Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Martin Cardenas visited the AMA Pro Superbike podium for the eighth time this season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California on Sunday. Cardenas gave 100% and raced his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a well-earned third-place result at the renowned Northern California racetrack as Yoshimura Suzuki team-mate Chris Clark bounced back from some recent bad luck and carded a respectable 11th-place result. Because AMA Pro Racing shared the paddock this weekend with the visiting MotoGP series, Yoshimura Suzuki had shorter practice sessions than normal and only one Superbike race instead of the usual two. Both riders made the most of their limited track time, however. For Cardenas, the weekend’s 23-lap race saw him get a good start and move into a podium position by the half-way point and hold it until the flag. “The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 was working pretty good from the start,” said Cardenas. “And we improved through the weekend. But the race was very hard from the beginning. I was giving it everything I had and we wound up third and that was it. Now we’re getting ready for Miller, which has been good for me in the past. I like the track layout a lot and I’m looking forward to that race.” Clark struggled a bit at the start of the race but made his way through the field as the event progressed. By the race’s end, Clark had moved up to 11th position. This solid finish marks his best result since the opening round of the season. “It was a long weekend with MotoGP,” said Clark. “For me, the weekend started slow but got better as things went on. At the same time, we only had one race so it was tough to work through a bunch of stuff on the bike. But we’re on the right track with the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and I feel like I’m improving every weekend. Communication with my crew is getting better and we’re chipping away at it. I’m confident that it’ll all come together and we’ll get some good results as we go into the last few races.” The Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing team’s next event of the 2013 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series is at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah on August 2-4th. Laguna Seca Superbike Results: 1. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 2. Josh Herrin (Yamaha) 3. Martin Cardenas (Yoshimura Suzuki) 4. Danny Eslick (MJM Suzuki) 5. Chris Fillmore (KTM) 6. Geoff May (EBR) 7. Aaron Yates (EBR) 8. Larry Pegram (Yamaha) 9. Cory West (EBR) 10. David Anthony (Suzuki) 11. Chris Clark (Yoshimura Suzuki) More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: The Michael Jordan Motorsports team carded another top-five finish during the 2013 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California at the weekend. MJM’s Danny Eslick raced his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 to an impressive fourth-place result as the U.S.-based series shared the paddock with visiting MotoGP. As a result, the MJM team had shorter practice sessions than normal and only one Superbike race instead of the usual two. However, the limited track time did not daunt Jordan Suzuki’s Eslick. After qualifying fifth for the weekend, Eslick put his head down at the start of the 23-lap Superbike race, getting a good start on his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 and turning-in a smart, consistent performance to bring home his seventh top-five result of the year. “This was a really good weekend for us,” said Eslick. “We got off to a good start with the first practice session on Friday. I really had a good feeling about my Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000, which is something I’ve been struggling with. I was hoping to get on the front row in final qualifying, but that didn’t quite work out. But overall, we got a decent start in the race and then I just turned laps out there by myself. It was good to get another top-five finish and now we’ll go to Miller and try to get on the podium.” National Guard Jordan Suzuki team-mate Roger Hayden started the weekend on an extremely positive note by qualifying a very impressive second. In Sunday’s race, he got a great start on his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 and was running in second when bike issues forced him to opt out of the race early. “It was really a great weekend until we had some bad luck,” said Hayden. “The Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 felt good and we were quickest in practice on Friday. In the race, I had just pulled into second and I picked up the pace and was pulling away from the other guys pretty fast. But then I started having problems. It’s just a bummer because we had a good bike and the Jordan Suzuki team has been working really hard. We’ll put this behind us and focus on Miller in two weeks.” In the 600cc classes, National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki’s Corey Alexander brought home his fifth AMA Pro SuperSport podium of the season. Alexander overcame a red-flagged race, turning in a strong performance to finish third. National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki team-mate James Rispoli also had a good weekend, finishing eighth in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike. “It’s been a great weekend,” said Alexander. “Hats off to the National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki team. The guys have been working hard to give me a Suzuki GSX-R600 that’s been great all weekend. It was a great race overall and now I just need to come back and be a little more aggressive at Miller.” In the 2013 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship series rider point standings, Eslick moved up to fourth, while Hayden is currently fifth. In AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, Rispoli is fifth, 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 Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah on August 2-4th. More, from a press release issued by Team WD-40: A SCORCHING PERFORMANCE BY TEAM WD-40 WITH TWO INCREDIBLE PODIUM POSITIONS AT BRANDS HATCH Team WD-40 were on the podium twice after another outstanding performance this weekend in round six of the British Superbike series taking place at the sport’s spiritual home, Brands Hatch. With temperatures reaching a stifling 28 degrees, riders Tommy Aquino, Jon Railton and Joe Francis braved the baking heat to bring home two podium positions putting yet more points on the board for the team. Californian born Tommy rode the race of his life in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000, taking a fantastic second place to bag his first podium of the season, and teenager Joe Francis continued his success in the Monster Energy Motostar, finishing a superb third place. After qualifying 11th on the grid, Tommy Aquino had a flying start in the Superstock 1000, and whipped up to second position on the first lap in what was to be an incredibly close race. The 21-year-old found himself in the thick of a nail-biting battle at the front, grabbing the lead on lap six to edge away from the pack and leaving him to tussle with last round winner Hudson Kennaugh. Kennaugh re-passed on lap eight but Tommy never gave up the fight, finishing less than a second behind the leader. Tommy said: “I’m so incredibly happy to be on the podium – it’s an amazing feeling and I’m very proud that I’m finally here. My team have done an incredible job, the bike performed brilliantly which gave me the confidence to push hard during the race and I’m delighted that I’ve collected points for the team and pushed us up the leader board. During this championship these tracks have always been new to me so it’s been a huge learning curve over the past few months. Having raced on the Brands Hatch short track before, and testing on the GP track gave me the boost I needed to show what I can really do and it paid off. I’m feeling extremely confident going into the next meeting at Oulton Park and there’s definitely more to come from me in the second half of the season.” After coming off during Friday’s practice session Jon Railton seriously injured the ligaments in his knee, but despite recommendations from the team that there was no need for him to race, the youngster was determined not to miss out on race day.He put in a hearty performance, finishing a very respectable twentieth and had to be lifted off his bike at the end after his knee seized up. Jon said: “After all the work the Team and I put in and my sponsors were there to see me, I was determined to race the adrenaline just kicked in which helped but I did struggle. I’m going to get plenty of rest and treatment in the next few weeks and I’m sure I’ll be fit and well in time for Oulton Park, where I can hopefully get some points for the team.” Joe, from Backford (Chester), secured his fifth podium position with a hard fought third place in the Monster Energy Motostar race. After qualifying sixth on the grid, the 15-year-old quickly raced up to second in the first few laps of the race and a breakaway group of five were in an exciting battle throughout. Joe was in the forefront on several occasions as the lead exchanged hands at almost every corner during the 12 laps. The youngster was in the lead in the final lap but wasn’t able to hang on and was piped to the post just before the finish line by winner Joe Irving and second place Tarran Mackenzie losing out by a mere 0.140 of a second. Team WD-40 continue their reign at the top of the points board, with a 16 point lead going into Oulton Park in two weeks’ time. Joe said: “I’m disappointed I couldn’t hold my lead and being passed as we crossed the line was very frustrating but with my size difference we are doing the best we can. Over the next couple of weeks, the team will be working hard to get the bike in the best possible shape and I’ll continue my own preparation for Oulton Park and hopefully I can bring home that win again.” Brent Gladwin Team WD-40’s manager, said: “I’m incredibly proud of my team and what we achieved at Brands Hatch is just fantastic. Tommy put in an outstanding performance bringing home his first trophy and I’m delighted that he finally got up on that podium where he belongs. He’s such a great young talent and he will definitely be one to watch during the second half of the season. Yet another podium finish for Joe is a dream come true and Jon performed really well despite his serious injury. I really feel that everyone on the team has lifted their game in the past few weeks and these two podium positions are testament to the hard work we’ve been doing. We are now working on some exciting new developments, so we’ll really be ready and raring to go at Oulton Park.” David Whittome, UK marketing manager for team sponsors WD-40 Specialist, said: “What an amazing weekend for Team WD-40 – I am delighted with the way they have been performing and these two fantastic podium positions are testament to all the hard work that has been done during the beginning of the season. “Tommy, Joe and Jon are very talented young riders and we’re all now looking forward to see how they perform at Oulton Park in August.” WD-40 is the new title sponsor of GR Motosport. The company has just launched seven new products specifically for use on motorbikes, under its recently launched WD-40 Specialist Motorbike brand. www.wd40specialistmotorbike.co.uk/ www.teamwd40.com Team Partners: Stauff UK, Cargolink Express, L&A Reinforcements, Carrino access flooring, The Air Con Experts, F&G Commercials, Bennetts Motorcycle Insurance, Kent Holiday Cottages, RS Components, 3 Squared, Signsxtra Technical Partners: Kawasaki, Scorpion Red Power, Dynojet UK, Swinton Motorcycles, R&G, PPG Paint, Goodridge, Pipercross, Solo Motorcycle products, Super B, MG Competition, STIHL More, from a press release issued by Marty Nutt’s publicist: Brilliant Brands sees Nutt take Championship lead Castlerock’s Marty Nutt enjoyed another superb weekend of racing at Brands Hatch, coming away with not only a win and a second place in the two Ducati 848 Challenge races, but also the Championship lead. Riding the Ducati Coventry/JHP machine, the weekend got underway in slightly different fashion to normal with a race on the Friday evening, this time on the shorter Indy circuit but a superb race saw Marty take his second win of the season, taking over the lead after season-long rival Jonathan Railton crashed out at two thirds race distance, the result allowing him to close to within three points of the Championship lead. The action then shifted to the 2.6-mile GP circuit for Sunday’s race and Marty completed the first lap in fourth place, just behind Leon Morris, Mike Edwards and Dennis Hobbs. Moving up to third a lap later, Marty’s progress was then checked with a huge slide through Sheene Curve, one he was lucky to escape. Quickly regrouping though, he maintained his third position over the next few laps before taking over second from Edwards on the fourth lap. A lap later, he took over the lead and despite coming intense pressure from Morris and Edwards it looked like he would hold on and complete an excellent double. However, Morris had other ideas and, combined with another slide for Marty, he pushed him back to second on the seventh lap, the duo crossing the line in that order. With Railton behind him in third though, the results also mean that Marty has now taken over at the top of the Championship table with 162 points to Railton’s 161. Speaking later, a delighted Marty said; “It’s been a really good weekend for me and to take over the Championship lead has been the icing on the cake. For Friday’s race, I opted to go with used tyres to save two new ones for Sunday and when Jonathan took the lead I did everything to close the gap. I pushed hard but it was a bit of a stalemate so I thought we’d have to settle for second only to see him slide off. I knew I had a good gap to second place so I just concentrated on bringing the bike home.” “Sunday’s race could have been similar but I had two huge slides, one on the second lap at Sheene Curve and one near the end at Surtees and I thought I was gone on both occasions! Jonathan then started to close in and I got a bit flustered, hitting a false neutral on the last lap and running wide going onto the back straight so I was very pleased to come home in second. The results have been very pleasing this weekend so we can now head to the break in a real good frame of mind.” Marty now has a three-week break before the next round, with the Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire hosting two more races on August 9-11. More, from a press release issued by SMT Racing: Mixed fortunes at Brands for SMT Racing SMT Racing suffered mixed fortunes at Brands Hatch over the weekend and whilst Tim and Tristan Reeves were able to complete another emphatic double to extend their lead in the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship there was heartache for Adam Jenkinson as he crashed out of the Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship race. With a 100% finishing record, Jenkinson was keen to extend his 25-point lead in the Championship standings and signalled his intentions on Saturday as he set a brilliant pole position lap, two tenths of a second inside the lap record and almost half a second clear of nearest rival Joe Burns. The 15-lap race started in perfect fashion too as a brilliant start saw Adam take the lead but a lap later his race was over as he crashed out at Paddock Hill Bend. Although uninjured in the spill, the Knutsford rider’s disappointment was compounded when Hudson Kennaugh won his second race in a row to move onto 110 points to move to within one point of Adam at the top of Championship table. For the Reeves brothers, there were no such dramas and they opened their account for the weekend with victory in Friday evening’s 10-lap race held on the shorter Indy circuit, coming home ahead of Ben and Tom Birchall by just 0.192s. Moving onto the longer 2.6-mile GP circuit on Sunday, their closest challengers were again the Birchall brothers and season-long rivals Sean Hegarty/Calum Lawson with the trio putting on a superb battle in what was certainly one of the races of the season. Positions changed hands with frequent regularity and it was only in the closing stages that Tim and Tristan were able to eke out some sort of advantage. Their cause was aided by the Birchall’s and Hegarty/Lawson colliding and that gave them the breathing space they needed, allowing them to take an eventual 3.2s win. With Hegarty/Lawson failing to finish the second race, the win also saw their Championship lead increase to 79 points and they now top the table on 245 points compared to Hegarty’s 166. Speaking later, team owner Robin Croft said; “Describing our weekend as mixed would be a fair assessment. We were extremely confident after qualifying and Adam was riding superbly, his pole lap was superb. The bike and team were working well too but he got caught out in the race and it was such a shame for his race to end like that. His championship lead was also all but wiped out so it’s disappointing but it’s out first DNF of the season and you can’t expect to go through a season without some kind of a hiccup.” “On the plus side, Adam is still leading the Championship, admittedly by just the solitary point, but we know he’s riding stronger than ever and with Oulton being our local circuit, we’re all determined to bounce back in style. Tim and Tristan were impeccable as always and they’re putting together an excellent season. They’re continuing to prove what class acts they are and with two more wins, everything’s looking good on the three-wheel side of the garage.” The sidecars now have a seven-week break before their next outing but Adam and the team will be looking to get their Superstock campaign back on track at their local Oulton Park circuit on August 9-11. More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki: Walker’s Showdown challenge blunted at Brands Quattro Plant Kawasaki and Chris Walker’s challenge for a top six Showdown position in the 2013 British Superbike Championship suffered a blow at Brands Hatch on Sunday when the Nottingham rider failed to finish both races, firstly being the victim of another rider’s crash and secondly being forced out with a technical problem. Continuing the fine form that had taken him to four top six finishes in the previous five races, Chris was again right on the pace during practice and qualifying, ending Saturday’s qualifying session in a strong seventh place. A customary good start to Sunday’s opening 18-lap race saw him move up to fifth place and everything was going to plan until the seventh lap. Maintaining his fifth place, Chris was hit from behind by James Ellison going into Graham Hill Bend, the subsequent collision sending both riders crashing into the grass and out of the race. Eager to put the disappointment behind him, Chris lined up again on the second row for race two and in an almost carbon copy of the first race, another good start saw him running strongly towards the front of the pack. Seventh on the opening lap, Chris was running close behind Ryuichi Kiyonari and PJ Jacobsen when he suddenly began to slow on the third lap and a lap later he was forced to retire. With James Westmoreland and Jon Kirkham both scoring heavily, the results from the weekend mean that the Buildbase BMW duo now lie in joint sixth place overall on 100 pts with Chris slipping back to eighth on 75. There was disappointment too for team-mates Danny Buchan and Kyle Wilks. Buchan was forced out of the first Superbike race with just three laps to go and it meant he was unable to take his place on the grid for the second race whilst Wilks crashed out of the Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship race on the final lap when running in an excellent seventh place. Pete Extance, Team Manager: “The team went to Brands, full of optimism that Chris would get back into the Showdown places and Danny would find his confidence and turn his season around. Chris was well on course for a top six finish in the first race until he was taken down by an over-enthusiastic rider, leaving the bike needing a full rebuild. The technicians worked wonders to get Chris out for race two only to be stopped by a fuel pump issue so it was very disappointing. Likewise for Danny who had a real caliper bracket fail near to the end of the race and his bad luck continues.” “Kyle showed real potential from 20th on the grid to work his way up to 7th but, unfortunately, lost the front at Surtees on the last lap in the Superstock 1000cc race. With a short break before round seven, the team will regroup and work hard to be prepared for Oulton Park. Thanks again to all our sponsors for all their help and support and let’s hope we have a bit of luck at Oulton.” The next round of the series takes place in three weeks time at Oulton Park, Cheshire on August 9-11. More, from a press release issued by Mar-Train Tacing: EASTON WINS BRANDS HATCH SCORCHER AS SUPERSPORT CLASS SETS THE ENTERTAINMENT LEVEL IN BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP Mar-Train Racing’s Stuart Easton produced a stunning performance to win the opening British Supersport race yesterday at Brands Hatch in Kent after a race long thriller with main rival Alastair Seeley, Ben Wilson and Graeme Gowland, and but for the width of a tyre, it would have been a spectacular double on the GP circuit – only losing out by 0.004 of a second. It was a welcome turn around from the previous round, deferring any doubts and manifesting the Scottish rider’s obvious talent in the class aboard the Mar-Train Racing R6 Yamaha. His team-mate Glenn Irwin had a tough weekend at Brands picking up just two points but will undoubtedly bounce back at Oulton Park. Stuart Easton: “I had two good races at Brands and my Mar-Train Yamaha was fast, the set up was good, and everything was there to win the races. It’s very difficult to break away in British Supersport though, which usually means a last lap dust up, and then it can go either way. That’s exactly what happened and whilst I’m a little frustrated to lose race two by such a small margin, it was a good to be back on the pace this weekend and I’m looking forward to Oulton.” Glenn Irwin: “What can I say, this weekend was a disaster from start to finish. I got out of bed the wrong side on Saturday and just didn’t get going which was my fault. I was up for our races at Brands but Lady Luck deserted us once again with problems, putting me to the back of the field at the start of race one and out of race two. All I can do is put it behind me and move on to Oulton with optimism. Tim Martin – Team Principal: “After a difficult Friday and Saturday Stuart turned it around for race day and really impressed in both races. The Yamaha R6 was very strong, as we have come to expect, and it was great to stand on the top step again. What can I say about race two, it was as close to another win as you can get, a great show and it sets us up nicely for Oulton. “Frustrating sums up Glenn’s weekend in one word. His pace up until Sunday was not where he should be and the luck he had on Sunday was not what he deserved. All we can do is go back and do some homework and come out stronger at Oulton, and hope he catches a bit of luck.” British Supersport Race 1 [10 laps] 1. Stuart Easton [Mar-Train Racing] 2. Alastair Seeley [Kawasaki] +0.124s 3. Ben Wilson [Kawasaki] +0.388s 4. Graeme Gowland [Yamaha] +0.487s 5. Jason O’Halloran [Honda] +1.228s 6. Jake Dixon [Yamaha] +1.348s 14. Glenn Irwin [Mar-Train Racing] British Supersport Race 2 [16 laps] 1. Alastair Seeley [Kawasaki] 2. Stuart Easton [Mar-Train Racing] +0.004s 3. Graeme Gowland [Yamaha] +0.369s 4. Ben Wilson [Kawasaki] +1.742s 5. Jason O’Halloran [Honda] +1.847 6. Jake Dixon [Yamaha] +6.192 Championship Points after Brands Hatch Alastair Seeley 250pts Stuart Easton 210 Ben Wilson 189 Billy McConnell 170 Graeme Gowland 138 Glen Richards 80 Jason O’Halloran 79 9th – Glenn Irwin 71 More, from a press release issued by Michael Hill Promotions: Jayson Uribe Closes In On BSB Motostar Overall Top 10 Placing American teenager Jayson Uribe put a difficult qualifying session behind him to grab a valuable 5 points and an 11th place finish in the latest round of the BSB Motostar championship at Brands Hatch yesterday. Returning to the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent proved to be tricky at times for the talented youngster who was left 20th on the grid after a technical problem but the determined youngster once again rode hard to gain another strong finish for the Rock & Sons team at the flag. Race day dawned with clear skies, and once again Uribe made a lightning start completing the opening lap inside the top 15. Running once again with a standard cylinder, the long fast sections would prove frustrating at times, but lap by lap, Jayson used his natural cornering ability to remain in the fight for the top ten. At the flag, it would be 11th position for the Rock & Sons Honda rider, a great result which closes the gap to those riders ahead in the overall championship standings to a handful of points, and with half the season still to run, you would be hard pressed to bet against a top ten finish for the BSB rookie when the curtain falls on the 2013 season. Jayson Uribe – 11th position: “I just didn’t have as much confidence at this track and it took a little longer than usual to start laying down consistent lap times. I suffered a mechanical issue in qualifying which left me 20th on the grid that I wasn’t thrilled about. On Sunday however, I woke up with a different attitude as I realised that if I didn’t change my outlook, I wasn’t going to improve. My mechanic, Ian Emberton and I reviewed our data and had a chat about relaxing and he told me to just let my natural riding abilities take over. At race time, which was approximately 2:15 p.m. on Sunday, the weather was overcast and a bit breezy. The crowds were larger than last time at Brands and I was excited to be able to race the GP circuit. I had great start, immediately moving from 20th to 14th by the first corner. I was happy with my corner speeds onthe back section of the course, although it was hard at times on the straights to compete with some of the faster bikes. Overall, I finished 11th in the 125’s, with an overall finish of 15th for the Motostar class. I am currently 4 points out of 10th place for the overall Championship and I am looking forward to Oulton Park. I enjoy that circuit and am confident that we can be strong again there.” After splitting from their original BSB team and running under their own banner with Ian Emberton at the helm, the progession towards the front of the field is clear for all to see. The current results reflect the lack of power that the Rock & Sons machine currently has but gives Jayson the best tool to learn the UK circuits and improve on his corner speed and braking. Overall, things continue to look good for Jayson who is one of only 3 riders to score points in every race! Championship Standings after Brands Hatch. 1st – Tom Carne, 111 points 2nd – Arnie Shelton, 86 points 3rd – Peter Sutherland, 76 points 11th – Jayson Uribe, 28 points The next round of the BSB Motostar championship takes place at Oulton Park on August 11th, 2013.