AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike Championship Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida March 4, 2010 Provisional Race One Results (2.9-mile course, all on Dunlop tires): 1. Jake Zemke (Suz GSX-R1000), 15 laps 2. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), -0.238 second 3. Larry Pegram (Duc 1098R), -0.259 4. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), -0.291 5. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R1000), -0.307 6. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), -27.398 seconds 7. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000), -27.430 8. Shawn Higbee (Duc 1098), -54.870 9. Shane Narbonne (Suz GSX-R1000), -64.275 10. Barrett Long (Duc 1098R), -71.242 11. Chris Clark (Yam YZF-R1), -72.034 12. Eric Haugo (Suz GSX-R1000), -72.526 13. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), -74.155 14. Johnny Rock Page (Suz GSX-R1000), -83.243 15. Eric Pinson (BMW S1000 RR), -103.187 16. Trent Gibson (Suz GSX-R1000), -103.262 17. Skip Salenius (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 18. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 35.213 seconds 19. Jeff Tigert (Hon CBR1000RR), -6 laps, DNF, retired 20. Brett McCormick (Suz GSX-R1000), -10 laps, DNF, mechanical 21. David Anthony (Suz GSX-R1000), -14 laps, DNF 22. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), -14 laps, DNF 23. John Hopkins (Suz GSX-R1000), -14 laps, DNF, mechanical More, from a press release issued by LeoVince USA: 1st LeoVince AMA Superbike Pole and Race win delivered at Daytona! Aaron Yates and Jake Zemke, of Michael Jordan Motorsports deliver the goods at Daytona International Speedway. March 4th, 2010 Daytona Beach, Florida Aaron Yates, aboard his LeoVince SBK equipped Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000, earned the team, and LeoVince, their first ever AMA American Superbike pole position. #23 set a fastest lap time of 1:38.324 on lap 15 of the hour long qualifying session, which was fast enough to keep Larry Pegram and the rest of the pack behind him. In Race 1, both Suzuki riders were very strong, with competitive lap times and top 5 positions throughout the race. Ultimately Jake Zemke, riding his LeoVince SBK equipped Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000, won the 15-lap contest of speed and determination. This win gives the team and LeoVince USA their first win in American Superbike. LeoVince SBK is the official exhaust sponsor of Michael Jordan Motorsports, and enjoyed certain success in 2009 with the team. 2010 looks to be a continuation of high trap speeds and blazingly fast lap times by both Aaron Yates and Jake Zemke aboard their Suzuki GSX-R1000s. LeoVince SBK has been no stranger to success at the Daytona International Speedway. In 2008, Chaz Davies aboard his LeoVince SBK equipped Attack Kawasaki ZX-6R, won the Daytona 200 after the disqualification of Erion Honda. More, from a press release issued by Chris Ulrich Racing: STRONG BEGINNING FOR ULRICH ON THE MONSTER ENERGY ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Daytona Beach, FL (March 4, 2010) — Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich opened the 2010 AMA Pro American Superbike Championship with an impressive effort in the first qualifying session and the first race of the new season on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. Ulrich put his Monster Energy Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000 on the second row of the grid alongside three of the category’s biggest names, qualifying eighth fastest at 1:40.140. The Californian took advantage of his strong starting position to immediately move into the top six but a couple of minor miscues cost him the lead draft on the opening lap. Ulrich then turned his attention to fending off a determined challenge from Taylor Knapp. He was ultimately successful, beating his rival to the checkered flag by a scant 0.032-second margin to claim sixth in the opening race of the 2010 American Superbike season. Ulrich said, “It was a pretty tough race. Qualifying went really well and I got a good start in the race. Josh Hayes had a moment in the second corner right in front of me. In Turn 8 I missed a gear and from that point on it was all about consolidating my position. I couldn’t make it up to the leaders so I got in a comfortable pace and brought it home. “It’s a relief to start the season like this; this is a great result for the team. I put in a lot of hard work over the winter and got in really great shape. It’s fantastic to qualify well and get this one under our belts. We’ll come back out tomorrow and see if we can’t do even better and try to keep in the draft up front.” Ulrich will complete the Daytona season opener on Friday with the week’s second 15-lap AMA Pro American Superbike final. More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: Zemke Wins First AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike Race of 2010 AMA Pro Season DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 4, 2010) – Jake Zemke took a hard-earned victory aboard his No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the opening round of AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike competition during the Daytona 200 Week at Daytona International Speedway. Zemke led six of the race’s 15 laps in the afternoon race around the 2.90-mile short course at the famed circuit. After a thrilling AMA Pro Racing SuperSport race, the AMA Pro American SuperBike field lined up under sunny skies and the warmest temperatures of the event so far. The exciting qualifying session saw Aaron Yates take pole position for the doubleheader races on his No. 23 Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000, followed by practice pacesetter Larry Pegram with his No. 72 Foremost Insurance Ducati 1098R and Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 teammates No. 22 Tommy Hayden and No. 79 Blake Young completing the front row. Josh Hayes and his No. 4 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 and eventual day one race winner Zemke were next up alongside Ben Bostrom’s No. 155 Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R1 and an impressive Chris Ulrich on his No. 18 RoadRacingWorld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000. At the start, Young shot into the lead as Yates slipped to fourth. Ulrich jumped up to sixth, while unfortunately his teammate John Hopkins suffered a mechanical problem on his No. 21 Team M4 Monster Energy Suzuki GSX-R1000 and was unable to finish the race. Hayes also had a tough day, dropping back at the start, never able to mount a charge back to front. Young and Hayden ran one-two for a few laps as Pegram battled with Yates and a hard-charging Zemke. The first five broke away and made the race their own all the way to the finish. Zemke took the lead with a huge drafting move on lap seven and led Hayden, Pegram, Young and Yates, all within inches of each other, around the high eastern banking. Pegram and Hayden went by Zemke on lap 11 with Young and Yates holding station. Hayden had a near slide in the infield, later saying that it really didn’t hurt his chances at that particular point on the racetrack. With two laps to go, there was a massive reshuffling as Hayden took the lead and was closely followed by Zemke, Pegram, Yates and Young. Hayden finished second and Pegram closed out the podium with third. Yates and Young took fourth and fifth, respectively, to complete the top five. Pegram, Yates and Young all turned their fastest laps on the final lap of the race. After diving into the lead in turn one on the last lap, Zemke was able to break free and build a small gap and as the other riders hit the banking for the final time. Hayden, Pegram and Yates raced each other hard and allowed Zemke to pull away for a magnificent win, his margin of victory a mere 0.238 of a second. An emotional National Guard Jordan Suzuki team celebrated after a sensational start to the season. Under the watchful eye of team owner Michael Jordan, it was a perfect start to the 2010 season for the new rider combination. Collecting his trophy from sponsor Sgt. First Class John Metzler in Victory Lane, Zemke paid tribute to the men and women serving our country in the National Guard and all of our armed forces all over the world and was also full of praise for his new team. The final AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike race of the Daytona 200 week goes green tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. local time and both races can be seen in their entirety this Saturday beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET on SPEED. AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. More, from a press release issued by Acorn Woods Communications: Suzuki Dominates in Daytona Superbike Race #1 Brea, Calif. March 4, 2010 Suzuki dominated the opening race of the AMA Pro SuperBike series in Daytona Beach, Fla., as 7 of the top 10 riders in the class raced aboard GSX-R1000s. Suzuki landed in the top two spots with Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Zemke taking top honors, while Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden took second. The top five riders, four of whom were on GSX-R1000s, finished the close race within a few tenths of a second. Over the course of the 44-mile race, the rider out front of the pack changed six times and Suzuki led 13 of the 15 total laps. Racing continues tomorrow in the SuperBike class, and look for the championship-winning Suzuki GSX-R1000 to be at the front of the pack again. Daytona Superbike Race 1 Results 1. Jake Zemke (Suzuki) 2. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) +0.238 3. Larry Pegram (Ducati) +0.259 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) +0.291 5. Blake Young (Suzuki) +0.307 6. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki) +27.398 7. Taylor Knapp (Suzuki) +27.43 8. Shawn Higbee (Ducati) +1 lap 9. Shane Narbonne (Suzuki) +9.078 10. Barrett Long (Ducati) +16.377 11. Chris Clark (Yamaha) +16.427 12. Eric Haugo (Suzuki) +16.989 13. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) +01:14.2 14. Johnny Rock Page (Suzuki) +01:23.2 15. Eric Pinson (BMW) +01:43.2 16. Trent Gibson (Suzuki) +01:43.3 17. Skip Salenius (Suzuki) +1 lap 18. Ben Bostrom (Yamaha) 19. Jeffrey Tigert (Honda) +6 laps 20. Brett McCormick (Suzuki) +10 laps More, from a press release issued by Creative Works: National Guard Suzuki’s Jake Zemke Takes First Superbike Race Win in Team History and Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates Scores First Pole DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 5, 2010) Michael Jordan Motorsports celebrates scoring both the first pole and first AMA Superbike race win in the team’s short history in the opening race of the 2010 AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike Championship season. National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Zemke gave Michael Jordan Motorsports its first victory in team history in the opening race of the American Superbike season. In his first race for Michael Jordan Motorsports, Zemke led a tight pack to the line in a barnburner that had the top five riders taking turns leading the field. On the last lap, Zemke led into the chicane and maintained enough drive to hold off the field to the flag. It was Zemke’s fourth career Superbike win and his first win since 2006. Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates finished just behind Zemke in fourth place. “The number one job for me was . . . okay, the bike doesn’t feel too bad,” Zemke said. “I just want to hang with this lead pack and make sure I don’t get separated from them. I was there for a while and about halfway I thought, ‘I think I can get to the front of this thing.’ My National Guard Jordan Suzuki was working good and was really fast and that always helps. The guys have done their homework over the off-season and they build a great motorcycle and the team came together and gave me a bike I could ride in the race. Luckily, it worked out.” Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates beat the field to the line to earn the first pole of the year. The Georgian posted a 1:38.324 in the final qualifying session to earn pole position on his Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000. “We’re real happy to get the Jordan Suzuki up on pole position for sure – it’s the first time ever for the team in the Superbike class,” Yates said. “Conditions weren’t ideal to get out there to go real fast, but we were working on setup the whole session, all the sessions, and just making real small adjustments and trying to get the bike as good as it can be for the race. We had our tire strategy worked out pretty good and it just worked out for us.” The 2010 Michael Jordan Motorsports team will be competing in today’s American Superbike Race 2 at Daytona International Speedway and its next event will be at the Suzuki Superbike Challenge at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA on March 26-28, 2010.