Montreal, Quebec. June 12, 2013
5th at CSBK Rd1 for Leon and the MV Agusta F3.
The MV Agusta F3 made its National Sportbike debut at Shannonville, with a 5th place finish by Royal Distributing rider Michael Leon at the first event of the 2013 CSBK series, June 9th.
Brad Clarke of Compulsion Racing took over crew chief duties for Michael’s regular tuner Carlos Carrascosa, who was on diaper duty helping to care for his new son. Carlos’ wife Sonia, gave birth to Eladio J. Louis Carrascosa on May 25. The whole Leon Racing team congratulates Carlos and Sonia on their new bundle of joy!
Unfortunately, the whole paddock, including the Royal Distributing team, lost out on valuable setup time due to rain during Thursday’s trackday and Friday’s official practice. Riding in Saturday morning practice, Michael discovered that the changes made to the Elka rear shock made by John Sharrard of Accelerated Technologies were a big improvement. As well, increasing the oil level in the Andreani cartridge kit equipped front fork helped prevent bottoming under heavy braking. Michael qualified 5th, on the second row.
After a botched start, Michael ran a lonely race in 5th place in Sunday’s Sportbike final. His best time was about 2-1/2 seconds slower than the best of those of who battled for the win and about a second short of the those who battled for 3rd. The first goal of the weekend for the team was to continually improve the setup and build confidence for the rest of the season. In that respect, it was a success.
Michael Leon, Royal Distributing Team Rider: “We went faster in every session and continued to improve the bike. I’m happy about that. Our stock motor is on par with the other ‘built’ bikes in the field and the chassis has no apparent weaknesses. I didn’t really perform at my best on Sunday. I was so focused on getting the bike up to speed and having a safe first National Race that when I was on the grid, I wasn’t really ready to race at 100%, and on the limit. I definitely could have been more aggressive during the first 2 laps but, realistically, I don’t think I could have comfortably ran the pace to fight for the podium. As I posted on my Facebook page, there is nothing better to motivate you for the next race than getting your ass kicked. I can’t wait for the next race! I’d like to give a big thank you to Brad for all his efforts this weekend!”
The next event for the team is the SOAR Rd2 regional at Grand Bend this weekend, followed by the CSBK Rd2 to be held at Autodrome St-Eustache on July 7.
Follow the team on Facebook by liking www.facebook.com/leonracing74 , www.facebook.com/leonracing74 and www.facebook.com/leonracing74 .
The Royal Distributing Racing Team would like to thank Royal Distributing, MV Agusta Canada, Motovan, Accelerated Technologies, Elka Suspension, Andreani Group, Speed & Strength, Joe Rocket Canada, Hindle Exhaust, Rev-Amp Electrical Supply, Clinique Dr. Laflamme et Dr. Leblanc and MacDuc.
More, from a press release issued by Gavin Elstad’s publicist:
Another great weekend at Road Atlanta for, 15-year-old, Gavin “Elbow Smoke” Elstad. It’s a steep learning curve riding a 600cc motorcycle. It’s even steeper when you race against people like Jimmy Merck, Tucker Lancaster and Nick McFadden, to name a few. Gavin doesn’t let that phase him though and again rose to the occasion. From Thursday to Sunday his lap times improved by 7 seconds. He started with a 1:39.1. By the end of the weekend he was able to turn mid 1:32’s.
In the premier 600cc race, prior to exiting the track prematurely at turn 12, he turned a 1:32.719. That was the fourth fastest lap of the race. In the 750cc race all the big players were there again. Gavin and, last year’s champion, Nick McFadden battled the entire race for the final podium spot. Gavin finished fourth by a wheel. In the end it was an outstanding weekend that wouldn’t have been possible without the help from KWS Motorsports, Pirelli tires, Vortex, HKYO.net and PAPA E. A special thanks to Scorpion Helmets, Impact Safety Armor and Ballistik Motorcycle Apparel.
When Gavin crashed this weekend he didn’t have a scratch on him. He was able to rejoin and finish the race. Big thanks to Tim Hunt at Apex Race Services, Vinnie DeVita at Pro-Line Race Preparation and Lenny at Öhlins Suspension for their expert tips and all of their help.