Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Silverstone Round 10 Up Next for eni SBK World Championship











World Superbike riders aiming for Silverstone gold


Rome (Italy), 31st July 2012– The eni FIM Superbike World Championship returns to the United Kingdom for its second of two appearances this coming weekend, this time right in the middle of Olympic fever, at the legendary Silverstone circuit, approximately 100 kilometres north of London, where the Games are based.

The 25th edition of the production-based championship is turning out to be one of the most competitive of all time: after nine of 14 rounds five riders from five different manufacturers are separated by just 84.5 points (with 250 still up for grabs) and all of them have their minds set on the title. Once again World Superbike is living up to its reputation of being edge-of-seat, down-to-the-wire, unpredictable stuff and more of the same is expected this weekend in the UK.

The previous round at Brno bunched up the leading group even further as Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) cut the gap to leader Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) to just 21 points. The Italian five-time world champion also lost points to Tom Sykes, Kawasaki Racing Team’s charger (now just 59 points down) and to Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati), the reigning champion who is 67 points behind Biaggi. The group of pretenders for the title is completed by Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team), 84.5 points off the top slot.

Silverstone will be the venue for a World Superbike round for the ninth time. The track, flat and flowing, appears to be tailor-made for Ducati, which has won here 11 times in 15 races. In last year’s edition Checa powered to a dominant double win: half-way through this season he appeared to be out of the title battle, but by repeating the same result this weekend the Spaniard has every chance of becoming a key player in the title run-in.

Checa’s hopes of a resurgence are helped by the fact that none of the three riders ahead of him in the standings have a particularly good record at Silverstone. Max Biaggi has never taken a podium at this track and his best result is a fourth place. The Aprilia RSV4 machine has suffered on bumpy tracks like Silverstone in the past and it was also for this reason that a few days ago Aprilia Racing carried out a test at Mugello in preparation for this important round.

With his double triumph at Brno Marco Melandri has now notched up five wins this year with BMW, more than any other rider. He made his Superbike debut in 2011 with Yamaha, twice finishing third, while since its debut in 2009 the German four-cylinder bike has never finished in the top 3 but things have now changed radically: in 2012 the S 1000 RR has been on the podium in every round except Assen.

Neither can Tom Sykes boast particularly brilliant results at the British circuit, and it was just one year ago that he had to abandon the race weekend following a big crash in qualifying. The Kawasaki ZX-10R’s best result here is a seventh place, with Joan Lascorz, but in recent races the Japanese machine has made sensational progress.

Jonathan Rea, the 25-year-old leader of the Honda World Superbike Team, has not won a race since Donington in May this year but he comes to Silverstone in the wake of a fantastic win in the Suzuka 8 Hours as part of the FCC TSR team, one of Honda’s top squads in this endurance racing classic.

Round 10 will also be a fundamental race for FIXI Crescent Suzuki which is yet to obtain results living up to the team’s and the riders’ expectations. American John Hopkins has been sidelined by a series of injuries and crashes, but he returns to the track where one year ago he set pole position as a wild-card and then finished the two races in fifth and seventh. Silverstone is also a ‘friendly’ circuit for Leon Camier who scored a podium place here in 2010 with the Aprilia Racing Team.

The Manufacturers’ title battle is now wide open, after BMW moved into the lead for the first time ever at Brno by two points over Aprilia but Ducati (15.5 points behind) are still in with a big chance. Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki on the other hand are some way behind.

The forecast for the weekend looks like cool weather and showers, conditions that could bring out the best in Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati), the 22-year-old rookie who has already stepped onto the podium twice this year. Niccolò Canepa will also be back on his regular Red Devils Ducati machine after missing out on Brno, while in the Pata Racing Ducati team, Lorenzo Zanetti is joined by new signing Sylvain Guintoli, winner at Assen when he was in Ducati Liberty Team Effenbert.

Points (after 9 of 14 rounds): 1. Biaggi 271.5; 2. Melandri 250.5; 3. Sykes 212.5; 4. Checa 204.5; 5. Rea 187; 6. Haslam 160; 7. Laverty 148; 8. Guintoli 110; etc.Manufacturers: 1. BMW 292; 2. Aprilia 290; 3. Ducati 276.5; 4. Kawasaki 218.5; 5. Honda 193; 6. Suzuki 72.5.

World Supersport

Uncertainty also reigns in the battle for the World Supersport crown. After eight rounds of 13 Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini) is tenaciously holding on to his leadership despite injuries and penalties that have slowed his progress down in the last few rounds. The two-time winner has a 23-point lead over British rider Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) whose copybook has been blotted with two no-scores at Assen and Misano. His home track will give Lowes a good opportunity to close the gap. Two Frenchmen with the same aim are Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step), galvanized by his win at Brno, and Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) while Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Products Honda) is not far off the top either but with five rounds to go these three must now pull out all the stops to remain in touch with the leaders. Newcomers on the Supersport scene at this round will include Britain’s Dan Linfoot in the newly-formed Kawasaki MSD R-N India team and Moto2 rider Kenny Noyes from the USA on a WK Hampshire Racing Suzuki.

Points (after 8 of 13 rounds): 1. Sofuoglu 137; 2. Lowes 114; 3. Foret 108; 4. Cluzel 95; 5. Parkes 82; 6. Morais 62; 7. Baldolini 54; 8. Quarmby 54; etc.Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 176; 2. Honda 172; 3. Triumph 83; 4. Yamaha 66; 5. Suzuki 6.

Superstock 1000

The FIM Superstock 1000 Cup arrives at its seventh round of 10 with Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia Ducati) at the top of the table with a 19-point lead over Sylvain Barrier of the BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet team. The 23-year-old Italian made the break with a second place in the wet at Brno, capitalizing on the French rider’s second successive crash. But after recent results the leading duo now have to keep an eye on Australian Bryan Staring, winner of the last two races. The 25-year-old Kawasaki Pedercini rider from Perth is riding brilliantly and is just 24 points off the top slot. Further down the field and more or less out of contention are Lorenzo Savadori (Barni Racing Team Italia Ducati) and Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki), who however is rapidly becoming a frontrunner at this level.

Points (after 6 of 10 rounds): 1. La Marra 94; 2.Barrier 75; 3. Staring 70; 4. Savadori 67; 5. Guarnoni 62; 6. Baroni 56; 7.Reiterberger 55; 8. Bergman 49; etc.Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 110; 2. Ducati 107; 3. BMW 103; 4. Honda 46; 5. Aprilia 16.

Superstock 600

The battle between the Netherlands and Italy continues unabated in the European Superstock 600 Championship. After six rounds of 10 in the under-22 category, the 19-year-old Dutchman Michael van der Mark (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda) heads the field, but by just two points over his fellow 19-year-old competitor Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha). With three wins apiece, two of the most interesting young talents in Europe have made the championship their own this year and they now have a virtually unassailable lead over Belgium’s Gauthier Duwelz (MTM Racing Yamaha), who is however rapidly emerging in his own way with four podiums in the six races. Last weekend Russo was unable to clinch the Italian CIV title at Misano, as both wins went to Franco Morbidelli (Bike Service R.T. Yamaha) who will be racing as a wild-card at Silverstone.
 

Points (after 6 of 10 rounds): 1. Vd Mark 124; 2. Russo 122; 3. Duwelz 78; 4. Calero Perez 50; 5. Vitali 46; 6.Gamarino 41; 7. Nestorovic 37; 8. Cocco 35; etc.

KTM European Junior Cup

The last race on the Silverstone weekend programme will be the sixth round (of 8) of the KTM European Junior Cup, the one-make trophy series reserved for talented under-19 youngsters. In the previous round at Brno Austria’s Lukas Wimmer powered back to the top of the table and now has an eight-point lead over Javier Orellana. The Spanish rider, who turned 15 last Friday, has already had some experience in the KTM Red Bull 125GP series but is also performing well on the Duke 690 machines directly supplied by the Mattighofen factory.

Points(after 5 of 8 rounds): 1. Wimmer 70; 2. Orellana 62; 3. Vidal 48; 4. Demoulin 48; 5. Garcia 45; 6. Wielebski 36; 7.Pasek 35; 8. Odegard 29; etc.
 

For further information:

Julian Thomas
Press Office Associate Manager
Cell. +39 340 0993623
Email:
julian.thomas@infrontsports.com

Nino Barra
Press Office & PR Italia
Cell. +39 339 4688138
Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com

Valentina Conti
Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager
Cell. +39 388 3032059
Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com

In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following:

- A worldwide TV audience of 462 million
- Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries
- 3,106 broadcast hours
- Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators
- 3,779,237 contacts on the official website
www.worldsbk.com


AMA Pro Road Racing Announces M1 PowerSports Promotions Signs Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins as Associate Sponsors of Homestead-Miami Round



Racing Runs on Dunkin': Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins Join M1 PowerSports for Triumph Big Kahuna Miami AMA Pro Nationals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
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The following is a press release sent on behalf of M1 PowerSports, promoters of the Triumph Big Kahuna Triple Crown:


DENVER, Colo. (July 31, 2012) - Dunkin' Donuts, America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, along with Baskin-Robbins, the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, is teaming up with M1 PowerSports to bring AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike racing back to South Florida's Homestead-Miami Speedway on September 21 - 23, 2012. Competitors and fans attending the Triumph Big Kahuna Miami presented by Dunlop Tire and LeoVince, will have a chance to taste two of America's most recognizable brands.  Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, in conjunction with M1 PowerSports, will give fans the opportunity to taste the great variety of flavors offered by the brands. Complimentary samples of Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee and sweet tea will be available throughout Homestead-Miami Speedway. Fans are also invited to explore their taste buds at the Baskin-Robbins booth while indulging in the event.















"To have these two out-of-industry sponsors join us for the Big Kahuna Miami is almost a new frontier for us and I couldn't be happier about this new partnership," said Cameron Gray, CEO of M1 PowerSports. "Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin- Robbins are two nationally-recognized brands that we all grew up with and know very well. Dunkin' Donuts coffee and donuts are simply amazing, and everyone loves Baskin-Robbins. It's as American as it gets. Having them support GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing and M1 PowerSports is really getting outside the box and by bringing in these two brands I'm hopeful that this will grow into something bigger in the future."

To learn more about Dunkin' Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/DDSoFla). To learn more about Baskin-Robbins, visit www.BaskinRobbins.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BaskinRobbins) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/BaskinRobbins).

A variety of ticket and hospitality packages for the Triumph Big Kahuna Miami presented by Dunlop Tire and LeoVince are on sale now. Get ready for an experience that is more than just a motorcycle race, as M1 and Miami come together to steal the buzz from South Beach when the Big Kahuna lands at Homestead-Miami Speedway on September 21 - 23, 2012. For tickets and information, please visit http://www.m1powersports.com/big-kahuna-miami/. Just two weeks later, M1 PowerSports and AMA Pro Road Racing will close out the season with the Triumph Big Kahuna New Orleans, scheduled for October 5 - 7, 2012 as the first professional motorsports event at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, La. For tickets and information, please visit http://www.m1powersports.com/big-kahuna-new-orleans/.

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for six years running. The company has more than 10,000 restaurants in 32 countries worldwide. For the full-year 2011, Dunkin' Donuts' restaurants had global franchisee-reported sales of approximately $6.4 billion. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin' Donuts is part of the Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.


About Baskin-Robbins

Named the top ice cream and frozen dessert franchise in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine's 31st annual Franchise 500® ranking, Baskin-Robbins is the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty shops. Baskin-Robbins creates and markets innovative, premium hard scoop ice cream and soft serve, custom ice cream cakes and a full range of beverages, providing quality and value to consumers at more than 7,000 retail shops in nearly 50 countries. Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by two ice cream enthusiasts whose passion led to the creation of more than 1,000 ice cream flavors and a wide variety of delicious treats. For the full-year 2011, Baskin-Robbins' shops had global franchisee-reported sales of approximately $1.8 billion. Headquartered in Canton, Mass., Baskin-Robbins is part of the Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For further information, visit www.baskinrobbins.com.

About M1 PowerSports, formerly M1 Entertainment:

A Denver-based company, M1 PowerSports has been working in motorsports for over 16 years. Originally spawned from Daniels Corporation under the name FAST, the fledgling company was heavily involved in television production for car and motorcycle racing. With the birth of Speedvision, FAST morphed into Race Promotion Management (RPM) and is now operating as M1 PowerSports with many of the same staff still in place. We still sell advertising for Speed, sell merchandise under the brand Moto 1 and promote our own events, keeping us busy year-round! For more information, please call 303-377-3278 or email info@m1powersports.com.

About GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing: GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing is the premier motorcycle road racing series in North America and is universally regarded as one of the most competitive road racing organizations in the world. The 2012 schedule consists of 11 rounds of competition on the country's finest road courses. The Series is comprised of four production-based classes: AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport and the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series. The performance characteristics of the motorcycles raced in each division are configured with the intent of providing platforms for riders to compete and hone their skills as they climb the ladder to the premiere AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike division. For more information on GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing, please visit http://www.amaproracing.com/rr/.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

For additional information contact:
 
AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

Monday, July 30, 2012

AMA Pro Flat Track Announces MavTV To Air Springfield Mile I Round on Thursday, August 2 @ 9 PM EDT











Bryan Smith on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki leads Jake Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing-sponsored Harley-Davidson XR750 and Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen-backed XR750 in the run to the white flag during the Dash for Cash event held at the Springfield Mile I event on May 27.  Round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Illinois State Fairgrounds will be televised by MavTV this coming Thursday, August 2 at 9:00 PM EDT, so set your DVRs now, you don't want to miss this one.









AMA Pro Racing Announces Broadcast Date for Springfield Mile on MavTV


Fans encouraged to watch AMA Pro Flat Track riders take to legendary Springfield Mile


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Find us on Google+ View our videos on YouTube Gray

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 30, 2012) - AMA Pro Racing and Lucas Oil are proud to release the viewing date for the 2012 Springfield Mile. This Thursday (August 2nd) evening on MAVTV at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT and late Thursday evening at 12:00 midnight ET/9:00 p.m. PT., fans can tune into MAVTV to watch the stars of AMA Pro Flat Track slide sideways.

"We are very excited to have fans see the thrilling action that our riders take part in each and every event weekend," said Dan Johnsen, Director of AMA Pro Flat Track. "MAVTV has worked very hard to convey the competitive and exciting racing found at every AMA Pro Flat Track event and we look forward to thrilling audiences across America."















Bryan Smith #42 leads Jake Johnson #1, Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. #2, Johnny Lewis #10, Jared Mees #9 and eventual Springfield Mile I winner Willie McCoy #59 during the spring classic at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on May 27.  MavTV will be airing the round this Thursday, August 2 at 9:00 PM EDT.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.


Viewers will witness the world-class racing put on by the stars of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Expert Twins Class presented by Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, along with the up-and-coming, yet very talented AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles support class, as they battle the legendary Springfield Mile. The Memorial Day weekend event featured some of the tightest racing and closest finishes to date in AMA Pro Flat Track.

Please check your local listings for a channel line-up to find MAVTV or Visit http://mavtv.com/get-mavtv.html. Search Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour or Motorsports Hour if you don't see the program listed.

MAVTV is available nationwide on DISH Network - Channel 361.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com

For additional information contact:

AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

AMA Road Racing: Hayes Takes 11th Win of the Season at Laguna Seca AMA Superbike Round, Beaubier Takes DSB Win









Train Kept A Rollin': Hayes Breaks GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Record in National Guard SuperBike at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix


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MONTEREY, Calif. (July 29, 2012) - Josh Hayes established a new single-season record for consecutive AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike victories with a crushing performance to secure his eighth in a row on Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  The defending two-time champion was once again in a class of his own as he notched up yet another dominant victory. The Monster Energy Graves Yamaha superstar pulled his rookie teammate, Josh Herrin, clear of the chasing pack in the race's early stages before breaking Herrin's pursuit as well by lap 5 of the 23-lap affair.  Once free Hayes put it in cruise control early and still managed to take the checkered flag with a 9.084-second margin of victory.

The Mississippian continues to stake his claim in the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing record books. In addition to the historic win streak, Hayes has now notched up 11 victories this season, just one shy of Mat Mladin's all-time record with six races still remaining on the '12 slate. Sunday's victory also sees Hayes move into a tie for third place on the all-time SuperBike wins list at 28, tying three-time champion Ben Spies, who was in attendance to watch Hayes' conquering ride following the day's MotoGP World Championship race.

"Good things are happening right now," Hayes said. "I'll ride the train as long as I can. If I get into a battle in a hard race, you're going to see me fighting for it for that individual race; it has nothing to do with streaks or race wins or anything like that. It's for that race win. I'm in a position where I can try for every single one of them. I don't have anything to worry about. I've got a points situation that I don't even think about at this point in the season. I'm just focused on winning every race that I can. If I toss one down the road -- or two down the road -- then I'll reevaluate how I'm going to approach it. But, right now, I just want to win everything.  I'm still riding like I have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I still remember last year very clearly. I remember if more clearly than I remember winning eight races in a row. It seems like things have happened pretty quickly and it doesn't feel like that to me. I'll just keep focusing, and trying hard, and pushing myself."














Blake Young, Josh Hayes and team mate Josh Herrin show off their hardware after finishing 2-1-3 yesterday in the AMA Superbike round held at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit.  Hayes' win was his 11th of the season and 8th in a row for the soon-to-be 3-Time AMA Superbike Champion (unless the wheels fall off this train.)  AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.

While Hayes was out of reach, the battle for second still proved to be a thrilling affair. Herrin's early tow saw him race out to an immediate three-second advantage over a heated scrap for third, which involved National Guard Jordan Suzuki's Roger Hayden, Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Young, Jordan Suzuki's Ben Bostrom, Team Amsoil/EBR's Geoff May and Team Hero EBR's Danny Eslick.  As Hayden went backwards and fell from the fight, Herrin faded as well and fell into the clutches of Young and company.

The race's final lap saw Young and Herrin trade second position multiple times with hard and tight passes. The nod ultimately went to Suzuki ace Young by a scant 0.023 seconds, thanks to a superior drive out of the final corner in the sprint to the flag.  Young said, "It was a pretty good race for us today. I was making it harder on ourselves by not having great qualifying. It seems like we've let it slip a little bit this year, and I'm just finding myself getting it together at the beginning of the weekend, but I guess the good thing is, we definitely get it together by the end of the weekend in time for the race. I'm obviously happy with second, but I want to get back up to the front and get racing with Josh where I feel we belong.  Herrin said of his late duel with Young, "It was a great last lap -- it was fun. I wish I could have held him off but I just couldn't. He kind of outsmarted me there a little bit. We'll be back at the next race to try to beat him next time."

Eslick and Bostrom finished just fractions of a second behind in fourth and fifth, respectively.  After running as high as third, May dropped to a lonely sixth at the flag, while Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki's Taylor Knapp also managed to work past the struggling Hayden, who ultimately finished a disappointing eighth on the heels of his Mid-Ohio breakthrough and subsequent strong weekend form here at Laguna Seca.  KTM/HMC Racing's Stefen Nebel won out in a fight for ninth with Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing's Larry Pegram, who completed the race's top ten.

Hayes continues his march to a third AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike title as he'll head to New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 7-9 boasting an imposing 74-point advantage.

Beaubier Takes AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Cameron Beaubier won a fantastic three-way fight for another GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, taking his fourth victory in the past five races in the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class with a bold last-lap move over series points leader Martin Cardenas. The Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha pilot battled for 20 laps with his teammate Tommy Hayden as well as Cardenas in a real thriller.  Beaubier showed Cardenas a wheel on several occasions, but the Colombian did not give the young challenger any opportunity to pass heading into the final lap. The young standout made a move to the outside of turn one, an unlikely passing area, then surprised Cardenas on the inside of turn two and made the move stick. Cardenas was able to hold off the charging Hayden but couldn't counter Beaubier in the final turn or the run to the line.















Martin Cardenas, Cameron Beaubier and Tommy Hayden take in the spoils of victory on the podium at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Series round yesterday in Monterey, CA.  AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Beaubier's margin of victory was 0.092 over Cardenas and 0.425 over Hayden.  "Martin made a little mistake coming out of the last corner and I was able to pass him into two," said Beaubier. "I was riding a little impatient in the middle of the race, trying to get around Tommy and showing Martin a wheel here and there. I felt like I could get in there pretty good but to tell the truth I did not plan that move. I saw the opportunity."

Jake Zemke took fourth place, just 2.555 seconds back as the Ducshop Ducati rider once again ran a strong race.  Jake Gagne of Roadrace Factory/Red Bull earned fifth. The young rider has recovered from arm pump surgery and had a trying race but was able to finish even after a collision with second place points man Dane Westby, who had highsided just in front of him.

Cardenas now leads Westby by 64 points in the GoPro Daytona SportBike point standings, 314-250, with Beaubier and Hayden tied for third 16 points back at 234 a piece.

Next GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Event

The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series will take its turn sharing the spotlight with the MotoGP World Championship superstars in three weeks time for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix on August 17-19. The full tour will resume on September 7-9 at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

For additional information contact:
 
AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

Sunday, July 29, 2012

AMA Flat Track: Bryan Smith Takes #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton/Eaken Kawasaki to the Win at Sacramento Mile




Round 7 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season last night saw a new player in town take the victory at the Sacramento Mile.  Bryan Smith on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki/Midwest Performance Hardware/Guts Wear-sponsored 650R-based parallel twin outlasted the competition to take the win in just his second race with the Howerton team, after battling with defending and 2-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson and defending '11 and '09 AMA Pro Flat Track Twins Series Champion Jared Mees.

After making his debut with the Howerton/Eaken team at the first mile event of the season at the Springfield Mile I back on May 27, Flyin' Bryan took the new-build Kawi to a hard-earned 3rd-place finish, but for want of more after the checkers had flown.  Last night at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in California, Smith delivered and gave the new team their very first victory in AMA Pro Flat Track competition, and most likely left the sold-out crowd, teams and riders wondering 'what next?!' with three mile events yet to run this season at just shy of the half-way mark in the season's overall schedule.

After announcing in early April that he would be riding for IndyCar fabricator and master builder Rick Howerton in this year's Twins Series mile events, Smith made a move back to a Japanese twin machine, similar to the one he took to the Lucas Oil Indy Mile and Springfield Mile II wins back in the 2010 season while riding for the Werner-Springsteen team.  But unlike those wins, this one will be even more sweet for Smith and especially for long-time Indy westside resident Howerton, who grew up around the flat track scene and used to hang with the Eaken and Gene Romero-led Team Honda flat track team that based it's operations down the road from Howerton's father's shop in the early-to-mid '80s.

Fast forward to the end of the 2010 season and Howerton was ready to build his 'dream' flat track machine and take it to the top of the box with a top-level rider capable of doing so.  After debuting the machine's original incarnation at the Springfield Mile I in May 2011 with former Australian Flat Track Champ Luke Gough, Howerton and Smith hooked-up to contend the five mile events for the 2012 season and 'test the water' so to speak.  And after just two of those five events, I imagine that the water was pretty sparkling and real tasty last night after Smith outlasted Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing XR750 and Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing XR750, two long-time championship contending riders and organizations that always get great results on the fast, big horsepower mile tracks on the schedule.  And to do it after just two races together has to feel like a great triumph for their new breakout effort.

A big congratulations to the team that consists of rider Smith, Bryan's dad Barry, team owner and master builder Howerton, Howerton's right hand man, close friend and feverish flat track fan Jeff Gordon, Dink (one of the wrenches on the team that has worked for Dreyer Honda on Indy's westside for decades) and a big handful of helpers, gofers, volunteers and friends who helped to make Rick's dream possible.  Take a bow guys, you all deserve it, especially you Rick, who has toiled and sweated over and around his dream for over 2500 hours in the last 21-22 months to be able to get out and run with the big boys.  And man, you just beat them all.  Great job!

Now the big question to be asked, and answered in 20 more days, can they do it again at this year's Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18, and in front of the hometown crowd?  I've said all week I wouldn't bet against them, and if I were a betting man, my money would have paid off in spades last night and possibly again at round 10 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds just around the corner.  Time will tell, but if I were a rider and/or team owner in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world, I'd be shaking in my boots come the next three mile events of the season.

In the shot above from the Springfield Mile I round on May 27, Jake Johnson, Bryan Smith and Jared Mees are all smiles on the Dash for Cash podium after Smith had taken his first 'official' win for the Crosley/Howerton-Eaken Kawasaki team and collected his first paycheck and points towards the championship.  No where but in AMA Pro Flat Track competition will you see more smiles, excitement and comraderie then what is shown and evident in The Rolling Thunder Show as evidenced here by the great time these three are having during the ceremonies.  When was the last time you saw anyone smiling this big after losing, like what Johnson and Mees are showing here, in any other form of motor sports in the world?!  No where me thinks!

You can check out the press release below thanks to the great crew at AMA Pro Flat Track, and the rest of results, too.  Round 8 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season heads to the Castle Rock TT on Saturday, August 4 before making the swing back to the midwest for round 9 at the Peoria TT on Sunday, August 12.



Bryan Smith Goes Back-to-Back at Cal Expo; Shayna Texter Gets Big Win

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (July 28, 2012) - Saturday's AMA Pro Flat Track main event at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds put the Olympics on the back burner for the night as the event was an absolute thriller in front of a packed house. Bryan Smith was as cool as the California breeze as he took the checkered flag to close out the Miller Lite Sacramento Mile presented locally by Big O Tires and Padilla Bail Bonds in what proved to be an intense battle between him and several prominent riders. 

The win was Smith's first AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil win of the year. The veteran rider is now the back-to-back Cal Expo Grand National Champion, as he was the winner of this same race last year.















Jake Johnson, Bryan Smith and Jared Mees celebrate on the podium after going 2-1-3 at round 7 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Sacramento Mile on Saturday, July 28.  Smith took the win at the line over Johnson by just .037 seconds in only his second race with the Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports/Eaken Racing-powered Kawasaki team.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.

"I was hoping to just run away from the pack but they wouldn't let me. I was just fast enough but Jake and Jared gave me a great run." Smith said. "Thanks to all of my supporters, I'm so happy to be here. It's always fun to race in front of a sellout crowd, this was awesome."

The race was a 140 mph chess match between Bryan Smith, Jake Johnson, and Jared Mees. Johnson came out hot off the pole with an early lead but couldn't maintain it for long as he surrendered it on the sixth lap to Smith. With three laps to go, Johnson ripped the lead back from Smith and then lost it again as quickly as it came.

Smith, Johnson and Mees were neck and neck going into the last lap, but it was Smith who slammed the throttle just a little bit harder and crossed the finish line for the win with Johnson coming in a close second and Mees in third. Brandon Robinson and Sammy Halbert rounded out the top five finishers in an old fashioned thriller that gave the sold-out crowd everything they could have asked for.

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles

The twin engines might be the Cadillac of AMA Pro Flat Track but the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles field proved to be nothing short of top-of-the line riders. Shayna Texter captured the checkered flag for the first time this season and dazzled the crowd as she made several precarious decisions that paid off in the end and carried her to victory by a close margin.

"I was super nervous going in to the race; it was a long race that came down to the last lap. I grew up with these riders and love competing against them," Texter said. "It just feels like a fairy tale and I can't wait to come back next year."

Texter, starting from the pole, grabbed an early lead and maintained it for the majority of the race until the last three laps, where she found Stephen Vanderkuur and Jake Shoemaker breathing down her neck. She lost the lead on the eleventh lap and found herself in the midst of a three-wide scramble with Vanderkuur and Shoemaker but she defied the odds and surrendered nothing to the men, crossing the finish line in the lead with a photo-finish victory.

With the win, Texter became the first-ever female to win an AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles National event at a mile-long track. However, it wasn't her first time at the top of the podium, as this was her second Grand National victory in '12 and the rising star looks to have a very promising future for years to come. Vanderkuur and Shoemaker rounded out the podium, taking second- and third-place results, respectively.

Next Up

The stars of AMA Pro Flat Track will return to Castle Rock, Washington on August 4, 2012.  For tickets and information, please visit http://www.mshmc.org/.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com


 

For additional information contact:

AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com









In what would be a VERY interesting precursor to the events that unfolded at round 7 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Sacramento Mile, Bryan Smith gives fans an inside look at how to tackle the surface at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in California.
A big thanks to Will Fulford and Yve Assad for another great video produced by the great folks from The Fast and Dirty.com:

Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for this link to the complete event results from the Sacramento Mile:

And again thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for this photo gallery from the Sacramento Mile from AMA Pro Flat Track official photographer Dave Hoenig:


AMA Road Racing: Hayes Again on Superbike Pole, Cardenas Takes DSB Pole & Rispoli Wins AMA SuperSport Race at Laguna Seca








Take it to the Limit One More Time: Rispoli Wins in GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Action at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca


MONTEREY, Calif. (July 28, 2012) - GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing's first race of the weekend will be a hard one to top in the excitement department. James Rispoli won the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race on Saturday over Hayden Gillim by just 0.036 of a second with a thrilling last-turn maneuver. The Celtic Racing/Orient Express Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 pilot came closer to clinching the Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport West division championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, but will have to wait until the final round before he can claim the number-one plate as his strongest championship rival Gillim kept his chances alive.














James Rispoli #1 and Hayden Gillim #69 battle to the checkered flag in yesterday's AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport Series race at Laguna Seca.  AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Rispoli led most of the 16-lap race, but Gillim on the RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha YZF-R6 harassed him from the opening turns. Rispoli was able to just keep his fellow dirt-tracker at bay as the duo moved away from the rest of the field. Both riders had moments, with Rispoli nearly highsiding in the Corkscrew and Gillim being forced onto the astroturf in the final turn. 
As the white flag flew, Rispoli knew he would encounter a move from Gillim, and it came in turn five; a bold outside pass Gillim was able to convert. Rispoli's only chance came at getting a better drive out of the final turn and he made it happen to earn the win when Gillim went a little wide.  "As soon as he got by, I tried to get the run back and pass him," said Rispoli. "Through Rainey Curve, I wasn't close enough but I thought, 'This isn't over.' Once I saw him a smidge off line, I was on the gas trying to make a run."

It was Rispoli's fifth win of the year, and he now leads AMA Pro Motorcycle-SuperStore.com SuperSport West by 60 with just one event and two rounds to go.

Garrett Willis (GWR Kawasaki) earned his first-ever AMA Pro podium by beating out Jake Lewis (Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki) by just 0.001. Corey Alexander (National Guard Fairhills Group Celtic Racing) was fifth, ahead of Stefano Mesa (Kneedraggers.com Yamaha) and Elena Myers (Suzuki SportBikeTrackGear.com).


Hayes and Cardenas on National Guard SuperBike and GoPro Daytona SportBike Poles at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca


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MONTEREY, Calif. (July 28, 2012) - The GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing action is heating up in Monterey, Calif. and grids are set for tomorrow's AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike and AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike finals. Despite facing a stiff challenge from noted Laguna Seca master Ben Bostrom, Josh Hayes escaped with his National Guard SuperBike pole streak intact on Saturday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  The Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha superstar Hayes dropped his mark to a 1:24.446 during QP2 to narrowly spoil the pole aspirations of Jordan Suzuki's Ben Bostrom (1:24.657).















Josh Hayes on the #1 Monster Energy Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1 navigates the corkscrew at Laguna Seca in route to taking the pole yesterday in the AMA Superbike Championship class.  AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.

The Mississippian now boasts a perfect record of eight pole positions in 2012 while his overall run has been extended to ten straight dating back to the tail-end of his second title-winning campaign.  Hayes will now seek to protect his seven-race win streak, a feat that will require him to earn a first-career Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca National Guard SuperBike triumph. He's been close each of the past two years, but was nipped at the flag on both occasions. Considering their qualifying showdown, Hayes will no doubt remember that the man who defeated him in '10 was none other than Bostrom.  "Sounds like I got a little lucky today," Hayes joked after Bostrom came up just short of stealing away the position. "Everything has been going pretty well. I've done a couple of good strings of '24s. I did some this morning, and I did the same thing this afternoon. I don't even know which lap was my best. I had quite a few laps where I had to pass people.  With eight minutes to go or so, we came in and decided if one of the guys stepped up and took pole, that was okay; we still had some things we wanted to work on to be able to do a faster race pace. I didn't throw my last tire at it and decided to work on some other things. Fortunately, the time held up even though Ben got really, really close."

While '11 Laguna Seca SuperBike winner Tommy Hayden is now contesting the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike category, his younger brother, Roger, gave Hayes fits at Mid-Ohio and has shown the potential to do the same this weekend, as well.  The National Guard Jordan Suzuki pilot ranked second-quick throughout much of the session before ultimately qualifying a close third at 1:24.867 to claim the final spot on the front row in the unique three-rider-per-row format utilized alongside the MotoGP stars at Laguna Seca.

The Jordan men will look to, again, take the fight to Hayes.  Bostrom said, "I like the track, and the bike has been really great. Obviously, all year, it keeps improving. Last race, Rog (Hayden) did an awesome job all weekend and almost put the thing on the top of the podium. It was a very inspired ride, and I expect to have a good fight with Rog and, obviously, Hayes, who is the man to beat. I'm just happy to be up fighting. It's been a while since I've been at the front."  Hayden remarked, "I kind of cut it a little bit close there at the end. I came in and got a new tire and tried to put in a quick lap. It seemed like I was having a lot of problems getting a clean lap; there were a lot of guys out there looking for a tow, but luckily, I got one clean lap at the end and got on the front row. That's really important at this place because there are only three spots on the front row and it's really hard to pass."

Hayes' factory SuperBike teammate, Josh Herrin, appeared in danger of qualifying off the front two rows. However, the rising star found his groove late and leaped up from ninth to fourth to secure the first spot on the second row aboard his #2 Yamaha YZF-R1.  Team Amsoil/Hero EBR's Geoff May will start from the middle of the row after qualifying second to Hayes provisionally in the morning session. He fractionally edged Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Young (1:25.043 vs. 1:25.073) for fifth as Young continues to search for his missing mojo.  Young has shown well at Laguna Seca in the past, including a podium finish a year ago (also from the second row) and the '09 contest in which he pushed legend Mat Mladin deep into the contest before finishing second.  Riders Discount K&L Supply Suzuki's Taylor Knapp will head the third row and be joined alongside by Team Hero EBR's Danny Eslick and second Yosh runner Chris Clark.

If Hayes manages to win Sunday's 23-lapper, he'll set a new single-season win streak with his eighth consecutive AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike victory.

AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike

In AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike, Martin Cardenas earned his fourth pole of the season in a tough, time-restricted qualifying session caused by weather and track cleanup issues. Most riders did not improve their lap times in the handful of completed laps, with only GEICO Suzuki's Cardenas bettering his Friday marks on Saturday.  He will be joined on the front row by the Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha teammates Tommy Hayden and Cameron Beaubier in the special three-rider front rows used during the Grand Prix weekend.

Television Coverage, Live Streaming, Live Timing & Scoring and Social Media Channels


SPEED will air the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike and AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike races in a set of back-to-back, same-day delayed broadcasts beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, July 29.


SPEED2 will live-stream the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race, fans can watch by logging on to http://www.speed2.com. SPEED2 is a broadband service available to customers of Time Warner, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, DISH, and Cox. For more information and instructions on gaining access to all of this season's AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport and AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series races, please review the SPEED2 FAQ located at http://www.speed2.com/faq.

GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Live Timing & Scoring presented by Cortech offers fans real-time access to results from on-track sessions at http://live.amaproracing.com/rr/. Between the races, stay connected with GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing at www.twitter.com/AMAProSBK and www.facebook.com/AMAProRoadRacing.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

For additional information contact:
 
AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com