AMA Flat Track: Weirbach Racing's Dominic Collindres Reports on Knoxville & Springfield Pro Singles Rounds

Dominic Collindres on the #66Y Weirbach Racing/General Engineering/Barnett/Spectro Oils-sponsored Honda CRF450R lays down a fast one in route to an 11th-place qualifying effort during round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship season at the Springfield Short Track on September 15. The youngster from California made the 32-rider cutoff out of the 55 riders on-hand to make a qualifying effort in the last National to be held at the Multipurpose Arena on the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the foreseeable future.

The new signee for the Weirbach Racing team out of Ottumwa, Iowa has earned his spot on the 2011 Pro Singles Championship-winning effort, taking his first-ever win in the series while on his first outing for the team at Peoria on August 12, and since has shown marked and solid efforts to move him and the team into the 5th-place spot in the Pro Singles standings after strong rides to 9th-place in both the short track and mile rounds at last weekend's rain delayed event.

With three rounds left in the season at Santa Rosa, Tucson and the season-ending race at Pomona, Collindres and the team sit just 33 points out of the first-place spot, and are but guaranteed a top-5 finish for the season, and possibly top-4 depending on how quickly former team member Ryan Wells returns from his broken collarbone suffered at the Springfield Short Track round.

You can check out the press release below from the little team that could out of south-central Iowa who have proved they know how to pick the talent in the ultra-competitive AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship Series!

Press release courtesy of Weirbach Racing and Dominic Collindres #66Y, AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship contenders for 2012.


This past weekend was the AMA Pro Grand National at Knoxville Raceway in
Iowa.

Coming into this race I felt that I could do good because it is similar to my hometown track. I would also be heading into this event being sixth place in the overall points standings.

Qualifying did not go too good. I struggled with learning the track but got
faster and faster every time I went out. The bike felt good and I felt comfortable heading into the heat races. We made a couple of big changes to the bike for the heat race.

I was late for my heat race and had to start on the fourth row. A couple of
riders up front jumped the start so I was joined by a couple of more riders
on the last row. I was fighting the bike the whole time in the heat race and
ended up third to last.

For the semi we put the bike back to where it was and I started on the
third row. I got a good start and passed a bunch of riders every lap. I
ended up getting a second-place finish.

Now for the main. I got a decent start from the third row and found myself
battling my way into the top-ten. I was stuck behind a couple of riders for
the first 3/4 of the race. I ended up passing them around the outside. I saw
places fifth through tenth a straightaway in front of me and put my head
down. I caught up to the group on the last lap and finished eleventh.
Overall I felt good because I found the fast line, put in some fast laps,
and will be more prepared for next year.

This weekend was the AMA Pro Grand National doubleheader in Springfield,
Illinois.

Starting off the weekend was the short track on Saturday. I didn't
expect to do too good because I tend to favor blue grooves over cushions. After the short track would be the mile on Sunday. I was ready to redeem myself on the mile since I didn't make the main the previous race.

To start things out I actually felt pretty good on the track during qualifying and got faster every time I went out. I ended up qualifying eleventh, which gave me a front row start for the heat race. We didn't make a single change from after qualifying to the heat race.
In the heat race I got a great start from the outside and found myself in
second. Isennock led the whole race and I watched to try and pick up places
to improve. I finished second in the heat and felt comfortable for the main.

Dominic Collindres on the #66Y Weirbach Racing Honda CRF450R lets it all hang out during a qualifying session at the Springfield Short Track, round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com season. Photo courtesy of Weirbach Racing by Jim Grant/JG Photowerx.


In the main I got tangled with Maguire off the start and was fifth into
the first turn. I passed three riders going into turn three and was riding
around in second for a couple laps. I made a couple of mistakes and a few
riders got around me. The red flag came out and the race was a single file
restart.

I tried to make the same pass going into turn three but found myself going into a high-side but somehow saved it. I got back onto the track in ninth and finished there. I felt comfortable with the way things went and definitely saw places to improve for next time.

Next was the mile. I felt really fast but my qualifying times just didn't
show it. I qualified outside the top twenty and that put me on the second row for the heat race.

In the heat race I got a great start from the second row and was in about
fourth place. I got into first place going into turn three. The whole race
Isennock and I battled back and fourth, then I got passed for the win by
Andersen. I ended up with a second in the heat and was on the front row for
the main.

Dominic Collindres prepares himself for the Springfield Mile II running of the Pro Singles Championship Series. Photo courtesy of the Weirbach Racing team.


In the main I was second off the start and battled the whole first part of
the main with Isennock, Shoemaker, and Vanderkuur. We went back and forth
and I never found myself outside the top-five. A red flag came out due to a
blown up bike and a couple riders down.

I was lined up second on the singlefile restart behind Vanderkuur. I got the whole shot and led the race until coming out of turn three, got drafted by at least ten riders. Vanderkuur and I found ourselves outside the top-ten in just a straightaway. I made a pass or two and ended up ninth. I'm happy with the result because I definitely had the speed but that's just how Springfield will play out sometimes.

I'd really like to thank my sponsors:

Weirbach Racing, KDM Forrest Products, General Engineering, Barnett, Spectro, Dyno-Jet, K&N, Saddlemen, Motorcycle-Superstore, White lightning Retrievers, PMP Sprockets, Motion Pro, Spider Grips, Evans Coolant, Cheney Engineering, G2 Ergonomics, All Balls Racing, Firecoat Custom Powderworks, CP Pistons and Carrillo Rods, Web Cams, Foudree's Graphics, Sunoco, Pro Wheel, Durelle Racing, Supertrapp, TNT Honda, Pingel Products, Regina Chain, Factory Backing, Hinson, MotoBatt, Pit Posse, Jet-Hot, Bell Helmets, Cosmetic Graphics, ProFactoryHoses.com, Rekluse, and Chicken Hawk Racing, my Mom and Dad, Mach 1, A&A Racing, Frankie Morris,, Works Connection, Michael King

-Dominic Colindres 66Y -