GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing/Red Bull Indianapolis GP
AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis, Indiana
August 17, 2012
Provisional Qualifying Results (all on Harley-Davidson XR1200s and Dunlop tires):
1. P.J. Jacobsen, 1:54.984 (new lap record) 2. Kyle Wyman, 1:56.396 3. Tyler O’Hara, 1:56.767 4. Benjamin Carlson, 1:56.962 5. Gerry Signorelli, 1:57.252 6. Michael Barnes, 1:57.272 7. Barrett Long, 1:57.718 8. Travis Wyman, 1:57.885 9. Michael Corbino, 1:58.050 10. Michael Beck, 1:58.403 11. David Estok, 1:58.465 12. Shane Narbonne, 1:58.590 13. Steve Crevier, 1:58.894 14. Bobby Fong, 1:59.276 15. Josh Chisum, 1:59.451 16. Darren James, 1:59.978 17. Paul Schwemmer, 2:02.753 18. Brice Cooper, 2:03.099 19. Nicholas Hansen, 2:03.151 20. Charlie Long, 2:03.902 21. Paul James, 2:03.996 22. Josh Guyer, 2:04.098 23. Lee Kuhn, 2:04.760 24. Peter Cline, 2:06.645 25. Matthew Heidel, 2:07.515 26. Aaron Borello, 2:07.519 27. Richard Barnett, 2:07.574 28. Ray Delaney, 2:09.244 29. Calvin Martinez, 2:11.164
More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (August 17, 2012) – Coming into Indianapolis, the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series had been strictly a three-man affair at the front. Every single step on the podium, pole position, and lap leader point in the lead-up to the $60,000 XR Showdown that kicks off with this weekend’s Red Bull Indianapolis GP doubleheader had been hoarded by a group of three fast riders — Tyler O’Hara, Kyle Wyman, and Michael Barnes.
However, the allure of competing in GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing at the famed Brickyard alongside the superstars of the MotoGP World Championship (not to mention the generous $50,000 purse offered this weekend) has attracted to the fray some new combatants with the ability to upset the order.
That was made abundantly clear in Friday’s qualifying session as P.J. Jacobsen (MOB Racing/K Tech/Orient Express) claimed the pole in emphatic fashion. Jacobsen, who took his maiden XR1200 win in his class debut at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2010, threw down a blistering time of 1:54.984, almost a second-and-a-half ahead of his nearest competitor.
“It’s great to be here — Indy is a famous place,” Jacobsen said. “I just can’t thank my team, MOB Racing/K Tech/Orient Express, enough and everyone who put me here. It’s good because I have a little break, being over from the BSB, so it’s good to be here with the AMA to just have some fun.
“I was surprised by the gap; I thought it was going to be a little bit closer than that. But Kyle, Tyler, and ‘Barney’ have been riding real hard all year — I’ve been watching the video — so I’m not counting them out at in the race tomorrow or Sunday. It’s going to be fun.”
KLR Group/Spyke’s Harley-Davidson/Vesrah Racing’s Kyle Wyman, who was second, wasn’t discouraged by Jacobsen’s speed, instead viewing the fleet wild card as an opportunity to improve his Showdown standing.
Wyman explained, “P.J.’s riding really well, but this is really a points battle for the XR Showdown. P.J. is not in that battle so he can race his own race. If he ends up mixing it up with us, if I have an opportunity to put some points between myself and some of the other Showdown competitors, I’m going to do that. I’m just focused on the points battle and earning that #1 plate at the end of the year.”
JCR/Srubblade/Bartel’s Harley-Davidson’s Tyler O’Hara returns to the venue where he officially arrived as an AMA Pro pole and race winner one year ago. The Californian has since built upon that success and established himself a genuine title threat in 2012, as evidenced by his three wins, four poles, six lap leaders points, and perfect podium record this season.
O’Hara was in fine form again today, grabbing the third (and final) slot on the front row for the 10-lap finals.
“Qualifying was good,” he said. “I put in some fast laps at the beginning by myself. Front row is the goal. I’m excited P.J. is in the mix. He’s not in the chase. He’s riding well and it makes it a little bit more exciting for everyone.”
Meanwhile, the third of the usual suspects – Michael Barnes — found himself shuffled down to sixth in qualifying, also trailing Ben Carlson (Suburban Harley-Davison) and Gerry Signorelli (Kuryakyn/Racing for a Wish).
Barnes is making his second team transition of the season, running as teammate to Wyman under the KLR Group/Spyke`s Harley-Davidson /Vesrah Racing banner this weekend.
While Jacobsen excelled despite his long layoff from XR competition, a couple of the other big name entrants making AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series season debuts suffered somewhat pit up against the series’ deep field on Friday. Former AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike star Steve Crevier (MotoSport Plus Harley-Davidson) and AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike contender Bobby Fong could only manage 13th and 14th in qualifying respectively, but have the skills to advance up the order come race day.
Row 3 will feature Barrett Long (Longevity Racing), Travis Wyman (Harv’s Harley-Davisdon), and Michael Corbino (XP Motorsports).
With the ten XR Showdown qualifiers all even at 1000 points, the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series championship stretch run officially kicks off with Saturday’s 10-lap shootout.
The doubleheader action will air live on SPEED2 and be broadcast on SPEED Sunday, August 19 at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT.
For tickets to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, please visit ~http://secure.brickyard.com/Tickets/RedBullIndianapolisGP.aspx~.
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AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.
More, from a press release issued by KLR Group:
Wyman leads the charge of the championship hopefuls in Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 17) — KLR Group rider Kyle Wyman began his championship charge Friday by qualifying No. 2 for this weekend’s double-header of AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The races are being run as part of the Red Bull Moto GP.
Wyman competed the 16-turn, 2.75-mile circuit in 1:56.396 to lead the three-bike attack out of the Kyle Wyman Racing paddock. KLR Group teammate Michael Barnes was sixth with a best of 1:57.272 after crashing halfway through the session. Michael Beck, who has joined the team for this event with sponsorship from Parts Unlimited, was 10th quickest with a 1:58.403.
“We all had a really good session,” Wyman said. “My KLR Group Harley is working really well and we’re all excited to be here. It’s such an awesome facility. It’s similar to Daytona, where you come in and your heart skips a beat because it’s so overwhelming with all the grandstands and everything.
“Spyke’s Harley-Davidson and our race shop are right up the road so the crew guys are able to go back and forth each day to the track from their homes, so it’s pretty relaxing for them. Everybody’s really comfortable; it’s a good environment for us.”
This weekend’s races are the first two of five that will determine the 2012 champion. Only the top 10 riders from the first seven events are eligible, with all 10 having their points reset prior to this event.
Wyman, Barnes and Tyler O’Hara populated every podium in the regular season with Wyman and O’Hara both winning three times. Friday, O’Hara earned the third spot on the grid with a 1:56.767. The pole went to Patrick Jacobsen (1:54.984), who is not in the championship picture.
“We are the quickest of the regulars,” Wyman said. “P.J.’s riding really well, but this is really a points battle for the Vance & Hines XR1200 Showdown. P.J.’s not in that battle so he can race his own race. It really won’t affect us. If I have an opportunity to put some points between myself and some of the other Showdown competitors, I’m going to do that. I’m totally focused on earning that No. 1 plate at the end of the year.”
Barnes was riding well and was ranked third when he high-sided his bike in the final turn. He was uninjured but his Spyke’s Harley-Davidson was too damaged for him to continue. He eventually slid three spots to sixth place overall, giving him a second-row starting spot.
“The main thing hurt is my ego,” Barnes said. “The bike was running great. It was just one of those things. The guys will fix everything and we’ll be good to go.”
Although he admitted to being a little rusty on the Parts Unlimited Harley-Davidson, Beck was pleased with his progress through the day.
“I got a lot better from practice to qualifying and we ended up 10th so that’s not bad,” Beck said. “There’s still plenty of work to do but I’m feeling more comfortable every lap.”
There is one more warm-up session at 8:15 a.m. Saturday followed by Race 1 at 4:20 p.m. Wyman already has a race plan in place.
“There are two really long straightaways here,” Wyman said. “You kind of hope before you go out that everything is going to work out in your favor, timing-wise, with some of the other riders, and that you can use them for a draft. I didn’t have an opportunity to do that today, although P.J. said he did on his big lap. My fast time came on a lap all on my own. I think working the draft will be a big factor. We’ll see who does it best.”