MAIDEN SUPERBIKE POLE POSITION FOR O’HALLORAN AS PODIUM FINISH ELEVATES HIM TO FOURTH IN TITLE CHASE Rd 6, 2008 Australian Superbike Championship, Symmons Plains, Tasmania 30 – 31 August 2008 Twenty year old Wollongong rider Jason O’Halloran scored another career milestone in his debut season of the Australian Superbike Championship as he secured his first Superbike pole position at the penultimate round of this year’s championship held at the Symmons Plains circuit in Tasmania. This position was backed up by an extremely solid sixth position in race one before he returned with a podium finish of third in race two to provide him with sufficient points to move to fourth place overall in the championship. Pole was just rewards for the young rider as he battled with an intermittent technical fault with his number one machine which left him stranded out on the circuit numerous times and forced to push his bike back to his pit box to the applause of the fans. After making a good start to the opening race, Jason ran straight on and crashed at the hairpin on the opening lap and when he returned to the circuit was left well behind by the field. He showed his determination by working his way through the field to eventually take a deserved sixth place. His race speed was also evident as he was the only rider to have finished other than the leading trio to run laps in the 53 second barrier. Jason’s choice to run a slightly harder tyre in the second race meant that it took longer to gain temperature in the cooler conditions holding down fourth from the opening lap till he passed his team mate Glen Allerton with five laps remaining. He then set after the leaders, but ran out of laps to make any further impact. His final lap surge however saw him set the second fastest lap of the race and less than two tenths off the new lap record set by race winner Daniel Stauffer. Jason “It’s nice to have finally scored my first national Superbike pole position. We came here rather confident, especially after the times we were able to set during our test here last week. We had a few technical issues with the bike on Friday and Saturday and that cost us a lot of track time. We got that sorted for the races on Sunday, but our opening race was ruined when I was unable to stop at the hairpin on the opening lap. The lever came back to the bar and nothing happened and I speared off the track. Fortunately the bike was caught in the gravel trap and not damaged. It took three laps to catch the tailenders and from there on I just had my head down moving forward, finally grabbing sixth. For race two we selected a tyre that in hindsight was a little hard for the cooling track conditions as it took three laps to get to temperature. I had very good lap speed at the end of the race and just missed on latching on to the lead pair, but third was still a satisfying result. Given the issues we worked through over the weekend a move up the championship ladder to fourth was a great result and we are looking forward to the final at Eastern Creek.” RESULTS Qualifying: 1. J O’Halloran (Honda) 53.392secs, 2. D Stauffer (Yamaha) 53.401, 3. J Stauffer (Yamaha) 53.413, 4. G Allerton (Honda) 53.529, 5. C Coxhell (Suzuki) 53.831, 6. K Curtain (MV Agusta) 53.869, 7. R Bugden (Suzuki) 54.198, 8. S Charlton (Kawasaki) 54.635, 9. Z Davies (Yamaha) 54.709, 10. C Trounson (Honda) 54.760. Current Lap Record G Allerton (Honda) 53.573secs (20/05/2007) Race 1 / 20 laps: 1. D Stauffer (Yamaha), 2. G Allerton (Honda) -2.815secs, 3. J Stauffer (Yamaha) -3.402, 4. R Bugden (Suzuki) -15.766, 5. K Curtain (MV Agusta) -15.965, 6. J O’Halloran (Honda) -28.540 Fastest Lap: D Stauffer 53.626secs on lap 11. (Jason O’Halloran Fastest Lap 53.931 on lap 14) Race 2 / 20 laps: 1. D Stauffer (Yamaha), 2. J Stauffer (Yamaha) -2.109secs, 3. J O’Halloran (Honda) -2.901, 4. G Allerton (Honda) -4.559, 5. R Bugden (Suzuki) -15.489, 6. C Trounson (Honda) – 27.918 Fastest Lap: D Stauffer 53.479secs on lap 5 (New Lap Record), (Jason O’Halloran Fastest Lap 53.632 on lap 19) 2008 Australian Superbike Championship points, after 6 of 7 rounds: 1. G Allerton 230, 2. J Stauffer 225, 3. D Stauffer 216, 4. J O’Halloran 188, 5. C Coxhell 160, 6. R Bugden 138, 7. K Curtain 133, 8. C Trounson 131, 9. Z Davies 130, 10. J Cartright 114. Next round Rd 7, 19-19 October, Eastern Creek, NSW More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Honda Racing: HOLDEN TAKES FOURTH, TWO TOP-TENS FOR LYNN, AT ROAD ATLANTA Jake Holden took fourth in SuperStock and Teammate Matt Lynn garnered ninth and tenth place finishes in SuperBike at this weekends AMA National event at Road Atlanta. Riding their Corona Extra Racing Honda CBR1000RR’s both riders showed grit and determination against adversity. Lynn’s bike developed a fuel delivery problem half way round the last lap of the first Superbike race robbing him of a secure 8th place and Jake crashed in qualifying, hurting his confidence for the race. The weather is usually a factor at Road Atlanta but this time the conditions were good apart from the usual heat-humidity combination that gives everyone cause to complain! With Hurricane Gustav rolling in across the Gulf, the expectation was for wind and rain but the weather Gods held back and all the races were held in near perfect conditions. Matt showed a good turn of speed in qualifying, getting his SuperBike within a few tenths of the factory bikes and onto the third row of the grid in twelfth. When the green flag dropped, Matt was in the thick of the “pack”, in ninth, keeping in touch for most of the race. He put his head down and chased down DuHamel on the factory Honda. As he made his move on the penultimate lap, a misfire started, slowing him down. The bike to quit halfway round the last lap – the problem was found to be a vapor lock in the gas tank caused by the hot weather. Lynn, who was almost eight seconds ahead of ninth having inherited a spot when Hacking crashed, had to settle for tenth. Jake Holden did not get the set-up he was hoping for in SuperStock and struggled with gearing for the high-speed track. Trying at the limit for pole, he crashed in qualifying but was still able to post a front row start, one of only four riders into the “1min 25’s”. His race start was poor and he found himself in sixth after the first lap. A red flag on the third lap gave him a second chance and this time he was in fourth after the restart, a position he held to the finish, He said: “The (stock) gearbox ratios just wouldn’t work for this track and I couldn’t make up time on the three in front. I didn’t want to throw it down again so rode my own race!” Jake stays second in the championship. With a second place finish, Aaron Yates clinched the SuperStock Championship well done Aaron! The second SuperBike event was again a good race for Matt. He got a good start and was up to tenth after the first lap. There followed a race long dice with Aaron Yates and the two went at it tooth and nail! Matt got past Yates on lap 19 and held him at bay until lap 24 when Aaron got back again. The order remained at the flag with 0.36 of a second separating the two! Matt said; “It was a great race with Aaron I just couldn’t get past him at the end!” Matt finished in ninth after the retirement of Hacking. Lynn is thirteenth in the championship. More, from a press release issued by Penny Nicolai on behalf of Erion Racing: THE ERION HONDA TEAM TAKES THE FORMULA XTREME TITLE AND A DOUBLE ONE/TWO FINISH AT ROAD ATLANTA Braselton, Ga — The Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Rockstar at Road America, August 29-31 proved to be a weekend of celebration for the Erion Racing Honda team as Jake Zemke clinched the AMA Formula Xtreme title and teammate Josh Hayes took the win in both Formula Xtreme and the Pro Honda Supersport Championship presented by Shoei. Piloting their Parts Unlimited, American Honda, Pro Honda Oils and Chemicals, Erion Racing Hondas, Zemke and Hayes rode an incredible race in both events enabling them to score a one/two finish across the board. For Zemke bringing home his first AMA championship was definitely a dream come true. “This has been a long time in the making,” said the native California with a big smile. “I can’t tell you how happy I am. The crew gave me great machines every time and a large part of this win is due to their hard work. Josh and I really battled it out at this one. In fact, I got by him on the last lap coming under the bridge, but he got me back just before the finish and in the end, we crossed the line a mere 0.043 seconds apart. It was really close.” “My congratulations to Jake,” said Hayes, who has held the Formula Xtreme title for the past two years. “He has been looking for this day for a long time and to be able to lock the championship before the final race of the season is totally awesome.” In the Pro Honda Supersport event Hayes and Zemke once again battled back and forth for the lead with Hayes coming out in first. This win marked his second 600cc consecutive victory this season. “We had a good battle going,” said Hayes, who has now taken five wins in his last six races. “I finally managed to get some space between us a couple of laps from the end. It was really a pretty smooth weekend and Jake definitely put up a great fight. The last three races have been good for me and I am looking forward to another good weekend at the final race of the season at Laguna Seca in September which is where the title will be decided. If Jake can grab all the points and the leader, Ben Bostrom finishes below 17th, then Jake can take the title which would be really cool. And, all we all know, you can’t predict the outcome. It isn’t over until the end, so we will both be ready to give it our all right up until the Checkered Flag signals the end.” More, from a press release issued by Gary Johnson’s publicist: Johnson’s Manx GP hopes dashed Gary Johnson’s hopes of adding to his impressive haul of results in the 2008 season were dashed last week when he was forced to retire from the Senior Classic Manx Grand Prix. Riding Brian Richards’ 500cc MV Agusta, the 27-year old had a steady build up during practice week and as he got more and more used to the bike, his confidence rose and the times began to fall. However, race day was severely affected by the weather with the Isle of Man hit by heavy rain and strong winds and the Classic race got underway over 6 hours later than scheduled. It was also reduced in distance from 4 laps to 3. Riders were warned of damp patches under the trees and, indeed, conditions were extremely tricky around the Mountain Course. Nevertheless, Gary was soon into his stride and led Ryan Farquhar by 6.3 seconds at Glen Helen, an advantage that had increased by the time they passed through Ramsey. However, the mountain climb took it’s toll and although Gary completed the first lap at a speed of 102.696mph, he had slipped to second and he was reluctantly forced to pull in to the pits and retire, his race brought to a premature end by fuel problems. Talking later, the Broughton rider said: ‘It’s a real shame we had the fuel problems with the bike as the race was going so well. Conditions were very tricky with the roads really wet in places so I just took it nice and steady but it was great to see ‘P1’ on my board. I had plenty in reserve but about half way over the Mountain, I knew there was something wrong with the bike as it wasn’t running as strongly as it had. It got progessively worse for the rest of the lap so I had little option other than to pull in.” “Like I say, it was a great shame as I was well in contention for the win and I’m disappointed, not only for myself, but for Brian and all his team. They’ve worked really hard and helped me no end in what was my first time ever on a Classic machine; hopefully, I’ll get another chance next year and repay them then. I’ve throughly enjoyed the experience and my knowledge of the course has again immproved so roll on 2009!” Gary’s next meeting comes in very different surroundings as he will be competing as a ‘wild card’ at this weekend’s World Superbike round at Donington Park, a terrific opportunity for both Gary and the Uel Duncan Racing team. More, from a press release issued by Team S-Works: Team S-Works came to Road Atlanta without a rider after an arrangement for British Supersport rider Alastair Fagan was unable to meet the deadline with some license arrangements. “We literally held the seat on the bike open until we were about an hour from the track since these guys had gone through hoops to get Alastair over here, but by the time he was cleared, it would have meant missing the Thursday practice, and all involved agreed it would not be a wise decision to start on Friday. S-Works sole AMA rider, Shane Narbonne is still in recuperation after a dislocated shoulder at Mid-Ohio. Once at the track, the team was introduced to Dane Westby who was already signed up for FX on an R6, and after riding the bike in practice on Thursday, agreed to run the race. Dane matched his R6 times straight away on the 675 getting into the 1:29’s, and was very comfortable on the bike with minimal adjustments. He qualified a solid tenth, and rode a hard race finishing tenth as well. Dane was very pleased with the bike and made mention of being interested in riding it again. The team had not planned on running Laguna due to the tightened schedule and the distance of travel for one race, but may consider putting something together for another race. “We wish Shane Narbonne a speedy recovery, and like a true sportsman, Shane was on hand to lend Dane any tips he could on the Triumph 675, and was present throughout the weekend showing support for the team.” The goal for 2008 was met with the top ten finish at Road Atlanta and the focus will shift to making plans for 2009 and the Daytona Superbike class, where the 675 should prove to be a competitive machine. More, from a press release issued by Ryan Farquhar’s publicist: Farquhar surges to Manx GP success Ryan Farquhar enjoyed another successful trip to the Isle of Man last week when he won the Senior Classic Manx Grand Prix for the second consecutive year. Riding Roger Winfield’s twin cylinder Paton, Farquhar took the lead towards the end of the first lap and went on to win by 20.4seconds in the shortened race for his fourth Manx GP victory. He also finished third in the Junior Classic race two days later on board Winfield’s 350cc Drixton Honda. With mixed weather conditions on the Island, the Senior Classic race was cut to three laps and Ryan eased his way into the race, mindful of the wet roads and damp patches under the trees. Second in the early stages, an opening lap of 103.572mph, the fastest of the race, saw him take over at the head of the field and he led Gary Johnson by 11 seconds at the end of the first lap. He continued to stretch his advantage over the next two laps and he was able to ease back on the final run over the Mountain, crossing the line over 20 seconds clear of Alan Oversby. With more rain and cloud on Wednesday, the Junior Classic race was also delayed and eventually got underway almost 5 hours later than scheduled. Again cut from 4 laps to 3, an opening lap of 97.342mph saw Ryan slot in to second place behind the pace setting Roy Richardson but handling problems meant he was unable to challenge further and he had to nurse the machine home. Although he went quicker on lap 2, Paul Coward overhauled him on the final lap and Ryan had to settle for third at the chequered flag, his second podium of the week. Speaking later, a pleased Ryan said: ‘Conditions in the Senior race were really tricky and it was the first time I’ve ridden around the Mountain Course when the roads have been properly wet so I just took it nice and steady to begin with and gradually eased my way into the race. It was a shame Gary went out early on the MV as it would have been a close race between us but once ahead, I was able to ride to my signals. The roads began to dry as the race wore on so I was able to enjoy it a lot more.’ ‘The 350cc rcae started well but half way around the first lap, I started experiencing major handling problems. We think the bike bottomed out at the Bottom of Barregarrow and with a full tank of fuel, it caused the tank to move. It jammed against the top of the fork yokes and that meant that I had barely any steering. It was particularly bad at some of the slower corners and I nearly fell off at Parliament Square and Governor’s Bridge so, after that, I just plugged away and brought the bike home for a good third.’ ‘I’ve got to say a big thank you to Roger Winfield and his team for all their hard work and I’m really pleased for them that we got two podiums – it was nice to be able to repay them with some good results. I also did a bit of marshalling at Ballaugh Bridge on the final race day to try and help the organisers as much as I could so, all in all, its been a good week.’ Ryan now has a two week break before his next meeting at Killalane, on Sunday September 14th, where he hopes to clinch the Superbike and Supersport Irish Road Race Championships. More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: Yates wraps up 2008 AMA Superstock Series presented by Dynojet title Daytona Beach, Fla.–Aaron Yates captured the AMA Superstock Series presented by Dynojet championship with a valiant ride in front of his hometown fans on Sunday at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. The Michael Jordan Motor Sports-Suzuki-sponsored rider finished just 0.044 seconds behind his teammate, Geoff May, at the checkered flag, as the two wheelied out of the last corner in their final lunge to the stripe. Yates celebrated his fifth AMA Superbike Championship series national title and the first for his team, close to home. “I’ve got a lot of friends and family and fans out there,” said the hard-riding Georgian. “Now there’s no pressure going into the last race. I’m happy to get the championship for the Jordan Suzuki team. They definitely deserve the Number One plate.” Although the 34-year-old veteran has led the series all year with tremendous consistency–four wins, and five runner-up finishes in nine races–the class has featured great racing and a few milestones. The third race, at Auto Club Speedway, saw Corona Honda Racing’s Jake Holden earn Honda its first win in the 21-year history of this open-class clash. May won his first-ever AMA national race in the fifth round at Miller Motorsports Park. M4 EMGO Suzuki rider Blake Young, 21, scored the maiden victory of his young career at Road America. He backed that up with his first pole position at Road Atlanta. With 46 wins in his AMA professional career, the decorated Yates now adds the 2008 Superstock title to his 1995 SuperTeams championship, which he followed up with the ’96 750 Supersport crown, the ’02 Supersport title, and the ’05 Superstock championship. More, from another press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: Zemke wins 2008 AMA Formula Xtreme title Daytona Beach, Fla.–Bridesmaid no more, Jake Zemke won the 2008 AMA Formula Xtreme championship in an epic race at Road Atlanta. Zemke’s successful season wrapped with his last-lap dogfight for the win with Erion Honda teammate, Josh Hayes. In a final-corner nail-biter, Zemke decided to back off rather than risk a pass that could have put them both off the track. Showing good sense and true grit, Zemke, from Paso Robles, California, only had to stay in front of Steve Rapp–who finished more than seven seconds arrears in fourth place–to clinch his first AMA Pro Racing series title after nine of 10 rounds one race early. In his 12-year AMA professional road-racing career, Zemke, 32, has finished championships in the top five 11 times, the top three nine times, been runner-up five times and this year, the Erion Honda Racing star has finally secured his first crown. “I’m happy to bring the championship home today,” said the new champ. “Josh has been a great teammate. We’ve been friends for a long time, so congratulations to him and to our team, as well, for getting back up on the podium.” More, from a press release issued by Millennium KWS Suzuki: Millennium/KWS Suzuki Scores Two Top Ten Finishes at Road Atlanta Braselton, GA – September 2008 — Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Suzuki of Orangeburg’s luck finally turned around this weekend at Road Atlanta where the team was able to score two top ten finishes and recover from a potential disaster in the Superstock race. In Superstock qualifying Thompson put on an outstanding performance to qualify the Millennium Technologies sponsored Suzuki GSX-R1000 on the second row with a time of 1:26.826 for the sixth position. Ben qualified in the thirteenth position for Superbike with a time of 1:27.031. In Superbike Race One, Thompson got a phenomenal start and was racing in the eight position on lap one with Jordan Suzuki’s Geoff May. Ben was able to maintain a fast consistent pace throughout the race and avoid several incidents to bring the LeoVince Exhaust sponsored GSX-R home in the ninth position. The team’s first top in Superbike this year. The Superstock race was by far the most dramatic race of the year for the Millennium/KWS Suzuki team. Ben Thompson got a great start and was in the forth position on the first lap. On lap two Thompson caught a false neutral at the newly configured Road Atlanta turn twelve and crashed into the gravel trap. The bike was damaged extensively but Thompson was able to pick the bike up and ride it back the pit. On the same lap, Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Robertino Pietri crashed going into turn ten and the AMA stopped the race. With this amazing stroke of good luck the Millennium/KWS Suzuki team went to work repairing Thompsons crashed GSX-R. Crew Chief Michael Godin did an incredible of keeping the team organized and moving forward and the team was able to repair their GSX-R1000 in twelve minutes, just in time for Thompson to make the restart. Because Thompson missed the warm up lap, he had to start from the very back of the twenty-four bike field. When the green flag dropped on the re-started Superstock race Thompson didn’t hesitate for a moment to consider he was riding a bike that had been crashed in a gravel trap fifteen minutes before. Ben proceeded to work his way through the field like a hot knife through butter passing ten riders on the first lap and in the end finished sixth to score his seventh top ten finish of the year. After all the drama of the Superstock race Ben Thompson and the Pit Bull sponsored Millennium/KWS Suzuki team just wanted to have a nice clean race. Thompson got a good start and quickly fell into a race long battle with Ryan Elleby. After twenty-five laps of back and forth action Thompson came out on top to finish eleventh. Ben Thompson “It was a good weekend. Michael, Chip, Kevin and Dustin did an incredible job putting the bike back together during the red flag. We got two top tens and an eleventh which is pretty good for a team our size. The Dunlop tires were amazing and I really want to thank Millennium Technologies, K&N, Fieldsheer and Puma for all their support.” Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) “The team worked super hard and we finally had some good luck go our way with the red flag. The Superstock bike was the fastest bike all weekend through the speed traps and I can’t say enough about how well Ben is riding. It was a good weekend and I am so glad we were able to put in some good results for Millennium Technologies and Suzuki of Orangeburg at their home race. Special thanks to Grant and Jimmy from MPT for helping out during the red flag. We couldn’t have done it with out you!” More, from a press release issued by Jason DiSalvo’s publicist: At Atlanta Double Header, DiSalvo Launches to Third in Superbike Points Braselton, GA: From Superbike qualifying to Superbike Race One and Two, Jason DiSalvo learned that three very-goods add up to one super-great. Factory Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo entered the Road Atlanta AMA Superbike weekend fourth in points, and rode away Sunday afternoon with third place all but secured in the 2008 AMA Superbike championship. Only the single Superbike race Laguna Seca remains. In the battle for a top-three position for the season, Jason and his Team Factory Yamaha crew are proving to be a team on a mission of passion. Earning second fastest in Superbike qualifying made Friday a day of pride for Jason and his crew. Initially, Jason was recorded as fourth quickest, earning the provisional outside position on the front row for the AMA Superbike double-header on Road Atlanta’s 2.55-mile course. Later in the afternoon Jason was elevated to second fastest when it was determined that two other machines on track were modified to more than allowed within AMA Superbike specs. This put Jason and his Yamaha YZF-R1 just one position from the top of the charts at the end of Friday’s AMA Superbike action at Road Atlanta. For final qualifying on Saturday Jason stepped it up, taking more than half a second off his Friday times, and earning a highly sought-after seat on the front row for Saturday and Sunday’s Superbike races. Starting on the outside of row one, Jason was again the fastest non-GSX-R racer on the grid, and a scant six hundredths of a second from interrupting the order. In Saturday’s Race One, Jason was early in the fight for third, eventually finishing a close sixth. Seeing that his rival for third overall was all over the turn-twelve gravel trap, Jason went for the big picture of championship points. Jason said, “The way points are awarded in the Superbike series makes it difficult to make up even a small gap in just a few races. So, with my competition for a trophy tumbling and losing half a dozen places, I decided to play it smart. I knew I had to keep in mind to only take what we could earn and not be greedy.” By chance, Jason played it even smarter in Sunday’s Superbike Race Two, finishing fifth and on the heels of fourth, while his main competitor finished 21st. Jason said, “In yesterday’s race I knew where my finish would put us in the championship, and so I raced with that in mind. But in today’s race I had no idea until the cool-down lap that my rival’s bike had broken, and the points chase had come to us. I was riding my heart out the entire race, taking chances and dicing for position. I had a few moments out there. So who knows? I finished well, we put on a great show, and we’re headed into the last race ranked third in the championship. It all worked out. So maybe a racer just needs to do what he does best? Race.” To keep up on the activities of Jason DiSalvo and JD 40 products please visit: www.jasondisalvo.com. More, from a press release issued by Wasserman Media Group: ZEMKE CLAIMS AMA FORMULA XTREME CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE Carlsbad, CA September 2, 2008 Jake Zemke clinched the AMA Formula Xtreme Championship title this past weekend at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia at the Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Rockstar. This weekend’s race was a dream come true for Zemke after finishing a mere 0.043 seconds behind his teammate ultimately taking home his first AMA Championship title of his 12 year professional career. Zemke and his teammate raced neck and neck for majority of the seventeen laps, with Zemke at ease in 2nd place, knowing it was enough to take the title. Despite his difficult start to the 2008 season the Southern California native came back to win four races and bring home four poles and sealed the title position by 45 points overall. “I was just happy to bring it home for the crew and the whole team,” Zemke said “Everybody at Erion Racing works so hard and works as a team.” Zemke was especially happy to take home the AMA Championship Title on a weekend he was battling a cold and was at the same track where he lost the 2005 championship. “This has been a long time in the making. I can’t tell you how happy I am.” Zemke said regarding his title win. More, from a press release issued by Safety First Racing: Safety First Suzuki Has Mixed Results at Road Atlanta Safety First Suzuki headed to Atlanta looking forward to a great weekend. Bobby Fong has previously raced at Road Atlanta twice and Gabor Rizmayer was going to get plenty of practice time Thursday to get familiar with the track for the AMA weekend. Team Owner, Kevin Hanson, commented on the weekend. “The weekend was actually going well. Bobby was quickly up to speed and we were spending some time searching for the perfect gearing for him so he wouldn’t run out of gearing down the back straight in the draft. Gabor quickly came up to speed and was getting comfortable with the track. The Supersport race rolled around on Sunday and we were in a good position. Bobby was gridded on the second row and Gabor was continually dropping his lap times. It just kind of went south on the first lap,” explained Hanson “Bobby was trying to get a good drive out of turn seven on to the back straight to stay in the draft with the leaders and just spun his Suzuki up and lowsided it on the exit of the turn. Unfortunately, it collected Steve Rapp, who was right behind him with nowhere to go, along with Chaz Davies and Tommy Aquino. I feel bad for those guys, I know Chaz is pretty sore and Rapp has a banged up wrist. I want to wish those guys a speedy recovery for Laguna. Originally, we thought Bobby broke a few ribs when he got ran over, however the x-rays showed he had bruised ribs. I don’t think Bobby’s going to be pretty sore for a few days, however he’ll be ready for Laguna. Thankfully, his Bell helmet did its job because it had a pretty gnarly gash on the top of it and I think his RS Taichi leathers helped prevent further serious injuries after being ran over,” commented Hanson. Bobby Fong: Qualified 8th Result: DNF/Crash “I’m really bummed about the weekend because I felt great all weekend and thought I had a great shot a putting it in the top 5 again. First off, I want to apologize to Rapp and the other guys for them getting caught up in my crash. I was just trying to put my head down on the start and make sure I stayed in the draft on the first lap and spun the bike out from under me. I’m having a hard time breathing or even wanted to move right now, but I’ll be good to go by the time Laguna rolls around. I want to wish Rapp and those guys a speedy recovery before the next race,” stated Fong. Gabor Rizmayer: Qualified 17th Result: 12th “This weekend was better. We changed the seat on the bike to make it more comfortable for me and it seemed to help with my confidence. My crew did a great job all weekend working in the hot weather and I want to thank them for all of their hard work. I like the track, I just need to find a little bit more time. I’m looking forward to going back to Laguna since it will be the first track this year that isn’t new to me,” commented Rizmayer. Safety First Racing was formed in 2004 by police officer/racer, Kevin Hanson, based out of Chicago, IL. For 2008, Safety First Suzuki will be competing in the Supersport class in the AMA Superbike series. Checkout www.SAFETYFIRSTRACING.com to see the latest line of apparel and performance products from Safety First Racing. Kevin Hanson continues to give away Bell bicycle helmets to elementary school children nationwide and educate children about the importance of helmet usage. More, from a press release issued by EastsideMotoSports Racing: EastsideMotoSports Racing turns up the heat at WMRRA 6 Hour Endurance Race After 6 hours of endurance racing, EastsideMotoSports Racing comes in on top in class and overall. Mike Tobin, team manager of EastsideMotoSports Racing, was elated with the team and its first overall endurance victory. And respond they did”¦”¦.after 199 laps and 3 pit stops (with one for a rider change, two tires and fuel, timed out at 2:45 seconds, remarkable) the EMS trio of Allister Mackinnon, Jeremy Cleland and Mike Tobin brought home the checkered flag not only in class but overall as well. The weather was typical for the Pacific Northwest, with rain and wet conditions throughout the day and drying up for about the last two hours. EastsideMotoSports Racing posted its best lap of the event with a 1:33 dry and 1:39 wet. The first pit stop of the day consisted of one rear tire, rider and fuel. The second was a rider change and fuel and two tires at 2:45 seconds pit stop, remarkable. We would like to mention that our Dunlop rain front tire lasted four hours nice, and our Dunlop rear tires were incredible. Thank you to Barry Wressell and the KFG crew and their support of the EastsideMotoSports Racing Team. This year’s endurance team consisted of: Cynthia Tellez and Laura Tobin: Scoring Allister Mackinnon, Jeremy Cleland and Mike Tobin: Riders Dave Rookaird, Adam Faussett, Ryan Parker, Garrett Nelson, Patrick Williams and Fred Harmon: Pit Crew Thank you to Rick Nakagaki and Gary Lewis for supporting the sport and living the “Performance is our passion” mission statement. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Joe Rocket Suzuki rider Joshua Waters claimed overall victory at the sixth round of the Australian Supersport Championship at Tasmania’s Symmons Plains Raceway at the weekend. Waters’ Tasmanian round win came in only the sixth race meeting for the 2008-model Suzuki GSX-R600 and moved the Victorian to within 27pts of the championship lead with one round remaining. In an incident-packed opening Supersport race the 21-year-old claimed a thrilling 1.789sec victory, backing up with a hard-fought third in race two to finish the day equal on race points with championship leader Jamie Stauffer. However, the bonus championship point Waters received for qualifying his Team Joe Rocket Suzuki GSX-R600 in pole position moved his tally to 44 points and with it the overall victory. In trying conditions that saw the 2.41km circuit lashed with occasional rain squalls and blustery winds throughout Sunday, the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki rider was fortunate to survive a heart-stopping moment in the opening race when he hit a patch of damp bitumen. The water, accidentally flicked onto the circuit by another rider’s knee, saw Waters thrown out of the seat of his GSX-R600. Waters was able to regain control, although five following riders weren’t as fortunate, all crashing out of proceedings. With bikes littering the track, race officials had no option but to red-flag the race while the scene was cleared. In the restarted race Waters rode to overall victory on combined times after a penalty was imposed on leg one ‘winner’ Wayne Maxwell for a start-line infringement. In Race Two Waters was involved in an exciting three-way battle with championship leader Stauffer and Maxwell, with Stauffer prevailing in a thrilling last lap to claim a 0.989sec win over Maxwell, with Waters just 0.218sec back in third. The third place, combined with the bonus point for pole position, gave Waters the overall round win. Waters heads to the final round at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway on 17-19 October in second place in the championship, and a chance to claim his first Australian Supersport Championship. While Waters’ round win was reason for celebration in the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki pit, it was a day of frustration for the team in the Superbike class. Craig Coxhell, 2003 Australian Superbike Champion, crashed out of the first 20-lap heat while in contention for a podium finish. It was Coxhell’s first race crash for the team in two seasons. Although the spill was only minor, and at one of the slowest corners on the circuit, the 25-year-old was unable to rejoin the race on his Team Joe Rocket Suzuki GSX-R1000 due to minor damage to the bike. Coxhell was again with the leading pack in race two when his Team Joe Rocket Suzuki GSX-R1000 succumbed to a minor technical problem, caused as a result of the opening race crash. With Coxhell out of proceedings, and team mate and three-times Australian Superbike Champion Shawn Giles sidelined with injuries received at the previous round of the series, the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki colours were flown proudly by reigning New Zealand Superbike Champion Robbie Bugden and privateer Trent Gibson. Bugden, who was suffering from a severe bout of flu, picked up fourth and fifth placings in the two Superbike races to finish fifth overall, while Gibson had his best result for the season with a top-10 overall finish. In a morale booster for the team, Team Joe Rocket Suzuki Superbike rider Shawn Giles attended the Symmons Plains meeting, albeit on crutches rather than in the saddle of his TJRS GSX-R1000. Giles is recovering rapidly from injuries received at the Queensland round of the series in mid-July, and expects to be back racing for the final round at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway in October. Phil Tainton – Team Manager: “It’s been an up and down weekend for us emotionally and results-wise. I’m really happy with the Supersport results and how the team and riders worked together in some pretty challenging weather conditions. “Josh’s overall win for the round sets us up for a tilt at the title at Eastern Creek. He showed that he can ride smart as well as fast in trying conditions. “Craig was disappointed with what happened in the opening Superbike race, but he was pushing hard at the time. Those things happen – I can’t remember the last time he crashed. “Robbie’s effort was exceptional considering how badly affected he was with the flu. I’m not sure how he was able to ride the bike, let alone get the results he did. “The team is now looking forward to the upcoming support races at the Australian MotoGP, and then the final round of the Australian championship two weeks later at Eastern Creek. “Shawn looks like he’ll back for that meeting, so the team will be back to full strength and looking to finish 2008 on a high.” Joshua Waters: “I can’t thank the team enough. It’s only our sixth meeting with the new 2008 GSX-R600, and it just keeps getting better and better. “I’m happy with the overall win, and with my pole time, but I really wanted to pull back some more points on Jamie. “I guess I should be happy that I stayed upright in that opening race and got maximum points, as the conditions were pretty tricky. The back just snapped sideways when I hit the water, and I’m not sure how I didn’t crash. “It looked like someone had dragged their knee through a puddle on the inside of the corner the lap before. I didn’t see it until I hit it. “I was happy with how I was riding in the first part before the red flag and was confident of having a go at Wayne in the closing laps. But I just couldn’t get in the groove in the restart. I’m not sure if it was the rain spots on my visor, but I just couldn’t settle down.” Craig Coxhell: “I went into this round determined to get my championship challenge back on track and get into the top three on the points table, but it wasn’t to be. I was pushing hard in race one and the front just tucked without warning. “I was pleased with the progress we made across the weekend as we got faster each time we went out on the track, but unfortunately the weekend results don’t reflect the effort of the team.” “The team has worked so hard on getting a set-up that makes me feel comfortable, and I feel my confidence is back to what it should be. I felt comfortable running with the leading group, and I was planning to have a real go in the closing laps. But it wasn’t to be. “I’m looking forward to the MotoGP support races and the final round at Eastern Creek.” Robbie Budgen: “I’m happy with fourth and fifth in the two races, as there’s nothing more I could have done. After 10 laps I was fully spent and had no energy. It was hard work just getting to the finish over 20 laps. “The flu hit me on Thursday and I honestly thought I would have shaken it off by race day on Sunday. But it kept getting worse. “Holding on to a Superbike at 250km/h around the Symmons sweeper is not easy at the best of times, but when you’ve got no strength after 10 laps it makes it quite a challenge. “The bike was great all weekend – it’s just a pity my body couldn’t match it.” 2008 AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Superbike Overall Results – Round 6: 1 Daniel Stauffer, 2 Jamie Stauffer, 3 Glenn Allerton, 4 Jason O’Halloran, 5 Robert Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 6 Zac Davies, 7 Chris Trounson, 8 Jon Cartwright, 9 Shannon Johnson, 10 Trent Gibson (Suzuki GSX-R1000). Superbike Championship Points (after 6 of 7 rounds): 1 Glenn Allerton 230pts, 2 Jamie Stauffer 225, 3 Daniel Stauffer 216, 4 Jason O’Halloran 188, 5 Craig Coxhell (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 160, 6 Robert Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 138, 7 Kevin Curtain 133, 8 Chris Trounson 131, 9 Zac Davies 130, 10 Jon Cartwright. Supersport Overall Results – Round 6: 1 Joshua Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600), 2 Jamie Stauffer, 3 Wayne Maxwell, 4 Ben Attard, 5 Judd Greedy (Suzuki GSX-R600), 6 Christian Cassella, 7 Brett Simmonds, 8 Grant Hay, 9 Scott Campbell, 10 Ben Burke. Supersport Championship Points (after 6 of 7 rounds): 1 Jamie Stauffer 264pts, 2 Joshua Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600) 237, 3 Wayne Maxwell 201, 4 Ben Attard 185, 5 Judd Greedy (Suzuki GSX-R600) 179, 6 Jeremy Crowe 165, 7 Grant Hay 151, 8 Mitchell Carr (Suzuki GSX-R600) 128, 9 Chris Cassella 118, 10 Chris Quinn 115. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Canada: 2008 PARTS CANADA SUPERBIKE CHAMPION 2008 YOSHIMURA PRO600 SPORT BIKE CHAMPION 2008 Inside Motorcycles Team of the Year With another championship title, a 1-2 finish in Pro 600 Sport Bike, a win in Superbike, and receiving the Inside Motorcycles Team of the Year award, it was a picture perfect weekend for the Canadian Kawasaki Race Team at the final round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship in Shannonville. After enduring a mostly wet-dry-wet start to the weekend, ideal weather greeted the teams, riders, and fans at Shannonville Motorsport Park, where racing history was made by Jordan Szoke and his teammate Brett McCormick on Sunday. In addition to winning the 600 showdown, Szoke secured his third consecutive Superbike Championship title while McCormick claimed his first career Pro Superbike win at just 17 years old. “We couldn’t have written a better end to the season. Actually, the entire season unfolded like a dream for us. We had awesome bikes, extremely talented riders, and a dedicated group of mechanics that is second to none,” said team manager Jeff Comello. “Winning both classes today, adding a third consecutive Superbike Championship to a third consecutive 600 Championship, and being awarded Team of the Year is as sweet as it gets.” It was obvious from practice onward that a confident Kawasaki Race Team came to Shannonville with only one goal in mind: dominate both pro classes and reclaim the highly coveted Superbike championship title. For starters, an on fire McCormick scored his second consecutive pole position of the season with a blistering lap of 1.04.656 around the 2.45-KM Shannonville Pro Track, after also setting the fastest lap during the 10-minute warm-up before the start of official Superpole qualifying. McCormick’s lap time was just tenths of a second shy of Szoke’s record setting lap in 2007. Szoke, who was also on a flyer, had a small moment off the back straight, but still managed to record the 2nd fastest lap at 1:04.741. In Pro 600 Super Sport action, Szoke secured a 4th place qualifying position while McCormick snared 6th. Szoke, who clinched his third consecutive Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike title at the penultimate round of the series in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, capped off the season with style by convincingly winning the final 600 round of 2008. On his way to victory, the Brantford, Ontario native powered his ZX-6R to the fastest lap of the 18 lap race. McCormick, who was engaged in an epic battle with Kevin Lacombe for second place, made it a 1-2 Kawasaki finish by sticking a pass on Lacombe on the last lap. In the Superbike feature, McCormick was determined to put himself and the ZX-10R in the winners circle and after battling for 20 laps with Lacombe and Chris Peris he did just that. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native grabbed the lead from pole position going into the first corner with Lacombe and Peris close behind. McCormick then set the early pace at the front, earning him two bonus points for most laps lead, with Lacombe responding in the later stages and taking the lead. But in the end a relentless McCormick would force his way back into the lead with less than two laps to go and hold off Lacombe to the checkered for his first ever Pro Superbike win. “My day started off a bit on the downside, as I woke up with an earache, but it couldn’t have ended any better. I had a good run in 600 and an even better run in Superbike. I’m happy as can be right now,” said McCormick. “There is nothing like ending the season on a positive note. I couldn’t have asked for anything more and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone on the Kawasaki Race Team for all their support and faith in me.” Meanwhile, Szoke secured his fifth national Superbike title after finishing the race in a safe sixth place. Although 12th would have more than sufficed to complete the task, Szoke found a clear spot just behind the lead pack and cruised to a 6th place finish. The final Parts Canada Superbike standings see Szoke on top with 317 points, 40 points clear of second place Clint McBain. “This will be a season to remember, that’s for sure. Although all the ingredients were there for me to successfully defend my 600 and Superbike titles, I’m really relieved that it’s over. It’s such a weight off your shoulders to get the job done and just enjoy the feelings that come with it,” said Szoke. “It’s pretty awesome to get three championships in both classes three years in a row. I couldn’t be happier, not just for myself but for the entire team. Everybody put so much into this.” Comello sums up the 2008 campaign: “At the beginning of the season, there was a lot of speculation regarding our team and riders and whether we could rise to the challenge again. I think we proved that our entire team is committed, talented, and one of the best in the sport. The ability to look at each weekend as a new challenge and not become complacent, even for a moment, has enabled us to raise our game each year. This continues to be a key factor in bringing home both of these championships.” For the latest series information, visit www.kawasakiracing.ca and www.cdnsuperbike.com. Starting this fall, TSN will have the complete coverage from each race of the 2008 Parts Canada Superbike Championship beginning with Round 1 from Calabogie Motorsports Park. The series will also be broadcast in French on RDS during the same period. More, from a press release issued by Team Stargel: Knapp Records Another Top Ten With Team Stargel At Road Atlanta Team Stargel went into this past weekend’s AMA Formula Xtreme round at Road Atlanta hoping to continue the momentum of it’s ninth place finish at the last event at VIR. The team focused on trying various chassis combinations in an effort to make rider, Taylor Knapp, more comfortable with the feel of the motorcycle. A long list of parts were exchanged and numerous settings were tested to explore the adjustability of a motorcycle that Knapp up to that point only had two weekends on. Using practice and qualifying sessions as testing opportunities, the motorcycle was continually changed. Even the Saturday morning warmup session saw dramatic and wholesale exhanges of parts, looking for the feel that Knapp sought. Throughout the countless alterations, the results were always forward progress, as the lap times continued to come down every session. By the end of the last practice session, Knapp found himself in eighth position and excited for the possibilities that the race may hold. As the race began, Knapp got a fantastic start, jumping from his eleventh place grid position to as high as sixth place on the first lap. As the first few laps played out, he was running in a strong eighth place, when a red flag came out and called a halt to the race. Now gridded on the second row, Knapp once again made an excellent start and once more moved himself up to sixth place. After some shuffling, Taylor again held down the eighth spot, but not mounting fresh tires during the red flag interruption conspired to slow his pace. Knapp went on the finish in ninth place securing another top ten AMA finish.