ELIAS PERFECT ON NEW YOSHIMURA SUZUKI AT COTA SEASON OPENER
A Doubleheader Superbike Sweep Marks Brilliant Debut for 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000
Chino, CA – Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Toni Elias remained undefeated in MotoAmerica Superbike action at the picturesque Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in front of a massive crowd enjoying picture-perfect conditions in Austin, Texas. For the second year in a row Elias won both legs of the season-opening doubleheader dubbed the Championship of Texas.
The clean sweep marked a stunning debut for the completely redesigned 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000. Not only did the new bike come up with two wins, but it carried Roger Hayden to the pole as well, resulting one of the most remarkable coming out parties of any new motorcycle in the 42-year history of the series. Icing on the cake for Yoshimura Suzuki came in the form of two rostrum finishes for Hayden in the combined MotoGP/MotoAmerica weekend. Hayden finished a very close second and third respectively in the two rounds.
Elias and Hayden leave Texas, first and second in the standings heading to next week’s Suzuki ECSTAR Championship at Road Atlanta on April 28-30 in Braselton, GA.
Elias and Hayden battled for nearly the entire way in both Saturday and Sunday’s races. On Saturday Hayden made an exciting last-lap pass for the lead, but Elias was able to drive back underneath his teammate and hold on to take the checkered flag. On Sunday it was a three-way fight to the end with defending champ Cameron Beaubier joining the fray and finishing runner up.
“I am very happy with where this puts us in the championship,” Elias explained. “It’s especially good since we were able to provide a great introduction for the new GSX-R1000 with two victories. It’s amazing.”
Even though he came up just short of winning this weekend, Hayden is still encouraged by the performance of the new machine.
“We had an awesome weekend here at COTA,” Hayden said. “We got a lot of points with a second and third. The new GSX-R was working great all weekend. I came up a little bit short, but I’m really excited about the team, how hard they’re working and where we are with the new bike. I’m looking forward to Atlanta already.”
You can keep up with the team’s progress by visiting www.yoshimura-racing.com and www.yoshimura-racing.com and via YouTube at www.yoshimura-racing.com
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki Motor of America, Motul, Tucker Rocky, Dunlop, Shorai, Sunstar, K&N Performance Filters, NGK Spark Plugs, RK Racing Chain, Chicken Hawk Racing and Zeta.
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for over 60 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket. Yoshimura exhaust systems are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit, and quality that has been our trademark for six 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
More, from a press release issued by Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR):
Motovation USA/KWR team battles through adversity at COTA opener in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas — The KWR team competed in the first two races of the 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike series this past weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Kyle Wyman battled through adversity on his Motovation USA/Lucas Oil #33 Yamaha to collect valuable championship points in the first round.
The weekend started with a 45-minute qualifying practice session on Thursday that was cut short for the team due to mechanical issues on the KWR Superbike. Wyman only made one flying lap in what would have been the longest session of the event, and the team was forced to use a completely stock motor for the balance of the weekend.
Friday would host a 30-minute session that determines the grid for 13th place on back, and moves the twelve fastest riders on to Superpole. Without a fast time from Thursday, it was crucial to put in a top-12 laptime and secure a spot to run for pole. Wyman lapped the COTA circuit in 2:11.126, good enough for 8th fastest in the session and a punched ticket to Superpole.
In Superpole Wyman made good use of the Dunlop one-lap qualifying tire, or “Q” Tire, and lapped the COTA circuit in 2:09.788 – nearly a second faster than his previous best time at the official test in March. Despite the stock engine, the time was good enough for a second row start on the grid, 6th place overall.
“I’m happy with the way we’ve responded to our setback on Thursday,” Wyman said after Superpole. “Starting the season with a mechanical and missing the entire first day of riding is never how you want to come out of the gate. We didn’t panic, threw in the motor we had on the truck and it was good enough to get in the 2:09’s at COTA, which has been the target all along.”
With a strong showing in qualifying, race one started off with a great start by Wyman as he became the fourth rider in a pack of six that were breaking away from the field. An unfortunate mistake by him ended his race on lap two after clipping a curb, crashing and collecting Josh Hayes in the incident.
“That part of the race track you can kind of shortcut the curb and gain some time,” Wyman said. “This time I took the risk and just barely lost the front, got caught up with the bike and it dragged me to the wall. It was a long crash, I almost saved it. I feel lucky to have come away relatively unscathed.”
After a slim escape from major injury and a good night of sleep, Wyman climbed back on his Motovation USA/Lucas Oil Superbike for Sunday’s race two with another shot at a podium result. Another good launch off the line put Wyman in an intense battle for 6th place, but the same battle with fellow riders slowed his pace and he would have to settle for 9th overall, and 6th in Superbike.
“You never want to finish lower than you qualify, but today I was happy to come away with ninth overall,” Wyman added. “It was important for our team to leave COTA with some points on the board. Last year we left here with zero points, two DNF’s. This time we have something to show for our efforts. After pulling a stock motor out of the truck and enduring a crash in the first race, I’m happy to have battled where we did. We got some great exposure for our local sponsor Motovation USA, and finished the weekend on a relatively high note.”
The MotoAmerica Superbike season heads straight to Road Atlanta this weekend for the second round of the championship, and Wyman is confident that the preparation of his team will show in the way of good finishes at the Georgia round.
“Overall this has still been the strongest start to a season I’ve ever had,” said Wyman, the second-year Superbike rider. “I feel like we have untapped potential in the bike and in myself. I look forward to recovering these next couple days and bringing a strong effort into Atlanta.”
Visit www.motovationusa.com for all your parts and accessories needs!
Stay tuned for a title-sponsor announcement for the Road Atlanta round in the coming days.
For the complete series schedule, visit www.motoamerica.com
For more information about Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR), visit www.kylewymanracing.com
About Kyle Wyman Racing:
Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR) was formed in 2011 as a motorcycle road racing team focusing on healthy sponsorship opportunities for companies within and outside the motorcycle industry. KWR is the 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson series championship winning team and current partner with Millennium Technologies. For more information visit www.kylewymanracing.com
More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:
FOURTH FOR LEWIS TO CLOSE OUT STRONG COTA WEEKEND FOR TEAM HAMMER
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis rounded out an impressive MotoAmerica season opener for Team Hammer at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, with another top-five performance in Sunday’s Superstock 1000 contest.
Following up his Saturday podium with another eye-catching outing was that made all the more difficult by a crash in the Sunday warm-up that left the Kentuckian hobbled with a banged up ankle.
Lewis gritted it out, however, and piloted the all-new 2017 GSX-R1000 to an eventual four-place finish in class while also slotting inside the top ten in the combined Superbike/Superstock 1000 order.
“It was a good start to the season for us,” Lewis said. “I’m pretty happy with the weekend as it was the best results I have had with the team so far. I think it is a good place to be as we continue to improve.
“As for Sunday’s race, I was a little disappointed. I got a bad start and had to work my way through a few guys. But the main thing was that I wanted a change to the bike after being so close yesterday, and it turned out the change was the wrong direction. Still, it was a good weekend, and I think we’ve had a competitive start to the year. The new bike is a big improvement and the team has made it even better in a short time. We’re in the hunt now and we’re all working together to improve some more.”
Following the season’s opening two races, Lewis sits tied for third in the early Superstock points race at 29, and is ranked seventh in Superbike at 16.
As a result on Saturday’s solitary MotoAmerica Supersport race, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate Valentine Debise leaves Texas ranked 2nd in the Supersport title race with 20 points, followed by M4 medAge Suzuki’s Nick McFadden (sixth, ten points), and M4 The 22 Project Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch (seventh, nine points). McFadden and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Cleland will now turn their attention to the Superstock 600 championship.
Team Hammer will now look to carry its strong opening-round form into next weekend’s Suzuki ECSTAR Championship at Road Atlanta, which will serve as Round 2 of the 2017 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship, from April 28-30.
About Team Hammer
The 2017 season will mark Team Hammer’s 37th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 61 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 155 times and have won five AMA Pro National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships. The team has also won 134 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.