VESRAH SUZUKI CLINCHES THE 2009 WERA NATIONAL ENDURANCE SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A WIN AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK 

Vesrah Suzuki won the 8th round of the 2009 WERA National Endurance Series at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, AL. This was Vesrah Suzuki’s 75th win in the WERA National Endurance series and the 8th WERA National Endurance Series championship for the team. With Friday practice being wet and the corresponding loss of dry set up time, Saturday morning was hectic with getting the team’s Suzuki GSX-R 1000’s ready for the 4 hour endurance race. 

Tray Batey started the race for Vesrah Suzuki and ran nose to tail with another team for the first hour until pitting with an hour and 5 minutes completed in the race. Cory West rode next and after the challenger made their first pit stop he was able to gain time and secure a 1 lap lead during his stint. John Jacobi rode next and Tray Batey took the final stint and finished the race with a 3 lap margin. 

In Sunday’s National Challenge sprint races Vesrah Suzuki had an outstanding day. Cory West won the Open Superstock, 600 Superstock, 750 Superstock and Formula 1 races for a sweep of all the races that he ran. Tray Batey finished on the podium in all the races he entered and Nick McFadden won the 125 GP race for his first victory in WERA National Challenge competition. 

Mark Junge: “Thanks to all of Vesrah Suzuki’s sponsors for their support in securing the WERA National Endurance championship for the 8th time. Special thanks to Mr. Aki Tamura of Vesrah for all that he has done for the team through the years.” 

Cory West: “I was really looking forward to coming to another nice track and Barber is about as nice as it gets. The race went just as planned and we came out with another win. It’s nice to have wrapped up the title early so now we can head to Road Atlanta with no pressure. Thanks to Tray, John, and the whole crew.” 

Tray Batey: “The team did a great job and Cory and John rode well and I feel that I rode extremely well until the victory donut.” 

John Jacobi: “The endurance race today was fun. Its always a treat to ride at such a pretty track. It was great to wrap up another championship one race before the season ends. The team did a great job and the pit stops went like clock work. It’s fun to watch the spectator’s reactions when the team pulls off a fast pit stop – they look at each other in amazement. The GNF is going to be an interesting race. I’m sure some other teams are already planning their strategy to get on top of the box. We have a great package when it comes to our crew and riders so we will just do are best and see how it unfolds.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Velocity Racing:

Double Victories at Barber for TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha

LEEDS, Ala.””The riders and crew of TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha wrapped up Saturday’s four-hour WERA National Endurance Series race at Barber Motorsports Park in a celebratory mood: the team took two class victories and a second-place class finish.

TVR expanded to a three-bike team for the weekend, entering two Heavyweight Superstock Yamaha YZF-R1s and a Mediumweight Superstock YZF-R6. All three bikes were ready to go at race time with new Michelin tires and a fresh set of EBC brake pads, and the meticulous preparation””as well as stellar riding””paid off handsomely.

Road racing legend Jamie James joined James Vanderhaar, Brett Champagne and Reuben Frankenfield on the No. 131 Yamaha R1. They took first in Heavyweight Superstock, finishing fifth overall behind a slew of Superbike-spec entries.

“We had a good race even though we didn’t get much practice time because of rain,” said Champagne. “I ran against Jamie last year at this race, so it was fun to ride with him for a change. The bikes were prepared really well: Chuck Ivey and Michael Dunn did a great job.”

“It was a steady race and the bike felt great,” added Vanderhaar. “I was on an old front tire during my stint, but the Michelins held up without any problems.”

The most significant victory of the weekend was the Mediumweight Superstock win. The No. 136 team–including James Dellinger, Reuben Frankenfield and Ethan Ellis–has been in a tight battle with Dalke Motorsports all year. The win finally allowed TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha to open up a points lead in that class, taking off a lot of the pressure heading into the season finale next month. The R6 riders finished seventh overall.

“I started the race, and just tried to pace Dalke at the beginning,” said Dellinger. “They ran out of fuel and we got an instant lead. After that, we had to stay clean and maintain our pace.”

The third TVR entry of the weekend was comprised of Isle of Man veterans Richard “Milky” Quayle and Craig Atkinson. Neither rider had been to Barber before, and the trip marked Quayle’s first visit to the United States. Nevertheless, the two riders finished second in Heavyweight Superstock on the No. 132 TVR Yamaha R1.

“It was good to see Milky and Craig having so much fun out there,” said TVR team owner Chuck Ivey. “I’m glad we could give them this opportunity. They’re sponsored by Arai, also, so when they showed up with their helmets we knew they were a perfect fit for our team!”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Indianapolis:

Ducati Indianapolis wins big at Mid Ohio

Indy Ducati owner Matt Carr took a pair of dominating wins in the Thunderbike and Supertwins classes during the AMA Grand Road Racing Championships weekend held at Mid Ohio.

Riding a Dunlop shod Ducati 748R Carr overcame a stop and go penalty for jumping the start to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a dramatic, last lap pass in Thunderbike. The crowd was on their feet with announcers excitedly calling the final lap as all watched Carr ride around the outside of Buell mounted Joel Spalding in the carousel to take the win. Carr brought out the 748R again in Supertwins to battle Spalding, this time on his Buell 1125R. Spalding rode strong and fast but Carr on his very well set-up 748R was able to take advantage of Mid-Ohio’s technical back section and took the lead with two laps to go. 

In the amateur ranks, Ducati Indianapolis rider Andrew Sidwell rode his Ducati 848 to a solid second place finished after never haven ridden at the technical Mid Ohio course previously. To add to the excitement, Ducati Indy’s George Linhart battled for the lead in Expert Lightweight Superbike on a very fast Ducati 1000SS that appeared it would run away before the soft tire could not take anymore. Linhart began conserving his rubber to settle for the final podium spot.

For more information log onto www.indyducati.com

Matt Carr: “The weekend went very well for us with CCS, AMA, and the weather all helping out quite a bit. Mid-Ohio is a top-notch facility that we have been looking forward to racing at all year and the fans here are awesome! On the cool down lap there were people all over the hillsides waving and pumping their fists at you. I think Andrew would have dominated his race and many other weekends if he could get more practice than his Army training allows. It was great to see George move his Ducati to the front of the pack. From the turn one grandstands we could hear the engine note changing as the tire went off. I know he would have won that race with a new tire. Live and learn and look out for next year, we’ll be back!

More, from a press release issued by TwoThree Public Relations:

Solid weekend of testing for Allerton at Australian Superbike Open

Reigning Australian Superbike Champion Glenn Allerton is confident of retaining his championship when the series resumes in five weeks time after contesting the Australian Superbike Open alongside the L&H 500 V8 Supercars round at Phillip Island in Victoria on 11-13 September.

Allerton qualified his Motologic Racing Honda CBR1000RR in fourth position after the popular one-lap Superpole Shootout session, before going on to finish the pair of 10-lap races with a fifth in race one and sixth in the second to secure sixth overall for the weekend.

The non-championship point-scoring round marked the first time that 28-year-old has finished off of the overall podium during the 2009 season, although three days of testing during the weekend sets Allerton up for a solid final two rounds of the series to be contested at the same venue.

Race one on Saturday saw Allerton in a podium position until rain began to fall just after the halfway point of the race, causing Allerton to back it off and play it safe in order to be 100 percent ready for his title charge.

It was much the same on Sunday in race two when rain began to fall in the early stages of the race, with Allerton leading the field on laps one and five before eventually deciding to settle for sixth as the rain increased.

Spectacular racing and a five-bike battle for the lead made the Superbikes a popular category during the weekend in the first two-plus-four event in over a decade, with Allerton and his Motologic Racing team gaining massive amounts of publicity in what was a solid crowd of Australian motorsport enthusiasts.

Allerton will now set his sights on the final two rounds of the ASBK series, with the penultimate round set to be held alongside the MotoGP World Championship round at Phillip Island on 16-18 October, before the final round will be contested at the same venue on 27-29 November.

Glenn Allerton Superbike #1: The Superbike Open was a good chance to see where we are at with the bike around Phillip Island and a great opportunity to test a few settings on the rear shock, which we have been having a few troubles with lately. I’m glad that we got that weekend in and it’s going to help when we come back for the championship round at the MotoGP. In both races when it started to rain I was in the lead group, there was nobody who was getting away from me, and then when the rain came I thought about the championship in a few weeks time and decided to hold back at that point. I’d like to win every race I go in, and I wasn’t happy to get beaten or finish off the podium, but it doesn’t really matter in the big picture because there weren’t points on offer. We managed to keep the bike upright and made sure we stayed safe, which is good because I’m feeling good on the motorcycle at the moment and I don’t want to change that. We’ll be back for the point-scoring rounds and overall it was a really good weekend alongside the V8s.

AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE OPEN PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC RESULTS:

Race One 1 Wayne Maxwell; 2 Josh Waters; 3 Shannon Johnson; 4 Shawn Giles; 5 Glenn Allerton; 6 Craig Coxhell; 7 Trent Gibson; 8 Chris Trounson; 9 Marty Craggill; 10 Matthew Griffin.

Race Two 1 Craig Coxhell; 2 Josh Waters; 3 Wayne Maxwell; 4 Shannon Johnson; 5 Shawn Giles; 6 Glenn Allerton; 7 Trent Gibson; 8 Chris Trounson; 9 Matthew Griffin; 10 Greg Epis.

Overall 1 Wayne Maxwell 45pts; 2 Josh Waters 44; 3 Craig Coxhell 40; 4 Shannon Johnson 38; 5 Shawn Giles 34; 6 Glenn Allerton 31; 7 Trent Gibson 28; 8 Chris Trounson 26; 9 Matthew Griffin 23; 10 Greg Epis 21.

More, from a press release issued by TwoThree Public Relations:

ESG takes race podium result in Australian Superbike Open alongside Phillip Island V8 Supercars round

The Evolution Sports Group Australian Superbike team scored its first ever podium result in the premier Superbike category at Phillip Island over the weekend in the Australian Superbike Open, which was run alongside the L&H 500 V8 Supercars round on 11-13 September.

Victorian favourite Shannon Jonson made his national Superbike debut for 2009 alongside regular ESG Superbike rider Chris Trounson, qualifying in third position on the grid after the spectacular one-lap Superpole Shootout before finishing the pair of 10-lap races with 3-4 results to secure fourth overall for the Woodstock Bourbon-supported team.

Johnson battled amongst his factory-supported opponents for the weekend after stepping up from his usual Supersport duties, impressing from the first practice session of the weekend and looking set for an overall podium until rain dramatically changed the outcome of Sunday’s race two.

A personal best lap of the iconic 4.45-kilometre Phillip Island Circuit in race two was the icing on the cake for Johnson with a 1:33.053sec lap time, despite the rain during the mid-stages of the second race ruining a dream overall podium result for the round.

It was also a successful weekend for 21-year-old Trounson, making it into Superpole after regular qualifying and slotting his CBR1000RR on to eighth position on the grid before racing to a pair of eighth place finishes at what is considered his home circuit on the calendar.

Young gun Trounson continued his rapid learning curve in a field of the country’s top Superbike competitors, gaining confidence with more top-10 finishes to his name and looking to improve upon the results when the official Superbike championship resumes in five weeks time.

ESG director Wayne Hepburn also contested the Australian Superbike Open, qualifying in 13th position and scoring the same result in Saturday’s race, before a wrong tyre selection ruled him out of Sunday’s final outing.

The team will now focus on the final two rounds of the ASBK series, with the penultimate round set to be held alongside the MotoGP World Championship round at Phillip Island on 16-18 October, before the final round will be contested at the same venue on 27-29 November.

Shannon Johnson Superbike #42 I was happy to be back on the Superbike since it had been a very long time since I raced one on a national level. The weekend was a huge achievement and reward for everybody involved with ESG to not only be in Superpole, but also to score a position on the front row of the grid for the races. It was exciting to then go on and finish on the podium in race one and fourth in race two, repaying the faith that Wayne Hepburn and Greg Epis have put in me this year. I felt really comfortable in both races and that second race was just crazy, a real battle for the lead and enjoyable for both us riders and for the spectators. Setting my fastest ever personal lap around the circuit was satisfying, and then to complete the weekend with good results was great for me even though it was a great learning experience for the team. Overall it was a great weekend to be involved in motorcycle racing alongside the V8s, and I’m now looking forward to getting back on the Supersport bike and trying to finish top three in the championship.

Chris Trounson Superbike #26 Making my first ever Superpole was exciting for me during qualifying, although I thought I would have made the top eight easier until I realised we had a bent front brake disc during the session, which we were able to work through and secure the Superpole start. When the racing started I was on the inside heading into Turn One, but I backed off a little too early and fell back to 10th. After that I made a charge back through to finish eighth, even though the changes we made to the bike after Superpole were not beneficial. In race two I had a stronger start but I still let one rider in, before I ran off the circuit in Turn Four and rejoined the pack back in 15th. I put my head down knowing that I had 9 laps to make the race mine and to improve my position, and the the rain came in fast. I kept pushing and passing after four laps I had climbed back to eighth and then I went into seventh, but unfortunately I got passed back and finished in eighth position again. Every time I throw my leg over my bike this year it has been different we have done this in order to find a comfortable balance. We are moving forward with an overall package for the upcoming rounds of the ASBK championship, which is now building my confidence to be able to attack the track and in gaining this I will be able to maintain corner by corner focus.

AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE OPEN PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC RESULTS: Race One 1 Wayne Maxwell; 2 Josh Waters; 3 Shannon Johnson (ESG Honda CBR1000RR); 4 Shawn Giles; 5 Glenn Allerton; 6 Craig Coxhell; 7 Trent Gibson; 8 Chris Trounson (ESG Honda CBR1000RR); 9 Marty Craggill; 10 Matthew Griffin.

Race Two 1 Craig Coxhell; 2 Josh Waters; 3 Wayne Maxwell; 4 Shannon Johnson (ESG Honda CBR1000RR); 5 Shawn Giles; 6 Glenn Allerton; 7 Trent Gibson; 8 Chris Trounson (ESG Honda CBR1000RR); 9 Matthew Griffin; 10 Greg Epis.

Overall 1 Wayne Maxwell 45pts; 2 Josh Waters 44; 3 Craig Coxhell 40; 4 Shannon Johnson (ESG Honda CBR1000RR) 38; 5 Shawn Giles 34; 6 Glenn Allerton 31; 7 Trent Gibson 28; 8 Chris Trounson (ESG Honda CBR1000RR) 26; 9 Matthew Griffin 23; 10 Greg Epis 21.