AMA Pro Road Racing Previews New Jersey Motorsports Park Weekend September 7-9

GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Takes Championship Battles to New Heights at New Jersey Motorsports Park

MILLVILLE, N.J. (September 5, 2012) - All four GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing classes will reunite in Central Southern New Jersey this weekend, September 7-9, 2012 to resume the intense championship battles that have developed over the summer. The title chases for AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike and AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport have been on a month-long hiatus since the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in July, while the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series riders set fire to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in mid-August during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, kicking off the XR Showdown in the process. The action will pick back up right where it left off this weekend with the American Red Cross Devil's Showdown presented by Team ProMotion on New Jersey Motorsports Park's 2.25-mile natural road course.

 

AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike and AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport are back to the typical doubleheader format, with races for each class going off on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, while the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series riders will take on the track in a winner-take-all final on Sunday afternoon.

 

SPEED will air the National Guard SuperBike and GoPro Daytona SportBike races in a set of back-to-back, same-day delayed broadcasts. Saturday's race finals will begin at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, September 8 and Sunday's races will be broadcast beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, September 9.

 

SPEED2 will stream the Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport and Vance & Hines XR1200 Series races live, fans can watch by logging onto 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.

 

AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike

 

GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing first began racing at New Jersey Motorsports Park as part of the 2009 season and of the six AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike race finals that have been contested at the facility, Josh Hayes (No. 1 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1) and Yamaha have taken the top spot on the podium in all but one. The two-time, defending SuperBike Champ is on a dominant march in 2012, heading to New Jersey with an imposing lead in the point standings on the strength of a string of impressive performances. With his win at Mazda Raceway in July, the Mississippian became the first rider in AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike history to score eight consecutive wins in a single season and he is now tied with international standout Ben Spies for third on the National Guard SuperBike all-time win list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josh Hayes #1 leads Blake Young #79, Josh Herrin #2, Ben Bostrom #23, Roger Hayden #54 and the rest of the field in the AMA Superbike Championship Series class into what appears to be turn five at Road America earlier in the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing season in June.  AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.

 

 

Suzuki's leading man Blake Young (No. 79 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000) took the most recent race win at New Jersey Motorsports Park following an epic battle for the 2011 championship that came down to the final lap. Despite the fact that Young has placed second or better in all but two races -- including three victories -- he still sits a distant second in the standings, 74 points back.  This season has been a successful freshman year in AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike for Hayes' Yamaha teammate, Josh Herrin (No. 2 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1). The three-time GoPro Daytona SportBike winner at New Jersey Motorsports Park has been impressive, leading several races and grabbing up a number of podium finishes as he learns the ropes of the heavier, more powerful 1000cc machine.  Michael Jordan Motorsports teammates Roger Hayden (No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) and Ben Bostrom (No. 23 Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) have both shown speed recently and are historically strong at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Hayden's last outing at New Jersey resulted in a third-place finish and he currently sits fourth behind Herrin in the points. The Kentuckian had an impressive showing during July's Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course event, leading at times and taking second- and third-place results. Although 2012 has been a hit-or-miss season for Bostrom, he grabbed a second-place result in New Jersey last year and looked strong as he took home a fifth place result at Mazda Raceway in July.  Geoff May (No. 99 Team Amsoil/Hero EBR 1190RS) and Danny Eslick (No. 69 Team Hero EBR 1190RS) have both led consistent seasons so far in 2012, highlighted by a set of podiums split between the two at Infineon Raceway in May. The EBR 1190RS is the only American-made machine in the field, and the new motorcycle's accolades were bolstered by Eslick's strong performance and fourth-place result last round in front of the international audience at Mazda Raceway.  May sits fifth in the point standings, followed by Larry Pegram (No. 72 Foremost Insurance Pegram BMW S1000RR), Eslick, Bostrom, Young's Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Chris Clark and closing out the top 10 is Steve Rapp (No. 15 Attack Performance/ Motorcycle Superstore/ M1 PowerSports Kawasaki ZX-10R).

 

The American Red Cross Devil's Showdown presented by Team ProMotion will take place this weekend, September 7-9. The AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike class will take to the track for their first practice session on Friday, September 7 at 12:00 p.m. and will be featured in a set of 23-lap sprint races on Saturday, September 8 at 3:15 p.m. and Sunday, September 9 at 3:30 p.m. local time. GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing's National Guard SuperBike and GoPro Daytona SportBike divisions will be featured on SPEED in a set of back-to-back, same-day delayed broadcasts, scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT on Saturday night and at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT on Sunday night.

 

AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Point Standings (After Round 8): 1. Josh Hayes (Gulfport, MS) - 415; 2. Blake Young (Waunakee, WI) - 341; 3. Josh Herrin (Glendale, CA) - 246; 4. Roger Hayden (Owensboro, KY) - 217; 5. Geoff May (Gainesville, GA) - 205; 6. Larry Pegram (Hebron, OH) - 193; 7. Danny Eslick (Broken Arrow, OK) - 165; 8. Ben Bostrom (Malibu, CA) - 162; 9. Chris Clark (Las Vegas, NV) - 152; 10. Steve Rapp (Hawthorne, CA) - 151.

 

AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike

 

In contrast to the win history for AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class' leading rider has just one win in New Jersey. Martin Cardenas (No. 36 GEICO Suzuki GSX-R600) took home a GoPro Daytona SportBike win at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2010, and he is the only active AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike rider with a class win in Milleville. The Colombian enters the weekend atop the GoPro Daytona SportBike point standings with a 64 point lead over nearest competitor Dane Westby (No. 5 M4 Suzuki GSX-R600).

 

Westby posted a second-place result at New Jersey last year, and he has looked strong throughout 2012. The Oklahoman earned his second career victory at Mid-Ohio in July and his mid-season Championship run also included three second-place finishes.  Yamaha has been well represented this year by rising star Cameron Beaubier (No. 6 Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha YZF-R6), who has rebounded from an early season training injury to make a convincing charge for the Championship. The Californian grabbed his first GoPro Daytona SportBike victory at Barber Motorsports Park in June and has followed that up with three additional wins and one podium finish.  Beaubier's teammate Tommy Hayden (No. 8 Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) is no stranger to the New Jersey Motorsports Park podium, earning top-three results in AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike multiple times over the past three seasons. The Kentucky native has been a dependable front-runner in 2012 but he's still looking for his first GoPro Daytona SportBike win in a season that has included five podium finishes.  The privateer effort of Jake Zemke (No. 98 Ducshop Ducati 848) impressed once again at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with a fourth-place finish.  Additional riders that are sure to threaten are Jason DiSalvo (No. 40 Latus Motors Racing Triumph Daytona 675), JD Beach (No. 95 RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha YZF-R6), Bobby Fong (No. 50 Meen Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6), Cory West (No. 57 Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600) and DAYTONA 200® winner Joey Pascarella (No. 52 Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600).

 

The AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike riders will take to the track for their first practice session on Friday, September 7 at 1:00 p.m. and will be featured in a set of 23-lap sprint races on Saturday, September 8 at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 9 at 2:15 p.m. local time. GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing's National Guard SuperBike and GoPro Daytona SportBike divisions will be featured on SPEED in a set of back-to-back, same-day delayed broadcasts, scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT on Saturday night and at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT on Sunday night.

 

AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Point Standings (After Round 8): 1. Martin Cardenas (Medellin, Colombia) - 314; 2. Dane Westby (Tulsa, OK) - 250; 3. Cameron Beaubier (Roseville, CA) - 234; 4. Tommy Hayden (Owensboro, KY) - 234; 5. Jason DiSalvo (Batavia, NY) - 194; 6. Jake Zemke (Paso Robles, CA) - 184; 7. JD Beach (Philpot, KY) - 178; 8. Bobby Fong (Stockton, CA) - 162; 9. Cory West (Eureka Springs, AR) - 158; 10. Joey Pascarella (Vacaville, CA) - 154;

 

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport

 

This weekend's American Red Cross Devil's Showdown presented by Team ProMotion is set to feature yet another AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport doubleheader full of young talent and local experts. The New Jersey Motorsports Park event is an East Division round, meaning that East Division riders exclusively will have the opportunity to rack up points toward the Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport divisional and national championships.

 

The East Division Championship hunt heated up significantly in June. Jake Lewis (No. 85 Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600) and Dustin Dominguez (No. 68 Latus Motors Racing Triumph Daytona 675) are now locked in a mathematical tie following a clean sweep at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course by Dominguez and a set of uncharacteristic mid-pack results for Lewis. Lewis' three second-place finishes in 2012 give him the edge in his debut season with just under halfway to go.  Third in the East points is Stefano Mesa (No. 37 Kneedraggers.com Yamaha YZF-R6), who grabbed his first career AMA Pro victory at Road America earlier this season. Rounding out the top five in the East Division standings are Tomas Puerta (No. 12 RoadRace Factory Yamaha YZF-R6) and Corey Alexander (No. 5 National Guard/ Fairhills Group/ Celtic Racing Suzuki).  Notable West Division entries likely to post top results at Mid-Ohio this weekend include defending Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport National Champ and West Division points leader James Rispoli (No. 1 Celtic Racing/ Orient Express Racing/ Army National Guard Suzuki GSX-R600), who has two class wins to his credit at New Jersey, Hayden Gillim (RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha) andElena Myers (No. 21 Suzuki SportbikeTrackgear.com M4 Suzuki GSX-R600).

 

This event also marks the return of Garrett Gerloff (No. 96 Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha YZF-R6), who won his first Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race in his debut event here last year. The Texan is back following his recovery from an injury sustained during the opening round of GoPro Daytona SportBike competition at Daytona International Speedway.

 

Saturday's 19-lap final for the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport division will be the first race of the weekend, set to go green at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 8, followed by Race 2 on Sunday, September 9 at 1:15 p.m. Both races will be streamed live on SPEED2, for more information, please visit http://www.speed2.com/.

 

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport East Division Point Standings (After Round 4): 1. Jake Lewis (Princeton, KY) - 161; 2. Dustin Dominguez (Newalla, OK) - 161; 3. Stefano Mesa (Boca Raton, FL) - 138; 4. Tomas Puerta (Medellin, Colombia) - 111; 5. Corey Alexander (Carmel, NY) - 106; 6. Ryan Kerr (Johnstown, OH) - 87; 7. Travis Wyman (Macedon, NY) - 80; 8. Miles Thornton (West Point, GA) - 71; 9. Zach Herrin (DUBLIN, GA) - 58; 10. Eric Stump (Berlin, NJ) - 49.

 

AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series

 

Last month's thrilling AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway created quite a stir in what had become a typically three-rider Championship. The points reset associated with the beginning of the XR Showdown meant all bets were off, and the additional riders in the field made for some of the most intense racing seen in the class to date.

 

Every 2012 AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series race so far has been taken by the triple threat ofTyler O'Hara (No. 29 Bartel's Harley-Davidson), Kyle Wyman (No. 33 KLR Group/Spyke's Harley-Davidson) and Michael Barnes (No. 34 KLR Group/Spyke's Harley-Davidson), but a number of new faces were seen on the podium in Indianapolis and are likely to challenge at New Jersey this weekend.  Benjamin Carlson (No. 45 Suburban Harley-Davidson) took home second- and third-place finishes in an impressive outing at Indy. Michael Corbino (No. 15 Rossiter's Harley-Davidson of Sarasota) joined Carlson on the podium after Saturday's wild race final.  Wyman now leads the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series thanks to his win and second-place finish at the XR Showdown opener. The New Yorker took home a third-place result at New Jersey last year and sits just 9 points ahead of Carlson heading into this weekend. O'Hara Race 2 win at Indy puts him third in the order, followed by Corbino and Barnes.

 

The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series riders take to the track for their 12-lap race final on Sunday, September 9 at 12:30 p.m. local time. The race will be streamed live on SPEED2, for more information, please visit http://www.speed2.com/.

 

AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series Point Standings (After Round 8): 1. Kyle Wyman (Macedon, NY) - 1055; 2. Benjamin Carlson (West Bend, WI) - 1046; 3. Tyler OHara (Petaluma, CA) - 1040; 4. Michael Corbino (Sarasota, FL) - 1036; 5. Michael Barnes (Boca Raton, FL) - 1034; 6. Travis Wyman (Macedon, NY) - 1026; 7. David Estok (Daytona Beach, FL) - 1021; 8. Josh Chisum (Bakersfield, CA) - 1017; 9. Gerry Signorelli (Colorado Springs, CO) - 1000; 10. Darren James (Deep Cove, Canada) - 1000.

 

AMA Pro Live Streaming Video Experience, Live Timing & Scoring and Social Media Channels

 

AMA Pro Live, the online streaming video experience launched earlier this season, will be broadcasting views from around the track this weekend during practice and qualifying sessions. Tune in athttp://www.amaprolive.com.

 

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  andwww.facebook.com/AMAProRoadRacing.

 

For tickets to this weekend's GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing event at New Jersey Motorsports Park, please visit http://store.njmp.com/store/category/9/69/AMA-SUPERBIKE/.

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