BIRCHALL BROTHERS HUNGARORING Following their success at the 2012 Isle of Man TT races Mansfield brothers Ben and Tom Birchall headed directly to Hungary for round two of the FIM World Sidecar championship at Hungaroring on Sunday where they just missed out on a podium finish in the 17 lap race. The brothers spent time during free practice learning their way around the unfamiliar circuit as they had never raced at Hungaroring before. Despite the hot and overcast conditions the Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers recorded the third fastest time in the first of two qualifying sessions on Saturday. But they stepped up the pace for final qualifying and took pole position ahead of current world champions Pekka Paivarinta and Adolf Hanni. The race was scheduled to run over 18 laps but after just two laps the red flag brought the race to a halt because of rain. After a lengthy delay the riders took their positions for a restart to be run as a new race over the shortened distance of 17 laps. As the lights went out the Birchall brothers slotted into second place but were relegated down to fourth on lap four. There followed a monumental dispute for position with the top two outfits of Paivarinta/Hanni and Steinhausen/Cluze pulling away to take part in their own battle, leaving Ben and Tom to tussle with Reeves/Hawes for the remaining podium position. By lap 13 Ben and Tom had established third place which they maintained until the last corner of the final lap when Reeves managed to force a pass and snatch third place at the chequered flag. Ben and Tom were fourth, just 0.4s behind their rivals to pick up a further 13 championship points bringing their total to 33 and placing them third in the overall rider standings. Ben said: “After heading directly to Hungary from a hectic two weeks in the Isle of Man we were a bit drained but we soon recovered and set about learning the unfamiliar track layout, getting up to speed to take pole position in qualifying. We are gutted to have missed out on the podium finish but we are still in touch with the series leaders and will be seeking two top results from the next round at Rijeka in Croatia at the weekend (June 17).” Ben and Tom will benefit from two races in Croatia; free practice takes place on Friday with two qualifying sessions on Saturday morning to determine the grid for the 10-lap sprint race later in the day. The 18-lap gold race is on Sunday At 12.45pm. (11.45am BST). More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Kawasaki Dominates the Isle of Man Lightweight TT Irvine, Calif. At the prestigious week long Isle of Man TT fueled by Monster Energy, Kawasaki culminated the week by dominating the Lightweight race. KMR Kawasaki’s Ryan Farquhar went on to win by close to 30 seconds over a field almost entirely made up of the Kawasaki ER™-6n. Bournemouth Kawasaki’s James Hillier led briefly, but could not match the pace of Farquhar. Taking third place was KMR Kawasaki’s Michael Rutter completing the Kawasaki podium sweep. Kawasaki’s dominance carried down to include the top eight. No Competition A tradition that started more than 100 years ago, the Tourist Trophy (TT) race was all about riders competing on stock production bikes. Today the Lightweight class hasn’t strayed from that tradition and the top riders choose Kawasaki because they know the performance of the bike right from the dealership. The Kawasaki ER-6n may not be sold in the US, but is based off the Kawasaki Ninja® 650. The two bikes share the exact same engine and chassis, providing the same race-winning performance. Out of a field of 41 riders in the Lightweight class, 30 were Kawasaki mounted. Results Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Isle of Man, United Kingdom June 9, 2012 Lightweight Class 1. RYAN FARQUHAR, KMR KAWASAKI 2. JAMES HILLIER, BOURNEMOUTH KAWASAKI 3. MICHAEL RUTTER, KMR KAWASAKI 4. CAMERON DONALD, KAWASAKI 5. RUSS MOUNTFORD, KAWASAKI 6. WILLIAM DUNLOP, KAWASAKI 7. IVAN LINTIN, KAWASAKI 8. IAN LOUGHER, KAWASAKI 9. Olie Linsdell, Flitwick 10. JAMIE HAMILTON, KMR KAWASAKI More, from a press release issued by Shannon Moham’s publicist: MRA Racer Shannon Moham Brings Home Another Five Race Wins at HPR! The MRA hosted their third round this past weekend at High Plains Raceway in Byers Colorado. Saturday was packed for the Third Annual Four Hour Endurance Race featuring the Pony Express, True Endurance and Titanium Butt divisions. Racer Shannon Moham managed to squeeze in his first race win of the weekend in Lightweight GP, before moving on to the gruesome 4 hour race. Moham and his three team members took third in the Pony Express, and Moham stated, “Endurance racing is one of my favorite events. I love the team effort, and we had a great team this year. I’d like to thank Rick Grosse, Nik Lenske and Pat Lansu for coming together and working hard to get us that third place. The Dunlop tires were incredible especially in the high temperatures and 60 plus minutes I rode! A big thanks to Steve Mills for all the help and support he’s given to us since we’ve become a part of the Dunlop team”. Sunday proved to be yet another impressive day for number 945, despite some mechanical setbacks! Moham started out his day in Supertwins GTO and was holding his own in third place when he was unfortunately forced to come off the track after his bike started cutting out. Once in the pits, Moham was able to find the problem, and crewmembers began working fast and furious to fix the problem allowing Moham to head out in the back-to-back race Middleweight Superbike. Not missing a beat, Moham dominated the race and brought home a first place win! Rushing back to his pits for his third back-to-back race, Moham was happy to see his SV running and waiting. Moham was able to finish first, yet again, on his Mighty SV 650 in Modern Vintage GTU. Moham expressed “a huge thanks to my crew, Lil Mike Papajohn and wife Segren for helping fix the mechanical problem. It was such a huge relief to come into the pits after MWSB and see that the SV was ready to go. I couldn’t have done it without them”. After lunch, Moham took the grid for the premier class Race of the Rockies. He was able to dominate on his R6 and took first place in ROR U! With only a short break, Moham headed back out on the SV for Supertwins GTU, only to have a disappointing repeat of previous race weekend at PPIR where he had a devastating crash, only this time he was able to get the bike under control and pull off to the side of the track. Corner workers quickly got Moham back to his pits as he was due to participate in the next race, Heavyweight Superbike, on his R6. Moham didn’t disappoint, as he took his fifth race win of the weekend in HWSB! Moham stated, “Thanks so much to the corner workers of the MRA! They hustled to get me in so I wouldn’t miss my next race. That SV has given me a run for my money this year, and I’m glad to have been able to bring home the wins on my R6. I have fantastic Race Tech shocks and suspension on both bikes and Dunlop tires are amazing. Woodcraft and Galfer have given me incredible support that helped contribute to the resurrection of the SV. I can’t thank my sponsors enough for putting such incredible products out there that get me on the podium weekend after weekend!” Once again, it was an impressive weekend for Shannon Moham. Five race wins! Moham is looking forward to Round Four, which will be held June 30th and July 1st at Pueblo Motorsports Park. “I can’t wait to try out the newly paved track at Pueblo and hope to see a lot of spectators and fans out there. It should be an awesome weekend!” Shannon Moham would like to give a special thanks to the following: Nordic Nursing, Dunlop Tires, Race Tech, Renegade Fuel, Woodcraft, Vortex, GPR Stabilizer, Galfer, Lockhart Phillips, Silkolene, Ogio, Pit Bull, 35 Motorsports, Rex at Tri City Cycle, Vickery Motorsports, K&N, Bazzaz Performance, Motonation, Rocky Mountain Photo, Racing Batteries USA, Worldwide Bearings, Pit Posse, his wife Segren, daughter Denver, Mom, the Papajohns and the MRA corner workers. More, from a press release issued by MÃœNCH MOTORRAD TECHNIK GmbH: Katja Poensgen wins FIM e-Power race in Hungary Defective 12V battery inhibits Himmelman’s victory All last weekend the Hungaroring represented e-mobility at its best. In line with the FIM e-Power International Championship and Side Car World Championship e-bikes competed for the championship crown on Hungarian grounds for the first time ever. Eventually, a German got to take home the Champion’s crown: MUENCH Racing Team driver Katja Poensgen. A tiny 12V battery was the reason, why this time the MUENCH Racing team did not get to celebrate a classic double at the end of the race. “Sometimes it is really crazy what determines the race,” says manager Thomas Petsch. “Traction battery, engine, power electronics etc. all perfectly worked but a 12V battery, which you can get in any hardware store failed to operate and caused a electrical surge. It’s really sad for Matthias.” After the world champion’s unfortunate drop out Katja Poensgen had a walk over and confidently secured the victory for MUENCH. Her only successor was Christian Amend (EPO Bike). The Spanish e-bike (Team LGN) did not make it to the finish line either due to a defect. In case one is wondering about the sparse number of participants one should look at the Isle of Man. There, the TT Zero took place on Wednesday and ten other e-bike teams participated in the race. For many of them a journey to Hungary was just too near-term. Team spokesmen Ralf Ernst stated: “It really is a great pity that we were not able to participate in the race at Snaefell Mountain but the recurrent Victory of the FIM e-Power racing series is more important to us right now.” From June 13th till June 15th the electrifying boys and girls concentrate on their presence at the world’s largest solar fair, the Intersolar. The team can be seen and met at their premium sponsors’ (SCHOTT Solar) booth. Once again they will demonstrate that e-mobility and renewable energy belong together. For more information please visit: www.muenchmotorbikes.com More, from a press release issued by CayloR-Made Motorsports: It’s been a bit of a quiet season so far in 2012 for the CayloR-Made Motorsports Compound, but that all changed this past weekend during the 2012 WERA Cycle Jam held at Road Atlanta. Racing action got under way on Friday with the second round of the WERA National Endurance Series. Opie Caylor himself led the charge for Dunlop Development/BEi Endurance from the drop of the green flag. The team immediately began to build an advantage over the field. After just over an hour into the 6-hour event, Opie handed the controls over to none other than Aaron Yates. Aaron put on a hard charge throughout his one-hour stint and doubled the gap over the field, stretching the lead to two complete laps. Next in line was Tim Bemisderfer who put in another hour of laps to further lengthen the team’s lead. In hour four, team owner Billy Ethridge put in his own hour at “the office” and added a little more padding to the gap. Both Opie and Aaron rode another one-hour stint. With continually fast and consistent laps the team would go on to take both the class and the overall wins with a margin of 6 laps. At the same time, CayloR-Made Motorsports sponsored CCF Endurance was running their own race. Fred Turner, Dave Krier, Kevin Mills, Derrek Mugge and Matt Dalke rode a 2005 Suzuki GSXR600 to take the Trophy Class win on a bike that was reassembled by Opie Caylor just 2 days prior to the event! In sprint race action, CayloR-Made’s Matt Dalke took a 3rd in B Superbike Expert on Saturday and went one position better on Sunday by finishing second in 750 Superstock Expert. Carson Zinger had a good Saturday! He took 3rd in C Superbike Novice but won the B Superstock Novice race. On Sunday, Carson came back with a 2nd in 600 Superbike Novice but came out on top with a first place in 750 Superstock Novice. And last but certainly not least, CayloR-Made’s very own Ron Gaither came up big on Saturday by battling his way to third place in B Superbike Novice! Now that IS one fast lawyer! We’ll see ya at the next one! Ope – OUT! More, from a press release issued by Carrie Aquino: Aquino, McFadden, Merck dominate at WERA Nationals Road Atlanta 6 hour endurance Starting the weekend out for Cycle Jam, the 6-hour endurance race team Vesrah Suzuki/Dunlop Development was manned by Michael Aquino, Nick McFadden and Jimmy Merck. With both McFadden and Merck accustomed to the track they took the first stints. Aquino, however, being his first time at the track adjusted quickly and by end of the first leg had his times equal to his teammates. By halfway point the team was in the lead and pulling away with a steady lead. The flawless pit stops manned by Tony Romo, crew chief Tony Pogue and the BEI Racing team brought the Vesrah Suzuki 600 team to the finish line in 2nd place overall and 1st in Middlewweight Superbike class. Leading the points in class and only a few behind overall points this 600 Vesrah Suzuki team is looking forward to the next race in Talladega. Thanks to all sponsors: Vesrah, Dunlop Development, BEI Racing Team, Shoei & Cortech. More, from a press release issued by KWS Motorsports: KWS Motorsports riders continue to rack up podiums at WERA Cycle Jam! The third stop on the WERA National series took place at the Road Atlanta Cycle Jam. Combining the WERA Nationals, Regionals, Vintage, and Endurance Races into an almost perfect weather weekend. Racing was fast and tight throughout the weekend coming into Sundays rain delayed races. Riders had to gamble on tire choices as the cold track slowly dried while trying to get a full day of racing in before the rain returned. KWS, Millennium Technologies, Riders Discount riders Luie Zendejas and Sean Dwyer took to the track Thursday morning for practice to get up to speed and in Sean’s case, learn a new track. The WERA National Endurance offered valuable track time for the two riders to learn how to get around this difficult track at a competitive pace. The Saturday A Superstock race started the action, where the Dunlop-shod duo of Dwyer and Zendejas finished the 6-lap Sprint race in 2nd and 3rd respectively with Carpenter in 4th. The F1 race was an almost repeat of the A SSTK Race with Tim Bemisderfer getting out front and Dwyer and Zendejas again battling each other to round out the podium. Dwyer finally got around Zendejas on the last lap and had 2nd place going into the downhill, hard-braking turn 12 by a few bike lengths until he ran wide into the gravel trap on the brakes and Zendejas was then able to take 2nd. Scott Carpenter won the Senior Superbike and Open Superbike Sportsman races. Sunday’s races got off to a late start as it had rained all morning and the clean up for multiple crashes delayed racing until the track was safe. The A Superstock race was first and on a very slippery track from all of the rain and clean up. The Dunlop tires and Vesrah brakes again worked superbly to keep the riders safe and upright as they both rode conservatively to bring their bikes home in one piece. The finally dry but cold track resulted in a completely different scenario as the WERA Superbike race finally took place at close to 6 o’clock that evening with heavy rain ready to start any minute. Dwyer, the newcomer to the track, was able to stick with Bemisderfer on the start with Carpenter right behind them to battle for all three podium spots at the end. Zendejas was within sight of the leaders the whole race and finished fourth after battling with James Dellinger the whole race. Sean Dwyer – “Road Atlanta was a fun new experience. We were able to get a feel for the track in practice and start working on bike setup. The layout was fun and challenging with the blind turns and elevation changes. I was happy to be racing at the front of the pack all weekend. The feature WERA Superbike race was a blast, fighting Tim Bemisderfer for the lead for 10 laps. In the end, we came away with a 5th in the rain and a 2nd in SB, scoring valuable points. Our Dunlop tires were once again a huge part of our fantastic results. Big thanks to KWS, Riders Discount, Tman Suspensions, Millennium Technologies, Ballistic, Bazzaz, Leo Vince, Dunlop, and Vesrah. I can’t wait for the next round!” Luie Zendejas – “This weekend was a great time; we found a new set up that worked really well at this track. Both of my bikes that Mike Godin prepped and Thermosman Suspensions sprung were working extremely well. The results were 3rd and 2nd place finishes on Saturday, and my Vesrah brake pads really gave me an edge over the competition going into the hard breaking areas. On Sunday, the weather wasn’t cooperating so much for the first race but turned out for the best for the final race, where I was able to ride the KWS motorsports, Riders Discount, Dunlop-shod Superbike to a solid 4th. Three weeks to the NOLA rounds, new track, new set up, new people to race… I can’t wait! Special thanks go out this week to all the people at Ice Box Cryotherapy (www.iceboxtherapy.com) for the Cryotherapy sessions we used to speed up the muscle recovery at the end of every day. They were an instrumental part this weekend! Kevin Hunt from KWS motorsports, Riders Discount for supplying me with all my track needs, All the guys @Oakley “US standard issue” (My second Family), Chris at DrippinWet, Andrew at Andrew Swenson Designs, Vesrah brake pads, Dunlop for the stickiest tires in the paddock, Thermosman suspension for the crazy spring setup, Arai Helmets for keeping me safe, Motul, and Web Camshafts” Scott Carpenter- “Tim with JRI Shocks had set the bike up perfectly. I have never rode a bike that pulls that hard off the turns. This new Michelin rear, plus the KWS power, kept me at the front all weekend.” KWS Motorsports (www.kwsmotorsports.com) is proudly sponsored by: Millennium Technologies, Ballistic Performance Components, Pit Bull, LeoVince Exhaust, Motion Pro, VP Race Fuels, Bazzaz Performance, Yoyodyne, Worldwide Bearing, K&N Filters, Zero Gravity Windscreens, Spider Grips, CP-Carrillo, Web Camshafts and Motul lubricants. Luie Zendejas (www.luiezendejasracing.com) is proudly sponsored by: KWS Motorsports, Riders Discount, Millennium Technologies, Ballistic Performance Components, Thermosman Suspension, Dark Horse Foundation, Infinite Labs, Storm Endurance Sports Bicycle Shop, Andrew Swenson Designs, Drippin’ Wet, Pit Bull, Dunlop Tires, VP Racing Fuels, LeoVince Exhaust, Bazzaz Performance, Arai Helmets, Alpinestars, Oakley, Ice Box Cryotherapy, Web Cams, CP-Carrillo, Motion Pro, K&N Filters, Zero Gravity Windscreens, Worldwide Bearings, Parts Unlimited, Vesrah Brake Pads, Spiegler Brake Lines, Spider Grips, and Motul Lubricants. Sean Dwyer is proudly sponsored by: KWS Motorsports, Riders Discount, Millennium Technologies, Ballistic Performance Components, Thermosman Suspension, Andrew Swenson Designs, Drippin’ Wet, Pit Bull, Dunlop Tires, VP Racing Fuels, LeoVince Exhaust, Bazzaz Performance, Arai Helmets, Alpinestars, Oakley, Web Camshafts, CP-Carrillo, Motion Pro, K&N Filters, Zero Gravity Windscreens, Worldwide Bearings, Parts Unlimited, Vesrah Brake Pads, Spiegler Brake Lines, Spider Grips, and Motul Lubricants. Scott Carpenter is proudly sponsored by: Ron Ayers Motorsports, Michelin, KWS Motorsports, Shoei, JRI Shocks, Motul lubricants, Pit-Bull, Millennium Technologies, EBC Brakes, Teknic, VP Racing Fuels, Sharkskinz, Cornerspeed, Tape Works Graphics, and Ballistic Batteries. For Information: ~http://www.kwsmotorsports.com~. More, from a press release issued by TOBC Racing: TOBC Racing Expands; Takes Third Overall in WERA Endurance at Road Atlanta ANNAPOLIS, MD — TOBC Racing is growing, both in size and success. TOBC Racing expanded their WERA National Endurance Series team at the beginning of this season, moving into the Mediumweight class. The TOBC Suzuki GSX-R600 finished second in class and third overall during round two at Road Atlanta on Friday. The 2012 season marks TOBC’s second year in the WERA Endurance Series. Team owner Jon Couch began in 2011 with a Suzuki SV650. Couch, who has a WERA National championship to his name, teamed up with veteran riders Russell Masecar and Brian Kcraget to compete in the Lightweight class of the Endurance Series. TOBC Racing took another step forward when Scott Harwell joined as team manager. As the overseer of all of the team’s logistics, maintenance and strategy, Harwell brings his years as a champion endurance racer to the team. “It’s a great experience to get to run a team with someone who’s so focused on helping out the sport,” says Harwell. “The main goal for us is to have fun first. After that, it’s for us to steadily build this team.” “Scott developed a racing infrastructure and, along the way, we met riders who shared our vision and were willing to lend their time to developing a competitive program,” Couch says. “Curtis Murray, James Dellinger, and Chuck Ivey have worked closely with Scott and have significantly advanced our 600 team, taking podiums each race of the 2012 Endurance Series.” Murray, Dellinger and Ivey debuted the Dunlop-shod TOBC GSX-R600 in the endurance opener at Miller Motorsports Park in May. They ran third overall and first in class before a radiator swap cost them valuable laps. Nevertheless, the team took home third in class. Road Atlanta was a bit of redemption. AMA Pro racer Elena Myers joined the 600 lineup, and the foursome earned the first overall podium for TOBC with their third-place finish. “This is a great start for a new team. The team is made of people with a great deal of endurance experience. I knew we would be a team to beat with that kind of preparation and the riders they already had lined up,” says Ivey, whose background includes a WERA Endurance overall championship and multiple class championships. For Couch, though, it’s not just about winning. TOBC Racing is dedicated to developing young riders. To help achieve that goal, TOBC has offered a sponsored ride to the winner of the “Next Moto Champion” Formula 3 Championship. “It remains a long-term goal to support a development team of younger riders, giving them seat time and creating a pathway for them to move through the sport,” Couch says. “A struggling economy and generally less available funding has hurt the sport’s next generation, and TOBC has looked for ways to fill the gap.” TOBC Racing hopes their veteran riders will be able to mentor the younger generation of racers. With an overall podium in only two races for the Mediumweight squad, TOBC Racing is already setting the example. TOBC is sponsored by Dunlop, Pitbull and M4 Suzuki. Find out more and keep up with the team online at www.TOBCRacing.com.