CORONA EXTRA SUPERSTOCK PODIUM FOR HOLDEN AT MID OHIO The podium performance of Jake Holden and his Corona Extra Racing SuperStock Honda CBR1000RR continued at Mid Ohio this weekend with a fine third place finish. Teammate Matt Lynn’s SuperBike race ended in a spectacular crash in the red-flag plagued race. The weather at the Mid-Ohio track was perfect for the entire weekend and riders made the most of nearly ideal track conditions. In SuperBike, Lynn struggled to get a good set-up, not being able to get the bike to turn in a well as he would have liked. He qualified on the fourth row in thirteenth. The first superbike race proved to be a crash fest with almost all the top riders going down in mishap after mishap, resulting in three restarts! It was third time unlucky for Matt who, starting from eighth on the grid went down on lap eleven. The bike burst into flames and with corner workers failing to respond quickly to putting out the fire effectively destroying his CBR1000RR and finishing his weekend. Matt is thirteenth in the championship points standing. Jake Holden was quickly up to speed in SuperStock and consistently at or near the top of the practice sessions. In qualifying his plan for a quick lap got never quite came together and he ended up settling for third on the grid. At the green flag, a missed start put him in fourth behind Jeff May. The Mid-Ohio track is well known for being difficult to pass and it took Jake twelve laps to get by. He put his head down to go after the leading pair and was making up nearly half a second a lap on them but just ran out of time. As Holden said afterwards “I just needed another couple of laps”. Holden remains second in the points. More, from a press release issued by Damian Cudlin’s publicist: PODIUM FINISH KEEPS CHAMPIONSHIP ALIVE Aussie Damian Cudlin continued his bid for the 2008 German Supersport Championship title with another podium finish at Schleiz on the weekend. Starting from the second row of the grid, Cudlin made a slow start in opening leg, sitting just 9th as they crossed the strip for the first time. Schleiz, a circuit notoriously known for being hard to pass on, didn’t make Cudlin’s task any easier, as he bullied his way forward each lap. As the race went on, Russian Vladimir Ivanov and German Arne Tode made a break at the front, as Cudlin tried frantically to pass the remaining men who stood between him and the leaders. With 2 laps remaining Cudlin made his final surge, equalling the fastest lap of the race, to overcome a 1.4 second deficit to reach the final step on the podium. “That was a tough race, made much tougher from such a bad start.” Cudlin said after the race. “It’s so hard to pass around here that you just can’t afford to blow the start, not in this company anyway. I’m glad I could fight back onto the podium, but I’m disappointed I couldn’t get away with these guys at the front as we had the speed to win today.” Ivanov went on to steal victory from Championship leader Tode, keeping the points table tight heading into Sunday’s second race. In a much better start, Cudlin hooked onto the leading pack in the opening laps, poised for his charge to the front before a heavy crash by one of the tail enders caused a red flag and re-start, much to the Aussies dismay. Blasting from the line for the second time, Cudlin wrestled with the field in the first corner before being clipped from behind, spearing him and his machine into the grass. In a gritty fight back from 22nd position, Cudlin entertained the boisterous crowd as he sliced through the riders in front of him, eventually finishing 7th. “I’m obviously really disappointed with the weekends results, as I think we could’ve given Vlad and Arne a run for their money had we been a bit more fortunate.” Cudlin explained. “But that’s racing and it just shows that anything can happen on race day.” Cudlin now sits 3rd in the Championship standings, just 5 points behind Ivanov, but a stark 44 points behind leader Tode. “This weekend hurt our championship aspirations, but like I’ve said all along, this year was about getting on the map and we’ve done that.” “There are still 4 races left, so I’m just going to improve my starts and give it plenty of throttle from here on in.” Cudlin grinned. Cudlin will do double duties at Oschersleben, riding in both the Endurance World Championship and German Championship races this weekend. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Hacking Repeats Podium Finish in Ohio Lexington, Ohio. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking returned to the top three after putting in a great ride, earning his eighth season-podium in the AMA Superbike race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. After a holeshot start, Hacking settled comfortably into third and came across the finish line seven seconds in front of fourth. In the AMA Supersport race, Attack Kawasaki’s Steve Rapp raced for sixth, while teammate Chaz Davies kept it in the top-ten in ninth. Hacking’s teammate Hayden was taken out during the Supersport race and had an issue during the Superbike race. Kawasaki Under the Kawasaki Tent Hacker After a dramatic Superbike race on Saturday, the events of the race were much less extraordinary on Sunday. Hacking took the early lead and settled into a comfortable third to bring it home on his ZX-10R. “This race felt rather uneventful in comparison to yesterday,” said Hacking. “I just got into a rhythm and focused on keeping my distance from fourth place. I know we are going to Atlanta to test and I’m really looking forward to trying some new things.” What A Weekend Following a sixth-place finish during Saturday’s Superbike race, Hayden went out and earned the fourth-fastest time in morning warm-up before the racing began. He got a great start, but after the second lap he had an unknown issue with the bike and pulled in. The crew tried to make changes but the issue remained and Hayden ended his day early. “My race didn’t last very long,” said Hayden. “We had a little issue with the bike. I went down the back straight-away on second lap and the rear started hopping so bad I couldn’t make the corner or use the brakes. We tried a few things to fix it, but we weren’t sure what it is. We’ll figure it out for next race. It’s unfortunate because we went so much better in practice today. But that’s a part of racing and we will move on to Virginia and try to do better there.” Heat With temperatures getting in the 80s, the riders were trying to keep cool before and during the races. Hayden used a hydration system during practice to stay cool while riding two classes in one day. A Little More Luck Rapp hasn’t had the luck with the Supersport class this year, but at Mid-Ohio that changed when he got a consistent finish just outside the top-five. He rode hard and steady to finish the day in sixth. “I felt that we could have done a lot better today,” said Rapp. ” Though with the way things have gone in this class, I am glad to finish the race and get some points on the board. I really think that Virginia could be good for us and I’m looking forward to it.” Moving on Up With a 13th grid spot, Davies got a good jump off the start and eventually brought it across the finish in ninth. “With the qualifying spot that we got, I felt that I did the best I could with what I had on the start,” said Davies. “It was a good race, but I did get run off the track when Roger and Danny (Eslick) went down in front of me. That slowed me up but I managed to get by to ninth. It could have been a lot worse.” Less Chaos With no red flags being thrown at all on Sunday, the races made for a less chaotic event than what fans found on Saturday. With Kawasaki out front for some of the Superbike race and another podium finish, the team took the weekend as a success. They even had time to sign a few autographs Results AMA Superbike Series Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio August 3, 2008 AMA Superbike Class 1. Matthew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki 2. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki 3. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 4. Neil Hodgson, Isle of Man, UK, Honda 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki 6. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda 7. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha 8. Geoff May, Gainesville, Ga., Suzuki 9. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Suzuki 10. Kenny Noyes, Spain, Suzuki 22. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI AMA Superbike Points Standings 1. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki, 476 2. Matthew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki, 449 3. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 377 4. Neil Hodgson, Isle of Man, UK, Honda, 344 5. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha, 339 6. Eric Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha, 311 7. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 288 8. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda, 284 9. Geoff May, Gainesville, Ga., Suzuki, 264 10. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Suzuki, 230 23. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 73 AMA Supersport Results 1. Ben Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha 2. Martin Cardenas, Columbia, Suzuki 3. Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda 4. Blake Young, Wanuakee, Wis., Suzuki 5. Jake P. Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda 6. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI 7. Cory West, Eureka Springs, Ark., Suzuki 8. Bobby Fong, Stockton, Calif., Suzuki 9. CHAZ DAVIES, KNIGHTON, UK, ATTACK KAWASAKI 10. Tommy Aquino, Saugus, Calif., Yamaha 27. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI AMA Supersport Points Standings 1. Ben Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha, 267 2. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 245 3. Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda, 207 4. Blake Young, Wanuakee, Wis., Suzuki, 203 5. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha, 180 6. CHAZ DAVIES, KNIGHTON, UK, ATTACK KAWASAKI, 177 7. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 164 8. Cory West, Eureka Springs, Ark., Suzuki, 163 9. Danny Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Suzuki, 148 10. Michael Beck, Simi Valley, Calif., Yamaha, 145 16. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 98 More, from a press release issued by Penny Nicolai on behalf of Erion Honda Racing: THE PARTS UNLIMITED PRO HONDA ERION RACING TEAM NOTCHES TOP TWO SPOTS IN AMA FORMULA XTREME Lexington, Ohio — Round 7 of the AMA Formula Xtreme race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course proved to be a good event for the Parts Unlimited, American Honda, Pro Honda Oils and Chemicals Erion Racing team with pilots Josh Hayes and Jake Zemke respectively taking home the top two positions. In addition to their top two finishes in Formula Extreme, Hayes also grabbed a third in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Series with Zemke bringing home fifth. “I definitely lucked out,” said Hayes at the end of the 10 lap red-flag shortened Formula Xtreme final. “I knew Jake was right there and had the race not been shortened, I don’t know if I would have managed to stave him off. In fact, he had just gotten by me prior to the red flag, so the results could have easily been different. I’m definitely pumped as this was my first win of the season and hopefully it is the start of being able to turn things around.” For Zemke, his second place finish lengthened his points lead in the series and he now sits 39 points ahead of second place while Hayes’ victory put him just 14 points out of third with three more rounds to go. “It was really a good race with lots of passing. The fans definitely got a good show. I came into this round with the goal of leaving with a full race points lead and we did that and that’s what was important. Josh really rode well and I’m glad for him.” In Supersport the battle also raged with Hayes putting up a valiant battle for second. Unfortunately Martin Cardenas managed to squeeze by on the final lap and Hayes had to settle for third. “All in all, it was a pretty good weekend for us,” summed up both Hayes and Zemke. “Our next race is at Virginia International Raceway on August 16-17 and both of us will once again be looking for the win.” More, from a press release issued by Millennium KWS Suzuki: Millennium/KWS Suzuki finishes Seventh at Mid-Ohio Lexington, OH Aug 2008 — Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Suzuki of Orangeburg finally broke the string of bad luck and had a complete weekend of solid finishes, highlighted with a seventh place finish in Superstock. The team is excited and is hoping to build upon this weekend’s performance and take some momentum into the last three rounds of the season. Team rider Ben Thompson was fast from the beginning of weekend at Mid-Ohio. In Superstock qualifying Thompson turned a lap of 1:26.541 to qualify on the second row in the seventh position. In Superbike qualifying the young Alaskan rider qualified on the fourth row with a time of 1:26.699. Lasting for more than two hours and suffering three red flags and four starts Thompson was lucky to survive the incident plagued Supebike Race One. With a mixture of a little luck and a lot of skill Thompson was always in the right place when the problems happened and he was able to bring the Millennium Technologies Suzuki GSX-R1000 home in eleventh place. The Superstock race went much smoother with virtually no incidents. Thompson got a great start from the second row and immediately started riding with the lead pack. In the middle of the race Thompson tried to conserve his rear Dunlop N-Tec Slick while still keeping touch with group in front of him. Thompson stepped it up and in the end turned his fastest lap on lap eleven. This allowed Thompson to break free of the Spanish Formula Xtreme National Champion Kenny Noyes and finish in the seventh position. In Superbike Race Two Thompson again got a great start going around Factory Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden on the outside in turn one. Thompson fell into a comfortable pace and brought home the Pit Bull Sponsored Millennium/KWS Suzuki home for his second eleventh place finish of the weekend. Ben Thompson “It was a pretty solid weekend. The results weren’t stellar, but they are something to build on for VIR and Road Atlanta. Michael Godin, Dustin Cyr, and Chip Spalding worked hard all weekend and we enjoyed and incident free event.” Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) “Finally!!! An incident free weekend! Hopefully this means the monkey is off our back and we build on this success. Ben is healthy again and riding really well. With a little bit of consistent development, we can give him a bike to match his talent and skill. I want to thank all the sponsors for their support and words of encouragement.” More, from a press release issued by Build Momentum: LeoVince Foremost Insurance Ducati – Pegram Finishes Sixth After Pulling the Holeshot from Second Row Race Red Flagged Early due to Crashes and Delayed Superbike Race Advance, NC (August 5, 2008) – After an amazing holeshot from the second row, Larry Pegram finished sixth overall (just 4.482 seconds behind the leader) in the Formula Xtreme race. The race was red flagged after only ten laps. Pegram was at the front of the pack in the early laps trading spots with the other front runners. Problems with set-up made it difficult for him to maintain the pace needed to finish on the podium. Pegram qualified in fifth place with a lap time of 1:27.040. Pegram’s practice times for the weekend were 1:27.563 on Friday and 1:28.067 on Saturday. In 2007 at Mid-Ohio, Pegram finished in fifth place, 8.313 seconds behind the leader. “I was pleased with the start this past weekend, but disappointed that I was not able to get on the podium. We had problems getting the right set-up all weekend. I am looking forward to getting back on the podium at VIR in two weeks,” commented Pegram. The Formula Xtreme race will be televised on SPEED Channel today. The next race is August 15, 2008 at Virginia International Raceway (www.virclub.com). About LeoVince Foremost Insurance Ducati Hebron, Ohio-based, LeoVince Foremost Insurance Ducati is a professional motorcycle road race team competing in the AMA Superbike Championship Series. The team is owned and managed by Larry Pegram, a third-generation motorcycle racer who competes in the AMA Formula Xtreme class on a modified Ducati 848. Additional information about the team can be found on their web site at www.pegramracing.com. More, from a press release issued by Safety First Racing: Safety First Suzuki Works Hard for a Top Ten Finish Safety First Suzuki rolled into Mid Ohio ready for action after coming off a 4th place finish at Laguna just days before. With second rider, Gabor Rizmayer, off racing in Europe the highs quickly turned to some long hours when gravity seemed to be working against the team commented team owner, Kevin Hanson. “Our guys definitely put in the some long hours fixing crashed bikes. Mid Ohio seems to be really hard on equipment for everyone and when you’re grooming a young rider, you’re going to have some carnage during the year at some point. Bobby learned a lot this weekend. He was a little off the pace on Friday and just got excited and wanted to go out and push harder to be in the top 5 on the time charts. We all know what happens then… riders start crashing! However, I’m really proud of Bobby, he relaxed and rode a really good race when it counted and put it in the top ten in the Supersport race. The thing I really like about 17 year old, Bobby Fong, is he takes responsibility when he makes a mistake. He told his mechanics the bike was fine, he was just trying too hard and needed to relax. I’m really fortunate to have a great group of guys,” exclaimed Hanson. Bobby Fong: Qualified 13th, Finished 8th: “Well that was a rough weekend,” commented Bobby Fong. “I came into Ohio stoked after my finish at Laguna. When we were at Laguna, I just relaxed and rode and didn’t think about anything. This weekend I got excited when I wasn’t inside the top ten in the first practice session. I tried to go out and push hard and started going slower and crashing. I’ve got to say thanks to RS Taichi leathers and Bell helmets for giving me some really solid gear because I was a little hard on them this weekend,” explained Fong. “That’s one of the things I’m learning about myself. When I relax and just ride, I’m right there with the factory guys. When I go out and try real hard, it just doesn’t work. I gotta thank my guys for all of their hard work this weekend. They put in some long hours and my bike was perfect for the race. I didn’t qualify well and just wanted to make sure I relaxed during the race. I got a good start and just raced smart. I caught Cory West and got into a good race with him at the end. Unfortunately, we caught a lapper that kind of screwed me up on the last lap. Overall, I’m happy with the finish and ready for VIR! stated Fong. Safety First Racing was formed in 2004 by police officer/racer, Kevin Hanson, based out of Chicago, IL. For 2008, Safety First Suzuki is competing in the Supersport class in the AMA Superbike series. Kevin Hanson continues to give away Bell bicycle helmets to elementary school children nationwide and educate children about the importance of helmet usage.