Brandon Robinson waits for one of the final qualifying sessions at round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Indy Mile on August 18, while team owner Bill Werner stands guard over the #44 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki 650R that Robinson would later in the day take to his best-ever career finish of 2nd-place. Team co-owner Jay Springsteen can be seen between the two in the background talking with one of the other team members.
Robinson, who left the Werner-Springsteen team during the off-season, joined up with the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki team along with USC and James Hart Racing, and started the 2013 season with a bang that saw it capped with his first-ever career win at round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship Series at the Daytona Short Track II event on March 15.
BRob44 told Stu's Shots last week that he had a great relationship with Werner and would have loved to have stayed with the legendary team owner, but the Wisconsin resident was wanting to cut back to where it wouldn't have allowed Robinson to run the full schedule for the 2013 season. Having nothing but the utmost respect for the 13-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning tuner, Brandon also felt as if Werner had given him a great chance to get his career back to the top after his near career-ending injuries at Indy in August '09, and loved riding for him during the 2012 season.
With a phone call coming from TJ Burnett, Robinson and the southern Illinois team owner were able to work out a plan to contest the full year on the 2013 schedule, along with events run over the off-season at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin alongside team mate JD Beach, and the majority of the events on the Steve Nace All-Star Series for '13 as well. Robinson won three out of four of the first Twins and Singles events in Georgia and Florida, before heading to Daytona to run the season-openers in The Rolling Thunder Show.
A 5th-place finish on the first night and a win the next night in round 2 left him in the lead in the overall point standings (both career firsts) with what is now a 30 day break until round 3 at the Stockton Half-Mile on May 11.
The team is working on new and interesting paths in the weeks and months ahead and should have more to announce as we get into the meat of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season, as well as the majority of the events they plan to run during the 2013 Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track Series presented by Golden Tyre season.
JD Beach's #95 TJ Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki sits in waiting while rider Beach gets his gear together in the background, during round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Springfield Mile II on September 16.
Robinson has enjoyed working alongside Beach as a team mate, and they have been able to help one another out throughout the off-season and during testing at Savannah leading up to the first events of the season for the 2013 schedules.
According to team owner Burnett, 'both work real well together and help to make us one big happy family' as a team unit. Robinson and Beach will be paired as team mates throughout the season in most of the AMA Grand Nationals that don't coincide with Beach's ride in the Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing schedule, where he normally contests the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Series in his full time job.
Check out the TJ Burnett Kawasaki team and rider Brandon Robinson's press release below and take in some of the great things happening with this young, eager and very capable team!
Brandon
Robinson and the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team
take 'Lucky 13' season-opening races by storm
Press release (Please note--all pics right click/open new window)
Oxford,
PA. – April 11, 2013 –
Brandon Robinson and the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart
Racing Kawasaki team have had a dream start to their first season of
racing together. After joining forces during the off-season late
last year, the Pennsylvania resident and the 'little team that could'
participated in some of the Steve Nace Racing Indoor Flat Track
Series events held in the confines of the Southern Illinois Center in
Du Quoin, IL.in hopes of getting ready for the 2013 season ahead of
them. Little did they know what kind of a break-out start to the
season they would have.
Heading south for the season-opening
rounds of the Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track
Series presented by Golden Tyre in preparation for the eight-month
grind that is the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles
Grand National Championship season, Brandon had never even had a
chance to sit on the team's Kawasaki 650R-based Twins Series efforts.
“Yeah, we just started testing the
Tuesday before the Savannah round, which was the first time I had got
a chance to ride the bikes,” stated BRob44, “and they were very
similar to the Werner-Springsteen mounts I rode last year, in terms
of chassis set-up. The team is working on the Scott Powersports
chassis' that they started with, and I was able to get some seat time
in on the newer C&J-framed bikes that we hope to have ready in
time for the mile events on the Grand National schedule.
“JD Beach (Robinson's team mate when
JD is not fulfilling his obligations in the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona
SportBike Series) came in on Thursday and helped us out, and we were
able to kind of work off one another in getting them right for each
of our styles of riding. We'd spent quite a bit of time on the 450s
racing in Du Quoin during the winter break, so we tried to
concentrate on the twins for the long season ahead.”
Those testing sessions worked out
pretty well, because when the dust had settled at Savannah and the
next event two days later in Volusia, Brandon had already pocketed
three of the four wins in the first two Twins and Singles events on
the SNR schedule, with a 2nd-place finish in the Twins race at
Volusia topping off the team's first two major events together.
The season-opening doubleheader rounds
at the Daytona Short Track at Daytona International Speedway awaited
them a few days later.
The first qualifying session of the
2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National
Championship season saw Brandon Robinson #44 qualify in the 4th-place
spot out of the 42 riders on-hand who took a timed qualifying
session, on the T.J. Burnett/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki KX450F. Photo
by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.
Qualifying for round 1 of the 2013 AMA
Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National
Championship season went well for the team's first Grand National
race together. Brandon put his Kawasaki 450 in the 4th-place spot
for the March 14 event.
“We made a few changes but didn't
have to do too much in order to get the Singles bikes set-up for the
race,” continued Robinson, “and we started in the 2nd-place spot
in the first heat race, which we were able to win over 2-Time Singles
Series Champion Henry Wiles.”
After finishing 6th in the
Dash, the team felt like they were ready for the first 25-lap
National main of the season, where they came away with a 5th-place
finish behind winner Mikey Rush, Brad Baker, 2012 AMA Grand National
Champion Jared Mees and Wiles.
“We're all a pretty laid back bunch
on the team, so working together has been good for everyone. But we
still had one more night to go before the long break before Stockton
in May,” stated Robinson, “and we moved up a spot in qualifying
on night two by taking the 3rd-place qualifying position.
Robinson started the third heat race on
the pole, and ended up taking the win over Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. and
Jethro Halbert, which again saw #44 with a slot in the Dash for Cash,
where the former 2008 Expert Twins Champion improved his first round
result with a 2nd-place behind 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen
Rookie of the Year, Brad Baker. But the 25-lap National was still
ahead.
Round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat
Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season
at the Daytona Short Track II outing saw an improvement for the
Kawasaki-mounted Robinson throughout the evening's program. Photo
by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.
With round 2 ready to commence, Brandon
started the night in the second position, alongside Baker (due to
Baker's faster heat win earlier in the evening) and Wiles, Bryan
Smith, Coolbeth and Mees filling out the front row. Coolbeth led at
the start, but by lap 2 Robinson put the inside move on The King of
Cool and went on to lead the rest of the main to earn his first-ever
AMA Grand National Championship main event win.
Asked if he'd come down from his cloud
yet, Robinson said, “Yeah, some, but we've all been so busy since
that it still seems like it was just yesterday.” After working his
way back from career-ending injuries suffered at the 2009 Indy Mile,
the youngster with the Pennsylvania-wide grin had finally taken his
big win in front of a packed crowd at Daytona.
“I feel very fortunate to have landed
with such a great group of guys. T.J. (team owner T.J. Burnett).
James (crew chief James Hart) and Billy (team wrench Billy Gruwell)
have been super to work with, and to come away four wins in seven
races is a testament to the work they have put in on getting us ready
for this year,” exclaimed Brandon, “and I'm just thrilled to be
able to get such a great start to the season with and for them. And
to get that first National win was a dream come true.”
Team owner T.J. Burnett, crew chief James Hart, rider Brandon Robinson and team wrench Billy Gruwell celebrate on the podium after Brandon's break-out win in round 2 of the 2013 season at Daytona. Photo by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.
“Things started coming together for
us early last season,” stated team owner Burnett. “James and I
have been friends since we were kids, and he was having some
financial trouble keeping things going. That's where I came in with
some assistance to get the team through the end of the season and
beyond. Last year we had several riders on the bikes (most notably
Beach, when not contesting the AMA Pro Road Racing rounds), and then
to get Brandon on-board really was the glue that bonded us over the
off-season and into the beginning of '13. We've had help from Jimmy
Wood/Southland Suspension in getting the forks and the chassis'
set-up, especially with the air forks on the '13 model bikes” which
are a work in progress. To get that first win under our belt was a
big step!”
Robinson beams on the podium after taking his career-first AMA Grand National Championship win in round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Daytona Short Track II on March 15. Photo by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.
With Daytona in the rear view mirrors
and now just over 30 days until round 3 of the season at the Stockton
Half-Mile, the team is doing everything except resting on it's
laurels. Robinson has made a couple of trips to the team's
headquarters in southern Illinois while working on getting the
chassis' fine-tuned for the long stretch ahead.
“We're planning a full slate to the
year, of course we're doing all of the Nationals and going to try to
do the majority of the All-Star races, as well. Next up is Stockton,
and then in between there and the Springfield Mile I, we're going to
hit the Little Rock event on the All-Star schedule,” Robinson
stated, “in order to get things a little bit more dialed in for the
summer stretch run of the schedule.
“I was at T.J.'s last week then made
the trip back home for a photo shoot with Next Moto Champion magazine
(where he will be featured on the cover of the May 2013 issue), and
the rest of the time I have just been training and working out trying
to get myself set for the rest of the year ahead.”
With the next race scheduled for May 11
at the Stockton Half-Mile at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, the
time is getting nearer for the team and the season to get going
full-steam ahead. And if anyone thinks that resting on their Daytona
laurels is an option, then they don't know how busy and focused this
great bunch is.
Be sure to take the time to come and
visit the team at the AMA Grand Nationals and the Steve Nace All-Star
events as they rip and roar their way across the nation in search of
what surely will be another big win. Each and every round of the
2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National
Championship season will host a fan walk for the fans to come take
part in meeting the teams and the riders, and Brandon Robinson and
the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team are looking
forward to sharing their time and great fortunes with every one of
those fans.
The T.J.
Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team and rider Brandon
Robinson AMA Grand National #44 would like to thank our
sponsors:
TJ
Burnett Farms, USC Racing Kawasaki, James Hart Racing, Arai, ATI
Physical Therapy, Penske Racing Shocks, AXO, Saddlemen, Protect All,
Pro Plates, ISC Racers Tape, Motion Pro, Southland, Race Tech,
Lemonds Kawasaki, WKR, Mr. Sign, Bill Built, Royal Publishing, VC
Graphix, DAO Apparel.com, PMP Sprockets, Spectro Oils, CP Pistons, G2
Ergonomics, Works Connection, K&N Filters, Hartman Photography,
Mitchell Mechanical, Big Dawg Racing, Ricko, Jim Chapman, Tom Scibek,
Joe Reynolds, John Y, Mom & Dad.
2013
AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National
Championship season schedule:
2013
Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track Series presented
by Golden Tyre season schedule:
You
can follow Brandon Robinson, the 2008 AMA Pro Flat Track Expert Twins
Champion here via his official website:
Or
via his Twitter account:
Or
via Facebook:
Press release prepared by:
Mike Stuhler/Stu's Shots
Indianapolis, IN. 46234http://stusshots.blogspot.com/
stuman714@yahoo.com
317-373-0522
+Speedfox+by+his+sponsor+Fred+Jolly+in+1950.+The+AJW+used+a+JAP+engine,.jpg)
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