Stevie Bonsey on the #80 Dodge Bros/Alpinestars/Saddlemen/A&A Racing-sponsored XR750 leads Dan Ingram on the #31J TCR/Indy Southside H-D/Zanna Racing/Tucker Rocky-backed XR and Jeffrey Carver, Jr. (beside and partially hidden by Ingram) on the #23 Kiesow Racing/Hall's Cycles/Eddie Adkins/Sponseller-backed XR during round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile I on May 27.
Bonsey scored the second win of his career last Saturday night in Tucson by taking the win on the Goodwin Racing XR (and the first win in the series for Goodwin Racing) over a stacked field fighting it out for all the gold in the penultimate round of the season with the series heading into tomorrow's season-finale at Pomona.
Racing for the fourth team this season, the Salinas, California resident showed those on-hand that when he's coupled with the right equipment and conditions that he can duke it out with the best of the best in The Rolling Thunder Show by leading Bryan Smith and championship contender Sammy Halbert home in the 25-lap National main. Bonsey has prepared and run his own equipment this season with the help of Mack Daddy Racing in the Singles Series, while riding the Dodge Brothers XR, Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki and now the Goodwin XR in the Twins Series events he has campaigned this year.
Stevie's run to the top of the podium at Tucson must surely have started at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile back in August, where in his first ride for the Werner-Springsteen team he was able to take the semi win to make the main event at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Several weeks later in the rain-delayed Springfield Mile II event, he was right back on the podium again after winning yet another semi in order to make the National main. Although those results didn't end with him taking the top step on the box, they surely set the scene for his great win last weekend which doubled his win total in the series after winning the Calistoga Half-Mile round back in July '10.
Shayna Texter is shown getting ready for the final round of qualifying at round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship Series season at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18. The rider of the #25A DFW Honda/RLT Racing/McElroy Packaging/Herr's-sponsored Honda CRF450R added to her win total last weekend in taking the third win of her Pro Singles career and second of the season at the Tucson Half-Mile. One of the most competitive and popular riders on the circuit, the Pennsylvania resident pulled off the big win in front of a packed house at the Tucson International Raceway by just .132 seconds over runner-up Rodney Spencer, Jr.
Texter is locked into a tight fight for the 4th-place position heading into the final round of the season tomorrow in Pomona with Weirbach Racing's Dominic Collindres, with Collindres holding the nod, 144-140 points, making tomorrow's season-finale a sure bet to be one to watch as the season closes on the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship Series for the 2012 year.
A big congrats go out to Stevie and Shayna for their great wins and performances last weekend in Tucson. Great job to the both of you!
While you're getting ready for tomorrow's action at Pomona, you can check out the press release below on the Tucson round thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track.
AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance
Grand National Championship presented by
Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil Race Recap: Tucson Half-Mile
Bonsey Roars to Top of Podium in AMA
Pro Flat Track's Return to Tucson International Raceway
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DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla. (October 10, 2012) - The AMA Pro
Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by
Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil ventured to Arizona for the first time
since 2010. The
high banked, clay 3/8 mile oval of the Tucson International Raceway, the
penultimate round of the 2012 season. The quick little track had last hosted a
Grand National race in 2007 and proved to be quite a challenge for the AMA Pro
stars.
Even
with all the hype over a very tight, three rider, points battle going on it was
Stevie Bonsey who stole the show with a near perfect night. Goodwin Racing
backed, Bonsey posted the fastest heat race time, edged Sammy Halbert in the
Dash and led all 25-laps of the Grand National Main. "It
is weekends like this that I come out and have fun and relax and it falls
together for me," said Bonsey. "I think it is good for me to win one late in the
season. That gives me something to look forward to next year knowing that I
still have it. I just need a good program and some wheels under me to make it
happen for next year."
The
25-lap National saw Defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson (Zanotti
Racing / Schaeffer's Harley-Davidson) lead the field into turn one, but it was
short lived. "I got the hole shot and got out front," said Johnson. "I led about
a half a lap and hit a hole and about came off the side of it. That was about
it." Bonsey
was right there to take advantage as he, Bryan Smith (Moroney's Harley-Davidson
/Fasthog.com) and Sammy Halbert (South East Harley-Davidson) all blasted
by.
Stevie Bonsey #80, Brad Baker #12, Sammy Halbert #7 and the rest of the field roar off the line at the start of the 25-lap National main event at the Tucson International Raceway on October 6. Bonsey took the second win of his career at round 15 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the penultimate round of the year with the series heading to Pomona for the season-finale on Saturday, October 13. AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.
Smith
and Bonsey battled over the lead with Bonsey glued to the bottom and Smith
rolling the top. Smith hooked a hole entering turn one and his focus quickly
changed. "I decided I better back her down a notch," said Smith. "I caught my
foot and I ran wide. I just about went down and decided I better back it down.
It is hard when you are that close to a lead to just back it down." Halbert
lost contact with the leaders and slipped into the clutches of Jared Mees
(Rogers Racing / Blue Springs Harley-Davidson). "I was giving it my all. Earlier
in the race when I was really trying I spun my tire up a bit and hooked a bump,"
said Halbert. "It about knocked me off my seat. I almost crashed about three
times, I had to just do what I could to try to keep it on two wheels. I don't
think, that maybe, I quite nailed the setup or whatever. It was just a tough
track to ride."
Bonsey
cruised as the laps wore on, riding a near flawless race, stretching his lead to
1.172 seconds over Smith. The
win was the second of Bonsey's short career. "It wasn't a fluke. From practice
on, I was running on the bottom," said Bonsey. "In the heat race I went really
low and found something down there to win my heat race. I stuck down there for
the Dash for Cash and won that too. I watched the semis and I was watching Henry
(Wiles) and a couple guys run up higher. It was working pretty well and it was
making me nervous. I was hoping that my line was not going away down there. I
had been gearing up for that all day. In the main event I just got the hole shot
and stayed down there. It worked. I put every lap together and hit my markers
and stayed smooth."
In
the final laps, Smith's second place finish was put into jeopardy by another
late race charge by Halbert, much like he had done for the win last week. "It
was almost like déjà vu reeling in Bryan," said Halbert. "I was pretty confident
that I was going to get him because I caught him from a good ways back. I was
passing there going into the final turn and should have held a tighter line. He
just got me at the line. I thought I had second and he just got me at the
line." Jared Mees was content to keep his title rival (Halbert)
in sight, finishing a lonely fourth two seconds back. With all the Championship
contenders clamoring for the all important points, Johnson's slip was the most
painful. Johnson slipped to sixth, just a thousandth of a second behind Brad
Baker (Dodge Brothers Racing). Fast
qualifier, Rob Pearson (Memphis Shades / Bumpus Harley-Davidson) topped a great
race for seventh over Henry Wiles (Foremost Insurance / ENI / Lloyd Brothers
Motorsports), Doug Lawrence (R&J Racing / CVC Communications), Matt Weidman
(Scott Powersports), Kenny Coolbeth (Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson Motor
Company), Brandon Robinson (Werner-Springsteen Racing / Kawasaki), Mikey Martin
(Bonneville Powersports) and Jethro Halbert (USC Racing / Hart Racing) as all
finish within a two second window.
Bryan
Smith earned the night's MotoBatt "Hard Charger Award" by
improving his position the most throughout the main event.
Tucson
Half-Mile Race Results
AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance GNC Points
Standings
Sunoco
"Go the Distance" Award Update
1. Jared Mees - 448.8 mi.
2. Jake Johnson - 432.64 mi.
3. Jeffrey Carver Jr. - 430.08 mi.
4. Bryan Smith - 428.89 mi.
Saddlemen
"Rookie of the Year" Update
Briar
Bauman - 103
Mikey
Martin - 36
Mikey
Avila - 21
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Flat Track Finals
October 13,
2012
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Texter Brings Tucson Half-Mile Crowd to Their Feet With Last Lap Victory
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AMA Pro
Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles
The
16 lap Motorcycle-Superstore.com main roared into turn one with DFW Honda / RLT
Racing's Shayna Texter leading the pack with first Dominic Colindres (Weirbach
Racing) then Stephen Vanderkuur (Parkinson Brothers Racing) giving
chase.
While it appeared the
Motorcycle-Superstore.com main might be the race that would never end it
developed into one of the best races of the night. Four laps into the race, a red
flag came out as Sam Knox (Stockton Moto) bailed. Once again Texter held her
position, but fast qualifier Wyatt Maguire (Kirkland Racing) made the most of
the restart and was heading a tight pack of riders now in pursuit. Texter was greeted by the red
flag again on lap 10 as Cole Anderson (Diesel Minnesota) had fallen exiting turn
two. The restart saw Rodney Spencer Jr. emerge from the pack and close on
Texter, who appeared to be struggling off the turns. Lap 12 saw Spencer shoot
into the lead, but the red lights were on once again a lap later.
Shayna Texter took the #25A DFW Honda CRF450R to the win at the Tucson Half-Mile round of the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship Series on October 6, 2012 for her second win of the season and the third of her career. AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.
Wyatt Anderson (Colbert Power
Sports) and Cody Johncox (Weirbach Racing) tangled on the back straight, ending
their night. This prompted a five lap dash to the finish.
Spencer got a great restart, but
Texter was not giving up. On the last lap Texter thrilled the large crowd with
an outside pass in turns three and four as she charged to a .132 second
win.
Pro Singles Race Results
AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro
Singles Points Standings
Sunoco "Go the Distance" Award Update
1. Jake Shoemaker - 298.47 mi.
2. Wyatt Maguire - 288.56 mi.
3. Jason Isennock - 287.14 mi.
Next Up
The stars of AMA Pro Flat Track head to the LA County
Fairplex on October 13, 2012. For tickets
and information, please visit flattrackfinals.com
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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,
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