Round 4 2010 IDM Supersport Championship Sachsenring, 18/19/20th June. CUDLIN RECLAIMS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD Damian Cudlin reclaimed the top spot in the IDM Supersport Championship after an overall victory in Sachsenring on the weekend. Coming from a turbulent previous round in Nurburgring, Cudlin was keen to return to the race winning form he’d shown earlier in the season and to take back over at the top of the standings. The Aussie fired an early warning shot to his competitors in qualifying, stealing pole position in the dry conditions with a record breaking lap time of 1.26.3. With an intense battle forming from championship rivals Gunter Knobloch and Michi Ranseder, as well as threats from Wahr, Vostarek and Penzkofer, all eyes were on the SSP field as race one got underway. HRP’s Kevin Wahr got the holeshot and made an early break at the front while Cudlin moved into 2nd position ahead of Knobloch and Penzkofer. Cudlin soon set his sights on Wahr and moved within striking distance as the field started the 5th lap. Making a calculated move into turn one, Cudlin stole the lead and turned up the pace for the remaining 15 laps. With 3 laps to go Cudlin made a break from his pursuers and eased over the line to take his second victory of the season, 2.6 seconds clear of Wahr and Knobloch. “This one feels really good after the troubles we had in Nurburgring. I knew we could bounce back and we proved it today.” Cudlin gleamed after the race. “I got myself into a good position early in the race and once I got to the front I managed to control it from there. The MRC Austria Team, and particularly my Crew Chief, Lars Sanger, really put a lot of work in to bring us back to the front so I can’t take all the credit for this one. I hope I can give them another race win tomorrow.” Sunday’s second race proved to be a cracker with 5 riders challenging at the front. After an awful start, Cudlin had to work his way up the order as Vostarek and Knobloch lead at the front of the field. Cudlin soon managed to latch onto the 5 bike freight train as Vostarek crashed out of the lead. Slicing his way through to the lead, Cudlin looked set to repeat his performance from the day before, however lapped riders spoiled any chance of a get away. Spurred on by the chance to attack, Ranseder and Knobloch relegated Cudlin back to 3rd as the trio started the final lap. With his exhausted rear tyre spinning wildly, Cudlin made a daring pass on Knobloch under the bridge for 2nd, and moved into position for a last corner attack on Ranseder. With nothing separating the pair as they entered the final turn, Ranseder held on and took the win ahead of Cudlin and Knobloch, setting up a fascinating 3 way championship battle for the final half of the season. “Today’s race was much tougher than the first, made much harder from my crap start.” Cudlin said bluntly after the race. “I took a lot out of the tyres catching up and getting to the front, and when I finally tried to check out they just weren’t having it. It made for an exciting race at the end, and I think I probably could’ve made that pass on Michi in the final turn but it was risky and I’d prefer 20 points than a trip to the medical centre. Overall it’s been a good weekend. A pole position, a race win and we’re back in the championship lead. We needed this result and it’s a real boost for our team heading to Salzburg. I hope we can keep this momentum going now and win some more races!” Cudlin now leads the IDM Supersport Championship with 119 points, from Knobloch on 108, and Ranseder on 98. The battle will resume at Salzburgring, Austria on the 3/4th July. More, from a press release issued by Vesrah Suzuki: POLE POSITION AND A PODIUM FINISH FOR VESRAH SUZUKI’S NICK MCFADDEN IN THE USGPRU MORIWAKI MD250H CHALLENGE RACE AT VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY IN ALTON VIRGINIA. Vesrah Suzuki development rider Nick McFadden had a successful weekend during the USGPRU event at Virginia International Raceway the weekend of June 19-20. Nick qualified in the pole position for the first time in his USGPRU career and backed that up with a podium finish in 3rd place in the Moriwaki MD250H Challenge race. Nick finished just off of the podium in the Moto3 class in 4th place and a top 10 finish in the Pilot 125 race. Mark Junge Team Owner Vesrah Suzuki “Nick’s riding this weekend was the best I have seen since he started riding with the team last year and I enjoyed being able to be there and help him. We are getting things figured out running the USGPRU series, which is new to us this year. I’m looking forward to the next round at Road America in July” Nick McFadden #195 Vesrah Suzuki “It was a fun weekend at VIR – I really like their track. I started out road racing there on a mini and spent many weekends there in the past few years with the Cornerspeed Racing School, riding on the track with Aaron and his guys. I had a good practice day on Friday and was very happy to qualify with the pole for the MD250H class during Saturday qualifying.” “I am pretty OK with my finish in the 125 class – I am riding my stock Moriwaki in that class, since that is all the new rules allow, but I like that class because it is big and it is good practice for starting and passing in the bigger classes. In the Moto3 I would like to have pulled out a podium finish, so I will study what I need to go back and work on there. The Moriwaki (MD250H) race was my favorite one of the weekend. I got a good start and battled elbow-to-elbow most of the race, and we were having so much fun. As we rode the laps, I was trying to plan so that I could be ahead at the flag. I really wanted to get a win for my Dad for Father’s Day and for the Vesrah Team, as most of those guys were with me this weekend. While I was battling, it allowed time for the other bikes to pull up and I got drafted. I lost the draft a little and never could get back up to the front. I am happy to have the podium finish but it would have been a good race to win. I would like to thank Tray Batey, Mark Junge and Tony Pogue for working with me to get my bikes setup and running good all weekend.” Vesrah Suzuki and Nick McFadden want to thank all of their sponsors for their support for the 2010 season Vesrah, American Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Drink, Nielsen Enterprises Suzuki, West Side Heavy Hauling Inc, Dunlop Tires, Traxxion Dynamics Fork Components, Arai Helmets, Graves Motorsports, Hotbodies Racing Bodywork, Sudco Int., Bazzaz, Factory Pro, Maxima Racing Oils, Vortex, DID Chain, Penske Racing Shocks, GPR Stabilizers, Trek Bicycles, GP Tech, Active & Road Rage Designs