SunTrust MOTO-ST Series Teams Ready to Battle for Points DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When Round 3 of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series roars to life April 27-29 at Virginia International Raceway, teams will be ready to take to the track in an all out battle for victory and points. Showcasing non-stop action-packed two-wheeled racing complete with pit stops, the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series features three classes; The Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport Twins class (SST), the BMW Grand Sport Twins class (GST) producing 75-90 and Sport Twins (ST) for machines under 75 horsepower. With two out of six races completed (Daytona and Homestead), the points are incredibly close and every team is determined to grab a stronger foothold in the standings. Tied for first in SST with 67 points are Aprilia USA 2 (Aprilia Tuono 1000R) piloted by Ty Howard and Troy Green and Roadracingworld.com (Suzuki SV1000S) with riders Lee Acree and Mark Junge. Each team has won one event with Aprilia taking a first at Daytona and a second at Homestead and Roadracingworld.com grabbing a second at Daytona and a first at Homestead. Just 13 points behind is Vallely Racing (Suzuki SV 1000S) with Mike Himmelsbach and Tom Vallely. In fourth, 17 points behind the leader is San Jose BMW (BMW R1200) with pilots Nate Kern and Brian Parriott and in fifth, 19 points back, is Team Motorrad Touring Sport BMW (BMW R1200) with Frank Shockley, Ivan Messina and James Chance. In the GST class, the points are even tighter with Richie Morris Racing (Buell XB12) leading with 65 points, Touring Sport Ducati (Ducati Supersport 1000DS) in second with 64 points and RPM Motorsports/Keesee Racing (Ducati Multistrada 1000DS) holding down third with 63 points. Last, but not least, in ST the Pair-A-Nines (Kawasaki EX650) team holds an eight-point lead over GoBigRacing (Suzuki SV650). Featuring riders from the United States, Canada and Europe, the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series is not just about the rider and machine. It is truly a team sport with the entire crew playing an all-important part. Just like in NASCAR, pit stops can make the difference between winning and losing. Pitting approximately every 40 minutes for fuel and/or tires and rider changes, each stop is critical. At Homestead, the San Jose BMW team had to make three unscheduled pit stops and due to their excellent teamwork, they still managed to come in third. That’s what great pit stops are all about. A three-hour action packed event, fans will thrill to the action both off and on the track when the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series swings into Virginia International Raceway. In addition to VIR, the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series will also include the Road America 500K, July 7-8 at Road America, the Iowa Speedway 500K at Iowa Speedway July 12-13, 2007 and the 8 Hours At Daytona Finale, October 19-20 at Daytona International Speedway. MOTO-ST is organized and sanctioned by Professional Motorsports Productions (PMP) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the Grand American Road Racing Association, based in Daytona Beach, Fla., provides the series with administrative and commercial support. The MOTO-ST advisory board features some of the most respected individuals in the world of motorsports, including Hall of Fame members, respected motorcycle racing journalists and renowned officials from various forms of road racing. Learn more about MOTO-ST at www.moto-st.com . More, from a press release issued by VIR: Two and Four-Wheeled Excitement Coming to VIRginia International Raceway DANVILLE, VA., – The most exciting combination of two and four-wheeled race vehicles will be bringing their thrilling races to VIRginia International Raceway April 27-29. The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve VIR400 will be contested by the sleek and exotic Daytona Prototype sports cars in Sunday afternoon’s featured race. Starting at 1:00 PM, the race promised to continue the tradition of tight competition and close finishes that earned last year’s race at VIR the honor of being selected the ‘Rolex Moment of the Year’ after young driver Mike Rockenfeller took advantage of a momentary interference by slower cars to pass the race leader and go on to take the checkered flag. While Max Angelelli and Scott Pruett, running one-two as the trio approached the finish, banged doors as they approached a slower GT car, Rockenfeller slipped through into the lead and headed only the final three turns of the 3.27-mile track. “The VIR win will go down as one of my finest racing memories,” said Rockenfeller, who teamed with co-driver Patrick Long to claim the victory. “You see these bits on the racing highlight clips all of the time; now I am in one!” he said after learning of the honor. Don’t worry about exotic powerplants either. The engines in these prototype racers come from household names such as Pontiac and Ford, as well as BMW, Porsche and Lexus. While there are several engine and chassis manufacturers, the group’s rules keep things even across the board, further assuring good racing. These are the cars driven in the Daytona 24 Hours by Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Rusty Wallace and other NASCAR drivers as well as Road Racing stars like Max Papis, Scott Pruett, Alex Gurney, Boris Said and Max Angelleli. For fans of motorcycle racing, the SunTrust MOTO-ST series is bringing their ‘Super Twin’ bikes to compete in a 500-kilometer race beginning at 9:00 Sunday morning. MOTO-ST is contested by twin-cylinder cycles closely matched in performance, giving crowds of spectators thrills equal to those provided by the Daytona Prototype cars. With various makes such as Aprilia, BMW, Buell, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Moto Guzzi, Suzuki, Yamaha and more, all competing for overall and class honors. If muscle cars and pony cars are more your taste, then the GT class race Saturday may be just what the doctor ordered. With entries from BMW, Corvette, Ford Mustang, Mazda, Nissan, Pontiac and Porsche, there’s something in the GT race for everyone. The 400-kilometer race for GT cars starts at 4:30 Saturday afternoon, after a full day’s action of practice and qualifying for all the groups, including the two special open-wheeled groups. Joining the Daytona Prototypes, GT cars and MOTO-ST motorcycles will be the open-wheeled formula cars from the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by MAZDA racers and the Star Mazda Championship. Similar in appearance, the two classes are both powered by Mazda four-cylinder engines and provide a starting point for ambitious drivers. The Skip Barber National series features a Masters Division for drivers over the age of 40, competing in the same race but for separate point awards and prize fund. If you like thundering V8s, sports cars, sport-twin motorcycles or just great racing in general, come to VIRginia International Raceway and enjoy the best of all of those in just one weekend. While we enjoy the race action, we feel compelled to recognize the losses suffered last week at Virginia Tech. We ask that each of our spectators remember those who suffered loss in that senseless rampage and join us in a moment of silence before the start of each day’s feature race. Tickets can be purchased online through Wednesday, printed conveniently at home and save the trouble of waiting in line to pick up your tickets at the track. To buy tickets this easy way, just point your web browser to http://www.virclub.com and click on the <<
Updated: MOTO-ST Moves To VIR’s Long Course This Weekend
Updated: MOTO-ST Moves To VIR’s Long Course This Weekend
© 2007, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. From a press release issued By Professional Motorsports Productions.
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