YOSHIMURA SUZUKI FACTORY RACING’S MARTIN CARDENAS PODIUMS AT SONOMA SUPERBIKE SHOOTOUT
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden cards top-five & teammate Chris Clark finishes eighth
SONOMA, CA (May 6, 2014) – Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Martin Cardenas followed up his 2014 Superbike Shootout win last weekend with a solid third-place result at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA, on Sunday afternoon. Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Roger Hayden and Chris Clark also turned in impressive performances with Hayden bringing home fifth and Clark following him in eighth.
This past weekend’s race was the second of three events that make up the 2014 Superbike Shootout, a Western-states series pairing the Pros with Semi-pro and Amateur events. In Sunday’s race, Cardenas got a good start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Although he admitted to struggling during qualifying, he turned in an impressive performance in the race, slotting into third place early on. The Colombian rider then stayed put for the remainder of the 20-lap race and brought home a podium finish.
“We had a tough time on the first day,” said Cardenas. “But we made some changes to the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 for the practice and warm-up on Sunday, and then we made another step in that direction for the race. It was a good race but I made a few mistakes and let the leaders get away. I did the best I could to reel them in again. But overall, I’m happy to get on the podium, that’s always good.”
Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Hayden got a top-10 start but then had a minor off-track excursion trying to avoid another rider. Undaunted, the Kentucky native got back on track and was able to maneuver his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 through the field and into the top five. By the race’s end, Hayden had picked up fifth place.
“I really didn’t get the best of starts,” said Hayden. “Then I got shuffled back a bit. And on the second lap, I came up on somebody quicker than I thought I would and I had to go off track to avoid hitting him and I fell back to 16th. From there, I kept a steady pace and just worked my way up. It wasn’t a good weekend for me, I’ve been under the weather and that affected me on the bike. Now we’ll go back and get ready for the next race.”
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Clark got off the line right with teammate Hayden and worked his way into fifth by making the most of his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. He focused on turning smooth, fast laps and eventually finished eighth.
“I got off to a pretty good start and took advantage of a few things and got in the top five,” said Clark. “We had a good set-up for the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 but I had a little bit of trouble toward the end of the race. But overall it was a pretty positive weekend. The Yoshimura Suzuki team and I are working well together and communication was great. I’m just focusing on the positives and getting ready for the next race.”
Sonoma Raceway Superbike Shootout Results:
1.Cameron Beaubier
2. Josh Hayes
3.Martin Cardenas
4.David Anthony
5.Roger Hayden
6.Chris Fillmore
7. Cory West
8.Chris Clark
9.Tyler O’Hara
10. Chris Ulrich
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.
About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. SMAI’s supplier, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki, Motorex, Parts Unlimited, Dunlop, Shorai, Renthal, RK Racing Chain, NGK Spark Plugs, Pilot, K&N Performance Filters, Zero Gravity and Chicken Hawk Racing.
More, from a press release issued by Tuned Racing:
Bryce Prince had an outstanding weekend at the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout round at Sonoma Raceway. “On Saturday I ended up having a few issues in qualifying and ended up sixth,” explained Bryce. “I knew I had a could do better here and decided to use the AFM races to get a better pace.”
Meanwhile, Bryce’s Tuned Racing teammate, Jason Aguilar, who was riding Sonoma for the first time on Saturday, managed an 8th place qualifying position. In the AFM races, Bryce was leading the 600 Superbike and 600 Production classes going into the weekend. He entered these races prior to the Pro Sportbike race to work on getting a better race pace for the Pro Sportbike race. In the 600 Superbike race, Bryce made a pass on the second lap and then pulled away for a 5 second victory. Jason Aguilar was able to hold onto 3rd place until the last couple of laps, and ended up with a respectable 4th place.
On Sunday, the 600 Production race, Bryce quickly grabbed the lead and took off, while Jason fell back in 3rd. On lap 3, Jason ran his fastest lap, a 1:41.014 to catch and pass the 2nd Place rider. It did not last as his opponent answered back with a pass to maintain 2nd Place. Jason made another pass coming out of the Carousel, but ran too hot into the chicane, giving up 2nd Place. Jason closed the gap and made several more pass attempts, including a dramatic, around- the-outside pass in the final corner, but could not make it stick.
“I had blast! I was doing times that would’ve had me battling for the lead in 2012 AMA Supersport races,” stated Jason afterwards.
The Pro Superbike race was stacked with talent. From his 2nd row position Bryce got a great launch and moved into 5th place. Bryce was in a 4 rider battle for 3rd place when a crash took out the 3 riders right in front of him. Bryce was the only rider in his group to avoid the crash and took over 3rd Place. However, the incident forced Bryce to check up and he lost contact with the two riders battling for the lead. Bryce then had a lonely ride to the finish and his first Pro podium. Meanwhile, Jason recovered from a 9th place first lap and worked his way by a couple of riders before taking over 5th place. Jason had opened up a large gap between 6th place and just needed to cruise to an easy 5th place finish. But, on the 19th lap of the 20 lap race, Jason hit the seam in the Carousel and was highsided off the bike.
“I jumped up and ran to my bike, thinking ‘No! This didn’t really happen!’ I jumped back on the bike, but the clutch lever was broken so I couldn’t get going again,” explained Jason.
“I can’t thank all of my crew and sponsors enough for their help,” stated Bryce on the podium.
“This was a great way to welcome new sponsor, Solarmax Technology, to the team,” added Team Owner, Mike Pond. “This was Bryce’s first professional podium, but I think now that he has the first one, there will be many more. And Jason showed that he has the pace to run with the fastest Supersport riders at a track that he had never ridden before. I am really excited about the rest of this season.”
Tuned Racing thanks all its sponsors for their support:
Tuned Industries, Graves Motorsports, Dunlop Motorcycle Road Racing Tires USA , SolarMax Technology, Galfer Brakes, Worxxx Performance and Machine, Drive Systems USA, Torco Advanced Lubricants, Motoyard.com, Let’s Ride Trackdays, Zero Gravity Racing Corporation, Dynojet, VNM Sportgear, EFSigns.com, SBKPaint.com, Optimal Racing Bodywork, SpeedAngle, Shorai Batteries, ACT Leathers , NEXX-USA, and Onyx Oil Service.
Jason Aguilar also thanks his personal sponsors: RS Taichi, Moto Liberty, AXO, Vortex Racing, Impact Safe-T Armor, Spider Grips, HT Moto, GPR Stabilizers, and Chicken Hawk Racing.