YOSHIMURA-BACKED TEAMS HOT AT BARBER SUPERBIKE AND BUDDS CREEK MOTOCROSS CHINO, CA Yoshimura-backed teams showed their dominance on the street and in the dirt at the AMA Pro Superbike races at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL and the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championships at the Budds Creek National in Mechanicsville, MD this past weekend. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Suzuki and American Honda Racing teams put their Yoshimura products to the test in the hot conditions in Alabama and Maryland. Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Blake Young had a lot to celebrate after this weekend’s AMA Pro Superbike races at Barber Motorsports Park. The young rider rode smart in the rain on Saturday and picked up a podium finish, and then went all out on Sunday and carded the win. This win marks Young’s fifth AMA Pro Superbike victory of the season and moves him to within a mere two points of the overall championship points lead. On Sunday, Young got a great start on his Yoshimura-prepped Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 and was running second behind teammate Tommy Hayden. When Hayden unexpectedly pulled out of the race, Young took over the lead and didn’t look back. He made no mistakes and took the checkered flag with style. On Saturday, a mid-race rain shower resulted in a red flag and the mounting of rain tires. When the race was restarted, Young, who’d been running second prior to the red flag, got another good start on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 and took the lead. He battled to stay up front, and wound up as part of the Suzuki sweep of the podium finishing in a solid third place. “For me, the weekend went really, really well,” said Young. “We got off to a slow start but then showed that our Rockstar Makita Suzuki team is really strong. In Saturday’s wet race, we got a good start and I just tried to have as much fun as I could and ended up third. On Sunday, I knew we had a good set-up and was looking forward to the race. I got another good start and got behind Tommy, who was setting a fast, comfortable pace, which made life a little easier for me. I ended up getting up front, and I was confident in my GSX-R and my tires and equipment to pull out the win. It was a tough weekend, but we had great results. I’m happy to win this one and happy for my team.” Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Tommy Hayden, however, had a rough weekend at Barber. Wanting to earn as many points as possible on Saturday, Hayden rode conservatively in the wet race and finished seventh. On Sunday, the Kentucky native got a great start and was leading the race for the first nine laps when a rare mechanical mishap caused him to DNF. “It was a fairly disappointing weekend,” said Hayden. “We were fast but we don’t have any results to show for it. Saturday, when it was dry, I was leading and I felt like I had a good chance to fight for the win. Then it started raining, and I didn’t feel comfortable at all. Today, I felt good and I led for nine laps, and I was in good shape for the race”¦ Unfortunately, we had some kind of freak mechanical incident, this is the first time I’ve ever had a mechanical issue in a race since I joined the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team. They’re a top-notch group of guys working on my bikes, this is a very rare incident for us and I don’t expect anything like this to happen again in the future. We have a lot of races left, and now I’m just looking forward to having another chance at it at Mid-Ohio.” Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki riders showed their strength, consistency, and the power of their Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450s during the fifth round of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championships at the Budds Creek National in Mechanicsville, MD on Saturday. Ryan Dungey rode strong and consistent, claiming second place in both motos and ending the day with a third-place overall. Teammate Brett Metcalfe worked through the pack in both motos to grab a couple of sixths and scored a sixth-place overall finish for the day. Dungey started the day showing off the speed of his Suzuki by scoring the fastest time in the morning timed practices by over a second. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider had a great start in moto one that put him into the front group. Dungey powered his RM-Z from fourth to second over the first few laps and then the reigning champion put his head down and chased after the leader. Dungey was able to catch the leader in the closing laps but was unable to make the pass. Moto two went about the same for the Suzuki rider, with a good start that slotted him quickly into second. Dungey pushed his RM-Z450 hard for the remaining 12 laps but fell just a little short of passing for the lead and came away with a second-place moto finish and third overall for the day. Dungey sits third in the championship points race. “It was another good, solid weekend,” said Dungey. “We got off to really good starts on my RM-Z today and I was able to get second in both motos. I lost some time in the beginning of the first moto, but I was able to make that up and get up there and almost get the win. I got another good start in the second moto and got up into second and battled for the number one position for the rest of the moto but just couldn’t make the pass. It was tough. The track was really one-lined. Overall, my Rockstar Makita Suzuki felt great and we were solid throughout the day. We just gotta keep moving forward and plugging away. We’ve got Lakewood coming up and I’m really looking forward to it. Last year we were able to get a win there in the AMA Pro MX Championship race as well as the MX Des Nations. It’s always a great track.” Teammate Brett Metcalfe started the day with the fourth fastest time in the morning practices, which was his best qualifying effort of the season. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider suffered a bad start in the first moto but was able to work his RM-Z through the field to capture a sixth-place finish. In moto two, Metcalfe had another tough start but was able to quickly get into sixth, which is where he finished, giving him a sixth-place overall for the day. Metcalfe sits solidly in fifth in the championship points. “It was a pretty positive day for me,” said Metcalfe. “I went six-six for sixth overall and there were some positives and negatives, but overall I felt pretty good. The negative side of the day was bad starts in both motos. I really felt if I could have had better starts, I could have been running up front and at least challenging for a podium. I had my best qualifying result of the year today with a fourth. My Rockstar Makita Suzuki is working great and the team has been doing a great job getting me more comfortable out there. I think that’s why I was able to qualify faster. I’m happy and feel that was my best riding of the season. We need to go home and work this week on starts and give myself a chance to run up front. I’m looking forward to Lakewood. It’s a track I’ve done well at in the past. And I think it is a track that suits me. I’m hoping to go there and put my Suzuki up on the podium where I know it can be.” Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki carded a top-ten finish at Budds Creek. Martin Davalos put the awesome power of his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z250 to the test in a battle to claim a ninth-place overall finish in the 250 class. Davalos started the day with a strong run in the morning timed practice sessions, ending up seventh fastest. In the first moto, Davalos had a decent start and quickly slotted his RM-Z into ninth. He pushed hard ’til the end and crossed the line for a tenth-place finish. In moto two, he was caught up in a first turn pile-up and ended up starting from the back. Davalos charged his Suzuki hard through the pack and was able to work his way across the line for tenth. The ten-ten moto finishes were good enough to score him a ninth-place overall result. “My Budds Creek weekend was decent overall,” said Davalos. “The first moto I was a little tight and wasn’t really able to make a move and just kind of got a top- ten start and stayed there. The second moto I got a decent jump on my Suzuki, but I got caught up in a first turn crash. I was dead last by the time I was able to get back going. I was able to ride strong the whole moto. My RM-Z250 was running great and I felt pretty good and was able to work up to tenth. The ten-ten gave me ninth overall, which is a top-ten weekend, but I was definitely looking for a better result. Now, we’re coming to Lakewood and that’s my favorite track of the whole series. It reminds me of home because the altitude is pretty high. I’m looking forward to going there and getting some good starts and getting up front. I’ve got the speed; I just need to keep out of trouble.” American Honda Racing rider Josh Grant made an impressive return to racing at the Budds Creek National, while teammate Kevin Windham finished just off the podium. After getting a mid-pack start in moto one, Windham rode a solid come-from-behind race to take the checkers in fourth. In the second moto, he again finished a solid fourth to end the weekend fourth overall on his Yoshimura-equipped Honda CRF450R. Grant made a strong return to motocross racing after sitting out the first three rounds in the series due to injury, going 8-10 for 10th overall. “It definitely feels good to be back racing with the team,” said Grant. “My goal for this weekend was to finish inside the top 10, and I achieved that. It’s a matter of riding myself into racing shape, and I’m looking forward to even better things in Colorado next week.” The Yoshimura-backed team’s next events are the 2011 AMA Pro American Superbike Championship series at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH, on July 8-10, the fifth round of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, June 25th, at the Thunder Valley National in Lakewood, CO, and the seventh round of the 2011 ATV Grand National Cross Country series in Snowshoe, WV on June 25th. More, from a press release issued by Nadine Lajoie’s publicist: A 2nd Place Victory in the 6-hour Endurance Race for Nadine Lajoie & her team Up in the high plains of Utah, Nadine was interviewed on TV at Park City the day before she found herself ready for the challenges the weekend’s races would bring. The WERA National Event, at the world class Miller Motor Sport racetrack, there were plenty of obstacles ahead to face. Team captain, Shandra Crawford, prepared her team for the grueling demands of the six-hour endurance race. The battle was tight until the end, where Nadine’s team was edged out by a narrow 4-5 laps, to the top team led by Krystyna Kubran. Although they didn’t take away the top prize, you didn’t see anyone’s head hanging low or any broken spirits, the team stood proud of their outstanding accomplishment and individual victory. One of those highlights included the impressive racing of 18 year old Daniele Diaz. She represented the team as the youngest racer and posted the fastest time of the team, following by Luke Judy. Nadine was geared up and ready to take the track on Sunday, but after a long and tough consideration of whether to take on racing in the rain, she decided to sit this race out. She wasn’t alone, as the rain forced many other racers to stay out also. “It was really a hard decision to take for me but I dreamed all night about crashing and there are just too many important things going on in my life right now to risk injuring myself”. Amongst those events would include her international “Win the Race of Life” book and speaking tour as well as her upcoming speaking, singing & entertainment show this fall. “I’m usually an excellent racer in the rain, I just couldn’t afford the time or energy if I were to crash. I have my businesses, partners and investors to protect”. Nadine elected to make a business choice rather than a racing choice this weekend. That will not always be the case, as the fierce competitor within her will always be ready for the next race. The Infineon Raceway in San Francisco CA July 7th-10th will be the next chance for Nadine to strap and get ready to hit the pavement. That will be followed with her making the races in Willow Springs CA, August 20th-21st . Follow Nadine on and off the track on Facebook and at www.NadineRacing.com. Thanks to all sponsors: Catalyst Reaction, Suomy, Bridgestone, Peak Investments, Importations Thibault, OK Pneus Médé, Notaire Jean-Guy Savard, Lajoie des Finances, Action Motosport, Elka, Xsura, etc… More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki/BG Motorsports: Audi-Red Bull Summer Pan Delta Event at Zhuhai International Circuit in China Kawasaki/BG Motorsports rider Dan Kruger nabs a 2nd and a 3rd in the 2011 Pan Delta Summer double header Date: June 17-19,2011 Location: Zhuhai International Circuit, Zhuhai, China Weather: Very hot, humid, dry track Overcoming a number of setups over the past week, Canadian Dan Kruger managed a pair of podium finishes in the summer round of the Audi-Red Bull Pan Delta Championship. It also put him back in the points running for the 2011 Superbike Championship. A full starting grid gave the crowd plenty to cheer about throughout the weekend. The first setback came when his new Kawasaki race bike was held up due to China Customs issues. He was forced to race his old superbike again which is clearly showing its age. Next came the weather… From last Sunday all the way up to and including qualifying sessions 1 and 2, were run on a wet track. 4 days of testing in the rain followed by the 2 wet qualifiers. Kruger qualified 4th overall in the rain which due to a brand new 3 per row starting grid-pushed him back to the 2nd row. Race 1 had him drop a few spots after a bad start. He struggled through the race and so did his bike. Heavy smoke was coming out of his exhaust and he struggled to find grip. He made a couple of last lap passes to get himself back into 3rd and that’s where he ended up. “To be honest, I am happy to get a podium but not very happy with my lap times or the race in general. At this point, people are expecting me to be fighting for the win, not just a podium” Race 2 started off better with a good start and had him on the rear wheel of the 2 frontrunners. After a few laps the tired engine started showing more signs of its age and he was consistently 15kph slower down the front straightaway according to the official trap speeds. Kruger lost 2 positions on the long front straightaway showing the lack of power his Kawasaki was producing. At that point, Kruger put his head down and chased both of those lost positions down with determination to get past both for a podium spot and important Championship points. One of the frontrunners ended up crashing while trying to hold on to the lead and another rider in front of Kruger low sided on the last lap. This paved the way for a 2nd place finish in Superbike for Kruger. He was happy to end the weekend with a couple of podiums in front of thousands of spectators in a near capacity grandstands as the weekend also featured the Ferrari Challenge. We would like to thank our sponsors Titanic Kawasaki, BG Motorport, Pirelli, Arlen Ness/Berik, Speedmaster, Ohlins, and more. A special thanks to WSB rider Ruben Xaus for taking some time coaching Dan a few weeks back at the circuit while they were both in China for an Arlen Ness PR event. More, from a press release issued by Autolite RIM Racing: Following good results at Road America in Wisconsin Autolite RIM Racing’s Mike Morgan was looking forward to round 5 at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds Alabama. Mike did not disappoint with solid finishes in both AMA Pro Racing Daytona Sportbike class races. Mike Morgan: “I didn’t qualify as good as I wanted to and that put me a little further back than I wanted for the start of the race. Both races went well and I was able to make up some ground on the starts. Race 1 went well and there was no real drama. I ran a good pace and was able to make my way up to 15th by the end of the race. Race 2 was a lot more work. Right away I was in a 5 bike battle. Each rider took a turn at the front but everyone was just a little faster in different parts of the track. Once the two brother in the group got together they were able to make a break away from the pack by working together, which left 3 of us to dook it out for 14th. I was able to hold onto 14th for some time but made a mistake and the other rider got by me. So I had to settle for 15th at the end. I gained some good points and I look forward to Mid Ohio in a couple of week’s time. I would like to thank the fans for coming out and my crew for putting a great bike under me! And of course all our great sponsors.” RIM Racing is sponsored by Autolite spark plugs, Fram oil filters, Motul oil, Barnett clutches, Yoshimura R&D, EBC brake pads, D.I.D chains, World Wide Bearings, Kenwood, NEXX helmets, Race Tech suspension, Superior Body Works, TCX boots, SRP Graphics, Vortex components, Zola acai drinks, Advanced Auto Parts, Bazzaz electronics, Pilot leathers, Held gloves, Hotbodies, Lockhart Phillips. Catch Autolite RIM Racing at Mid Ohio for round 6 of the AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike series. For more on Autolite and RIM Racing’s Mike Morgan please visit www.mikemorganracing.com More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: All Yamaha Podium in Aragon Superstock 600. Yamaha stole the show in Aragon with YZF-R6 powered riders filling all the top five positions in the race results. Jed Metcher (MTM-RT Motorsports Yamaha) took his first Championship victory of this year’s exciting Superstock 600 European Championship. Runner up was the protagonist of round three of the Championship in Monza, Frenchman Romain Lanusse (MRS Yamaha Racing France). The final podium slot went to Metcher’s team-mate, Belgium’s Gauthier Duwelz (MTM-RT Motorsports Yamaha), who held off a fierce challenge from a trio of riders just behind, before reaching the chequered flag. To complete the top five Dino Lombardi (Martini Corse) and Stephane Egea (Team Aspi Yamaha) closely followed. Lanusse is now leading the STK600 championship, 20 points ahead of Metcher in second place on 61 points with Lombardi in third place on 46. Round five of the STK600 European Championship will take place in Brno on the 9th July. More, from a press release issued by Vesrah Suzuki: HIGHS AND LOWS FOR VESRAH SUZUKI ON DAY 2 AT THE BARBER SUPERBIKE CLASSIC. Vesrah Suzuki’s Taylor Knapp netted his best result so far this year with a 5th place in the AMA Pro Racing Daytona Sportbike Race 2 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham AL. Cory West had a crash as he was running in 4th near the halfway point but was able to remount and finish in 20th. Cory drops to 4th place in the 2011 Daytona Sportbike championship and Taylor remains in 9th place. Corey Alexander was able to finish up his weekend on a high note with a 4th place finish in AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race 2. As Corey is contesting the West SuperSport championship this weekend did not effect his point standings and he remains in 3rd place. Mark Junge Team Owner Vesrah Suzuki “Top 5 finishes for both Taylor and Corey is great. Cory having a mishap knocked us out of 1st but he will rebound and I look forward to the rest of the championship.” Cory West Vesrah Suzuki #57 “I had another decent start but kind of got held up in the early stages of the race. Everyone was staying pretty bunched up so I didn’t see any urgency to charge through the field until someone tried to make a jump. Three riders started to pull a gap and I had to do some work to get by two riders before I could take off after the leaders. Once I got into 4th place I had some clear track and started my charge to catch the leaders. The track was already pretty greasy from the heat and I felt the front tire slide a few times but I figured it was because of the high track temps. I put down my fastest lap of the race and started reeling in the leaders and then I lost the front end in a fast right-hander. I jumped up quick and remounted the bike even though it didn’t have any front brake pressure. I just wanted to circulate and finish to try and salvage some points and instead of a zero I finished 20th with 1 point. I’m disappointed that I fell in a race and let go of the points lead but the season is still long and I have some of my strong tracks coming up soon. We’ll come back stronger and put a charge on for the championship! Thanks to my crew chief, Tony, and my mechanic, Sean, for battling through the heat this weekend and the rest of the Vesrah Suzuki crew for giving me a great bike this weekend!” Taylor Knapp Vesrah Suzuki #44 “Barber was a good weekend for me. It feels good to back in the top 5 in sportbike. We went with a different set up for Sundays race to help with the greasy track and that was better. The bike was really working well in the early part of the race. I was just trying to get past the guys in front. Then close to half way myself and another rider had a moment coming onto the front straight away. I almost went down and ended up saving it and just ran wide. After that happened the leaders had a small gap on me. Every time I would push to catch back up the tires would just slide. I had matched the leaders lap times lap by lap, but just couldn’t make up ground on the top 4. All in all I’m happy to know I can run the past to win one, it’s just a matter of time. The next few tracks are all tracks I really like and do well at. I’m excited and have a little confidence coming in Mid Ohio, which is kind of like a home track to me. Thanks to Vesrah Suzuki and all of our sponsors.” Corey Alexander Vesrah Suzuki #5 “Today went better than yesterday did overall. I’m happy to finish out the weekend with a solid fourth for the team after a rough few days. I look forward to putting Barber behind us and getting better results for the rest of the year. Thanks to everyone at Vesrah Suzuki for their support and I hope all the Dads out there had a great fathers day.” Vesrah Suzuki wants to thank all of their sponsors for their support for the 2011 season Vesrah, American Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Drink, Nielsen Enterprises Suzuki, Penske Racing Shocks, Traxxion Dynamics Fork Components, Yoshimura, Catalyst Racing Composites, Sudco Int., Bazzaz, Factory Pro, Maxima Racing Oils, Vortex, DID Chain, GPR Stabilizers, Trek Bicycles, GP Tech, Active, Pilot, Suzuka Tire Warmers, Pit Bull & Road Rage Designs More, from a press release issued by Fogi Racing: Young on a mission at Barber Fogi Racing Development Team BIRMINGHAM, AL — Collingwood, ON’s Ben Young produced a tremendous ride through the field to finish 10th in last Sunday’s AMA Pro Motorcyclesuperstore.com SuperSport race at Barber Motorsport Park in Birmingham, AL, capping off a stressful weekend that saw Young and his team overcome a number of challenges. After placing a superb ninth in wet practice Young carried that form over to qualifying, putting the Fogi Racing Development Yamaha YZF-R6 11th on the grid for the pair of SuperSport races. However, a rules infringement put the teenager at the back of the 37-bike grid, leaving him with a lot of work to do on Saturday and Sunday. “We were disappointed with the outcome,” Young admitted after qualifying, “but the rules are there to be adhered to.” Undaunted, Young put on a charge in Saturday’s opening 17-lap race around the challenging 2.3-mile Barber Motorsport Park circuit, climbing all the way up to 14th within four laps before a connecting rod bearing let go in the engine. The Fogi Development Team undertook a frantic engine change before Sunday’s second race and after a strong performance in the morning warm-up hopes were high that Young could reproduce his form of the previous day. Despite battling temperatures in the 100-degree Fahrenheit range Young recovered from a poor start to methodically work his way through the pack over the course of the 17-lap race and crack the top 10 in the final results. “I just got my head down and rode smart and worked my way through the field,” Young said. “I had such a great time riding with riders I have never ridden with before and my team built me a great bike. Huge thanks to Rocky Stargel, James Hillis, my dad, and all my sponsors. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.” With the weekend ending on such a high the Fogi Racing Development Team is looking forward to the next AMA Pro Motorcyclesuperstore.com SuperSport round at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH July 8-10. Ben Young and Fogi Racing Development Team would like to thank, Lean Angle, Motul, Arai, EBC Brakes, K&N, TechSpec Gripsters, MICS (Medical Information Carrier System), Turn2 Sportbike School, Arlen Ness, Vortex, Goodridge, AirTrix Paint Store, BCL Motorsports, Renthal, Infinet Designs, GP Tech, The Awning Company, Scot-Build Developments and Armour Bodies. More, from a press release issued by Thrashed Bike Racing: Thrashed Bike Racing thankful for 3rd place finish in ASRA/CCS Team Challenge event at VIR Team owner Tim Ivanoff would like to express his appreciation to team sponsors Arrow Aviation Company, Erik Buell Racing, Pirelli and Avcal Decals. “We were lucky that the team’s Buell 1125R hung together long enough to finish the race with the ill running engine that manifested itself on race day. Walt Sipp did an excellent job of riding on a misfiring bike to finish 3rd overall” said Tim. “We intend on having a better performance at Blackhawk Farms on July 23.” Walt added, “What a crazy race. The bike seemed fine in the morning and for the first few laps, then it all unraveled. We were way down on top speed and it wouldn’t even pull top gear. I think I rode 60 laps with my hand over the clutch just in case it blew up! Anyway, Tim will figure it out. He always brings top level equipment. I can’t wait to get to Blackhawk and see if we can claw back some points.” Walt would like to think personal sponsors KBC Helmets, Arlen Ness, Texport, Sidi, EC3D Compression, EBC Brakes, LP USA and Vortex. More, from a press release issued by Jason DiSalvo’s publicist: DiSalvo Defends His Top-Three Points Position in Daytona Sportbike at Barber Birmingham, Alabama: Jason DiSalvo, this year’s record-setting Daytona 200 winner, protected his top-three points position at the Barber Motorsports Park round of the AMA Pro Road racing series, taking two top-six finishes in the doubleheader Daytona Sportbike races. Earning a front row start for the two races, DiSalvo’s pace showed him and the Team Latus Motors Racing group to be in sharp form for the scorching conditions of high heat and high humidity of the Birmingham, Alabama racetrack. DiSalvo had a lock on the fourth-best time and front row in combined qualifying, as he headed out for his throw-down laps at the end of the session, in his bid to further grow his list of consecutive pole positions for the season. An unexpected mechanical issue during the closing seconds of final qualifying resulted in him relying on gridding up where his previous day’s time near the top put him, taking his spot on Row One with a lap recorded within .280 seconds of pole. From his front-row starting position, in Race 1 on Saturday DiSalvo rode the steaming paint off his Ducati 848, in a four-way battle for the podium. At the end of the race DiSalvo kept it close for a fifth-place finish within 3.683 seconds of the race winner, and less than a second from a second-place podium finish. In Race 2, DiSalvo saved a sixth-place finish from a slowing bike, managing his pace and points position for the big picture of the championship. Meanwhile DiSalvo had a couple competitors suffer misfortunes, bringing one a point closer and putting another back behind him by the end of the wild weekend. After the event DiSalvo said, “This is really the most exciting class in racing to be competing in today. I hope the fans are having as much fun as we are. There are seven or eight of us fighting for the win at nearly every turn on every lap in every race and my team has really gotten it together to have the big win at Daytona and to now be so well off in the championship hunt. In just the last four races there’ve been four of us taking a turn at leading the championship. That’s crazy, it’s what makes it so fulfilling. Between each event I’m just starving to get out there and scrap it out again. Taking this championship is going to be a great prize, that’s still what the team and I are working towards.”