Valiant Effort But PBM Leaves Mugello Pointless Round five of the MotoGP World Championship took place at Mugello in Italy this weekend but despite a valiant effort by PBM MotoGP team riders Yonny Hernandez and Michael Laverty, they fell agonisingly short of the points in 16th and 17th place respectively. The Penrith team had scored points in the opening three rounds but the latest two outings have proved fruitless. However, after the disappointing showing in France a couple of weeks ago, there was much more to be positive about following the Italian GP which saw 24-year-old Colombian Hernandez set fifth fastest time in Friday’s opening wet session on the Rapid Solicitors and Minxflix.com-sponsored Aprilia ART with 31-year-old Ulsterman Laverty in 20th place as he continued his progress of developing the Rapid Solicitors and Minxflix.com-sponsored PBM machine. As the weather improved into qualifying, Laverty impressed with ninth fastest time in Q1 with Hernandez two places further back meaning favourable grid positions going into today’s 23-lap race. Both riders made good starts and in the opening laps, Hernandez, from Medellin, held 15th place with Laverty, from Toome in County Antrim, just one place further back. Hernandez held onto 15th for the first half of the race as Laverty was embroiled in a scrap with four other riders and on lap 12; they moved up to 14th and 18th place respectively. Laverty was timed at 323kmh through the speed trap on the British-built machine as he battled it out with prototype rider Karel Abraham as he hung onto his position although Hernandez slipped back to 16th with five laps remaining. Mark Marquez crashing out with a couple of laps to go elevated each PBM rider up a place and it looked as if they might squeeze into the points but sadly they fell just short although they took consolation that it was another important pair of finishes in the Claiming Rules Teams (CRT) class. Despite not adding to their points score, both Laverty and Hernandez remain tied on points in 18th place in the MotoGP World Championship and equal fourth in the CRT standings going into the next round at Catalunya in two weeks time . PBM remain in seventh place in the Constructors Championship in their debut season with their brand new British-built machine. Michael Laverty: “I’m pleased I kept up my 100% finishing rate but it was a difficult race for me, the toughest I’ve had yet in MotoGP. I pushed hard towards the end to get back onto Yonny and Karel to fight for the last point but it wasn’t to be today. Mugello is a difficult circuit to master and as it was my first visit I don’t think I was able to maximise the practice sessions to get the optimum race set up. We move onto Catalunya hopeful that we can take a step forward.” Yonny Hernandez: “I am happy to have finished this race after not finishing the last two, but unhappy not to have scored some points after being in the top 15 for most of the race. For the first half of the race the bike was working well, but then I had some chatter, which got worse towards the end and it was impossible to maintain my pace. If we can solve this problem I am sure I can score some points at the next race.” Phil Borley, Technical Director: “It has been another frustrating weekend, as we missed scoring points by less than two seconds. Yonny was having a good race until he started to experience some vibration after half distance, so we need to understand what caused it to avoid suffering it in the future. For Michael after a good qualifying, it was a difficult race, as we could not find a setting that he was comfortable with, or that gave him confidence, particularly in corner entry. The next round will again be a new circuit for him to learn, but after analysing his data from this weekend we hope to find some improvements.” Round six of the MotoGP World Championship takes place at Catalunya on Sunday 16th June. For more information, please visit the team’s brand new website www.pbmuk.net and www.motogp.com. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Italian MotoGP™ debrief with Masao Azuma Wednesday 5 June 2013 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft & Medium. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative) Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo rode an inspired race at Mugello last Sunday, winning his third race in a row at the Italian circuit ahead of Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow. Excellent conditions greeted riders at this year’s Italian Grand Prix with the dry Mugello tarmac reaching a peak of 44°C during both Saturday and Sunday afternoon, ensuring the teams had plenty of relevant set-up data for the twenty-three lap race. Q&A with Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department All of the rear slicks brought to Mugello this year featured Bridgestone’s heat-resistant construction. Can you explain why these tyres were supplied and did they do the job last weekend? “After the new 1000cc MotoGP machines were introduced last year, Bridgestone reviewed its tyre severity rating for every circuit on the calendar. These ratings are based on the number of right and left-handed corners, the type of asphalt used and many other factors that contribute. Using this rating system, Mugello has always been one of the more severe circuits in MotoGP for tyres, but the increase in loads generated by these heavier, more powerful motorcycles increased the stress endured by tyres at this circuit to a point where the heat-resistant construction was needed. As a result, we decided that for this year, the best decision for the safety of the riders was to supply all our rear slicks at Mugello in our heat-resistant construction. “Also, as we are supplying rear slicks to the CRT riders this year that are one step softer than the works riders, it means for the first time our soft rubber compound was used on the right shoulder of a rear slick option at Mugello. The use of this soft compound on the right shoulder means we decided to use heat-resistant construction for the CRT-specific slicks for safety reasons as well, and the results were as we expected; quite positive. “Some riders do notice a slight difference in grip from the edge of the tyre with this heat-resistant construction compared to our regular slicks, however, the performance these tyres offer is still extremely high. Proof of this point was that new qualifying and race lap records were set at Mugello last weekend using the heat-resistant rear slicks.” With some circuits on the calendar being harsher on tyres than others, why doesn’t Bridgestone need to create heat-resistant front slicks at the more severe circuits? “The rear tyres on a motorcycle are subjected to much more stress than the front tyres. The front tyres have to deal with cornering and braking forces, however the rear tyres also have to cope with transferring the power to the ground when the bike accelerates and it is this that creates very high temperatures. Front tyre temperature increases when braking, but the total braking time for one lap is usually much less than the time spent accelerating. “The range of temperatures a front tyre is subjected to during a race is a lot less than the rear tyre. Therefore, even at those circuits that are the most severe on front tyres such as Aragon and Sepang, our regular construction front slicks are more than able to cope with the stresses placed upon them by the MotoGP machines.” The 2013 Italian Grand Prix was held earlier in the year than usual, did this have much bearing on the tyre allocation for this year? “Reviewing the historical data we could see that generally track temperatures at Mugello are quite high, but this year not only was the race held earlier, mainland Europe has experienced unusually cool weather this spring. We considered these factors when deciding on our tyre allocation for the Italian Grand Prix, particularly for the front slicks. In fact, we waited until the Wednesday before the race weekend to lock in our front tyre allocation, as we wanted the most accurate predictions of what the weather would bring. “If the weather conditions for the weekend would have been much warmer, than we considered offering a selection of front slicks one step harder than originally intended. However, in the end our original front tyre allocation worked well as track temperatures on Friday morning were very cold, and so we had to make sure the riders had front tyres that warmed up as quickly as possible on a track that was quite greasy due to the recent rain. Basically, we kept our original tyre allocation for Mugello, though we were prepared to change it just before the race weekend if required.” More, from a press release issued by K-Tech/Orient Express: K-Tech Suspension Enjoys Multiple Wins & Podiums At Road America K-Tech Suspension equipped riders had a great weekend of racing as the second round of the 2013 AMA Pro Road Racing Series visited Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Most notably, National Guard Celtic Racing’s Corey Alexander brought home two first place finishes on his #5 Suzuki GSX-R 600 in the SuperSport class – hearty congratulations on the great success! Alexander narrowly missed pole position in qualifying, and started both races from second position on the front row using K-Tech 20DDS fork cartridges and a 35DDS Pro rear shock. Roger Hayden qualified third for the Superbike races aboard his #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R 1000, and would finish a strong third in race one, and fourth in race two using K-Tech 20DDS fork cartridges and a 35DDS Pro rear shock as well. In the hotly contested AMA Pro Road Racing SuperSport class, nearly a quarter of the field was equipped with K-Tech Suspension, and four of the top ten finishers in both races were using K-Tech as well! Jeffrey Tigert joined Corey Alexander on the podium with a third place finish in Saturday’s race, and followed it up with a respectable fifth place finish on Sunday. Tigert also qualified fourth on his CM Motorsports Yamaha YZF R6 with K-Tech 20DDS fork cartridges and a 35DDS Pro rear shock. Additionally, EDR Performance rider Sebastiao Ferreira would finish seventh on Saturday and ninth on Sunday, with team mate CJ Weaver finishing 15th on Saturday, and improving to 14th on Sunday. Miles Thornton, riding for CTR Racing on a K-Tech equipped Yamaha YZF R6, finished a strong ninth on Saturday, and tenth on Sunday. Travis Ohge saw a big improvement, finishing thirteenth on Saturday, and jumping to seventh on Sunday with his Houston Superbikes Suzuki GSX-R 600. Neil Herbert qualified twenty-fourth on his CM Motorsports Yamaha YZF R6, and finished twenty-second on Saturday, twenty-third on Sunday. Caroline Olsen qualified twenty-third on her Celtic Orient Express Racing GSX-R 600 and was able to gain speed and finish seventeenth on Saturday. Sadly Caroline was involved in the huge pile-up at the beginning of Sunday’s race and was not able to continue. Everyone at K-Tech offers their best wishes for a strong and quick recovery. Jordan Suzuki’s Danny Eslick started from sixth on the grid in the National Guard Superbike races, and rode hard to finish fifth in both Saturday and Sunday’s races behind teammate Roger Hayden. Eslick’s #23 Jordan Suzuki GSX-R 1000 features K-Tech 20DDS fork cartridges and a 35DDS rear shock. The Daytona Sport Bike class saw James Rispoli qualify sixth on his K-Tech equipped National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600. Rispoli would finish seventh in both races, running with the lead pack for much of the race on Sunday. Joey Pascarella rode his Riders Discount Triumph Daytona 675 to 8th place in qualifying, and would finish nineteenth on Saturday, and thirteenth on Sunday. In the Vance & Hines Harley Davidson XR1200 Series race, Steve Rapp qualified third fastest with K-Tech 35MTS rear shocks, and would go on to take the win on his Suburban Harley Davidson XR1200 in Sunday’s race by a bit more than four seconds. Josh Chism finished ninth on his Bartel’s Harley Davidson Scrubblade XR1200 equipped with K-Tech 25SSK IDS fork cartridges and 35MTS rear shocks. K-Tech Suspension engineers the finest in cutting edge suspension technology for motorcycles. The unique Direct Damping System (DDS) offers precision control, accurate adjustments, and incredible feel which serve to improve rider confidence and reduce lap times. The popular 20DDS pressurized front fork cartridges are available to fit all late model sport bikes, and feature a closed system design with 31mm control pistons, 20mm displacement pistons, and 8mm piston rods. Likewise, the aluminum bodied K-Tech 35DDS rear shock provides independent circuits for compression and rebound damping adjustments, and is easy to tune and setup with a unique bypass valve adjustment feature. Remote hydraulic spring preload adjustment, as well as adjustable shock length allow custom configurations for every rider. For more information regarding K-Tech Suspension components, please contact Orient Express, the exclusive North American importer and distributor. Orient Express is pleased to be your source for high performance service, tuning, and parts since 1973. Visit http://www.orientexpress.com , call 800.645.6521, or email [email protected] to explore what we can do to help your racing ambitions! More, from a press release issued by MOB Racing: As reported MOB Racing’s Supersport racer #68 Alex Shaw was involved in the start accident Sunday at Road America. He was first brought to the infield care center then to a local hospital for further evaluation and additional attention required of the damage to one of the fingers on his left hand. Aside from soreness to his upper torso and left ankle which was not fractured as suspected, Alex will recover completely from his injuries. “Crazy is all I can say about it, bikes and racers everywhere, and I thank god for watching over me and giving fellow Supersport racer #13 Charles Weaver the bike handling skills to avoid hitting me! Watching the video shows how his reactions saved me from further and surely more significant damage as did my Arai Helmet which suffered a direct hit but did its job perfectly! Thank you to everyone that attended to me both on the track and at the hospital. I pray for a full and speedy recovery for all the other racers who were involved…” said Alex Shaw. More, from a press release issued by JD Beach’s publicist: Team 95 (Hayden Gillim) and Red Bull/RoadRace Factory (JD Beach) Road America Recap After a very long two and half month break from the action around the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, things finally got going again in Elkart Lake Wisconsin around the Road America Circuit. For Hayden Gillim, the Team 95 rider and JD Beach riding for the Red Bull/Road Race Factory team, it was nice to finally get the season rolling! JD had a fantastic weekend getting a podium finish (3rd) and a 4th on Sunday. Hayden had a bit of a tough weekend. He fought very hard but just didn’t have luck on his side. Bike troubles lead him from as high as 4th in Saturday’s race but ending in 27th. If you weren’t able to see the race or the highlights that followed after the event, Hayden was involved in a very scary starting line crash on Sunday that left him very sore and on his back up bike for the race where he miraculously fought all the way up to 7th place by the checkered flag. Team 95 Hayden Gillim (27th and 8th) “After such a long break after Daytona we had some time to really get the bikes sorted out for Road America. You can work day in and day out and still have bike problems however. It can happen to anyone. We ran into that in the first race with our gear box messing up. It was nothing we could have stopped, the bike was working great and I was able to make it up to 4th before it really became a problem. After I ran off the track and sank my R6 to the foot pegs in gravel, I rode it home to 27th.” “Going into race 2 I was feeling good. We had the bike problems sorted and the set up ready to go. The results say I got 7th but that took a lot of hard work. The first start was a scary one with a huge crash off the line. I was a part of it, running one guy over and getting ran over multiple times. There were about 8 people to hit the ground and I was the only one to not get transported. I felt real lucky about that, my bike wasn’t so lucky. It’s hard to deal with crashes that aren’t my fault being on such a tight budget. We have to try and save as much as we can. Our restart was pushed to the end of the day giving my dad (Frankie) and Jon Heinen plenty of time to get my “B” Bike ready to go. The restart went smooth but took me a little to get going, once I was up to speed the lead pack was gone but I was able to run the same pace as them. My small team is just amazing. They work so hard to put me on the track with great bikes. It’s such a motivator knowing how much they are behind me. We will shake this bad luck and be right where we know we can be at the next round.” Red Bull/RoadRace Factory JD Beach (3rd and 4th) “Going back to Road America this year I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. Last year at this track, I was able to get on the podium in the second race. The first day I was 9th in the warm up, so I wanted to get my results closer to the leaders of course. I wanted to prove that the podium wasn’t a fluke. Scott Jensen and Danny Anderson had my bike working great from the get go. Our pace was right with the leaders from the get go, that’s one thing we have struggled with. So far this season, it has taken me too long to get up to speed, and last weekend, we took care of that problem.” “After getting 3rd the first day, I was really looking to improve that finish. The bike was working great but a bad first two laps let the leaders make a bit of a break. I had a race long battle with Jake Lewis and came up short at the line to get a double podium finish. Getting 4th wasn’t bad for me. So far I have been finishing in the top 5 every race this year. I know the mistakes I made and going into Barber, Scott and Danny are going to give me an amazing bike that I just have to get on and twist the throttle.” With Road America over and Barber right around the corner it’s going to be a very short turn around with plenty of stuff to work on. JD is set for Barber, just some training needs to be done to be ready. He will also be studying up on some tapes so his mind is ready to go for the beautiful and challenging circuit in Alabama. Hayden is going to have a bit more work, on top of getting himself ready, the Gillim family garage is housing some crashed bikes that are in serious need of repair. It’s nothing that’s impossible with the hard work of his team and family though, and he’s really looking forward to riding at Barber. More, from a press release issued by Meen Motorsports: Meen Motorsports’ Jake Lewis earns first Daytona Sportbike podium at Road America Campbell, CA (June 5, 2013) – Meen Motorsports’ rider Jake Lewis earns his first Daytona Sportbike podium, capturing a third place finish during the Subway SuperBike Doubleheader at Road America. Qualifying fifth on the grid, Lewis contended a third place finish in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s Daytona Sportbike series, having two electrifying battles with Red Bull Road Race Factory rider JD Beach. Taking a reluctant fourth on Saturday, a determined Lewis returned on Sunday to drag race Beach to the finish line, landing himself on the box for the first time this 2013 season by .007 seconds. “This past weekend felt really good, especially running up front in both races. My team and I are making progress fast, getting better come every race. It was great to get my first podium and I am overall happy with my Road America results. Now it is time for me to focus on Barber, which is a track I love to ride. Thanks to the continued support from my team, family and all my amazing fans who I love to see come out and root me on,” comments Lewis. In the AMA Pro SuperSport series, Lewis’ teammate Wyatt Farris also had a solid Road America showing, running consistent races. Having his best SuperSport qualifying on his Jon Block Group Sports/Meen Motorsports Graves Yamaha thus far, Farris concluded the weekend with an eleventh and ninth place finish. “The team and I made a lot of progress at Road America, getting me a lot closer to the front. Despite the challenges I will continue to face, like riding numerous new tracks this season, I know the results will come. Over the next few weeks before Barber, I am going to continue to train hard and prepare as much as I can. I also cannot thank my team and my sponsors enough for everything they do for me each race weekend. ” states Farris. The Meen Motorsports team will be heading next to the Triumph SuperBike Classic presented by America’s First Federal Credit Union at Barber Motorsports Park. Meen Motorsports would like to thank the following team sponsors for 2013, Yamaha, Graves Motorsports, South Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, San Jose Ear And Sinus, Hawaiian Ola, San Jose Yamaha, Yamaha Generators, Yamalube, Radiomedics, G Squared, Fit For Speed, DID, Mot Y Designs, Galfer, Vortex, Sharkskinz, Zero Gravity, Apex Mfg, Sportbike Track Time, Roclun Int’l (Lewis) and Jon Block Group Sports (Farris). Meen Motorsports is a professional motorcycle racing team established in 2012 formally known as GP Bike Parts Racing (2011). If interested in being a partner/sponsor of Meen Motorsports please contact [email protected]. For more about the team please visit, www.meenmotorsports.com. Become a Facebook Fan, search Meen Motorsports. Follow the team on Twitter and Vine @meenmotorsports, as well as on Instagram @meenmoto. More, from a press release issued by LeoVince USA: LeoVince USA Riders on the Podium at Road America Richmond, Calif. – June 5, 2013 – LeoVince USA sponsored riders were no strangers to the podium during round two of the AMA Pro Road Racing season, held May 31-June 2 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. LeoVince exhausts and carbon as well as the Dion Device was well represented in the results from the double-header weekend. Daytona SportBike Among the LeoVince USA riders, no one had more Road America success than Jake Gagne, who earned a first and a second in Daytona SportBike on board his RoadRace Factory Yamaha YZF-R6. Gagne’s win in race two marks his first victory on a dry track. His teammate JD Beach was on the podium, too, finishing third in race one and fourth in race two aboard their LeoVince USA exhaust and Dion Device equipped Yamahas. SuperBike Dion Device is a sponsor of Monster Energy Graves Yamaha, and Josh Hayes proved that he’s the king of Road America by winning both SuperBike races during the weekend. The second race win didn’t come easily: after a race-long battle, his Yamaha YZF-R1 crossed the finish line only 0.818-second ahead of second place. With the two victories, Hayes has now won the past five consecutive SuperBike races at Road America, setting a new series record. Josh Herrin gave Monster Energy Graves Yamaha and Dion Device even more to cheer about by finishing third in race two, coming back from a sixth-place finish in race one. Other notable SuperBike results for Dion Device riders included a fourth and a sixth for Larry Pegram on board his Pegram Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, 12th and ninth for Aaron Yates on his Team AMSOIL/Hero EBR 1190RS, and a pair of tenth-place finishes for Team RSRacecraft EBR II’s Cory West. Like Yates, West is one of the EBR 1190 RS pilots in the SuperBike series. Nico Ferreira, whose DMS Racing Kawasaki ZX-10 has LeoVince and Dion Device equipment, was 15th in both SuperBike races. SuperSport In SuperSport, Tomas Puerta was part of a three-way photo finish in race two. He brought home third on his RoadRace Factory Yamaha YZF-R6. The LeoVince and Dion Device rider, who was fourth in race one, is leading SuperSport West with 88 points. LeoVince’s Jeffery Tigert was also a podium finisher in SuperSport. He rode his CM Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 to third in race one, followed by fifth in race two. The SuperSport double-header also included five more top-ten finishes for LeoVince riders. Connor Blevins earned a pair of top-tens, taking tenth in race one and sixth in race two on his Ajax Kawasaki ZX-6R. David Sadowski, Jr. was fifth in race one on his Mach Modified Yamaha YZF-R6, while Sebastian Ferreira crossed the line in seventh on his BP Racing R6. In SuperSport race two, Hayden Gillim gave Team 95 an eighth-place finish on his R6. Gillim, Ferreira and Sadowski are also sponsored by Dion Device. The LeoVince and Dion Device riders will return to AMA Pro Road Racing action during round three at Barber Motorsports Park, June 21-23. For more information about sponsored teams and the LeoVince line of performance products, visit the LeoVince USA website at www.leovinceusa.com. To keep up with the latest product and racing news from LeoVince, be sure to like them on facebook at www.facebook.com/leovinceusa. More, from a press release issued by Saddlemen: Saddlemen Riders in the Winner’s Circle at Road America Rancho Dominguez, Calif. – June 5, 2013 – Round two of the AMA Pro Road Racing season yielded top results for Saddlemen-sponsored riders. The double-header weekend at Road America, held May 31-June 2, resulted in 11 top-ten finishes for Saddlemen, including 3 race wins and 6 podium appearances. Daytona SportBike Coming off a 4th place finish in the season-opening Daytona 200, RoadRace Factory’s Jake Gagne finished 2nd in race one on his Saddlemen-equipped Yamaha YZF-R6. He bettered his result in the second race after a back-and-forth battle out front. Gagne pressured his competitor into a mistake with just a few laps to go and took his first SportBike victory of the season, propelling him into the second spot in the DSB standings. Gagne’s RoadRace Factory teammate JD Beach also had a solid weekend, earning a pair of top-5 finishes. Beach made his first podium appearance of the season after a thrilling 3rd place finish in Saturday’s race, and followed it up with a solid 4th place finish on Sunday. Beach is in fourth in the class standings after the first few rounds of racing. D&D Cycles/Castrol/Triumph’s Bobby Fong brought home 6th in race one on his Triumph Daytona 675. James Rispoli was also a top-ten finisher, earning a pair of 7th place finishes on his National Guard/Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R600. Joey Pascarella and Kyle Wyman each earned a top-15 finish in Daytona SportBike on their Triumph Daytona 675s. Pascarella was 13th in race one on his Riders Discount Triumph, and Wyman finished 15th in race two. SuperSport National Guard/Celtic Racing’s Corey Alexander is off to a hot start on his Saddlemen-equipped Suzuki GSX-R600, landing in the winner’s circle twice at Road America. His two victories on his Saddlemen Performance Sport seat closed the gap in the SuperSport East championship to just six points behind the leader. Tomas Puerta, another RoadRace Factory rider, followed up a 4th place finish in race one with 3rd in race two. Following his podium at Road America, Puerta has a comfortable 32-point lead in the SuperSport West standings. Hayden Gillim was another top Saddlemen rider in SuperSport, finishing 8th in race two on the Team 95 Yamaha YZF-R6. National Guard/Celtic Racing newcomer Caroline Olsen finished 14th on Saturday but was injured in a multi-bike crash off the starting line in Sunday’s race. Olsen has undergone surgery to repair an injured shoulder and is expected to make a full recovery. Harley-Davidson Series In the Harley-Davidson Series, Saddlemen rider Cory Texter finished a lucky 13th on the MOB Racing Harley-Davidson XR1200. Texter has finished top-15 in both rounds this season. Saddlemen riders have a short break before heading south to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, for round three of the AMA Pro Road Racing season, June 21-23. More, from a press release issued by Galfer USA: Ten Podium Finishes for Galfer Riders at Road America Oxnard, Calif. – June 6, 2013 – Road America’s 4.05-mile circuit gave Galfer-sponsored riders plenty of opportunities to show off their stopping power during round two of the AMA Pro Road Racing season, held May 31-June 2. Galfer riders earned a total of ten podium finishes during the double-header weekend. SuperSport The SuperSport class was truly a Galfer showcase as sponsored riders Corey Alexander and Stefano Mesa finished 1-2 in both races. Alexander was riding his National Guard/Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 and Mesa was on his Triple Crown/RMR Yamaha YZF-R6. Currently, Mesa is leading Supersport East points with a six-point margin over Alexander. Tomas Puerta ensured a Galfer podium sweep in the second SuperSport race, finishing third on his RoadRace Factory R6. That strong finish combined with a fourth in race one allowed Puerta to remain in the SuperSport West points lead. SuperBike KTM/HMC Racing represents Galfer in SuperBike, and Chris Fillmore finished ninth in race one on his KTM RC8R. He followed that up with eighth in race two, bringing home two top-tens in the competitive class. Fillmore’s teammate, Taylor Knapp, got off to a good start on Saturday but mechanical issues forced him to drop out of both races.s Daytona SportBike Daytona SportBike was another Galfer win thanks to Jake Gagne, who was victorious in race two on his RoadRace Factory Yamaha YZF-R6. Gagne also finished second in race one. RoadRace Factory’s JD Beach earned a third and a fourth in Daytona SportBike. The young talent now has three top-fives in just three races. Beach’s podium finish in race one was well earned. He and Galfer rider Jake Lewis battled for the entire race, and Lewis eventually had to settle for fourth on his Meen Motorsports Racing R6. In race two, though, the tables were turned and Lewis took third over Beach. The race was so close that Lewis got on the podium with an incredibly narrow 0.008-second lead at the finish line. Other notable Galfer riders in the Daytona SportBike class include National Guard/Celtic Racing’s James Rispoli, who finished seventh in both races on board his Suzuki GSX-R600. Dane Westby rode his GEICO Honda CBR600RR to eighth and sixth, while Bobby Fong had a best finish of sixth in race one on the Triple Crown/RMR Triumph Daytona 675. Harley-Davidson Series Triple Crown/RMR is also a major force in the Harley-Davidson Series, and Michael Barnes put his Harley-Davidson XR1200 on the podium with a third-place finish. He missed out on second place by the narrowest of margins – just 0.001-second – after a hard-fought race. Galfer’s AMA Pro Road Racing riders will put their brakes to the test at the tight and technical Barber Motorsports Park during round three, June 21-23. To learn more about Galfer performance brakes for racing, street and off-road applications, visit