TEAM SUZUKISCOOPFANS’ ELENA MYERS WINS DAYTONA SUPERSPORT RACE Myers is first female competitor to win professional motorsports race at Daytona DAYTONA BEACH, FL Team SuzukiScoopFans SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki rider Elena Myers had tremendous cause to celebrate after the season-opening round of the 2012 AMA Pro SuperSport Series at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL, on Saturday. Not only did the young racer turn in a truly inspired ride to take the win on her SuzukiScoopFans Suzuki GSX-R600, she also became the first female competitor to win a professional motorsports race at the famed Daytona International Speedway. Eighteen-year-old Myers started the weekend by carding a front-row grid position during qualifying. In Friday’s SuperSport race, she became reacquainted with the Daytona track and its notorious banking, running up front in a podium position for several laps before finishing a respectable sixth. Then, on Saturday morning, Myers pulled out all the stops and rode flawlessly on her SuzukiScoopFans Suzuki GSX-R600. Aggressively battling for a podium position all 10 laps, Myers waited until the final lap to put herself in exactly the right spot to take advantage of the Daytona draft and capture the win. “I just won Daytona,” enthused Myers. “Pretty crazy way to start the season off. I can’t thank my SuzukiScoopFans team enough for putting a bike as good as the Suzuki GSX-R600 underneath me all weekend. Man, I didn’t think I was going to do it when I was coming down the straight, but somehow I pulled it off. The craziness of Daytona! I was hoping to get a win this weekend, and I can’t thank Suzuki and my team enough for doing a great job.” Myers and the SuzukiScoopFans team started the 2012 season with a brand-new Suzuki GSX-R600, so Myers hasn’t put in a lot of saddle time yet. This makes her winning result on Saturday even more impressive, for both rider and team. “We’ve been trying to get the Suzuki set up pretty quick,” said Myers. “I can’t say enough about my SuzukiScoopFans team and my program. Today it was a pretty crazy race. I got a good start and led for a few laps, and a few guys came by me and I just tried to stay with them. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the podium and it feels really good to be back up here. This is definitely a boost for my confidence.” The Team SuzukiScoopFans SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro SuperSport season is at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA, the weekend of April 20 22, 2012. About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded The Motorcycle and ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, CA, in 1963. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 120 distributors in 191 countries. For more information, visit www.suzukicycles.com. Follow Suzuki Scoop on facebook for exclusive team content www.facebook.com/suzukiscoopfans. More, from a press release issued by American Suzuki Motor Corp.: YOSHIMURA SUZUKI CELEBRATES SEASON-OPENING VICTORY IN DAYTONA SUPERBIKE RACE Blake Young wins Saturday’s Superbike race & teammate Chris Clark brings home seventh DAYTONA BEACH, FL The Yoshimura Suzuki team was a force to be reckoned with at the season-opening round of AMA Pro Superbike this past double-header weekend at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Young captured the win in one Superbike race and a second-place result in the other, while new teammate Chris Clark made his Yoshimura Suzuki debut with two top-10 finishes. The weekend’s first race saw Young get a good start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, slot into second place and hold on until the checkers. As impressive as Friday’s podium finish was, it was Saturday’s race where Young really strutted his stuff. The Wisconsin native got another great start on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and again settled quickly into second position. But this time, he stayed with the leader until the last few laps, at which point, he made his move and brought home the win. “Today’s race was a lot better than yesterday’s race,” said Young. “My Yoshimura Suzuki team worked hard for me on Friday, and after the race, we looked at the data and I knew the problem was me. I just didn’t have a very good race, for whatever reason, and I needed to work hard to let my crew know not to give up on me yet. We need to go strong all year long. We just needed to come in here, get some points and race hard the rest of the year. Today’s race was good, and now I’m just looking forward to Atlanta and the rest of the season.” Yoshimura Suzuki’s newest addition, Chris Clark, admittedly struggled in Friday’s race. He got a decent start on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and held his own to bring home a ninth-place finish. On Saturday, Clark lifted his game, getting another decent start but turning faster, more consistent laps to finish a respectable seventh. “This was my first race with the Yoshimura Suzuki team, so I definitely was over-riding the bike a little bit,” said Clark. “I was nervous and wanting to do well and putting a little too much pressure on myself. So I came out today and worked on what we were having problems with. I was able to turn it around in the second race. We’re not too far off from where I want to be, fifth in the championship, so I’m just looking forward to Atlanta. The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 is working great; it’s a really fantastic bike. So we’ll head to Atlanta with our heads up and hopefully do well there.” The 2012 Yoshimura Suzuki team’s next event of the 2011 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series is at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA, the weekend of April 20 22, 2012. Daytona Superbike Race 1: 1. Josh Hayes 2. Blake Young 3. Roger Hayden 4. Larry Pegram 5. Steve Rapp 6. Geoff May 7. Jake Holden 8. Robertino Pietri 9. Chris Clark 10. David Anthony Daytona Superbike Race 2: 1. Blake Young 2. Josh Hayes 3. Roger Hayden 4. Josh Herrin 5. Larry Pegram 6. Steve Rapp 7. Chris Clark 8. Jake Holden 9. Danny Eslick 10. Robertino Pietri 2012 Superbike Standings: 1. Josh Hayes 58 2. Blake Young 55 3. Roger Hayden 42 4. Larry Pegram 34 5. Steve Rapp 31 6. Jake Holden 27 7. Chris Clark 26 8. Robertino Pietri 24 9. David Anthony 21 10. Chris Ulrich 19 About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com. About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded The Motorcycle and ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, CA, in 1963. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 120 distributors in 191 countries. For more information visit www.suzukicycles.com. More, from a press release issued by American Suzuki Motor Corp.: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS DOUBLE-PODIUMS AT SEASON-OPENING DAYTONA SUPERBIKE RACE DAYTONA BEACH, FL The Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) team started the 2012 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike season by celebrating two podium finishes at the season-opening round at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL, this past weekend. National Guard Jordan Suzuki rider Roger Hayden brought home well-earned third-place results in both Friday’s and Saturday’s 15-lap races. In both events, Hayden took advantage of his front-row grid position and got good starts on the National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000. On Friday, he battled for the final podium spot for the first several laps before settling into third position, and held on until race’s end. Likewise, Saturday’s race saw Hayden charging hard in fourth position and aggressively scrapping for third and taking the final spot on the podium. “This was a pretty good start to the season,” said Hayden. “Coming away with two podiums was a good start, and we’re leaving Daytona with some good points. We were able to see where we stack up against the other guys, and we know what we need to improve on to close the gap to the top two. Today (Saturday), the race was a little bit tougher for me than yesterday (Friday), but I was glad I could hang on for the podium, especially for the Jordan team they’ve been working their tails off all year. Two podium finishes was a good start and it’s something we can build on, as I look forward to Atlanta.” Teammate Ben Bostrom suffered some plain, old-fashioned bad luck at Daytona. He started out strong in both races, getting good starts on the Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 on each day. But while running in the top five on Friday and Saturday, Bostrom went down and had to remount and pick his way through the field. He finished 13th on Friday and 15th on Saturday. “It was a tough weekend for number 23,” said Bostrom. “I’m not sure I can remember the last time I crashed out of a race, much less two races. I know the package we have for the upcoming tracks, though, and that keeps my mood right. The Jordan team has done a great job this winter and I hate to let them down. It was great to see Roger on the box.” In the 2012 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship series rider point standings, Hayden sits in third place and Bostrom is in 14th place. The Michael Jordan Motorsports team’s next event of the AMA Pro National Guard Superbike series is at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA, the weekend of April 20 22, 2012. ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS: Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports in 2004 as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. His mission is to bring a new level of excellence and style to the motorcycle racing industry. For more information on MJM, please visit www.23race.com, www.twitter.com/23race and http://www.facebook.com/23race. ABOUT THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: The National Guard is the oldest military branch. Today, Citizen-Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while training part time, staying ready to defend America in the event of an emergency. The National Guard serves both state and federal governments. During local emergencies, Guard units assist residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard companies deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. Michael Jordan Motorsports is proud to partner with: Jordan Brand (a division of Nike), National Guard, American Suzuki, Hanes, Gatorade, Bazzaz, Vortex Racing Components, FMF Exhausts, Gemini Racing, K-Tech Suspension-Orient Express Racing, Maxima Racing Oils, Mechanix Wear, K & N Air Filters, Dainese Leathers, AGV Helmets, Ancra Tie-downs, Chicken Hawk Racing Tire Warmers, Armour Bodies, DID Chains, Factory Pro Dyno, Roclun International, Cardo Scala Rider, STAR Motorcycle School, Motion Pro Tools, Zero Gravity Windscreens, with transportation provided by Eastside Trucking. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: Celtic Racing’s Corey Alexander 2nd Aboard National Guard Fairhills Group Suzuki In SuperSport Race Two Alexander and Rispoli lead East and West Supersport Championships Daytona, Florida – Celtic Racing celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with another podium finish at Daytona, and the lead in both the SuperSport East and SuperSport West classes! Corey Alexander rode a close and hard race to bring home the #5 National Guard/Fairhills Group Suzuki GSX-R 600 in 2nd place in Saturday’s AMA Pro Racing SuperSport event. Teammate James Rispoli lead a majority of the ten lap race, finishing just behind in fourth place on the Celtic Orient Express Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600. These great results position Celtic Racing at the front of the overall SuperSport class heading into the balance of the 2012 season. Corey Alexander leads the SuperSport East class with 42 points, and James Rispoli leads the SuperSport West class with 50 points. Celtic Racing would like to thank all of our sponsors for all their support and technical assistance which helped to make this a great weekend for the team at Daytona. Corey Alexander saw steady improvement and narrowly missed a win in the second race. “I’m really happy with our second place finish today, it’s a great improvement over our fifth place finish yesterday. The whole crew put in a great effort to get us up to the front today after making some changes this morning. It was a hard fight to get second place and be on the podium, and I’m really happy with the points we earned. We definitely wanted the win so it’s a little bittersweet being so close to the leader but we will take it. It’s great that we could show everyone what the Celtic Racing organization as well as the National Guard Fairhills Group team is all about this weekend! Huge thanks to all my team sponsors and personal sponsors Fairhills Group, Hudson Valley Motorcycle, Spidi Leathers, XPD Boots, Arai Helmets, K-Tech Suspension and Gemini. Also thanks to my mechanics Barry, Tim, and Mike. Shoutout to my family, Mom, Dad, Uncle Richie and Auntie Kim, Grandma and Granpa, and Fatmir.” James Rispoli had a great weekend at Daytona, winning the first race event on Friday, finishing fourth on Saturday, and qualifying in second position. “The race was really good. I got a good start after the red flag, and was able to stay consistently smooth and fast the whole race. I tested the draft a lot on the Celtic Orient Express GSX-R 600, and I knew how to win it. The red flags gave us some little problems with the clutch that we were dealing with in the race. On the last lap it started to feel funny, so I just let her cruise to the finish, and was happy to grab fourth. It’s all about getting out of Daytona with as many points as possible! Thanks again to Barry and my crew, William, Eric, and Dustin for a great bike, and to AGV Helmets, Dainese Leathers, Monster Energy, and Star Motorcycle School for all their support.” As Corey Alexander and James Rispoli lead the East and West Championships, Celtic Racing remains in Florida for two days of testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway March 20-21 in preparation for a return to racing at Homestead in September. Preparations then begin for the second round of the series at Road Atlanta, April 20-22. Both Celtic Racing Suzuki GSXR 600’s showcase the best in road racing technology. Product support for both machines comes from: Michael Jordan Motorsports, American Suzuki, Armor Bodies, Chicken Hawk Racing, DesignStar3, Dynojet, FMF Racing, Full Spectrum Power, Hudson Valley Racing, Galfer Brakes, GB Racing, K-Tech Suspension, Maxima Oils, Motion Pro, Pit Bull, Riviera Country Club, Saddlemen, Star Motorcycle School, Vortex Racing, and Zero Gravity. Celtic Racing was established 2001 by Barry Gilsenan, and over the past 11 seasons has established itself as a premier privateer racing team. Development of riding talent began with two-stroke 125cc, and 250cc machines competing in professional and regional championship events. More recent Celtic Racing efforts have focused on AMA Pro Road Racing in the Daytona SportBike and SuperSport classes with Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha four stroke motorcycles. Gilsenan’s talent for coaching racers of all ages and abilities has brought Celtic Racing worldwide attention and recognition, with many former Celtic Racing riders now competing on World Championship levels. Please join Celtic Racing on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CelticRacing. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD The National Guard is the oldest military branch. Today, Citizen-Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while training part time, staying ready to defend America in the event of an emergency. The National Guard serves both state and federal governments. During local emergencies, Guard units assist residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard companies deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. Please visit www.nationalguard.com to find out more. FAIRHILLS GROUP Fairhills Group is a New York based alternative investment management firm that manages capital for the Bronson family and other high net worth individuals and wealthy families. Fairhills was established in 2002 for the purpose of providing public companies with alternative forms of financing, eventually becoming one of the most active investors in structured equity transactions. Fairhills has since grown to provide financing solutions to companies globally and recently has opened its doors for the first time to external investors, with a full range of alternative investment fund offerings. For more information on Fairhills, please visit www.fairhills.com. ORIENT EXPRESS Established in 1973, Orient Express is a high performance motorcycle parts and accessories warehouse distributor; offering dyno tuning, engine building services and precision machine work. Orient Express has an extensive history of racing, including support of both professional and amateur race series and individuals. For more information regarding Orient Express, or to find out what Orient Express can do for your racing success, please call 800.645.6521 or 631.231.9552 (NY/International), visit www.orientexpress.com or join them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OrientExpressRacing. More, from a press release issued by Evan Steel Performance: Daytona 2012 was a solid start to the AMA season for Jake Holden and the EvanSteelPerformance.com BMW team. Jake finished seventh in race one, and eighth in race two, with lap times improving every time the bike went out on track. The team leaves Daytona sixth overall in AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike points, and is looking forward to round two in Atlanta. The unique challenges of Daytona and its famed high banking caused the team more trouble than anticipated, and during the first session it became obvious that the bike set up would need to be modified to obtain the maximum possible grip and control for Jake. The crew worked non-stop, and improved every session of the weekend, thanks in large part to Holden’s never say die attitude and professionalism. Evan Steel “I want to thank the entire team for working so hard this weekend, we showed up feeling pretty good about our bike setup, but it was quickly obvious during the first session that we were in big trouble. The low grip conditions here hurt our performance much more than we anticipated, but we were able to make solid progress all weekend to get back towards the front of the very fast AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike field. Seventh and eight isn’t what we wanted for sure, but all things considered it was a decent weekend, and we can build from here. Sixth overall in points is promising, we will head home and test a few ideas we came up with during the weekend, and try to do a bit better at Road Atlanta. I want to thank Mark and Linda from Musselman Honda, and John Cartwright from Iron Horse Motorcycles for helping us make this weekend possible. I also really want to thank Jake Holden, he did an outstanding job for us this weekend, and I truly believe we can build a very competitive privateer superbike program around him.” Jake Holden “The weekend didn’t turn out quite the way we wanted, but the team worked really well together and overcame a lot of obstacles, we made constant forward progress but just ran out of time. A positive is we finished both races, and leave here sixth in points, the best points position I have left Daytona with since 2006 or so. I really want to thank all my friends and sponsors who made this race weekend possible. We are very much a grassroots effort and couldn’t do it without them! I am happy to be racing 1000cc bikes again, and grateful to have the support of a lot of great people and companies. I can’t wait to race the BMW S1000RR at Road Atlanta.” The entire EvanSteelPerformance.com BMW team would like to thank all of our awesome sponsors: Iron Horse Motorcycles, U.S.MegaMax.com, Intawishin Consulting Group, Musselman Honda, Thermosman Suspension, Carrozzerria USA, Leo Vince, Dunlop, XCEL Trackdays, GPR, Ballistik Apparel, Driven, Ohlins, GB Racing, Sidi, Samco, Kurvey Girl, Shoei, OTL Magazine, Mussleman Honda Circuit, Supernova Cycles, ASMA, Tucson Pool and Spa, Mid Town Bar and Grill, Hotbodies, Chicken Hawk, and War Paint. More, from a press release issued by Fogi Racing Development Team: Young’s Determination Shines Through in Daytona 200 Debut THORNBURY ONTARIO, CANADA March 19, 2012 This past weekend Thornbury Ontario’s Ben Young debuted in his first ever Daytona AMA Pro GoPro Daytona Sportbike race during the 71st running of the Daytona 200. Young finished the race with a respectable 20th overall after overcoming engine troubles on Thursday and an electronic glitch that occurred during the first pit stop of the race. After enjoying some downtime in the Florida sunshine earlier in the week, the team began setting up in the garages at the famed Daytona International Speedway. Young was eager to take his Tim Hortons-Sudbury/Yamaha R6 through it’s paces on the high banks during Thursday morning’s practice session. After only two laps into the first practice session, Young and the crew immediately new that something was amiss with the fresh Yamaha 600cc motor. With Young’s R6 limping back to the pits, the Tim Hortons-Sudbury/Fogi Racing crew pulled together and worked hard to prepare the backup bike to salvage whatever they could of the day’s precious practice time. Young was eventually able to put the Tim Hortons-Sudbury/Yamaha R6 ‘B’ bike through its paces in the afternoon practice session resulting in some very decent lap times. This gave the team a good base-setting to modify the bike’s set up for the following day’s two qualifying sessions. During Friday morning’s qualifying, Young dramatically bettered his times from the previous day’s practice sessions. Young’s fastest time from the morning and afternoon sessions would place the Tim Hortons-Sudbury/Yamaha R6 23rd on the Daytona 200 starting grid. Race day greeted the Tim Hortons-Sudbury/Fogi Racing team and the fans with warm temperatures and clear skies, perfect weather for the 71st running of the Daytona 200. After the conclusion of a successful morning warm-up, Young signed autographs and talked with a number of race fans and supporters of the team during the pre-race Fan Walk and opening ceremonies. Young got a solid start but fell back slightly during the opening laps of the prestigious Daytona 200. With his Dunlop tires finally up to temperature Young began his charge towards the front, eventually making a successful pass for 18th place. At roughly forty minutes into the race the Tim Hortons-Sudbury/Fogi Racing crew prepared for, and executed, the first of two planned pit stops. Unfortunately, due the failure of Young’s pit-lane rev limiter he was given a ride-through penalty for exceeding the 50 mph pit-lane speed limit. The young Scottish-Canadian rider would now have his work cut out for him to regain the ground he had lost. Lap after lap Young pushed harder and harder, eventually recapturing 23rd with his sights on a small pack of riders just ahead of him. The Tim Hortons-Sudbury/Fogi Racing crew successfully executed the second of the two scheduled stops and quickly got the young pilot back on track for the remainder of the grueling annual endurance race. Young completed the 57 lap, 200 mile race and took the checkered flag in 20th place out of 43 starters. After fellow Canadian, and pit-mate, Ruthless Racing’s Darren James suffered an engine failure 26 laps into the race, Young, the remaining Canuck on the track, was proud to carry the Canadian flag across the legendary Daytona International Speedway’s start/finish line. “Ben rode a faultless race on the equipment he had,” stated Fogi Racing’s Team Manger, Scott Young. “We felt we were well prepared, but since Thursday’s first-practice engine-failure, the team seems to have been working nonstop to get him the bike he needed to perform at his best.” Ben Young added, “The race was unreal! I felt strong throughout the entire race! No one ever expects to have to use their Plan B, but coming to the Daytona 200 you have to expect the unexpected. The team worked extremely hard over the whole weekend and I can’t thank them enough.” “I’m very pleased with this result and the points we earned for the rest of the season and I must give special thank you to Tim Hortons franchisee Gilles Bolduc for his sponsorship and support on and off the track,” concluded the 18 year old racer. Up next for Ben Young and the Fogi Racing Development Team is Round 2 of the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona Sportbike Championship being held at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia – April 20 – 22, 2012. Ben Young Racing and the Fogi Racing Development Team would like to acknowledge the following companies for their support this season; Tim Hortons – Sudbury, Four Feathers Racing, Arai Helmets, Scot-build Developments, GP Tech LLC, K&N Filters, EBC Brakes, Arlen Ness Racing boots, Armour Bodies, BCL Motorsports Pit Kit, Vortex Racing, Akrapovic Exhaust Systems, RS Taichi Leathers, The Graphix Factory and The North American International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW. To keep up-to-date on Ben Young Racing and the Fogi Racing Development Team, visit www.fogi.us , www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing and on Twitter @86BY. More, from a press release issued by Ohlins USA: Ohlins Riders Sweep Daytona 200 Podium, and Take Both AMA Pro Superbike Wins Hendersonville, North Carolina: At Daytona International Speedway, in a dramatic, wheel-to-wheel, four-way battle for the win, following 200 miles of racing, the three motorcycles with Ohlins suspension components prevailed at the line, making it a one-two-three sweep of the podium for Ohlins in the 71st running of the Daytona 200. On top of that, the weekend was Ohlins wins from Superbikes to V-Twins with twin shocks. Kyle Wyman started off the weekend, and the season, for Ohlins and the AMA series, by earning the pole position for the Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 class, and then winning the opening XR1200 race on Friday. Next up to win on Ohlins was Josh Hayes on his Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R1, carrying his 2011 championship ways into the 2012 season. Hayes’ dominating, 8-seconds-from-the-competition win, might have inspired Blake Young, who ran a competing brand of shock on Friday, when he finished second. He changed to Ohlins for Saturday and won the race on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, battling past what many thought was a faster bike than his, giving Ohlins a sweep of the two AMA Pro Superbike wins at Daytona. In the Daytona 200, winner, Joey Pascarella, rode his team Project 1 Atlanta’s Yamaha YZF-R6, to the front of the drafting battle from the back-straight chicane to the checkered flag, taking the win over last year’s historic winner, Jason DiSalvo, by a mere 0.048 seconds. Behind DiSalvo’s Triumph Daytona 675, it was only another 0.064 seconds back to third and fourth place finishers, YES/Graves/Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier and GEICO Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas, the last of whom was not sporting an Ohlins shock. Behind them, Dane Westby, another Ohlins rider, was a painful 44 seconds back on the M4 Broaster Chicken Suzuki, GSX-R600. He might have been in the final battle for the win, save for suffering a mechanical glitch during a pit stop where he lost well over 30 seconds. Ohlins Racing AB, and Ohlins USA, congratulate these winners and top finishers, together with all competitors who step up to the difficult challenge of racing. Ohlins USA distributes and services the world’s leading performance suspension components for automobiles, motorcycles, and ATVs. Ohlins develops its proprietary and trend-setting suspension components, steering dampers and oils, at the highest levels of racing from open-wheel car racing, to Moto GP, to off-road competition on two and four wheels. Ohlins USA also provides training for service centers and dealers. Ohlins USA can be contacted at: 828-692-4525; www.Ohlinsusa.com More, from a press release issued by Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki: RIDERS DISCOUNT VESRAH SUZUKI HAS SUCCESS AT THE OPENING ROUND OF AMA PRO ROAD RACING AT DAYTONA. The Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki team completed the opening weekend of the 2012 AMA Pro Racing Series at Daytona International Speedway March 15th 17th with a pole position, a victory, and a podium position. Kyle Wyman in the AMA Pro XR1200 class claimed pole position and took the win after a four-bike drafting contest on the final lap. Kyle now leads the points in his quest for the 2012 class championship. Jake Lewis, in his first-ever AMA Pro Road Race, captured a podium position by finishing in 2nd place in the AMA Pro SuperSport race #1. Race # 2 was not as kind with a mechanical issue sidelining Jake before the finish. Jake is now in 4th place in the SuperSport East points going into the next round. In the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class running the Daytona 200 the team was not able to repeat its podium performance from last year. Cory West gathered a 10th place finish while Benny Solis suffered a mechanical and did not complete the race. Both Cory and Benny are looking forward to moving up in the point’s standings after the Road Atlanta round. Bostjan Skubic finished 19th in the 2012 Daytona 200 in a one-off appearance with the team. Taylor Knapp had a Daytona to forget in the AMA Pro SuperBike class with issues in almost every session out on the track. Taylor was able to pull things together and finish 13th in Superbike race #2. Kyle Wyman Kyle Wyman Racing / Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #33 “It was an awesome race. I had so much fun out there dicing with the guys up front and I felt in control. I was very happy with the bike from the get go and could ride at a fast pace very comfortably. I can’t say enough about the Vesrah/Kuryakyn crew and the support from Spyke’s H-D and Riders Discount for the help this weekend. I am really looking forward to working this week at Homestead to find an even better setting for Road Atlanta” Jake Lewis Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #85 “Daytona is in the books and it was a good start to my first AMA Pro season! In the first race, I ended up second, which was awesome. It was pretty neat in the Daytona victory circle and it was definitely an experience! In the second race, I had the fastest lap of the race but unfortunately had a little mechanical issue. It was a good weekend overall and I felt good on the Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600. I can’t thank my crew enough and all our team sponsors who made the weekend a success. I’m now looking forward to the Homestead-Miami Speedway test and the next race at Road Atlanta!” Cory West Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #57 “I was a little bummed after qualifying because I thought we had a solid second row starting position, but a few riders had gone faster in the first session so I went from 8th to 11th. Off the start of the race, I tried a move around the outside in turn one and it kind of hung me out and didn’t work out too well. That led to me not getting the jump with the lead group and I ended up battling at the front of the second big group of riders through out the first stint.” “Our first pit stop was spot on and I think me made up some ground and advanced a few positions. I think I went from 10th or so to around 6th. My second stint was pretty uneventful; I just tried to stay as consistent with my times as possible. Our second pit stop went well and I got out about 2 or 3 seconds ahead of the guys I had been riding close to during my second stint.” “I felt fresh and was still holding down 6th position for my last stint but as soon as I got out of the pits, I had a bad pulse coming from my front brake lever. With that issue, I was having a really hard time getting slowed down for turn one and the chicane. I could see 5th place about 4 seconds ahead and I was pushing hard to catch him, but I ended up getting caught by a pack of four riders that were drafting together.” “I fought hard to stay with that group to the finish of the race but the draft ended up sucking me into turn one deeper than I could go with my braking issue and I had to stand the bike up and run wide. I managed to almost catch back up to the group and then I ran wide again in turn one and that pretty much ended my hopes for a finish better than 10th. “I’m a little bummed that I had that braking issue in the final stint because a top 5 finish wasn’t too far out of reach. But I’m happy that we got out of the 200 with a top ten finish and no injuries or damage to our bikes. Huge thanks to my Crew Chief Tony Pogue and Team Owner Mark Junge for building me an awesome bike for the 200, and the rest of the Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki crew for all their hard work during the weekend! I can’t wait to return to Atlanta where we’ve had great success in the past!” Benny Solis Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #35 “For me, Daytona was difficult but in the end it wasn’t so bad since I learned quite a lot. It was difficult for me because we started off in the first practice with a set up that was a bit off and I was struggling to get a fast lap, mainly because I couldn’t run it hard in the infield and I was losing time there. But we were progressing as the weekend went on, I was feeling better every time I was on track since the set up was changing in the right direction. And, I was also still getting used to working with my new crew and we were all getting used to working with each other. “Once it was race time, I was feeling good and my lap times were pretty good. My team did all they could to provide me with the best bike and I was having lots of fun. It was just unfortunate that we had a mechanical because we all were working so hard and I was in a decent position during the race. But it wasn’t anyone’s fault, it was just one of those things that happens during racing. I’m ready for some testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway and definitely looking forward to the next race, Road Atlanta is a lot of fun! Big thanks to the Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki Team and all our team sponsors for helping out with our program!” Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki would like to thank their sponsors for the 2012 season: Vesrah, Riders Discount, MCJ Motorsports, American Suzuki, Nielsen Enterprises Suzuki, Parts Unlimited, Penske Racing Shocks, Traxxion Dynamics Fork Components, Yoshimura, Catalyst Racing Composites, Shoei, Cortech, Sidi, Held, Motion Pro, Sudco Int., Bazzaz, Factory Pro, Maxima Racing Oils, Adjustable-levers, Vicci, Vortex, DID Chain, Zero Gravity, GPR Stabilizers, Trek Bicycles, Suzuka Tire Warmers, K&N Filters, Redbull (Benny), Oakley (Benny & Jake), Roclun (Jake), Progressive Trail Design (Cory), 509 sunglasses (Cory and team), Andrew Swenson Designs and Drippinwet.