Pirelli Totally Dominates and Totally Wins AMA Supersport Final Monterey, CA: Hard riding, heartbreak and heroics defined the win in the last AMA Supersport race of the season, with Blake Young taking the top step on the podium for the M4 EMGO Suzuki team on a set of Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires. Martin Cardenas owned the Supersport race on the last day of competition in the 2008 AMA Superbike racing season, taking place at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Cardenas led every lap except for the first two and the last one, when on lap 15 of the 15-lap race Cardenas’s teammate Young attempted a pass entering turn six, which caught Cardenas out and into the gravel off track. After the race a concerned Young said, “I feel really bad for Martin. I never meant for us to have contact. I thought I had passed him cleanly but then as I leaned into the turn I felt a bump. He’s a great racer and my teammate and I wanted a fair race to the end, not finishing the way this did.” Martin rejoined the race and finished ninth, immediately forgiving Young for the incident. Until Martin went off track on the last lap, there was no threat of any other rider making a claim for first or second in Supersport. Taking fourth for Pirelli was the 2008 Daytona 200 winner, Chaz Davies, who is also the teammate of the 2007 Daytona 200 winner, Steve Rapp, who sat out the Laguna Seca Supersport race due his healing hand swelling following his third place in Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race. Young and Cardenas’ teammate, Cory West, brought his GSX-R600 home in sixth, with Bobby Fong eighth on his Safety First Suzuki. The race was interrupted by a red flag near its mid-point. In Sunday’s Superstock race Blake Young set the fastest lap of the race, led the second through fifth laps of the race, pulled out a meaningful lead, and then had it all erased by a red flag. The race was eventually restarted after completion of the Superbike race, in cooler conditions. In the second half of the race Young ran second and finished second, earning two podiums for himself in one day. Ryan Elleby proudly rode his fledgling team’s Suzuki to the finish line in sixth, with David Anthony and Robertino Pietri finishing seventh and eighth, Pietri on a Roadracingworld.com Suzuki sponsored bike. Young finished the season in fourth place in both the Superstock and Supersport championships after winning races in each class on Pirelli tires. Pirelli Tire North America specializes in the manufacture and marketing of high-performance tires for passenger vehicles, motorcycles and motorsports. An industry leader in technology and quality, Pirelli operates its highly advanced Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) in Rome, Georgia, to better serve the North American OEM and Replacement markets. For more information please visit: www.us.pirelli.com, or www.us.pirellimoto.com. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki: JORDAN SUZUKI’S AARON YATES WINS AMA SUPERSTOCK FINALE Yates and May Finish One-Two in Championship Monterey, CA Michael Jordan Motor Sports Suzuki rider Aaron Yates won the AMA Superstock race today at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the AMA Superbike championship season finale. Yates, who started from the pole position, broke a track record when he qualified his Suzuki GSX-R1000 at 1:24.525. Yates, who has already clinched the 2008 AMA Superstock Championship, earned his 18th Superstock win, surpassing former Jordan Suzuki rider Jason Pridmore, as the second winningest rider in class history. This is Yates’ fifth win and tenth podium finish in Superstock racing action during the 2008 race season. “I want to thank my crew,” Yates said. “They all work really hard and I’m glad I could bring it home for them.” Teammate Geoff May, who qualified at 1:25.117, earned a third place start on the front row. May’s strong podium finish in today’s 15 lap red-flagged event moved him into second place in the AMA Superstock Championship, giving the Jordan Suzuki team a one-two finish in the overall Championship. “I went into the event with a good attitude, wanting to do my best,” said May. “I rode my Suzuki GSX-R1000 as hard as I could.” This is May’s fifth podium finish (two wins and three thirds), including his first AMA National win for the Jordan Suzuki team. In today’s 28 lap AMA Superbike event, Yates qualified at a time of 1:24:505 and started from the second row in eighth place. Yates ran hard in third place for 18 laps, but finished in fourth place after his foot peg broke with two laps remaining. Teammate Geoff May did not start today’s event, choosing to conserve energy for the Superstock event, which immediately followed the Superbike race. Yates and May finished the 2008 Superbike season in ninth and 10th places, respectively, in the overall championship points. This was the last weekend of AMA Superbike road racing, concluding the 10 race Superstock series. AMA road racing resumes March 4-6, 2009 at Daytona International Speedway. For more information, or to purchase Jordan Suzuki Superstock championship gear, visit the race team website at www.23race.com. To learn more about the weekend’s events, visit www.laguna-seca.com. Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motor Sports in 2004 as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. His mission is to bring a new level of excellence and style to the motorcycle racing industry. More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: BLAKE YOUNG AND M4 EMGO SUZUKI WIN LAGUNA SUPERSPORT Team M4 EMGO Suzuki finished out the 2008 AMA campaign with a spectacular performance on the final day of the season at Laguna Seca. Blake Young claimed his first career victory in the Supersport class and backed it up with a runner-up result in the Superstock finale. Young and teammate Martin Cardenas ran at the front throughout the once red-flagged Supersport contest. Cardenas shot up to second from his second-row grid position aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R600 and took over the lead from newly-crowned champion Ben Bostrom on lap 3. The Colombian held the position until that race was stopped following nine laps. At the restart he got another one of his amazing launches and continued to control the race, this time joined by Young who rode close behind in second. The two looked set to give the team a 1-2 finish but touched while contesting the lead on the final lap. Cardenas was forced through the dirt due to the contact yet recovered to finish ninth in a heartbreaking result following his tremendous ride. Young held strong at the front and fended off Bostrom to grab the checkered flag first, handing Suzuki their first win in the class since 2004. Young said, “My first podium in the Supersport class feels really good and it feels even better to be a win. We put our heads down and raced real hard. Hats off to Martin Cardenas, my teammate, he rode really hard. We ended up getting together there and he went off the track. It was an unfortunate situation because he deserved to win just as much as I did. We were just out there racing really hard. With that said, I’ve got to dedicate this first win to my guys at M4 EMGO Suzuki.” Cory West put together a strong race as well, finishing sixth as Team M4 EMGO Suzuki claimed three spots in the Supersport top ten. Young ended the Supersport season ranked fourth with 267 points highlighted by today’s victory. West took seventh at 236 with a podium finish while Cardenas took 11th with a podium. Young then completed the Superstock race aboard his GSX-R1000, which started at 1:00pm only to be red flagged and postponed to the end of the day due to live television considerations. The Wisconsin native finished as the race’s runner-up and completed the season ranked fourth in the points at 265 with a victory and six podiums. More, from a press release issued by Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki: PIETRI AND ULRICH EARN SUPERSTOCK TOP TEN IN 2008 FINAL STANDINGS Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki rounded out the 2008 AMA season on Sunday at Laguna Seca, securing two positions in the Superstock championship top ten. Chris Ulrich earned sixth in the season’s points standings and Robertino Pietri was ninth. The weekend was an up-and-down affair for the squad, representative of a season that saw terrific podium performances from both Ulrich and Pietri, but one also hampered by misfortune and injuries. Ulrich and Pietri qualified their Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000s on the third row. The Californian clock the ninth best time on Sunday morning at 1:26.888, improving from 14th fastest at 1:28.795 in Saturday’s practice. Meanwhile, Pietri was 11th best in the qualifying session with a fast lap of 1:27.179. Pietri fought his way up from 16th on the opening lap to eighth by the conclusion of the once-red flagged race. Ulrich was battling for a spot in the top ten when he missed a shift and ran off track, resulting in a crash. He was given new life by the red flag, but suffered another run through the dirt before pulling together a 12th-place result. Ulrich said, “It was an up and down day for me. We weren’t going so hot yesterday but we figured it out this morning and I was in an okay position in that race but missed a shift and crashed. Luckily we got a red flag and we got another chance at it but I missed a shift again and ran off the track again. It’s been a tough year since getting hurt at Road America. “The year has been full of high highs and low lows. I’m glad it’s over and now we get to recuperate properly. I’ve got a few more races to do but the super difficult stuff is over and I’m happy because I need a winter to get everything back.” While he’s happy to get a chance to recharge, Ulrich noted that he’s already excited about the 2009 season and the opportunity it will present to Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki. He said, “I’m hoping that everyone comes to an agreement and we can all go racing. It would be a shame if we got split in two. I’m going with DMG and I think it will be good that nobody will have special, special tires. It will be much better, greater competition, and a fantastic challenge.” More, from a press release issued by Red Bull: Bulls on Parade: Mercado Wins Finale, Solis Wins the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Championship at Laguna Seca 2008 Season Wraps Up with Yet Another Fantastic Race Monterey, Calif. — Leandro Mercado of Argentina won the thrilling Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, winning a shootout with Jake Gagne of Ramona, Calif. In a race filled with passing and drama throughout the field, 13-year-old Benny Solis of North Hollywood, Calif., wrapped up the inaugural Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup championship with his fifth place finish, even though title rival Hayden Gillim made a brilliant move going into the last turn to take third place in the race. Mercado took the lead in both ends of the red-flagged race, and in each leg Gagne chased the Rookie that beat him in the Elkhart Lake race earlier this year. Mercado took a solid lead of more than two seconds but the slow-starting Gagne began to run down the Rookie from Argentina. Gagne set the fastest lap of the race at 1:33.894 on lap 13, but Mercado responded with a 1:34.047 on the same lap. Gagne, in his first year of roadracing, lowered the gap to just over a half second in the closing laps, but Mercado responded and won the race by 1.192 seconds. “I worked through the whole week to have a good weekend,” said Mercado, who finished third in the championship. “Everything went as planned. I got a good time in qualifying and won the pole, and then I got a really good start. After the red flag, I wanted to get another good start and I did. It was an awesome race and I’m really, really happy.” “After the race started, I really didn’t get a good start but I tried to catch up,” said Gagne. “I tried to come through the pack as good as I could and I pushed as hard as I could. It wasn’t quite enough but I was able to get some good laps in.” The battle for third place had an impact on the championship as well. With a bold move, Gillim, a 13-year-old from Owensboro, Ky., went from fifth place to third in the last corner, then held off Austin DeHaven of Los Angeles, Calif., and Solis for the final podium position. “With ‘Tati’ winning, I knew I had to get third place in the race to keep second place in the championship,” said Gillim, who won two races this season. For Solis, his championship season saw him win four races and develop a large points lead. The second-generation racer rode aggressively throughout the season and proved his skills in the ten race series as he won the title by 11 points. Solis was surprised with a KTM 125 motocross bike, presented by 2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion JD Beach. “Last year when we went to the Selection Event, it was like a dream come true to make it to the second day,” said Solis. “I was aiming for the top ten in the Championship but then after getting pole at [the first race at] Barber, I thought maybe I had a chance at this. Ever since then, my confidence has been boosted up and I’ve been trying to do my best all year. I ended up with four wins and a couple of podiums. I am really happy with how things have gone and it’s been a fantastic year.” Tomas Puerta of Colombia took sixth place as he crossed the line right on the tail of Benny’s KTM RC 125 and Jesse Stevens of Lawrenceville, Ga., earned his best result of the year with his seventh place finish. Despite an ailing hand from his Indianapolis crash, Joey Pascarella of Vacaville, Calif., took ninth place ahead of fellow Californian Bryce Prince of Bakersfield. Austin Medrano of Mustang, Okla., was a contender early on. He highsided while contesting for the podium just before the halfway point of the race, bringing out the red flag. Austin was unhurt and wanted to continue, but his bike was too badly damaged to go on. Huntley Nash wrapped up the tenth and final spot for the Red Bull Riders Cup. Nash earned one point with a 15th place finish, the margin he had in the final standings over Corey Rech of Ellijay, Georgia. The Red Bull Riders Cup race will be held at the MotoGP season finale in Valencia, Spain on October 25, with the top-ten Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies taking on the top-ten Red Bull MotoGP Rookies in the second leg of the Transatlantic match race series. The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies will attempt to bring home the Cup after the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies won it at Indianapolis. Red Bull Rookies AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Race Results From Laguna Seca 1. 36 Leandro Mercado, Cordoba, Argentina 2. 32 Jake Gagne, Ramona, California 3. 69 Hayden Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 4. 56 Austin DeHaven, Los Angeles, California 5. 35 Benny Solis, North Hollywood, California 6. 12 Tomas Puerta, Medellin, Colombia 7. 13 Jesse Stevens, Lawrenceville, Georgia 8. 50 Emerson Connor, Burlington, Ontario 9. 25 Joey Pascarella, Vacaville, California 10. 74 Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, California 11. 34 Corey Rech, Ellijay, Georgia 12. 94 Jacob Cunningham, Kimberly, Wisconsin 13. 82 Otavio Lucchini, Jundiai, SP, Brazil 14. 95 Frankie Lee Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 15. 75 Huntley Nash, Marietta, Georgia 16. 31 Cameron Gish, Shingle Springs, California 17. 3 Travis Wyman, Macedon, New York 18. 23 Corey Alexander, Ossining, New York 19. 22 Garet Tomlinson, Aledo, Texas 20. 66 Jake Morman, Loganville, Georgia 21. 7 Austin Medrano, Mustang, Oklahoma Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Point Standings 1. 35 Benny Solis, North Hollywood, California 167* 2. 69 Hayden Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 158* 3. 6 Leandro Mercado, Cordoba, Argentina 156* 4. 32 Jake Gagne, Ramona, California 138* 5. 12 Tomas Puerta, Medellin, Colombia 96* 6. 56 Austin DeHaven, Los Angeles, California 90* 7. 25 Joey Pascarella, Vacaville, California 82* 8. 50 Emerson Connor, Burlington, Ontario 68* 9. 74 Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, California 56* 10. 75 Huntley Nash, Marietta, Georgia 43* 11. 34 Corey Rech, Ellijay, Georgia 42 12. 26 Toriano Wilson, St. Davids, Bermuda 40 13. 13 Jesse Stevens, Lawrenceville, Georgia 40 14. 66 Jake Morman, Loganville, Georgia 38 15. 31 Cameron Gish, Shingle Springs, California 35 16. 94 Jacob Cunningham, Kimberly, Wisconsin 32 17. 7 Austin Medrano, Mustang, Oklahoma 31 18. 95 Frankie Lee Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 29 19. 3 Travis Wyman, Macedon, New York 22 20. 23 Corey Alexander, Ossining, New York 18 21. 11 Luciano Ribodino San Francisco, Cordoba, Argentina 6 22. 82 Otavio Lucchini, Jundiai, SP, Brazil 4 23. 22 Garet Tomlinson, Aledo, Texas 4 * denotes Red Bull Riders Cup team member More, from a press release issued by Jason DiSalvo’s publicist: Jason DiSalvo Earns Third in AMA Superbike Championship Monterey, California: Jason DiSalvo clinched his place in the 2008 AMA Superbike championship, taking third-place overall on his Factory Yamaha YZF-R1, at the final round of the AMA Superbike Series at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Jason rode his YZF-R1 to a tempered and thoughtful eighth-place finish, taking stock in the big picture of the championship and bringing his bike to the finish line for maximum points. In a season that saw only five riders earn finishes in the top two positions on the podium, Jason was one of those elite riders. By adding consistency to that, Jason has now been rewarded with a trophy for the season. From his second-row starting position earned in qualifying at this two-day event, Jason launched his Yamaha into eighth place. Staying clear of all challengers on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s 2.24-mile long circuit, Jason rode smart and sealed his place at the 2008 AMA Awards Banquet, after his team set him up with a bike built for reliability and speed. After the race Jason said, “I am so proud to have taken third in the Superbike championship. Considering what we’ve been up against and who we had to beat to get this, I feel as though I won the whole championship. I can’t thank my team enough. Crew Chief Jefferson Burks, and Seamus Taaffe and Tony Romo all did an awesome job and made sure we had the best bike, the best set-up and the best racing combination possible. The support of them, the Yamaha family, my family and my wife Bethany, have combined to make this a great season.” More, from a press release issued by American Honda: American Honda’s Neil Hodgson and Miguel Duhamel ended the season sixth and seventh in points after finishing fifth and seventh, respectively, in the final race of the 2008 AMA Superbike Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The pair started the 28-lap final, held on the same 2.238-mile road course that hosts the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, in a five-rider pack contesting second. But as the race went on, the veteran teammates gradually fell off the leaders and into a fight of their own. In their own personal battle, Hodgson was in front from the start with Duhamel pressing from behind. The pair of Honda CBR1000RR-mounted teammates ran in tandem until there were six laps to run when Duhamel felt a slight hesitation, which he thought might be a fuel issue. It wasn’t, but it put him off the back of Hodgson, who went on to finish a disappointed fifth. But Duhamel’s excitement wasn’t over. With three laps to go he overshot the famed Corkscrew, running through the sand and down the hill. After gathering himself up without losing a spot, he was soon under attack by Eric Bostrom (Yamaha). Bostrom made his move with a better drive onto the front straight, relegating Duhamel to seventh. The race, the final one in the current AMA Superbike Championship format, was won by Suzuki rider Mat Mladin. The 2009 AMA Superbike Championship will have a different look, with the class structure as yet decided. An announcement of the classes and technical rules is expected in the week following the season finale. Neil Hodgson, 5th Place Obviously I were going as hard as I could. It’s hard to ride a race as hard of that, and I sort of enjoyed the race, but finished fifth, which I wasn’t satisfied with. And I didn’t know Miguel (Duhamel) was behind me. On the last lap, when I nearly hit Johnny Rock Page, I lost three seconds in one lap and I just thought, I just thought to myself, ‘Neil, you are a fool.’ Because I’d done all the work to ride around, I could ride around my last two laps. And I started my last lap assuming whoever was behind me was on my wheel. I don’t know if he was or not. But I ended up ten seconds in front of them. Miguel Duhamel, 7th Place I was trying to make a move on Neil (Hodgson) and every time I did that I wound up almost off the track in the dirt, just because I just ran wide. Neil rides obviously pretty good and he’s good on the brakes. Then I thought I ran out of fuel. The bike almost turned itself off going through the Corkscrew one time. That’s where I lost the most time, with about six laps to go. So I thought, ‘What the hell? I can’t be running out of fuel.’ So that really threw me off a bit. And then I started charging back and he was doing a good job. He smoothed out and he was going faster. We were both going fast. And when I caught up to Johnny Rock Page, I got on the brakes, and I don’t know if I got a tailwind or what. I couldn’t stop the bike in the Corkscrew. I went way off the track into the sand all the way down. By then I knew it was over. When I got on the track I took off and Eric (Bostrom) caught me. So when Eric was on me, he just passed me. My bike was slow coming off the corners. I don’t know why. I couldn’t stay with those guys. I was on them, on them, and then I just got yarded. It’s too bad. Team Manager Ron Heben The boys didn’t start out very well. They didn’t qualify like we wanted to qualify. But certainly they had some great starts and made it exciting up there in the front. It shows a glimmer of hope out there that we’ve got to keep working at it and putting the little things that were off on and trying to make some progress. Obviously, we don’t know what’s going on for next year. They both got up there and they both gave 100% the whole race, and that’s what we’re here to do. Superbike: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 3. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 5. Neil Hodgson (Honda) 6. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) 7. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 8. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 9. Jordan Szoke (Kawasaki) 10. Chris Peris (Yamaha) Championship Standings: 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 652 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 557 3. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 463 4. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) 445 5. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki) 421 6. Neil Hodgson (Honda) 419 7. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 412 8. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 372 9. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 365 10. Geoff May (Suzuki) 357 More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: BEN BOSTROM WINS 2008 AMA SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP Ben Bostrom wrapped up the 2008 AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei with a solid second-place finish in the last race of the season. The 34-year-old Californian carried a 24-point championship lead coming into Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. All he needed was 12 points””17th position””to put his third AMA professional title out of newly crowned Formula Xtreme champion Jake Zemke’s grasp. Starting from pole position, Bostrom’s plan was to watch the battle up front from a safe distance. Sitting in third, he had a front-row seat for a torrid battle for the lead between teammates Martin Cardenas and Blake Young. When Cardenas went off the track on the last lap, Bostrom was within striking distance but couldn’t make the pass. The path to Bostrom’s third AMA Superbike Championship title was a smooth transition from dirt track to professional road racing via the AMA Supertwins series, where he won his first race in 1995. He earned second in the1997 Superbike Championship and secured the title in 1998. Following another runner-up AMA Superbike performance in ’99, he went on to compete in the Superbike World Championship. In three seasons and 107 races, Bostrom took seven wins, stood on the podium another 14 times and placed as high at third in the world series of Superbike. Returning to AMA competition, Bostrom combined his dirt and tarmac skills and prevailed in the winner-take-all final round of the 2004 AMA Supermoto championship, taking his second AMA professional title. The new Supersport champion wrapped up this 11-race series with six poles, six wins and 10 podium finishes. Bostrom now has 16 AMA professional road racing victories in the record books. About AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. AMA Pro Racing series include the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Flat Track Championship, the AMA Supermoto Championship and the AMA Pro ATV Championship. More, from a press release issued by Penny Nicolai on behalf of Erion Racing: ERION RACING ENDS THE SEASON IN FINE FORM Orange, Calif — Ending the season in fine form, Erion Honda pilots Jake Zemke and Josh Hayes scored first and second in the final round of the AMA Formula Xtreme Series at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. In addition, they also secured second and third overall in the Pro Honda Supersport Championship presented by Shoei. Running their Parts Unlimited, American Honda, Pro Honda Oils and Chemicals, Erion Racing Hondas, both Zemke and Hayes rode an incredible race in the Formula Xtreme finale, swapping the lead back and forth throughout the 17 laps event. In the end it was Zemke by 1.1 seconds. “What a race,” said Zemke, who took home the 2008 Formula Xtreme title. “Both Josh and I definitely wanted to have the bragging rights for winning the last race of the year. It was really fun. This is the first race I have ridden without worrying about the championship and I definitely had a blast. It was great to win on my hometown track and it capped off a great year. My guys did an incredible job for me all season and I can’t thank them enough. Winning this last race was a terrific way to top off the season. “It was good to end the year on a high note with our one/two finish for the team,” said Hayes. “I got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but we came together and had a good second half. I had a terrific crew and they really worked hard all year. They deserve a lot of credit for my success.” While the Formula Xtreme race was definitely the Zemke/Hayes show all the way, the Pro Honda Supersport Championship presented by Shoei didn’t go quite as smoothly. “It was just one of those races,” said Hayes. I got a bad start and then had an electrical problem that forced me to pit. The race was red-flagged which gave the crew time to fix my bike, but we lost too much time and I just couldn’t make up the difference. Jake and I both h finished in the top ten and earned second and third in the championship standings so all and all, it was a good day.” “It was a tough race,” adds Zemke, “and, not quite what we planned. But, that’s all part of racing and we definitely had a good season.” More, from a press release issued by M2S Agency: Garrett Willis Soldiers Through Injury for Double Win at AFM Infineon After spending the past three weeks rehabilitating what was diagnosed as broken collarbone a few days after his crash at Thunder Hill on September 6th Garrett Willis went to this past weekend’s AFM round at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma California not knowing if he would be able to ride or not. Garrett’s first race of the day was 600 Superbike which he started from the pole position, he was able to put the best spot on the grid to good use to hold onto first place going into the first turn. The collarbone felt relatively comfortable for the first few laps but as the race went on the level of pain increased but Willis was able to ride through the pain and hold on for the win. This result gave him a 25 point lead in the class Championship. Next up was the 600 Production class where again Garrett was starting from the pole position. He was able to secure another first place start and led the race. This time his injury was painful immediately and he was forced to fight the distraction of the pain through the entire race but he was able to accomplish the task at hand and was rewarded with his second win of the day and a 36 point lead in the class Championship with one round remaining in the series. After race Garrett expressed his gratitude to Lee’s Chiropractic Health Center and Dr. Terry Lee who treated his injury and helped get him into good enough condition to race this weekend. “I don’t think I could’ve have done it without Dr. Lee’s help, his treatment really helped relieve the discomfort after the injury and helped me progress in a few short weeks to the point of being able to ride successfully this weekend. I owe him a big thank you.” The next race on the schedule for Garrett is a AFM round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Buttonwillow, Ca on October 18th-19th. Garrett Willis would like to thank are the sponsors that support his racing and help him pursue his dream of being a professional road racer.