VESRAH SUZUKI RIDERS GET REDEMPTION WITH A TOP 10 AND TOP 5 FINISH IN DAYTONA SPORTBIKE RACE 2 AT THE SUZUKI SUPERBIKE SHOWDOWN AT ROAD AMERICA IN ELKHART LAKE WI. Vesrah Suzuki rider Cory West claimed a 4th place finish in Daytona SportBike Race 2 at Road America and ran up front for most of the race after suffering a first lap mechanical DNF in Race 1 on Saturday. Chris Fillmore came back from being run off the track at the start of the race to finish in 9th place. With both riders in the top 10 in the season point standings Vesrah Suzuki now looks forward to the next round at Mid Ohio. Mark Junge Team Owner Vesrah Suzuki “I’m happy that the team rebounded today with top 10 and top 5 finishes after a disastrous Race 1 on Saturday. Now with a month off for the first time since the season started in Daytona the team can prepare for Mid Ohio and take a much needed break.” Cory West Vesrah Suzuki #57 “Today’s race went pretty well. I got a good start and was with the lead group from the beginning. After a few laps went by and people started to settle in, I made some good passes and got up to 3rd. I felt comfortable with the pace and was trying to see where my strong points were compared to the leaders. When I figured that out I started planning out what I was going to do to have a shot at the win. Unfortunately I was getting a lot of push from the front tire in the right hand corners with three laps to go. I tried to maintain my pace and hold down 3rd position but I felt like I was going to crash if I kept pushing that hard so I pretty much had to settle for 4th today. I’m a little frustrated because I felt like I had a shot at the win but this is racing. Big thanks to my mechanics Tony and Bruce, and the whole Vesrah Suzuki crew for working so hard and giving me a strong bike after yesterdays DNF. See you at Mid-Ohio.” Chris Fillmore Vesrah Suzuki #55 “Very frustrating weekend for me at Road America. I was gunning for a good result today but on the start heading into turn 1 I got my bar clipped and it ran me off the track. I tried my hardest to catch back up but it was too late as the lead group had checked out. I salvaged a 9th place finish. I had a great working bike this weekend thanks to my team but unfortunately I couldn’t put a race together this weekend.” Vesrah Suzuki wants to thank all of their sponsors for their support for the 2010 season Vesrah, American Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Drink, Nielsen Enterprises Suzuki, Traxxion Dynamics Fork Components, Dainese Leathers, Boots and Gloves, AGV Helmets, Graves Motorsports, Hotbodies Racing Bodywork, Sudco Int., Bazzaz, Factory Pro, Maxima Racing Oils, Vortex, DID Chain, Penske Racing Shocks, GPR Stabilizers, Trek Bicycles, GP Tech, Active & Road Rage Designs More, from a press release issued by TwoThree Public Relations: Brodie Waters continues Supersport podium run, Nick quick in Superstock 600 at Queensland ASBK Waters Racing brothers Brodie and Nick Waters have continued their solid run of form in the third round of the Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway last weekend, finishing toward the front of the pack in the Supersport and Superstock 600 categories respectively. The talented teenagers again impressed in the development at a national level in Australian road racing, with 18-year-old Brodie claiming second overall in the Supersport class on his Sunstate Motorcycles-supported Suzuki GSX-R600. Following on from his race victory at Darwin’s second round, Brodie qualified second in the Sunshine State behind factory Suzuki rival Troy Herfoss, going on to finish in the runner-up position in both 16-lap races around the 3.12-kilometre circuit. Brodie trailed Herfoss by 2.568 seconds in race one, before missing out on the race two victory by just 0.645 when the race was declared prematurely on lap 12 due to an incident down the field. A fastest lap of 1:13.224 by Brodie was the quickest in the race, now sitting 19 points in arrears of Herfoss in the championship chase at the halfway point. “I was disappointed when I didn’t get pole considering I was only 0.2 off Troy, but we’ll keep putting the pressure on him and see if we can win both races from pole at the next round,” the middle Waters brother commented. It’s now the Victorian’s focus to regain points on Herfoss if he is to put himself in a position to win the championship. He also remains the top privateer in the series after three rounds. “I need to start chasing back that championship lead because Troy’s starting to stretch out in the points,” he continued. “I’m not too happy about it, but that’s racing and we’ll keep trying.” Youngest brother Nick was again a standout performer in the Superstock 600 ranks on his GSX-R600, finishing fourth for the third round in succession and knocking on the door for his first overall podium. Nick finished with 5-4-4 results in the trio of nine-lap races for the weekend, his best lap of 1:15.135 up there with the best in the hard-fought development category in what is the Mildura local’s rookie season. “It wasn’t a bad round, I could have done a little better if I didn’t run off the track, but overall fourth is consistent and I’m happy with that,” the 16-year-old explained. “I was able to get out with the front guys and go quick in the end, so it was good fun. “Hopefully by the end of the year I can get a podium, or a race win would be even better. The guys have my bike set up good, now a little bit more bike time would probably pay off for me at this point.” The next round of the Superstock 600 category will see Nick compete at Brodford on 1-4 July, with the next round of Supersport scheduled to return to Queensland Raceway on 19-22 August. QUEENSLAND RACEWAY SUPERSPORT RESULTS: 1. Troy Herfoss 2. Brodie Waters (Sunstate/Waters Racing Suzuki GSX-R600) 3. Chris Quinn 4. Christan Casella 5. Ryan Taylor 2010 SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after round three): 1. Troy Herfoss 140 points 2. Brodie Waters (Sunstate/Waters Racing Suzuki GSX-R600) 121pts 3. Christan Casella 113pts 4. Chris Quinn 78pts 5. Ryan Taylor 74pts QUEENSLAND RACEWAY SUPERSTOCK 600 RESULTS: 1. Aaron Morris 2. Michael Jones 3. Matthew Walters 4. Nicholas Waters (Sunstate/Waters Racing Suzuki GSX-R600) 5. Nathan Houterman 2010 SUPERSTOCK 600 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after round three): 1. Aaron Morris 173 points 2. Matthew Walters 157pts 2. Michael Jones 153pts 4. Nicholas Waters (Sunstate/Waters Racing Suzuki GSX-R600) 145pts 5. Carew Dickinson 117pts More, from a press release issued by James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing: JAMES GANG/HOBAN BROTHERS KNOCKED OUT OF AMA PRO VANCE & HINES XR1200 CLASS DEBUT Waukesha, Wisc. The James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing team had a rough outing when rider Paul James was knocked out of the AMA Pro Racing Vance & Hines XR1200 series debut race at Road America after getting tangled up with two other riders on the restart of the race. James suffered minor injuries after crashing heavily due to handlebar to handlebar contact and was unable to make the final restart. He qualified 8th and ran as high as 6th on the first start of the race before it was stopped after two laps due to oil and a bike down in Turn 5. “Despite the disappointing result for us in the debut of the series, the class was really fun and competitive and we’re looking forward to seeing more teams join in as the season progresses,” said rider and team co-owner Paul James. “We worked really hard on our set up with limited track time and steadily gained speed and confidence,” said team general manager and co-owner John Dahmer. “The learning curve is steep, but we feel we have a good baseline for Mid-Ohio.” The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series resumes July 16-18 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH. For more information on James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing, go to: www.jghbracing.com or follow team updates at: www.twitter.com/jamesgangracing The James Gang/Hoban Brothers AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 team is presented by H-D of Appleton and Spectro Oils. Additional team sponsors include: Darkhorse Crankworks, Genuine James Gaskets, Kymco USA, SHIFT Racing, Arai, Vortex, Regina USA and Spyder Leatherworks, Ferodo. More, from a press release issued by Rockwall Performance: J.D. BEACH WINS AT ROAD AMERICA FOR ROCKWALL PERFORMANCE Rockwall Performance Yamaha leave the Road America weekend ranked 1-2 in the AMA Pro SuperSport East Region championship standings with another victory and pole position added to their sterling 2010 record. The gutsy J.D. Beach took over the title lead with another tremendous weekend to back up his Road Atlanta double win. Beach rebounded from a Saturday morning qualifying crash to score an inspiring race victory later that day and then claimed up a close runner-up result on Sunday despite suffering considerable soreness from his fall. Beach’s Saturday triumph continued the team’s season-long streak of claiming a race win in every AMA Pro SuperSport weekend in which the team has participated. The former Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion’s win came following a dramatic contest that saw multiple riders battling for the lead, with a number of the race favorites making costly mistakes in their desperate bids for the checkered flag. Unfortunately, the team’s pole winner, Cameron Beaubier, was one of those victims, crashing out of the lead with Beach right on his tail just three corners from the checkered flag. “My team has been working hard this weekend,” Beach said after claiming his win. “Cameron and I both had tip-overs in qualifying but the guys were able to give us competitive race bikes. It was a great race. I was on my ‘B’ bike so I had to get used to that. I just sat there and watched everybody battling until it was my turn to step it up.” On Sunday Beach missed out on his second consecutive double by just 0.200 seconds at the stripe after leading as late as the final lap. Beaubier suffered from a poor start on Sunday and had to work up from ninth place early on. Clawing his way up from over five seconds back, he ultimately moved into podium contention with the front pack aboard his YZF R6 in the race’s late stages, but was swapped back to sixth at the checkered flag. Beach now leads the East Region with 139 points, followed by teammate Beaubier at 117. Meanwhile, in Daytona SportBike competition, Marcos Reichert twice outperformed his fifth-row, 19th place qualifying effort. The Guatemalan battled his way to 13th and 14th place finishes pit up against the deep and competitive SportBike field in his first AMA Pro race weekend of the 2010 season. Rockwall Performance will come out swinging following the summer break at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH on July 16-18. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: Mixed feelings inside the “green” box after the quite good trial of the Pramac Racing in the home Grand Prix, held last Sunday on the Mugello circuit. If in fact a part of the box is celebrating the excellent result of Aleix Espargarò, the other side is trying to figure out how to work to get an important result with Mika Kallio since the next Grand Prix. The young Catalan has conquest a great eighth position in the race, his best result since he is joining MotoGP, which puts him in the limelight of the media and allows him to conquest important points for the rookie of the year standings. It was a good weekend for Aleix. After having some stability problems with his bike during the first Friday practice, he worked hard with the engineers to find the right setting that would allow him to conduct in the best way his bike on one of the most difficult track of the Championship. The hard work has allowed him to solve his problems already during Saturday qualifying, getting the ninth place on the starting grid. A good starting position which allowed him to not lose the position compared to the riders ahead of him. After he had a contact with Simoncelli on the first lap, he regained his starting position and had take the lead of the group of riders who were struggled for the eighth place, leading it until the end of the race. Unpleasant result for Mika Kallio that after a wonderful start, thanks to which he has quickly recovered three positions, he has slipped during the eighth lap compromised his race. The hope now is that the unfortunate period is finally over and that he will return soon to fight for the top positions that he can certainly reach. Another point to note is the huge initiative to which the Pramac Racing Team have took part during the weekend. The team wanted to celebrate the World Environment Day, changing the “suit” to their bikes. Both riders have in fact taken part in the Italian race with the new liveries designed by Philippe Starck, the French creator. Liveries that will be auctioned next week to finance the purchase of some solar panels that, through the organization Riders for Health, will be installed in a Zambia clinic. Paolo Campinoti – Team Principal Pramac Racing Team “It was a very important weekend for the Pramac Racing Team. We have celebrated a big event, thanks to the livery designed by Philippe Starck, for the World Environment Day. It was amazing to see our bikes racing with the new art livery designed for the occasion. I am partially satisfied for the result we have, shame for not seeing both riders obtaining points in this race that we considered as our home Grand Prix. Pity for the unfortunate race of Mika, he could recover many positions because he was very close to the riders ahead of him. We have full confidence in him and in his abilities, I wish him to recover fully for next weekend and that he can return to fight for the important positions that he can certainly reach. We are very happy for Aleix growth, it is becoming a wonderful season for him, a great protagonist of the MotoGP world, it is a bet that is carrying its fruit. I also wish him to continue to get other results from this level that we now know that he can easy reach.” More, from a press release issued by The Elena Project: LEARNING WEEKEND FOR ELENA MYERS AT ROAD AMERICA The Road America round of the AMA Pro SuperSport Championship turned out to be a learning weekend for Lucas Oil Roadracingworld.com RMR Suzuki’s Elena Myers. Coming off her historic victory at Infineon Raceway, Myers battled with all her might to master the four-mile long racecourse, continually building up speed as the weekend progressed. Her learning curve was again steep as she steadily working her way up the order. Elena opened in ninth place with a best time of 2:48.965 as she took her tentative first laps around the high-speed circuit in Friday’s free practice. She then improved to eighth at 2:30.174 during provisional qualifying later that day. One Saturday Elena slashed nearly five seconds off her fastest time to qualify sixth at 2:25.794 aboard her GSX-R600. Unfortunately, both races ended early for Myers as she crashed out each time in Canada Corner, a hard braking right-hander at the end of the back straight. However, in both races she was firmly in the mix with the front group and cut another half-second off her fastest lap, registering a 2:25.217 during her limited time in Sunday’s contest. Myers remains ranked second in the West Region championship with 92 points and she did not lose any ground in the title chase despite her struggles. Elena and Lucas Oil Roadracingworld.com RMR Suzuki return to action at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course July 16-18. More, from a press release issued by Richie Morris Racing: ESLICK WINS INAUGURAL XR1200 RACE AT ROAD AMERICA GEICO Powersports RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing’s Danny Eslick and Jake Holden put on an incredible show with a thrilling 1-2 finish in the inaugural AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 race at Road America. The two muscled their tightly-restricted Harley-Davidson XR1200s at the front of the pack, stealing the lead from one another at every possible opportunity around the scenic racetrack. The result at the checkered flag was almost too close to call with Eslick ultimately going down in the record books at the class’ very first race winner, taking the honor over fellow Lucas Oil-sponsored competitor Holden by a minuscule 0.055 seconds. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Eslick said with a laugh. “I’ve been riding one on the street, having some fun with my buddies, but then I got to come out here and hot rod it around with Jake. I think we were comfortable at first but then we got going a little too fast maybe! No, it was a whole lot of fun. “It was basically a big game of drafting. Jake can do some pretty wild things on a bike and I can get ’em around pretty good too. But we were the same speed so it was hard to get away unless there was a big mistake. I just tried to play it smart and get a good drive out of the last corner like I did and get a draft on him.” “Man, it was so much fun,” Holden confirmed. “I really didn’t know what to expect because Friday was my first time on the bike. I had looked at them, but riding them was even more fun than what they looked like. I mean they look cool, but I didn’t think I’d be able to do the things I did on the bike. I mean we were backing them into the corners and just having fun on them. It was a blast.” In the Daytona SportBike class, the weekend was all about damage control for the reigning class champion. Eslick, who was still feeling the effects of a pulled hamstring suffered while flat tracking at Springfield last weekend, registered a pair of gritty rides to come away with two important points paying results. After putting his GEICO Powersports RMR Suzuki GSX-R600 on the front row in qualifying (third, 2:20.711), the Oklahoman took a well-deserved fifth place on Saturday and backed that up with a seventh on Sunday to keep his title defense very much alive. “I’m taking fifth and seventh in stride,” he said. “For a ‘bad’ weekend I’ll take that. I kind of hurt myself last weekend at Springfield riding flat track. Actually on the Harley, it wasn’t bad, but where the seat is on the SportBike, there’s a pressure point right where I’m sore. I was struggling a little bit this weekend. “We had the speed both days. But on Saturday I got caught up behind a bike that blew up early in the race and it just oiled me down. There was shrapnel, stuff bouncing up off the racetrack and all over the place. Once I got the shield cleaned off I held my own. And then on Sunday we had some front tire issues. “It was one of those ‘I had the speed to run with them, but I couldn’t really race ’em’ weekends. I figured I’d just go out and salvage as many points as I could out of it. I can remember when I was pumped because I was getting a seventh and a fifth. I’ll take a bad weekend being a fifth and seventh.” Eslick is currently ranked second in the Daytona SportBike title chase with 198 points at the season’s midpoint on the strength of a win, five podiums, two pole positions, and four points earned for leading the most laps. He’ll continue his quest to retain the #1 plate on July 16-18 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH. More, from a press release issued by Acorn Woods Communications, on behalf of American Suzuki: Suzuki GSX-Rs Race to the Top at Road America * Martin Cardenas and his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki GSX-R600 won Sunday’s Daytona SportBike race. * National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Zemke took third place on Sunday in the AMA Pro American SuperBike class. * GSX-Rs made six appearances in the victory circle during the Road America doubleheader in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Brea, Calif. June 9, 2010 The Suzuki GSX-R lineup of motorcycles has long been a favorite of riders everywhere, and this weekend the bikes were popular on the Road America podium at Round 5 of the AMA SuperBike and Daytona SportBike series. Martin Cardenas sits in the top three in points in the hotly contested Daytona SportBike class. With every race a battle to the finish, Cardenas and his GSX-R600 are always contenders to finish up front. During Saturday’s race, Cardenas had a strong start at the front of the pack and traded the lead with another racer for nine laps before being overtaken. Cardenas fought to the finish in third place. On Sunday, Cardenas was once again ready to fight for the lead. He took over the front spot on lap four and then again traded on and off with another racer. Cardenas and his GSX-R600 were determined to make the end of the race different than the day before. In a photo finish, Cardenas won by a 0.267-second margin. The win is Cardenas’ fifth of the season. Danny Eslick of the RMR Geico Powersports Suzuki team fought his way to two top-10 finishes this weekend. He is currently second in points in the Daytona SportBike class. On Saturday, Cory West of the Vesrah Suzuki team was unable to finish the race after a mechanical issue took him off track. On Sunday, West just missed the chance to appear in victory lane with a strong fourth-place finish. His teammate Chris Fillmore also had a rough day on Saturday, but redeemed the weekend with a top-10 finish on Sunday. West is currently sixth in the class, and Fillmore comes in at ninth. In the AMA Pro American SuperBike class, Jake Zemke came in a close fifth in Saturday’s race. Zemke, of the National Guard Jordan Suzuki team, knew his GSX-R1000 could run with the leaders, so on Sunday he set out to prove it. After dicing with other racers early on, Zemke found himself in third place and pulling away from the pack. His smart racing and consistency led Zemke to a third-place finish and the third spot overall in points. Tommy Hayden took his GSX-R1000 to the win on Sunday after barely missing the top spot on Saturday in a photo finish. He’s currently leading the SuperBike class. His Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Blake Young finished third on Saturday and seventh on Sunday, putting him in fourth for points. Three other GSX-R1000 riders are in the top-10 in overall points: Chris Ulrich on his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki takes the seventh spot, Taylor Knapp on the RidersDiscount.com Suzuki in eighth, and Brett McCormick rounds it out with his Suzuki/Blackfoot/Picotte Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000. That means the GSX-R1000 hold six of the 10 spots at the top of the points standings. Round 6 of the series takes place July 16-18 at Mid-Ohio in Lexington, Ohio. The GSX-Rs are ready to keep the podium momentum rolling there!