High Hopes for Big Kahuna Nationals Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati heads to Virginia International Raceway (VIR) this weekend with both bikes, four riders and a 31 point advantage in the Suntrust MotoGT endurance championship. Ryan Elleby and Corey Rech will team up on the championship leading #77 PS1000LE while team owner’s Frank Shockley and Pete Friedland will, for the first time, share the riding on the team’s #38 bike. Of course there will be no team orders this race. Last year’s round at VIR was disastrous for the team. Intermittent rainfall had them gambling on tire choices and forced pit stops saw them finish in fifth place. The previous year the oil cooler broke while they were leading the race. Riding on a high of seven podium finishes this season they hope to break the VIR curse this weekend. “The next two races will be critical if we’re going to win the championship before Daytona” said Frank Shockley. “Though it’s possible if we can stay ahead of the Pair-of-Nine Kawasaki. But my goal this weekend is to stay ahead of the youngsters. I want to beat them. Bad” he said. A tall order considering the “youngsters” have lapped the competition at the last two rounds. But then it is the Big Kahuna Nationals’ 10th Anniversary. The Saturday race is from 11am to 1pm EST. You can follow our progress at www.facebook.com/ducshop or www.twitter.com/ducshop. Ducshop proudly builds and maintains the PS1000LE engine. The team is also sponsored by Touring Sport Ducati, gBehavior, EZ- Glide 350, Öhlins USA, Speedy Moto, Robby Byrd, USDESMO, Swatt Motorcycle, JVE Limited and Pilot Leathers. More, from a press release issued by Czaia & Gallagher’s TeamHurtByAccident.com: CZAIA & GALLAGHER’S TEAMHURTBYACCIDENT.COM LOOK FOR ANOTHER PODIUM FINISH Bradenton, Fla — With just three rounds remaining in this season’s AMA Pro Road Racing’s SunTrust MOTO-GT Series, Czaia & Gallagher’s TeamHurtByAccident.com will be looking to take another podium finish at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday, August 18. Taking a third place finish at Heartland Park Topeka two weeks ago, moved their No. 69 Suzuki GSX-R600 into third place; nine points out of the lead and just four points off second place. “The points have been close all season,” says team owner C.J. Czaia. “I think the championship will boil down to the 8 Hours At Daytona. Our game plan is to really be consistent and land on the podium at both VIR and New Jersey Motorsports Park. If we can do that, we have an excellent chance at the title.” Piloting the team’s No. 69 Suzuki will again be Rodolfo Ramirez and Santiago Villa who took the podium finish at Heartland Topeka. “Ramirez and Villa make a good duo,” says Czaia. “They keep the bike upright and work well together. In fact, Villa just rode the WERA Cycle Jam Nationals at VIR this past weekend with Chris Ulrich and Russ Wikle and the team took third (overall).” Riding the No. 64 Ducati PS1000E in GT-2 will be the duo of Robert Fisher and John Linder who both missed Topeka due to prior commitments. “I am really looking forward to VIR,” says Fisher who has earned numerous championships and racing accolades through the years. The president of Roaring Toyz in Sarasota, Fla., Fisher has earned a standout reputation as a rider and as a designer and builder of custom sport bikes and components. “It is a really good track and I have done well there in the past.” Equally as pleased to be returning to VIR is John Linder, who hails from Tampa, Fla. “VIR is a great track and fun to ride,” says Linder. “To do well you really need to consistently hit your marks each and every lap and that adds to the challenge and the fun. We took a podium finish here in 2007 despite suffering a crash and having to pit for repairs. If we could do well under those circumstances, we should be able to do it again with no problem.” “Our team has really come together,” says Czaia. “Everyone has a great attitude and is ready to get the job done. We are definitely good to go.” Headquartered in Bradenton, Fla., with offices in many Florida cities, Czaia & Gallagher P.A. is one of the larger personal injury and accident law firms in the state of Florida. Extremely involved in community activities, they are dedicated to supporting numerous causes including the March of Dimes Bikers for Babies, Family Health Centers, Herocare, Healthy Start and AFCAAM to name just a few. In addition, they are strong supporters of Biker Nights held around the state. Utilizing both their racing program and appearances at Biker Nights one of Czaia & Gallagher’s goals is to educate Florida motorcycle riders of their rights. Be sure and follow TeamHurtByAccident.com as they go for the championship