Roadracingworld.com Suzuki won its second straight SunTrust MOTO-ST 8 Hours At Daytona Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Martin Cardenas, Chris Ulrich and Cory West ran a nearly mistake-free race on their Pirelli-shod Suzuki SV1000S, lapping the 3.51-mile infield road course 219 times en route to a five-lap margin of victory. The team won $20,360 in purse and lap-leader bonuses.

Roadracingworld.com Suzuki exchanged the lead with Aprilia USA 1/Lloyd Brothers Motorsports (Ty Howard/Michael Himmelsbach/Bryan West) for much of the first seven hours, but Aprilia USA 1/Lloyd Brothers Motorsports fell behind with an ill-timed switch to intermediate tires during a short period of rain and then suffered mechanical problems with its RSV1000 Tuono in the final hour. In spite of completing few laps in the final 60 minutes, the team was credited with 10th overall, enough to wrap-up its Super Sport Twins Championship for the second straight season.

Aprilia USA 1/Lloyd Brothers Motorsports’ problems were Bruce Transportation Ducati’s blessings, as the team of teen-aged riders (Shane Narbonne/Brent Lyskawa/Cory Hildebrand) and their Ducati 848 were promoted to second overall, five laps behind Roadracingworld.com Suzuki.

The late-race drama also made room on the overall podium for Bruce Rossmeyers Daytona Racing 8’s Shawn Higbee and Michael Barnes, who came back from bodywork and radiator problems to place third overall.

Rightsforbikers.com 69’s Jason Edmonds, John Linder and Garrett Rick rode around minor issues to claim fourth overall and the Grand Sport Twins victory on their Ducati PS1000LE.

The Sport Twins race went all the way down to the final minutes and beyond. Speedwerks.com 86 (Brian Kcraget/Hawk Mazzotta/Scotty Ryan) and Pair-A-Nines (Justin Filice/Jimmy Filice/Jay Springsteen) were never far from each other in the running order, but Pair-A-Nines’ Kawasaki Ninja 650 dropped a cylinder late in the race, handing the class win to Speedwerks. Or so it would seem.

After the race, the Speedwerks.com 86 Suzuki SV650 went over the 75-horsepower maximum limit in mandatory technical inspections and was moved to the back of the field. Pair-A-Nines was promoted to fifth overall and first in class, but this was still not enough for the team to win its class Championship. That honor went to M4 Avteq Racing 66’s Ryan O’Donnell, Russ Wikle and Kyle Martin, who came back from a crash in the middle of the race to get seventh overall, third in class and the Sport Twins Championship.

East Coast Super Twins (Gary Cain/Steve Kennedy/Danny Neron) lost its finish, seventh overall and fourth in Sport Twins, when its Suzuki SV650 exceeded the class’ maximum horsepower limit in post-race checks.

The Grand Sport Twins Championship went to Touring Sport Ducati 77’s Pete Friedland, Frank Shockley and Brad Phillips, who soldiered through two crashes and repairs to score 19th overall and fifth in class. Touring Sport Ducati 77’s Championship result was made possible by James Gang/Hoben Brothers Racing, which suffered through two crashes, a broken frame and an oil leak to get seventh in class and 23rd overall.

Only 20 of the 31 bikes that started were running at the conclusion of the race.

The race included five Safety Car periods, a MOTO-ST single race record, a red flag caused by a large oil spill in Turn Three and a period of light rain.

SunTrust MOTO-ST 8 Hours At Daytona Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida October 18, 2008 Provisional Race Results:

1. Roadracingworld.com Suzuki (Martin Cardenas/Chris Ulrich/Cory West), Suz SV1000S, SST, 219 laps

2. Bruce Transportation Ducati (Shane Narbonne/Brent Lyskawa/Cory Hildebrand), Duc 848, SST, 214 laps

3. Bruce Rossmeyers Daytona Racing 8 (Shawn Higbee/Michael Barnes), Buell 1125R, SST, 212 laps

4. Rightsforbikers.com 69 (Jason Edmonds/Garrett Rick/John Linder), Duc PS1000LE, GST, 211 laps

5. Pair-A-Nines (Jay Springsteen/Jimmy Filice/Justin Filice), Kaw EX650, ST, 204 laps

6. Grease Monkey Racing (Eric Helmbach/Eric Wilson/Alex Shaw), Suz SV650, ST, 203 laps

7. M4 Avteq Racing 66 (Ryan O’Donnell/Russ Wikle/Kyle Martin), Suz SV650, 203 laps, -104.577 second

8. Aprilia USA 1/Lloyd Brother Motorsports (Ty Howard/Michael Himmelsbach/Bryan West), Apr RSV1000, SST, 201 laps

9. Touring Sport Ducati 75 (Ryan Elleby/Ryan Gordon/Doug Polen), Duc 848, SST, 201 laps

10. Mid-Illini Motorsports/Repsol (Kenny Rodriguez/Brad Zajic/Trey Yonce), Suz SV650, ST, 201 laps

More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

Saturday Wrapup: Roadracingworld.com Wins Second Straight

8 Hours At Daytona SunTrust MOTO-ST Series finale

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 18, 2008) After eight grueling hours and 219 laps on Daytona International Speedway’s 3.56-mile road course, Roadracingworld.com and riders Chris Ulrich, Martin Cardenas and Cory West captured the third annual 8 Hours At Daytona SunTrust MOTO-ST Series season finale Saturday night.

It’s the second straight victory in the 8 Hours At Daytona for the Roadracingworld.com team, which took the triumph by a margin of five laps over the No. 91 Bruce Transportation Ducati of Brent Lyskawa, Cory Hildebrand, Shane Narbonne.

“The guys I’m working with, the Roadracing World team, they know what to do always,” West said in Gatorade Victory Lane. “The bike ran flawless, we didn’t have any problems. (The team) made the right call at the right time. We had three really consistent riders today and got the job done.”

“132 wins for Roadracing World,” Ulrich said proudly. “Man, Victory Lane at Daytona is a special place. You walk into this and you’re with legends. They’ve run the SunTrust MOTO-ST 8 Hours At Daytona three years now and we’ve won two and finished second in the first one. I can get use to this. I really enjoy this race.”

Rounding out the overall podium and the Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport (SST) class was the No. 8 Bruce Rossmeyers Daytona Racing Buell of Shawn Higbee and Michael Barnes. The No. 1 Aprilia USA/Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team of Ty Howard and Mike Himmelsbach took home the season-long championship in the class for the second straight year.

In the GrandSport Twins class (GST), the No. 69 RightsforBikers.com Ducati with riders John Linder, Jason Edmonds and Garrett Rick captured the class victory and fourth overall in the race. The No. 77 Touring Sport Ducati took the season-long championship for the second straight year.

In the ST class (Sport Twins), despite a late-race mechanical, Pair-A-Nines Racing and riders Jay Springsteen, Jimmy Filice and Justin Filice took the race victory after the No. 86 SpeedWerks.com Suzuki of Brian Kcraget, Scott Ryan and Hawk Mazzotta failed post-race inspection. Pair-A-Nines still lost the season-long championship by one point to the No. 66 M4 Avteq Racing Suzuki.

SATURDAY RESULTS

SunTrust MOTO-ST 8 Hours At Daytona

Overall and SST class: 1. Roadracingworld.com, Suzuki SV1000S (Cardenas/Ulrich/West); 2. Bruce Transportation Ducati, Ducati 848 (Narbonne/Lyskawa/Hildebrand); 3. Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing, Buell 1125R (Higbee/Barnes/Crevier).

GST Class: 1. RightsforBikers.com, Ducati PS1000LE (Edmonds/Linder/Rick); 2. Motocorse/Bimota DB5 (Boy/Melka/Mendez); 3. Euro-Moto, Ducati 1000 SS (Delaney/Hall/Menetrier).

ST Class: 1. Pair-A-Nines, Kawasaki EX650 (Filice/Filice/Springsteen); 2. Grease Monkey Racing, Suzuki SV650, (Helmbach/Shaw/Wilson); 3. M4 Avteq Racing, Suzuki SV650, (Dominguez, Martin, O’Donnell).

CCS Races

Expert Thunderbike: Nate Kern, BMW 1200; Amateur Thunderbike: Joel Spalding, Buell 1200; Amateur Middleweight SuperSport: Reese Wacker, Suzuki 600; Expert Middleweight: Cory West, Suzuki 600; Expert Lightweight: Kevin Mendez, Bim 1000; Amateur Lightweight: Leonard Roy, Suzuki 650; Expert Formula 40: Marco Martinez, Ducati 1080; Amateur Formula 40: Dennis Espinose, Ducati 1080; Amateur Unlimited SuperSport: Denis Espinoza, Suzuki 1000; Expert Unlimited SuperSport: Jeff Wood, Suzuki 1000.

More, from a press release issued by MOTO-ST:

Aprilia USA Takes Second Straight SunTrust MOTO-ST Series Title

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 18, 2008) — The No. 1 Aprilia USA / Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team claimed its second straight SunTrust MOTO-ST Series title in the final round of the season at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, despite failing to finish the deciding event.

Ty Howard of Weatherford, Texas, Mike Himmelsbach from Quakertown, Pa. and Bryan West from Austin, Texas retired their Aprilia Tuono 1000R near the end of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series 8 Hours At Daytona but still managed to lock up the championship in the Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport Twins (SST) class.

The race was won by the No. 18 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki SV1000S shared between Martin Cardenas of Medellin, Colombia, Chris Ulrich from Lake Elsinore, Calif. and Eureka Springs, Ark.’s Cory West. It was the team’s second straight triumph in the 8 Hours At Daytona finale.

The No. 1 Aprilia was running second to the No. 18 Suzuki when it ran into mechanical troubles late in the race, eventually retiring with just a few laps to go. But it was still classified 10th overall and fourth in the SST class, giving the team 225 points to the 207 of the No. 75 Touring Sport Ducati team, which finished fifth in class after also suffering mechanical woes.

“We came into the race wanting to win the championship, but after the Ducati had its problems we dropped the hammer,” said Howard. “We gambled on putting on intermediate tires when it started sprinkling, but then the rain stopped and we lost a lap. We got the lap back and then the bike broke.”

The No. 18 Suzuki completed 219 laps of the 3.51-mile Daytona road course in eight hours, one minute, 13.164 seconds for an average speed of 95.843 miles per hour and led 134 laps.

The winning bike finished five laps clear of the second place No. 91 Bruce Transportation Ducati 848 shared by Shane Narbonne (Tyngsboro, Mass.), Brent Lyskawa (Londonderry, N.H.) and Cory Hildebrand (Milford, N.H.).

Third place overall and third in the SST class went to the No. 8 Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing Buell 1125R of Shawn Higbee (Oconomowoc, Wis.) and Michael Barnes (Boca Raton, Fla.).

“It’s fantastic to be on top of the podium,” Ulrich said. “Where we won it was when the rain came and we decided to stay on slicks. It was close. We only had a lap advantage and then the Aprilia broke.”

The Bruce Transportation Ducati was making its first start of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series season and enjoyed a smooth run through the eight hours while its faster rivals ran into troubles.

“We were consistent all the way,” Lyskawa said. “We weren’t the fastest ones out there but the crew was great and got us in and out of the pits as fast as anyone.”

The No. 8 Buell came back from a radiator problem that left the team ninth overall at half distance. The team finished third in SST points with 204.

“That’s endurance racing for you,” Barnes said. “We knew we just had to keep plugging away.”

The No. 75 Ducati of Ryan Elleby (Powder Springs, Ga.), Ryan Gordon (Fairplay, S.C.) and Doug Polen (Camarillo, Calif.) managed to lead 17 laps early in the race before dropping from contention with an electrical problem.

The No. 77 Touring Sport Ducati PS1000LE of Peter Friedland (Columbia, S.C.), Brad Phillips (Greer, S.C.) and Frank Shockley (Greenville, S.C.) came back from two early race crashes to win the BMW GrandSport Twins (GST) title at Daytona with a fifth place finish in class.

The No. 77 Ducati team finished the season with 212 points compared to 209 for the No. 69 RightsforBikers.com Ducati PS1000LE, which won GST in the season finale and finished fourth overall in the hands of Jason Edmonds (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Garrett Rick (Naples, Fla.) and John Linder (Tampa, Fla.).

“After the crash the attitude was to just go out and have fun,” Friedland said. “We didn’t think we had a chance to salvage anything. But then as the race went on we saw we had a chance.”

The No. 70 James Gang Racing / Hoban Brothers Buell team of Jeff Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Paul James (Waukesha, Wis.) and Walt Sipp (Kansas City, Mo.), came into the race only two points behind the No. 77 Ducati in the GST standings. But the Buell XB12R crashed around the five-hour mark and then developed an oil leak late in the race, finally finishing seventh in class.

Second in GST was the No. 23 Motocorse Bimota DB5 of Chris Boy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Kevin Mendez (Davie, Fla.) and Greg Melka (Tampa, Fla.), which battled with the No. 69 Ducati most of the way before slowing near the end when an engine breather hose came off.

Third in class went to the No. 53 Euro-Moto Ducati 1000DS of Eric Menetrier (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Tim Hall (Tampa, Fla.) and Duane DeSouza (Clearwater, Fla.).

The No. 9 Pair-A-Nines Kawasaki EX650 of Lapeer, Mich.’s Jay Springsteen, and the father-son duo of Justin Filice from Modesto, Calif. won the Sport Twins (ST) class at Daytona but missed out on repeating as class champion by just three points.

The title went to the No. 66 M4 Avteq Suzuki SV650 ridden by Ryan O’Donnell (Lewisville, Texas), Russ Wikle (Huntsville, Ala.) and Kyle Martin (Dallas, Texas), which survived a crash by Wikle to finish third. The No. 66 Suzuki finished the year with 217 points to 214 for the No. 9 Kawasaki squad.

“Our title chances went away, but came back; it’s pretty awesome,” Martin said. “Usually the luck doesn’t go my way. We came in here leading and the title was ours to lose, and we managed not to lose it.”

The No. 9 Kawasaki actually crossed the line second behind the No. 86 SpeedWerks.com Suzuki SV650 of Hawk Mazzotta (Carmel Valley, Calif.), Scott Ryan (Lemant, Ill.) and Brian Kcraget (Danvillle, Va.), but the Suzuki was penalized for exceeding the class horsepower limit in post-race tech.

Second in ST went to the No. 42 Grease Monkey Racing Suzuki SV650 of Eric Helmbach (Califon, N.J.), Eric Wilson (Flanders, N.J.) and Alex Shaw (Hackettstown, N.J.).

The 2009 SunTrust MOTO-ST Series kicks off back at Daytona International Speedway with the Daytona 300 March 1.

The SunTrust MOTO-ST Series 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. Learn more about MOTO-ST at www.moto-st.com.