Michael Jordan Motorsports Riders Bostrom and Hayden Top the Charts in Final Day of AMA Pro Road Racing Testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway Beaubier Fastest in Daytona SportBike; Vesrah’s Lewis Tops SuperSport Class; Wyman Leads XR1200 HOMESTEAD, Fla. – AMA Pro Road Racing conducted an official test at Homestead-Miami Speedway this week which gave more than 50 riders an important opportunity to prepare their motorcycles in advance of the Big Kahuna Miami, scheduled for September 21-23, 2012. With many of AMA Pro’s top teams in attendance, riders and crews went to work perfecting their racecraft on a track that hasn’t been on AMA Pro Road Racing’s calendar since 1996. Setting the bar high, the Michael Jordan Motorsports team left nothing on the table in the final day of on-track activity. The team’s AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike riders Ben Bostrom and Roger Hayden posted impressive lap times in the final session that locked them in at the top of the charts. Bostrom, who pilots the team’s No. 23 Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000, posted successively faster lap times over the course of the two-day test before ripping off a final session flyer with a time of 1:21.445 around the Speedway’s 2.21-mile motorcycle road course. The former National Guard SuperBike champ is one of the few riders in the Series with experience at the South Florida venue, having won the AMA SuperTwins race 16 years ago in AMA Pro’s inaugural race at the venue. “I’ve been here before, I like it,” said Bostrom. “In 1996 I won the Harley race here, so the track was semi-good to me then too. My first lap around here this year, I said ‘I don’t even remember this track.’ It’s crazy, I didn’t remember it. But the bike is fantastic, nice comeback after Daytona; we had a really tough time there. Actually it sucked, let’s admit it. I know for the rest of the tracks, especially these twisty tracks, we have an awesome handling machine. My engineer Darren has found something again, so it’s been one of the most successful tests we’ve ever had actually, as far as speed goes.” Teammate Hayden turned in the second overall fastest lap of 1:21.526 in the same session aboard the team’s No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000. The Big Kahuna Miami brings motorcycle road racing back to one of the country’s biggest entertainment markets and Hayden took this testing opportunity to combine work with pleasure during his brief time in South Florida. “I came here right as the 200 was ending; probably before it was even done I was on my way here,” said Hayden. “Me and my girlfriend came here for a few days and hung out by the beach. It’s been a long couple of months getting ready for the season so it’s kind of nice to take a few days off. I’m a huge sports fan and I’ve always wanted to see LeBron James play. I went to the Miami Heat game on Sunday night when they played the Orlando Magic, so I got to see Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade and LeBron play. It was one of those things I get to check off the list.” Defending AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes turned the test’s third fastest lap time of 1:21.647 on his No. 1 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1, followed by yesterday’s fast man, Blake Young. Young’s No. 79 Yoshimura Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 was often the fastest rider in each National Guard SuperBike session, the Wisconsin posting a time of 1:21.844, good for fourth overall. Larry Pegram rounded out the top five with a lap time of 1:22.266 on the No. 72 Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing BMW S1000RR. With one of the paddock’s busiest racing schedules, Pegram left the Miami area bound for Florida’s West coast to participate in this weekend’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with the Star Mazda Championship. “We had a lot of stuff to run through when we were here,” said Pegram. “Right here at the end of the day we threw some tires at it to see what we could do and we did a 1:22.2. I’m not ecstatic with that but that’s a lot better, we made some good improvements here this weekend. We found some things out, we’re still learning. We’re getting the bike better all the time. I feel a lot better leaving here than I did leaving Daytona, as far as our competitiveness.” Beaubier Blasts Past AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Competition Cameron Beaubier is making waves early in his second AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike season. The Californian finished third after leading five laps of the season-opening DAYTONA® 200 last weekend and was immediately competitive at this week’s test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Beaubier’s fast time of 1:24.431 on the No. 6 Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 was nearly a half-second ahead of his closest competitor. “It was really good; the track got a little more grip today,” said Beaubier. “We tried some things with suspension, getting a little more brake feel. The bike worked really well today, I really like the track and I’m excited to race here.” The only other GoPro Daytona SportBike rider to crack the 1:24 mark was GEICO Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas, who found speed in the second day of the test and posted a fast lap of 1:24.807. Tommy Hayden, freshly added to the Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha team at Daytona, posted the third fastest lap for the class with a time of 1:25.266. “I enjoyed myself here at the track,” said Hayden. “It seemed like everything went pretty smooth, cool to have a new race and a new track to come and ride. I felt more comfortable with the bike and the team as well, chipped away at things little by little. I made my times a little faster and I’m feeling good. I’m going to be doing the next two races, for sure. It’s a big change for me, you know, with a new team, running a 600, but I’m really looking forward to it so I want to come to the next race and put in a little better fight than we did in Daytona. No major changes, the bike has proven itself for years. A couple of small things to get myself more comfortable personally to it, for my riding style, but for the most part I’m just adapting myself back to the 600 riding style and trying to break some superbike bad habits. I feel pretty confident at Road Atlanta. We are going to be able to compete there with some good results.” Rounding out the top five were AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike rookies Benny Solis (No. 35 Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600), who turned in the fourth fastest lap of 1:25.341, and Jake Gagne (No. 132 RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha YZF-R6). Both rising stars are eligible for the Saddlemen Rookie of the Year award, created to bring attention to AMA Pro’s rising talent in the GoPro Daytona SportBike division. Lewis Locked and Loaded in AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport In the first AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race of 2012, Jake Lewis took home a second-place result to defending series champion James Rispoli by just 0.032 seconds. This week during the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Lewis reversed the running order by throwing down the best Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport time of 1:26.336 in Wednesday’s opening session on his No. 85 Vesrah Riders Discount Suzuki GSX-R600. Though Rispoli topped him in the day’s remaining sessions, Lewis was able to hold on to the top spot. “It went really well, we ended up setting the fastest time of the test so we’re happy,” said Lewis. “I’ve gotten really comfortable with the bike and the team and I’m looking forward to going to Road Atlanta. I know that track, so I won’t have to deal with the learning curve like I did at Daytona. Mark Junge gave me a road bicycle so I’m going to be training hard to get ready for the next race.” Rispoli turned his fastest time of 1:26.441 in the first afternoon session following a series of consistent outings on the No. 1 Celtic Racing/ Orient Express Racing Suzuki GSX-R600. “I think we’re pretty close,” said Rispoli. “That last session there we did a 1:26.4, we made a couple of mistakes on that lap so I know that lap could have been quicker. Once we get down to those times, we’ll be able to click them off whenever we want to. We were very consistent when we did our race simulation and I feel that we can run consistent lap times. We’re hoping to get lower for the race weekend coming up and to just run consistent lap times. It seems like everybody is just throwing the one-off laps in there, which is fine, but from what we saw, we’ve able to be really consistent which is good.” Third fastest in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport division was RoadRace Factory rider Hayden Gillim, pilot of the team’s No. 69 Yamaha YZF-R6. Wyman Working Hard in AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series Kyle Wyman has contested all but one round of the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series since its inception in 2010. The 22-year-old can also boast the he is the only rider to win an AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series race held in the state of Florida, having successfully defended his 2011 victory at Daytona International Speedway with an equally impressive 2012 win. The top three Vance & Hines XR1200 Series riders from the season-opening round at Daytona found themselves in the same positions during the Homestead-Miami Speedway test, and Wyman’s fast lap of 1:33.055 will serve as a benchmark for the competition when the Series returns in September for the Big Kahuna Miami. “I think this is a really fun track,” said Wyman. “It was my first time riding here so I didn’t know what to expect. Even just in the first few laps, I knew it was going to be something that fit my style. I like the hard braking and tight corners and all that, the flat stuff. Then coming on and off the NASCAR track is always cool, it’s worked out pretty good for me in the past. I can’t wait to get back here in September, it seems like a long ways away but we’ve got a really good track. The XR racing is going to be really good, it always is.” Not far behind, standout Tyler O’Hara set the second fastest lap for the class at 1:34.060, followed by Bartels’ Harley-Davidson teammate Michael Barnes with a time of 1:34.570. Get Back to the Track Tickets for this fall’s Big Kahuna Miami, scheduled for September 21 – 23, 2012 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, can be purchased at ~http://www.m1powersports.com/big-kahuna-miami/~. AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.: Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier Is Quickest DSB Rider At Homestead Test; Teammate Hayden 3rd Quickest Overall Homestead, FL March 22, 2012 Following up his podium finish in last Saturday’s 71st running of the Daytona 200, Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier stayed on the gas and was the quickest AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike rider overall at the official AMA Pro test held Tuesday and Wednesday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. 19-year-old Cameron wasted no time in getting up to speed on his Yamaha YZF-R6® at the south Florida track, which is new to the AMA Pro Racing schedule for this season. In an amazing display of speed and consistency, Cameron was the quickest DSB rider in 6 of the 8 track sessions, and he was second-quickest in the other two sessions. Cameron’s teammate Tommy Hayden, who will race for Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha in the next two DSB races at Road Atlanta and Infineon Raceway as a replacement for injured team rider Garrett Gerloff, was also very fast and very consistent in Florida as he continues to get acclimated to his Yamaha R6. Tommy was third-quickest overall, and he had two sessions where he was second-quickest. Commenting on the test and the Homestead track, Cameron said, “We were getting the suspension dialed in for when we come back (in September) for the race. My Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha works really well. The track is pretty cool. It flows really well, and it’s a lot of fun. I’m excited to come back and race here.” Tommy said, “Homestead is a pretty cool track. I hadn’t really ridden here before. I felt more comfortable with the bike and the team, as well. I’m adapting myself back to the 600 riding style and trying to break some SuperBike habits. I feel pretty confident about Road Atlanta. We’re going to be able to compete there with some good results.” In AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha riders Josh Hayes and Josh Herrin made good use of the Homestead-Miami Speedway test as they and their crews worked to get the Yamaha YZF-R1® SuperBikes dialed in to the 2.21-mile, 12-turn race course. This was the first visit to the track for the Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team, although Josh Hayes did race at Homestead a number of years ago when the track was configured a little bit differently. Hayes was third-quickest overall and, at the end of one practice session, he was at the top of the timing charts. Josh Hayes said, “The race here is going to happen towards the end of season, and it will be getting around to championship time, so I’m sure there will be a lot of pressure when we come here. The track has definitely got quite a few challenges. It offers some pretty cool things like burning it up real big off of turn 7 and some really hard braking into turns 6 and 8. It should offer some really good racing. What we learned here over the past two days will give us a nice, strong bike for when we return in September.” Hayes’ teammate Josh Herrin, who is brand-new to the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike class this season, finished 10th overall as he adjusts to riding the bigger, more powerful Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha R1 on a tight and twisty road course like Homestead-Miami Speedway. This was Herrin’s first-ever visit to Homestead. The next race for the Yamaha U.S. Road Racing Teams will be in less than a month when AMA Pro Racing makes its return to Road Atlanta for the Big Kahuna Atlanta on the weekend of April 20-22. Be sure to follow the Yamaha U.S. Road Racing Teams on Facebook. More, from a press release issued by Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki: AN OUTSTANDING TEST AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY FOR THE RIDERS DISCOUNT VESRAH SUZUKI TEAM. The Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki team finished up 2 days of testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway in preparation for the AMA Pro Road Racing Big Kahuna Miami coming up later this fall. Jake Lewis came away with the fastest time in the AMA Pro SuperSport class and Kyle Wyman was able to do the same in the AMA Pro XR 1200 class. In the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class both Benny Solis and Cory West posted competitive times with Benny ending up 4th and Cory 9th. The team will be back in action on the weekend of April 20-22 at the Big Kahuna Atlanta at Road Atlanta in Braselton Georgia. Breeann Poland Team Manager Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki “After Daytona we weren’t going to do the test at Homestead since we had just raced there in December but after talking it over we decided we needed to turn some more laps and make sure we were dialed in. We had a great two days of testing. All four riders really excelled and we are leaving Homestead with two P1’s, a fourth and a solid 9th. The team is really looking forward to the next round at Road Atlanta for the Big Kahuna Nationals!” Jake Lewis Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #85 “The last two days of testing at Homestead have been awesome, especially leaving the test the fastest among the SuperSport riders! The crew and I got the bike dialed in and tried different settings on the Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600. The track was really fun and it will definitely provide for some good racing. It was good to get more seat time and get my confidence up heading into Road Atlanta. Until then, I’ll be training really hard and riding as much as possible so I can hopefully get my first AMA Pro win!” Benny Solis Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #35 “I’m really happy we came to this test and got in some track time, I finally have a good base setting now after all the testing we did. I showed up to Daytona with no decent base setting which set us back quite a bit, but now we are ready to show up to the next race and do well right away since we got so much info out of this test.” “I tested quite a few different rear shocks and all the Penske shocks are great but I found one that I really liked and I was able to get some decent lap times in. But I can’t thank the team and crew enough for working hard on my bike, I had many changes made and they always made sure the bike was 110% for me. Other than that, I just have to say that I’m stoked that we will be racing here in Homestead this season because I really like this track and I’m ready to go and have some fun at the next round in Atlanta!” Cory West Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #57 “It was nice to get to come back to Homestead without any pressure of a race weekend to keep dialing in our setup. We sorted through a lot of different setups and experimented with the bike just to see how it would respond. I also spent a lot of time on used tires to get a good feel of how the bike will be at the end of the race. All in all I’m happy with how things went even though the times weren’t super fast. Thanks to the entire Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki crew for their hard work at the test and we’ll be ready to rock at Road Atlanta!” Kyle Wyman Kyle Wyman Racing / Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki #33 “I think this is a really fun track and I like the hard braking and tight corners and all that, the flat stuff. The bike is working great and I can’t wait to get back here in September. The XR racing is going to be really good, it always is.” 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, Full Spectrum Batteries, Redbull (Benny), Oakley (Benny & Jake), Roclun (Jake), Progressive Trail Design (Cory), 509 sunglasses (Cory and team), Andrew Swenson Designs and Drippinwet. More, from a press release issued by Celtic Racing/Orient Express: Celtic Racing’s Rispoli And Alexander Work Hard In Productive Homestead Two Day Test Celtic Racing completed a two-day AMA Pro Road Racing test at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Tuesday evening; both James Rispoli and Corey Alexander made strong progress over the eight combined sessions. This test event came just two days after the season opening event at Daytona, where Alexander was on Pole for both SuperSport events. Additionally, Rispoli dominated both races and won the first race on Friday and Alexander secured second place on Saturday. Alexander leads the AMA SuperSport East series, and Rispoli leads the AMA Supersport West series, placing Celtic Racing in the overall SuperSport lead for 2012. James Rispoli rode his #1 Celtic Orient Express Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and worked closely with his crew to maximize his time at the circuit. James was very enthusiastic and pleased with the two days of work, stating “The two days went great! We learned so much about the bike, suspension, tires, and overall set up that allowed me to run very consistent lap times. Our race simulation went really well and I could ride a fast pace in every session. The two days went amazing, and we got a lot of data and found a great direction forward. It was totally worth the time and effort spent because we learned so much. Big thanks to Barry, William, Eric, Dustin, and the guys from K-Tech Suspension for all the hard work!” The #5 National Guard Fairhills Group Suzuki GSX-R 600 ridden by Corey Alexander, also had a great test despite one minor incident. “My National Guard Fairhills Group Celtic Racing GSX-R 600 worked well right off the bat. Even though it was only my first time at Homestead we got up to speed quick. After a fall on Tuesday we struggled a little on Wednesday to get back up to speed. I have to give a huge thanks my mechanics Barry and Tim for working hard to get my B bike dialed in. Ending the test only a few tenths off of the fastest time leaves me feeling pretty content overall. Thanks to all the team sponsors and my personal sponsors alike.” 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.