Historic win for BMW duo Päivärinta/Kainulainen in the Sidecar World Championship – BMW racer Jordan Szoke remains unbeaten in Canada.

Pekka Päivärinta and Kirsi Kainulainen were victorious at the Pannonia-Ring and took the overall lead in the SWC – Jordan Szoke celebrated another double win in the Canadian Superbike Championship – The BMW S 1000 RR also keeps a clear championship lead in the Superstock class of the British Superbike Championship.

Munich (DE), 29th June 2016. With their victory in the FIM Sidecar World Championship (SWC), Finnish BMW duo Pekka Päivärinta and Kirsi Kainulainen wrote history: Kainulainen is the first women ever to take a win in a world championship road race. In Canada, reigning champion Jordan Szoke (CA) remains unbeaten. The BMW S 1000 RR rider also won both races of the Canadian Superbike Championship (CSBK) in St. Eustache (CA). Fellow BMW racer Ben Young (GB) joined him on the podium on both occasions. In the Superstock class of the British Superbike Championship (BSB STK) three BMW riders crossed the line in the top four, and Taylor MacKenzie (GB) continues to lead the championship with a clear advantage.

2016 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.

The last weekend again brought a lot of movement in the top six of the 2016 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. The classification is still led by Michal Prášek (CZ / AARR STK) with 262.00 Race Trophy points. Isle of Man winner Ian Hutchinson (GB / BMW RRC) holds second with 198.50 points. New in third place are the Finnish sidecar racers Pekka Päivärinta and Kirsi Kainulainen with 189.19 points. Courtesy of a win and a second place at the Pannonia-Ring (HU), they made an impressive jump from 21st place into the top three. Raffaele De Rosa (IT / STK1000) follows in fourth, Taylor MacKenzie (GB / BSB STK) improved to fifth and Jordan Szoke (CA / CSBK) climbed from 42nd up to sixth position (see full standings below).

FIM Sidecar World Championship at the Pannonia-Ring, Hungary.

The fans at the Hungarian Pannonia-Ring witnessed an historic moment last weekend. At the third round of the 2016 FIM Sidecar World Championship (SWC), Finnish BMW duo Pekka Päivärinta and Kirsi Kainulainen (44-Racing) celebrated victory in Saturday’s sprint race. This was a special success, as Kainulainen was the first woman ever to take a win in a world championship road race. In Sunday’s gold race, the BMW duo finished second on the podium. With their results from the Hungarian weekend, they took the overall lead in the world championship classification with 101 points and an advantage of 18 points over their closest rival. In the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy, the “Flying Finns” improved from 21st to third place.

The German pairing of Mike Roscher and Anna Burkard (Roscher-Burkard Penz13 Racing) finished the two races in a strong fourth and sixth. The Pannonia-Ring was the halfway mark of the 2016 season, with now three race weekends being completed and three more to go. After a summer break, the action will resume in Assen (NL) in early August.

British Superbike Championship in Knockhill, Great Britain.

Knockhill (GB) in Scotland hosted the fourth round of the 2016 British Superbike Championship (BSB) last weekend. The BMW teams and the BMW Motorrad Motorsport experts had to deal with tricky conditions, especially in Sunday’s second Superbike race, when it was raining and many riders struggled with vision problems as their helmets were misting up.

Best placed BMW racer in the Superbike class (BSB SBK) was Richard Cooper (GB / Buildbase BMW Motorrad), who finished the races in sixth and seventh. Michael Laverty (GB / Tyco BMW Motorrad Racing) was eighth in the first encounter, but had to settle with 13th in the wet second race. Top ten results were also claimed by Howie Mainwaring Smart (GB / Smiths Racing BMW) and Christian Iddon (GB / Tyco BMW Motorrad Racing) who were ninth and tenth respectively in race two.

In the Superstock class (BSB STK), three BMW riders crossed the line in the first four places. Taylor MacKenzie (GB / Buildbase BMW Motorrad) took the win. He, however, was given a three place penalty afterwards for overtaking under yellow flags and an unsafe manoeuvre, so was classified fourth. Second place on the podium went to Ian Hutchinson (GB / Tyco BMW Motorrad Racing) who once more proved that he is strong on the BMW S 1000 RR in road racing as well as on circuits. Michael Rutter (GB / Bathams SMT) took third place in the final result. Three more BMW riders finished the race in the top ten: Barry Teasdale (GB / Green Chem / Bob Henderson Racing) was sixth, Joshua Elliott (GB / Tyco BMW Motorrad Racing) seventh and Leon Jeacock (GB / Geo E Davies Racing) came home in tenth. In the championship standings, MacKenzie remains in the lead with 108 points and an advantage of 35 points.

Canadian Superbike Championship in St. Eustache, Canada.

Canadian BMW racer Jordan Szoke (CA) continues his impressive winning streak in the Canadian Superbike Championship (CSBK). After winning the opening race of the 2016 season in Shannonville (CA), the Mopar Express Lane BMW Superbike Team rider also celebrated the victories in the second and the third races of the year, held at St. Eustache (CA) last weekend. Including last season, when he had a clean sweep with seven wins in seven races, Szoke has now won ten races in a row on his BMW S 1000 RR. In the championship standings, he extended his lead to 162 points with an advantage of 33 points. With his latest double win, Szoke also improved from 42nd to sixth place in the 2016 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.

There was more reason to celebrate for the BWM Motorrad Motorsport community in St. Eustache, as Ben Young (GB / Ben Young Racing) also raced onto the podium on his BMW S 1000 RR in both heats, finishing third on both occasions. The strong result for the BMW riders was completed by Michael Leon (CA / Royal Distributing Racing Team), who was fifth in both races, and Samuel Trépanier (CA), who claimed two eighth places.

MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Racing Championship in Sugo, Japan.

The MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Racing Championship (MFJ) visited Sugo (JP) last weekend to contest the “Sugo 120 Miles” endurance race. The teams could compete with either one or two riders on their bikes. Daisaku Sakai (JP / Rosetta Motorrad39) was the best-placed BMW racer in the strong field that included factory teams from the Japanese manufacturers. He was 11th on his BMW S 1000 RR. Team Tras 135HP rider Yuta Kodama (JP) shared duties on the number 135 RR with the current leader of the Superbike IDM (IDM), Mathieu Gines (FR), who made a guest appearance in Japan. The duo ended the race in 13th position. Shinya Takeishi and Gun Nakamoto (both JP / SYNCEDGE 4413 Racing) were 16th and the Rosetta Motorrad39 KOREA team came home 18th with riders Lim Ho Gon (KR) and Tomoya Hoshino (JP).

MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series in Salt Lake City, USA.

The seventh round of the 2016 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series (AMA) was held at Salt Lake City (US) last weekend. BMW rider Steve Rapp (US / Scheibe Racing) finished the two races in 16th and 15th.

2016 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.

Status: 29th June 2016

16. Jordi Torres (ES/WorldSBK/133.60), 17. Kenny Foray (FR/FSBK/129.54), 18. Martin Choy (BG/AARR SBK/123.60), 19. Joshua Elliott (GB/BSB STK/118.36), 20. Sébastien Le Grelle (BE/IRRC/117.09), 21. Lance Isaacs (ZA/RSA SBK/116.57), 22. Michael Rutter (GB/BMW RRC/112.60), 23. Didier Grams (DE/IRRC/109.00), 24. Mathieu Gines (FR/IDM SBK/104.73), 25. Santiago Barragán (ES/CEV/99.49), 26. Ben Young (GB/CSBK/97.50), 27. Marco Nekvasil (AT/IDM STK/94.00), 28. Michel Amalric (FR/FR EU/93.85), 29. Martin Tritscher (AT/AARR STK/90.00), 30. Hudson Kennaugh (ZA/BSB STK/88.00), 31. Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FR/FR EU/87.96), 32. Christian Iddon (GB/BSB SBK/87.20), 33. Richard Cooper (GB/BSB SBK/86.49), 34. Miloš Cihak (CZ/AARR SBK/85.20), 35. Mike Roscher/Anna Burkard (DE/SWC/84.30), 36. Hernani Teixeira (FR/FR EU/81.54), 37. Markus Reiterberger (DE/WorldSBK/80.00), 38. Michael Leon (CA/CSBK/77.25), 39. Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FR/FR EU/72.92), 40. Michael Laverty (GB/BSB SBK/72.00), 41. Lee Johnston (GB/BMW RRC/71.00), 42. Jan Bühn (DE/IDM STK/69.54), 43. Luca Vitali (IT/STK1000/69.25), 44. Joshua Brookes (AU/WorldSBK/68.80), 45. Steve Rapp (US/AMA SBK/64.53), 46. Bertrand Boyer (FR/FR EU/64.00), 47. Madjid Idres (FR/FR EU/56.92), 48. Camille Hedelin (FR/EWC SBK/54.53), 48. Clive Rambure (FR/EWC SBK/54.53), 50. Marek Hartl (CZ/AARR STK/54.40), 51. David Bouvier (FR/FR EU/52.96), 52. Alastair Seeley (GB/BMW RRC/51.90), 53. Pepijn Bijsterbosch (NL/IDM STK/50.00), 54. Daisaku Sakai (JP/MFJ/49.67), 55. Jeremy Cook (US/AMA STK/49.33), 56. Julien Brun (FR/FR EU/45.08), 57. Karel Abraham (CZ/WorldSBK/44.10), 58. Petr Bicište (CZ/IRRC/43.64), 59. Garrick Vlok (ZA/RSA SBK/42.57), 60. Nasarudin Mat Yusop (MY/MSC STK/41.20), 60. Denni Schiavoni (IT/CIV/41.20), 62. Matteo Ferrari (IT/CIV/38.00), 63. Lee Jackson (GB/BSB SBK/36.80), 64. Sam West (GB/BMW RRC/34.20), 65. Yuta Kodama (JP/MFJ/33.67), 66. David Datzer (DE/IRRC/32.73), 67. Leon Jeacock (GB/BSB STK/32.00), 68. Colin Butler (CA/MSC SBK/32.00), 68. Manu Dagault (FR/FR EU/32.00), 70. Ronald Slamet (ZA/RSA SBK/31.14), 71. Davo Johnson (AU/BMW RRC/29.80), 72. Nicolas Senechal (FR/EWC SBK/29.77), 73. Alex Olsen (GB/BSB STK/29.09), 74. Eric Vionnet (CH/STK1000/28.75), 75. Rob McNealy (GB/BSB STK/27.64), 76. Rene Skalicky (CZ/AARR STK/26.60), 77. Roberto Blazquez (ES/CEV/26.40), 78. Michal Bidas (CZ/AARR STK/26.00), 79. Dominique Platet (FR/EWC SBK/24.77), 80. Ricky Lee Weare (ZA/RSA SBK/23.43), 81. Lim Ho Gon (KR/MFJ/23.00), 81. Shinya Takeishi (JP/MFJ/23.00), 83. Michal Šembera (CZ/AARR SBK/22.00), 84. Chrissy Rouse (GB/BSB STK/20.18), 85. Maxime Bonnot (FR/FSBK SBK/20.00), 86. Adrián Bonastre (ES/CEV/19.00), 87. Justin Gillesen (ZA/RSA SBK/18.86), 88. Michal Fojtik (CZ/AARR STK/18.40), 89. Marc Neumann (DE/IDM STK/18.31), 90. Barry Teasdale (GB/BSB STK/17.45), 91. Gauthier Duwelz (BE/STK1000/17.25), 92. Janez Prosenik (SI/EWC SBK/15.65), 93. Etienne Nelson (ZA/RSA SBK/15.43), 94. Howie Mainwaring Smart (GB/BSB SBK/15.20), 95. Dominic Herbertson (GB/BMW RRC/13.80), 96. Léon Benichou (FR/FR EU/13.54), 97. Evert Stoffberg (ZA/RSA SBK/13.14), 98. Pedro Rodriguez (ES/CEV/12.60), 99. Matthieu Lussiana (FR/WorldSBK/12.20), 100. Dominic Chang (SG/MSC STK/11.20), 101. Björn Stuppi (DE/IDM STK/9.54), 102. Sabine Holbrook (DE/AARR SBK/7.60), 103. Federico D’Annunzio (IT/STK1000/7.50), 104. Pierre Bezuidenhout (ZA/RSA SBK/6.57), 105. Thomas Toffel (CH/STK1000/5.75), 106. Pascal Meslet (FR/FR EU/4.92), 107. Valter Patronen (FI/CEV/4.80), 108. Matej Smrz (BSB SBK/ 4.60), 109. John Krieger (ZA/RSA SBK/4.57), 110. Jakub Smrz (CZ/BSB SBK/4.00), 111. Heinrich Rheeder (ZA/RSA SBK/3.29), 112. Michal Filla (CZ/IDM STK/2.31), 113. Derek McGee (IE/BMW RRC/1.60), 114. Eric Dagault (FR/FR EU/1.23), 115. Elwyn Steenkamp (ZA/RSA SBK/1.14), 116. Daniel Cooper (GB/BMW RRC/0.00), 116. Christophe Costes (FR/FR EU/0.00), 116. Stefan Dolipski (DE/AMA STK/0.00), 116. Ryan Farquhar (GB/BMW RRC/0.00), 116. Ben Godfrey (GB/BSB STK/0.00), 116. Marcel Irnie (CA/CSBK/0.00), 116. Ales Nechvatal (CZ/IRRC/0.00), 116. Joan Sardanyons (ES/CEV/0.00), 116. Tomas Svitok (SK/AARR STK/0.00), 116. Jacques van Wyngaardt (ZA/RSASBK/0.00)

More, from a press release issued by Ben Young Racing:

Young Earns First National CSBK Superbike Podium

ST-EUSTACHE, Quebec – Pro MOPAR Canadian Superbike Championship (CSBK) racer Ben Young of Collingwood, ON, aboard his Tim Hortons / Scot-Build BMW S1000RR earned not only his first national CSBK podium last Saturday he repeated the result in spectacular style on Sunday.

In the opening day of practice on Friday for the second round of the 2016 National CSBK tour at Autodrome St-Eustache, Quebec Young was fifth fastest in his first-ever journey to St-Eustache. To get accustomed to the track he turned numerous laps to learn potential lines and get the most out of his set up before qualifying.

“We got roughly thirty-eight laps in on the same soft Dunlop slick tire option so that was a real positive to build on. This will be a demanding race as the heat will play a big factor all weekend.” said Young

Young was hungry to achieve first Dalton Timmis Insurance Top Qualifier Award. During Saturday’s SuperPole qualifying the class rookie set a time of 46.043 aboard his Tim Hortons / Scot-Build BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR, the third fastest of the session. Pro Superbike Qualifying Results (Top 3 Best Times) – Jordan Szoke 45.122, Kevin Lacombe 46.006, Ben Young 46.043.

Starting from third on the grid in the first of the two feature races of the weekend, Young felt his #86 BMW S1000RR was more than capable to battle upfront for the win.

Young got a solid start off the line in third with Kenny Riedmann leading Jordan Szoke into the first turns. Series veteran Kevin Lacombe would soon join the fray but eventually Szoke, Riedmann and Young stretched out a few bike lengths from Lacombe and were now setting an impressive pace.

On the fourth lap Alex Coelho crashed bringing out the red flag. Fans and riders alike were happy to hear Coelho was released by the medical staff and was not seriously hurt in the incident. Debris on the racetrack needed to be cleaned up so the riders were sequestered to their respective pit boxes trying to find relief in the peak heat of the day.

After a quick warm-up lap the riders took to the grid for the restart. This time Lacombe matched Young’s launch off the line but Young would soon pass him to retake third. Young then set his sights on the current number one plate holder Szoke however he had his sights set on Riedmann who Szoke would eventually pass to take the lead. Szoke would stretch out his lead leaving Riedmann in a heated battle with Young for second place. After multiple attempts by Young to pass Riedmann for second the highly entertaining Pro Superbike race would see Szoke take the win, followed by Riedmann with Young earning his first-ever Superbike podium with a third place finish. Young’s finish moved him up to third in the Pro Superbike standings with 72 points. Pro Superbike Race 1 Results (Top 3 Best Times) – Jordan Szoke 45.791, Kenny Riedmann 46.150, Ben Young 45.962

“It’s tight to pass here so when I got caught up behind a lapper through turns one, two and three I lost the chance to stay with Jordan.” said Young. “What I learned today I can apply to tomorrow’s race.”

The 23 year old Scottish-Canadian has always shown a knack for adapting to new tracks fairly quickly. Young’s results at St-Eustache’s 1.93km (1.2-mile) 10-turn circuit seemed to illustrate this gift once more.

Sunday’s weather reflected the previous day’s; sunny and very hot but this didn’t deter the fans from coming out for a great day of road racing.

Once again Young would start from the front row in Sunday’s feature race. The CSBK newcomer exploded off the line in possibly what was one of his best starts in his diverse road racing career. Getting the holeshot he led Kevin Lacombe, Riedmann and Szoke into corner one and for three laps held them at bay. Riedmann moved up to second on the second lap and then took over the lead on lap four. Szoke worked his way up into second spot after six laps. He made his move for the lead at the end of the backstraight under heaving braking shuffling Young back to third place. Intermittent handling issues developed as the race wore on but the Collingwood, Ont. racer managed to secure his second straight podium finish of the weekend.

“I had an absolute blast leading my first Superbike race in front of a passionate crowd of race fans – I really don’t know what I did different at the start this time around.” said Young “As the race went on I couldn’t get the grip I wanted. My BMW S1000RR was brilliant all weekend so I think it was just the heat of the day that periodically affected its handling.”

Young’s second third place podium finish moved him up to 109 points – third overall in the Pro Superbike standings. Pro Superbike Race 2 Results (Top 3 Best Times) – Jordan Szoke 45.333, Kenny Riedmann 45.782, Ben Young 45.851.

The Tim Hortons / Scot-Build BMW S1000RR pilot continues to lead the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year standings after this past weekend’s round at Autodrome St-Eustache. The BCR Rookie of the Year Award is open to racers in their first year of competition in the MOPAR Pro Superbike class. They cannot have competed in more than four Pro Superbike races the previous season.

Both of this weekend’s Superbike feature races will be shown on TSN1, presented by Dalton Timmis Insurance. Saturday’s race is due to premiere on July 11 at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday’s round slated for an August 2, 7:30 p.m. premiere. Check www.csbk.ca or local listings for any changes as well as rebroadcast dates and times.

The MOPAR Canadian Superbike Championship continues with a doubleheader weekend at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, N.S. July 15-17. Information for the upcoming round is available online at www.atlanticmotorsportpark.com or www.atlanticmotorsportpark.com or by calling Pro Cycle at (902) 468-2518.

Young’s partners for his 2016 CSBK season include; Tim Hortons (Sudbury), Scot-build Developments, BMW Motorrad Canada, AXO Racing, Arai Helmets, Hindle Exhaust, KarmaComa Studio, Woodcraft, Human 2.0, Core Power high protein milkshakes, K-Tech Suspension, Epic Racewear, Vortex Racing and K&N Filters.

He is also a proud “Laps for Muscular Dystrophy” (Laps4MD) rider who’s pledged to donate $1 for every lap he leads this season. These donations go to Muscular Dystrophy Canada to help make a difference in the lives of over 50,000 Canadians affected by a neuromuscular disorder.

To keep up-to-date on Ben Young throughout the year visit; www.BenYoungRacing.com, www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing and on Twitter and Instagram: @benyoung_86.

More, from a press release issued by James Rispoli’s publicist:

Rispoli gains valuable experience in tricky conditions at Knockhill

American James Rispoli returned to the fourth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship determined to finish two solid races at Knockhill last weekend and the young rookie did just that, finishing both races in Scotland.

On his return from injury after the previous round at Brands Hatch, Rispoli was continuing to improve his pace throughout the weekend, slashing 0.7s off between the opening free practice session and qualifying in the dry conditions.

In the races, Rispoli was still lacking the perfect set-up on the tight sub-minute race circuit, but the young Floridian continued to use the races as a valuable learning experience to finish 23rd. With ever-changing weather, race two took place in very wet conditions. The team made some dramatic set-up modifications and again the Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha rider overcame the challenge to narrowly miss out on a points scoring finish in 17th position.

Rispoli said: “It was another difficult weekend for us at Knockhill. With it being another small and twisty track we went into it with some realistic goals, knowing we wanted to finish the two races and get some of the confidence back that we lost at Brands Hatch. We struggled most of the weekend in the dry, but we still make some decent progress developing the set up with the Yamaha. There are some things that hampered us from moving forward and getting the most amount of track time we needed, but we did the best job we could at that moment.

“We had some good conversations within the team and we know what we need to look at to move forward and to gain that extra bit of confidence like we had at Silverstone. Behind the scenes they are pushing to make additional progress on motor and chassis set up before the next round and that should give us a good direction. We still need to build on some areas that will then bring the results we know we can have – we just need to put it all together.

“Towards the end of the weekend in the wet conditions we did find something that helped us with different areas. We didn’t have an amazing result, but it wasn’t bad as we finished the races in very challenging conditions which would have been easy to get caught out like some of the other guys. We have some good tracks coming up next that we know the Yamaha should be better suited at this time in development like Snetterton, Thruxton and Brands Hatch and I can’t wait.”

For more information please visit www.jamesrispoli.com

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia HSBK Racing:

Aprilia HSBK Racing – MotoAmerica Round 7 Utah Motorsports Campus

Houston, TX – Round Seven of MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 took place at Utah Motorsports Campus last weekend.

The Utah round started a day earlier than usual, with both races scheduled for Saturday. Despite a monstrous high-side the previous round, rider Claudio Corti and the HSBK Racing team got off to a promising start, consistently in the top 10 of the three practices, with a time that finished 9^th overall, pushing the team straight into Superpole 2. Superpole 2 allowed for some quality lap times aboard the Aprilia RSV4 RF, which ended qualifying eighth overall, and third among the Superstock 1000 class.

Starting Race 1, Corti was able to find the front, but after several laps battling, the tire found a way to slip along the wheel, causing added chatter that ultimately led to less consistent pace, falling back to fifth in class, position 10 overall.

Unlike the other rounds, Saturday also held Race 2 in Utah. The team went to work addressing the tire issue, giving Corti better feel than in Race 1. Similar to the first race however, after several laps Corti began to experience inconsistency, this time in the brakes. With an increase of brake fade, it was difficult to charge among the leading riders. As the laps continued, pushing added difficultly and danger, and with just two laps to go the front brake lost all power, leaving Corti few options but to coast through the finish line 14^th overall, and an unfortunate 7^th place among Superstock 1000.

The team leave Utah all the more determined to push on and challenge the championship title as the penultimate round at Laguna Seca approaches July 8-10.

HSBK Racing would like to thank Piaggio North America, Aprilia Racing, Houston Superbikes, Bel-Ray, K-Tech Suspension, Pilot Motorsports, Motion Pro, Portable Shade, EVOL Technology, Galfer USA, Ferodo Brake Pads, Capit, GB Racing, Full Spectrum, Sunstar, Zero Gravity, DNA Air Filters, RaceSeats, Samco Sport, DB Holders, BikesPlast, Austin Racing, Fast Frank Racing, Cox Racing, Sidi, Nolan Helmets, Andrew Swenson Design, and Drippin Wet.

Aprilia HSBK Racing

Aprilia USA has officially partnered with HSBK Racing to lead the MotoAmerica program and to provide racing development services for privateers competing on Aprilia RSV4 machines. For more information on the team, updates after testing sessions, sponsor spotlights and race recaps, follow HSBK Racing on Facebook.

Houston Superbikes

Established in 2005, Houston Superbikes caters to motorcycle enthusiasts with its diverse line of high performance bikes, parts and apparel. Houston Superbikes is proud to offer their own line of carbon fiber and billet accessories for racing and street applications. Offering dyno tuning, engine building services and suspension setup, they are an industry leader in building race machines. For more information regarding Houston Superbikes, or to find out what they can do for you, please visit www.houstonsuperbikes.com

More, from another press release issued by Aprilia HSBK Racing:

Davey Durelle and Aprilia HSBK Racing Conquer Lightweight Class in 100th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Houston, TX (June 29, 2016) The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb hosted its 100th competition last weekend in Colorado, and it was on the historic mountain that racer, and local Colorado legend, Davey Durelle came out of retirement to mount another class victory aboard an Aprilia.

Having raced and remained victorious each year from 2001 through 2011, Durelle teamed up with Heil Construction Management, Inc. and Aprilia HSBK Racing to have another go for the milestone 100th event, this time piloting a 2009 Aprilia SXV 450 in the lightweight motorcycle division.

Durelle immediately felt comfortable on the motorcycle and mountain, both of which he has become very familiar with over the years, charging the qualifying sections with a time of 04:32:667, placing him 5th among all classes. As race day approached, the conditions became less and less predictable with a dusting of snow the night before that left the track with several difficult sections, both due to water and temperature fluctuation. Despite the tricky mountain terrain, Durelle powered himself to his 16th victory at Pikes Peak, with a time of 10:55:288. On board footage of the run, can be seen at 

Bobby Shek quoted “The project was a dream of a good customer and friend, Kevin Heil. With a MotoAmerica race weekend being the same week I knew it would require a strong team. So we pulled together some of the top names in the industry and Davey did the rest. This would not have been possible without the help of veteran AMA Tuner and Crew Chief James Compton and California engine builder Amari Nunez.”

HSBK Racing would like to thank Construction Management, Inc, Piaggio North America, Houston Superbikes, James Compton, Amari Nunez, Bel-Ray, Pilot Motorsports, Motion Pro, Portable Shade, Galfer USA, Ferodo Brake Pads, Capit, GB Racing, Full Spectrum, Sunstar, DNA Air Filters, RaceSeats, Samco Sport, BikesPlast, Austin Racing, Fast Frank Racing, and Cox Racing.

Aprilia HSBK Racing

Aprilia USA has officially partnered with HSBK Racing to lead the MotoAmerica program and to provide racing development services for privateers competing on Aprilia RSV4 machines. For more information on the team, updates after testing sessions, sponsor spotlights and race recaps, follow HSBK Racing on Facebook.

Houston Superbikes

Established in 2005, Houston Superbikes caters to motorcycle enthusiasts with its diverse line of high performance bikes, parts and apparel. Houston Superbikes is proud to offer their own line of carbon fiber and billet accessories for racing and street applications. Offering dyno tuning, engine building services and suspension setup, they are an industry leader in building race machines. For more information regarding Houston Superbikes, or to find out what they can do for you, please visit www.houstonsuperbikes.com

More, from a press release issued by John Cameron on behalf of Team Johnny Killmore:

Location: Pikes Peak, Colorado

Event: Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

TEAM JOHNNY KILLMORE SETS SIDECAR RECORD AT 100th RUNNING OF PIKES PEAK HILL CLIMB

Pilot John Wood and co-pilot Matt Blank took the win and eked out enough speed to take the record for the sidecar class last week at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Wet conditions during the beginning of the race saw most motorcycle classes produce winning times well off their respective class records, but with sidecars running near midday most of the course had dried by the sun. This allowed the California duo to post an official time of 11:26.664 time, just 0.343 seconds inside the previous record.

Despite Matt Blank being a Pikes Peak rookie and only having five races under his belt prior the event, the Costa Mesa, California resident was mistake free, using his experience as a wingsuit pilot & base jumper to overcome the effects of high altitude. Six-time Pikes Peak veteran John Wood cited several missed gearshifts but stated the run was primarily trouble-free.

Wood said of his run: “the road was dry and although there was less grip than in practice it was consistent the whole way up. We missed several shifts but when I caught a false-neutral in the W’s [a section of hairpins about 3/4 up the course] was the only time I was worried. We also nearly hit a pair of marmots in one of the sweepers above Devil’s Playground but fortunately my line only needed a little adjustment to miss them. There isn’t much room for line changes up there.”

Defending record holders Subculture Racing (Wade Boyd/Christine Blunk) were in attendance but beset with mechanical problems related to their drive chain. On Friday’s qualifying/practice session they spun on an oil-covered section that was not marked and went backwards into a ditch. Although Boyd was trapped under the machine for several minutes before help arrived, he was able to start the race on Sunday, though noticeably limping. Blunk injured her wrist but was able to make the start, only to have the drive chain finally jump off the sprocket about 1/4 into their run.

That left last years winner, Rising Sun Racing (Masahito Wantanabe/Masahiro Ozeki), to challenge for the win. However, after missing almost the entire week’s practice due to engine problems, they had to race based on memory, still managing a respectable 2nd place. They also managed to just snatch pole position during Friday’s qualifying by a few hundredths of a second on only their second run of the week. Despite losing the bottom end of their engine on day one, French team Les Marluches (Bruno Marlin/Philippe Szendroi) took 3rd with their Benelli-Choda street-based sidecar.

For more information about Team Johnny Killmore and their racing schedule please visit www.johnnykillmore.com and click on the “motorsport” tab.