Rapp Takes AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Championship at Laguna Seca Suburban Motors H-D Rider Earns First AMA Pro Championship with Flag to Flag Victory Milwaukee – Aerostar Global/Suburban Motors H-D rider Steve Rapp earned the first AMA Pro Road Racing championship of his long career with another dominating flag to flag victory in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson series race Saturday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Ca. Rapp’s sixth win of the 2013 season came in much the same fashion as he has crafted the others, starting from pole position, establishing an early lead, and building the gap on his competitors as the laps clicked off. The only difference this time was that the rewards for victory were sweeter at the end: a coveted No. 1 plate for the series championship and the $25,000 XR Showdown first place check. “I didn’t have a good plan. I just thought I’d go hard for the first couple of laps and see how it played out. It went well, and I’ve got to thank the Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson team. They’re a family team and it feels amazing to do this for them. It’s a perfect weekend,” Rapp said. “[This championship] feels as good as I was hoping it would. It’s a lot of years of hard work and to finally get to the point where it’s paid off for all the people that have helped me over the last 15 years, it’s the perfect end to a season.” Just as the script for recent Harley-Davidson series races began with Rapp checking out to big lead, it also included a vicious fight for the second and third place positions, and Laguna Seca was no different. With the remaining spots in the XR Showdown still up for grabs, the drama began even before the race started when front row starter Tyler O’Hara (Eco Fuel Saver/Scrubblade) had a mechanical problem on the warm-up lap. After a delayed start, O’Hara started on a backup bike from the last row of the grid and battled his way to the front in the opening laps. He pulled off the move of the race on lap 3 with a stunning pass of four riders at the track’s infamous downhill Corkscrew turn, moving from sixth to second in one move. From there, he never fell lower than second, but instead of chasing down Rapp, he had his hands full fending off attacks by Hayden Schultz (Kyle Wyman Racing) and Suburban Motors H-D’s Benny Carlson for the duration of the 10-lap race. “It was some wild emotions there. I thought everything was done on the parade lap. The bike just broke. I don’t know what happened, but I got back in and had to start from the back row. I just paced myself and I had to make some aggressive passes there in the middle,” said O’Hara, who also finished in second place in the XR Showdown final standings. Carlson nipped Schultz in the late laps to claim the final podium spot, followed by defending 2012 series champion Michael Barnes (Spyke’s H-D) in fifth. Gage McAllister (Folsom H-D), Travis Wyman (Harv’s H-D), David Estok (Thrashed Bike Racing), Darren James (Ruthless Racing), and Shane Narbonne (Designstar3.com/Empire H-D rounded out the top ten. New Jersey Motorsports Park Results 1. Steve Rapp (Aerostar Global/Suburban Motors H-D), 10 laps 2. Tyler O’Hara (Eco Fuel Saver/Scrubblade), +5.996 seconds 3. Benjamin Carlson (Suburban Motors H-D), +6.373 seconds 4. Hayden Schultz (Kyle Wyman Racing), +6.450 seconds 5. Michael Barnes (Spyke’s H-D), +7.197 seconds 6. Gage McAllister (Folsom H-D), +12.442 seconds 7. Travis Wyman (Harv’s H-D), +15.523 seconds 8. David Estok (Thrashed Bike Racing), +19.119 seconds 9. Darren James (Ruthless Racing), +26.792 seconds 10. Shane Narbonne (Designstar3.com/Empire H-D), +28.583 seconds 11. Nicholas Hansen (Suburban Motors H-D), +48.019 seconds 12. Sam Rozynski (Sound-Waves.com), +52.765 seconds 13. Brice Cooper (Aerostar Global/Suburban Motors H-D), +1:00.171 14. JC Gibbs (Octane Racing), +1:17.874 15. Logan Hanks (Reddit/Racing for a Wish), +1:17.998 16. Dan Sewell (TWF Racing), +1:20.430 17. Shelina Moreda (Spyke’s H-D), +1:25.721 18. Paolo Brajnik (Usuable Net Inc.), +1:41.339 19. Richard Barnett (Motolist.com), 9 laps 20. Michael Kim (None listed), +2.537 seconds 21. Dave Rhinehart (Rhinehart Development), +17.137 seconds 22. Josh Chisum (Eco Fuel Saver/Scrubblade), 1 lap 23. Eric Haugo (Mob/NESBA), DNF 24. Kyle Wyman (Kyle Wyman Racing), DNS 25. Pete Demas (Parkhurst Racing), DNS AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series Final Points (After 9 of 9 races, with XR Showdown purse) 1. Rapp, 1,109 ($25,000) 2. O’Hara, 1,075 ($10,000) 3. T. Wyman, 1,069 ($7,500) 4. Barnes, 1,060 ($4,000) 5. Carlson, 1,054 ($3,500) 5. Narbonne, 1,052 ($3,000) 7. Estok, 1,043 ($2,500) 8. Hansen, 1,040 ($2,000) 9. Chisum, 1,027 ($1,500) 10. Long, 1,020 ($1,000) Company Information 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 TURNS IN TOP-10 PERFORMANCE IN WORLD SUPERBIKE AT LAGUNA SECA MJM’S Roger Hayden brings home 8th, Danny Eslick finishes 14th MONTEREY, CA – The Michael Jordan Motorsports team took a successful turn on the world stage this past weekend when Roger Hayden and Danny Eslick raced their Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000s as wildcard entries in the FIM Superbike World Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Hayden turned in a stellar performance on Sunday, getting a top-10 start on his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 and moving quickly into seventh place. He set a strong pace and stayed in seventh for much of the event before finishing eighth. “Racing World Superbike was a good experience,” said Hayden. “To come here and race against some of the best riders in the world, without making any changes to the bike was amazing. We showed up and rode what we had in New Jersey. All in all, it was a great weekend. I can’t thank the Jordan Suzuki team enough. They put so much hard work into this. To come here and get eighth on the Suzuki GSX-R1000 that we race in AMA shows how good the bike is and it was good for our series, too.” Meanwhile, Jordan Suzuki’s Eslick also turned in a very respectable performance. On Sunday, he raced his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the top 10 for several laps before a minor error lost him a few positions. Despite the setback, Eslick put his head down and finished the race in 14th. “Racing against some of the best riders in the world in World Superbike was awesome,” said Eslick. “In Sunday’s race, I was around 10th when I lost the rear and almost crashed. I ran off the track and lost some time and wound up 14th. But really, I just wanted to finish the race. That was the goal for this weekend. So we held our own and showed those boys that the Americans can ride.” In the 2013 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship series that MJM has raced all season, Hayden captured six podium finishes on his way to securing fourth in the overall championship point standings. MJM teammate Eslick brought home 10 top-10 finishes and wound up fifth in the overall championship point standings. In AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki’s James Rispoli suffered mechanical issues and was unable to finish the race. In the overall championship points standings, Rispoli was seventh. Having wrapped up the AMA Pro SuperSport season at the previous round, newly crowned AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion Corey Alexander raced alongside his teammate in Daytona SportBike but had a get-off and retired early for the day. 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, Designstar3.com, with transportation provided by Eastside Trucking. More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport: Aragon Disappointment For PBM As if recent results hadn’t gone the way of the team, this weekend saw even worse bad luck being encountered by the Penrith-based PBM MotoGP Team at round 14 of the MotoGP World Championship at Aragon as both riders retired in the early stages. With the recent changes in the team seeing Ulsterman Michael Laverty progress from the PBM-chassised Aprilia to the Aprilia ART with Australian Damian Cudlin being drafted in to ride the PBM machine, hopes were high for a change of fortune. Laverty, from Toome in County Antrim, on the Rapid Solicitors and Minxflix.com-sponsored Aprilia ART gradually upped his pace throughout free practice as German-based Cudlin spent time getting used to the unique Rapid Solicitors and Minxflix.com-sponsored PBM machine. As high as 14th in free practice, Laverty managed to qualify in 20th place with Cudlin four places further back going into the 23-lap race but it wasn’t to last long as firstly Laverty was involved in an opening lap crash and then a couple of laps later, Cudlin joined him on the sidelines with a gearbox issue. Despite the disappointment, Laverty remains in 24th overall in the MotoGP World Championship standings in his debut season. In the Claiming Rules Teams (CRT) class, Laverty is in tenth whereas PBM occupy eighth in the Constructors Championship and 12th in the Teams Championship in their debut season with their brand new British-built machine. Michael Laverty: “It had been a good weekend up until the race, we improved with every session as I got more comfortable on the ART and the team adjusted the bike to suit me. We had the pace but unfortunately we never got to show it as I got taken out on the opening lap following a good start. It’s frustrating when you’re not at fault however it’s a DNF nonetheless. I feel really positive about our potential on the ART and I’m really looking forward to the three flyaway races in Asia which kick off in a fortnight’s time.” Damian Cudlin: “It’s a real pity that my race came to an end so quickly as I was really looking forward to fighting with a couple of the guys in front of me, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. It was a difficult weekend but this is MotoGP and the level is very high! I really enjoyed being back in the GP paddock though, and the PBM team were fantastic to work for. I hope that with this experience under my belt, I can start to build and improve at the next race.” Phil Borley, Technical Director: “In racing some days just don’t go your way and certainly in the race, nothing went well for us with both our riders completing less than three laps. The most frustrating thing was we could not see what our race pace would have been, both for Michael on the ART bike and Damian with his first race on the PBM bike. Michael made a good start and had made up some places when he was hit by another rider, resulting in a crash and Damian had some downshift problems, which he believed were a repeat of some issues we encountered in one of the sessions earlier. Despite our disappointment we will continue to work hard and hope for better fortune in Malaysia.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: 2013 FIM MotoGP/Moto2/Moto3 World Championships Round 14, Aragon Grand Prix, Motorland Aragon, Alcaniz Race day, Sunday, 29 September 2013 Weather: Dry, partly cloudy Temperature: ambient 23 degrees C, track 30 degrees C MARQUEZ TAKES WIN NUMBER EIGHT FOR HONDA Repsol Honda RC213V rider Marc Marquez fought back after almost running off the track to take his sixth win of the year at Aragon, stretching his title lead to almost 40 points with four races remaining. It was Honda’s eighth win this year, and the RC213V’s third in a row at the scenic Motorland Aragon circuit in the Spanish hinterland. The team’s joy was tempered by misfortune to second Repsol Honda RC213V rider Dani Pedrosa, who crashed out heavily in a freak incident on the sixth of 23 laps. He had taken second place from pole starter Marquez, and was mounting a strong challenge on early leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) at the time. Split seconds before Marquez ran wide, he clipped the rear of Pedrosa’s machine, and the team discovered that one of the electronic sensors of the traction-control system had been damaged, causing the system to become inoperative. This triggered the crash, which happened a few yards further on as Pedrosa opened the throttle. The rear wheel spun, the bike slewed sideways, and the Spaniard – who turned 28 on race day – was tossed over the high side. Lorenzo had led away with yet another of his trade-mark lightning starts, and led by a second after the first lap, with Marquez second and Pedrosa third. The Honda pair gradually closed the gap over the next four laps; then on the fifth Pedrosa pounced on his team-mate, and was soon on the Yamaha’s back wheel and challenging strongly. It seemed only a matter of time before he took the lead, but he hadn’t completed another lap when instead he was sent flying. While Pedrosa was taken to the medical centre for checks (he escaped serious injury), Marquez regrouped and set about closing a gap of almost two seconds on Lorenzo. It took him nine laps to catch up and get ahead with a clean but forceful pass. Lorenzo stayed close until the closing stages, but was powerless to prevent Marquez taking the win by better than one second. A crowd of 61,300 enjoying warm but overcast conditions were rewarded with exciting racing down the field, with a four-bike battle for the last rostrum place. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) hung on to the spot under race-long pressure from Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V), Alvaro Bautista (FUN&GO Gresini Honda RC213V) and Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha). It came to a climax in the last six laps. First Bautista got ahead of Rossi, then Bradl joined the action, with Crutchlow a close spectator. The trio changed places again with two laps to go, Rossi regaining the upper hand to lead Bautista over the line by less than a second. The Spaniard had his hands full with Bradl, less than two tenths behind. Crutchlow was just over half a second away. Less than two seconds covered the quartet. Bautista has a special role with Honda, race-developing Showa suspension and Nissin brakes, the only rider to use the Japanese components made by companies associated with Honda His team-mate Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) finished 18th, in the middle of a three-rider battle. The Australian, in his first grand prix season, rides a CBR1000RR-powered machine in the CRT category. Marquez has now amassed a total of 278 points, with Lorenzo second on 239, and Pedrosa dropped to third on 219. Nico Terol (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter) took a resounding victory in the Moto2 class, stamping his authority on a category where all riders use identical race-tuned Honda CBR600 engines supplied by the organisers, to ensure close and reliable racing. It was the former 125cc champion’s second win of the season, achieved after starting from pole position for the first time in the class. Terol led from the first lap to the last, and was able to slow towards the end and still win by 1.7 seconds. Earlier he had been more than four seconds clear. There was a strong battle behind him, as championship leader Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) strove to keep ahead of challenging rival Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex). Espargaro’s team-mate Esteve Rabat had finally escaped ahead of the pair on the 14th of 21 laps. Soon afterwards second Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex rider Mika Kallio caught from behind, and the three closed up as the laps counted down. Redding resisted fiercely as Espargaro’s attack redoubled, and left tyre marks on his rival’s leathers as they made contact. But in the end the Spaniard prevailed, taking the last rostrum spot by three tenths, and whittling another three points out of Redding’s title lead. He is now 20 points ahead, with four races remaining. Kallio was a close fifth. More than seven seconds away Jordi Torres (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter) was a lonely sixth, with Johann Zarco (Came Iodaracing Project Suter) and then Julian Simon (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex) equally alone behind. Mattia Pasini (NGM Mobile Racing Speed Up) prevailed in a big battle for ninth, from Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex), Takaaki Nakagami (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex) and Marcel Schrotter (Maptaq SAG Zelos Team Kalex), with Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert Suter) losing touch at the end to finish 13th. Nakagami had been with the leaders in the early stages, but dropped back after running off the track. In the smallest class, Moto3, Honda-powered machines are up against rival factories, and the top runners among the Honda hordes found themselves engaged in a fierce battle for the points behind the three runaway leaders. A pack of nine, and sometimes ten, 250cc four-strokes were locked in combat for an eventual eighth place. Best of them was rising Italian Romano Fenati (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda), who conquered the group and came within a little over two seconds of catching seventh-placed Jonas Folger (Kalex KTM). He was two tenths ahead of KTM’s Arthur Sissis. Barely one second behind, experienced French rider Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold FTR Honda) secured 11th, with Australian star Jack Miller (Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda) 13th. Miller had ridden through from 20th on the grid, after a tyre issue in qualifying kept him from his more usual position challenging for the front two rows. Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 FTR Honda) was right on his back wheel for 14th, with another clutch of Hondas – Francesco Bagnaia (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda), Isaac Vinales (Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda) and wild card Bryan Schouten (Dutch Racing Team FTR Honda) – filling from 17th to 19th places, in another big group battling for the final point. Fifteenth to 22nd places crossed the line within less than 1.4 seconds. The race was won by Spanish KTM rider Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia KTM) ahead of fellow countrymen Maverick Vinales (Team Calvo KTM) and his team mate Alex Marquez. Luis Salom (Red Bull KTM Ajo) finished fourth and retained his lead in the championship. The next race is the Malaysian GP in two weeks’ time, followed week by week by two more long-distance races, in Australia and Japan, before the season finale in Valencia. Honda MotoGP rider quotes Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: 1st “Today was a very gruelling race, because I had to make two comebacks; the first was to catch Jorge after he broke free at the start, then I needed to make another after Dani passed me and I wanted to overtake him after two laps. I felt comfortable but I went a little wide under braking, lifted the bike up and made light contact with him. I’m not sure he even noticed it, but it was a bit of bad luck because the team told me I caused his traction control cable to snap and I’m sorry for that – it’s something very unusual to see. The important thing is that Dani is OK. I was eventually able to overtake Jorge and take the victory, which is important in terms of both the 25 points and for my morale.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd “Fortunately I’m fine physically. I took a heavy knock to my hip and my groin area, but I was able to escape relatively unhurt from what was a big crash. Marc went in too wide on the corner entry, clipped me from the outside and I went flying when I got on the gas. My mechanics told me later that the traction control cable had been cut by the contact.” Alvaro Bautista, GO&FUN Honda Gresini, 4th “It was a great race and I had a lot of fun fighting with Crutchlow, Bradl and Rossi. It’s just a shame that I missed out on the podium again but I am happy because I fought for it until the end. Unfortunately I ended up getting into a fight with Bradl on the final lap and lost touch with Valentino but I have no complaints and we have to be happy with a result like this at a circuit where we have had so many difficulties in the past. Thanks to all the guys for the incredible job they are doing. It is nice that we were back to our best today, proving that Misano was not our fault.” Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 5th “Probably it was an exciting race to watch and it was fun also for me. Overall we had a good weekend and a good race although I lost the last-lap battle with Rossi and Bautista, but I am happy anyway. Of course I was dreaming about the podium, as we were fast and consistent over the three days, but Alvaro was very strong in the last lap. After Silverstone and Brno tough weekends, our performance is getting stronger and stronger and I gained more confidence on the bike. I only need some more experience to manage the last laps and the drop of the tyres, but we took the right direction.” Bryan Staring, GO&FUN Honda Gresini, 18th “I am not really happy because I thought the race would be different, but after a good start I made a mistake and lost focus. It’s a shame, but we have to stay positive because we have some important races coming up, including my home Grand Prix, and I am determined to finish the season off in a positive way.” Honda Moto2 rider quotes Nico Terol, Aspar Team Moto2, 1st “It was a perfect weekend for me. Yesterday was better, but today was more difficult because there was more wind, and it was more difficult to keep the concentration and consistency. In this class you can struggle at once race and do well at the next one. Thanks to my team for all the work.” Esteve Rabat, Tuenti HP 40 Pons, 2nd “I am very happy for the weekend. I made not such a good start to the race, and there were a lot of other riders around – Nakagami, Pol, Scott Redding. I was stuck behind Scott’s bike for a while, but when I passed them I tried to go. I could concentrate well and I could get a good gap quite quickly, but it was too late to catch Nico. But I am still very happy.” Pol Espargaro, Tuenti HP 40 Pons, 3rd “I’m happy because we are a little bit closer to Scott than before. It was a difficult day for us. I don’t know why, but these races are all difficult. Like Nico said, sometimes you can win, another time you have to fight very hard for fifth or sixth position. We tried our best and finally the position was okay because we were in front of Scott. It was a very hard fight, but we gained some points back.” Honda Moto3 rider quotes Romano Fenati, San Carlo Team Italia, 8th “It was a fantastic race. I was fighting a lot with Vazquez, Sissis and other riders. The start was not good, and in the second or third lap I started to move up, passing people one by one. Then the fight with Vazquez, and I could get away a bit when I passed him. The KTM is a higher level on speed, so it is impossible to pass them on the straight. You have to do everything in the corner.” Alexis Masbou, Ongetta-Rivacold, 11th “I made a good start, and I was with a good group in the first part of the race. To start with Oettl and Salom was too difficult, but still I was okay. Vazquez pushed everyone in the group and we lost a lot of time in the middle of the race – one or 1.5 seconds slower than our rhythm. Fenati got ahead and was able to make a little gap, but I found it impossible to pass Vazquez and finished just behind him. But I think we did a good job.” Jack Miller, Caretta Technology RTG, 13th “We struggled all weekend. Qualifying was a disaster – I had the wrong tyre, and we ended up losing out so today we had to start from the back. We had a good pace … even yesterday I should have been seventh on the grid, which would have been a bit nicer. So I had to work my way through and into that big group. It was going good, then Vazquez hit Khairuddin and he went down and we all had to chop the gas, and broke up the group. We lost the slipstream and that was pretty much the end of it. But we took some points, that’s the main thing.” RESULTS MOTOGP RACE: (23 laps = 116.794 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP 1 / Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 42’03.459 / 166.6 / 2 / Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 42’04.815 / 166.5 / 1.356 3 / Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 42’16.386 / 165.7 / 12.927 4 / Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / GO&FUN Honda Gresini / HONDA / 42’17.246 / 165.7 / 13.787 5 / Stefan BRADL / GER / LCR Honda MotoGP / HONDA / 42’17.432 / 165.7 / 13.973 6 / Cal CRUTCHLOW / GBR / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 42’18.121 / 165.6 / 14.662 7 / Bradley SMITH / GBR / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 42’34.679 / 164.5 / 31.22 8 / Andrea DOVIZIOSO / ITA / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 42’44.130 / 163.9 / 40.671 9 / Nicky HAYDEN / USA / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 42’56.872 / 163.1 / 53.413 10 / Andrea IANNONE / ITA / Energy T.I. Pramac Racing / DUCATI / 42’58.526 / 163 / 55.067 11 / Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / Power Electronics Aspar / ART / 43’01.460 / 162.8 / 58.001 12 / Yonny HERNANDEZ / COL / Ignite Pramac Racing / DUCATI / 43’08.972 / 162.4 / 1’05.513 13 / Randy DE PUNIET / FRA / Power Electronics Aspar / ART / 43’10.048 / 162.3 / 1’06.589 14 / Hiroshi AOYAMA / JPN / Avintia Blusens / FTR / 43’12.133 / 162.2 / 1’08.674 15 / Claudio CORTI / ITA / NGM Mobile Forward Racing / FTR KAWASAKI / 43’12.589 / 162.1 / 1’09.130 Pole Position: Marc MARQUEZ 1’47.804 169.5 Km/h Fastest Lap (New record): Dani PEDROSA 1’48.565 168.3 Km/h Lap 2 Old Circuit Record Lap: Casey STONER 1’49.046 167.6 Km/h 2011 Circuit Best Lap: Marc MARQUEZ 1’47.804 169.5 Km/h 2013 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION TILL DATE: 1 MARQUEZ 278, 2 LORENZO 239, 3 PEDROSA 219, 4 ROSSI 185, 5 CRUTCHLOW 156, 6 BRADL 135, 7 BAUTISTA 125, 8 DOVIZIOSO 112, 9 HAYDEN 102, 10 SMITH 80, 11 ESPARGARO 76, 12 PIRRO 50, 13 IANNONE 47, 14 EDWARDS 31, 15 BARBERA 27. MOTO2 RACE: (21 laps = 106.638 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP 1 / Nicolas TEROL / SPA / Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 40’15.232 / 158.9 / 2 / Esteve RABAT / SPA / Tuenti HP 40 / KALEX / 40’16.968 / 158.8 / 1.736 3 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / Tuenti HP 40 / KALEX / 40’18.762 / 158.7 / 3.53 4 / Scott REDDING / GBR / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 40’19.015 / 158.6 / 3.783 5 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 40’19.281 / 158.6 / 4.049 6 / Jordi TORRES / SPA / Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 40’26.834 / 158.1 / 11.602 7 / Johann ZARCO / FRA / Came Iodaracing Project / SUTER / 40’31.530 / 157.8 / 16.298 8 / Julian SIMON / SPA / Italtrans Racing Team / KALEX / 40’33.997 / 157.7 / 18.765 9 / Mattia PASINI / ITA / NGM Mobile Racing / SPEED UP / 40’37.498 / 157.4 / 22.266 10 / Sandro CORTESE / GER / Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 40’38.989 / 157.3 / 23.757 11 / Takaaki NAKAGAMI / JPN / Italtrans Racing Team / KALEX / 40’39.156 / 157.3 / 23.924 12 / Marcel SCHROTTER / GER / Maptaq SAG Zelos Team / KALEX / 40’39.719 / 157.3 / 24.487 13 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Technomag carXpert / SUTER / 40’43.243 / 157.1 / 28.011 14 / Alex MARIÑELARENA / SPA / Blusens Avintia / KALEX / 40’48.352 / 156.7 / 33.12 15 / Danny KENT / GBR / Tech 3 / TECH 3 / 40’59.141 / 156.1 / 43.909 Pole Position: Nicolas TEROL 1’53.812 160.6 Km/h Fastest Lap: Esteve RABAT 1’54.288 159.9 Km/h Lap 13 Circuit Record Lap: Marc MARQUEZ 1’53.956 160.4 Km/h 2011 Circuit Best Lap: Marc MARQUEZ 1’53.296 161.3 Km/h 2011 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE: 1 REDDING 215, 2 ESPARGARO 195, 3 RABAT 171, 4 KALLIO 143, 5 NAKAGAMI 130, 6 AEGERTER 122, 7 ZARCO 113, 8 TEROL 108, 9 LUTHI 94, 10 TORRES 83, 11 CORSI 74, 12 SIMEON 71, 13 SIMON 57, 14 DE ANGELIS 46, 15 PASINI 42. MOTO3 RACE: (20 laps = 101.560 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP 1 / Alex RINS / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / KTM / 40’04.214 / 152 / 2 / Maverick VIÑALES / SPA / Team Calvo / KTM / 40’04.640 / 152 / 0.426 3 / Alex MARQUEZ / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / KTM / 40’16.591 / 151.2 / 12.377 4 / Luis SALOM / SPA / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 40’20.630 / 151 / 16.416 5 / Miguel OLIVEIRA / POR / Mahindra Racing / MAHINDRA / 40’20.710 / 151 / 16.496 6 / Philipp OETTL / GER / Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing / KALEX KTM / 40’25.753 / 150.7 / 21.539 7 / Jonas FOLGER / GER / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3/ KALEX KTM / 40’29.469 / 150.4 / 25.255 8 / Romano FENATI / ITA / San Carlo Team Italia /FTR HONDA / 40’31.925 / 150.3 / 27.711 9 / Arthur SISSIS / AUS / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 40’32.102 / 150.3 / 27.888 10 / Efren VAZQUEZ / SPA / Mahindra Racing / MAHINDRA / 40’33.191 / 150.2 / 28.977 11 / Alexis MASBOU / FRA / Ongetta-Rivacold / FTR HONDA / 40’33.815 / 150.2 / 29.601 12 / Brad BINDER / RSA / Ambrogio Racing / MAHINDRA / 40’33.962 / 150.2 / 29.748 13 / Jack MILLER / AUS / Caretta Technology – RTG / FTR HONDA / 40’38.047 / 149.9 / 33.833 14 / Niccolò ANTONELLI / ITA / GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 / FTR HONDA / 40’38.064 / 149.9 / 33.85 15 / Livio LOI / BEL / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX KTM / 40’52.192 / 149 / 47.978 Pole Position: Alex RINS 1’58.571 154.1 Km/h Fastest Lap (New record): Philipp OETTL 1’59.681 152.7 Km/h Lap 3 Old Circuit Record Lap: Danny KENT 2’01.351 150.6 Km/h 2012 Circuit Best Lap: Alex RINS 1’58.571 154.1 Km/h 2013 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE: 1 SALOM 259, 2 RINS 250, 3 VIÑALES 247, 4 MARQUEZ 149, 5 FOLGER 129, 6 OLIVEIRA 115, 7 MILLER 79, 8 MASBOU 69, 9 VAZQUEZ 62, 10 KHAIRUDDIN 60, 11 SISSIS 59, 12 KORNFEIL 56, 13 BINDER 50, 14 FENATI 48, 15 AJO 43. NEXT EVENT: ROUND15, OCTOBER 13, SEPANG MALAYSIA.. More, from another press release issued by Honda: 2013 FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 12, LAGUNA SECA, USA SUNDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2013 RACE REPORT Weather: Dry, sunny Temperature: Ambient 24 degrees C / Track 42 degrees C Weekend Attendance: 41,100 FABRIZIO TOP TEN AS BOTH RIDERS SCORE POINTS IN RACE TWO The second FIM Superbike World Championship race of the 12th round took place at Laguna Seca a day after the first and it was a challenging event for both Michel Fabrizio (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team). Michel found his machine set-up much more to his liking in race two, but starting from the fifth row at such a tight and tough circuit he had to work hard to finish tenth and score points for the second time this weekend. This was only his second race on the Pata Honda machine this season. Leon found his electronics system upset by a malfunctioning sensor and he was unable to get the initial burst of power out of the corners, leaving him 11th and just behind his team-mate Fabrizio in race two. In the championship Michel is now seventh, and Leon 14th, both moving up one place this weekend. The second race went the full 26-laps and was held in warm and dry conditions that helped bring about close racing through the field. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia) took the win ahead of Davide Giugliano (Aprilia) and Marco Melandri (BMW). It was an unusual event in America as the races were held on different days from each other, but the championship will return to normal for the next round. That takes place in just a few days time, at Magny-Cours in France, on Sunday 6th October. HONDA RIDER COMMENTS: Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) Race result: 11th Championship position: 14th “We had a sensor break in race one yesterday, then I crashed out, and then today in race two we had another sensor break. A different one from the first, but the bike thought it was further over than it was on both left and right corners, so the traction control was just continuously cutting in. It is a problem we had in the early rounds until we solved it, but it came back here. My leg was sore after my crash yesterday and I suffered a bit with my right arm, because I hit it hard and it was swollen up today. It was not a factor, although we were slower than we were yesterday. I did a race simulation yesterday and we were a second a lap faster, so it is not a problem with our overall package. When it works the way we want it works very well.” Michel Fabrizio (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) Race result: 10th Championship position: 7th “In the second race I was a bit happier and the bike felt much better. I was happy with how it suited me and I was a lot more comfortable on it. Starting from the fifth row was difficult but after the changes that we made after warm-up this morning, my confidence in the front was much better and I was able to do 1’24s laps in the race, so I was very happy. I felt much more comfortable on the bike and although the result is not perfect I think I could have finished higher with a better starting position. I am happy that we were able to make these steps forward after the problems earlier in the weekend.” RESULTS SUPERBIKE SATURDAY RACE RACE1: (Laps 12 = 43,320 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / T. SYKES / GBR / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 16’55.703 2 / C. DAVIES / GBR / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 1.253 3 / E. LAVERTY / IRL / Aprilia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 2.454 4 / M. MELANDRI / ITA / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 2.65 5 / S. GUINTOLI / FRA / Aprilia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 3.43 6 / D. GIUGLIANO / ITA / Althea Racing / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 3.584 7 / J. CLUZEL / FRA / Fixi Crescent Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 9.134 8 / T. ELIAS / ESP / Red Devils Roma / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 11.252 9 / A. BADOVINI / ITA / Team Ducati Alstare / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 14.14 10 / M. AITCHISON / AUS / Team Pedercini / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 17.83 11 / D. SALOM / ESP / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 18.01 12 / B. YOUNG / USA / Fixi Crescent Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 21.767 13 / M. FABRIZIO / ITA / Pata Honda World Superbike / Honda CBR1000RR / 22.087 14 / F. SANDI / ITA / Team Pedercini / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 32.837 15 / V. IANNUZZO / ITA / Grillini Dentalmatic SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 34.267 Fastest Lap: 2° Tom Sykes 1’23.803 155,078 Km/h Lap Record: 2002 N. Haga 1’25.475 152,040 Km/h Best Lap: 2013 S. Guintoli 1’22.683 157,180 Km/h SUPERBIKE SUNDAY RACE RACE2: (Laps 26 = 93,860 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / E. LAVERTY / IRL / Aprilia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 36’44.555 2 / D. GIUGLIANO / ITA / Althea Racing / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 0.112 3 / M. MELANDRI / ITA / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 2.051 4 / T. SYKES / GBR / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 2.304 5 / S. GUINTOLI / FRA / Aprilia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 2.959 6 / J. CLUZEL / FRA / Fixi Crescent Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 10.187 7 / T. ELIAS / ESP / Red Devils Roma / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 17.789 8 / R. HAYDEN / USA / Michael Jordan Motorsports / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 20.602 9 / D. SALOM / ESP / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 22.055 10 / M. FABRIZIO / ITA / Pata Honda World Superbike / Honda CBR1000RR / 23.472 11 / L. HASLAM / GBR / Pata Honda World Superbike / Honda CBR1000RR / 24.118 12 / B. YOUNG / USA / Fixi Crescent Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 29.563 13 / M. AITCHISON / AUS / Team Pedercini / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 32.565 14 / D. ESLICK / USA / Michael Jordan Motorsports / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 51.777 15 / N. CANEPA / ITA / Team Ducati Alstare / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 1’05.824 Fastest Lap: 7° Davide Giugliano 1’23.707 155,256 Km/h Lap Record: 2013 T. Sykes 1’23.803 155,080 Km/h Best Lap: 2013 S. Guintoli 1’22.683 157,180 Km/h CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS:: 1 SYKES 361, 2 LAVERTY 338, 3 GUINTOLI 337, 4 MELANDRI 319, 5 DAVIES 259, 6 BAZ 180, 7 FABRIZIO 177, 8 REA 176, 9 GIUGLIANO 169, 10 CLUZEL 160, 11 CAMIER 114, 12 BADOVINI 114, 13 NEUKIRCHNER 84, 14 HASLAM 83, 15 CHECA 80. NEXT EVENT: ROUND13, OCTOBER 06, MAGNY-COURS, FRANCE. More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: PIRELLI SHATTERS LAP RECORDS AT LAGUNA SECA WITH THE SAME STANDARD DIABLO SUPERBIKE TIRES AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN THE MARKET Thanks to the success in Race 1 Tom Sykes still leads the overall ranking, Race 2 goes to Aprilia rider Laverty who grabs second place in the overall standings Sylvain Guintoli beats the track record established in 2007 by Ben Spies in AMA Superbike Salinas (USA), 30 September 2013 – Over the last weekend, Pirelli has once again proven the excellent work carried out this year in the eni FIM Superbike World Championship. On Friday the first result: the Michael Jordan Motorsports team with riders Roger Lee Hayden and Danny Eslick, who normally compete in the AMA Superbike without Pirelli tires, decided not to attend the AMA race at Laguna Seca to compete as wild cards in the World Superbike. They quickly adapted to the 17-inch Diablo Superbike tires, gradually improving lap times through to Saturday when Eslick, in Superpole, set a 1’23.730 that he had never achieved before on this track. Furthermore in Race 2, Roger Lee Hayden who was ranked eighth set the fastest lap in 1’24.245 running faster than Josh Hayes, who won the AMA Superbike race and made ??his best lap in 1’24.335. In practice, if Hayden had competed in the AMA Superbike with Pirelli tires he would have won the race. All of this was achieved just using the standard Diablo Superbike tires, which are available on the market for any motorcyclist to buy. Pirelli was also satisfied with Sylvain Guintoli, who in setting a 1’22.683 Superpole lap, broke the track record established in 2007 by Ben Spies in the AMA Superbike – 1’23.104 – improving this pace by almost half a second. This was further evidence of the progress made ??by the Milanese tire company, strengthened also by the win obtained today by Gregory Leblanc and Team Kawasaki SRC at the French Superbike Championship. Regarding the two races of the weekend, the performance of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) who won Race 1 ahead of Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK ) and Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) was excellent. The latter contestant however, achieved the highest step of the podium in Race 2, followed by Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) and Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK). In general, all the eligible candidates and winners of the 2013 Championship took turns on the podium, with Kawasaki, Aprilia and BMW manufactures contending for the podium. In the overall rider standings, Tom Sykes, thanks to the success in Race 1, remains the leader with 361 points with an advantage of 23 points on Eugene Laverty, who bypassed his teammate Sylvain Guintoli by 1 point. The Aprilia company is closer and closer to victory in the Manufacturers Championship from Noale, which now has a lead of 45 points over Kawasaki. THE PIRELLI SOLUTIONS CHOSEN BY THE RIDERS: For the U.S. round riders had at their disposal only standard Diablo Superbike tires, respectively in SC0 and SC1 compounds for the rear and SC1 and SC2 for the front. With rather high track temperatures, for the rear riders have unanimously chosen both on Saturday as well as on Sunday the standard SC0 (R1261), the softest solution of the range which debuted at Monza with the reinforced central area and has been used at Donington, Portimão, Imola and Nürburgring with success. This slick solution has a soft compound, ideal for tackling smooth asphalt and high temperatures. It offers, in fact, maximum tread contact on smooth asphalt and maximum traction development at high temperatures as well as higher resistance to thermal performance decay. It’s a tire really appreciated by the riders due to the excellent grip that it is able to offer, which is ideal for tackling smooth asphalt and high temperatures ensuring a higher resistance to thermal performance decay. On the front, as often happens, the riders divided their preferences between the standard SC1 and SC2 solutions with a strong prevalence for the SC2 (R982), the hardest among those in the range excellent for high temperatures because it guarantees solidity on the tread band. For that reason it is usually the preferred one by riders who have a more aggressive riding style. At the rider’s disposal during the Superpole of Saturday, as always there was the qualifier tire (R754) in supersoft compound, with which the riders have set amazing times. Every rider has two qualifying tires available, this amount is not accidental: having to make 3 Superpole sessions, teams and riders are forced to schedule the use of the Superpole tires deciding whether to exploit them, if immediately in the first two Superpole sessions to try to get in the third or otherwise, make a first session with the standard tire keeping the two qualifiers for the last two sessions. PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: The “Pirelli Best Lap Award” is awarded by Pirelli to the rider who sets the fastest race lap. This award is presented by a Pirelli representative during the Paddock Show in a press conference which follows the podium at the end of races 1 and 2 for the Superbike class and at the end of the Supersport race, for a total of three awards each weekend. The time set by the fastest rider is indicated and can be seen in the trophy which is in the shape of a motorcycle instrument panel this year. At Istanbul the awards were presented by Pirelli Moto Racing Director Giorgio Barbier and by Pirelli Tire NAFTA Director of Marketing & Key Accounts Chris Wall. The Superbike and Supersport rider who has earned the most “Pirelli Best Lap Award” titles at the end of the season will be elected “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” and awarded in the usual end of year ceremony. Tom Sykes, having already won 10 Pirelli Best Lap Awards and with only 4 prizes up for grabs, is mathematically the “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” in 2013 for the Superbike class and will be awarded at Jerez de la Frontera in the end of year ceremony. These are the riders who won the Pirelli Best Lap Awards in the twelfth round of the season: WSB Race 1 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’23.803 (2nd lap) WSB Race 2 – Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing), 1’23.707 (7th lap) The overall standings after twelve rounds are as follows: WSB: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 10; Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team): 4; Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK): 3; Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team): 2 ; Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma): 1; Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK): 1; Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) : 1; Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing): 1 COMMENT FROM GIORGIO BARBIER, PIRELLI MOTO RACING DIRECTOR: “To come back to Laguna Seca after nearly 10 years and do it for the first time with 17-inch Diablo Superbike tires, which contributed to breaking the track record, was definitely a great return for Pirelli. But the greatest satisfaction, beyond that of having fulfilled the wishes of the riders, is perhaps the one that gave us the Michael Jordan Motorsports team with its riders Roger Lee Hayden and Danny Eslick, two wild cards that run regularly in AMA Superbike but with a competitor’s tires. Well, using the same motorcycle used in the AMA, already on Friday and having never used the Pirelli Diablo Superbike, they got a good increase in terms of lap time up to the 1’23.730 made ??by Eslick in Superpole 1 when the best time he had made on ??this track in the AMA was of 1’24.5 in July. Also notable is the result of Guintoli, but also Laverty, Sykes, Canepa and Davies who beat the absolute record of the AMA Superbike signed in 2007 by Ben Spies in 1’23.104 shooting all below this time with Guintoli who made an astonishing 1’22.683. As regards to the results of the races, Sykes has been very good to realize in Race 1, it’s a pity for Race 2, now however he has a good advantage over his pursuers, among other things, he has already won with two rounds still to go for the Pirelli Best Lap Award 2013, having already won 10 awards, so congratulations! But there are still two rounds and Aprilia riders have been shown to fight until the end for the first place, I think that as always we will have a great final of the Championship which will keep us in suspense until the late stages. Bravo to Davide Giugliano who made a beautiful Race 2! I am very happy also for the win in the French Superbike Championship with Gregory Leblanc and the SRC Kawasaki team, it was a perfect weekend!” THE 2013 PIRELLI STATISTICS FOR LAGUNA SECA ROUND: • Total number of tires Pirelli brought: 1310 • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 4 front and 5 rear • Number of tires available for each Superbike rider: 29 front and 31 rear • Temperature in Race 1: air 27° C, asphalt 42° C • Temperature in Race 2: air 24° C, asphalt 42° C • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Superbike tires: 256.4 km/h, in Race 1 by Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) at 2nd lap. PIRELLI Founded in 1872, Pirelli is the fifth largest tire manufacturer in the world in terms of sales. Present in over 160 countries, Pirelli has 22 manufacturing sites and employs approximately 36,000 people around the world. Pirelli is a leading producer of premium tires due to its commitment to R&D. Successfully competing in motorsport since 1907, Pirelli is the exclusive supplier of the Superbike world championship, many single marquee championships around the world, and above all it is the sole supplier for the Formula 1 championship for the 3-year period 2011-13. Pirelli Tire North America (PTNA) services NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) member countries through its Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) facility and research and development center at its Rome, Georgia headquarters, its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Silao, Mexico and its New York City, Montreal and Mexico City sales and marketing offices. The company manufactures, distributes and markets original equipment and replacement tires for export and domestic car/motorcycle applications (US, CA, MX) and Agro/Heavy Truck platforms (MX). More, from a press release Yoshimura Suzuki: YOSHIMURA SUZUKI FACTORY RACING WRAPS UP SOLID SUPERBIKE SEASON AT LAGUNA SECA Yoshimura Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas finishes third overall for the year MONTEREY, CA – Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Martin Cardenas finished up the 2013 AMA Pro Superbike Championship season in an impressive third overall after the season-ending round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA, this past weekend. This was the second AMA Pro Superbike round held at Laguna Seca this year and the riders shared the paddock with the visiting World Superbike Series. As a result, AMA Pro riders had limited track time and participated in only one Superbike race instead of the usual two. The 23-lap race on Sunday saw Cardenas get a great start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Running in second place and battling for the lead, Cardenas was pushing hard and went down on the second lap. Despite his premature end to the day, Cardenas still celebrated a solid 2013 season. En route to finishing third overall in AMA Pro Superbike, Cardenas won two races and finished on the podium an additional nine times. “It’s been a great season overall,” said Cardenas. “I was able to put the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 on the podium at almost every race this year. This weekend was good but in the race I pushed a little too hard to get at the front, but these things happen. But it’s been a pretty good year. I would like to have been a little bit better, but I know I did all I could do. I want to thank the Yoshimura Suzuki team for all their hard work and overall I’m happy with the season, for myself and for the team.” Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Chris Clark also started out strong at Laguna Seca, running in the top five on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Unfortunately, Clark also suffered a get-off while battling for position in Sunday’s race. The Yoshimura Suzuki rider wound up finishing the 2013 season in 13th place and with three top-10 finishes for the year. “It was a rough season,” said Clark. “We started out really strong at Daytona and then about mid-season, I had some personal issues with my health. It seemed like I was finally starting to get my rhythm back and the season is over. I have to thank the Yoshimura Suzuki team for all their support and dedication through the season.” Check out the Laguna Seca SBK “Behind The Scenes Race Report” at http://youtu.be/1KmslFbv2uY Laguna Seca Superbike Results: 1. Josh Hayes 2. Josh Herrin 3. Larry Pegram 4. Cory West 5. Aaron Yates 6. Taylor Knapp 7. Chris Fillmore 8. David Anthony 9. Trent Gibson 10. Kevin Pinkstaff 2013 Superbike Standings: 1. Josh Herrin – 345 2. Josh Hayes – 330 3. Martin Cardenas – 297 4. Roger Hayden – 228 5. Danny Eslick – 213 6. Larry Pegram – 190 7. Chris Fillmore – 183 8. Aaron Yates – 162 9. Geoff May – 161 10. David Anthony – 159 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