CUDLIN IMPRESSIVE IN AMA SBK DEBUT Damian Cudlin filled the shoes of Celtic Racing’s Michael Laverty at the final round of the AMA Superbike Championship on the weekend, and the young Aussie didn’t disappoint. On his first ride aboard the Celtic Racing Suzuki, in his first appearance at the New Jersey Motorsports Park circuit, Cudlin instantly made his presence felt mixing it with AMA’s big guns from the start, eventually securing a Top 10 Superpole berth in qualifying. Despite being unable to improve in the Superpole session, Cudlin was in a confident mood heading into Saturday’s first race and showed the paddock a glimpse of his potential by finishing a strong 9th and disposing of regular names such as May, Holden and former World SBK Champ, Neil Hodgson in the process. “Securing a Superpole berth was really a target of mine coming into this weekend and I was happy when I held off the charge of Geoff May and Blake Young at the end of qualifying, although we all know it’s in the race that counts and that’s where I wanted to be strongest.” Cudlin explained. “I made a clean start and hung onto the group in front until I realized Hodgson and May where holding me up a bit. I got around Hodgson but found it tougher to get around May so in the end I decided to wait till the end and try and come home strong. I made the pass stick, and then held him off to the line for 9th. It was a good race to open my SBK account with.” Sunday’s second Superbike race marked the end of an era in AMA racing with reigning champ Mat Mladin taking to the track for the final time. Huge crowds packed the grandstands and were treated to a real show for the final race of the year. Cudlin made a cracking start in the race however was lucky to narrowly avoid a crashing Ben Bostrom, which resulted in a red flag and a full restart. In the restart Cudlin again got away cleanly and focused on staying attached to the group in front. Losing touch slightly when Taylor Knapp was forced into the pits, Cudlin fought hard to regain ground and for a short period proved to be the fastest rider on the track, setting personal best lap times in his tireless pursuit of the leading group. However a mistake into turn 3 forced the Aussie into the grass, losing precious time. Despite the small setback Cudlin kept pushing and began chasing down Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Blake Young. With a lap to go, Cudlin made a daring pass into turn one and brought his Celtic Suzuki home in front, securing an 8th place finish for 7th overall. “I wanted to make sure I left nothing on the table in that race and I proved to myself that I can run with these guys. The Celtic Suzuki worked great and again we were able to come home strong at the end. I made a mistake which put me into the grass one lap, but I never gave up and just kept my head down. The Celtic boys were all pretty pleased so I’m wrapped.” Cudlin gleamed after the race. “I’m just really thankful I was given this opportunity to show what I can do, and I hope that it leads to a job for next year. I really want to make it in the AMA and I’m determined not to go home with my tail between my legs.” The man who played a role in securing Cudlin the deal at Celtic Racing, 7 time AMA champion Mat Mladin, finished 2nd in his final appearance on US soil. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: San Marino Grand Prix debrief with Tohru Ubukata Round 13: San Marino GP Post-race debrief Misano World Circuit, Tuesday 8 September 2009 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard Bridgestone have been successful at the San Marino Grand Prix since it returned to the MotoGP calendar in 2007 and Bridgestone-shod riders have always qualified on pole and won there since then. This year, the achievement was a new lap record set by Valentino Rossi as he dominated the race to score his sixth grand prix win of the season. He was followed across the line by Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. Three riders were involved in a crash in turn two which allowed the Hondas of Dani Pedrosa and Toni Elias to fight for the early lead, but the Fiat Yamaha duo soon came to the fore and Rossi controlled the pace of the race from the front. Q&A with Tohru Ubukata – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department Another new lap record was set during the San Marino Grand Prix; what can you say about this? “Of course I am very happy as it demonstrates the level of performance our tyres are delivering and the speed they are allowing the riders to ride at. We have no tyre competition in MotoGP anymore, but the fact that six new lap records have been set this season gives a good comparison of the level of performance of our tyres this year. “This season, new lap records have been set by Valentino at Jerez, Assen and Misano, by Jorge at Brno and Indianapolis, and by Dani Pedrosa at Sachsenring. Jerez, Assen, Brno and Misano all have high average lap speeds and both Sachsenring and Indianapolis have abrasive surfaces, so I am very pleased with the performance of our tyres in these demanding conditions.” Why did rear tyre compound choices vary during the race but the front tyre choices did not so much? “During the race the ambient temperature was cooler than during both qualifying and Friday free practice, so this is the main reason that many riders chose the softer option rear tyre. However Misano has many bumps especially in braking zones, and these can make the rear wheel hop under heavy braking. This puts all the load of the bikes onto the front tyre so riders need very good front stability to be able to push. The hard compound front slick tyre is stiffer than the medium compound, so gives improved stability, and that is why most riders chose this option.” The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has 10 left- and six right-handed corners and asymmetric tyres were used there, but Misano has six left- and 10 right-handers and symmetric tyres were used. Why is this? “Even though Misano has six left- and ten right-handed corners, the opposite of Indianapolis, asymmetric tyres were not needed here because of the temperature differential between the right and left shoulders of the tyres. We only use asymmetric tyres when one side of the tyre is put under significantly more stress and load than the other and thus operates at a higher temperature, and at Misano the temperature differential is much smaller than it was in Indianapolis. Also, the layout of Misano means that there is a regular flow of right- and then left-handers, so each side of the tyre maintains operating temperature through the lap rather than cooling gradually between corners. Where will asymmetric tyres be used until the end of the season? “Actually, of the four races left in the season we will bring asymmetric rear tyres to three of them. They will be used at the next round in Estoril, at Phillip Island and at the last round in Valencia.” More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Honda Racing: CORONA EXTRA HONDA RACING TAPS FIFTH AND SIXTH PLACES IN FINAL 2009 SUPERBIKE RACE Neil Hodgson and Jake Holden finished out the 2009 Superbike season right behind each other with fifth and sixth place finishes respectively at the New Jersey Motorsports Park venue finale. In front of a terrific crowd for the first ever event at the new facility and with almost ideal weather, both riders overcame earlier problems to get on the pace and up in the front pack for an exciting finish to the season. The race also marked the last ever for multi-time AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin. Mat’s skill and determination will be missed. We wish him the best in his retirement endeavors. The weekend did not start well for the team with problems for both riders, electrical gremlins for Jake and set-up issues for Neil. Jake, who had never been to the facility before, struggled to get up to speed with minimal track time caused by a hard to trace misfire at high rpm. The problem was to plague his practices all weekend and keep him from his usual fast qualifying. Neil, who had tested at the track earlier in the season, was not able to capitalize on that experience and had a hard time quickly finding a bike set-up that worked for him. Neil was able to get the bike sorted for final qualifying and posted third fastest time of the day, 1:21.710, and into Superpole. Unfortunately his Superpole lap, 1:22.649, was not nearly as good as the time earlier and he lost grid positions ending in seventh. Jake qualified in fifteenth having missed most of the qualifying session with the electrical problems. Race one was a lesson in frustration for both riders. Neil had crashed in qualifying practice wrecking his bike and requiring the crew to rebuild it from the frame up for the race. Jake almost missed the start when an engine mapping problem appeared on the warm-up lap. He was able to make it to the start just in time after frantic work by the crew. Neither Neil nor Jake were able to get up to speed in the race and their finishes were not helped by poor starts. Both struggled getting by slower riders and neither was able to match times posted in qualifying. The final finishes were eleventh for Jake and thirteenth for Neil. In the second race the story was much better. After a red flag on the first lap and full race restart both riders were up in the lead pack and stayed within striking distance of the leaders for the entire race. Hodgson crossed the strip for the first time in 5th and held that position until lap 17 when Larry Pegram managed to get by. Neil held 6th position for three laps until gaining 5th again when Tommy Hayden crashed. Hodgson held that position until the end of the race. Neil’s best lap time was 1:21.879. Jake Holden also had a much better second race, benefiting from the track time gained in race one! Holden crossed the stripe in 9th for the first lap, having made up six positions from his start. He held that position until lap four when he passed Cory West for 8th. West managed to retake that position on lap 10. On lap 14 Holden passed Blake Young to take back 8th. He moved up again on lap 21 when Hayden crashed. The next lap Holden passed West to take 6th a position he held until the end of the race. He posted his best lap time of 1:21.532, the fourth fastest lap of the race, ably showing what a quick learner Jake is! Jake finished the season championship points standing in tenth place with Neil right behind in eleventh. The event ended with the traditional end-of-season “Corona party” held in the “Officers Club” at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. The event was supported by all the major teams, the venue and AMA and attended by everyone it seemed! The event finished in the wee hours and provided an enjoyable close to the season. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Ends Season Inside Top-10 Millville, N.J. Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s riders ended the season in high spirits with two out of three riders finishing inside the top-10 in the final AMA Daytona SportBike race of the season at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Jamie Hacking challenged the front pack before settling for a top-five finish, a big improvement from Saturday’s race. Roger Hayden had a good jump at the start, but ran off in turn one. He put on an impressive charge to finish behind his teammate in sixth. Rookie Leandro Mercado pulled double duty on Sunday as he finished 11th in the Daytona SportBike and seventh in the SuperSport race. Positive End to Season With a bad tire slowing him down on Saturday, Hacking wanted to improve his finish and end the season on a positive note. He got a good start and avoided the turn one crash. He was in the mix of riders that were challenging for the lead and eventually settled for fifth. “Obviously I wish I could have been on the podium,” said Hacking. “We’ve been so close so many times, but this result was definitely better than yesterday. I really want to thank my team for all the hard work they’ve put into this year. It wasn’t easy coming into the season last minute and I think we did a great job overall.” Hard Charger Award Starting on the fourth row of the rolling start, Hayden immediately jumped through the pack to the front, but was unable to make the turn and ran off the track in turn one. He quickly rejoined the pack and put in a hard charge, edging out the competition at the finish line by .001 for sixth. “At the start, I just got in turn one a little hot and ran off the track,” said Hayden. “I was pretty far back, around 20th. I just tried to work as hard as I could and I was able to get up to sixth there at the end. It’s pretty disappointing because I knew I had the pace to do better, but at the same time it’s pretty good to come from that far back and end up sixth. I would have liked to end on the podium, but at least I was able to finish where I did.” Back to Back Knowing his main priority was the AMA SuperSport class, Mercado did his best to move up from his starting position in the AMA Daytona SportBike race. He avoided the first turn carnage but had to run off the track in order to do so. He regrouped and battled his way up to 11th. “On the start, I ran off trying to avoid the people crashing in front of me,” said Mercado. “From there I just tried to go fast. We improved the front end from Saturday but I was still having a little trouble. I almost made it into the top-10, so it was a good race.” SuperSport With only a brief 15 minutes in between races, Mercado regrouped and made his way to the front row of the AMA SuperSport race. He got a great start, leading the pack into the first turn. Officials claimed Mercado moved at the start, forcing Mercado to complete a ride through pit lane and rejoin the field. He pushed hard to break back into the top-10 and finished seventh. “I had a good start and was battling with Josh (Day) at the beginning,” said Mercado. “But then they showed me a flag, but I didn’t know what it meant. I thought that my bike must have been leaking something because I knew I didn’t jump the start. I ended up coming in and just rode through. After that, I was putting in good lap times and trying to be consistent. I really wanted to finish on the podium because I knew I was fast enough.” Run Down The round at New Jersey Motorsports Park marked the end of an up and down year for the Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki. In the AMA Daytona SportBike class, the team produced nine podiums and 14 top-five finishes. Mercado won two of the six AMA SuperSport races he competed in with one additional podium. Fans Galore The fans at New Jersey Motorsports Park packed the stands and lined the fences for a race-packed weekend. The weekend produced some of the highest numbers for the season in fan attendance, proving the Northeast was ready for the return of AMA Road Racing. Thankful Riders know how important it is to have a good team behind them and all were thankful for the hard work this season. “I just wanted to say thanks to the team for everything this year,” said Hayden. “We’ve had an up and down year and they’ve really done a lot for me. Also Kawasaki stuck behind us all year and I’m really thankful for that.” Results AMA Pro Road Racing Series New Jersey Motorsports Park Millville, N.J. September 6, 2009 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Results 1. Josh Herrin, Clovis, Calif., Yamaha 2. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda 3. Tommy Aquino, Saugus, Calif., Yamaha 4. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Honda 5. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI 6. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI 7. Daniel Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Buell 8. Jason DiSalvo, Las Vegas, Nev., Suzuki 9. Chris Seller, South Africa, Yamaha 10. Ricky Parker, Louisiana, Yamaha 11. LEANDRO MERCADO, ARGENTINA, MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Point Standings 1. Daniel Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Buell, 387 2. Josh Herrin, Clovis Calif., Yamaha, 382 3. Martin Cardenas, Miami, Fla., Suzuki, 340 4. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI, 299 5. Jason DiSalvo, Las Vegas, Nev., Suzuki, 283 6. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 258 7. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Honda, 244 8. Tommy Aquino, Saugus, Calif., Yamaha, 235 9. Chaz Davies, Carlsbad, Calif., Aprilla, 219 10. Steve Rapp, Hawthorne, Calif., Yamaha, 200 12. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI, 164 More, from a press release issued by Vicki Schouten’s publicist: It’s a Wrap: Schouten takes Home 3rd Overall in Amateur Championship, First in Women’s Cup Challenge Ottawa, Ontario – Kahuna Powersports Kawasaki ZX-6R mounted Vicki Schouten brought it all home this past weekend in front of the jam packed grandstands at Shannonville Motorsports Park for the final round of the Parts Canada Superbike series championship. After a successful and consistent season on the Parts Canada Superbike series tour, the hard work and effort of Schouten and her Kahuna Powersports team had paid off when Schouten finished a career best 4th place in the Armour Bodies Amateur Sportbike final, enough to take home 3rd place overall in the series championship. Schouten is amongst one of the highest overall placing female riders to compete in the competitive Amateur Sportbike class. During the same weekend, the Kahuna Powersports/ Kawasaki rider also unofficially clinched the Womens Cup Challenge Expert title, with still one round remaining in that series. “It took a little bit of luck and some hard work on our part,” explained an elated Schouten, “but in the end we got it done.” Schouten went on to add “We achieved our goals. The bike and the equipment, my mechanic (Jim Brooks), the crew”¦everyone has worked really hard all season and we are really pleased with a 3rd place finish. Honestly there was a time when I never thought this was possible. It is still sinking in, but it really is an incredible feeling.” Schouten qualified in 6th position in the Amateur Sportbike class, and claimed pole position for qualifying in the Women’s Cup event when challenges struck. Post-technical inspection for Women’s Cup qualifying found Schouten’s ZX-6R to exceed the Dynojet Dyno maximum horsepower limit of 118HP, with a reading of just under 119HP, less than one HP over the series regulated limit, but over the limit all the same. Schouten would penalized five positions and be forced to start from 6th place on the grid for Sunday’s Women’s Cup race. “Apparently this weekend was considered to be perfect conditions for the dyno,” said Schouten when asked about the reading. “I am not going to make any excuses. The bike has proven to be within the limit all season long, but as most people know, dyno readings are often affected greatly by air temperature and atmospheric conditions. It is our own fault that we did not double check in advance, as a standard precaution, and we paid the price. Thankfully Jimmy (lead mechanic Jim Brooks) was able to work around the problem and the bike dyno’d fine (for post-race tech) at 116HP on Sunday, well within the legal limit.” Schouten’s challenges did not end on the dyno. After starting from the second row of the Women’s Cup race, Schouten was penalized with a five second time penalty for jumping the start. “I really had no idea that I had jumped the start,” said Schouten, “but I started to get the signals from my crew and I knew something was up.” Schouten put her head down and still managed to ride the Kahuna Powersports ZX-6R to a commanding victory, even with her five second penalty. Unofficially, the win was also enough for Schouten to secure the Women’s Cup Challenge Expert championship, with one race still remaining. Schouten and her team continued with their success later in the afternoon for the Armour Bodies Amateur Sportbike final. “Our goal was to finish within the top five, so I had planned to ride smart and conservatively.” While she did not get the greatest start (not wanting to repeat the jump start from earlier in the day), Schouten managed to work her way up through the pack to sit comfortably in 5th position. A little bit of luck came her way when the third place rider in the standings crashed, and Schouten was able to move into 4th position in the race, securing a third place overall in the final championship standings. “I’ve been called Ms. Consistency all season long,” said Vicki, “and to be honest I wasn’t sure it was a nickname I wanted, but the consistency has certainly paid off and we are all really pleased with that.” A third place final standing in the Armour Bodies Sportbike Class is enough to secure Schouten a position in the competitive Pro ranks for the 2010 season. “I really never thought this would be possible, but here we are and I could not have done it without a great team and great equipment,” explained Schouten, “I am looking forward to 2010 already!” Schouten cannot thank her mechanic, Jim Brooks, enough for all of his hard work and dedication throughout the season. She also wishes to thank Jason Sterling , Suzanne McCrimmon and all of her friends and supporters for all of the help this past weekend. Special thanks for their support goes to Kahuna Powersports, Canadian Kawasaki Motors, Better Built by Brooks, Bell Helmets, Accelerated Technologies, Performance Under Gear, Pit Bull, Galfer Braking, Motul, Pilot Leathers, Bickle Racing, Giro Eyewear, Vortex, Auto Trim & Signs and GoLo Racing/ HotLap Events. See Schouten in action one last time this season at the final round of the regional RACE Superseries at Shannonville Motorsports Park September 25-27, 2009. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS CLOSES OUT SEASON WITH PAIR OF PODIUMS AT NEW JERSEY MOTORSPORTS PARK MILLVILLE, NJ Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) closed out the 2009 AMA Pro Racing season with an impressive two podium performance from Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). The Millville, New Jersey facility hosted its inaugural AMA Pro Racing event over the Labor Day weekend and the new venue proved to be a huge hit with racers and fans. Great races and packed grandstands were the theme of the weekend and the final round saw plenty of smiles as teammates, friends and fans bid the scintillating 2009 season adieu. The Michael Jordan Motorsports pairing of #23 Aaron Yates and #54 Geoff May capped off the year with a set of solid results from both riders at NJMP, highlighted by Yates’ dual podiums. The 2009 season saw Michael Jordan Motorsports step firmly forward as one of the top teams in the National Guard American Superbike field with the MJM riders making nine podium appearances in 20 races over the 11 rounds, compared to just one podium visit in 2008. Aaron Yates, Jordan Suzuki No. 23 Third year MJM rider Aaron Yates continued his second half surge with a great pair of third place finishes this weekend. After a frustrating start to the 2009 campaign, the entire Jordan Suzuki team never lost faith and began reeling off good result after good result as the season reached the midway point. Yates, on his all new 2009 Suzuki GSX-R 1000, ended the season with six total podiums and a best finishing position of second (Barber, Mid-Ohio) up from one podium and best finish of third (Laguna) in 2008. Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates finishes out the year sixth in the championship, tied with factory Suzuki’s Blake Young, with 290 points. 3rd PLACE, SATURDAY RACE 1 After starting from the front row (P3), Yates was as far back as P6 during the opening portion of Saturday’s American Superbike race. Quickly wicking up the throttle, the Georgia rider started his move forward and battled for second position as the race wound down. At the line, Yates was just 1.6 seconds behind winner Josh Hayes and .2 off second place man, Tommy Hayden. “I was definitely trying. At the beginning, Mat (Mladin) got away and then Josh got out there and got to going,” said Yates. “I finally got by (Ben) Bostrom and I was trying to put in some good laps. When Mat went down, I was a little surprised but it was nice, like ‘okay, now we’re second and we’re going to have to dice it out here. It looks like these guys are hanging on.’ Then Tommy got by me and we raced it to the end. I thought there were a couple of spots I could try to get under him but it was really tough, really hard. We have a couple of things to work on with our bikes. It’s getting around pretty good and the Jordan Suzuki will be ready to go at it again in tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) race.” 3rd PLACE, SUNDAY RACE 2 Race 2 at NJMP was an excellent battle, with four riders running in the front pack for much of the race, and Yates notching a third place finish at the flag. The Jordan Suzuki rider started from third position and quickly broke away from the rest of the field in a four rider pack that stayed less than .5 seconds apart for most of the race, with Yates sitting in P4. As the race wound down, one of that front four crashed out, moving Yates into P3 behind 2009 series champion Mat Mladin. Yates moved past Mladin with mere laps to go and held P2 as the white flag flew. The battle between Yates and Mladin raged all the way to the finish line, with the factory Suzuki pilot slotting past Yates’ Jordan Suzuki on the last lap and whisking across the line just .1 second ahead. It was a sterling finish to the season for the #23 rider and gave Yates his second podium of the weekend and sixth of the season. “It feels really good to be up here and finish the year out with a few decent finishes,” said Yates. “Racing with Josh and Mat, it feels good to be up here and running with them. It was a really good race, lots of fun. I got by Mat on the front straight and he came by me on that last lap, came up beside me, got on the brakes and I thought he was done, but then he just slipped off to the inside. There was really nowhere else to try to get back by him on that last lap. I was looking around the long right-to-left, that transition there. You can almost stick it up under someone, but you have to be pretty rude to do it. We just weren’t close enough and I got all crossed up. But I had a good time and it’s a nice way to close out the year with two podiums here at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Thanks to all these great fans that came out this weekend and all of the sponsors that have supported us throughout the season.” Geoff May, National Guard Jordan Suzuki No. 54 Geoff May and the #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki team close out the 2009 National Guard American Superbike season with a pair of top 10 finishes. It was a welcome result for May after a disappointing Round 10 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) that saw May double DNF. The #54 team rebounded well in the final contest, with May putting his 2009 Suzuki GSX-R 1000 inside the top 10 during both races and running competitive laptimes throughout the holiday weekend. In his maiden full Superbike campaign, May made a big impact early on with a stellar run of three podium finishes to start off the opening five races of the year (2008 Superbike podiums: 0). The team continued to post good results throughout the rest of the 2009 season and May established himself as a legitimate podium contender week in and week out as the season progressed. The Georgia rider finishes the season in eighth position in the championship, with 234 total points. 10th PLACE, SATURDAY RACE 1 Racing in one of the most competitive American Superbike fields of the year, the #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki team knew it had its work cut out starting from the third row (P12) in both Saturday and Sunday’s races. May quickly got to work as the green flag flew and battled his way inside the top 10 as the race wore on. As the checkers flew, May just missed clawing his way up one more position, just .2 behind P9 at the line. “After the debacle at VIR, it’s good to get a decent result here at NJMP,” said May. “While I’d like to be fighting a little higher up, there is a real good group of riders here this weekend and this is the closest field we’ve had all year. We had a pretty good motorcycle today but it wasn’t quite enough to push it that extra bit. We’ll make some changes tonight and see how it goes tomorrow.” 10th PLACE, SUNDAY RACE 2 In Race 2, May captured another clean result to close out the year, putting his National Guard Jordan Suzuki once again inside the top 10. Making up two positions from his starting spot (P12), May kept his nose clean throughout the final 2009 contest and gave the team its second top 10 of the weekend. “That was a fairly uneventful race for me,” said May. “Starting from the third row is always a challenge, but we moved up a few positions as the race went on. We made some changes overnight and they didn’t quite work the way we were hoping, but I figured I’d better bring it home in once piece rather than push it past the point and suffer a DNF. My team has been busting their butts all year, so my hats off to them and a big thanks to the fans here at NJMP, who have been great. I have to give thanks to the National Guard, along with all of our sponsors, for supporting the team this year and making it all position. This was my first year on a full Superbike and it was great to be out here with the rest of these guys and get some good podiums for the team.” More, from a press release issued by Gino Rea: Gino and the Ten Kate Honda team competed the 7th round of the WSBK Superstock 600 Championship at the weekend in Nurburgring. Although going into the weekend positive unfortunately the results were not what Gino was wanting. The weather through the weekend was mixed resulting in not much setup time for the dry race that occurred on Sunday. Having qualified 7th on the second row Gino got a good start and got away with the front four riders for the first laps of the race. Gradually however, as the pace increased Gino found that he was not able to keep at the front without the bike getting too out of shape and after a small error on the penultimate lap, he slipped positions finishing in 6th place. Gino will have wanted a higher position from the race but the 6th place points keep him well in the running for the championship in 3rd place, 24 points behind the leader Petrucci, with a maximum of 75 points available from the last three races. Gino is looking for podiums and wins in the last races. In Gino’s words: “This weekend has really been a struggle. Having not tested here, we only had one dry session before the race leaving no time to get a good set up. We did what we could and made a change to the suspension for the race, as the set up we used in the dry qualifying did not work so good. As for the wet practice, we was 2nd fastest. My start to the race wasnt too bad and after a couple of laps I was in 6th just behind the leading pack. I was struggling really bad with mid corner grip and couldnt hold the line on the exit of turns, making me run wider than I wanted to. With 3 laps to go I was back into 3rd, on the penultimate lap a Yamaha rider passed me on the back straight and I tried to close the gap again on the brakes into the first corner, unfortunately I ran a bit wide and lost touch with the leading group. I had to settle for 6th. Its really disappointing as I wanted to be back on the podium after just missing out at Brno. We will continue to work hard and improve our results. With 3 races to go I am 3rd in the championship… anything can happen yet!!” The next race is at Imola, Italy on the 27th Sept. More, from a press release issued by Wyman Brothers Racing: WYMAN WITH IMPRESSIVE RESULTS IN DAYTONA SPORTBIKE DEBUT Macedon, NY (September 8, 2009) – Kyle Wyman competed in his first AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike race at New Jersey Motorsports Park this past weekend. The new-comer finished a strong 16th on Saturday and backed up his performance on Sunday with a 14th place finish in race two in the ultra competitive class. “I learned so much this weekend,” said the 19 year old, “The (Daytona) Sportbike class is so tough, and it really forced me to step up my game at New Jersey. I was able to have some clean starts despite all the wreckage in turn one of both races and everything worked out in my favor. I’m just really glad I got the opportunity to show what I can do in the class, and am more than pleased with my results.” The former dirt tracker has been riding a sportbike for only 18 months. “As long as I keep improving, I can’t ask for anything more for the stage that I’m at right now. My family and sponsors have been behind me 100% the whole year and it feels good to finish off the season on a high note with my best weekend to date.” Special Thanks to Don Finelli, Chuck Giachetto and Will O’Connor from Niagara Powersports. About Wyman Bros. Racing Wyman Bros. Racing (WBR) is a family based race team out of Macedon, NY consisting of three brothers: Kyle, Travis, and Cody Wyman. All former flat track racers, the team has recently moved into road racing and will soon field all three riders in the AMA Pro Road Racing series. For more information about Kyle, visit www.KyleWyman.net. Visit WymanBrosRacing.com for index of all three riders. More, from a press release issued by Rockwell Performance: BEACH WRAPS UP SECOND PLACE IN AMA SUPERSPORT EAST POINTS AT NEW JERSEY MOTORSPORTS PARK Millville, New Jersey — RockwallPerformance.com Yamaha had a weekend of ups and downs at New Jersey Motorsports Park, with J.D. Beach earning another podium finish and securing second in the AMA Pro Supersport East championship while his teammates Lloyd Worrell and Marcos Reichert suffered injuries at New Jersey and missed races. Beach joined RockwallPerformance.com Yamaha at Mid-Ohio and finished on the podium three times, with an additional fourth place finish in the other race. He was ranked second in the final Supersport East standings due to his hot streak to finish the year. “I didn’t really know I got second in the championship until just now, but I think that’s great considering how my season started. I have to thank RockwallPerformance.com for giving me the opportunity,” said Beach. “We ran at the front and had some good races together and I think we are all pleased at the results.” J.D. earned third at the New Jersey race to notch his third straight podium result. “It was a real good race. Ricky Parker and Josh Day had a strong pace and I was trying to catch them. I gained some laps and lost others but I couldn’t get the job done for the win this time. In the last few laps, I saw I had a huge gap on fourth place so I slowed down a little bit. It was a great way to end the season and there was no need to risk it.” Marcos Reichert was on the pace all weekend and looking to produce his best results of the year after a strong qualifying performance, but a race one crash put him out for the weekend with leg and foot injuries. “We were doing really well in practice and we qualified 15th on Friday and we moved up to 13th when some other riders had technical issues,” said the Guatemalan racer. “We were doing good lap times, around 1:24.5 and feeling really confident for the races. It’s a fun track. In the first corner, first lap, Westby and I touched and I went down. I didn’t feel so bad, feeling upset more than hurt. Then I woke up with a lot of swelling and I had to go to the hospital. Thankfully, nothing was broken and it’s just soft tissue damage. We were doing well this weekend and we were just a second off the top guys. Even though we didn’t get to show it in the races, I feel good about how we’ve progressed. At every round we did better and we thought this one was going to be a great weekend for us. I want to thank all the team for supporting me all year and giving me a great bike all year. I’m ready to come back next season and do a good job.” A Thursday crash kept Lloyd Worrell from racing at New Jersey. Lloyd suffered arm and foot injures and that meant the young racer could not capitalize on his recent momentum as he continued to progress in his first season on a 600cc machine. Lloyd was lapping in Thursday practice when he tangled with another rider in turn one and Worrell crashed. “It threw me into his rear wheel and it drug me into turn one. I guess I was kinda lucky because I could have really gotten hurt in that one. It was one of those deals that happens but I would have liked to finished out the season with a good race. I made it up to eighth in points for championship and learned a lot. I’m coming back next season in Supersport and my plan is to go for the championship.” More, from a press release issued by Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies: The Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team on the Podium Again at New Jersey! Millville, NJ September, 2009 Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team rider Chaz Davies scored his second podium of the year in the first race at the New Jersey Motorsports Park facility this past weekend. The team came back even stronger for the final race of the season on Sunday and Chaz took the lead on lap two and lead the first half of the race before he lost traction and crashed out of the lead. The team was able to test at the New Jersey Motorsports Park facility previously and in basic qualifying Chaz finished in the seventh position with a time of 1:24.008, once again making Superpole. In Superpole, Davies and the team continued to make improvements and ended up in the fourth position on the starting grid. Gobert made up huge ground in final qualifying, but crashed early and was not able to put in a really fast lap and had to settle for seventeenth on the grid. The team had made lots of progress with the motorcycle over the course of the weekend and was fastest in final qualifying on Saturday morning with a time of 1:23.666. The start of the first race went well with both riders making up ground. Davies moved into the third spot and immediately fell into a race long, four bike battle with Rapp, Herrin, and Aquino. Herrin and Aquino worked together to build a gap on Davies and Rapp and had a much easier time with lapped traffic. With a handful of laps to go Chaz moved up to second place and was able to hold off Rapp for his second podium finish of the year. Gobert struggled with a rear tire that spun on the rim causing a massive vibration, but was able to bring the number 97 LeoVince sponsored Aprilia home in the fourteenth position. Daytona SportBike Race Two at New Jersey Motorsports Park was the last chance for the Pit-Bull sponsored Aprilia team to get a win. The team had worked hard all year to develop the Aprilia RSV1000R into a competitive bike and Davies was coming off a strong second place finish on Saturday so it was time to put it all on the line. Gobert had the most to gain at the start. He knew the bike was fast and if he could latch on to lead group, he had the pace to finish in the top five. Gobert got a great run on the inside passing several riders going into turn one. Unfortunately, Garret Carter lost control of his motorcycle and hit Gobert. Gobert saved the crash for a split second, only to be hit by another rider causing him to go down violently. Gobert was transported to the local hospital for evaluation, but was released that night with a sore shoulder and bruising. Davies moved up to the second spot on the start and was not affected by the chaos happening behind him. On lap two Chaz took the lead going into to turn one on the brakes and never looked back. Behind Chaz was a group of seven riders separated by less than a quarter of a second. The pace at the front was faster than it was all weekend with everyone at the absolute limit. On lap eleven Chaz lost traction on the front tire going into turn nine and crashed out of the lead. Davies was unhurt, but the motorcycle was unable to continue. Chaz Davies “It was a great season and the only thing I could wish for is more time. I think that if we could have started the season with the bike we have now we could have been in contention for a Championship. I truly can’t thank my team and my sponsors enough for everything they did this year. Rocky Stargel, Jimmy Le, Chip Spalding, Kevin Hunt and everybody at Millennium Technologies, KWS Motorsports and Aprilia. I also want to thank my personal sponsors, Monster Energy, Shoei, and Alpinestars. Thank You! ” Aaron Gobert “I am disappointed that the weekend and the season ended the way it did. We only had a short time to work together as a team and we made progress every time we got on track. The team is great and I want to thank everybody involved, especially my crew – Brian Nallin, Marty Ashmore, and Michael Godin and the sponsors, Aprilia, KWS, and Millennium Technologies. I also have to thank the companies that take care of me, Alpinestars, Bell, and Monster Energy. Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) “We started this project nine months ago with a new team, new sponsors, new riders, new rules, and a bike that nobody has ever raced at a professional level. We had our work cut out for us, but everybody stepped up to make it happen. Special thanks to everybody at Aprilia and Millennium Technologies. This has been more than just a sponsor/team relationship. These two companies have been an integral part of this project from the beginning. Thanks to everybody at both companies for all your hard work and support, especially Chris Hackl, Rick Panettieri, Gary Pietruszewski, and Mark Render.” Chip Spalding (Team Manager) “This has the been the best season KWS Motorsports has had to date and I am very much looking forward to bigger and better things next year. I want to thank all the sponsors and the team for all the sleepless nights, all the time away from family, all the travel, and all the blood, sweat, and tears. Rocky Stargel, Brian Nallin, Chris Hackl, Marty Ashmore, Jimmy Le, Michael Godin, Chaz Davies, Aaron Gobert, Kevin Hunt, and everybody else who sacrificed so much to make this season a success, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Rick Panettieri (Aprilia Brand Manager) “We knew at the beginning of the season that with a new team and riders getting on the podium was going to be difficult, we are really pleased that the team was able to qualify for superpole at the last eight events, finish in the top five in seven races and get a pair of podium finishes. We want to thank the team for all their hard work and dedication this past season.”