps passed before rain wet down a section of the track and several riders went down including Farris. The Celtic/HVMC Suzuki crew did an excellent job of repairing Farris’ bike so he could rejoin the race for the third start. Alexander again got a good start, and was in the lead again after passing Hayden Gillim between turns three and five. Farris also had a good start and was in third on his crash damaged machine while doing battle with several riders as Alexander and Gillim extended a gap. Alexander pushed hard and thought he had cleared enough space to Gillim on the final lap to take the win, but Gillim would use the draft to take the checkered flag ahead of Alexander, giving Corey a close second place finish. Farris worked hard with his damaged Celtic/HVMC Suzuki GSX-R, but could not hold onto third and had to settle for fifth after a gutsy display of riding talent.
Reached for comment, Corey Alexander was still surprised at the good results he achieved, considering his recent injury and surgery. Corey stated “Wow, what a weekend. Two weeks ago I thought I might be out for six weeks. Just this Friday I wasn’t sure if I could ride this weekend. Today we are leaving here with a pole, a win, and a very close second place. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bummed that I was not able to do the double two years in a row, but considering the circumstances I’m very happy with where we finished the weekend. My main focus is points and winning the championship so if second is our worst result thus far I can’t complain. I think I owe much of this weekends results to my Uncle Richie and how hard he worked to make sure I had surgery and was healed up as quickly as possible. I have to give a huge thanks to Doctor Ting, his associates, and especially Elissa for taking amazing care of me. I owe the rest of the weekends success to my crew: Tim, Otis, and Chris from K-Tech gave me a flawless motorcycle and I think it showed as I was able to lead almost every session whilst being injured. I also need to thank MJRS Freeman for all the support and encouragement they have given me, especially over the past few weeks. I’m looking forward to putting my Celtic/Hudson Valley Motorcycles Suzuki up front again in Barber. Thanks for the support from all of the team sponsors and my personal sponsors. Special thanks to “MFR” for the amazing meals all weekend. Corey’s personal sponsors include: MJRS Freeman, Spidi Leathers, XPD Boots, Arai Helmets, Boxed Water Is Better, Defy All Odds Apparel, Oakley, Crossfit OSA, and Lapizta Watches. Alexander leads the SuperSport standings with 115 points after two rounds. Please follow Corey Alexander on twitter and Instagram via @corey5alexander , keep track of him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/corey5alexander , and check out his webpage – www.facebook.com/corey5alexander – as well.
Wyatt Farris put in a lot of work this weekend, and despite missing the podium, he had two solid races in a very competitive and challenging field. Farris said “If I had to sum this weekend up in two words, it would be damage control. After struggling on Friday, we made big improvements on Saturday and finished fourth in race one. Going into Sunday I felt like we had a solid shot at the podium. After the race had been red flagged and restarted I was up to second when it started raining. While exiting turn three I hit the sealer and went down. Luckily I was able to limp the bike back into the pits and my Celtic/HVMC Suzuki crew did a amazing job, getting me back out on track for the restart, and I was able bring home fifth in race two. Now it’s time to shift my attention to the next race at Barber and get the results my team and sponsors deserve. Wyatt’s personal sponsors include: Jon Block Group, Cortech, Shoei, Defy All Odds Apparel, Above Category, and CT Racing. Farris sits comfortably in third position in the AMA Pro SuperSport standings with 84 points, just two points shy of second place. You can keep up with Wyatt Farris via Instagram or Twitter @wyattfarris19 or join him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wyattfarrisracing .
Sponsors for the Celtic/Hudson Valley Motorcycles Suzuki team include: HVMC Racing, Suzuki, MJRS Freeman, Orient Express, Jon Block Group, Yoshimura R&D, Bazzaz, Gemini, K-Tech Suspension, Pitbull, Maxima Racing Oils, Galfer, Chicken Hawk, Motion Pro, Armour Bodies, Saddlemen, Star School, DesignStar3, Zero Gravity, Signs Ink, GB Racing, DID, and Vortex.
CELTIC RACING
Celtic Racing was established in 2001 by Barry Gilsenan, and over the past 13 seasons has established itself as a premier privateer racing team. Celtic Racing has seen consecutive championship seasons in AMA Pro Racing SuperSport from 2012 to 2013. Development of riding talent began with two-stroke 125cc, and 250cc machines competing in professional and regional championship events. More recent Celtic Racing efforts have focused on AMA Pro Road Racing in the Daytona SportBike and SuperSport classes with Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha four stroke motorcycles. Gilsenan’s talent for coaching racers of all ages and abilities has brought Celtic Racing worldwide attention and recognition, with many former Celtic Racing riders now competing on World Championship levels. For more information regarding Celtic/HVMC Suzuki please join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/celticracing and follow @celticracing on twitter and Instagram – we appreciate all your support!
HUDSON VALLEY MOTORCYCLES
Hudson Valley Motorcycles has been serving New York’s Hudson Valley and Westchester County as well as Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and greater New England with Ducati, Kawasaki, and Suzuki Motorcycle/ATV Sales, Parts, and Service since 1966. Established by Richard Alexander Sr, the dealership is a family run business with employees who have been part of the family for decades in some cases. With deep and long standing customer relationships around the region, Hudson Valley Motorcycles is known for outstanding customer service, in-depth product expertise, and the foremost service department for machines of all brands. Please visit www.hvmotorcycles.com, join them on Facebook at www.hvmotorcycles.com, or follow them via @hvmotorcycles .
ORIENT EXPRESS
Established in 1973, Orient Express is celebrating its 41st year as a high performance motorcycle parts distributor and race shop. Orient Express offers engine and motorcycle building services, precision machine work, suspension servicing, and dyno tuning services. Orient Express has an extensive history of racing, including support of both professional and amateur race series and individuals. For more information regarding Orient Express, or to find out what Orient Express can do for your racing success, please call 800.645.6521 or 631.231.9552 (NY/International), visit http://www.orientexpress.com or join them on Facebook at http://www.orientexpress.com .
More, from a press release issued by GEICO Motorcycle Road Racing Team:
Road America tests GEICO Honda riders Zemke, Ulrich
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 1) — After hard work from the entire GEICO Motorcycle Honda team, Sportbike rider Jake Zemke was able to snag a top-10 finish on the second day of the Subway SuperBike Doubleheader to wrap up a consistent weekend at Road America.
“It was a little bit iffy there at the start,” Zemke said. “No one knew what was going to happen because everyone was trying to keep an eye on the weather. On the first start there was an accident almost right away. The next restart went pretty well after that. I think we were up to sixth on the first lap and I was able to hold that for a lap or two.
“Of all the guys I was around, I think my bike worked better in the corners. We’re just fighting an uphill battle and are unfortunately down a little bit. We’re maximizing the positives of the bike currently. We have half the puzzle figured out, so we just need the other half now.
“We had three races — with the Superbike Shootout — between Daytona and this weekend, which gave us some much-needed time for development on the chassis to get it working the way that I like. We didn’t get a whole lot of off-season testing, so the extra races definitely helped. The boys are going to go back to the shop now and see if we can’t squeeze a little more power out of these motors. Then we will just roll our way on to Barber Motorsports Park.”
Even though GEICO Motorcycle Honda Superbike rider Chris Ulrich was able to steadily move his way through the field early on, his day took an unfortunate turn. A wreck on Lap 5 ended Ulrich’s day, resulting in a 14th-place finish after working his way up to the eighth spot.
“Today’s wreck was a little mistake,” Ulrich said. “I was riding really hard to keep up with the guys up front. Sometimes when you’re pushing the limits you fall off. Overall, it was a good race up until then. It’s disappointing to end up in the gravel trap but the good thing is we’re OK. Unfortunately, the bike broke a handlebar from the fall, so we were unable to continue. We had a strong ride going but I am a little disappointed after last weekend.
“I went over two seconds faster than I did last year here. That shows the progress we’ve made, but based on how I was having to ride the bike today, it seems like we have some more progress to make. We’ll learn from this, go to Barber, and try to continue to improve. We live to fight another day.”
The GEICO Motorcycle Honda team will look to regroup and prepare for the next stop on the AMA Pro Racing Series schedule at the Triumph Superbike Classic, June 21-22, at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
More, frm a press release issued by Geiger Global Media:
Wyman gets redemption at Road America
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 2) — Kyle Wyman rode for redemption during the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series race Sunday at Road America.
And redemption was what he got in the Subway SuperBike Doubleheader.
Riding 11 weeks after he crossed the finish line first at Daytona — before a controversial disqualification took the win away from him — Wyman stormed to victory aboard his Millennium Technologies Harley-Davidson XR1200.
“I won but it was taken away from me,” Wyman said. “And now I’ve won this race. I redeemed myself, in a way.”
The 24-year-old rider was joined in victory lane by a special friend named Megan Nighbor, who was celebrating her 14th birthday. Megan is a child with Progeria, the rapid-aging disorder, and Wyman — a spokesman for the Progeria Research Foundation — invited her and her family to the racetrack.
“She came out today on her birthday,” Wyman said. “Birthdays are a huge deal and she turned 14. She’s doing really well.”
The special day for Wyman didn’t start out so well because he qualified fifth, but he used strategy similar to what he employed at Road America in 2012, when he also won on a Harley.
“I was just driven,” Wyman said. “I struggled with the bike. I didn’t qualify very well, and there was a pretty big gap to the pole time. It was the first time in a long time I didn’t qualify off the front row in this class.
“I just went out there with a clean slate and tried to put my head down and do what I could to get up front. It worked out in the end.”
And Wyman couldn’t have been happier.
“It was everything for me,” Wyman said. “I had 11 weeks off, thinking about Daytona. My mission going into this weekend was to get maximum points because I had zero points from Daytona. Maximum points was the No. 1 goal and we did that.
“It was a fun race with great battles with all my fellow competitors. It was just a really good way to come back after Daytona.”
Wyman won’t have to wait as long for the next race, the Triumph SuperBike Classic on June 21-22 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
“I’ve crossed the line first in the first two races,” Wyman said. “Now I’ve got the points to prove it, so I’m happy about that, and I’m looking forward to the next one at Barber.”