AMERICAN GAGNE WINS IN THE NETHERLANDS Jake Gagne won and finished fourth at the Assen rounds of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup on Friday and Saturday, earning his first victory in Europe in fantastic style. “It’s the biggest win I’ve had racing motorcycles and it’s definitely a weight off my shoulders. I’ve been on the podium in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup before and I’ve been close to getting this win a few times but it feels great to do it,” said Jake. “The competition in this series is fantastic and to get a win against these riders from all over the world means a lot to me.” The Ramona, California resident won Friday’s 12-man battle for the victory at the legendary Dutch track. While Jake has previously topped races in the Red Bull AMA US Rookies Cup (including the 2008 Indianapolis Motor Speedway race) and has many motocross and Supermoto victories to his credit, this was his first win versus top young riders from all over the world in the prestigious Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. Jake utilized his trademark cerebral approach in avoiding trouble and waiting until the end to charge forward. The race wasn’t decided until the final two corners and Jake used the perfect strategy to fight to the front when it counted. “I qualified on the second row. Some changes were made to the track this year and I got used to the revised circuit in practice and qualifying. Being on the second row helped me get a good start,” said Jake. “There were a bunch of guys up there and the pace was kinda slow. As usual, there were some crazy passes being made and it kept anyone from getting away. I was in the lead group and just waiting until the last part of the race. With a couple of laps to go, I started making my move. I was fast in the last section and was able to get a good draft. No one was able to catch me after I got the lead and I got the win.” The margin of victory was a scant 0.078 seconds after 16 laps. On Saturday, the race developed in much the same way. Jake found his bike a little down on power and wasn’t able to find a repeat win, even though he earned a remarkable fourth place just 0.413 seconds from the winner. “I got another good start and was with the lead group. We got away from the others and I tried to do it again,” said the 16 year-old. “Top speed was down and I really couldn’t draft anyone. I wasn’t close enough to make a move and I couldn’t make it happen for another win but it was still a good race. I was close to the lead and we got some more points for the championship.” Going into the season, Gagne was one of the favorites in the Red Bull MotoGP title hunt. Before this round, he’d finished eighth or better in every race but now Jake has leaped to fourth in points with his dream of the championship very much alive. “I had been getting some decent points in the earlier races but felt I could turn my season around here. After winning, it gives me some momentum and the confidence I can win. The championship is absolutely still a goal of mine and I’m looking forward to going to work in Germany at the next round.” More, from a press release issued by Acceleration Racing: Rookie Pro Podiums for Hometown The Acceleration | Suzuki | Motovan Racing Team was back in action at Race City Speedway in Calgary, Alberta this weekend for Rounds 2 & 3 of the Canadian National Superbike Championships. Matechuk was quick to gain attention after reaching the low 1:16’s in Superbike followed by 1:17’s onboard his Suzuki GSX-R 600. Concluding a high speed crash in turn one during Friday’s Superbike practice, the young rider had a couple deep wounds on his left hand but was still anxious to get back on the track. Matechuk’s first race onboard the GSX-R 600 was in the Pro Sportbike class. A tremendous launch gave him the holeshot but he was reeled in by Pro Veteran Jordan Szoke and top ranked Jodi Christie in early laps. The Acceleration rookie held his pace and rode to a third place finish and his first Pro podium visit to the delight of a hometown crowd. The Superbike race that followed, placed Matechuk’s Pirelli soled GSX-R 1000 deep in the 3rd row of the starting grid. Matechuk was up to 7th within the first lap and then patiently and relentlessly used the next 20 laps on the 3.2km course to work his way up through the field. By the 17th lap, the Cochrane Dodge sponsored pilot had fought his way up to 4th position. Knowing it was rare to earn a top 5 finish as a Rookie Pro in the Superbike Class, Matechuk celebrated with his team as he exited the track. Sunday’s events started the cycle again. First with Pro 600 sportbike where Matechuk not only hoped to podium again, but was eager to keep on the heels of the class favorites. After a red flag and restart, Matechuk proved he was deserving of a spot on the podium with yet another 3rd place finish. Closing the gap to only 8 seconds on the leaders, the Acceleration rider accomplished what he set out to do. Matechuk hoped for a similar race pace improvement in the illustrious Superbike class as well. Looking poised and focused as he stared down the start straight through his darkened Zox visor, Matechuk tore from the start grid, resurfacing on the back straightaway in 6th position and running a much faster pace. The young rider pushed his way through traffic until the 16th lap when he finally made an aggressive pass on BMW’s Andrew Nelson to take over third and final podium spot. Nelson, not ready to surrender, campaigned back and recovered the position at the end of the long front straight just 2 laps later. Matechuk replied by forcing a brilliant pass on Nelson deep in the Carousel to take back 3rd once and for all. By a narrow margin and with a fist pumping, Matechuk flew past the checkered to take the third place behind Szoke and Martin in his first ride on the powerful Suzuki GSX-R1000. The weekend earned the Acceleration Race team 3 out of 4 possible podiums and an unprecedented rookie performance for the young 16 year old from Cochrane, Alberta. Join the team for Rounds 4 & 5 of the Canadian NATIONAL Superbike Championships at the Mosport Speedway July 8-11 as Matechuk fights for Pro Rookie of the Year and his next podium visit. See you there! More, from a press release issued by James Westmoreland Racing: Mallory Park Round 5. British Supersport Championship. I arrived at Mallory in good spirits after the 5 week break and determined to have a good weekend. Friday started well by been 2nd in the first session then I topped the 2nd session with a 56.6. I was already happy with our pace and knew we could fight for the win. Saturday went well. I managed a 56.4 in the morning to put me 2nd quickest but in the afternoon it was hard to go faster because of the temperature increase and lack of grip. I topped the session on a 56.5. Warm up went well, again fastest and in the 56’s. I was looking forward to the race as I had great pace and knew we could do a really good job. My start was ok but seemed to get boxed in on the run to turn 1 and I settled into 3rd. Ben Wilson had made the start and when Billy got by him I knew I had to follow through as Ben is hard to pass and can make things very hard work! I passed him into Gerrards on lap 7 then the safety car came straight out. Once the race was live again I settled in behind Billy and matched him lap for lap, gradually getting closer and breaking the lap record with a 56.8. I honestly felt really comfortable despite riding really hard. I seemed to loose a little bit off the chicanes and was needing to work very hard on the brakes. On lap 22 I made a mistake into the first chicane and lost my momentum which allowed Sam Lowes within striking distance. I ran wide the same lap at the hairpin and dropped back to 3rd. I struggled for the remaining 3 laps to stop the bike and had to settle for 3rd. We need to look into the problems we encountered towards the end of the race because with 5 laps to go we had a real shot of winning the race. Obviously I was disappointed with 3rd, considering the championship is a three man race and the other two beat me! I feel a bit silly been annoyed with 3rd as it is my worst result of the season except the dnf at Oulton, but I am only here to win races and ultimately the championship. My primary goal is to win for CAME Yamaha and everyone involved and supporting the team. Nothing but winning interests me at this time. I am still leading the championship and consistancy wise we are right there, we just need to win again very soon. I have a great team and package around me and we will now put Mallory behind us and focus on Knockhill this week. I am planning to spend the week training and relaxing and also spending a day cycling in Scotland on Wednesday. I will work very hard at Knockhill from Thrusday to make sure we are strong all weekend and get the result the team deserve. I have been second there the last two years, and had wins in 125’s. More, from a press release issued by Marty Nutt’s publicist: Mallory disappointment for Nutt Marty Nutt’s 100% points scoring finishing record in the 2010 British Supersport Championship came to an end on Sunday when he was forced to retire from round 5 at Mallory Park. The Castlerock rider had shown some good form during practice and qualifying and was hopeful of a top ten finish but problems with the rear shock on the NuttTravel.Com/Dawn/T&G Racing Yamaha meant he reluctantly had to retire on the 18th lap whilst holding on to 14th place. Looking forward to the meeting after a 5-week break, the weekend started well for Marty as he ran inside the top ten during Friday’s free practice session and he continued in this vein in Saturday’s first 30-minute qualifying session, a time of 57.482s placing him in tenth. With high temperatures hitting the Leicestershire circuit, a few changes in set-up didn’t quite work as Marty would have liked in the second and final session and although he was running at a similar pace, he was unable to improve his time and he slipped back 3 places to 13th, good enough for a fourth row start. Race day again saw blue skies and hot sunshine, which was good for the spectators but not the riders who had to contend with 25 hard laps around the physically demanding 1.41-mile Mallory circuit. Reverting back to his original settings, Marty completed the opening lap in 17th place but by lap 4 he was up to 16th and when the safety car came out a later it allowed the whole pack to bunch back up. After it pulled in 3 laps later, Marty immediately moved inside the points and by half race distance, he was up to 14th, right on the back of a 7-strong group of riders battling for 8th place. However, all hopes of moving closer to the top ten ended on the 18th lap when Marty was forced to retire. Speaking afterwards, Marty said; “It was a promising meeting for me and I was running top-12 pace for the majority of the weekend but right from the beginning of the race, I was struggling for grip, which we later found out to be a problem with the rear shock. As I was struggling for grip, I was trying to make up time in other areas, most notably the brakes, but I started over compensating and got quite a bit of arm pump. It was getting to the stage where I was making mistakes and I was sometimes going into the hairpin not knowing if I was going to be able to brake so I decided it was best to pull in. It’s a shame as, like I say, I was happy with my form and more points were definitely on the board so we’ll move on to Knockhill and look forward to getting back in to the top twelve.” Marty now heads to Knockhill in Scotland for the next round, with the meeting taking place this weekend, July 4. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Lorenzo Wins, Spies Fourth in Assen Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo put in another textbook performance at Assen in the Netherlands, leaving his rivals trailing as he led from the front to win the 80th Dutch TT and take his fourth victory of the season on Saturday, June 26. In doing so he becomes only the seventh rider in history to have won in three or more classes at the historic racetrack, with 125cc, 250cc and now MotoGP wins to his name. Meanwhile Yamaha Tech 3 rider Ben Spies made it two YZR-M1s in the top four, while teammate Colin Edwards finished eighth. Lorenzo now has a wide lead in the championship points race with the injured Valentino Rossi still holding onto fourth, Spies closing rapidly in eighth, and Edwards in 10th. Lorenzo looked the man to beat after topping both practice and qualifying, so it was little surprise that he got a great start from pole position and quickly pulled out a gap at the start, with the spectacular rookie Spies following. Yet by lap five Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner got by Spies and loomed large behind Lorenzo, and for a few laps it looked as if a tense three-way battle was building. However Lorenzo’s choice of a harder Bridgestone tire compound eventually began to pay off and, with a lighter fuel load by mid-race, he was able to step things up and eventually build an unassailable lead, crossing the line 2.9 seconds ahead of Pedrosa, with Stoner and Spies following. “I am really happy that I have won here in all three classes because it’s such a historic place,” Lorenzo said afterwards. “Thanks to all my Yamaha guys and also to Bridgestone for this win, and for our big lead in the championship.” Spies added, “I wanted at least fourth place today, but I didn’t quite have the pace for the podium like in Silverstone. Still I’m happy with the result and even though we go to Catalunya next week not knowing the track, I’ll do the same as the past two weeks and push as hard as I can.” Rossi also offered some good news about his rehabilitation. “I am very happy about how my recuperation is progressing,” he said. “I am walking with crutches and honestly, I didn’t expect to feel this good just a few weeks after the incident, and I mean both physically and in my ‘spirit.’ If the rehabilitation proceeds without trouble, then my objective is to return at the Czech Grand Prix in Brno.” More, from a press release issued by Mark Bothe: The “Illustrated Man” is back on top at OMRRA Old guy, Dustin Ranck, aboard his Ron’s Performance Motorcycle built SV650, sponsored by ACME Motowear and ICON Tattoo, swept the top spot in all 3 of OMRRA’s Middleweight classes this past weekend at Portland’s PIR. The weather was hot, with temperatures in the mid eighties for both Saturday and Sunday. This is quite a change for Oregon, where the weather has been cold and wet with mushrooms sprouting everywhere you looked. In OMRRA’s first race weekend, a month ago, Dustin failed to finish in the Middleweight Supersport race, having crashed out of first place. It was imperative for him to do well this weekend and try to keep the pressure on the points leaders. At the start of the Supersport race Dustin had to start on the back row and work his way through the field. Going into turn one, he was able to slot into 2nd, behind class points leader Devon McDonough, but as Devon entered Portland’s turn 3 he lost the front and went down unhurt. Dustin was able to gap 2nd place Brian Moe and then maintained a cushion to finish at the top of the podium. “It was the little break I needed, the crack in the door, to try and claw my way back into points contention. I’m really sorry that Devon hit the deck, but really happy that he was OK, his accident minor and that he could race the next day.” Sunday’s races were uneventful, save for 2 missed shifts off the line. This caused Dustin to work much harder on the opening lap. He was able to pass Devon, move into 1st place, put in a gap and then just maintained it until the end. Dustin wishes to thank all of OMRRA’s cornerworkers and ASIT team. Also RPM, ICON Tattoo, ACME Motowear, Pirelli tires, Competition Motors, and I.S.Racing. More, from a press release issued by Tom Tunstall Racing: Tunstall Has Them Falling At His Feet British Superbike racer Tom Tunstall emerged from an eventful latest round of the championship with more points on the tally despite having riders quite literally falling at his feet. At only 1.41miles in length, Mallory Park in Leicestershire provides a unique challenge for riders of the high powered 100cc machines. Comprising of three tight chicanes and a hairpin there is not rest bite between hard acceleration and heavy braking meaning each of Sundays two 30lappers was going to be physically testing. Lap times as expected were frustratingly close with Tunstall posting a time of 57.4seconds to take 23rd on the grid but only 0.15seconds from a tantalisingly close top 12 position. With track temperatures of over 50degress and ambient close to 30DegC, the BSB riders were in for an even more physical encounter than first thought. The first race was abandoned after only five laps following a nasty collision in the ultra tight Gerrard’s chicane. On the restart the 33riders once again attempted to funnel through the awkward first chicane. Unfortunately ex-MotoGP rider Chris Burns collided with another rider and hit the floor directly in front of Tunstall’s bike. Trying to avoid hitting either Burns or his stricken Aprilia Tunstall lost time and valuable positions ending lap one back in 24th. Once back up to speed the Yorkshireman impressively worked his way back up the field & with a handful of laps remaining Tunstall had caught a four rider dice for 14th. After out braking Supermoto Champion Christian Iddon into “Edwina’s Chicane” the Doodson Motorsport backed rider then dived up the inside of Buildbase Kawasaki’s Adam Jenkinson at the start on the final lap. Jenkinson fought straight back but Tunstall once again made the pass stick and crossed the line in 15th collecting more championship points and only a couple of tenths from a season best finish. In race two Tunstall got off the line well only to suffer a similar misfortune this time with BMW rider Steve Brogan crashing out in front of the Huddersfield based rider. However this time Tunstall was forced off the track, across grass and gravel rejoining well down the pack having lost a lot of ground. Although he valiantly fought back the time lost was too great and he was unable to replicate the race one result. “I really worked hard today, the job was made tougher after being held up with crashes in front of me in both races, and we also had a gearbox issue which didn’t help. I fought hard every lap and in race one to get points was great. In race two the task was too great after being forced off the track, it’s just one of those things. I’m really happy with how the bike & team worked throughout the weekend and we’ll be looking for more points at Knockhill!” Round six of the BSB Championship takes place north of the border in Scotland this weekend, with two races on the 4th of July. More, from a press release issued by Tim Reeves’ publicist: More glory for Reeves in British F1 Championship Tim Reeves’ rich vein of form continued at the weekend when he took another victory in the latest round of the ‘Battle of Britain’ F1 Sidecar Championship although he was cruelly denied a double when he was forced to retire from the second race. The Kent driver took a strong victory in the opening race at Oulton Park to extend his title lead and was dominating the second race until the bike started to misfire and he was forced to retire with just one lap to go. Reeves, and passenger Gregory Cluze, had dominated qualifying at the 2.69-mile Cheshire circuit and, with a time of 1m44.228s, they comfortably took pole position for the two 8-lap races. Friday’s opener saw the Anglo-French pairing lead the 28-strong field on the opening lap and, despite coming under pressure from Barry James/Carl Morgan, a series of consistent lap times saw them never seriously come under threat and they were able to cruise across the line to win by over five seconds. It was win number five of the campaign and extended their lead to 47 points. The second race on Saturday looked like it would serve up a repeat performance as, having overhauled Allan Schofield/Steve Thomas on the second lap, they stretched their advantage on each and every lap. Aided by the fastest lap of the weekend, 1m43.772s, they looked unstoppable but, with a six-second lead, the outfit began to cough and splutter and, with the last lap flag in sight, they were forced to pull out of the race due to a problem with the fuel pump. Whilst they still lead the Championship, their lead has now been cut to 27 points. “It was a good weekend for us but the heat played havoc with everyone I think! I felt really comfortable all weekend but in the first race, the bike was running way too hot and overheating a fair bit so I only pushed as hard as I needed to. I was glad the race was only 8 laps long so, for the second race, we changed the oil and water and cut a few holes in the fairing to try and get some more air through to the engine and it worked a treat as the bike was back down to 80-85 degrees. Everything was going to plan again but towards the end of the race, the bike started to misfire so I had to try and nurse it home but it eventually spluttered to a halt and that was that. We later found out that there was a problem with the fuel pump so it was a real shame we couldn’t make it a double and really pull away from the rest of the guys. As it is, my lead’s down to 27-points but I’m confident we’ll be able to put that right next time out.” Tim now has a three-week before resuming his World Championship bid with the next round taking place at Sachsenring, Germany on July 17-18. More, from a press release issued by Simon Low’s publicist: Weekend to forget at Mallory for Low Twickenham’s Simon Low had a weekend to forget at Mallory Park where he was competing in round 5 of the 125cc British Championship. The 21-year old suffered a succession of mechanical problems over the three days and although he made it to the grid for the 22-lap race, the Shop4Bikers/Dutch-2-UK Racing rider was forced to retire on the 12th lap. Refreshed after the 5-week break and restored to full fitness after the leg injury sustained last time out at Cadwell Park, Simon was eagerly looking forward to the round at Mallory but things started going wrong almost from the off and a cracked cylinder meant he was forced to miss the majority of Friday’s free practice sessions thus meaning he was seriously lacking in track time compared to his rivals. With qualifying on Saturday, further problems, this time with the ignition, led to him only completing six laps in the first 30-minute session as the bike continually cut out but at least he managed to post a qualifying time and ensure his presence on the grid. However, any hopes of improving his time and moving up the grid were dashed in the second and final 30-minute qualifying session when he failed to complete a lap due to the aforementioned ignition problems having not been rectified. Having only qualified in 34th place, it was always going to be difficult for Simon around the short 1.41-mile circuit and with his confidence dented it proved to be a hard race. The little Honda was still proving troublesome, some 15mph down through the speed traps, and although Simon battled manfully in the opening few laps to move up a few places, the lack of performance from the bike meant it would have been dangerous to stay out on the track and so he pulled in at the end of the 12th lap. Speaking afterwards, a disappointed Simon commented; “It’s been a real problematical weekend and although I hoped things would right themselves for the race, unfortunately that didn’t happen. The bike was better in the morning warm-up and I was hopeful of at least getting a finish out of the weekend although I was still doubtful about how competitive we’d be. I got a good jump off the start and made up a few places but I simply had no drive out of the corners whilst the bike was still slow through the speed traps – I was 5mph down on the next slowest rider and 15mph down on the quickest! I gritted my teeth and dug deep but there was nothing I could do and pulling in was the only real option. The bike’s gone back to Holland now to be completely rebuilt so, at the moment, I don’t have a bike for the next round at Knockhill. I really want to be there and have spoke to a few people so, hopefully, something will come up – otherwise, I’ll be back out fighting hard at Snetterton.” Round 6 of the Championship takes place at Knockhill in Scotland this weekend, July 4th. More, from a press release issued by sorrymate.com/SMT Honda: Iddon just misses out on points at Mallory Christian Iddon and the sorrymate.com/SMT Honda team resumed their British Superbike Championship campaign at Mallory Park at the weekend but the Buxton rider was unable to add to his points total, finishing in 16th and 17th place in the two races. With Mallory, like the rest of the country, bathed in beautiful, warm sunshine it was going to be a tough weekend for both Christian and the team with the high temperatures meaning it was hard work, particularly for the rider around the physically demanding 1.41-mile circuit. In his usual style, Christian gradually increased his pace over the weekend and by Saturday morning he was consistently running inside the top twenty so he was looking strong going in to the qualifying session. He went quicker again during the knockout phases and, taking three tenths of a second off his previous best time, a lap of 57.075s placed him in 17th place and on the fifth row of the grid. The opening 30-lap race was red flagged after just 4 laps due to an incident and, when it was restarted, it did so over the reduced distance of 25 laps. A great start saw Christian immediately move in to the top 15 as he held on to 15th, and a Championship point, for the first third of the race. On lap 11, he moved up to 14th although it was very hectic with no less than 5 riders battling it out for the position. By lap 20, Christian had been shuffled back to 16th place and this became 17th when Tom Tunstall overhauled him on the penultimate lap. Try as he might, he was unable to find a way through and he had to settle for 17th at the chequered flag, less than two seconds off 14th. The second race followed a similar pattern as Christian battled hard to get in to the bottom end of the points. However, 16th was the highest he could climb and this was where he finished at the completion of the 30 laps. Speaking afterwards, team owner Robin Croft said: “After a few DNF’s in recent rounds, we got two finishes today and Christian rode as good as he could throughout both races. Like everywhere else this season, it was his first time here on a Superbike and he did a solid job so we’re reasonably happy with the results. At the same time, we’re ultimately searching for points, something that hasn’t been achieved since the second race at the opening round at Brands Hatch. There were a number of retirements and spills in the first race this weekend and points were there to be taken so it’s a little bit disappointing that we’ve ended the weekend pointless. The team really needs some points so let’s hope we’re back inside the top 15, at least, at Knockhill.” There’s no respite for the team with the next round taking place next weekend, July 2-4, at Knockhill, Scotland. More, from a press release issued by Rea Racing: Misano WSS – Intermoto Czech rider Gino Rea gets taken out of potential podium position in the Misano World Supersport Race After showing impressive pace all weekend Gino got his trademark lightening start and led the Misano World Supersport race from the second corner, just ahead of Kawasaki’s Joan Lascorz and Parkalgars Eugene Laverty. Lascorz took the lead and Gino clinged onto the back of him, almost re-passing for the lead a few times. Laverty then made his way past both of them and Rea continued to look strong sitting behind them, only for Ten Kate’s Micheale Pirro to hit the rear of Gino’s bike going into the last corner and take both out of contention. After Sofoglu’s mistakes in the race, with Lascorz also not being able to match Laverty, it looked to have been a perfect race for Gino to challenge for the podium positions. Gino’s comments- ‘I felt pretty good in the race, but what a dissapointment. I was just behind Sofoglu, tipping into the last corner and before I knew it I was on the floor. It felt like I got hit from behind but when I got up I didnt see anyone at first so I thought the bike had seized and locked up. Then I looked all the way to my right to see Ten Kate’s Pirro laying on the ground and realised that it was him that hit me, taking me out of the race and out of a potential podium finish. ‘I was just sitting there trying to ride smart, I was loosing lots of time in one corner and was having to catch them through the other sectors. I think I could have run them lap times for most of the race, which I believe would have had us batting for a podium position. Sofoglu made a lot of mistakes and Lascorz maybe struggled with the rear tyre, I think I could have battled with them.’ ‘Well, you have to take the good with the bad in racing, but I’m happy that we have shown we can run with the factory guys, it’s not every day you can say you led a World Supersport Race. Me, Andy and my mechanics worked flat out all weekend to make sure everything went smooth, so it’s really gutting when stuff like this happens. Everyone done such a good job and the bike was great, it’s getting better at every race and I hope we can continue our progress. Lots of people have been saying ‘so you like Misano then?’ But to tell you the truth, I’ve never took to it, the last 2 years in Superstock 600 I struggled to finish 8th. I think it was more of a case of coming back to a track I know, next is Brno so I’ll be trying my hardest to get back at the sharp end!’ The next World Supersport race will take place at Brno in the Czech Republic on 11th June.