From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

Duhamel Perfect in Virginia

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel made history yet again, becoming the first rider to win three AMA professional road races in one day by sweeping both ends of the Superbike double-header while adding his eighth Formula Xtreme win as well, on a warm day at Virginia International Raceway, site of the final round of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship. In addition, his fifth and sixth Superbike wins of the year moved him back into a tie for most career wins. What makes the feat even more impressive is that prior to today Duhamel had never won a race at VIR.

“Everything worked out really well,” Duhamel said. “Yeah, today was really good and everything, but still you’ve got to be humble. You still got to be able to say you were lucky.”

Originally scheduled to run three weeks ago, but postponed because of worries about the remnants of Hurricane Ivan, the VIR weekend was compressed from three days to two. That meant three races today, with two of Duhamel’s in a row. The heavy workload didn’t faze the superfit French-Canadian.

In the first 28-lap Superbike race, Duhamel waited until the final lap to steal victory from the Suzuki of Aaron Yates. Teammate Ben Bostrom was a fighting third.

The second race results were the same, but with less drama. Duhamel made his way to the front on the 10th lap and steadily pulled away, eventually winning by 7.317 seconds. Again it was Yates in front of Ben Bostrom.

Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke didn’t take part in the second race after withdrawing from the first race. Zemke had hit his head in a Saturday morning high-side and the lingering effects meant he had trouble concentrating during the Superbike race. On top of that, he had to pit to change a rear tire. By then his hopes of winning the Superbike championship were over and he felt the prudent thing to do was to pit.

The championship was won by Mat Mladin (Suzuki) who finished sixth and fourth in the Superbike races. Duhamel led the Honda team to a strong second, third, and fourth in the first year for the constantly improving Honda CBR-1000RR, a machine that won 10 of 18 races this season.

Duhamel’s domination of the Formula Xtreme race was complete. Except for the few hundred yards entering turn one, he led all the way, winning by 4.218 seconds. The win came at the end of a long, historic day which may never be replicated. But it wasn’t the first time he’d won three races in a weekend. That was done earlier this year at Road America where he won the same three races-two Superbike and Formula Xtreme-over the course of two days.

Duhamel had clinched the Formula Xtreme championship in the previous race at Road Atlanta and Zemke secured second. Between them and Ben Bostrom, they won all 11 races of the championship on the Honda CBR-600RR.

The momentum from the Formula Xtreme race puts the Honda team ahead of the pack in the run-up to the first race of the season, the March Daytona 200, run for the first time in 2005 on Formula Xtreme machinery.

Miguel Duhamel, First Place, Race One
My bike was quite a bit faster. I doubt that he (Yates) could have got a draft and passed me, but he could’ve definitely made it close at the start-finish line. The bike worked great. It was a really tough race. When I was out there behind Aaron (Yates), I was just ‘Man, alright, this is pretty tough.’ I might have to do the best I can but don’t want to be stupid either.

Ben Bostrom, Third Place, Race One
Not much to it. Pretty bad start. We were up there and had a lot of fun racing with the guys trying to come back up to the front. Buy the time we got up there, these three guys next to me (Duhamel, Yates, Mladin) had pretty much taken off. So we were kind of a lonely and had some lappers to play with. And then Mat (Mladin) ended up handing us third, so that was nice of him. Bike was fantastic, tires were great. Team did a good job. These guys just outrode me. We’ll try to learn a little bit and step it up for the next one.

Jake Zemke, DNF Race One
I crashed first practice yesterday morning, high-sided out of the last corner there. And my body’s pretty banged up and I took a pretty big hit to my head. I didn’t get knocked out. I figured I was OK and just my body was hurting. Since then the practice sessions have been so short I probably haven’t done more than three laps in a row. In the race there, I was hurting obviously, but at the same time I was losing focus. I couldn’t concentrate as much as I usually do, as much as I would have liked. I was starting to miss my marks. There was really nothing to gain. We’re just calling it a weekend and just look forward to ’05 now.

Miguel Duhamel, First Place, Race Two
The second race was a little bit easier, quite a bit easier than the first race. After the second race I saw how pretty exceptional the first race was that I survived that because my bike was so much better in the second. Now we changed it, we made just one click difference on the bike, so I think maybe the tire was a little suspect, the tire we had today for the first race because the second tire was quite a bit better, but there is that click that we put on the bike. It would be hard to believe that it would be that much better. Al (Ludington) did a great job and Darren (Clarke), they watched the computer. The second race I was knocking out 1:26.0’s and it was no big thing. The bike was working really good. But the bike felt really solid. It was solid the first race, but it was so much better the second race.

Ben Bostrom, Third Place, Race Two
Definitely not satisfied. Only satisfied when you win but there was nothing we could do. Miguel (Duhamel), he was on today. When Miguel’s on he’s hard to beat and Miguel ran a fantastic race today and Aaron (Yates) also. These guys they just had us beat today. We tried to make a last little ditch charge to Aaron there, but couldn’t. He had something for us. Big thanks to the Honda guys, my team. The Dunlop guys. They did a great job. These guys, congratulations, they put us back to third again. This is four thirds in a row and that’s two many. The season’s over and we’ll come back next year strong.

Superbike Race One
1. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki)
3. Ben Bostrom (Honda)
4. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati)
5. Regis Laconi (Ducati)
6. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)
7. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki)
8. Jacob Holden (Suzuki)
9. Geoff May (Suzuki)
10. Mike Smith (Suzuki)

Superbike Race Two
1. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki)
3. Ben Bostrom (Honda)
4. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)
5. Regis Laconi (Ducati)
6. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki)
7. Marty Craggill (Suzuki)
8. Mike Smith (Suzuki)
9. Geoff May (Suzuki)
10. Jeremy Toye (Yamaha)

Formula Xtreme:
1. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
2. Vincent Haskovec (Suzuki)
3. Doug Chandler (Ducati)
4. Mike Ciccotto (Buell)
5. Opie Caylor (Suzuki)
6. Nicky Moore (Suzuki)
7. Heath Small (Yamaha)
8. Darin Edwards (Suzuki)
9. Derek Keyes (Suzuki)
10. Carlo Gagliardo (Yamaha)

Final AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship Standings
1. Mat Mladin (557)
2. Miguel Duhamel (514)
3. Jake Zemke (490)
4. Ben Bostrom (393)
5. Geoff May (366)
6. Eric Bostrom (336)
7. Aaron Yates (331)
8. John Haner (312)
9. Eric Wood (295)
10. Josh Hayes (291)


More, from a press release issued by PR firm Vreeke & Associates:

Mladin captures fifth Superbike title; Gobert and Hayden win first championships; Duhamel wins record three races in one day

Alton, VA – The scenic countryside of the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Virginia welcomed the final stop of the AMA’s (American Motorcyclist Association) 11-venue 2004 Superbike road racing series on October 9-10. It was an exciting climax to the season that determined the last three of the AMA’s four 2004 road racing championships. Making Superbike history was Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, who captured his fifth AMA Superbike title, an unprecedented feat. Up-and-coming riders also took away championship honors as Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert won the Superstock championship, his first, and Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden took home his first championship, the 600cc Supersport crown. With the Formula Xtreme championship title sewn up by Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel at Road Atlanta, the AMA season concluded with each Dunlop-supported manufacturer earning a road racing crown.

VIR greeted the teams and race fans with seasonably cool and dry weather that was perfectly suited for racing. This last round was originally scheduled for mid-September but wind, rain and floods produced by Tropical Storm Ivan hammered the region and forced a postponement. For several of the competitors in the hunt for championships, the unexpected break was an opportunity to nurse injuries back to health.

VIR is known as a fast “right-hand” track that generates significant heat in the right side of the rear tire, particularly along the front straight which curves to the right after the start-finish line. For Superbike competition, Dunlop brought four front and six rear tire compound selections, ranging from medium to hard compounds, including multi-compounds and a new-generation rear tire designed to maximize turning and straight-line traction and stability. To support the factory teams and support riders in Superbike, Superstock, Supersport and Formula Xtreme, Dunlop brought more than 1800 tires, including two types of rain tires for the unexpected.

The first race of the two-day season finale was the ever-so-close Superstock competition, held on Saturday. Coming into the last race, Aaron Gobert led the series by a slim five-point margin over his teammate Jamie Hacking and Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden. Yamaha’s Jason Disalvo grabbed the pole position on his Yamaha YZF-R1 with a record time of 1:25.328; when the race flag dropped, he sped off into the lead and he was never challenged. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies, riding a GSX-R1000, looked to be the only rider capable of staying with Disalvo in the early laps, but Disalvo stretched his advantage to more than nine seconds late in the race and Spies could manage no better than second on the day. The championship fight came down to Hacking and Gobert, who finished third and fourth, respectively. If Hacking-who valiantly battled back from mid-season injuries-had overtaken Spies for second, the championship would have been his. But it was not to be and Gobert’s finish was good enough for his first AMA roadracing championship.

“This was the kind of race I’d been looking for all year, a race win like this, and I’m glad that I got it,” said Disalvo. “And again, (I’m) really happy for Aaron winning the championship. It’s great for Yamaha. This R1 is fantastic. And the team worked great. The AMA, too.”

For the middle brother of the talented Gobert family, the championship came after an uphill battle following two seasons plagued by injuries. “I think I broke something like 19 bones in that crash at Daytona,” he recalled from his 2002 Supersport accident. “For three months straight, laying on the couch, not being able to walk. To come back now and I’ve only just been able to start running for training this year. Things are good, and it feels like it’s paying off. I told Chuck Graves when I first came over here in 2001, I said to him, ‘I’ll win your first championship for you.’ And here I am, four years later, I’ve finally done it for him.”

On the day, Tommy Hayden finished sixth on his ZX-10R, followed by Yamaha’s Buckmaster in seventh, Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes in eighth, and Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore in tenth as Dunlop-supported riders took eight of the top ten positions. The season tally for the Superstock series gave Yamaha a 1-2-4 finish with Gobert at 320 points, Hacking with 317, Tommy Hayden with 313, and Disalvo with 312.

This year’s Superbike competition produced an exciting battle between four-time Superbike champ Mat Mladin, Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel (also a Superbike champion) and Erion Racing’s rookie Superbike pilot Jake Zemke. With stellar performances from Hondas’ Ben Bostrom and Suzuki’s Aaron Yates sprinkled throughout the season, the season-long skirmish highlighted the best efforts of the two factory teams. Suzuki’s venerable GSX-R1000 faced stiff competition as Honda’s new CBR1000RR hit its stride mid-season and seemed to enjoy a horsepower advantage until Suzuki’s engineers found enough power to level the playing field. Veterans Mladin and Duhamel regularly leap-frogged one another in their quest for the most AMA Superbike victories (Mladin led Duhamel 32-30 coming into the final round) while Zemke earned his keep, notching two victories of his own. Mladin led the series from the season opener at Daytona; as few as 10 points separated him from Duhamel after round eight at Laguna Seca, but consistent finishes built his lead to 42 points entering the last two races at the final VIR round.

On Saturday, Mladin set his customary front-of-the-pack pace throughout practice and qualifying but Duhamel snared the pole position in the final minutes and set a new lap record of 1:24.404 in the process. Sunday’s first Superbike race was a thriller. Early in the race Mladin took the lead and by lap eight, Mladin, teammate Aaron Yates and Duhamel were dicing for the lead. On lap 18, Mladin went off the track briefly, slipping back to sixth. With Mladin’s nearest rival in the championship, Zemke, suffering from the effects of his practice crash on Saturday, it was unclear where Mladin needed to finish to secure the championship. On the final lap, Duhamel passed Yates entering turn one and held him off as the pair worked through lapped riders, winning the race by a scant .126 seconds. Finishing third was Duhamel’s teammate Ben Bostrom and in sixth position was Mladin, who secured the championship after Zemke withdrew late in the race,

“When I was out there behind Aaron, I was just (thinking), “Man, all right. This is pretty tough,” said Duhamel. “I might have to go for it, you know, try to do the best I can, but I don’t want to be stupid, either. But I thought a bit about Shawn Hose (the breast cancer victim to whom Duhamel dedicated his pole position), and I was going, “it would be great if I could put the pole and the win. That’s what I did on that last lap, and it came home good.”

Mladin was understated in acknowledging his fifth title in six years, a remarkable accomplishment. “It was good to get the championship done. I want to thank the whole Yoshimura Suzuki crew, those guys really stepped up and put us on a motorcycle here and put us in a position where we could cruise around and take the championship. I thank all my crew for making five championships possible. And everyone else, Dunlop Tires, those guys stepped up this year and gave us tires that we were confident in and were very good.”

In Supersport competition, Jason Disalvo rode his Yamaha YZF-R6 to a new lap record of 1:26.781-his second record-setting pole performance of the weekend-to capture the top starting position for the season finale on Sunday. The race was a spectacular show as teammates Disalvo, Damon Buckmaster and Jamie Hacking all vied for the lead. Meanwhile, brothers Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden rode their Kawasaki ZX-6RRs more conservatively in their bid to win the championship. Older brother Tommy held the upper hand on Roger Lee by 11 points coming into the race and needed only to keep him in sight to win the series. In the end, Disalvo took his second win of the weekend, holding of Hacking by just .242 seconds. Buckmaster crashed out and teammate Aaron Gobert slipped across the line in third, assuring a Yamaha podium sweep. In the championship hunt, Roger Lee Hayden took fourth place, two positions ahead of brother Tommy, but it was not enough and the elder Hayden snared his first AMA championship by nine points, 352 to Roger Lee’s 343.

“This weekend, how special it was, is right up there with Daytona, if not better than Daytona,” said Disalvo. Of the last-lap drama with Hacking, he noted, “It was such a fun race. I can’t wait to watch the race on TV, I’ll probably just fast forward through the whole race to the last lap.”

For Hayden, the championship was sweet. “It was a long year, for sure. Starting way back to Daytona seems a long way from right now. But the whole year went really good. I felt like I rode every race hard, and was on the podium a lot, that was my goal. It’s been close a lot of times, and this year, to finally get over that hump and go ahead, I’ve been second a number of times, but to win, it’s definitely a special day for me.”

Gobert’s Supersport result brought his season total to 284 points, enough for third place in the series behind Kawasaki’s one-two finish. On the day, Dunlop-shod riders took seven of the top ten positions.

The second Superbike race on Sunday showcased another strong performance by Duhamel and Yates. Yates started well and he held the lead, building a solid margin in the early going. A charging Duhamel, who worked his way forward from a sixth-place start, took control of the race when he passed Yates on lap 10 and built a sizable lead of more than seven seconds. At the checkered flag, it was Duhamel winning his second race of the day, bringing his career Superbike total to 32 victories, tied with Mladin.

“The second race was really good,” said Duhamel, “quite a bit easier than the first race. My bike was so much better in the second race, We changed it, we made one (suspension) click difference on the bike. The bike felt really solid. I’m really jazzed about my team, the guys did a great job.”

Mladin rode an inspired race after taking a stop-and-go-penalty for jumping the start. The season’s champ clawed his way back into contention in a race that held no significance and finished fourth behind Ben Bostrom and Yates, who carded third and second, respectively. On the day, Dunlop-equipped riders took seven of the top 10 spots. Mladin closed out the series with 584 points to Duhamel’s 551. Zemke, who wisely sat out the second race, clinched third with 490 points and Ben Bostrom was fourth with 422.

If it was possible to bring drama to a race with seemingly no significance, Duhamel was the man to do it. After winning the Formula Xtreme championship one round earlier at Road Atlanta, Duhamel could have sat out the race. But showing the same spirit as Mladin in Superbike race two, Duhamel wasted no time charging to the lead on his Honda CBR600RR and he was never headed, winning the race by over four seconds. By winning his second three-peat of the season, Duhamel became the first man to win three AMA races in one day. His record-tying eighth Formula Xtreme victory in one season was also the 82nd AMA victory of his career. For the year, Duhamel collected 395 points, followed by Zemke in second with 308. Zemke’s teammate Alex Gobert was fourth in the series with 254 points.

Dunlop congratulates all the competitors in the 2004 AMA Superbike series and is especially proud of the season’s champions-Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert, Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden and Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel-each of whom rode to victory on Dunlop tires.


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

MAT MLADIN – 2004 AMERICAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPION

Alton Virginia, USA (Sunday, October 9) – Mat Mladin’s domination of this year’s American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship was confirmed today as he clinched his fifth AMA Superbike crown at Virginia International Raceway.

The 32-year-old Australian who hails from Camden, south west of Sydney in New South Wales, led the championship at every point, commencing with an opening round win at the prestigious Daytona 200, before adding a further seven race wins to that as the season progressed.

Mladin’s efforts in winning five American Superbike titles makes him one of the most prolific title winning Australian riders outside of his native country, with Mick Doohan being the only other to have won multiple road racing crowns with his five World 500cc championships.

Mladin’s championship win came in the first of the weekend’s two scheduled Superbike nationals after championship adversary Jake Zemke retired from the race, allowing Yoshimura Suzuki rider to ease his own pace and take a steady sixth place, giving him an unbeatable points lead.

With championship success firmly on his mind, Mladin did not challenge for the race lead, preferring to monitor the progress of Zemke as he was the only rider who had a mathematical chance of taking the title away from him. Zemke’s race ended when he retired with eight laps remaining, leaving Mladin only to finish the race strongly to take the title.

With his title secure, Mladin was determined to finish his season on a high note, but was judged to have jumped the start of the second race and was penalised by race officials with a stop / go penalty. This triggered a barnstorming run up through the field that saw him come from 24th on lap three to finish fourth just over 15-seconds in arrears or duel Superbike race winner on the day Miguel DuHamel.

The final points spread at the conclusion of the 18-race championship saw Mladin total 584 points, 33 clear of DuHamel (551) who elevated himself past Zemke (490) after the young Californian failed to score points in either race.

“It was a great feeling to have finally got it done, especially as we had to wait those extra three weeks after the round was rescheduled,” said Mladin. “It‘s been a busy time for us as we have been focussed on winning the title this weekend, plus we have already begun our planning for next year and what needs to be done with the new bike.”

“This win has definitely been a team effort, above and beyond the usual high efforts that my guys put in. I have to thank each of my crew, Yoshimura and Suzuki themselves for the efforts that were made this year. A couple of months ago the championship was very close, but everyone stepped up and that made it a lot easier to get the results we were chasing. The last round at Road Atlanta was pivotal in winning the championship. We knew we had to do well there so that we could set it up here and fortunately for us we came away with a double race win at Atlanta which was perfect.”

“Today was one of those days where we just focussed on what we needed to do to win the championship and let a few of the others chase the race wins and that’s exactly how we played it. We got the championship done in the first race and it was a shame to have had to do the stop / go for the jump start in the second. I was aiming at getting on the podium there and I know I put together a lot of good laps but just missed out on getting the podium. It was a good day though and we’re all very happy with how today and the whole season has gone.”


More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin:

PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN TEAM FINISHES SEASON WITH STRONG PERFORMANCES

Alton (Virginia) – October 10, 2004: The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team closed out the 2004 AMA Superbike season with strong performances from Regis Laconi and Lorenzo Lanzi at Virginia International Raceway. Although the team’s usual racer, Eric Bostrom, was out with an injury suffered at the previous round in Atlanta, the European riders stepped in and performed well on the Ducati 999.

World Supersport rider Lorenzo Lanzi ran near the front in both 28-lap races, but saw his shot at a podium disappear when a technical problem ruined his strong run for third place in race two. Lanzi placed fourth in his first Superbike race in America, a remarkable finish on a track which he had seen only once before. In race two, the 22-year-old Italian diced for third place, closing the gap and eventually making his bid for a spot on the box until misfortune struck. “I think we had a shot at the podium, but unfortunately a switch broke with six laps to go,” said Lanzi. “Still, it was really good to race with Regis and Ben Bostrom.”

World Superbike rider Regis Laconi showed his experience and quickly worked his way up to speed at a track he had never seen before yesterday. The 29-year-old Frenchman was fifth in both 28-lap races, held in clear autumn conditions at the scenic Virginia track. “Both Regis and Lorenzo did a fantastic job, especially since neither have ever raced here,” said Team Owner Terry Gregoricka. “Both riders really performed well and tried very hard.”

“Lorenzo was riding especially well in the second race – we really thought he had a shot of getting on the podium,” added Racing Manager Tom Bodenbach. And for how little time Regis had on the track, we’re pleased with the fifth place finishes.”

“Regis and Lorenzo learned a lot from the first race. They had never competed with the AMA riders before and only Lorenzo had tested here at Virginia, so it took some time. The limited schedule didn’t work to our advantage, but the guys are still to be commended on their performances,” said Bodenbach.


RACE 1: 1. Duhamel (Honda); 2. Yates (Suzuki); 3. B Bostrom (Honda); 4. Lanzi (Ducati); 5. Laconi (Ducati); 6. Mladin (Suzuki); etc. RACE 2: 1. Duhamel (Honda); 2. Yates (Suzuki); 3. B Bostrom (Honda); 4. Mladin (Suzuki); 5. Laconi (Ducati); 6. Hayes (Kawasaki); etc.

POINTS: 1. Mladin 584; 2. Duhamel 551; 3. Zemke 490; 4. B Bostrom 422; 5. May 388; 6. Yates 363, 7. E Bostrom 336; etc.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

PRIDMORE HAS A LONG WEEKEND IN VIRGINIA

Jason Pridmore had a long weekend at the final round of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Series at Virginia International Raceway. Brake problems held Jason back from a better finish in Superstock on Saturday, while an engine problem forced him out of tthe Formula Xtreme race on Sunday while running in fourth place.

Saturday’s Repsol Superstock Final – 10th Place
“It was a frustrating day,” said Jason. “We started off so strong this morning, then we ran into not being able to get the bike downshifting in qualifying, to running back to our old problem of not having any brakes during the race. I went off out into turn two twice, couldn’t get the bike slowed down. I didn’t want to pull in for these guys, I wanted to at least get a checkered flag for my team, and try to finish the best we can. We ended up tenth, which is not real good, but we gotta try and build on next year, that’s the main thing.”

Sunday’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Final – DNF
“I got a great start,” said Jason. “The problem was I had the Buell in front of me with Barney (Michael Barnes on it, and he’s so small and they acclerate so good he’s hard to pass. By the time I got by him there was a little gap, and it was so hard to make up at that point. Once I lost the tow, I had no chance. Then the bike broke and that was that.”


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

ACREE AND CAYLOR END THE YEAR WITH GOOD RESULTS AT VIR

Lee Acree and Opie Caylor had good results on Sunday at the last round of the Chevrolet Superbike Series at Virginia International Raceway. Lee finished tenth in the Supersport final after holding off young gun Danny Eslick, while Opie finished fifth in the Formula Xtreme race, his best result of the year. Both riders opted to sit out the Superbike races, Lee due to a very sore knee after hitting it on curbing on Friday, Opie because he already had his GSX-R1000 superbike sold.

Lee Acree
Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport – 10th Place
“I got a decent start,” said Lee. “There was a big group, a gap, and then me. I knew everyone was gonna pack up going into turn one, and the gap kinda helped me pick an opening. I didn’t have the power to go with Barney (Michael Barnes), and I didn’t have the grip to go with the rest of the guys. I started seeing my gap growing, then I started seeing big chunks taken out of it. My knee was getting tired, it really wasn’t so much a pain thing, it just got fatigued. Danny (Eslick) came back by me, and for the few corners he was ahead of me, I wasn’t going to have the side grip to go with him. Unfortunately, he clipped the curb and tucked it. I saw a gap of five seconds, then seven seconds with like two laps left, and I decided, ‘Let’s just make sure I don’t pile this thing and be consistent and bring it home’.”

Opie Caylor
Sunday’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme – 5th Place
“Well, the best result of the year,” said Opie. “I got an okay start, I just tried to pick off as many guys as I could. Alex Gobert, Blake Young and me got to battling, then Blake ended up taking out Alex down in turn one. After that, I got up to (Mike) Ciccotto, showed him a wheel here and there. Last lap, I knew exactly where I was going to pass him, and a lapper just shut the door on me in turn one and almost cleaned us both out.”


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

UP AND DOWN WEEKEND FOR BLAKE YOUNG AT VIR

Sixteen-year-old Blake Young had an up-and-down weekend at VIR, with an eleventh place finish in Supersport, but a crash in the Formula Xtreme race that resulted in a DNF. Blake, who heads to Road Atlanta next week for the Suzuki Cup Finals, was uninjured in the crash.

Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Final – 11th Place
“The Supersport race went well,” said Blake. “I settled in behind Danny (Eslick), but he checked out a little bit. I saw Chris Peris behind me, and I just put my head down to pull away from him.”

Sunday’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Final – DNF
“In the FX race, I was third going into turn one,” said Blake, who qualified 11th on Sunday morning. “Coming out of three, (Michael) Barnes and (Jason) Pridmore went underneath me. I settled back in, and for a while me and Mike Ciccotto went back and forth. Alex Gobert came up and kept drafting me down the front stretch. Just before halfway, he came around me on the outside and started braking real early into turn one. I made up as much ground as I could. I took the inside line and he came into the middle of the apex of the turn and we collided.”


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

HOTBODIES RACING TEAM RESULTS FROM VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

The Hotbodies Racing Team participated at the last round of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at Virginia International Raceway, in anticipation of a full program for the 2005 AMA season. Riders under the big red and white Hotbodies Racing tent at VIR included Michael Barnes, Marco Martinez, Geoff May, Giovanni Rojas, Jeremy Toye and Blake Young.

Michael Barnes
Michael finished ninth in the Supersport race on his Yamaha R6, but had a mechanical DNF in the Formula Xtreme final on his Buell while running fifth.

“We had a good finish today in Supersport, took seventh place in points for the year, consistent top-ten finishes throughout the year. The Buell, we’ve had moments of glory that really excited the whole crew. The whole project is exciting for the future of the whole Buell program.”

Marco Martinez
Marco finished 26th in the first Superbike race and 17th in the second race.

“My second race was much