YOSHIMURA-BACKED TEAMS SHOW THEIR STRENGTH IN PAST WEEK OF RACING CHINO, CA Yoshimura-backed teams were strong throughout the past week of racing, which included the opening round of the AMA Pro Superbike Championship at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL and the tenth round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki road race and supercross teams and the Honda Racing supercross team showed the advantage of their Yoshimura products with solid results in a week of extremely competitive racing. Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki celebrated a tremendous AMA Pro Superbike opening-round weekend at Daytona, with Blake Young winning both races and teammate Tommy Hayden joining him on the podium in both events. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki riders raced their Yoshimura-prepared Suzuki GSX-R1000s flawlessly, with Young celebrating the double victories in style and Hayden bringing home impressive second- and third-place finishes. “Today was great,” enthused Young. “The only thing we could have done better was to lead more laps and get that pole position. Coming out of here with two wins, I’m ecstatic. I haven’t had the best of luck at Daytona. Last year we had a fifth and a seventh, so this year is definitely a positive. But it’s a long season, and Daytona is just one of the races. We just need to chalk this one up and work hard in the seven weeks we have off. I’m happy for my guys; they worked really, really hard for me in the off-season to get me and my Suzuki on top of the box both days.” “Today’s race was about what I expected,” said Hayden. “Blake and Josh (Hayes) were riding really well, so it was a tough race for me and my Suzuki. I was third today, and I thought it was an alright position. I was second yesterday, and Blake won from third yesterday, you know, so I figured I’d try it from that way. But I didn’t get a very good run on the straight. That’s the way this place goes. Yesterday I got too good of a run; today not good enough.” Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey rode strong in a fast-paced race aboard his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450 in front of a crowd of 60,789 fans in Indianapolis. Teammate Brett Metcalfe did not race in order to recover from his recent crashes in Atlanta and Daytona. Metcalfe is expected to return to action at next week’s event in Jacksonville, FL. “This was a tough one tonight,” said Dungey. “We worked throughout the day to get the Rockstar Makita Suzuki just right for the main. I mean, the bike was good tonight, but I didn’t get the holeshot and lost sight of the lead. I got up to the back of (Chad) Reed and clipped his back tire while trying to knife under and went down. He checked up, and the next thing I knew I was losing my front end. I got back up and closed on him again with, I think, two laps to go. I tried putting a couple passes on him on the last lap but never quite got it to stick. Jacksonville is next week and it’s time for a win.” American Honda Racing’s Trey Canard finished a solid sixth in Indianapolis, while Cole Seely made his supercross class debut with the team and earned a respectable top ten finish. “I’m stoked about setting the fastest time in qualifying this weekend,” said Canard. “I definitely feel like I made some good progress this week. Along with qualifying fastest, I also managed a good start in the main, which is something I have concentrated on over the last few weeks. It’s a real bummer that I messed up near the end of the opening lap because I had really good speed and feel I could have been a real contender for a top spot this weekend. From here I will focus on next weekend’s Jacksonville race. I’m excited because I like the dirt at Jacksonville so it should be a good race.” “My goal for this race was to finish inside the top ten and I achieved that tonight,” said Seely. “I’m really happy with ninth and I learned a lot out there racing against some really experienced racers. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to ride Josh’s CRF450R for a few rounds and I’m hoping to do even better next weekend in Jacksonville. I really want to thank American Honda and Troy Lee for giving me this opportunity.” The next stop of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship for the Yoshimura-backed teams is Saturday, March 19th, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, FL. The 2011 Rockstar Makita Suzuki road race team’s next event of the 2011 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series is at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California on May 13 15, 2011. You can meet the Rockstar Makita Suzuki supercross team riders on Friday, March 18th, from 6 to 7 PM at Beach Blvd. Suzuki, 10315 Beach Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL. About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com. Yoshimura products are designed, manufactured, intended, and sold for use on vehicles that are operated only on closed course racing circuits unless otherwise noted. Use of these products on public roads or lands is strictly prohibited and may be a violation of local, state, or federal laws. Products intended for use on vehicles operated on public roads or lands are clearly so indicated. More, from a press release issued by Richie Morris Racing: WILD DAYTONA FOR RICHIE MORRIS RACING The 2011 AMA Pro Road Racing season opener at Daytona International Speedway was a wild one for Richie Morris Racing, featuring extremes of emotion, incredible highlights, and difficult misfortune. Kyle Wyman and Chris Fillmore made it a one-two victory in the XR1200 Class while Danny Eslick challenged in the Daytona 200 before an unfortunate crash. ’09 Daytona SportBike champion Danny Eslick entered the Daytona 200 as one of primary players. Having won the pole for the race last season, the Oklahoman was blisteringly quick again this season, securing a place on the front row after qualifying third best for the historic race aboard his GEICO RMR Suzuki GSX-R600 at 1:50.796 seconds. Eslick, also backed by Lucas Oil and Millennium Technologies, got away with the lead group and amazed by routinely out-braking three and four of his rivals at a time to take the lead entering Turn 1 during the opening stint. However, shortly after stopping for a tire change it all went wrong. Eslick suffered a bizarre 160mph crash after losing the front coming off the banking in Turn 4. After Eslick’s crash, the race was soon stopped and the entire field was mandated a front tire change. “Off the start we were good — everyone was running together,” Danny explained. “We came in for the stop, put a new front on it. I had a couple little moments in the first one where my front tire was tucking. I don’t know what the deal was but they said it was pretty tore up. Generally we don’t change the front tire — any time I’ve run the 200 we’ve never changed the front tire. Our whole plan was no front tire change but they made the call and we changed it. It was all right at first but a few laps into the stint I lost the front. “I just lost the front in NASCAR 4 wide open at 170mph. At least it was there and not the middle of 3 and 4 where I would have went into the wall or something else. “It’s hard to describe. I’ve had a little bit of time to regroup to think about it. I was coming back off the banking, and the front was sliding, sliding and sliding, and then that was it.” The RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing Revolution Performance squad had an equally dramatic weekend in the Vance & Hines XR1200 season opener but with a considerably different outcome. Due a mishap receiving their equipment, the crew had to work flat-out just to get the bikes on track for the weekend’s first practice. But in the end, all of the hard work paid off as Kyle Wyman and Chris Fillmore logged a 1-2 for the team following a heavyweight tilt of four riders going back and forth for the entire distance. Wyman nipped his teammate Fillmore by a scant 0.016 seconds at the checkered flag. Meanwhile, Michael Corbino made it three RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing Revolution Performance Harley-Davidsons in the top ten with his ninth-place result. For Wyman, it was a fitting triumph after a Daytona crash threatened to derail his promising career. Wyman said, “It’s amazing. The last time I was here I ended up going to the hospital, but I was able to put it out of my mind. We were just down to the wire between my dad and the crew and the service guys from Bruce Rossmeyer’s to get the bikes on track and it’s incredible to be 1-2 after fighting through all of this adversity. ” Fillmore added, “We literally thrashed all weekend to get going. The mechanics worked pretty much 20-hour shifts just to get us out on track. We were behind the eight ball all week long so to finish second is a great result. It was a great race and I’m happy.” RMR Racing will be back in action for Round 2 of the 2011 AMA Pro Road Racing season on May 13-15 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. GEICO RMR Suzuki is sponsored by GEICO, Lucas Oil, Suzuki, Millennium Technologies, Vortex Sprockets, EBC Brakes, and Pilot. RMR’s AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Class program is sponsored by Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona, Revolution Performance, GEICO, Lucas Oil, EBC Brakes, and Pit Bull. More, from a press release issued by Foremost Insurance: Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing Looks Forward After Tough Weekend in Daytona Grand Rapids, MI (March 16, 2011) Larry Pegram and the Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing team persevered through mechanical setbacks and an early crash in the AMA National Guard American Superbike series, held at Daytona International Raceway this past weekend. Mechanical struggles during qualifying placed Pegram ninth off the pole. He crashed during the first lap in race one but after a restart was able to work through the pack and finished seventh overall. Saturday’s race saw Pegram and his BMW S 1000 RR passing the checkered flag in the sixth position, placing him sixth in overall point standings. Pegram, along with his team and family, has recently gained mainstream notoriety courtesy of a new reality program, Superbike Family, which features the rider’s day-to-day life. The program began airing on Discovery HD Theater last month. “Daytona didn’t go exactly how I had hoped,” said Pegram. “But the BMW S 1000 RR is a fast bike and I feel like we’ve really got it dialed in now. We’re looking forward to the next race and I think this is going to be a great season.” Not one to slow down, Pegram has moved to the Barber Motorsports park this week, along with the Foremost Insurance Tampa Bay Jaw Surgery AIM Autosport automobile racing team, to practice and test for the Star Mazda Championship series presented by Goodyear. Pegram raced in the series twice last year and plans to compete behind the wheel again in 2011. To learn more about Foremost products or share feedback, visit www.Foremost.com, our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ForemostInsurance or our Twitter page at www.Twitter.com/Foremost. A part of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies®, Foremost Insurance Group (“Foremost”) has been a leader in personal lines insurance since 1952. Foremost is headquartered in Caledonia, Michigan. Farmers is a trade name and may refer to Farmers Group, Inc. or the Farmers Exchanges, as the case may be. Farmers Group, Inc., a management and holding company, along with its subsidiaries, is wholly owned by the Zurich Financial Services Group. The Farmers Exchanges are three reciprocal insurers (Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange), including their subsidiaries and affiliates, owned by their policyholders, and managed by Farmers Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information about Farmers,visit www.Farmers.comor www.Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance More, from a press release issued by American Suzuki: SUZUKI TEAMS SHOW THEIR STRENGTH AND DOMINANCE THROUGHOUT DAYTONA BIKE WEEK BREA, CA – Suzuki teams showed their strength and proved the dominance of their Suzuki’s on the asphalt and dirt the entire 2011 Daytona Bike Week. Suzuki motorcycles and ATV’s shined in road racing, off-road motorcycle/ATV and supercross competition. Suzuki teams took advantage of the awesome power and performance of their GSX-Rs, RM-Zs, and QuadRacers to outclass the competition. On the road race side, Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki celebrated a tremendous AMA Pro Superbike opening-round weekend and showed the dominance of the GSX-R at Daytona, with Blake Young winning both races and teammate Tommy Hayden joining him on the podium in both events. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki riders raced their Yoshimura-prepared Suzuki GSX-R1000s flawlessly, with Young celebrating the double victories in style and Hayden bringing home impressive second- and third-place finishes. The weekend’s first AMA Superbike race saw Young in a multi-rider battle for almost all 15 laps on the famed Daytona racecourse. When the dust had settled, however, Young took the win over his teammate by just .026 of a second. In the second race, Young was biding his time until the final lap, when he stormed the frontrunner and took the lead, along with his second victory of the weekend. Meanwhile, Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Hayden was right there with his head down for both races. Although Hayden was leading on the last lap of the first race, the checkered flag saw him finish in second place. In the second race, Hayden again was right there with his teammate and battled competitors as well as the famous Daytona draft before settling into third position. The Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) team had a successful weekend with new riders Ben Bostrom and Roger Lee Hayden in Daytona. Both riders ran their Suzuki GSX-R1000s in the lead group on both days, with Bostrom finishing fourth on Friday and fifth on Sunday. Hayden raced to fifth place on Friday but suffered a minor tip-over in Saturday’s race and remounted to finish in 15th place. On Friday, after qualifying fifth, Jordan Suzuki’s Bostrom got a great start on his Suzuki and slotted into fourth place. After losing contact with the front group, he fell back to fifth but was able to work his GSX-R back up to cross the line in fourth. On Saturday, Bostrom was running in sixth when teammate Hayden crashed in the infield, promoting Bostrom to fifth, where he ultimately finished. Roger Lee Hayden, on the National Guard Jordan Suzuki, had a front-row start for both races after qualifying a strong third on Friday. In the first race, he ran with the leaders before finishing two seconds behind teammate Bostrom. On Saturday, Hayden got a good start and ran in fifth place until crashing unhurt in the west horseshoe turn. Hayden remounted his Suzuki and raced back up to finish 15th, garnering valuable championship points. Martin Cardenas kicked off his Superbike career for M4 Suzuki in promising fashion in Friday’s race. The winningest rider in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike history piloted the #36 GSX-R1000 to an encouraging sixth-place result as he continues to steadily adapt to the powerful Suzuki. On Saturday, Cardenas demonstrated his potential to become a major force in AMA Superbike competition. The reigning Daytona SportBike champion diced with the frontrunners for 13 of the race’s 15 laps, repeatedly battling and overtaking the class’s established stars. Grip issues finally forced the Colombian to back off his attack, but he still managed to claim an impressive fourth-place result despite admitting that he’s still fine-tuning his riding style to suit the powerful M4 Suzuki GSX-R1000. M4 Teammate Chris Ulrich also rang up a top-ten result in the hotly-contested Superbike class opener. The Californian got away in 11th position at the start after qualifying tenth and worked his way up to ninth by the conclusion of the 15-lap affair. On Saturday, Ulrich found himself in a deep hole to climb out of early, dropping to 18th position on the race’s second lap. Ulrich steadily worked his way forward, however, and ultimately made his way up to 11th position by the time he reached the checkered flag, falling just three tenths of a second short of his second top-ten result of the weekend. Meanwhile, M4 Suzuki had a wild afternoon in a most unusual running of the Daytona 200. The race was red-flagged due to front tire concerns and after an extended delay shortened and restarted as a 15-lap sprint race to the flag. Dane Westby ran inside the top ten during the first portion of the race and was even stronger after the stoppage. Meanwhile, Santiago Villa was putting in a consistent day’s work, which he carried on into the race’s second half. M4’s Westby was in contention for the win as a seven-rider pack jostled for position on the final lap of the thrilling race. However, another rider clipped Westby’s front brake lever as they raced to the checkered flag, sending him over the handlebars and into the path of a third competitor. Westby was fortunate to escape the spectacular high-speed fall with just a broken thumb. However, Westby’s misfortune worked in Villa’s favor. What originally had been a stellar ride in which the hardworking Colombian matched his previous career AMA best result of 11th place was elevated to his first top ten, as he was ultimately awarded ninth place. Vesrah Suzuki’s Cory West ran at the front of the 2011 Daytona 200 on his all-new 2011 Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600, leading several laps, and ended up second at the draft to the finish by .029 of a second. Cory was a hero on the brakes into the chicane using the late braking capabilities of his Suzuki. At the run to the line, the Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R 600 was right there, with Cory taking second place and a trip to the podium. Vesrah teammate Taylor Knapp was able to latch onto the tail end of the lead group in the 200 as the laps wound down and was looking for a top five finish, when disaster struck within sight of the finish line with another competitor’s machine crashing and Taylor being unable to avoid the situation. Taylor had a horrifying crash at top speed in the tri-oval but somehow was able to walk away unhurt and was credited with finishing 14th. Team SuzukiScoopFans rider Elena Myers started the 2011 AMA SuperSport season with a bang at the opening round at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida this past weekend. Myers piloted her new 2011 SuzukiScoopFans Suzuki GSX-R600 to a sixth-place finish in Friday’s race and a seventh-place finish on Saturday. Coming off of her first professional season last year, Myers went into the weekend with an aggressive attitude. This paid off for the17-year-old SuzukiScoopFans rider. She finished a solid sixth place in Friday’s race and then was in a battle for fourth on Saturday when she got shuffled back to seventh in the run from the chicane. Myers sits second in the west region series points. Also in the SuperSport class, Vesrah’s Corey Alexander, in his first trip to Daytona, worked learning a new track and motorcycle. He overcame a DNF in the Friday race to rebound with a top ten in eighth place on his GSX-R600 on Saturday. On the ATV side, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Chris Borich used a strong final-lap push to pick up where he left off and win the opening round of the 2011 ATV Grand National Cross Series at River Ranch, FL. As he often does, Borich, the reigning ATV XC1 champion, positioned himself within striking distance of the leaders during the first half of the race. He then used the awesome power of his Suzuki QuadRacer R450 to pick up the pace on the final lap to power past the competition on the rough and sandy Florida course. On the off-road bike side, Team FMF Makita Suzuki scored a top five finish in the first round of the 2011 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Championship at River Ranch, FL. Reigning GNCC XC1 Champion Josh Strang finished fourth on the rough and demanding 13-mile course in Florida. Teammate Josh Weisenfels injured his ankle in a practice crash the week before the event and did not compete. Strang had a strong start aboard his FMF Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and went into the woods in third position. He used the power of his Suzuki to move into first position about halfway through the first lap. A small mistake near the finish of the first lap put Strang back to second as they entered the woods for lap two. Strang eventually fell back to fourth but was able to make his way back up to third before a crash on the next to last lap put him back to fourth place. Strang rode strong to the end, crossing the line for a fourth-place finish. This year Daytona Supercross started off Bike Week and Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey overcame adversity to put his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450 on the podium with a third-place finish during the ninth round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship. Teammate Brett Metcalfe had a rough night, finishing 18th in the grueling 20-lap main event. Dungey started the day with a strong showing in practice, ending up with the fourth best time on the tough Daytona layout. In his heat race, his RMZ powered him out of the gate and put him right up to the front. After several strong laps in the lead, Dungey suffered an unfortunate mechanical issue, resulting in a DNF (Did Not Finish). His Rockstar Makita Suzuki team pulled together and rallied to make a quick engine swap in order to prepare for the last chance qualifier (LCQ). Dungey rocketed out of his poor gate choice in the LCQ and ended up winning the four-lap race. Due to the trip to the LCQ, Dungey ended up with the 19th gate pick for the main event. Despite the poor starting position, Dungey and his Suzuki bolted from the gate to a mid-pack position and methodically worked his way through the pack, eventually crossing the line in third place. All in all, Suzuki riders showed the performance advantage of their Suzuki motorcycles and ATVs with their strength and domination throughout the week. Once again, they’ve proven that Suzuki certainly does “own the racetrack”. About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded The Motorcycle and ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, CA, in 1963. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 120 distributors in 191 countries. For more information, visit www.suzukicycles.com. Follow Suzuki Scoop on facebook for exclusive team content www.facebook.com/suzukiscoopfans. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.: Monster/Graves/Yamaha Roadracers Prove Their Points At Daytona Cypress, California, March 16, 2011 – In the first race weekend for the new Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team, defending American SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes and defending Daytona 200 Winner Josh Herrin left Daytona International Speedway with solid championship points that will serve the riders and team well as the season progresses. The team’s new relationship with Monster Energy proved to be very appropriate at Daytona, as the “two Josh’s” and their Yamahas expended “monster energy” during qualifying and the races themselves. Monster Energy’s signature “M-Claw” was seemingly always moving fast, on the bikes as well as the riders and the team, while everyone worked at a feverish pace throughout the weekend. In American SuperBike, defending champion Josh Hayes won the pole position–and a valuable championship point–on a breathtakingly hot final qualifying lap aboard his crossplane crankshaft Monster/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R1®. Josh then led most of the laps in each of two races, before finishing a hard-fought third in Friday’s contest and second on Saturday. In each race, Josh fell victim to the always-unpredictable draft on the high banks of the World Center of Racing. In Daytona SportBike, Josh Herrin raced an inspiring Daytona 200 aboard his Monster/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6® and toughed it out despite having to contend with a sore wrist that has not quite returned to 100% strength after off-season surgery. The race was shortened to a total of 42 laps instead of the traditional 57, which meant that the event only went 147 miles instead of the namesake 200. In addition, the race was stopped, then re-started, which resulted in a 15-lap, all-out sprint to the finish. Despite the adversity, Josh persevered and finished a strong fifth, netting him a solid collection of points with which to build on throughout the season Commenting on the weekend, Yamaha roadracing team manager Tom Halverson said, “We came away from Daytona with a lot of valuable points. I have no doubt that both of our riders are going to get even stronger and tougher to beat as the season rolls on. We’re very excited and looking forward to the next race.” The results from Daytona put both Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha riders in solid position to move up as the 10-round AMA season continues with the next event, which will be held at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California on May 1315. More, from another press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.: Y.E.S.-backed Roadracers “Secure” Daytona Success Cypress, California, March 16, 2011 – By the time the sun had set at the Daytona 200, a new chapter in American motorcycle roadracing had been written with the debut of the Yamaha Extended Service (Y.E.S.) sponsorships of American Superbike, Daytona Sportbike and Supersport teams. Y.E.S. was proud of the results at America’s biggest roadracing weekend, which included a sweep and 1-2 finish in Supersport, a career-best finish in American Superbike for Chris Clark, a top-ten result in the Daytona 200 by Tommy Aquino and the launch of the “Just Say Y.E.S.” campaign kick-off for 2011. In American Superbike, Chris Clark reached a personal best with his 7th-place finish in race two on the Yamaha Extended Service/Pat Clark Sports/Graves Yamaha YZF-R1®, moving up four spots from the previous day. In addition to the terrific result, Chris raised many eyebrows by topping the speed traps at Daytona with a track high of 206 mph, showing that the crossplane crankshaft R1 has unmatched speed and torque. “I’m really happy with the progress we made. Leaving Daytona with a career-best top-ten finish and showing the awesome speed of my R1 is a real confidence boost,” said Chris of his season start. In the Daytona 200, amidst the mix of mundane and total mayhem, Yamaha Extended Service/Pat Clark Sports/Graves Yamaha’s Tommy Aquino earned a solid start to his season with a competitive 6th place finish. “After last year’s 200, I’m pleased with 6th and also to come out of the race healthy and ready. The team worked super-hard. We’re looking forward to taking what we learned and setting our sights on Infineon.” commented Tommy. Punctuating the success of the weekend for Y.E.S. was a sweep of the Supersport-class races. Tomas Puerta put in a dominating performance in race one on his LTD/Y.E.S. Yamaha YZF-R6®. Tomas set a blistering pace that was unmatched, winning by 7 seconds, with teammate David Gaviria also on the podium. The next day, it was all Team LTD/Y.E.S. in race two with both R6-mounted racers involved in a great battle right to the finish line. At the checkers, it was David Gaviria who drafted past teammate Tomas Puerta to win by just a few feet, delivering a 1-2 finish for Yamaha Extended Service. Look for the Y.E.S. teams competing at all the AMA U.S. roadraces this year. And, on MotoGP’s world stage, Yamaha star and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards will also proudly represent Y.E.S. The “Texas Tornado” is set to compete in his ninth season in motorcycle roadracing’s premier class. Y.E.S. chose the Daytona race weekend to launch the “Just Say Y.E.S.” Sweepstakes. Providing “security” at the track were several Y.E.S. “secret agents” and umbrella girls flanking the Y.E.S. teams and promoting the campaign. “At the track, our racers have the best support in the world backing them up. Y.E.S. is a great partner because they provide the best support in the world for the everyday rider,” said Team Manager Ron Heben. Visit www.justsayyessweepstakes.com where you can watch a fun “secret agent” video with the Y.E.S. riders and enter the “Just Say Y.E.S.” Sweepstakes for a chance to win a Yamaha Zuma 125 plus a $1,000 gift card. More, from a press release issued by Vesrah Suzuki: NICK MCFADDEN NETS PODIUM FINISHES AT AMA WINTER NATIONALS While the Vesrah Suzuki team was road racing at the Daytona International Speedway, Vesrah development rider, Nick McFadden, 13, was working to put together a successful Bike Week at the AMA Winter Dirt Track Nationals. Travelling the 5-race circuit through 2 states (Georgia and Florida) and 4 cities, Nick raced his Suzuki RM-Z 250 in the 250cc Modified and 250cc DTX classes each day, racing on short tracks, a 1/2-mile and a TT competition course. The Vesrah rider qualified for all 10 of his main events and finished in the top 5 in 8 of those 10 mains. Consistent finishes throughout the week, on all courses earned him the overall 2nd place podium spot in the 250cc DTX class for the week, and the 3rd place overall in the 250 Modified class. Nick McFadden: “We had a challenging week, with the nationals spread over 2 states and 4 different tracks this year, but it was a fun week. My Suzuki RM-Z 250 was running really well and I felt like I had a bike to win in any race, at any track. Chris Boone worked hard on the bike, studying the different tracks and making the gearing work. I was really happy to make all the main events and finish well in most of them. I was upset to be leading the 250 DTX main and be involved in a crash that ruined that, but that is racing, unfortunately. And, at the Volusia short track, it was totally my error, stepping out of the groove – my bike just went backwards and I couldn’t get back in line. I am very excited to come down to Bike Week and go home with a 2nd and 3rd overall – the weather in Kentucky has been cold and wet all winter, so I haven’t been able to ride much. Getting to ride for 5 days in the warm weather has been great. I would like to thank my Dad and Chris Boone for making the trip with me, Lynn and Betty Hawkins for their support, and the help and support of the Vesrah Suzuki team and their sponsors for making this trip a success.” More, from a press release issued by Wyman Brothers Racing: Travis Wyman: Double Duty at Daytona 3/10: I was very excited to compete in this years events at Daytona. Thursday morning consisted of rain with a chance of not being able to ride all day. The morning XR1200 practice was canceled but they got the dirt track together and ready for practice so I headed over to that facility. I wasn’t quite sure how I would compare to the other 58 riders, but I stayed confident in my ability and qualified 9th ! As soon as I was done at the dirt track I had to run over to the speedway to qualify on the Harley. I put in some good laps and felt comfortable on the bike. I ended up qualifying provisionally in 5th place. After making my way back to the dirt track for opening ceremonies, I was nervous to begin racing, I was on the front row in my heat race, but got a good start and battled with a few guys finishing 4th coming out with a direct transfer to the main event. After my heat race my confidence was starting to build. I had a second row start and got a good jump on the pack. I came out of turn two in a tight battle for 4th place. As laps went by I found myself struggling to get good traction and began slipping back in the pack. After a red flag restart, and what seemed like a very long race I managed 13th place overall. I wasn’t very happy with how I finished, but was confident that I could come back tomorrow and get a better result. 3/11: Today was a new day, it was sunny out and I was ready and excited to ride! The second session of qualifying on the XR1200 went well. I was focusing on drafting and working with some of the other riders attempting to put in a faster lap time than In yesterdays session. Due to the cold temperatures, I was only able to go slightly quicker and found myself in the 6th overall spot on the grid. Running back over to the dirt track, I was ready to go and wound up qualifying 6th which was better than yesterday and put me in a good starting spot for the heat races. Opening ceremonies for the dirt track races weren’t until the evening so I had to head back over to the speedway and prepare myself for the XR1200 race. I got an alright start but snuck my way up through some guys in turn 1 and found myself 7th coming out of turn one. It was crazy how many riders were in the race it was very exciting and intense. As we approached the kink shaped turn, I got together with another rider and almost went down with him but was able to stay up and focus on the pack in front of me. Heading up onto the banking the first lap I was able to get around a couple guys using the draft and saw that I was in 5th place. I knew I had to get going to try and not lose the lead pack but after only a lap I couldn’t quite stay in their draft. The top four riders consisted of my brother Kyle, Steve Rapp, Chris Fillmore, and Joe Kopp. As the race wore on, I couldn’t keep up with the leaders anymore but found myself In a pretty good battle with a few other riders. I ended up at the head of my pack but still in a respectable 5th place. Back over to the dirt track race, finished 2nd place in my heat and was excited to be on the front row of the main event in only my second ever Pro-Singles race. I got a great start and was running 3rd place, slipped up and made a couple mistakes and came away with 6th place. Not bad but better than the previous day so I was happy. After a crazy hectic weekend of running back and forth between race tracks, I have to owe all of my success to my team. I would like to thank Harv’s Harley-Davidson, AB1 Motorsports, Arai, Rev IT, my Mom and Dad, brothers Kyle and Cody, Robb Hilfiker, Steve Beattie, and Brian Newman for all their support this past weekend! Also, I would like to say congrats to my older brother Kyle for coming away with his very first AMA Pro Racing win in the XR1200 race. More, from a press release issued by Penny Nicolai on behalf of Ryan Kerr: AMA SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA IS A ROUGH ONE FOR AMA PRO SUPERSPORT RIDER RYAN KERR Daytona Beach, Fla”¦The AMA Pro SuperSport season opener at Daytona International Speedway, March 11-12 proved to be a rough one for Ryan Kerr and the Ryan Kerr Racing Team. “It definitely didn’t go our way,” said the Johnstown, Ohio native. “First off the bat, rain deluged Daytona on Thursday morning which canceled our practice session. We finally got on track in the afternoon and went right into qualifying. To complicate things even more, our “A” bike wasn’t as good as we wanted, so we switched to our backup and spent half of the qualifying session getting it dialed in.” Qualifying in 20th, Kerr was good to go. “We didn’t qualify as well as we wanted,” continues Kerr, “but I knew I could come from the back and get a strong finish.” Pulling off the Startline for the first race, Kerr immediately began to make his way up through the field. By lap one he had moved into 14th place. Continuing to battle for position, he moved up two more spots to end the 10 lap race in 12th place. “Our lap times were improving,” explains Kerr. “And we figured we could do even better in Saturday’s event.” Unfortunately, it was not to be. Pulling off the grid at the start of the second round, Kerr was on the gas and moving up when a first lap crash brought out the red flag. When the track cleared and race restarted, Kerr suffered a mechanical and his day was ended. “We couldn’t have been more disappointed,” said Kerr. “What a heart break. I know it is part of racing, but it was a hard pill to swallow. However, we will be back on track for the next race. Luckily, this was just the first race of the year so we have time to move up the point’s ladder and take a top place in the chase for the title.” Ryan Kerr is sponsored by MJ USA, MJMotorgear.com, 614Paintworx, Moto-Heaven.com, Leo Vince, Arai, Di-Digital Impressions, Kawasaki, EBC Brakes, Bazazz, HEL Performance, Thrust Company, XES. Evotech Performance, 35 Motorsports, Ryan’s Fan Club and the Mid-Ohio Motorcycle School. More, from a press release issued by Witchkraft Racing: SPORTBIKE TRACK GEAR AND WITCHKRAFT RACING CONGRATULATE JEFF WROBEL ON HIS FIRST AMA RACE AT DAYTONA March 16, 2011 – Shelby, MI – Witchkraft Racing’s Jeff Wrobel put together a strong showing in his first ever AMA race, surviving the daunting Daytona high banks at the inaugural round of the 2011 AMA season. Fielded by chief support from SportbikeTrackGear.com and Honda East of Toledo, Jeff and the team spent two prior days at Jennings shaking down two Yamaha R6’s and then carried over their hard work into Daytona, resulting in an 18th and 12th place finish in Friday and Saturday’s AMA Supersport races respectively. Merely qualifying for Jeff’s first AMA event became a daunting task when rain slowed down Thursday’s activities, giving Jeff and the crew one combined practice/qualifying session to both learn the track and establish a qualifying time to make the grid. With the shortened schedule and never having been to Daytona, this forced the team to learn the high banks at an extremely quick pace and resulted in qualifying 26th out of 32 bikes. Jeff fought front-end and gearing issues in the first race, but managed to grab positions with an 18th place finish in race one. A series of changes led by Crew Chief Rob Hancock and the team Friday night placed Jeff in a great position for Saturday’s race. Dropping a solid two seconds from Friday, Jeff found speed and gained another six positions in the deep Supersport field, locking in 12th place to finish off his first AMA weekend. “Wow! What an incredible weekend,” exclaims Jeff. “Riding on the banking was insanely cool. We struggled a little bit with the setup in qualifying but managed to get the bike tuned in by the last race. I can’t thank my team enough for the hard work they put into making this weekend a success. The AMA was awesome to work with and the Daytona folks were great. I am looking forward to our next race.” Rob Hancock, Jeff’s Crew Chief comments, “I couldn’t be more proud of Jeff. We arrived at Daytona with no information about the track. We didn’t even know how to get in the place. Jeff was able to learn the track in a very short period of time and qualify. We had our goal set to finish in the top 15 and with our 12th place finish in Saturday’s race the whole team was ecstatic. Especially since he came from 26th on the start. I want to send a huge thank you to my team for all their hard work. I also want to thank the AMA crew and the Daytona facility for being so accommodating and friendly. It was a top notch show and we were very proud to be a part of it.” SportbikeTrackGear.com’s Brian Van states, “I am really proud STG is a part of this. Jeff did great on track and represented STG very well. All of us here truly appreciate his effort and that of his crew who supported him at Daytona. Nothing better than a bunch of friends working together goin’ racing! I can’t wait to have the whole team together at Barber in June.” Witchkraft Racing would like to thank the great support of their sponsors: Sportbike Track Gear, Honda East of Toledo, DuPont, Oakley, 35 Motorsports, Pit Bull, Sharkskinz, Graves Motorsports, Dynojet, Teknic, Bell Helmets, NGK Spark Plugs, Worldwide Bearings, Motul, GP Tech, Full Spectrum, Knox Armour, Three J’s Wreck Tech, Trademark Custom Interiors, Motion Pro and Spiegler. More, from a press release issued by Double Dog Moto: Double Dog Moto 2011 race season off to a good start at Daytona San Francisco based mechanical engineers Double Dog Moto were ‘stoked’ with their first official outing in the US National AMA series at Daytona. In his first AMA race event, young Canadian racer Emerson Connor finished a solid 4th aboard the Ducshop Racing 848EVO in SuperSport race 2, after starting from 10th on the grid. Emerson said: “The bike was able to change direction much quicker now that the weight is not under the seat and the pull from the bottom end was unbelievable- I really like the look of the pipe and from the fans response at the track I think they really liked it- they all thought it was something from MotoGP.” The Ducshop Racing 848EVO was fitted with the Double Dog Moto 135DD Titanium exhaust after Mark Sutton at Ducshop was attracted to the benefits of moving a lot of the exhaust system weight down and forward from the Ducati under seat can location. Said Mark Sutton, “We were very happy with the dyno results from the Double Dog exhaust, particularly through the midrange, but we thought it would really improve weight distribution more than anything. During testing and racing Emerson loved the improved handling with a lighter feel and faster turning. When we weren’t riding the “A” bike we displayed it and it got a lot of attention, everyone was saying “what is the crazy pipe on your bike”? A hundred people must have taken pictures of it!” Known for their highly specialized carbon fiber monocoque tail units and ‘expansion chamber’ exhaust systems, among other ‘engineering exotica’, Double Dog Moto recently secured AMA homologation for their unique exhausts and structural Composite ExoskeletonTM monocoque tail units, and the Ducshop Racing 848EVO is the first to make the switch. Said Double Dog Moto President and Chief Engineer, Mark Henry: “We are very proud of Emerson’s achievement at Daytona. He showed enormous talent in that competitive field at just 16 years of age. It was also exciting for us to see our 135DD exhaust system in action at one of the world’s great tracks. This is our first season with AMA homologation for our exhausts and Composite Exoskeleton monocoque tails. It’s early days of course, but we think you’ll be seeing a lot more Double Dog action as other teams finish their testing and switch to our products. We’re looking forward to a long involvement in racing at the National and International levels, but AMA is special to us, because this is where we love to live, work and race!” For more Double Dog Moto news, visit: ~http://www.doubledogmoto.com/news/news.html~ More, from a press release issued by Full Spectrum Power: Full Spectrum Power Dominates Daytona Superbike Races Falls Church, Va. Full Spectrum Power backed riders dominated both AMA Pro Superbike races at Daytona International Raceway this weekend, securing four of six possible podium positions. Blake Young won both races on his 2011 Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSXR1000, while his team mate Tommy Hayden finished second and third in the two races respectively. Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki wins with Full Spectrum Power batteries exclusively. “What a great way to start the 2011 season- by securing four of six podium spots in AMA American Superbike at Daytona. No track is harder on men and machine, so to win at Daytona shows just how tough these batteries are,” said Jason Levitt, President, Full Spectrum Power. “The wins at Daytona offer a great start to the 2011 AMA Superbike season, and a great continuation of our success after winning the Daytona Sportbike Championship in 2010.” About Full Spectrum Power Headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, Full Spectrum Power produces the world’s best motorsports battery systems. Full Spectrum Power is the official battery supplier of Yoshimura Suzuki, KTM North America, Monster Energy Kawasaki/Ricky Gadson, Orient Express Racing, and Patriot Racing. For more information and a list of authorized dealers, please visit www.fullspectrumpower.com.