YOSHIMURA SUZUKI FACTORY RACING’S MARTIN CARDENAS WINS SUPERBIKE SHOOTOUT AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden captures fourth & teammate Chris Clark cards seventh
FONTANA, CA (April 28, 2014) – Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing tasted victory this weekend as Martin Cardenas won the inaugural 2014 Superbike Shootout at Fontana, California’s Auto Club Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Following the victorious Cardenas, teammates Roger Hayden and Chris Clark raced their Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000s to fourth and seventh places, respectively.
With more than two months between the season-opening round of AMA Pro Superbike at Daytona International Speedway in March and the upcoming second round, the Yoshimura Suzuki team participated in this new three-race series that combines the Pros with WERA’s semi-pro and amateur events. Because the events are unaffiliated with the AMA Pro Racing series the team usually contests, the Yoshimura Suzuki squad treated this event as something of a large-scale test.
In Sunday’s race, Cardenas got a good start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and was with the front-runners right off the bat. He battled for the lead for much of the race and made the most of the lapped riders. Toward the end of the 20 laps, he charged into the lead and held on to take the win.
“It was a good race,” said Cardenas. “I got a good start on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and I made a move with two laps to go and I was able to hold the position until the end. It was a very fine weekend, and it was nice to race at Fontana again after several years.”
Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Hayden started the weekend off by setting the fastest lap time and capturing pole position. In the 20-lap race, Hayden got a good start and battled up front before bringing home a fourth-place finish.
“I got a really good start and had a great first half of the race,” said Hayden. “I felt really good, the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 was working great and it was a really fun battle – going back and forth and passing each other. During the second part of the race, and especially on the last few laps, I had some issues and had to slow down so I ended up fourth. Overall, it was a great weekend; it was a fun event, the atmosphere was great and there were tons of fans there. It was good to work with the Yoshimura Suzuki team in a race environment and I can’t wait for Sonoma next weekend.”
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Clark, meanwhile, focused his efforts on getting more comfortable on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and finding the right setup. Clark got a top-10 start in the race and slotted into seventh position and stayed put for all 20 laps.
“It was a good weekend all around, teaming up with the amateur series,” said Clark. “It was unique and a lot of fun. We used this event as a test to work on some stuff that should really help us down the road with the AMA rounds. We made some good progress and now I’m looking forward to Sonoma next weekend and getting ready for Road America.”
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing will also participate in the second round of the 2014 Superbike Shootout events, May 3rd – 4th, at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA.
2014 Auto Club Speedway Superbike Shootout Results:
1. Martin Cardenas
2. Cameron Beaubier
3. Josh Hayes
4. Roger Hayden
5. David Anthony
6. Chris Fillmore
7. Chris Clark
8. Chris Ulrich
9. Daytona Anderson
10. Mathew Orange
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 Nitron USA:
Anthony Turns Third-Fastest Lap, Takes Fifth at GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout, on Nitron Suspension
Fontana, California: The underdog rider on the underdog brand of suspension, Pro Superbike privateer racer David Anthony turned in another exceptional performance yesterday on his Nitron equipped SIC/Motul/Fly Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000, finishing fifth in the Race FuelZ Pro Superbike Race in the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout/Yamaha SoCal Nationals, at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
All weekend long, Anthony was in the elite class of five-fastest riders at the front, ultimately setting a qualifying time at less than .600 seconds behind pole-winner Roger Hayden, and a mere .053 second from Hayden’s Yoshimura teammate Martin Cardenas, despite having less horsepower than the other four riders. Anthony’s qualifying time earned him fifth on the grid, putting him on row two.
In the race, it was a five-bike battle for nearly the entire 20-lap event, with Anthony working his way up to third-place, before making an error that dropped him back to fifth, in the closing laps to the finish line. Despite Anthony’s minor error, the next rider behind him was a distant 24 seconds in arrears.
As witnessed by Lenny Albin, Nitron USA’s Technical Manager, who was at the event to support all Nitron riders, Anthony did numerous laps that sometimes brought him closer to the leader, ultimately setting a time as the third fastest rider on any lap during the race. Albin will be attending the final two events in the three-round GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha, taking place at Sonoma Raceway, May 3-4, and Miller Motorsports Park, May 24-25.
After the race, the underdog Anthony said, “I believed I was going to run well here. We changed the set-up a lot, and we made changes to the team; it was time to get everything right. I’ve been preparing more than ever and working out and I’ve lost 15-lbs. since Daytona. We were fifth here on a budget that’s, what, a tenth, a fifth of those who finished in front of us? Too run right with them proved a lot. All I needed to win here was to be .140-seconds faster a lap. I’ve got good engines but it is what it is. I’ll never find more power. Before this race I thought if I can be close we can chance onto the podium. But seeing how I’m running with them now, I’ll just earn it. I think it’s absolutely possible. I know I can get there, now that I’ve shown I’m fast enough.”
The next round of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha is next weekend in NorCal, at the Sonoma Raceway. Be there. And visit www.mavtv.com for updates on when each race broadcast will be televised.
Nitron USA is the exclusive assembly facility/distributor in the Americas for Nitron Racing Systems Ltd., creator of high-quality dampers for performance, touring, adventure, twin-shock, and American V-twin motorcycles, and selected performance automobiles. Through the application of modern materials and manufacturing processes, Nitron’s mission is to create and service suspension products of incomparable form, function, and feel. Nitron USA, Miller Motorsports Park, 2901 Sheep Lane, Unit 704, Tooele, UT 84074; 801-663-7436; www.nitronusa.com; www.facebook.com/nitronusa; [email protected].