From a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: Team M4 EMGO Suzuki concluded two productive days of testing at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, AL on Tuesday in preparation of the second round of the 2008 AMA road racing championships. Looking to build upon their extremely successful season opener at Daytona International Speedway where the team kicked off their ’08 campaign earlier this month with a podium and three top fives, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki spent their time on the undulating BMP circuit testing Pirelli tires as well as suspension settings and various other components for their Suzuki GSX-R racebikes. Team Crew Chief Keith Perry said, “We had a very productive test at Barber, especially on the second day. We tried a lot of tires for Pirelli and were encouraged with what they had for us to run through. It was good for Team M4 EMGO Suzuki to get some more track time, and it was also a chance to try some settings they might normally not have time to try during a race weekend because of the time element. We’re pleased at how the test went.” Coming of his sensational debut with the team, all eyes are on Blake Young, who took a close second in the Superstock race at Daytona and backed that up with a fifth in Supersport and ninth in Superbike. Perry remarked, “Blake surprised us a little bit, maybe, with how well he did at Daytona. With young riders, it’s wise not to put the expectations too high too soon, but Blake has already shown us he’s a racer with a lot of personal drive and determination to go along with the talent. He was up to speed at the test and he’s not satisfied with just doing well or finishing where he was last year. He has a good mindset for a racer and he wants more.” Colombian Martin Cardenas also had a fine Daytona, claiming fourth in the prestigious Daytona 200 in Formula Xtreme and taking sixth in the Supersport race, finishing just fractions of a second behind teammate Young. “Martin got in a lot of laps at the test and ran through everything we had for him and gave us his feedback,” Perry commented. “He’s in a little bit different place than our other two riders since he has more experience. Raceday is where he really puts it together and kicks it into another gear. I think his record with us shows that. He’s the kind of rider that learns from testing and then puts it to good use in the races.” Cory West had a more difficult go in Daytona, crashing out of the top ten early in the Supersport final, but charging up from 40th to 19th by the conclusion of the race. He’s hoping to join his teammates up front when the series picks up again in Alabama. Perry said, “Cory rode his Supersport bike both days and he and his crew have a good direction. He’s working well with his mechanics and putting in the hard effort that will pay off in the future.” Team M4 EMGO Suzuki will return to Barber Motorsports Park for the real thing on April 18-20 when the track plays host to the second round of the 2008 AMA Superbike Championship. More, from a press release issued by Chris Ulrich Racing: ULRICH, PIETRI, AND VILLA TEST IN ALABAMA FOR ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Expectations are sky high for Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki following their terrific 2008 AMA Superstock season opener at Dayton International Speedway. Coming off a pair of top-ten results, including Chris Ulrich’s fourth-place run, Ulrich and teammates Robertino Pietri and Santiago Villa are eager to carry the momentum they gained earlier this month in Florida into next month’s second round at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, AL. The team traveled to the Alabama circuit this week for two days of testing in order to put themselves in the best position possible to meet their goals. After working through settings on their GSX-R1000s and a number of Pirelli tires, Ulrich declared the test a success and laid out his aim to better what was one of the team’s best-ever combined results in Daytona when they next travel to Barber Motorsports Park. He said, “The team had a successful test. We ran through a lot of different settings and got to try some off-the-wall stuff before coming back to what was working for us. Robertino ended up going about a second or so faster than he ever went before at Barber. He’s recovering from Daytona and got a lot done with his setup. As far as my side of the team goes, we made some changes and learned a lot. We weren’t quite able to reach our goal of last year’s pole time, but we achieved some very competitive laps and are encouraged for the race. Testing and racing are always two different things and we feel good about coming back.” Colombian Santiago Villa also tested for the team in Alabama. Santiago is the newest member of the team and finished 17th in Superstock at Daytona. “Villa made progress at the test. Every time he gets on the bike, he’s moving forward and improving his lap times,” said Ulrich. “We’re happy to see faster lap times and think his part of the program is going well. The objective with Villa is to find some more speed and he’s going faster every time he gets on the bike.” Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki faced some challenges at the test. “The weather wasn’t that great and the temperature will be higher when we come back. We didn’t have the actual race tire we’ll use in April but Pirelli has some stuff in the pipeline that’s going to be an improvement,” said Ulrich. “Our goal is to get both Robertino and me in the top five, and continue the progress with Santiago,” Chris continued. “Traditionally, Barber is one of the tougher races for Pirelli but we think they will come up with some good tires for the race. It will be interesting to see what Robertino can do when he’s healed up some more.” Ulrich has another unconventional test coming up before the Alabama event. “I’m going to spend two days at Huntsville Dragway working on my starts before the race. The crew is pumped to get racing again, too. We’re looking forward to carrying our Daytona momentum into the next few races.” The second round of the 2008 AMA Superstock Championship will take place at Barber Motorsports Park on April 18-20.