BILANSKY RIDES BUELL TO PRO THUNDERBIKE WIN AT TOPEKA Sipp and Spalding Fill an All-Buell Podium; Bilansky Retakes Season Points Lead TOPEKA, Kan. Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky executed a last-turn pass of Bison Racing/Buell rider Walt Sipp to win the Pro Thunderbike race at the ASRA Michelin Pro Series event at Heartland Park. The win and a third-place finish by Hal’s Harley-Davidson/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop rider Joel Spalding moved Bilansky back into the series lead, eight points ahead of Spalding. Bilansky set a new Thunderbike track record during qualifying for the Pro National with a lap of 1:46.934 seconds on the 2.5-mile Heartland Park road course. But it was Spalding on a Buell XB12R that lead the field away at the start of the six-lap Thunderbike National, with Bilansky in second and Sipp in third. Sipp passed Bilansky and Spalding in a single move at the beginning of lap three to take the lead on his home track. Bilansky got past Spalding before the end of the lap and closed in on Sipp, and the two Buell riders exchanged the lead several times each lap as the race wound down. Sipp was leading as the pair entered the final turn before the finish line, and Bilansky used a strong drive out of the corner to power past Sipp and take a close victory. Joe Rozynski (Soundwaves.com/H-D/Buell of Frederick) was fourth, followed by his brother and teammate, Sam Rozynski, in fifth. “It’s good to get the points lead back, although I’d like to have a little more cushion than this,” said Bilansky, who missed the previous Pro Thunderbike event at Loudon, N.H., and, as a result, gave up the points lead to Spalding. “Joel had the strongest Buell motor on the track today, and he got a good hole-shot at the start. I was kind of nursing a tired motor in the first few laps, but once Sipp got by I knew I had to get up there and race with him. We were banging on each other a little bit but I was in a great position to make that pass to win it at the end.” After five events on the 2009 ASRA Michelin Pro Series Thunderbike schedule, Buell riders hold down the top four spots in the season points race. Bilansky leads with 158 points. Spalding slips back to second with 150 points, followed Joe Rozynski with 114 points and Sam Rozynski with 103 points. The next event on the 10-race ASRA Michelin Pro Series schedule is the Northeast Cyclefest, July 24-26 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J. Buell Riders Win Motorsports.com CCS Sprint Races Buell racers won eight events in a double-header weekend of Motorsports.com CCS sprint racing at Heartland Park. Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop rider Matt Sheahan won twice in Amateur Lightweight SuperSport, and Kegel’s H-D/Buell rider Jay Smith scored a win in Amateur Thunderbike. Bilansky won twice in Expert Thunderbike, and Sipp won twice in Expert SuperTwins and once in Expert Heavyweight Super Bike. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com. More, from a press release issued by Palmeto Kawasaki: Mechanical Problem Prevents Noyes from Fighting for the Win in Valencia American Kenny Noyes started second off the front row and was running comfortably in the lead group at the Valencian round of the Spanish 1000cc Extreme championship when his Kawasaki ZX-10R began smoking and blowing oil out the crankcase breather. With oil on the right side of the tire, Noyes was second when reigning Spanish Champion and eventual winner Carmelo Morales dived inside and gestured frantically to warn Kenny of the problem at the end of lap one. Noyes understood immediately and slowed. He had a slide in the fast, turn one left-hander at the end of the long home straight, but pulled off the racing line and then off the track at the first opportunity. A similar problem slowed Noyes in the first qualifying session on Saturday, but the team believed the glitch was solved when Kenny improved in the hot afternoon session and missed the pole by only 0.099 seconds. On the Monday following the race the team tore down both the engines used in Valencia and, after consultation with Kawasaki France, discovered the cause and the remedy. After three rounds, all started from the front row, Noyes has a third and two DNFs, but the team is confident that he can run at the front in the four remaining rounds. Kenny Noyes (DNF) “That was really bad luck. I got a good start and was really feeling strong. We had a real good pace in practice and I felt very comfortable running in the lead group, but just after I passed De Gea and moved into second I realized the engine was down on power and that we were in trouble, but I didn’t realize there was oil on the rear tire until Carmelo Morales came by on the last corner and warned me when he passed. Even though I let off, I still had a big slide at the end of the long home straight. I got off the racing line and parked the bike as soon as I could. I was lucky not to crash and not to cause anyone else to crash. The next turn has a right-hander and I would have been off if I had thrown the bike in hard.” “The weekend was going perfectly and I know we would have been there at the end to fight for the win. This was the first problem that we have had with the bike all season. It was a small part and a small mistake that cost us big time, but we will come back even stronger now. There are four races left and 100 points in play, so all we can do now is go for wins, try and run the table on everybody and have fun doing it!” More, from a press release issued by TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha: TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha Wins Heavyweight Superstock at Grattan GRATTAN, Mich.””Never a team to give up in the face of adversity, TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha came away from Saturday’s WERA National Endurance Series race at Grattan Raceway with the Heavyweight Superstock class win, skillfully overcoming the challenges of the weekend. When team owner Chuck Ivey crashed earlier this month during a Sportsman Series event, the team was dealt a double blow: not only were they now out one rider, but their primary Yamaha YZF-R1 was out of contention, too. Despite nursing a broken foot, ankle and leg, Ivey prepared the backup R1, and the team headed to Grattan. James Vanderhaar rode the TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha R1 with Reuben Frankenfield, who is filling in for Ivey. With a skeleton crew in the pits and just two riders for the six-hour event, the team was still able to secure the Heavyweight Superstock win and fifth overall. “The whole team worked together on pit stops, and Reuben and I put in really consistent laps,” said Vanderhaar, who along with Frankenfield had to pitch in on front tire changes. “I just got back from the Isle of Man, and after racing there, Grattan felt as smooth as glass!” Frankenfield has most recently ridden the team’s R6 in Mediumweight Superstock, but he’s no stranger to riding a TVR R1. “The bike is familiar to me, so I was able to just hop on and get back to it,” said Frakenfield. “The front Michelin tires were really working well for us, even when they were worn. I really enjoyed riding the R1 on Michelins.” TVR’s second entry, the TVR136 Yamaha YZF-R6, took second in the Mediumweight Superstock class, finishing seventh overall. Ohio racer Jeff Wrobel joined TVR136 regulars Ethan Ellis and James Dellinger. Although new to TVR, Wrobel brought a lot of experience at Grattan to the team. “Everything went well for us,” noted Wrobel. “We practiced a lot for our pit stops, and everything went as planned in the race. James and Ethan turned great times, and having all the right equipment really made a difference. Whatever we needed as riders was there for us; Chuck just makes it all happen.” TVR’s sponsors include EBC Brakes, Michelin, Yamaha, Aiken Motorcycle, XES Leather, MotoHeaven.com, Arai, Vortex, Repsol, EK Chains, VP Fuels, and Dyno Jet. Keep up with the team’s season and find pictures online at www.TeamVelocityRacing.com.