Roberts wins fifth Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race in five starts SALT LAKE CITY – Joe Roberts is on a tear. The 16-year-old rider made it five wins in five starts with his victory on Sunday in the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series’ Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport Race 2 at Miller Motorsports Park. Roberts, who raced for the final time in the series on Sunday because of racing commitments in Europe, started on the pole and rode his California Superbike School RoadRacingWorld.com Honda CBR600RR from the lead for the first half of the 13-lap race. “It is great coming out and winning all the races,” said Roberts, who posted a best lap of 1:56.912. “It has been really awesome to come race in SuperSport with this California Superbike School Road Racing World team. They are a bunch of great guys who have put my bike to the top, so it is great.” But it almost wasn’t to be for Roberts after a mid-race red flag bunched the field back up. Once the race restarted, he was able to hold the lead, but that changed on the final circuit of the 16-lap race. The teenager lost the lead going into Turn 1 on that final circuit and dropped back to third as Tomas Puerta, who finished second, and Wyatt Farris, who finished third, went by him. But Roberts wasn’t shaken and returned the favor to Farris in Turn 5 and then passed Puerta in Turn 8. Puerta had one final shot at the win and went for the pass on the inside of Roberts on the final right turn but was too far back to make it work. “I knew it was going to be hard to pull a gap,” Roberts said. “I got a good start and pulled a gap going into Turn 1 and just tried to manage it. Tomas was there, Wyatt was there, and I think Stefano Mesa was there as well. It was a really great race. I made some great passes, so I’m really happy with this weekend.” Puerta, who had a best lap of 1:56.865, settled for second but claimed the Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport West championship with his finish. “I am feeling great,” Puerta said. “This has been a great season. It started out a little strange yesterday; I didn’t have my head on the race. Today I was focused enough to win the race. On the red flag we fixed something on the rear tire that helped a little bit to come out of the corner faster. “When Joe passed me (on the last lap), I knew I had to try to pass him again. I did my best and went inside of him on the last right and it didn’t work. But I’m happy to bring the bike home and really happy for the championship.” Farris, who claimed a spot on the podium for the first time this season in Race 1 on Saturday, followed that up with his second podium finish in as many races. “It was a good race,” said Farris, who posted a best lap of 1:56.876. “I didn’t get a real good start, got pinched off, and dropped back to eighth or ninth. I worked my way through and got up into third, but (Roberts and Puerta) had checked out at that point, so I was like, ‘Let’s see what kind of lap times we can do.’ Luckily the red flag came out and that was a huge gift.” Roberts finished his five-race run in the SuperSport series third in points with two races left in the West. “This is it for AMA this year,” Roberts said. “I have to see what opportunities come up this year. Who knows, maybe I will be back here.” Puerta and the rest of the SuperSport field will return to action at the New Jersey Lottery Devil’s Showdown on Sept. 13-15 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. More, from a press release issued by GEICO Motorcycle Road Racing: Blown engine slows GEICO’s Westby SALT LAKE CITY – GEICO Motorcycle Honda rider Dane Westby followed up a seventh-place finish on Saturday with a ninth-place effort on Sunday in the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series’ GoPro Daytona SuperBike Race 2 at Miller Motorsports Park. It wasn’t the finish Westby was looking for after a good run on Saturday, but early morning practice problems kept him from making a move up the field. “I just didn’t have anything for them today,” Westby said. “We changed some stuff. I had to turn the traction control off due to an unrelated issue. We just didn’t really have all our ducks in a row today.” After blowing an engine just a few laps into Sunday morning’s practice, Westby’s crew spent the rest of the pre-race time getting his backup ready. The No. 5 Honda CBR600RR was ready to go, and “the Wolverine” started ninth and got a great jump on the start but settled into the ninth spot through the first lap. The top nine riders, including Westby, pulled away from the rest of the field early in the race. By the midway point of the 16-lap event, the Tulsa, Okla., resident was nearly four seconds back of eighth and close to nine seconds ahead of 10th, and that is the way it would remain for the rest of Westby’s race. “The race was pretty lonely for me today,” said Westby, who laid down his best lap (1:55.912) on the second circuit of the race. “I got a pretty good start like yesterday, but the atmosphere up here wasn’t cooperating with us. I got pretty much passed again and that was it. I couldn’t really pass anybody else.” Westby leaves the event in the same points position as he was when he arrived: seventh, 13 points back of sixth and 15 points ahead of eighth. Westby will be in action again at the New Jersey Lottery Devil’s Showdown on Sept. 13-15 at New Jersey Motorsports Park for Round 8 of the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series. “New Jersey is a good track for us,” Westby said. “Out of all the tracks on the circuit, I think Daytona is good for us and Jersey is good for us, so maybe we will have something for them there.” More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: Salty Dogs: Cardenas and Hayden Square Off For AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Supremacy At Miller Motorsports Park TOOELE, Utah – Saturday’s AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike thriller at Miller Motorsports Park was backed up by an even more shocking contest on Sunday — one that further raises the stakes heading into the final three SuperBike races of the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing season. After failing to match the pace of the lead trio on Saturday, Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Martin Cardenas thrust himself right back into the championship fight with a well-timed victory that came at the end of a full-tilt battle with National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Roger Hayden. Following yesterday’s rare defeat, defending triple champion Josh Hayes was motivated to break the challenge of his rivals early and rip open an immediate (and necessary) gap in order to take his revenge in Sunday’s rematch. However, the Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha rider was perhaps a little too anxious to do so, crashing out of the lead while working lap 3 of 16. Hayden, who was slowly closing in on Hayes after the Yamaha pilot had led him by more than a second following the completion of the race’s opening lap, inherited the lead at that point. Herrin, meanwhile, was unable to repeat his Saturday heroics. The Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha SuperBike sophomore discovered an issue with his YZF-R1 on the sighting lap and found himself in the frustrating position of having to nurse his machine for the entire race distance in order to salvage as many points as possible for his title hopes. With the Yamaha runners out of contention for the win, Cardenas stepped up and tracked down Hayden. The luckless Kentuckian encountered an issue with his machine, as well, which slowed his pace in the race’s later stages. Cardenas and Hayden traded the lead several times late, with the Colombian ultimately holding the advantage despite some incredible overtaking attempts by Hayden. The Michael Jordan Motorsports rider put his hand up with just two corners to go, signaling a problem. Cardenas powered on to the win while Hayden managed to just coast across the line ahead of third-placed Herrin, who had trailed him by more than six seconds. That narrow escape could prove to have massive title implications down the line as the championship race has taken on a most intriguing shape with the season quickly approaching its conclusion. Race-winner Cardenas said, “It was a pretty hard race. At the beginning, these guys were a little bit faster up to the point when Josh crashed. Roger was pretty fast, and I was just trying my best to keep with him. I started to gain a little on him and when I got on his rear wheel, I stayed there for a couple laps and was thinking about doing a pass right at the end. It was a pretty tough race — I did my best, every lap as hard as I could. I passed Roger and he passed me back. He went a little deep, and I went back to his inside. I pushed that last lap because I knew he would try to pass me back, and I ended up winning. I’m very happy for me and the whole Yoshimura team.” Runner-up Hayden was bitterly disappointed following another near-miss. “I’m not real sure what happened. It started with about six laps to go. It just started getting slower and slower out of the flat corners and really started backing in bad under the brakes. You know, the last lap, when I got on the throttle nothing was really happening. I don’t know what was happening — if it dropped a cylinder or was tying up or what. But, with about four laps to go, I really didn’t think I was going to finish. “Obviously, I’m about as disappointed as you can get. I felt like I had the pace to win today.” “Today was a lot different,” Herrin said, “I was just struggling to keep the bike off the ground. I don’t know what it was; we didn’t really change anything from yesterday. But I came in off the sighting lap and told the guys there was something up with the front tire because it was moving all over the place. We thought about getting on the backup bike…But we figured I would do better nursing a front tire than starting from the back of the field. So that’s basically what we did — just trying to do as well as we could and make the best out of it.” Despite his problems, Herrin’s third-place finish allowed him to reclaim the points lead at 264, while the resurgent Cardenas is well within striking distance at 255. After his front-end washout, Hayes picked his R1 back up and soldiered on to score three vital points with an 18th-place result, upping his tally to 248. Despite his Utah disappointment, Hayes’ 16-point deficit means that he remains in control of his own destiny, but with little room for error. He can guarantee himself a 20-point swing in the standings if he is able to collect maximum points at both the penultimate round at New Jersey Motorsports Park and the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca finale. Hayes explained his crash, stating, “I was trying hard, and I fell down, you know? The front wasn’t very good and was giving me some warnings, even on the first lap. I was pushing on it, anyway. Yesterday, I didn’t think the front was all that good but I had been able to push on it and keep going. All the places it had given me indications that it was bad, Tooele Turn wasn’t one of them. I was going at it the same as I had. I don’t know or think that I had done anything different that lap but I had one that happened fast and it got away from me.” Jordan Suzuki’s Danny Eslick pushed Herrin in the middle stages of the race before accepting a fine fourth-place result. Team Hero EBR’s Geoff May rounded out the top five. He was followed by his Team AMSOIL/Hero teammate, Aaron Yates, who held off Motosport.com Motul Fly Racing’s David Anthony for sixth by 0.517 seconds at the flag. KTM/HMC Racing’s Taylor Knapp raced on track with Yates and Anthony but was credited with eighth after being assessed a five-second penalty for jumping the start. Cardenas’ Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing teammate, Chris Clark, and Motosport.com/EBR’s Dustin Dominguez completed the race’s top ten. AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Cameron Beaubier won again at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah to sweep the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike races at the track this weekend. Beaubier had a tough time of it, winning by just 0.176 over Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha teammate Garrett Gerloff and 0.439 over RoadRace Factory/Red Bull’s JD Beach. Meen Motorsports’ Jake Lewis joined the trio in a four-rider pack at the front. Beach and Gerloff both took turns at the front late, but mistakes meant they lost the lead, and Beaubier eventually won the contest to tie the record for most AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike wins in a season. Beaubier’s ninth win this year equaled the mark set by Martin Cardenas in 2010. “I can’t believe how happy I am after getting the double win here,” said Beaubier, the points leader. “This race was one of the best ones I have ever had, and to race with these two guys was really cool, passing back and forth. JD scared me coming into turn one. It was crazy but it was awesome.” The exciting race held its share of close shaves and brilliant saves, with Beach making a double draft to take the lead with four laps to go. Beach nearly tossed it to the sky, as did Gerloff on the last lap. Lewis once again finished fourth, ahead of Jake Gagne on the other RoadRace Factory/Red Bull machine. James Rispoli was the top Suzuki in the contest as his National Guard Celtic Racing bike topped the Triumphs of Jason DiSalvo on the Latus Motors Racing entry and Bobby Fong on the D&D Cycles/Castrol/Triumph. GEICO Motorcycle Road Racing’s Dane Westby and Team Amantini’s Fernando Amantini earned their second top tens of the weekend on Sunday. AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport California Superbike School Roadracingworld.com’s Joe Roberts entered the race wanting to extend his perfect record since joining the AMA Pro tour at Barber. RoadRace Factory/Red Bull’s Tomas Puerta was looking to clinch the West division title. The two got off to a great start before a red flag broke up a race where Roberts narrowly led Puerta with seven laps to go and it set up a great run to the finish that saw Roberts win his fifth race in a row and Puerta clinch the West. Roberts took the checkers just 0.198 ahead of Puerta. “It’s great coming out and winning all the races. It’s been really awesome coming to race in SuperSport with this California Superbike School Roadracingworld.com team. They’re a bunch of great guys and really put my bike to the top, so it’s great,” said Roberts. “Coming down on the last lap, I got passed by Tomas and Wyatt going into Turn 1. I had two bikes ahead of me, so I was freaking out a little because I didn’t know how I was going to pass them back. An opportunity came up in Turn 5, and I just went for the pass to get Wyatt. I knew if I didn’t pass him there, I wasn’t going to win the race. I got behind Tomas and went through Turn 7 really good and was riding around the outside and just tried to stick it into Turn 8 and make the pass and stay on the track. Then, I just tried to hold my line so Tomas couldn’t pass me back.” Roberts won all five AMA Pro Motorcycle-SuperStore.com races he entered in 2013. Puerta’s championship season proved to be one of speed and consistency. “It was great to lock up the first championship for the RoadRace Factory/Red Bull team, and we’ve been trying all season to do our best,” said Puerta, who locked up both the West and the Overall crown in a season that saw him finish on the podium nine times. “It was a really fun year and thanks to everyone that made it a great season.” Wyatt Farris backed up his second-place finish on Saturday with a close third, just 0.432 behind Roberts. Erick Sanchez (EYK) turned in the fastest lap of the race at 1:56.582 and earned his best result of the year with fourth place. He topped Mid-Ohio podium finisher Miles Thornton (CTR Racing) and CJ Weaver (BP Racing), along with West title hopeful Jeffrey Tigert (Baby Appleseed CM Motorsports) who finished seventh. Ryan Matter (Gearzy) earned eighth while newcomers Royce McLean (Yamaha/Dunlop/Arai) and Andrew DiBrino (Drew Paints) also earned top-ten finishes from the 36-rider field. AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series Aerostar Global/Suburban Harley-Davison’s Steve Rapp has firmly established himself as the rider to beat heading into this season’s $60,000 XR Showdown, as he racked up his fourth successive AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson race win today at Miller Motorsports Park. The Californian controlled the race from the start but was pressed throughout by ’12 MMP dominator Tyler O’Hara on the Eco Fuel Saver/Scrubblade XR1200. Rapp capitalized on an O’Hara mistake to eke out a small margin with a couple laps remaining and managed that gap en route to the checkered flag. O’Hara finished a strong second, taking the stripe 0.857 seconds behind Rapp but more than ten seconds ahead of defending class champion, Michael Barnes, who completed the podium on the Spyke’s Harley-Davidson machine. While form and momentum will work in Rapp’s favor when the field arrives at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP to kick off the four-race XR Showdown, he won’t have his hard-earned points lead to rely on. The top ten riders following today’s race will be reset at 1000 points, setting the stage for a thrilling battle to determine this year’s AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson champion. Rapp said, “It feels great. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to make this race, and thanks to all the guys at Suburban Harley-Davidson and Aerostar Global, I’m here and they gave me an awesome bike… It’s just a great feeling; no matter what you run on, it’s always fun winning. I’m having a great time, and there’s a lot less pressure and stress than I used to have. It’s fun coming to the races again.” With a number of riders desperate to earn a qualifying position in today’s critical race, fireworks were expected and fireworks there were. Happy Trails M/C Connection’s Hayden Schultz and Fernet Insurance’s Eric Stump entered the weekend ranked 15th and 17th but qualified fourth and fifth and therefore had a realistic shot of fighting their way in with a strong Sunday performance. Unfortunately, Schultz crashed while running up front on the opening lap and Stump crashed on the race’s final lap after working his way up to fourth, eliminating any hopes they had of claiming a spot in the XR Showdown. In the end, only Thrashed Bike Racing David Estok came from outside the top ten to qualify for the XR Showdown, and at the expense of ChiliPepper Racing’s Ricky Parker. The ten qualifiers are Rapp, O’Hara, Barnes, Harv’s Harley-Davidson’s Travis Wyman, Suburban Harley-Davidson’s Ben Carlson, Mob Racing’s Shane Narbonne, H&S Distributors’ Nicholas Hansen, Estok, Eco Fuel Saver/Scrubblade’s Josh Chisum, and Longevity Racing’s Barrett Long. Next Up The AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series will kick off the $60,000 XR Showdown with a doubleheader event at the Red Bull Indianapolis on August 16-18. The full GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing series will then travel to New Jersey Motorsports Park for The New Jersey Lottery Devil’s Showdown on September 13-15 for the penultimate round of the 2013 season. GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing is broadcast on CBS Sports Network as part of the CBS Sports Spectacular. Fans can find CBS Sports Network on their TV by using the channel finder at http://www.cbssportsnetwork.com/channel-finder. In addition to the live broadcasts on CBS Sports Network, AMA Pro Live will be live streaming multiple channels of behind-the-scenes video of the weekend’s activities alongside Live Timing & Scoring. AMA Pro Live puts fans in the director’s chair, allowing them to choose from a variety of viewpoints including track cameras, paddock cameras and a press conference channel at http://www.amaprolive.com. Stay connected with GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing on social media at http://twitter.com/AMAProSBK and http://www.facebook.com/AMAProRoadRacing. About GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing is the premier motorcycle road racing series in North America and is universally regarded as one of the most competitive road racing organizations in the world. The 2013 schedule consists of nine rounds of competition on the country’s finest road courses. The Series is comprised of four production-based classes: AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport and the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series. Learn more about GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing at www.amaproracing.com/rr/. AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. More, from a press release issued by Geiger Media on behalf of AMSOIL: AMSOIL EBR riders May, Yates equal best finishes at Miller Motorsports Park SALT LAKE CITY – Race 2 in the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series’ National Guard SuperBike class on Sunday at Miller Motorsports Park was much better than Race 1 on Saturday for both Hero/AMSOIL EBR riders. Geoff May raced his No. 99 Team Hero/AMSOIL EBR 1190RS to a fifth-place finish, equaling his best effort of the season. “Today is the race I had envisioned yesterday but didn’t pan out,” May said. “I’m really happy that today we were able to bring home a Top 5 for the EBR Hero/AMSOIL team. I’m really happy with the end result, and hopefully we can carry some momentum into the last few races. “We are still learning and the bike just keeps getting better and better each time we go out. Top 5 is an awesome result.” May started the race in ninth and quickly moved up to fifth during the first segment of the first lap, then settled into a rhythm from there. “I made sure I got a really good practice launch before I went out,” said May, who had a fast lap of 1:52.782, which came on the 14th lap of the race. “Then I just made my mind up that I was going to get aggressive and just push everybody out of my way or make it impossible to pass. “I did a little zigzag on the start to kind of throw people off. I was able to get on the tail of Larry Pegram, who had a very quick motorcycle, and draft him down into the first corner. Then I sat up wide to carry all my corner speed and a couple of guys got in there hot and ran wide, and I was able to sneak up the inside and really get on the tail of that lead pack and check out.” Yates, riding his No. 20 AMSOIL/Hero EBR 1190RS, finished just one spot behind his teammate in sixth, which also equaled his best finish of the 2013 season. “Today is definitely a much better day and the results show it,” Yates said. “I really wish we could have been right here (Saturday) and move forward from there. “But it felt really good today. It was a strong race and we battled it out the whole time with Taylor Knapp. He managed to get by me there on the brakes in one turn. It was pretty exciting.” After a soft tire ruined his day on Saturday, Yates was back to the hard front tire on Sunday and it made a big difference. “Basically the bike is the same as it was in qualifying (Saturday) but just ran a harder front tire on the thing,” said Yates, who laid down his fastest lap (1:53.574) on the fifth circuit of the 16-lap event. “We just got sidetracked and ended up with the wrong tire for the race (Saturday).” Yates started from the seventh spot on the grid and was able to move up one spot early on and then hold off his competition for the last 10 laps of the race. Yates, who sits 10th in points, and May, who remains eighth, will be in action again at the New Jersey Lottery Devil’s Showdown on Sept. 13-15 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. “That is a track we historically go really well at,” said May, who finished second in New Jersey last year. “Not much of a straightaway there, so out of all the racetracks right now the power deficit will be minimalized at New Jersey. I’m excited about it.” More, from a press release issued by National Guard/Celtic Racing: National Guard Celtic Racing Leaves Miller With Determination To Improve Results Corey Alexander and James Rispoli had a difficult weekend at Miller Motorsports Park, despite strong efforts by both riders in practice, qualifying, and the races. Alexander qualified his #5 National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600 in fifth position despite a crash which destroyed his primary machine, with the top five SuperSport qualifiers separated by less than a second. Rispoli qualified in seventh in Daytona Sport Bike aboard his #43 National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600, narrowly missing the second row. In SuperSport race one on Saturday, Alexander would retire after just three laps on his secondary machine when over-heating issues caused the engine to seize. The National Guard Celtic Racing crew worked hard to prepare his machine for Sunday’s race two, and despite some early improvement, the second motor also suffered a failure and that was enough to push Alexander back into twelfth place at the flag – a strong result under difficult conditions for Alexander. Corey stated that “the weekend sucked, but I have to give my guys huge thanks for putting a ton of effort in. We have some homework to do to figure out what the issue was with our bike. I’m really excited for New Jersey and my home town race, and I am looking forward to some good results and hopefully the championship as well.” Corey’s personal sponsors include Arai Helmets, AMMO NYC, Hudson Valley Motorcycles, Spidi Leathers, and XPD Boots. James Rispoli had a better weekend than what was reflected by the finishing positions, and rode hard from Friday to Sunday. Rispoli finished a strong sixth in both Daytona Sport Bike races on his National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600, with his lap times improving steadily through each race. Rispoli’s pace was the fastest a Suzuki GSX-R 600 has turned at Miller, and was consistently quick for each race. Rispoli said that it was “not the best weekend, but we had really consistent lap times. We are still not where we need to be for both races, or where we are capable of being. I’m going back to Florida to train my ass off. Thanks to AGV Helmets, Dainese Leathers, Monster Energy, Spider Grips and Techmounts for all their support, and thanks to all the fans for their encouragement! See you at Jersey!” Celtic Racing is proud to partner with: Army National Guard, Michael Jordan Motorsports, Orient Express Racing, Hudson Valley Motorcycles, American Suzuki, Armour Bodies, Bazzaz, Chicken Hawk Racing, DesignStar3, D.I.D. Chain, FMF Exhaust, Full Spectrum Power, Galfer, GB Racing, K-Tech Suspension, Maxima Racing Oils, Motion Pro, Pit Bull Products, Saddlemen, Signs Ink, Star Motorcycle School, Vortex Racing, and Zero Gravity. CELTIC RACING Celtic Racing was established in 2001 by Barry Gilsenan, and over the past 12 seasons has established itself as a premier privateer racing team. 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. Please join Celtic Racing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CelticRacing . ARMY NATIONAL GUARD The National Guard is the oldest military branch. Today, Citizen-Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while training part time, staying ready to defend America in the event of an emergency. The National Guard serves both state and federal governments. During local emergencies, Guard units assist residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard companies deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. Please visit http://www.nationalguard.com to find out more. ORIENT EXPRESS Established in 1973, Orient Express is celebrating it’s 40th 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.facebook.com/OrientExpressRacing . More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer PR: ROBERTS AND TEAM HAMMER WIN FIFTH IN A ROW IN UTAH Team Hammer celebrated another victorious outing at Miller Motorsports Park as Joe Roberts concluded his abbreviated rookie AMA Pro season in perfect fashion on Sunday. The 16-year-old racing prodigy demonstrated his vast potential and rare racecraft one last time for American fans this season, coming out on top of yet another thrilling dogfight for the win in the day’s SuperSport contest. Roberts took the holeshot aboard his California Superbike School Roadracingworld.com Racing Honda CBR600RR and ran up front in the opening stages of the contest before it was stopped due to a red flag. After the restart, the race was transformed into a sprint to the checkered flag with four riders duking it out on the final lap. Roberts was dropped to third place after being drafted by two rivals as they entered Turn 1 for the final time. However, Roberts would not be denied, stringing together a pair of successful overtaking maneuvers to storm back up to the front in time to take the checkered flag in first position. The victory marked Joe’s fifth win in as many career AMA Pro Road Racing starts. “It’s great coming out and winning all the races,” an elated Roberts said. “It’s been really awesome coming to race in SuperSport with this California Superbike School Roadracingworld.com team. They’re a bunch of great guys and really put my bike to the top, so it’s great. “The race was a very interesting one. I got a great start — got the holeshot again. I was just battling for the lead. We had a red flag and I knew it would be hard to pull a gap. I got a good start but three other riders were right there. “Coming down on the last lap, I got passed by two riders going into Turn 1. I had two bikes ahead of me so I was freaking out a little because I didn’t know how I was going to pass them back. An opportunity came up in Turn 5 and I just went for the pass to get by one. I knew if I didn’t pass him there I wasn’t going to win the race. I got behind the leader and went through Turn 7 really good and was riding around the outside and just tried to stick it into Turn 8 and make the pass and stay on the track. Then I just tried to hold my line so he couldn’t pass me back. “It was a really great race and I made some good passes. I’m really happy with the weekend.” Roberts’ Team Hammer teammates had less memorable days in the Daytona SportBike and AMA Superbike classes. GEICO Road Racing Honda’s Dane Westby was forced to ride his backup machine in the SportBike contest after encountering an issue with his ‘A’ bike in the morning warm-up. He still managed to put in a solid effort, finishing in the top ten with a ninth-place run. M4 Lucas Oil Racing’s Benny Solis finished three places back in 12th after coming out on top of a close scrap for the position. And MPH’s Melissa Paris finished in 17th in the Daytona SportBike contest on the Team Hammer Contract Services-prepared Honda CBR600RR. Meanwhile, M4 Lucas Oil Racing’s Chris Ulrich raced his way from 14th up 11th and was well positioned to collect a top-ten result. Unfortunately, Chris crashed out of the race on lap 8 of 16 and was ultimately credited with a 21st place finish. While Roberts’ AMA Pro season is complete, the rest of the Team Hammer crew will be back in action at New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 13-15 for the 2013 season’s penultimate round. About Team Hammer: In 2013, Team Hammer, Inc. is competing in its 33rd consecutive racing season, and is marking its seventh year of offering technical and logistical support through its Contract Services Department. Riders on Team Hammer-prepared racebikes have earned 59 AMA Pro National race wins; 135 AMA Pro National podium finishes; 5 AMA Pro Championships; 133 Overall National Endurance race wins; 13 National Endurance Championships and assorted other race wins and titles. More, from a press release issued by KTM North America: KTM/HMC Superbike Team Race Report – Miller Motorsports Park Tooele, UT – KTM/HMC Superbike Racing Team riders, Chris Fillmore and Taylor Knapp, made the best of an up and down weekend at the sixth round of the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike racing series held at Miller Motorsports Park. It was Fillmore who had the best race during Saturday’s main event. Fillmore did not have the best start off the line and was actually sitting in 10th place after lap one while his teammate was holding 8th. On lap two, Fillmore picked up one position as he pushed by Yates to take over 9th. The following lap the two teammates battled with Fillmore eventually taking over the 8th place position, dropping Knapp to 9th. Fillmore spent the remainder of the 16-lap race closing in on David Anthony and Larry Pegram. Fillmore moved to within 0.5 seconds of Anthony with a few laps remaining. Meanwhile, Knapp was battling a few positions back swapping places with Aaron Yates and Geoff May. With two laps to go, Fillmore made the pass for 7th position on Anthony. On the final lap the two riders continued to battle and Anthony was able to move back around Fillmore with a couple corners to go. Anthony ended up taking 7th while Fillmore finished right behind him in 8th. Knapp hung on to finish inside the top ten with a 10th place result. “I struggled with rear grip the first race,” stated Knapp Sunday morning. “We made a few changes we probably shouldn’t have and it set me back. Luckily, we corrected the changes during qualifying today and I am looking forward to a better finish in the second race.” Sunday’s race saw a repeat start, with Knapp sitting in 8th while Fillmore was in 10th. Unfortunately, Knapp would later be penalized 5 seconds for jumping the start. On the second lap, Fillmore passed into 9th. A lap later, both riders gained a position after Josh Hayes suffered a crash. Around the fifth lap, Fillmore began a battle with Anthony and Chris Clark. Both Anthony and Fillmore passed Clark and Fillmore moved to 8th. Ahead, Knapp was still pushing hard and was able to move up to 6th position. On lap eight, while running in 8th position, Fillmore suffered a crash which caused him to not finish the race. Luckily, Fillmore was not hurt from the crash but it placed him back in 19th for the day which hurt his momentum in the championship point standings. His teammate, Knapp, went on to finish his best overall result of the series with a 6th place finish, but unfortunately, was credited with an 8th place result because of the 5-second penalty from the start. “I had an awesome last lap battle with Aaron Yates,” stated Knapp. “We were both pushing so hard at the end. I was really happy with my ride and pumped I held him off for the position, but then I rode back in the pits and the team informed me of the penalty off the start. I was bummed to hear that but still glad that we made so much progress and I was able to put in a good battle with Yates.” Next Event: New Jersey Motorsports Park – September 13-15, 2013 Race Results Race 1 – 1. Josh Herrin 2. Roger Hayden 3. Josh Hayes 4. Martin Cardenas 5. Danny Eslick 6. Larry Pegram 7. David Anthony 8. Chris Fillmore – KTM 9. Geoff May 10. Taylor Knapp – KTM Race Results Race 2 – 1. Martin Cardenas 2. Roger Hayden 3. Josh Herrin 4. Danny Eslick 5. Geoff May 6. Aaron Yates 7. David Anthony 8. Taylor Knapp – KTM 9. Chris Clark 10. Dustin Dominguez More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson: Rapp Wins AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Race at Miller Top Ten XR Showdown Finalists Set for Indianapolis Double-Header Milwaukee – Suburban Harley-Davidson’s Steve Rapp continued his domination of the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson series with a determined victory over Tyler O’Hara (Eco Fuel Saver/Scrubblade) at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, to lock in the number one position in the four-race XR Showdown playoffs that begins later this month. Rapp qualified his Harley-Davidson XR1200 motorcycle in pole position on the front row of the 18-rider field and led all eight laps of the race, but was dogged from the start by the hard-charging O’Hara, who never let the veteran rider stretch his lead much beyond a half-second during the six laps of the race. On lap seven Rapp opened the gap to just under one second and was able to maintain a pace to the end that resulted in his fourth straight class victory. “It feels great [to win]. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to make this race, and thanks to all the guys at Suburban Harley-Davidson and Aerostar Global, I’m here and they gave me an awesome bike,” Rapp said. “It’s just a great feeling; no matter what you run on, it’s always fun winning. I’m having a great time, and there’s a lot less pressure and stress than I used to have. It’s fun coming to the races again.” Defending series champion Michael Barnes (Spyke’s H-D), who had to scramble to qualify for the race Sunday morning after crashing in qualifying on Saturday before completing an official lap, raced to a lonely third place, followed by Gage McCallister (Folsom H-D) in fourth. David Estok (Thrashed Bike Racing) came out on top of a spirited battle for fifth over Darren James (Deeley Racing) and Shane Narbonne (Empire H-D), while Josh Chisum, Nicholas Hansen and Logan Hanks rounded out the top ten. The Miller Motorsports Park round was the final race for Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series title hopefuls to earn a position as one of ten qualifiers for the four-race XR Showdown, which begins with a double-header round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in two weeks. Points for each rider making the top ten in the series standings will be reset at 1000, and those ten riders will contest for the series championship and $60,000 in prize money at the conclusion of the final three race weekends at Indianapolis, New Jersey Motorsports Park, and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson series returns to action August 16-18 with double-header support races during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP round of the FIM MotoGP World Championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Miller Motorsports Park Race Result: 1. Steve Rapp (Aerostar Global/Suburban H-D), 8 laps 2. Tyler O’Hara (Eco Fuel Saver/Scrubblade), +0.857 second 3. Michael Barnes (Spyke’s H-D), +10.963 seconds 4. Gage McAllister (Folsom H-D), +19.943 seconds 5. David Estok (Thrashed Bike Racing), +24.653 seconds 6. Darren James (Deeley Racing), +25.464 seconds 7. Shane Narbonne (MOB Racing/Empire H-D), +25.586 seconds 8. Josh Chisum (Eco Fuel Saver/Scrubblade), +28.557 seconds 9. Nicholas Hansen (Suburban Motors H-D), +51.829 seconds 10. Logan Hanks (Reddit/Pikes Peak H-D), +55.711 seconds 11. Sam Rozynski (Sounds-Waves.com), +57.862 seconds 12. Nadieh Schoots (SSI/Spkye’s H-D) +1:00.972 13. Shelina Moreda (Spyke’s H-D), +1:13.018 14. Richard Barrett (Motolist.com), +1:45.193 15. Michael Kim (no sponsor listed), +1:57.065 16. Michelle DiSalvo (Spyke’s H-D), +2:00.186 17. Eric Stump (Fernet Insurance), 7 laps 18. Hayden Schultz (Happy Trails M/C Connection/Landers H-D), DNF AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series Points Standings (Points Reset to 1000 per rider for XR Showdown starting at Indianapolis) 1. Rapp, 126 2. O’Hara, 102 3. Barnes, 100 4. T. Wyman, 73 5. Carlson, 61 6. Narbonne, 54 7. Hansen, 52 8. Estok, 49 9. Chisum, 46 10. Long, 45 Company Background Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit harley-davidson.com. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS CAPTURES TWO PODIUMS, TWO TOP-FIVE FINISHES AT MILLER SUPERBIKE RACE MJM’s National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki picks up two top-10 finishes in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike TOOELE, UT (August 5, 2013) – The Michael Jordan Motorsports team put in a true team effort at the 2013 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championships at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT, this weekend. MJM’s Roger Hayden was on top of his game and raced his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 to two second-place results, while MJM teammate Danny Eslick brought home two top-five finishes. The weekend saw National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Hayden turn in two valiant efforts in Saturday and Sunday’s 16-lap Superbike races. On Saturday, Hayden got a good start on his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 and battled for the win right down to the wire before finishing second. On Sunday, Hayden again got a good launch and took over the lead within several laps. He put his head down and held off the competition until the last few laps when he suffered bike issues and wound up finishing second. “I felt like I had the pace to win today,” said Hayden after Sunday’s race. “Obviously I’m about as disappointed as you can get. The Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 was working great for most of the race and I had the pace to run up there by myself. I felt good. But about the last four turns, I don’t know what it was. Now I’m just looking forward to New Jersey and hoping for some better results.” Meanwhile, Jordan Suzuki’s Eslick continued to be the picture of consistency at Miller. After putting himself through the paces all weekend, he and the team found a good set-up for the Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000. The outcome was that Eslick rode two smart races and brought home a fifth-place result on Saturday and a fourth-place finish on Sunday. “This weekend, we pretty much did the same thing we’ve been doing all season,” said Eslick. “But we made some progress with the feel of the bike. The Jordan Suzuki team has worked hard to find something good for me and Sunday was better than Saturday. I got a good start and was right up there, but with about four laps to go, I lost the front brake and I faded back a little bit. Now I’m just looking forward to New Jersey. I’ve done pretty good there in the past and I’m ready to get back to it and hopefully get up on the podium.” In the 600cc classes, National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki’s James Rispoli captured two sixth-place finishes in AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike. In AMA Pro SuperSport, teammate Corey Alexander suffered some bad luck in Saturday’s race and retired early. On Sunday, he finished 12th. In the 2013 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship series rider point standings, Hayden is now fourth while Eslick sits in fifth. In AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, Rispoli is sixth, while Alexander leads AMA Pro SuperSport East. The Michael Jordan Motorsports team’s next event of the 2013 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship series is at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, the weekend of September 13 – 15, 2013. About Michael Jordan Motorsports: Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports 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. For more information on MJM, please visit www.23race.com, www.twitter.com/23race and www.facebook.com/23race. About the Army National Guard: The National Guard is the oldest military branch. Today, Citizen-Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while training part time, staying ready to defend America in the event of an emergency. The National Guard serves both state and federal governments. During local emergencies, Guard units assist residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard companies deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. Michael Jordan Motorsports is proud to partner with: Jordan Brand (a division of Nike), National Guard, Suzuki Motor of America, Inc., Hanes, Gatorade, Bazzaz, Vortex Racing Components, FMF Exhausts, Gemini Racing, K-Tech Suspension-Orient Express Racing, Maxima Racing Oils, K & N Air Filters, Chicken Hawk Racing Tire Warmers, Armour Bodies, DID Chains, Pro-Bolt, Oakley, Roclun International, STAR Motorcycle School, Motion Pro Tools, Zero Gravity Windscreens, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Designstar.com, with transportation provided by Eastside Trucking. More, from a press release issued by Saddlemen: Saddlemen’s Tomas Puerta Locks Up SuperSport West Title at Miller Rancho Dominguez, Calif. – August 5, 2013 – Saddlemen riders were out in force at Round 6 of the AMA Pro Road Racing series this weekend in Tooele, Utah. Saddlemen supported racers notched four podiums and many more top-5 finishes at Miller Motorsports Park as Tomas Puerta locked up the SuperSport West title. AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Saddlemen has been well represented in the Daytona SportBike class by the RoadRace Factory/Red Bull duo of Jake Gagne and JD Beach, and Round 6 at Miller was no different as the teammates both continued their season-long streaks of top-5 finishes. JD Beach led the way for Saddlemen on Saturday, hanging in a four-rider pack at the front that crossed the line in the span of just over a second. Beach held onto his position and finished 3rd. Gagne spent much of the race working out some bike issues but still managed to put in a solid 5th place ride. National Guard/Celtic Racing’s James Rispoli continued his impressive rookie season with 6th place. Rider’s Discount Racing’s Joey Pascarella finished 14th. In many ways Sunday’s race was a close mirror of Race 1, with the top 6 riders finishing in the exact same order both days. JD Beach once again stuck close to the front pack and even took the lead off a double draft with just four laps to go, but nearly lost control and eventually lost the lead. Beach finished 3rd, 0.439-second behind the winner, and completed the 3-3 podium sweep at Miller. Teammate Jake Gagne again finished 5th, Rispoli finished 6th, and Pascarella finished 18th. Despite the pair of podium finishes Beach fell to 4th place in the DSB standings, while Gagne holds on to a comfortable 2nd place lead. The RoadRace Factory teammates have both finished in the top-5 in every race this season, with Gagne hitting the podium seven times and Beach pushing his tally to six after this weekend. Rispoli has yet to finish worse than 8th and continues to impress in his debut DSB season as he holds the 6th position in the class. AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport RoadRace Factory’s Tomas Puerta has been one of the more consistent riders in SuperSport this season, and his strong efforts at Miller helped to solidify his position atop the SS West standings. Puerta led for some of Saturday’s race, making a pass for the lead with just six laps to go. He wound up riding his Saddlemen-equipped R6 to a 3rd place finish. Team 95’s Hayden Gillim put in another solid run with a 7th place finish, while Corey Alexander dropped out after a few laps with a mechanical issue. Puerta backed up his 3rd place performance on Saturday with an even better ride on Sunday. Puerta battled for the lead but fell just 0.198-second short of the victory. The 2nd place finish is Puerta’s ninth podium of the season and with just one round left to go Puerta has mathematically clinched the 2013 SuperSport West Championship. Alexander bounced back to a 12th place finish in the second race while Gillim dropped out after completing just five laps. While Puerta has locked up the championship in the West, the SuperSport East title is still up for grabs. Corey Alexander holds the 9-point lead over Gillim, but the final two races at New Jersey will determine the champion. AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series Eric Stump represented Saddlemen in the H-D Series this weekend. Stump laid down the fourth-best lap time but ultimately finished 17th. Eric is in 14th in the standings with just three rounds of racing left to go, and is well within reach of a top-10 season. Saddlemen’s SportBike and SuperSport racers get some time off as the Harley-Davidson Series travels to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, August 16-18. Learn more about Saddlemen Performance Seats at www.saddlemen.com, and get the latest updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.