Winter Garden, Florida — Team Aspar racer PJ Jacobsen is happy about warm welcome from his team and the Jerez community when he arrived at the airport. Posters covered the walls to advertise round two of the CEV Spanish championship series featuring Jacobsen out front. During his practice and qualifying sessions, PJ took to the track well and laid down some competitive times. Unfortunately, the weather played a role during both sessions which left the track more challenging. Both timed sessions scored within hundredths of each other and earning Jacobsen the 5th spot on the grid for Sunday’s event. “I was just coming in to get a new set of qualifying tires and the rain came with seventeen minutes to go. I was ready to put down some good times in my first qualifying. The conditions were not the best it had rained the night before and the track I felt was just coming in and then it rained again. Second qualifying was going real well I felt confident to do mid 1.49s once I got my rhythm going. The morning qualifying times were getting down to where I needed to be. I was on a fast lap to make up the gap to the leaders qualifying times however I hit traffic two laps in a row. We are in good shape I went over our data to see what changes we can make to run up front. My team has really worked well with me to help progress to our goals”, notes Jacobsen. Jacobsen adds a big congrats to long time sponsor Celtic Racing with a second place finish at Road America yesterday. This morning’s warm up, Jacobsen suffered a flat tire which resulted in no track time to prepare for the afternoon’s race. Jacobsen not phased at all, he was determined to shine anyway. With an ok start, he pushed hard into the first turn but was forced to run off the track when a rider high sided in front. Jacobsen came back on track in fourteenth position and pushed hard for better results. With all he had, Jacobsen sailed up to sixth and was really hopeful for podium. When the race seemed to be going Jacobsen’s way, he realized something was definitely wrong as he lost the traction on the rear tire. PJ has been doing very well in testing. The Aspar team and Jacobsen are making strides together with the bike. Both are ready to fight back much harder in Valencia for the third round held next weekend. More, from a press release issued by Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki: WEEKEND OF DRAMA FOR TEAM ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki had numerous obstacles thrown their direction during Round 6 of the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing championships at Road America, but the team showed their collective grit and determination to repeatedly make the best of the difficult circumstances. Chris Ulrich twice charged up through the field in the American Superbike class, Russell Wikle came back from a painful crash and machinery drama to claim a SuperSport top five, and Santiago Villa made a stirring run up through the field after dropping to last place while avoiding an opening corner crash to score the best AMA Pro finish of his career in Saturday’s Daytona SportBike contest. Ulrich battled the conditions, bike set-up, and tire issues during the weekend, as Saturday’s wet weather further complicated the difficulties the Californian was already encountering in his attempts to dial in his new 2009 GSX-R1000 racebike. After showing strong form in the ten-minute wet weather warm-up, Ulrich suffered a tire issue during the race’s opening three laps before it came around. He dropped down to 22nd but recovered to make his way all the way up to eleventh, missing out on a top ten result by just 0.107 seconds. Ulrich’s misfortune continued on Sunday as he was cited for jumping the start. Chris dropped down to 20th after coming in for his ride through penalty but made his way back up to 14th by the time he crossed the checkered flag. Chris said, “We’ll start out a positive note: last year I left Road America with two pins in my hand on my way home to have another surgery. At least this year we’re leaving in one piece. “We were just behind the whole weekend. We had some set-up issues and we’re just trying to get the hang of the K9. We thought we left Infineon with a pretty good setting but we struggled with the bike this weekend. The bike was unstable from the get-go and we made some drastic changes. We never found a cure but we have a test coming up at Mid-Ohio which should help a lot. “In Saturday’s race, we looked pretty good in the warm-up and the tire worked really well. We put a new tire on for the race and that thing almost crashed me several times on the first three laps. I lost so many positions over the first three laps I could not believe it after showing such good pace in the warm-up. But then it stopped sliding and snapping and once the tire built pressure it got better and I dropped into some decent times — times that would have put me about sixth, but by then it was too late. I almost caught up to the guy in tenth but just ran out of laps in the end. “Apparently I moved at the start today. I never moved out of the box but I moved in the box and the rule says that any movement is a jumpstart and they called me for it. We came from 20th back to 14th. I don’t agree with the rule. I don’t believe I gained any advantage. I think the rule needs some review. The interpretation is very harsh and I don’t think there should be any penalty if there is no advantage gained.” 17-year-old Wikle was a victim of the treacherous Saturday conditions, crashing hard in the opening turn of a chaotic Daytona SportBike race. After returning to competition on Sunday when x-rays showed no broken bones from the painful spill, the Alabaman had an eventful Sunday as well. After choosing to sit out the SportBike final in order to concentrate on his SuperSport duties, Wikle ran into the back of a competitor whose machine stalled in front of him but managed to avoid crashing and carried on even with the resultant problems with his GSX-R600. Despite the extreme circumstances, Wikle still came through to pick up a superb fifth-place result. “Russell had a very difficult race on Saturday, crashing and then having to go get some x-rays,” Ulrich explained. “And then his bad luck continued today. He ran into the back of a rival whose bike stalled and he bent the brake rotor. The pads were knocked back so every time he put on the brakes he had to pump them like crazy and the bike was shaking going into the corners. “It was a character building weekend for Russell but he came through it with a top-five result in the end. It would have been real easy for him to wreck in that deal but he showed his maturity once again.” Colombian Santiago Villa had to fight to overcome a great deal of drama as well. Villa was forced to the very back of the field in Saturday’s SportBike contest when he took evasive action to avoid Wikle’s fall. Santiago kept his wits about him and fought all the way back up to eleventh, beating a number of the class’ top-ranked riders to the checkered flag in the process. On Sunday he picked up 22nd despite suffering technical problems that came about due to his broken hand. Villa moved his brake lever out to try to get leverage with his broken hand but he moved it far enough that after a couple laps it was hitting the throttle housing. Santiago said, “The first race was full of crazy things. I got a great start, but in turn one, my teammate highsided so to avoid hitting him I ran out of the track. At that point I was last and start passing people until the first pace car. I saw my pit board and I was in 29th so I just put my head down and started passing people. The second pace car came out and at that point I was 14th. On that race start I made a pass on a couple of riders and someone crashed, so I ended 11th, my best result of the year. I just want to thanks to my crew, James and Peter for giving me a great bike, my Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki, my sponsors Addict By Bosi, P3 Racing, Bodytech, Moto Xtreme, and to my wife Diana for her support.” Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki will next head to Mid-Ohio to test before picking back up on July 3-5 at Laguna Seca for Round 7 of the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing championship. More, from a press release issued by LTD Racing: PRINCE SIXTH AT ROAD AMERICA FOR LTD RACING Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (June 7, 2009) Bryce Prince had a fantastic race for LTD Racing at Road America on Sunday, finishing sixth. Prince improved on his 14th starting position to earn another top ten finish and improve to fourth in AMA SuperSport West points. “Overall, I was happy with how I finished, especially after I qualified in 14th,” said Bryce, from Bakersfield, California. “I felt I turned the weekend around by having a good race. It was my first weekend ride on a Yamaha R6 and I liked the bike a lot. I felt like I got faster as the weekend progressed but then qualifying didn’t go the way we wanted. I got up to fourth place briefly in the race but the tire was spinning just a little bit and we got sixth. I had a blast.” Huntley Nash ran as high as fourth as well, but a mistake at Canada Corner left him down in the running order. “I downshifted one time too many,” said Nash, of Marietta, Georgia. “I just pulled in the clutch and ran it wide rather than crash. I was able to put in some good laps after that and get back up and earn some points. I’m up to fifth place now in the points, so that’s a positive.” Tomas Puerta had a disappointing race. After making a good start and running with the leaders in fourth place, a machine issue left him out of the running on the first lap. “I was with the leaders, but then we had a problem with the bike and my race was done,” said Puerta, from Medellin, Colombia. LTD Racing will contest the Laguna Seca SuperSport round, July 3-5. More, from a press release issued by Honda: AMA Pro Road Race Superbike at Road America Sunday, June 7, 2009 Weather: Saturday-Cold, rainy, Sunday, cool, windy Temperature: Saturday 9, Sunday 13 Corona Extra Honda’s Neil Hodgson came through a difficult weekend of bad weather and bad luck to card a best result of sixth place at Road America in the dairy heartland of America. Hodgson was assessed a ride-through penalty for jumping the start in Saturday’s race, run on a wet track that partially dried before being hit with rain in the closing laps. The 2003 World Superbike Champion explained that he’d moved incrementally-less than three centimeters-though certainly not out of his starting box. But the rulebook states that a ride-through penalty will be assessed to any rider who anticipates the start, with that being defined “by the motorcycle moving forward.” “I’ve never jumped a start in 19 years, so when I came in I was livid,” Hodgson said. Fifth on the fifth lap, Hodgson’s ride down the pit lane dropped him as far back as 18th . He recovered four spots to take over fourteenth, but a mix-up with his pit signals and a misreading of the flags, caused him to slow. What he’d thought was the checkered flag, waved from an elevated platform, was actually the white flag, signaling one more lap. Once he realized his mistake he sped up, but would lose two more spots. Sunday’s race was run in partially sunny, though cool weather. Entering the first turn Hodgson changed gears too quickly and was swept into the field, finishing the lap in tenth place. Almost immediately he discovered a problem with the electronics that forced him to switch them off and race ‘old school.’ That got him into sixth place, but by then the soft rear tire he’d put to such good effect early in the race was showing signs of wear and his progress was halted. He was also bothered by problems with the left shoulder he injured in a motocross accident over two-and-a-half months ago. Now he has three more weekends of recovery before heading north to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the AMA races in support of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix on the U.S. July 4 Independence Day weekend. Saturday’s race was won by Mat Mladin (Suzuki) from Irishman Michael Laverty (Suzuki) and Ben Bostrom (Yamaha). On Sunday, Larry Pegram (Ducati) won his first race in over ten years with a thrilling victory over Mladin (Suzuki) and Aaron Yates (Suzuki). Neil Hodgson 16th, 6th Saturday, was an absolute disaster. I got a jump start even though I didn’t jump the start. What happened was I did a burn-out, because it was wet. I then got into position. As (the race official) walked off I was stationary. I always put the brake on and put it into gear and that was my jump start. I mean, it’s frustrating. You would hope that in these situations just a little bit of common sense would be used. When I came in, I didn’t know what was going on. I thought something must be leaking off my bike when I saw the meatball flag. Then I couldn’t see any smoke, but then there’s water, because obviously it’s wet. I didn’t know if the fairing was hanging off somewhere. Sunday, I got a really good jump the line and then short-shifted into second for some unbeknown reason and then was tentative into the first corner and then just got engulfed. Three riders came up the inside of me and that was the tale of the race. The bike’s wheelying too much, so we changed the electronics and all that lot and we just killed it completely. So for the first two laps I’m trying to flick through the switch trying to get it right. Anyway, eventually I just pretty much rode with nothing and just thought ‘I’m going to have to have full power.’ I just rode as hard as I could from then on. Team principal Tim Saunders We’re pleased that Neil (Hodgson) is starting to get back on form. We expect him to be fully back up to strength by Laguna Seca in four weeks time and it’ll be good to be racing as part of the grand prix. We had a few unexpected issues on the machine today that probably kept him back a little bit. And yesterday it was a shame that he got called for the penalty. That ruined his race. But he finished in a positive frame of mine and he’s happy that he’s getting faster every event. Sunday Superbike: 1. Larry Pegram (Ducati) 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 3. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 4. Geoff May (Suzuki) 5. Ben Bostrom (Yamaha) 6. Neil Hodgson (Honda) 7. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 8. Blake Young (Suzuki) 9. Jake Holden (Honda) 10. David Anthony (Suzuki) Saturday Superbike: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 3. Ben Bostrom (Yamaha) 4. Larry Pegram (Ducati) 5. Blake Young (Suzuki) 6. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 7. Ryan Elleby (Suzuki) 8. David Anthony (Suzuki) 9. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 10. Mark Crozier (Suzuki) Championship Standings: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 325 2. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 215 3. Ben Bostrom (Yamaha) 187 4. Larry Pegram (Ducati) 180 5. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 164 6. Geoff May (Suzuki) 161 7. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 152 8. Blake Young (Suzuki) 142 9. David Anthony (Suzuki) 120 10. Taylor Knapp (Suzuki) 97 More, from a press release issued by American Suzuki: Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Mladin, Jordan Suzuki’s Yates Double-Podium at Road America Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Hayden, Young finish 7th & 8th Round 6 AMA Superbike Series, Race 2 Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Road America June 5 -7, 2009 Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Mat Mladin continues to lead the AMA Superbike championship after finishing second in Sunday afternoon’s race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Sunday’s race was the second of two in the AMA Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader weekend, which saw six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mladin winning the first race of the event on Saturday. So far this year, Mladin has won nine AMA Superbike races and finished on the podium a total of 10 out of 11 times. Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates joined Mladin on the podium in third place after passing Mladin’s Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Blake Young, who ran in third for most of the 13-lap event. After Yates’ pass, Young fell and wound up finishing eighth. Finally, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden finished up the weekend with a seventh-place result. Mat Mladin: “Obviously, it was a race with a lot of back and forth for the lead and in the end, we couldn’t get it done. We rode hard on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 and that’s all we could do today.” Tommy Hayden: “I got a better start today and it was good to have a dry race. We’ve been struggling a bit all weekend, though it was definitely a better race today than yesterday. I did my fastest times all weekend in that race. But I’ve had a tough time this weekend and I feel like I’ve really had to work hard for every little bit of progress we made on the track. But we’ve got to keep on working on the bike and get back to where we need to be.” Blake Young: “I got off to a really good start on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 and was running fourth for a little while. And I just kind sorted out the field and ended up in third for a little bit. I tried to keep my head down and watch the guys in front of me battling it out, and hoping they would make a mistake and I could get a little closer. But we ended up eighth and now we’ll go to our next test and work on the bike from there.” Aaron Yates: “We had a pretty decent race there. The start didn’t go as good as I’d have wanted”¦ it looked like it was going to be a tough one. But I managed to get by some folks on the Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 and put in some good laps. We made some changes to the bike last night and this morning, and I was able to go out there and ride like I needed to to go fast so thanks to the Jordan Suzuki crew for that. I was pushing as hard as I could and was able to ride hard to the end. It feels good to get up on the podium for the Jordan Suzuki team.” Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, the weekend of July 3 -5, 2009. More, from a press release issued by Buell: Knapp Posts Strong Buell Finishes at Road America James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing Wins Moto-GT1 Race East Troy, Wis. (June 8, 2009) Taylor Knapp posted fourth and sixth place finishes aboard his Latus Motor’s Buell 1125R in last weekend’s AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike double header at Road America, his best finishes of the season. Knapp’s fourth place finish in Saturday’s rain-soaked Race 1, which included a two-lap dash for the checkered flag after a late-race caution, was a test of fortitude and survival for the 22-year-old, Lapeer, MI-based racer. “Normally I’m horrible in the rain. But I clicked good, and got a good rhythm and flow [going],” said Knapp, who led the 13-lap race early until being passed by eventual winner Chris Peris (Erion Honda) on lap four. “The big difference for me this weekend was that I qualified well. I started up front and was determined to stay up front.” Saturday’s wet and wild race also resulted in 6th, 7th and 9th place finishes respectively for Buell 1125 riders Danny Eslick, Shawn Higbee and Michael Barnes. “Having four privateer riders from three different Buell teams finish in the top ten was a testimony to how easy the 1125R is to ride in the wet,” said Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Buell Motorcycle Company. “It’s also proof of the success of our concept of providing the same parts to all teams instead of running a factory team.” In Sunday’s cool but dry Race 2, Knapp raced as high as third, then settled back into sixth to finish between the Buell 1125Rs of Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR/GEICO rider Danny Eslick in fifth and GEICO Powersports/RMR’s Michael Barnes in seventh. Knapp also posted Buell’s highest qualifying position of the weekend, earning a fifth place starting grid spot in Friday’s Superpole final qualifying session with a 2:22.164 lap. It was Knapp’s first Superpole appearance of the season. “Being able to start up front makes a big difference in the weekend. The field is stacked with ten or 20 guys in the same second, so getting up front from the back is really hard,” he said. “But being fourth twice makes me hungrier than ever. Gotta get that podium now.” Eslick’s combined sixth and fifth place finishes brought his season total to 199 points and solidified his third place standing in the Daytona SportBike championship behind Attack Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking in second (204 points) and championship leader Team M4 Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas (255 points) who won Race 2. In Saturday’s two-hour SunTrust Moto-GT endurance race, the James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing team of Paul James and Jeff Johnson won the Moto-GT1 class in challenging wet/dry conditions with a combination of luck, strategy and quick pit stops. “To win at home, the home of Buell and during the Buell Homecoming, with our primary sponsors, H-D/Buell of Appleton and Hoban Brothers nearby, and to have friends and family here, is very special,” James said. “This win means a lot to me and to our team.” After starting the race from the pit lane and initially being shown a lap down at the finish, the Liberty Waves Racing team of Eric Pinson and Eric Haugo was elevated to third place in Moto-GT1 after a post-race analysis of timing and scoring restored the team’s missing lap, and is now tied for the championship lead with Old Pros Racing in the GT1 class with 68 points. In the Moto-GT2 class, the James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing team of moto-journalists Troy Siahaan and Kevin Duke placed fourth, followed by Old Glory H-D/Buell’s Jaycent Gebers and Dennie Huff in seventh. Founded by visionary motorcycle designer and former privateer racer Erik Buell in 1983, Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel, including the 1125R superbike, 1125CR café racer and air-cooled XB-series Ulysses, Firebolt, and Lightning. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, or to locate the dealer nearest you, log onto www.buell.com. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Bostrom Podiums in Road America Superbike Yamaha’s Ben Bostrom captured his fourth podium of the season aboard his 2009 YZF-R1 in a rain-soaked Superbike race at Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wis. on Saturday, June 6. He charged to the front of the pack early in wet conditions, and then sparred with several other riders during the 13-lap contest before settling into a strong third-place finish. Then under better conditions on Sunday, “BBoz” took his R1 to a solid fifth-place finish to add to his points in the American Superbike championship, where he climbs to third place with six of 11 rounds completed. After leading the first practice on Friday, teammate Josh Hayes rode aggressively and set some of the quickest race laps, but crashed out on both Saturday and Sunday. Superpole qualifying on Friday saw Hayes in third and Bostrom in fifth aboard the new crossplane crankshaft R1. Then on Saturday, the Yamaha duo gave the bike its rain-race debut. Full of confidence and with his machine shod with rain tires, Bostrom dove into the lead under braking for the first turn on lap one, although he soon relinquished the position to Larry Pegram, eventual race winner Mat Mladin, and second-place finisher Michael Laverty. Fortunately Pegram eventually dropped through the order somewhat, and Bostrom was able to reclaim third spot during the middle of the race. The rain, combined with cold temperatures only in the 40s, made the conditions extremely difficult, and the R1’s rider-friendly YCC-T throttle-control system definitely helped Bostrom achieve such a strong result. So what’s it like racing in the rain at nearly 180 mph? “It was radical, honestly,” Bostrom admitted afterwards. “The scary part is that one of the straights has a big bend in it with a wall on the outside and it’s really gnarly. Fortunately I was on an R1 so it had great traction, and with the crossplane crank it was also very controllable. I feel like we have a winning machine and I never should be off the podium.” Road racing team manager Tom Halverson added, “We do have a good bike and the team and riders know it, and we also have two riders who can win. Anywhere we go we have a real chance of winning, and the riders are fighting real hard to get there. It didn’t go exactly like we wanted this weekend but we’ll be fighting hard for the win at he next race at Laguna on July 4th weekend.” More, from a press release issued by NPS Racing: Ransomville, NY– NPS Racings James Rispoli making his AMA Pro SuperSport debut did the seemingly impossible. With only his crew chief and helper the team faced several challenges all weekend long and still managed to take a fourth place finish overall. With rule specifications that appeared different from the beginning of the season, the team had to scramble to make changes to forks and refit the bike with a stock / legal ECU. The changes throughout the weekend were not easy and the team worked hard with lots of support to get the job done. There were many firsts on this trip. It was the first time the team and rider participated in AMA Pro SuperSport competition, the first time the bike was set up on Dunlop tires and the first time James rode on Dunlop tires as well. And, it was the first time all the members actually worked together on their own at a pro race. The expertise each brought to the table complimented each other and together they made good decisions to set up the bike and make sure they had a stable platform for James to ride. Crew chief Darren Morse said this about the weekend, “I never worked so hard with all the changes we had to do at the track. We thought we would be in good shape until we showed up and found out we had some components that may be illegal for the class. We didn’t want to take a chance since we knew James had the potential to do well so we did whatever it took to make the bike 100 percent legal. It was so worth the effort to see James work with us and then do so well in the race. Taking fourth place his first time out with a dramatic dirt track move on the last turn was awesome. With so many new things for him to deal with it just shows what kind of talent the kid has. His strong dirt track background allows him to ride around problems that would set other riders back seconds a lap. We’re really proud of the entire team and especially James’ effort this weekend.” While the crew worked on the bike James was off checking out the races on Saturday and Sunday watching where the fast guys were riding. Saturday night he stopped over to chat with Chris Ulrich with the splits from his qualifying session in hand to get some advice on where and how to pick up some precious tenths of a second. Obviously the consultation helped. According to James, “I did a lot of watching of the Sportbike and Superbike races at different parts of the track to see what the fast guys were doing. I find seeing the fast guys in action really helps me get focused. Saturday night I spoke with Chris Ulrich from Roadracingworld.com a little and he helped me focus on realistic goals and provided a little insight about a couple sections on the track. It definitely helped. I can’t thank my crew enough for all their hard work, they did an incredible job. The VESRAH guys came through with some parts, and Will O’Connor at NPS Racing supplied me with a stout motor to compete against the top factory supported bikes of Attack Kawasaki, Graves Motorsports and ESP. I just hope we can make another event this year between my Pro dirt track schedule where I am currently leading the points chase.” About NPS Racing Engines At NPS we have a state of the art Machine Shop providing performance Cylinder Head work as well as a SuperFlow Chassis Dyno and Flowbench to test and confirm our products and services. NPS can also do full service work on your motorcycle from suspension to performance add-on parts. For more information about NPS Racing Engines please contact Will at 1-888-570-4NPS or check out our web site at www.npsracing.com More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki: ELKHART LAKE, WI The Michael Jordan Motorsports teams of #23 Jordan Suzuki and #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki weathered a weekend of contrasting skies at Road America during Round 6 of the AMA Pro Racing National Guard American Superbike Championship. Saturday’s Race 1 at the Elkhart Lake circuit was run in full-wet conditions, while Sunday’s Race 2 took place with the sun shining and a dry track. This contrast was mirrored by the action on the track for the Michael Jordan Motorsports teams with both Aaron Yates and Geoff May experiencing disappointing results in Saturday’s Race 1 and both riders rebounding to top five finishes in Sunday’s Race 2. Aaron Yates, Jordan Suzuki No. 23 Aaron Yates and his #23 Jordan Suzuki had a solid weekend at the Wisconsin track, with the veteran racer taking his second podium of the season in Sunday’s Race 2 at Road America with a third place finish. Yates and his crew made some notable setup changes late on Saturday night, allowing Yates to head into Race 2 with improved front end feel on his 2009 Suzuki GSX-R1000. Yates now enters the mid-season break with 152 points and sits seventh in the Championship, just behind MJM counterpart Geoff May. 6th PLACE, SATURDAY RACE 1 Starting from seventh position on the grid, Yates spent the majority of the wet race muscling his Jordan Suzuki around the flowing Road America circuit. The team made a calculated setup gamble based on the spotty conditions that did not play out in the team’s favor. Nevertheless, Yates ran a smart race and brought his #23 home in sixth position at the finish. “That was a long, cold, wet race,” said Yates. “We had a small chassis issue during the race that hung with me the whole time. We set the motorcycle up a little stiff, hoping the track would dry out, but it didn’t work out that way. That made it challenging to ride in the full wet, as the bike was overly stiff. I’m happy to bring my Jordan Suzuki home in one piece and tomorrow we’ll give it another go.” 3rd PLACE, SUNDAY RACE 2 Race 2 at Road America was an excellent battle, with five 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 seventh position and lost touch with the front group during the early laps. However, Yates soon got his 2009 Suzuki on the gas and settled into the lead group with half the race left to run. On the final lap, Yates found himself in P4 with third position just off his front tire. As the riders entered the final chicane, Yates made a hard braking move up on the inside of Blake Young and ultimately came across the stripe in the final rostrum position. “It’s really good to be back here on the podium,” said Yates. “I got a bad start and just put my head down and rode hard for the rest of the race. I got up behind Blake but just couldn’t get by him, as he’s so fast down the straights. On the last lap I just threw it in there in the chicane and kind of parked it in front of him. I don’t think he was expecting it and I guess he went down. It was great to put my Jordan Suzuki on the box, though, and a big thanks to my crew for getting the bike setup for today’s race.” Geoff May, National Guard Jordan Suzuki No. 54 The #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki team had a Saturday they would rather forget at Road America with rider Geoff May being disqualified four laps into Race 1. May and team rebounded strongly on Sunday with the #54 team putting its GSX-R back into the top five with a respectable fourth place finish. May leaves Round 6 sitting in sixth in the National Guard American Superbike Championship with 161 points, just three points behind fifth position. DQ, SATURDAY RACE 1 The first race at Elkhart Lake took place in dreary conditions with rain falling and a fully wet racing surface. May was penalized by AMA Pro Racing officials for jumping the start and was given a ride-through penalty as a result. Poor visibility on the track caused May to miss the signals and continue on the track unaware of his pending penalty. With the rulebook stating a rider must serve his penalty within three laps of being signaled, May was DQ’ed just a few short laps into the race. While disappointed with the ruling, the #54 team immediately got to work on the National Guard Jordan Suzuki and were determined to rebound for Race 2 on Sunday. “I really had no idea I was penalized,” said May. “I didn’t think I jumped the start and visibility was so poor out there I just didn’t see the AMA signals to pit in. Riding 170 mph down the straights in the rain requires your full attention and coupled with the spray, I just missed it. It’s frustrating, but that’s racing and I’m very motivated now for Race 2.” 4th PLACE, SUNDAY RACE 2 Launching from the front row, May wicked it up early, battling for and capturing the lead multiple times in the opening laps. A setup planned for cooler conditions hampered the #54 as the laps mounted, however, and caused May to lose the front pace as his tire heated up. May dealt with the changing motorcycle characteristics well and brought his National Guard Jordan Suzuki across the line in fourth position. “We didn’t nail the setup as well as we should have today,” said May. “We never did a long run on the bike during the practice sessions and that really hurt us today as the laps mounted. The bike had a ton of grip early, but once everything warmed up, I just lost grip in the rear. The bike was sliding everywhere and I had to back off and just bring the National Guard Jordan Suzuki #54 home with some good points.” More, from a press release issued by Paradigm Racing: Elkhart Lake, WI. – It was a weekend of highs and lows for Paradigm Racing. Race one saw rider Damian Cudlin fight through the field and the elements to bring the Paradigm Racing Yamaha R6 home with a fantastic 5th place finish. It was a race that was a rewarding as it was challenging. Conversely, race two was far different from the success of the previous day. Despite the improvement in conditions, the race proved to be a continuous struggle. “It was a rough day for us, especially after the high we had after finishing 5th yesterday,” Cudlin said. Race two began with Cudlin in 8th position on the starting grid. The rolling start severely bunched up the field and created a serious danger as the field sped into turn one. Disaster nearly ensued as the riders around Cudlin slammed on the brakes, almost causing a pile-up as the race had just begun. “Our race took a big hit after the rolling start, when a traffic jam basically boxed me in. I think I was in 22nd place on the first lap,” said Cudlin. Cudlin was then caught in a pack of slower riders and struggled to break free. He became mired in the group, but gained several positions back only to have them taken away again. “It was a struggle to break free from some slower riders around me, and despite giving it my best shot I only improved a bit. It’s disappointing, but we’ll come back stronger in the races to come,” said Cudlin. Cudlin was able to secure a solid top twenty finish despite the constant set of issues that cropped up during the race. Race two’s 17th place result brought the weekend’s average finishing position to 11th. Paradigm Racing will be participating in the upcoming official tire test, but will miss the next round at Laguna Seca. However, the team will return to the races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, in Lexington, OH. on July 17-19. For more information on Paradigm Racing please visit www.paradigmracing.net More, from a press release issued by Wyman Brothers Racing: WYMAN BATTLES MECHANICAL ISSUES AT ROAD AMERICA Macedon, New York (June 8th, 2009) – Kyle Wyman had an abrupt end to his weekend when a mechanical took him out of the AMA Supersport race on Sunday. Wyman was running in 4th place when his Yamaha YZF-R6 started showing symptoms of a soon-to-be blown transmission. “I really had a terrible start; I was about 12th or so going into turn one,” said the New Yorker. “There was a whole lot of bumping and banging going on in turn 3 and 5 and everything worked out to where I found myself in 4th going up the hill into turn six. I started noticing a noise in 4th gear throughout the lap. As it worsened I just kept on it until lap two going into turn five the thing just exploded during my downshifts. I had to pull off the side as I saw flames creeping up my leg.” After qualifying 8th, Wyman was credited with 19th place. “I was really bummed. I felt much stronger than I had all weekend and was looking forward to a really fun race,” said Wyman. “We’ll just keep pushing forward until Mid-Ohio. I’ve never ridden there, so I’m really looking forward to learning another track.” More, from a press release issued by Celtic Racing: Celtic Racing’s Best Career Finish at Road America Winter Garden, Florida (June 8, 2009)– For two weeks it was all work for William Meyers of WAM Cycles; building and preparing a brand new machine for Celtic Racing. The crew arrived on Thursday and was eager to pair the Suzuki GSX-R1000 with Celtic’s Michael Laverty. Not only was the machine brand new to him, the track was also on that list. Laverty loved the bike right from the start. Friday morning’s practice, Laverty proved he was strong, laying down times within the top 10 positions. In qualifying he settled into the eleventh spot, and very much ready to run his race. At the start of the American Superbike event and under wet conditions, Laverty showed signs of exceeding expectations. His times, technique and drive pushed him to the top of the pack. He finished 2nd in race one of two. The utilization of England’s K-Tech suspension established success all day. According to the AMA Pro Racing website and live timing, Michael Laverty scored the best race lap of the field with a 2.30.803. Sunday’s practice and qualifying listed Laverty on pace for race two under dry conditions. The first five laps, Laverty had been charging looking for another podium finish. He recorded the fourth fastest time of 2:14.058 but on lap six, a no fault incident with another machine ended the day for Laverty. “Obviously, I am extremely happy. Coming into Road America with a new bike and a rider that hasn’t had any time on this track and following that up with a podium is quite incredible. We have been on podiums in the past with the Formula Extreme classes, but a first for us with American Superbike. Our effort would not be possible without Orient Express, WAM Cycles, Gemini and K-tech Suspension. On a more personal note, my gratitude to Richie Alexander for his advice and direction,” adds Barry Gilsenan (Celtic Racing’s owner). “What can I say? A second place finish on Saturday was much more than I expected; just seconds from Mladin. Hopefully now, the Americans can see that I can indeed race up front. I hope to bring more of these strong finishes to the rest of the season. Overall the weekend was a great success for me personally and for Celtic Racing. I look forward to many top finishes. The bike was new and freshly prepared; I was comfortable right from the start. A combination like that shows results”, notes Michael Laverty. The team will test at Mid-Ohio for two days, a chance for Laverty to acclimate to a track he will perform on mid July. More, from a press release issued by Chris Fillmore Racing: Fillmore Contends for Podium at Road America Monday, June 8, 2009 The race weekend at Road America for Chris Fillmore was one that gave the AMA Pro Racing industry a reason to keep an eye on him throughout the remainder of the 2009 season. Fillmore came to Elkhart Lake, WI now having two race weekends under his belt. The confidence that Fillmore is getting in the Goeff Cesmat prepared Yamaha R6 Daytona Sportbike is beginning to show in qualifying and racing situations. Fillmore came into qualifying on Friday and was able to make good use of the Yamaha on the series spec Dunlop tires to make his first Superpole session in his career. The Superpole session was good for Fillmore as he was able to make good use of the two-lap session to post eighth quick time. This meant Fillmore would start both Saturday and Sunday in eighth grid position. Saturday arrived with midwest style summer rain. This would mean a full wet race event. While some struggle in these type of conditions, Fillmore thrives on this type of track with a “loose” style that he developed as a rider in the AMA Supermoto professional class. After the race started and developed into a rhythm, Fillmore, Chris Peris, and Taylor Knapp checked out early. While Peris took the lead, Fillmore and Knapp battled for second throughout the 13-lap race event. As the rain filled race moved to conclusion, the lead riders began to encounter lapped riders. With less than a lap to go in the event, Fillmore and Knapp moved past a lapped rider. However, after concluding the pass to lap the rider he low sided the bike. The bike gained speed and ran directly into the back of Fillmore’s no. 55 Yamaha R6. Instead of second or third, Fillmore would have to settle for the knowledge that he has the ability to run at the front in addition to the 24th place finish. The second race of the weekend on Sunday was a more standard dry weather race. The conditions meant that Fillmore would have more company at the front as the dry weather kept all of the top riders near the front throughout the race. Fillmore rode a consistent pace and the end result was a well-earned top 10 in 10th position. In addition to finishing 10th, Fillmore was also the top finishing Yamaha R6. Fillmore said post weekend, “This weekend has been a roller coaster ride for me. Geoff and I have worked hard to get me to a point where I am 100 % attacking in every session to ride the bike to it’s maximum. I think the qualifying position and my results show that I am getting everything I can out the R6. The situation on Saturday was disappointing on one hand because of the final result. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the conditions on track and I think we showed that we will be a force in future rain events for victory.” Look for AMA Daytona Sportbike coverage next Saturday night at 10 pm EST on SpeedTV. In addition, round seven of the AMA Daytona Sportbike series will take place in Monterey, CA on July 3-5. Chris Fillmore Racing will take part with the no. 55 Yamaha R6. More, from a press release issued by Four Feathers Racing: The 4FR Toyota Trucks/GreenerAcres.org team arrived at Road America with a very special guest, Doug Polen. Doug brought his one on one riding school curriculum to Wisconsin to coach the team riders and join them on the grid aboard the team’s #27 American Superbike entry. The other team riders, Bobby Fong and Mark Crozier, achieved their best ever qualifying result and best ever superbike finish respectively. Daytona Sportbike saw familiar preliminary qualification results with the team well inside the top ten and ready for Superpole. Bobby was determined to improve his position after a backward move in Superpole at Infineon. Doug spent much time coaching Bobby through every corner and helping to mentally prepare the youngster for the one lap battle. Bobby put together a great lap, his best of the weekend, and moved the #27 into third position! Race one, while running in fifth position, Bobby crashed late in the race in a spectacular high side coming out of turn five. Although he was laying trackside for a short while he ended up just bruised and battered. Race two was dry and the team hoped to improve on the great Superpole result but it wasn’t to be. Riding bruised and sore, Bobby raced a long race with all of the top finishing Yamaha R6 machines in what looked like a four car train at times. Fourteenth was the result of the day. The team is excited to return to the top ten of the Daytona Sportbike class at Laguna. American Superbike was the class for Mark Crozier to shine, in the rain. After a solid qualifying performance, Mark was ready for the opportunity to show his talent. Joined on the grid by Doug Polen and shown one on one how to use the first few laps to your advantage.The pair raced forward in the wet conditions with Doug leading the charge. Doug passed more than ten riders by turn three and was out of reach of many of the superbike class’s usual suspects. The two battled forward with Mark finishing in a career high tenth position, Doug was not far behind in thirteenth. Race two ended with Doug gaining many spots to finish in nineteenth spot, unfortunately Mark would not get his chance for another great result do to smoking his clutch on the start. “We had some mixed results this weekend almost as extreme as the weather changes. Bobby is determined to be up front proving he can run the pace and Mark gets better every weekend. Having a world champion as a coach and on our bike was great, Doug has a real passion for teaching and the entire team is extremely thankful.” said team principal Scott Van Hawk. The 4FR Toyota Trucks/GreenerAcres.org team has now put four different riders in the top ten, two in Daytona Sportbike and two in American Superbike with three Superpole appearances.