AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Presented by AMSOIL Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio July 18, 2009 Provisional Race Results (all on Dunlop tires): 1. Danny Eslick (Buell 1125R), 21 laps 2. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R6), -2.317 seconds 3. Tommy Aquino (Yam YZF-R6), -2.365 4. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR), -4.744 5. Chaz Davies (Apr RSV1000R), -7.653 6. Steve Rapp (Yam YZF-R6), -8.421 7. Taylor Knapp (Buell 1125R), -18.154 8. Chris Peris (Hon CBR600RR), -18.284 9. Jason DiSalvo (Suz GSX-R600), -20.303 10. Shawn Higbee (Buell 1125R), -39.115 11. Aaron Gobert (Apr RSV1000R), -39.449 12. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R600), -40.933, crash 13. Ricky Parker (Yam YZF-R6), -43.901 14. Michael Beck (Yam YZF-R6), -43.975 15. Damian Cudlin (Yam YZF-R6), -44.524 16. Barret Long (Duc 848), -61.727 17. Fernando Amantini (Kaw ZX-6R), -61.838 18. Marcos Reichert (Yam YZF-R6), -62.085 19. Josh Day (Yam YZF-R6), -62.321 20. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R600), -63.480 21. Garrett Carter (Yam YZF-R6), -64.211 22. Tyler Odom (Hon CBR600RR), -64.325 23. Robertino Pietri (Yam YZF-R6), -75.947 24. Zac Chapman (Kaw ZX-6R), -76.963 25. Dane Westby (Yam YZF-R6), -76.977 26. Russ Wikle (Suz GSX-R600), -97.155 27. Ty Howard (Yam YZF-R6), -79.878 28. Jason Lawrence (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 29. Alex Lazo (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 30. Ryan Patterson (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 31. Mike Morgan (Suz GSX-R600), -1 lap 32. Melissa Paris (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 33. Josh Galster (Kaw ZX-6R), -1 lap 34. Reese Wacker (Suz GSX-R600), -6 laps 35. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-6R), -11 laps, DNF, mechanical 36. Raymond Jones (Kaw ZX-6R), -11 laps, DNF 37. Matt Lynn (Yam YZF-R6), -13 laps, DNF 38. Michael Barnes (Buell 1125R), -13 laps, DNF, crash 39. Chris Clark (Yam YZF-R6), -14 laps, DNF 40. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6R), -15 laps, DNF, mechanical 41. James Pooler (Buell 1125R), -16 laps, DNF Championship Point Standings (after 13 of 20 races): 1. Cardenas, 264 2. Eslick, 244 3. Hacking, 216 4. Herrin, 198 5. DiSalvo, 191 6. Peris, 168 7. Davies, 162 8. Zemke, 146 9. Aquino, 143 10. Rapp, 142 11. Knapp, 106 12. Barnes, 100 13. Cudlin, 85 14. Hayden, 79 15. Beck, 66 16. Chris Fillmore, 64 17. Ben Bostrom, 62 18. Higbee, 61 19. Pietri, 58 20. Long, 45 More, from a press release issued by Buell: Eslick Notches Fourth Daytona SportBike Win Takes Over Second Spot in Championship Standings East Troy, Wis. (July 18, 2009) Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR/GEICO Powersports rider Danny Eslick converted his first career pole position into his fourth season win in the AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike class in Saturday’s first race of the double-header weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH. Eslick jumped to the head of the field from the start and nearly led the race wire-to-wire aboard his Buell 1125R, but briefly surrendered the point to Monster Attack Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking on Lap 7. Hacking and Eslick swapped positions again on Lap 8 but on the ninth trip around the 2.28-mile circuit, Hacking checked up with his hand in the air and pulled out of the race with a mechanical problem “I got a good start right off the bat. I didn’t see anybody coming through and I lead a few laps. Then I made a couple of mistakes and Jamie came through on the brakes,” said Eslick. “We battled for a few laps, then he had a problem and I almost ran up his exhaust pipe. It could have been real ugly in that spot, but he did a good job getting out of the way. I saw that big red number one [Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke] behind me so I just kept my head down from there.” With Hacking out and Graves Yamaha teammates Josh Herrin and Tommy Aquino battling behind him, Eslick checked out at the front, building a gap of more than three seconds before crossing the finish line on the final lap of the 21-lap race with a 2.317-second lead over the pair of Yamahas. Combined with Hacking’s breakdown and points leader Martin Cardenas’s crash on lap 5, Eslick took over second position the championship points standings with 244 points, cutting Cardenas’s lead to 20 points. Hacking dropped to third with 216 points. In other Daytona SportBike results, Latus Motors’ Taylor Knapp moved sharply up the field from his 12th place starting spot to finish seventh, and was followed home by Bartels’ H-D/Higbee-racing.com’s Shawn Higbee in 11th. Eslick’s teammate Michael Barnes exited the race early on his GEICO Powersports/RMR Buell on lap 8. James Pooler finished 41st. In Saturday’s first round of the American Superbike double-header, Knapp started 11th on his Buell 1125RR from a 12th place qualifying spot after David Anthony was unable to start the race as a result of an injury sustained in qualifying. Knapp dropped behind Corona Honda’s Neil Hodgson early in the going and settled into a solid 12th place finish. Higbee finished 18th on his Bartels’ H-D/Higbee-racing.com 1125R. The James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing team sponsored by H-D/Buell of Appleton finished on the podium for the second straight race with a third place finish in Saturday’s AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT 2-hour endurance event. The Liberty Waves/Antelope Valley Buell team of Eric Pinson and Eric Haugo finished fourth and broke a tie with Old Pros Racing to take a solo championship points lead. Both teams were aboard Buell 1125Rs. In the Moto-GT2 class, the Buell XB12R of Dennie Huff and Bryan Bemisderfer finished eighth “We had a solid race, and we’ll continue to chip away at the championship with consistency,” said co-owner/rider Paul James. 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 AMA Pro Racing: Hayes, Eslick Claim Victories in First Round of AMA Pro Honda Super Cycle Weekend Ricky Parker Wins Pole in SuperSport; Westby Racing and Ducshop Ducati Take Moto-GT Honors LEXINGTON, Ohio (July 18, 2009) – Josh Hayes claimed the second AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited win of his career, while Eslick earned his fourth AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the first of two doubleheader races at the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tires. Hayes started from pole position on his No. 4 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1 and lost the lead only once during the 21-lap sprint race on the 2.4-mile track, falling behind the No. 79 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 of Blake Young in Turn 2 on the first lap. After several attempts at passing Young in Turn 6, Hayes changed his strategy and made the move stick in Turn 1 on Lap 6. The Mississippi native was pressured lap after lap for the remaining fifteen circuits, holding off the pack by just .183 seconds at the finish. “It started off pretty crazy,” said Hayes, whose first American Superbike win came earlier this season at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. “I started off pretty good through Turn 1 and just got trounced before I got to the keyhole, then Blake kind of got out there and took off and ran. It took me a little while to get my wits about me and get to him and get through there and then I just tried to ride smooth, and I just had a lot of fun. It was a good race. There was a lot of pressure the whole way, and the last lap was right up there with every other lap.” Aaron Yates mounted a late-race charge on the No. 23 Brand Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000, overtaking Young in Turn 6 on Lap 15 and running nose-to-tail with Hayes before getting caught up by a lapped rider on Lap 17. Yates cleared the lapped traffic and turned the fastest lap of the race at 1:25.666 on Lap 20 but was unable to take the top spot, finishing in second. “I felt pretty good about the end of the race, but it was tough getting by a couple guys,” said Yates. “We ran up on some lappers just kind of cruising along that wanted to race with the leaders and kind of gave a little gap to Josh there for a little while, but it was fun at the end being able to chase him down. I felt like if I had some clear track, I could have caught back up but I just ran out of laps.” Six-time American Superbike champion Mat Mladin finished third on the No. 7 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Mladin struggled in qualifying and started from ninth before steadily working his way through the field, passing teammate Young on Lap 16 for the final spot on the podium. “These guys were running a good pace,” said Mladin, who has claimed victory in 10 of the season’s 13 races. “It’s one thing to be able to get up there, but it’s another thing to get past. We couldn’t do it today and that was it. Obviously it would have made it easier to be a little bit closer on the start. That’s the way it goes, we just didn’t have the pace today.” Hayes’ teammate Ben Bostrom finished fourth on the No. 2 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1 and local favorite and hometown rider Larry Pegram, who hails from Columbus, Ohio, finished fifth aboard the No. 22 Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R. Hayden finished sixth in the race and currently trails Mladin by 133 points in the American Superbike point standings, 376-243. David Anthony (No. 25 Aussie Dave Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000) was involved in an on-track incident during Saturday morning’s American Superbike Final Qualifying session. Anthony was evaluated by the track medical center before being transported to MedCentral in Mansfield, Ohio for further evaluation. Johnny Rock Page has been suspended for the remainder of the Mid-Ohio event, in addition to the Heartland Park Topeka round, for failure to acknowledge the blue flag during the American Superbike race and subsequently impeding the progress of the race leaders. Saturday’s AMA Pro American Superbike race can be seen on SPEED Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT). Sunday’s American Superbike race will close the weekend and will run at 4:00 p.m. local time. Eslick Takes Win Number Four in Daytona SportBike Danny Eslick grabbed his fourth career AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL victory on the No. 9 GEICO Powersports/RMR Buell 1125R in Race One of the Honda Super Cycle Weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Eslick started the day strong by claiming the pole in Saturday morning’s final qualifying effort. The grid was set by that result as the weekend’s basic qualifying and Superpole sessions were canceled due to a Friday afternoon rain shower. By the end of the race’s first lap, Eslick had built up a .551 second lead over the No. 88 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R of Jamie Hacking, who steadily chipped away at the lead over the ensuing laps before taking the point in Turn 6 on Lap 7. Hacking held the lead for two laps until mechanical troubles sidelined him for the race on Lap 9. “I got a good start, right off the bat and led a couple of laps,” said Eslick. “I didn’t see anybody coming through, which usually happens as everybody’s really aggressive the first few laps. I knew we had kind of pulled away and then Jamie came by. I think I was on the brakes the first time and he came up. He came by me and we battled back and forth for a lap or two and when he had his problem, I almost ran up his exhaust pipe. He did a good job getting his hand up and out of the way, so good job there. It could have been real ugly in that spot.” Graves Yamaha teammates Josh Herrin and Tommy Aquino held an aggressive battle for position throughout the 21-lap sprint race. At the end of the first lap, Aquino’s No. 6 Yamaha YZF-R6 led Herrin’s No. 8 Yamaha YZF-R6 to the line, but the rookie couldn’t hold the position and was passed by Herrin on Lap 2. The Graves duo moved up the ranks as attrition hit riders Hacking and Martin Cardenas, who was running in third position aboard the No. 36 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600 before low siding at the exit of Turn 8 on Lap 5. Aquino was able to squeeze by Herrin again on Lap 9 before Herrin used a block pass on Lap 10 to get by both Aquino and Jake Zemke’s No. 1X Erion Honda CBR600RR to take second position. “I think when (Tommy) passed me, he went to put a move on Jake going into (Turn) 5 on the brakes and I just decided I am going to get both these guys and just dove in there and made a move,” said Herrin. “It wasn’t purposefully a block pass, but it sort of ended up being a block pass. I just rode defensive from there and luckily we held on to second.” Aquino was also able to get past Zemke, challenging Herrin for the remainder of the race and allowing Eslick to slip away to a 2.318 second lead by the end of the race. The third place finish was Aquino’s his first AMA Pro podium finish. “It was really hard,” said Aquino. “I was going as hard as I could, my tires were spent and I was just trying as hard as I could to stay where I was at and try to take a position if I could. I am really happy with this podium. It is my first podium with AMA Pro Racing. I really just have to thank my team.” Zemke turned the fastest lap of the race in Lap 6 at 1:28.160 and ran as high as second before finishing fourth. Chaz Davies rounded out the top five on the No. 57 Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team Aprilia RSV1000R. Points leader Cardenas recovered to finish 12th and holds the championship lead over Eslick 264-244. Saturday’s race can be seen on SPEED Sunday at 12:00 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT). Race Two for Daytona SportBike in this weekend’s Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tires goes off Sunday at 2:00 p.m. local time. Westby Racing Takes SunTrust Moto-GT Win Youth prevailed in Saturday’s AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT race as the No. 13 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 of Dane Westby and Dustin Meador led the field to the checkered flag with Cory Rech and Huntley Nash taking Moto-GT2 honors and third overall on the No. 38 Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati PS1000LE. The lead changed hands seven times before the No. 13 Yamaha took over the top spot for the second and final time on Lap 41 of the 76 lap event, claiming the point from the No. 14 Crozier Motorsports Triumph Daytona 675 entry of Mark Crozier and Scott Jensen. “Dane put together a good first ride, and then I went out and just tried to stay as consistent as I could,” said Meador. “We were just glad to put it on the box our first time out, so it feels good.” Meador crossed the finish line 52.954 seconds ahead of the Crozier on the No. 14 Triumph. A slow pit stop by the No. 14 team gave Westby and Meador the cushion they needed to run uncontested to the finish. “I tried to get it done on the first stint and hand it over to Dustin,” said Westby. “I knew he would take care of business and, of course, turned a faster lap than I did. Mark was giving me some trouble and I thought it was going to be a battle to the end, but they had to make another pit stop and that’s just how it works out.” Crozier Motorsports won the third round of the Moto-GT season at Barber Motorsports Park earlier this year and was just nine points from the championship-leading No. 41 Liberty Waves Racing heading into this round. “When Mark was dong his second stint on the bike he was running them down,” said Jensen. “He was a tenth or two behind them for a while and when we came in for our last stop, we had a couple things go wrong with the bike. Mark lost the right throttle grip. Just coming back from a broken arm I didn’t much feel like riding a bike that didn’t have a right grip on it, so Mark went out on the last stint as well.” Saturday’s second place finish for the No. 14 Triumph closed the points gap to two points, 86-84, as the No. 41 entry finished in fourth. “Everybody did a great job,” said Crozier. “Hats off to our crew and Scott and everybody else. If we can be on the box every weekend, we are in it for the championship.” Crossing third in class was the James Gang-Hoban Brothers Racing duo of Jeff Johnson and Paul James on the No. 70 Buell 1125R. Moto-GT2 winners Rech and Nash completed 74 laps to finish ahead of teammates and pole-sitters Frank Shockley and Ryan Elleby on the No. 77 Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati PS1000LE. “They told me to go for it when I was starting so I just went for it,” said Rech. “I put my head down and got some pretty good laps.” “It was a good race,” said Nash. “Corey went out first and he did really good. I went out second for another hour. It didn’t really feel like it was an hour, it was just kind of a lot of fun riding, so I had a good race.” The No. 77 Touring Sport Ducshop entry leads the Moto-GT2 points championship 139-115 over the No. 9 Pair-A-Nines Kawasaki entry of Jay Springsteen and Scotty Ryan, which finished third in Saturday’s race. “I was able to pick my pace up today a couple of seconds but it still wasn’t good enough to hang with the kids,” said Shockley. “Bottom line was that I didn’t get it done myself and handed the bike over to Ryan.” Next up for SunTrust Moto-GT is the sixth round of the nine-race championship at Heartland Park Topeka, Kansas, July 31 at the Tornado Nationals presented by BriggsAuto.com. Parker Takes SuperSport Pole West coast interloper Ricky Parker’s No. 96 Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 topped the field for tomorrow’s AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a quick lap of 1:31.767 (94.151 mph). Parker is gunning for his third win of the year and his first in SuperSport East. “I think I did my best lap two laps before the end,” said Parker. “The track was kind of slick. I went out on tires that I used yesterday on that last session of SuperSport and they worked awesome. I think I might just race with them this weekend.” Second quickest on the day was Josh Day on the No. 4 Team E.S.P. Yamaha YZF-R6 with a lap at 1:32.091 (93.820 mph). Day is looking for a win to go with his two other top three finishes this season. Day is currently third in the SuperSport East standings. “I got a pretty good lap there toward the end,” said Day. “I think I’m ready, up for the fight with Ricky and all these guys and tomorrows going to be a good race.” Rounding out the top four for Sunday’s final are Tyler Odom on the No. 46 Erion Honda CBR600RR with a lap of 1:32.156 (93.754 mph) and J.D. Beach on the No. 73 Team Rockwell Yamaha YZF-R6 with a 1:32.320 (93.588 mph). Odom has a win at Daytona this season to his credit. Sunday’s SuperSport race splits the Honda Super Cycle Weekend finales for Daytona SportBike and American Superbike with a 17-lap (40-mile) race beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time. AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT. AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. More, from a press release issued by Team M4 Suzuki: CARDENAS MAINTAINS DAYTONA SPORTBIKE POINTS LEAD AT MID-OHIO Team M4 Suzuki came away from a tough outing on Saturday at Mid-Ohio with the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike points lead intact while picking up another top-ten race result. Jason DiSalvo finished the 21-lap race in ninth position to lead the team while championship leader Martin Cardenas salvaged what he could after an early-race spill dashed his hopes for victory. He managed to collect a vital points haul after racing back up to twelfth position following a mistake made while running a close third on lap 6. Seeking his seventh victory on the season, the Colombian lost the front in Turn 8 but quickly scrambled to remount and attain the best possible result despite the unfortunate occurrence. The former Spanish Supersport champ diced his way back up from 18th to a respectable finish and collected nine points on the day to up his total to 264. “That particular corner I was using a very tight line and on that lap I did it even tighter and the front just went away,” explained Cardenas, who has a 20-point advantage over his closest challenger. “I did what I could to try to save some points but I’m really ashamed that I crashed in this race. We’ll see if tomorrow we can get a good result. “The wins we earned earlier in the season are proving to be really important and that helps a lot. But I plan to get back on track and have no more crashes.” New Yorker DiSalvo remains ranked in the championship top five with 191 points, just seven removed from fourth place. Jason had difficulties in traffic in this race. Team M4 Suzuki will look to get back to their winning ways on Sunday in the weekend’s second 50-mile Daytona SportBike contest at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Road Racing | 7/18/2009 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Eyes A Sunday Podium Lexington, Ohio Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking and Roger Hayden finished 35th and 40th, respectively, after ending their race early with bike issues at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. The first race of the weekend came to a close earlier than expected, but the riders are looking to Sunday’s race as a way to make up for Saturday’s results. Looking Past It For Hayden and Hacking, Saturday was a race they would like to put in the past. Hacking started from the front row and was battling for the lead when he experienced a mechanical problem. Hayden, who started on the third row, pulled off early in the race with a bike issue. “It’s never fun to have a podium in front of you and have to pull out of the race,” said Hacking. “I am trying to be optimistic and I know there is another race tomorrow. We will just have to figure out what happened and make sure we solve the problem.” Grid It Up With grid positions locked in for the weekend, Hacking will return to the front row at the start of Sunday’s race. Hayden started sixth and will look to push his ZX-6R up to the front. Rain Held Off The skies threatened to bring rain, but both riders and fans were able to enjoy a dry race with the sun peaking through every now and then. Autographs Hacking and Hayden spent some of their down time on Saturday with the fans during the series autograph session. The session allows fans to get up-close with the riders in ways not usually seen in a racing weekend. Results AMA Pro Road Racing Series Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio July 18, 2009 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Results 1. Daniel Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Buell 2. Josh Herrin, Clovis, Calif., Yamaha 3. Tommy Aquino, Saugus, Calif.,Yamaha 4. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda 5. Chaz Davies, Carlsbad, Calif., Aprilla 6. Steve Rapp, Hawthorne, Calif., Yamaha 7. Taylor Knapp, Lapeer, Michigan, Buell 8. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Honda 9. Jason DiSalvo, Las Vegas, Nev., Suzuki 10. Shawn Higbee, Mukwonago, Wis., Buell 35. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI 40. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Point Standings 1. Martin Cardenas, Miami, Fla., Suzuki, 264 2. Daniel Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Buell, 244 3. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI, 216 4. Josh Herrin, Clovis Calif., Yamaha, 198 5. Jason DiSalvo, Las Vegas, Nev., Suzuki, 191 6. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Honda, 168 7. Chaz Davies, Carlsbad, Calif., Aprilla, 162 8. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 146 9. Tommy Aquino, Saugus, Calif., Yamaha, 143 10. Steve Rapp, Hawthorne, Calif., Yamaha, 142 14. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI, 79