AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Takes the Battle to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Round 4
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 10, 2013) - So far, 2013 has been a breakout season for Cameron Beaubier and this weekend's AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike doubleheader at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will be another chance for his stock to rise even further - or perhaps his rivals will manage to beat the Californian at the twisty, 2.4-mile circuit that has been a mainstay on the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing tour for decades. The Buckeye SuperBike Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire is scheduled to take place at Mid-Ohio this weekend, July 12-14, 2013 as round 4 on the 2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing calendar.
Cameron Beaubier is shown in action on the #6 Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 at Barber Motorsports Park during the running of one of the races in the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Series. Beaubier scored the double at Barber and will be looking to extend his 28-point lead in the series over fellow title contender Jake Gagne this weekend as the Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series heads to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH. for round 4 of the 2013 season. AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Beaubier (No. 6 Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6) has won four of the five GoPro Daytona SportBike races in 2013 and finished second in the other one, proving to be the class of the field so far as the season approaches the midpoint. After winning seven races last year, Beaubier looks to eclipse that mark and take on the all-time GoPro Daytona SportBike records. Currently, Beaubier is tied for third with Danny Eslick at 12 GoPro Daytona SportBike wins and can claim sole ownership with one Mid-Ohio victory. Second all-time is Josh Herrin at 14 wins and with a perfect run Beaubier could catch him at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the race following Mid-Ohio.
Martin Cardenas holds the all-time win record for the class at 24. That mark is mathematically impossible for Beaubier to reach this season, but the Yamaha pilot looks to make serious inroads in 2013.
Jake Gagne (No. 32 RoadRace Factory Yamaha YZF-R6) is also having a great year. Gagne is second in the points, has earned top-five finishes in every race highlighted by a victory at Road America and three second-place results. Gagne has established himself as a fantastic young pilot and has given Beaubier a strong challenge more times than his friendly rival would like. Gagne's teammate JD Beach (No. 95 RoadRace Factory Yamaha YZF-R6) is also having a fine year, currently sitting third in the standings. Beach has been in the top five in each race in 2013 and has been very consistent so far. The rising star has taken a step forward in 2013 and shown he can put it all together to be a force in the races each time out. What he's looking to do now is to find a little more outright speed and push for that first class victory.
Trailing Beach by just two points is another strong young racer, Garrett Gerloff (No. 8 Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6). After missing virtually all of his rookie 2012 season due to injury, Gerloff has come back strong in 2013. In most races, he has seen himself in vicious fights for position on the track and gained invaluable experience with some of the best riders in the class. GoPro Daytona SportBike rookie James Rispoli (No. 43 National Guard/Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R600) has fared well in 2013, too, surprising some observers by quickly getting up to speed after the two-time AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport champ graduated to the Daytona SportBike division this year. Rispoli broke a string of seventh-place finishes with his best-yet result of sixth in race two at Barber Motorsports Park, but perhaps just as importantly he has been able to run near the front in stretches like he did at Road America.
Not content to let Rispoli ease away as top class rookie, Jake Lewis (No. 85 Meen Motorsports Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) has also impressed. The Kentuckian's fortunes have been much less consistent, but he earned the podium at Road America and has shown that a change in class hasn't left him looking for answers. Lewis is certainly capable of a return trip to the podium this weekend in Ohio. After an injury forced him to miss the season-opening DAYTONA 200, Dane Westby (No. 5 GEICO Motorcycle Road Racing Honda CBR600RR) has taken a couple of rounds finding his form again. Westby is racing a new brand of motorcycle this year but there's no better place than Mid-Ohio for the Oklahoman to rise to the top again. "The Wolverine" has won at Mid-Ohio in one race during each of the last two seasons. In 2011, he staged a shocking win with a charge from deep in the field. Last year, he outduelled Martin Cardenas for another sweet win.
Another veteran on the rise is Jason DiSalvo. DiSalvo (No. 40 Latus Motors Racing Triumph Daytona 675) earned a fine third at his home race at Barber on Saturday after his team made gains in testing between races. Mid-Ohio is another circuit that might favor the Triumph, so it would not be a surprise to see the New Yorker up front again this weekend. DiSalvo has 14 career AMA Pro wins and one at Mid-Ohio - a Superstock win in 2004 earned at the end of a tough race.
The current battle for ninth in the points involves Ben Young (No. 86 Ben Young Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) and Bobby Fong (No. 50 D&D Cycles/Castrol/Triumph Daytona 675). Young has been consistent throughout the year, while Fong earned a podium result at Daytona but has had issues in other races. Elena Myers (No. 21 Castrol/Triumph/Apex Manufacturing Triumph Daytona 675) missed the Barber races with an injury but expects to be back in action at Mid-Ohio.
Another subplot involves manufacturer's win totals. Currently, Suzuki holds the mark with 32 GoPro Daytona SportBike wins, but Yamaha trails by only one and has momentum with Beaubier and Gagne taking the 2013 wins.
TV Broadcast Schedule
This weekend's GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing action will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network as part of the CBS Sports Spectacular. The coverage will begin Saturday, July 13 at 1:30 p.m. ET/ 10:30 a.m. PT with the weekend Preview Show, followed by AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Race 1 at 2:00 p.m. ET/ 11:00 a.m PT and then LIVE coverage of AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Race 1 at 3:00 p.m. ET/ 12:00 noon PT. Televised coverage of the event will pick back up on Sunday, July 14 at 2:00 p.m. ET/ 11:00 a.m. PT with GoPro Daytona SportBike Race 2 and will conclude with a LIVE broadcast of National Guard SuperBike Race 2 at 3:00 p.m. ET/ 12:00 noon PT. Fans can find CBS Sports Network on their TV by using the channel finder at http://www.cbssportsnetwork.com/channel-finder.
Live Streaming Schedule
In addition to the live broadcasts on CBS Sports Network, AMA Pro Live will be live streaming multiple channels of behind-the-scenes video of the weekend's activities alongside Live Timing & Scoring. AMA Pro Live puts fans in the director's chair, allowing them to choose from a variety of viewpoints including track cameras, paddock cameras and a press conference channel. Streaming will begin with coverage of the weekend's practice and qualifying sessions on Friday, July 12 at 11:00 a.m. ET/8:00 a.m. PT at http://www.amaprolive.com. High Definition streaming of National Guard SuperBike Final Qualifying will begin on Saturday, July 13 at 9:40 a.m. ET/6:40 a.m. PT.
Social Media Channels
All weekend long, stay connected with GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing on social media at http://twitter.com/AMAProSBK and http://www.facebook.com/AMAProRoadRacing.
Tickets
Tickets for this weekend's Buckeye SuperBike Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire start at just $30 and are available for purchase on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course website at http://www.midohio.com/Schedule/Buckeye-Superbike-Weekend-2013.
About GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing:
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
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