VESRAH SUZUKI HAS A WEEKEND FILLED WITH UPS AND DOWNS AT THE AMA PRO RACING SUZUKI SUPERBIKE SHOWDOWN AT ROAD ATLANTA The AMA Pro Racing event at Road Atlanta during the Suzuki Superbike Showdown saw Vesrah Suzuki’s Cory West on the #57 GSX-R 600 achieve a milestone for the team as he finished both Daytona SportBike races on the podium. These were the first podium appearances for the team since switching to competing full time in AMA Pro Racing competition this year. It only took 3 events for Cory and the team to find their way to the front of the field with a 2nd place in Daytona SportBike Race 1 and 3rd in Race 2. Chris Fillmore continues to make progress on the set up of his #55 Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R 600 finishing in 9th position in Daytona SportBike Race 1 and moving forward 1 place to finish 8th in Race 2. Both of Vesrah Suzuki’s Daytona SportBike entries now sit in the top 10 of the season point standings. Cory has moved up to 4th place based on his results this weekend and Chris sits in 9th place despite missing the first round this season. Tray Batey on the #33 Vesrah Suzuki in the American SuperBike class ran into misfortune during the early stages of Race 1 with a crash in turn 6. Tray was transported to a local hospital where he was checked out and released later in the evening. Tray is banged up but was able to come back to the track to cheer on his teammates in Daytona SportBike Race 2 on Sunday. Mark Junge Team Owner Vesrah Suzuki “This was a hell of a weekend finishing on the podium twice in Daytona SportBike with Cory, Chris getting closer to the lead pack and the incident with Tray. I’m just so relieved and thankful that he is OK as he is a great friend. Being a part of Suzuki sweeping the podium in Daytona SportBike Race 1 was great. I’m happy to see that the teamwork we built in endurance racing for so many years also is applicable in AMA Pro racing. I have to thank my entire team for their performance as well as the people who stepped in to help us this weekend. “ Cory West Vesrah Suzuki #57 Saturday – “Wow, what a day! We began with a great morning qualifying session that put us in a 5th place starting position for the race. We solved the issues that I was having yesterday, so I felt very confident for the race. I got a good start in the race and found myself running comfortably in the lead pack. I slowly made my way to the front and actually led a few laps, which is something I’ve never done in an AMA race before. When it came down to the last lap, I was running second and had a good shot at possibly overtaking the leader, but I ran a little wide in turn six and that definitely hurt my drive onto the back straight. Heading for turn ten I went from second to fourth but came out of it with a good drive and running in third. I made a last chance pass into the final turn to take over second and that’s how it finished! I got my best professional finish of my career today and I think tomorrow we have as good of a shot as anyone to win. I’d really like to thank my crew, Tony and Bruce, and the whole Vesrah Suzuki team for believing in me and working so hard this year to get me to the front of this class. I couldn’t have done it without them and all of our sponsors and supporters. This has been a long time coming for me but I feel like it’s just the beginning of something special!” Sunday “Today’s race was definitely a much harder race than yesterday. I got a good start but there were a few more people in the pack and that made things a little harder. I got shuffled to the back of the train for the majority of the race and was having a really hard time getting through guys and keeping the position. Every time I had a good run it seemed like I got blocked or had to check up. So with 5 laps to go I knew I had to make something happen and the opportunity presented itself going in to turn 10. I made a pretty gutsy pass that took me from sixth, all the way to the lead! From there I stayed close to the front and managed to grab another podium for the weekend with a third place finish. The Vesrah crew worked great this weekend and we got some extra help from the Traxxion Dynamics guys that really helped with my front-end feel. I’d like to thank all of the sponsors again and to all my supporters for believing I belong in this paddock. I can’t wait to get to California and race again!” Chris Fillmore Vesrah Suzuki #55 Saturday “Race one started rough, on the second lap by hitting the pit lane limiter going down the back straight which caused me to loose the front group and get passed by a few guys. As the race hit about half way I struggled with front end grip, but held on to take 9th, making a pass going into turn 10 on the last lap.” Sunday “Race two started much better, we made some setup changes from Saturday’s race that worked well. I was able to stay with the front pack for the first half of the race but arm pump and bad drives through turn 7 kept me from keeping in touch with the lead group. Overall we made some big changes from Auto Club that really worked. I want to thank the whole Vesrah Suzuki crew and look forward to Infineon.” Tray Batey – Vesrah Suzuki #33 “Damn turn 6 at Road Atlanta! I have to thank everyone for his or her concern and well wishes It really shows how much people care. It was nice to see firsthand how welcoming the AMA paddock has been to Vesrah Suzuki and it makes me feel great to see that. ” More, from a press release issued by Rockstar Makita Suzuki: Rockstar Makita Suzuki Wins it All at Road Atlanta * Blake Young won both races of the doubleheader at Road Atlanta * Tommy Hayden is four points out from first place. * The Suzuki GSX-R1000 swept the podium on Saturday, and took two podium spots on Sunday. Braselton, GA The Suzuki SuperBike Showdown was owned by Rockstar Makita Suzuki. Blake Young and his GSX-R1000 come away from Road America in Braselton, Georgia, with the maximum amount of points possible after taking the pole, leading the most laps, and winning both races. Blake’s teammate Tommy Hayden also had a solid weekend and took second and third respectively, furthering his run at the championship. Blake started the weekend off right, earning the pole position by setting the fastest lap time in qualifying. He and his GSX-R1000 were on point all weekend. “My bike was just on it this weekend, right off the truck,” Young said. “Everything just really worked for me, and I felt good on the track. I’ve been looking forward to Road Atlanta, and to get my first win”¦two of them”¦is just a great feeling.” Young led every lap of the race on Sunday, despite a heated battle with the second-place rider who couldn’t manage to overtake Blake and his Suzuki. Young led every lap on Saturday and earned that point, and he also earned the pole position point, and then earned the win. The GSX-R1000 had enough power to pull Blake through the straights and enough maneuverability to carve through the chicanes. Tommy Hayden finished third on Sunday, making it a double podium weekend for him and his GSX-R1000. Hayden was consistent on the track, and his bike performed smoothly. He never allowed the riders behind him to catch up, holding tight to his position throughout the race. Hayden’s bike hugged the track as they put in solid lap times throughout the 20-lap race. “I just didn’t have enough to overtake the leaders today, but I’m happy for Blake and his win,” Hayden said. “I made some changes coming into the race and hoped that I’d get up front, but I’ve earned some good points this weekend.” Hayden is now only four points out of first place for the 2010 championship. On Saturday, Young won after the AMA assessed a penalty to a rider who jumped the start. Hayden wound up second on Saturday, making it a double podium weekend for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team. The next race takes place at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on May 14-16. AMA American SuperBike Standings 1. Jake Zemke 145 2. Tommy Hayden 141 3. Blake Young 130 4. Josh Hayes 107 5. Larry Pegram 92 6. Chris Ulrich 76 7. Taylor Knapp 72 8. Ben Bostrom 70 9. John Hopkins 62 10. Aaron Yates 59 More, from a press release issued by FTR Moto: FTR MOTO AND COGHLAN SIXTH ON CEV DEBUT FTR MOTO enjoyed a solid start to the CEV Spanish Moto2 Championship after Kev Coghlan took sixth place at the Catalunya circuit near Barcelona on Sunday aboard the Team Monlau Competicion M209B machine. Seven days after Alex Debon took an FTR Moto2 machine to a debut second place in the opening World Championship round in Qatar, Coghlan and his Barcelona-based crew battled through a tough weekend, qualifying in 10th place then finishing sixth in the opening race of the seven-round series. Coghlan – the 2009 Spanish Supersport Champion – was in determined mood as he fought his way through to sixth place with four laps remaining then set his fastest lap of the 16-lap race on the penultimate lap. “As an overview of a tough weekend I think everyone was satisfied with Kev’s result,” said Steve Bones, director of Buckingham-based FTR Moto. “We worked hard to be ready for this opening round and I think, like many of the other teams, it came a few weeks too early in terms of being fully prepared. “Another test session would have been ideal but this is also very early days in the life of the Moto2 class so it’s also important to get started and gauge the class and the opposition.” More, from a press release issued by American Suzuki: Suzukis Rule at Road Atlanta * Suzukis owned the podium on Saturday, taking all three spots in the Daytona SportBike class, as well as the entire American SuperBike podium. * Martin Cardenas won both races of the doubleheader in the Daytona SportBike class. * Blake Young won both races in the American SuperBike class, the first victories of his SuperBike career. Brea, Calif. Suzuki racers dominated the track yet again aboard their GSX-Rs at Road Atlanta, taking ten of the available twelve podium positions in the American Superbike and the Daytona Sport Bike classes. Suzukis also took four race wins, with Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Blake Young taking his GSX-R1000 to the top in both races in the AMA American Superbike class, and M4 Monster Energy’s Martin Cardenas winning both races in the Daytona Sportbike class aboard his GSX-R600. The American Superbike class saw Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Blake Young and his GSX-R1000 on the top step of the podium at both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races, giving him his first overall win this season, and his first of his career. Blake is currently running third in points behind teammate Tommy Hayden, with just 11 points separating the two. Blake was joined on the podium at both races by fellow Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Tommy Hayden, who finished second and third in the doubleheader event. Tommy is just 4 points away from leading the chase for the American Superbike Championship. National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Zemke rounded out the top three for Saturday’s race, giving Suzuki a triple podium finish. Zemke placed 4th in Sunday’s race, giving him enough valuable points to hold on to his status as the points leader in the class. Taking top-five finishes in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races was John Hopkins aboard the M4 Monster Energy GSX-R1000. Hopkins has earned three top-five finishes in a row, and is continuing to build momentum at each race. The Daytona Sport Bike class saw Suzukis sweep the podium on Saturday as well, with M4 Monster Energy’s Martin Cardenas taking the top position. Cardenas followed up his successful first race with another win in Sunday’s event. The Colombian racer is currently running third in points, with a mere eight points separating him from the next closest rider, and 14 from the leader. Vesrah Suzuki’s Cory West was on the podium in both events, earning second and third place finishes aboard his GSX-R600, and rounding out the podium on Saturday was Geico Powersports RMR Suzuki’s Danny Eslick, who took third place on Saturday and fourth on Sunday. Eslick is running second in points, with six points separating him from the current leader. The next round of AMA Road Racing will take place May 14th-16th at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. Look for Suzuki racers to continue their domination on the track!