Pegram Fastest in Both Superbike Practice Sessions at Daytona as AMA Live Scoring and Timing Suffers from Major Problems on Both RR and FT Sites

In an opening salvo to the AMA American Superbike season, Larry Pegram lead all comers today in both practice sessions at Daytona to set his stamp of authority on the beginning of the season.
However, the AMA Live Timing and Scoring has been suffering through some major glitches today that all but has kept the timing site down. Once it finally did come back up, the new-look link stayed on results of the first Daytona SportBike session-led by Martin Cardenas-and never updated beyond.
And from a post over at http://www.flattrack.com/, other people were having the same problem as I have all day over on the AMA Flat Track side and couldn't get anything more then the last results of the Supercross race from Atlanta last Saturday. One person did post that said to the effect that Mike Kidd (AMA Flat Track) did say the timing and scoring would be up for the races themselves this evening at the short track. We'll see and are waiting patiently.

As of this writing, at 6 P.M. EST, the 'live timing' link had been completely removed from the road race side and the link on the flat track side took you to Saturday's Supercross results in Atlanta.

Are you listening AMA? We hope so......

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Here is the 'new' link as taken off of the AMA Road Racing site earlier today:

http://laptraxtg.racersites-cluster.com/LapTraxTG/AMA/livescoring.html?LAPTRAXID=2010011005#

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Without trying to be critical of Mike or the AMA, which I'm not as I understand his and their position is to oversee and run the show, I do want to point out that for both the AMA Road Racing site and AMA Flat Track site to come out of the box with these types of problems at an event that is not only their 'Super Bowl' so to speak, let alone the inuagaral races of the year, and to not have the glitches ironed out at this point is a gross oversight. And one that after all the problems from last year and the steps taken by both series over the off season to improve themselves leaves a pretty big gap in trying to please the fan base and keep and/or to grow on that fan base. Let alone in this wired world we live in now.


For the results of the first two Superbike practice sessions you can go here thanks to the great people at http://www.superbikeplanet.com/ who are on scene for the 'festivities' at the big raceplex in Daytona:
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100303c.htm
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100303e.htm
And you can check out the first Daytona SportBike session from this morning here. The second session is scheduled for tonight and should be running now. Of course if the AMA's timing and scoring was running we could tell:
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100303b82w.htm

We sincerely hope that the glitches experienced throughout the day today on both the AMA Road Racing site http://amaproracing.com/rr/
and the AMA Flat Track site http://amaproracing.com/ft/
are not something that we will have to put up with throughout the course of the rest of the event. We would like to think that they can get these details worked out at least by this evening to where by tomorrow we can follow the great live timing and scoring that we have come to expect out of the people at the AMA. And that their oversight in having these problems on the first day of the first races of the season are just that. An oversight. We are patient, but........

The shot I picked above for this irate sounding post is of Larry Pegram's Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R as was on display last August at the Indy MotoGP round. This was a diplay of the bike Larry used to contest the '09 season last year in AMA American Superbike and won three races with, including a surprise victory over 7-Time Champ Mat Mladin in the second race at Elkhart Lake's Road America in June.

Here's a link to a great article penned by Paul Carruthers over at http://www.cyclenews.com/ that talks about Larry's first session today:
http://cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/03/03/pegram-gets-it-started

We wish Larry the best of luck and a tip of the helmet for his first day's work effort at the opening round today, and we wish all the competitors the best of luck and safety. At least we are back racing. Now, if the AMA can get the technical problems straightened out with the live timing and scoring, this could be a great race event to see and watch over the next few days.

Thanks again for hanging with us here at Stu's Shots and listening to me rant again! Maybe they'll be able to get these problems worked out for us fans and I won't have to rant again. At least not this week....
Maybe I just have too much passion for this sport, and it might just be me. But I doubt it. And as I have proven in the past, if I am wrong I will retract my statements and offer a complete and total apology to those parties involved. Until then, it appears as amateurish at best coming from the professional series that they are.
But we are still waiting patiently.....

....and apparently so are others.
As of 8:35 P.M. EST over at www.roadracingworld.com, this was just found on the problems having to do with the timing and scoring:
http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39626

It's going to be a long week.........

Update 9:00 P.M. EST--

According to a post over at www.flattrack.com, Mike Kidd with the AMA has said that they are having problems with the software for the timing and scoring on both the RR and the FT side. They ARE working on the problem as this was posted.

Here is the Twitter link that seems to be updating current race info at the short track:

https://twitter.com/GNC_Flattrack

Stu's Shots Previews the AMA Flat Track Daytona Short Track Doubleheader

Jake Johnson #14 leads heat race action at Springfield ST, Sept. 2004



Jared Mees #21 Honda's in the pits, Springfield ST, Sept. 2007



Chris Carr #4 KTM stable in the pits with Chris signing autographs in background,
Springfield ST, Sept. 2007.



Henry Wiles #17 Obermeyer Yamaha's in the pits, Springfield ST, Sept. 2007



Kenny Coolbeth #31 poses and signs for fans next to his Honda's in the pits at
Springfield ST, Sept. 2007
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In what is gearing up to be a big year for AMA Flat Track, the Grand National Championship Rodeo kicks in action starting Wed. March 3rd for the first of a two-round doubleheader season kick off at the new Daytona Short Track located just outside of turns 1 and 2 at the famed Daytona raceplex.
With AMA Flat Track Racing Director Mike Kidd announcing the re-hiring of Steve Morehead to the position of Flat Track Operations Manager last month, this year is looking to start off on a high note. Also being announced officially at the Indy Dealer Show and unofficially almost two weeks prior was the merging of the Grand National Champion back into one sole unit. With the announcement came news that, as it was originally designed, the overall GNC will be recognized for the winner in the twins and singles classes overall, with a respective champion for each series to be recognized as well. This will bring all 21 races on the schedule this year-should they all be able to run without any cancelations due to Mother Nature-under one umbrella as an overall series champion. This alone was great news that we covered on this previous post when it was 'unoffcially' announced last month. Here is the link to that news along with the complete schedule for the year:
http://stusshots.blogspot.com/2010/02/ama-flat-tracks-mike-kidd-tells-double.html
With a field of 44 riders officially entered for both nights for the Pro Grand National Singles side of the program, there should be some great racing to help kick off the new short track that was just finished late last fall. Bringing the flat track to the speedway should also help in terms of attendance, so now even the party folks who normally don't take in the races may be able to do so since it is right on the property now. In terms of helping the series we here at Stu's Shots view this as a great move to help to bolster attendance and enthusiasm for the greatest show on wheels, and give a special nod of the helmet to the Daytona Motorsports Group and the France family for this move.
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All of the info you need for both days events is posted right here-schedule, event info, rider entries AND AMA Live Timing and Scoring:
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EVENT SCHEDULE Daytona Short Track Doubleheader (both days schedule):
http://www.amaproracing.com/assets/030410_Schedule.pdf
Event info for Round 1 Daytona Short Track Wed., March 3rd:
http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/event.cfm?eid=2010021005
Event info for Round 2 Daytona Short Track Thurs., March 4th:
http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/event.cfm?year=2010&eid=2010021006
AMA Live Timing and Scoring:
http://wire.amaproracing.com/
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If you are a follower of AMA Flat Track, or even follow us here on Stu's Shots, several of these names that are pre-entered for Daytona are already familiar to you. But nonetheless, here is a basic rundown of some of them as well as info on the preview pictures above we have used for this preview post.
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Chris Carr #4, 7-Time Grand National Champion, Chris Carr Racing Honda CRF450
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Chris has been racing in the Grand National Championship full time for close to 25 years now, except for a brief break when he ran for Harley Davidson in the AMA Pro Road Racing series on the factory's ill-fated VR1000. Also known as the 'Prince of Peoria' for amassing more wins at the famed Peoria TT then any other racer, Carr is tough as nails and knows how to get around on a short track as well. With his mile and half mile wins and experience, look for Carr to be on the box often and compete for the big prize. He should be tough to beat in any of the races this year, and as a perennial crowd favorite will also be heavily favored by his many fans.
The 3rd shot above shows Chris signing and conversing with one of his many fans as others line up behind. Chris' KTM's are lined up in front of him, and just behind and off to the side were several boxes of shirts that he was selling as well during this pit walk through at the Labor Day Weekend running of the Springfield Short Track in September of '07.
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Jake Johnson #14, NOW #5 for 2010, 2-Time AMA Flat Track Singles Champion, Zanotti Racing Honda CRF450
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'Jersey' Jake Johnson captured two AMA Singles Championships in '06 and '08 while riding for American Suzuki. Along the way, he won three Daytona Short Track finals and also Springfield in Sept. of 2007. This year he will team up with Zanotti Racing, who are most famous for helping to take the late Steve Eklund to the 1980 Grand National Championship. Jake also won his first mile last year at the Labor Day running of the Springfield Mile, so his program should be pretty tough to beat this year.
You can definitely expect to see Jake up at the front this year, just as you can in the very first shot of this post as Jake leads a bevy of riders through turns one and into two during heat race action at the Labor Day Weekend running of the Springfield Short Track in '04 while then-Honda mounted. With the championships being combined this year, Jake will switch to #5 to recognize his past championships after having worn the #14 for so long. The #5 plate was last worn competitively by former 1975 Grand National Champion Gary Scott until the mid '80s when he retired.
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Kenny Coolbeth formerly #31, #2 for 2010, 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion, '07 AMA Singles Champion, Bettencourts and Mom & Dad Racing, Honda CRF450
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The 'King of Cool' Kenny Coolbeth will be returning this year with sponsorship on the TT's and short tracks from Bettencourts Honda, one of his long-time sponsors, and will be aboard the Harley Davidson Factory's XR750's for the mile and half-miles. Having won three GN Championships in a row from '06-'08 and the '07 AMA Singles Championship, Kenny has a vast array of wins and experience under his belt and will be heavily armed and ready to launch an assault to get the #1 back on his bike--or bikes. And with his heavy off-season training that he is famous for, don't even think to count him out of the big picture. He may have the looks of a young boy, but he has the will and the wrist of an old champion-in a young man's body! Kenny will carry the #2 plate on his bikes for the 2010 season. Of course the #2 has been made famous by Dick Mann, the former '63 and '71 GN Champ, Kenny Roberts, the '73-'74 GN Champ, and most recently by Scott Parker, the former 9-Time GN Champion.
The last shot above shows Kenny at Springfield during the Labor Day Weekend running of the Springfield Short Track in Sept. of '07. He had them lined up outside his pit area for pictures-as he poses above for some fans-and autographs. Kenny is shown standing between his Bettencourt Honda's in his pit area during the walk through.
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Jared Mees #21 for GNC Singles, #1 for GNC Twins Class, '09 AMA Grand National Twins Champion, Rockysonline.com/Rogers-Lake Racing Honda CRF450
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'Jammin' Jared Mees went into the final round of the championship at Pomona last fall with a chance to win it all along with three other riders, and without the benefit of winning any races in the Twins Championship, came out on top with the #1 plate for the upcoming 2010 season in hand. Having ridden since the early part of the last decade in the AMA Flat Track Series, Jared has been a consistent front runner in the overall championship. Due to the economy and cut backs by Harley Davidson during the off season, Jared will still be getting help on the big bikes from long-time sponsor Blue Springs Harley. And with his prowess with the singles bikes--he has absolutely re-written the record books in the ICE Speedway Championships this winter --he should be tough again on the track in all disciplines. With the consolidation in the championships, The Jammer will wear #21 in the Singles class and #1 in the Twins class. With what he has done in winning all of the ICE races this off-season, and his prowess on the big bikes, Jared looks to be the man to beat for the 2010 overall championship.
The second shot down in the pics above shows Jared's #21 Saddlemen's Honda's in the pits at Springfield during the walk through for the Labor Day Weekend Short Track in '07. Saddlemen's will be along with Jared again as a co-sponsor for the 2010 season.
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Henry Wiles #17 for GN Twins, #1 for GN Singles for 2010, '09 AMA Grand National Singles Champion, Jones Bros/Don's Kawasaki KXF450
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'Hammerin' Hank/Henry Wiles had been working up to this for the last 4-5 years. After having won the Peoria TT every year since '04, the Springfield Short Track every year since '07, and add in last year's opening round win at Daytona, Henry was building a kingdom of his own on the singles bikes. And don't forget his Springfield TT win in May of '09. After clinching the title in the '09 GN Singles class at Springfield last September, Henry used the roughly seven week hiatus to tune up for his win at Pomona on the half mile in October for his first win in the twins class. He also helped Kawasaki clinch it's first championship in AMA Flat Track. And this after suffering serious injury to both wrist after falling off a roof in the early part of the summer.
Henry's Obermeyer Yamaha's are shown in the pits at Springfield in the fourth shot down during the '07 Labor Day walk through. Although not shown in this photo, Hammerin' Hank had them lined up for autographs as one of the more popular riders in the series. He should be REAL tough to beat this year in his run for the overall championship.
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There are MANY more riders set to contest the championship this year to look out for, as well. Among them 2000 AMA Flat Track Champion Joe Kopp on the #3 Latus/Lloyd Brothers/Larry Pegram Racing team. Joe will be helping to better develop the Ducati's for the team and also have his Latus XR750's available for the half miles. Joe will also be Honda-mounted for Daytona. Sammy Halbert, former #43 and now for 2010 #7 (by his clinching the overall championship in 2009), Sammy will be as tough as ever. J.R. Schnabel will be on the #33 Memphis Shades Yamaha on the TT's and Short Tracks and a Reiman's H-D XR for the big tracks. And don't count out Bryan Smith on the #42 Werner Springsteen Racing Kawasaki's for both the singles and twins as reported here in January. Easily a contender if Bill 'SuperWrench' Werner can put it all together. And really, who EVER doubts what Bill Werner can do with a flat tracker?!
http://stusshots.blogspot.com/2010/01/bryan-smith-signs-with-werner.html

Thanks for taking the time to drop in for our little Daytona previews. We hope what you have seen and read here today and over the past 12-14 months will want to keep you coming back. We're going to be WFO trying to keep the racing news and Stu's Shots archives out front to showcase the great action on the track, and we hope you'll be there for the ride with us to celebrate all the great racing for the 2010 season.
We wish everyone at Daytona the best of luck and the utmost in safety as we kick off the 2010 U.S. premier racing series this week. Have a fast and safe week at the World Center of Speed from us here at Stu's Shots!
Now, I'm gonna shut up (yes, there is a god!) and we're gonna go racin'!

Scott Russell Knows a Little Bit About Speed (TV)...

And you can bet he knows a little something about speed ON the track as well.

It was announced on Thursday of this week that Scott 'Mr. Daytona/The Screaming Chief' Russell would be re-joining the SpeedTV team to help out on coverage of the AMA Pro Road Racing scene in the States. Although we have had to deal with 'delayed' coverage and 'same-day delayed' coverage of our wonderful AMA Superbike series now for some time, at least we are back to 'same-day' coverage. And at least we are getting SOME tv coverage. In that respect, it could be worse. If you've been around anytime at all like me, think BEFORE cable or satellite. So, it can always be worse, believe me.

But having Mr. Daytona back in the booth for SpeedTV's coverage of the AMA Road Racing scene will be big. Having been there and done that on the race track, The Chief will be on the spot to help bring the viewers the info they need and want to hear. And having come in last year after Freddie Spencer stepped aside, with almost a year under his belt, Mr. Daytona should be able to deliver the goods to the viewer just like he did for the race fans for years.

And deliver he did. As the story has it, Scott went to Daytona in '85 as a fan and a spectator. That was the year Freddie kicked everyone's butt in ALL the classes, winning the 250GP race, the Superbike race, and the Formula One-based (at the time) 200 as well. Scott saw this and thought 'man, I want to do this' and the rest was pretty much history.

Starting off in WERA, he won a bunch of races and worked his way to the AMA and then on to World Superbike. Along the way, The Chief won the '92 AMA Superbike Championship, the '90-'92 AMA 750 SuperSport Championships (this was the 'old' SuperStock class and he still holds the record for 23 race wins), the '93 World SuperBike Championship, oh, and those five Daytona 200 victories as well (and with due cred to Miguel Duhamel, Mr. Daytona won ALL of his when it was based on the fire-breathing Superbike class.)

So needless to say, Mr. Russell does know a little something about speed. And he should be able to bring that to the table, the cameras, and the race fans while he does analysis for SpeedTV. And it all starts with SpeedTV's coverage of the Daytona 200 on Friday, March 5th at 9 P.M. Eastern. Stay tuned, as this year is getting better every day.

The first time I saw Scott Russell in a professional AMA race was Road America in 1989, the year Russell was team mates with Jamie James on the Yosh Suzuki's and they got a little too excited racing and banging with one another for the win that they took each other out in turn 5 towards the end of the race they handed it to privateer Rich Arnaiz.

The first time I saw Scott race in what I would consider a ride of super-human feat was at the WERA/Formula USA finale at Road Atlanta in late Oct./early Nov. of '90. Russell was running one of Doug Chandler's '90 AMA Championship-winning Team Muzzy Kawasaki superbikes, and had to start the Sunday final on pitlane. This was the year Kenny Roberts put a team together for the F-USA series comprised of Rich Oliver and Robbie Petersen. Oliver was out injured, and Petersen was aboard one of Wayne Rainey's YZ500GP Team Marlboro machines. These bikes in the day were said to have cost over $1M each, and just reaked of exotica. And castor oil and pre-mix. Awesome. Like a chainsaw on acid AND Bolivian marching powder.

Well, having to start tail end to a shrieking 2-stroke GP machine didn't deter Mr. Russell as by lap 5 of the event he had broken the track record and was up to 5th place. He didn't win that day-Petersen won on the smokin' and wailing 500GP Yamaha-but it was Russell who had put on the show. Let alone the smiles on MY face! Truly one of the purest race rides I have ever seen in my life to the day. Needless to say I was a fan for life after this show force.

So to share with you today what I consider great news in getting Scott back into the race tv booth, I've got a few of the many shots I have taken of Scott over the years to get us all into the new week with Daytona practice set to start Wednesday morning March 3rd.

First up, when talking about The Chief and his race wins and championships, this shot of him at Road America in June of '92 felt good to start off with. This was shot just coming out from underneath the old Billy Mitchell Bridge, heading to turn 14 for the final run to the stripe up the hill, during the 750 SuperSport final. This was another race Scott had to start last in on his Team Muzzy Kawasaki-I can't remember why now-and was tearing through the field to try and catch eventual winner Jason Pridmore. He didn't win this one either, but got second to Jason, and later that year clinched his 3rd of 3 AMA 750 SS Championships. This after going 9 for 9 race wins in winning the championship the 2nd of 3 times the year prior.

A little later that summer of '92 we headed over to Mid Ohio and were lucky enough to chase Scott down in the paddock to get him to sign a few pics we had of him. Earlier in the year he had just started running his Troy Lee Designs new moniker, 'The Screaming Chief,' on his helmet AND on the back of his leathers. As Scott was signing for myself and my best bud John Lindley, a friend took the shot of the back of The Chief's leathers as he signed our shots that I had brought along and taken of him. I later got this shot signed as well by him to hang on the wall in the house.

Next up is a shot of Mr. Daytona back at Road Atlanta for the season-ending AMA round in '94. Other then maybe one other race that year, he had pretty much concentrated on trying to defend his '93 World Superbike Championship across the pond, so we didn't see him much Stateside that year. Except the last round, and was it big. Team Muzzy showed up with a ZX-7/750 for Scott and he was on it from the start of first practice. This shot was out of turn 7 which starts the run onto the long back stretch. Back in those days, the superbikes were trapping at about 175-180 there. Scott won the race, Troy Corser on a Fast By Ferracci Ducati won the '94 AMA Superbike Championship.

We then see a shot of Scott talking with Fast Freddie Spencer in the tech line at Road America in June of '91. Freddie's Two Brothers Racing Honda RC-30 superbike was up next as they were teching Scott's Muzzy Kawasaki under the awning that day. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that conversation......

And to wrap up our news coverage for today, we see Scott on his Team Muzzy Kaw at Mid Ohio during practice in the summer of '91. This was shot in an early practice session for the weekend between turns 9 and 1o during superbike practice.

Once again we remind you that 'live' racing at Daytona starts on Wednesday, March 3rd. And the 200 will be shown tape delayed next Friday on SpeedTV at 9 P.M. Eastern on a delayed basis.

Thanks for taking the time to drop in again, and between now and the first of the week we will be back to preview the Daytona Short Track events for AMA Flat Track. We hope to see you back and we'll look forward to it. And we hope you will too!
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Scott Russell to return to SpeedTV broadcast for 2010 AMA Pro Road Racing coverage. Thanks to John and his team at http://www.roadracingworld.com/ for the link to this great piece of news:

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39517

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Scott Russell AMA Hall of Fame biography info:

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=370

Stu's Shots Previews the Daytona 200 and the 2010 AMA Daytona SportBike Season

With practice for the upcoming Daytona round of AMA Pro Road Racing only six days off, we can already smell the smoke and racing fuel in the air. As noted in the previous post, AMA Pro Racing and the AMA/DMG folks have been making wholesale changes to the series in the last several weeks, among them personnel changes and increased purses for the Daytona SportBike class premier Daytona 200 event, as well as adding a second Superbike round and increasing purse and place payouts for this event. We can only hope that these changes will help to bring public sentiment back around in their favor, and to give the series it's much needed bounce that was missing from last year's running of the series.

As of today's writing, there were 50 entries for the Daytona SportBike class for the Daytona round, so the that signals a very good sign considering just a little over a month ago less then 20 entries were showing. Today we will do a short profile on a few of those riders.

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Danny Eslick #1-'09 AMA Daytona SportBike Champion-Suzuki GSX-R600

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Richie Morris Racing's Geico-sponsored Danny Eslick set the world on fire during the '09 season riding the Buell 1125R. What many considered a bike that should never have been allowed in the class, Danny and the Buell won six races and clearly showed that talent and bike set-up were the key to the championship. Several other riders, among them Danny's teammate Michael Barnes, also raced the Buell last year, but not with near the results as young Mr. Eslick.

With Buell now defunct thanks to operations out of Milwaukee's 'finest' Harley Davidson, Eslick and the RMR team will be riding Suzuki GSX-R600's this year in their quest to retain the title.

With Danny having ridden Suzuki's in the past, the transition may not be as severe as what could be expected. The top shot shows Danny on the #69 Matsushima Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 while qualifying for the Barber round in Leeds, AL., for the April '07 round of the AMA SuperStock class.

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Geoff May #99-Vallely Racing/GMR Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 for 2010

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Geoff will be aboard his own equipment this year with help from Leo Vince, Ohlins and Dunlop, among others. Having raced for the M4 Emgo Suzuki team and Michael Jordan Motorsports over the course of the last five seasons, Geoff is going it on his own year, more a result of the lack of rides and sponsorship for the 2010 season then lack of effort. Having ridden Suzuki's with these teams as well can only help as well in his quest to run this class this year after having run AMA America/U.S. Superbike and AMA SuperStock and SuperSport the last 5-6 seasons. The second shot above shows Geoff in qualifying at Road America during the '06 event. Aboard the #99 M4 Emgo SuperStock Suzuki GSX-R1000, this was just coming out of turn 8.

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Martin Cardenas #36-Seven Time AMA Daytona SportBike Race Winner-Team M4 Emgo Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R600

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In what will be his fourth year of riding in the States, Martin returns to the M4 Emgo Suzuki team and again will be Suzuki GSX-R600 mounted for the 2010 season. Martin won seven races and garnered 10 podiums in his debut in the Daytona SportBike class, and pretty much lost the title due to a late season crash that put him out of action at the last round. This year could be pivotal for Mr. Cardenas as he will be on like-equipment as his main adversary, Danny Eslick, and with four seasons of racing for M4 and on Suzuki's the transition shouldn't be too severe. Martin is shown in the third shot above at Road America in 2008 in the turn 10 area off of the carousel during rain practice for the AMA FX class.

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Steve Rapp #15-2007 Daytona 200 Winner-Team Latus Motors-Ducati 848 for 2010

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The senior member of the class, Steve Rapp has been throwing his leg over a racing motorcycle in the expert ranks now going on a decade and a half. Having won the Daytona 200 in '07, Steve has raced for Michael Jordan Motorsports, Vance and Hines Racing, and Valvoline Suzuki among others in his road racing career. With a new off-season deal with Latus Motors--the same folks who have sponsored 2000 AMA Flat Track Champion Joe Kopp for several years--the '10 season could be a new lease on racing life for Mr. Rapp. Having raced Ducati's for Vance and Hines and for HMC Racing back in the '00 and '01 seasons, adapting to the characteristics of the grunt from the twin shouldn't be a problem here. And with the Big Buell gone now, the 848 could prove to be a strong force in this class. Steve is shown in the fourth shot above on the Michael Jordan Motorsports GSX-R1000 during qualifying for the Road America SuperStock round in '08 coming out of the turn 8 area before heading under the bridge into the carousel.

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Jake Holden #23-Three Time AMA SuperStock Race Winner-Ducshop Racing Ducati 848 for '10

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Jake is another rider who has amassed a 'journeyman's' resume in AMA Road Racing over the course of the last several years. Michael Jordan Motorsports, Hypercycle Racing and Corona Honda Racing are among some of the teams he has raced for, and he won an AMA SuperStock race in '07 while with the Team Jordan Suzuki team and winning two rounds in '08 while riding for the Corona Honda Racing team. Jake will be on the #23 Ducshop Racing Ducati 848 in the Daytona SportBike class, and will be riding his own Honda CBR1000RR in the American Superbike class for the 2010 season. Jake is shown in the fifth shot above at Road America in 2006. As a team mate to Steve Rapp and Jason Pridmore, Jake was on the #59 Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 for the SuperStock class and is shown coming out of the turn 8 area during practice.

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Here's wishing not only the Daytona SportBike class but the entire field and all the entrants for Daytona, as well as the 2010 season, the best of luck. Keep in mind that the same-day tape-delayed Daytona 200 WILL be shown on SpeedTV on Friday, March 5th at 9 P.M Eastern Time. You can also follow it and all the racing 'live' via the AMA Live Wire timing/scoring link, which you can find on the left column side bar here as well. And the two Superbike races which are to run on Thursday March 4th at 3 P.M. Eastern and Friday March 5th at 4 P.M. Eastern are scheduled to be shown on SpeedTV on Saturday, March 6th at 10:30 P.M. Eastern as of this writing.

Thanks for coming by, and stay tuned and please come back in the next few days as we preview who will be coming back to the SpeedTV booth this year to help announce the races, and we will also do a preview on the AMA Flat Track rounds at Daytona scheduled for Wednesday March 3rd and Thursday March 4th. We will do our best to showcase the archives of Stu's Shots while we talk about the upcoming racing as well. Take care and we hope to see you back soon!

Stu's Shots Previews the Daytona Superbike Doubleheader for 2010

----AMA Pro Road Racing 2010 Season Preview--AMA American Superbike--------
With one solid year under their belt, the DMG folks have been making wholesale changes throughout the off season to help circumvent some of the mis-givings that were established in their running of AMA Pro Racing during the 2009 season. With the addition of another superbike round at Daytona, as well as increased purses for the Daytona SportBike class and the American Superbike class at the world's center of racing, 2010 is starting off a little smoother then what 2009 ended. And with 29 entries for the Superbike class as of this writing, things are looking up for the new season.
Of course, after the safety oversights, the pace carbike travesties and the singling out of riders for all sorts of violations, 2010 has no other way to go but UP after a very rough 2009 season. Coupled with the poor economy from the last 24-30 months, the fall out in the ranks of teams and riders, as well as spectators, AMA Pro Road Racing has taken quite a hit. With several other announcements over the course of the last 7-8 weeks in terms of personnel changes, race director changes, and general management, the DMG home office at least appears to be trying to make amends for their wicked ways of trying to run a professional road racing series from the '09 season. We can only hope and pray that the olive branches that have been falling from the sky in Daytona and Pickerington are on the level and that AMA Pro Racing is serious about righting the proverbial ship, so to speak.
We here at Stu's Shots applaud the rapid changes and personnel movement that has been carrying forth out of the DMG offices. However, being cautious for sake of being burned, we are anxious to see how things will pan out as far as trying to get the fans back and the public sentiment geared toward the new way of doing business-again-with AMA Pro Racing. We can only hope that the damage from the iceberg isn't enough to sink the Titanic series of AMA Road Racing, and look forward to seeing how things go for the upcoming season.
In anticipation of the first Daytona practice session to roll out in less then nine days on Wednesday, March 3rd, we want to showcase this week some of the riders that are expected to compete in American Superbike and Daytona SportBike not only for the 2010 season, but that are officially pre-entered for the Daytona round. We're going to start today with the American Superbike class, and later in the week we will move to the Daytona SportBike class.
So here goes our look at the new 2010 year. We're going to profile a few of the current 29 riders entered for the American Superbike class for the upcoming round:
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Ben Bostrom #155-1998 AMA Superbike Champion, '08 AMA SuperSport Champion, '09 Daytona 200 Champion
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Ben has been around AMA Road Racing now for over a decade and a half, having ridden in the U.S. for Team Honda, the Parts Unlimited Ducati team, as well as Team Graves Yamaha Motorsports. For 2010, Ben will be aboard a Team Graves Yamaha Factory-prepped YZF-R1 riding for Pat Clark Motorsports. With outside-the-industry sponsorship from the Palms Casino & Resort and Las Vegas Speedway, the formula for this team is looking good. South African's Robbie Petersen has been hired as team crew chief-you may remember him from the Formula F-USA days riding for The King, Kenny Roberts on an ex-Rainey 500 GP machine. And with BBoz acting as mentor and rider coach for team mate Chris Clark, this team is looking into the future as well. With Ben's experience, personality, and out-going demeanor, this freshman team should be a force in the America Superbike class right out of the gate.
The shot of Ben above was taken at Road America during the '06 event in turn 14 during practice for the weekend double-header. Ben is on the Parts Unlimited Ducati 999R he rode that year as a team mate to Neil Hodgson.
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Tommy Hayden #22-2004 and 2005 AMA 600 SuperSport Champion
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Tommy Hayden has been around motorcycle racing since he all but dropped out of the womb. With brothers Nicky and Roger Lee, the Hayden family and family name is synonomous with going fast and winning races and championships. Tommy will return to the #22 Team Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki team in which he has been a part of since the '07 season, and again will be riding the '09-model GSX-R1000 in the American Superbike class. With team mate Blake Young as the 'junior' member of the team, this will be Tommy's year to really shine with Mat Mladin having retired after his 7th Superbike Championship at the end of the '09 season. Tommy won the AMA 600 SuperSport Championship while riding for Team Kawasaki in '04 and '05, and is still seeking his maiden win the the liter American Superbike class. This could be his year as long as he can stay injury-free.
The shot of Tommy Gun from above is also from Road America. This is in turn 7 while running in race 1 of the weekend of the Superbike class during the June 2006 event. Tommy is shown on the Team Kawasaki ZX-10R factory machine.
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Aaron Yates #23-(formerly #20 and shown as #1 in this pic)--'96 AMA 750 SuperSport Champion, '02 AMA 600 SuperSport Champion, '05 and '08 AMA SuperStock Champion
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Aaron 'Double A/Yikes' Yates is another rider, with multiple race wins and championships who seems to have been around AMA road racing for some time now. According to the AMA Rider Bio section, Aaron earned his first AMA Pro points in '93 at Daytona in the 750 SuperSport race. Having won 4 major championships since the '96 season, Aaron is still going strong, let alone fast. One of my vivid memories is of Double A winning both rounds of the Mid Ohio Superbike weekend in 2000 while riding for Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Always a crowd pleaser, Aaron will be returning for his fourth season with the Michael Jordan Motorsports, Jordan Brand, National Guard team. Also aboard '09-spec model GSX-R1000 Suzuki's, Aaron will be teamed with new teamster Jake Zemke for the 2010 year. And with Team Jordan's seventh full season this year in AMA Pro Racing, the pairing should prove to be the next step for Michael Jordan's team to win the big class championship after winning the '08 AMA SuperStock Championship together. And the man who knows how to broad slide it and spin it up through a corner should have a major say-so in the matter if things go his and the team's way.
Aaron is shown on his SuperStock-prepped Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 while qualifying for the Road America round in '06. This was shot just out of turn 8. Aaron as mentioned above was best known for wearing #20 in those days, except in cases where he had previously won a championship. Thusly the #1 plate on this bike--you can see he still has the #20 on the back of his leathers--as he had won the '05 AMA SuperStock Championship. Aaron will be wearing the #23 again this year, after the AMA/DMG folks made changes in how race numbers were assigned at the beginning of the 2009 season.
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Larry Pegram #72-Four-Time AMA Superbike Winner
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Having competed in AMA Road Racing and Flat Track since the late '80s, Larry 'The Worm' Pegram is another in a long list of veterans competing in the 2010 version of AMA American Superbike class. Riding for Team Yoshimura Suzuki, Fast By Ferracci Ducati and Erion Honda Racing over the years, Larry has a wealth of experience under his belt in the premier classes. Winning his first AMA Superbike round back in '99, Larry followed up--some 10 years later in '09--with three more liter bike class wins. Larry will be returning on his Team Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R again for the 2010 season, and should be another rider to throw his hat into the ring for class honors. With his long-standing relationship with Ducati, dating back to the AMA FX class in the '07 year, Larry knows the tracks and the system and knows when to pin it WFO. And while his schedule will allow, he will be campaigning a Ducati again on the AMA Flat Track scene with Lloyd Brothers Racing and having Joe Kopp, the 2000 AMA Flat Track Champion as his team mate. The Worm has a full plate for the 2010 season and should be running up front once the green flag drops on the season at Daytona on Thursday afternoon March 4th.
One of Larry rides as shown today above is on the Team Yoshimura Suzuki TL1000R twin. Suzuki campaigned a GSX-R750 four cylinder team in '98 along with a TL1000R twin-based team with Larry and team mate Steve Crevier, the multi-time Canadian Superbike Champion and '98 AMA 600 SuperSport Champion. This shot of Larry on the TL is during practice for the Road America round in '98. This was shot just as they came out of turn 8 right before crossing under the bridge into the carousel at Elkhart Lake.
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Josh Hayes #4-'03 AMA SuperStock Champion, '06 & '07 AMA FX Champion
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Josh started off racing in WERA racing in the early-mid '90s winning several championships before moving up/over to AMA Pro Road Racing in the late '90s. Riding for Erion Honda Racing, Attack Kawasaki, Valvoline Emgo Suzuki among others, Josh won the '03 AMA 750 SuperSport/SuperStock Championship for Attack Suzuki before adding a pair of AMA FX Championships in '06 and '07 while riding CBR600RR Hondas for Erion Racing. Finally getting his big chance at the Superbike class, Josh signed on with Team Graves Yamaha for the '09 season to contest the liter class aboard the team's well proven YZF-R1 Superbikes. It must have been in the water, as Josh won seven Superbike races and placed second in the standings behind eventual champ Mat Mladin. And he almost had the Daytona 200 in the bag on the Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 before crashing with less then five laps to go.
Returning for the 2010 season with Team Graves Yamaha, the team will be doing the work of the full factory reps for Yamaha this year. And with one VERY rewarding year under their belts together, Graves and Hayes could well be at the top of the box at the end of the year.
Josh is shown above, also at Road America during qualifying for the '06 AMA SuperStock race coming out of turn 8, while on the Erion Racing Honda CBR1000RR.
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We hope you have enjoyed our preview round of the AMA American Superbike class for the upcoming 2010 season, and we hope you'll stay tuned for later in the week for our preview of the Daytona SportBike class as well. Thanks for coming by and we'll catch ya back here soon!

Pascal Picotte to Support Canadian Rider Brett McCormick for AMA Superbike in 2010....

Two-time Canadian Superbike and Canadian 600 National Series Champion Pascal Picotte has announced that he will help support young up-and-coming Canadian racer Brett McCormick for a run at the AMA American Superbike series in the upcoming season.

In what should be a show of top flight equipment, it sounds like Pascal's Picotte Performance Motosport racing shop will be helping in the set-ups of the Suzuki GSXR-1000's the team will be fielding, and Pascal will be helping out as a rider coach to the young, but very fast Mr. McCormick. Last season Brett managed to place second in the points in both the Canadian Superbike and 600 National Series behind seasoned veteran Jordan Szoke. Pretty impressive considering he didn't turn 18 until August.

Pascal can be best remembered as National #21 when he was riding here in the States. Having ridden for Fast By Ferracci Racing, Team Yoshimura Suzuki, Harley Davidson's VR1000 road racing team, as well as for Michael Jordan Motorsports in it's first season of AMA racing, he is well traveled and has a wealth of wins, championships, and knowledge under his belt over the years. Some of the highlights of his career include an AMA Superbike win at Road America in '94 for the Ferracci team as well as his two Canadian Superbike and 600 National Championships in '03 and '04.

Here is the official release thanks to the great folks at http://www.roadracingworld.com/. John and his people do a great job getting the news out and we thank them for the news link:

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39439

This is an article I found 0ver at http://www.moto123.com/ that talks about Pascal's and Brett's relationship and team from last year in the Canadian series and we appreciate the work these folks put in to get this info out to us:

http://www.moto123.com/motorcycle-news/article,Pascal-Picotte-and-Brett-McCormick.spy?artid=109347&pg=1

Here is a link to the official Canadian Superbike Series that Brett and Pascal concentrated on during the '09 season:

http://www.cdnsuperbike.com/index.php

.....and last but not least the official link to Pascal's dealership and race team shop:

http://www.picottemotosport.com/en/index.spy

While you are filling yourself in with all of the details of this great news to come across the pipe and help fill the field even more for the 2010 season, I'll fill you in on the shots for today's post.

First up is Pascal 'The Jester' on the Harley Davidson VR1000 at Mid Ohio during qualifying for the '98 race weekend. Then we have a shot of Double P on the Fast By Ferracci Ducati 888 at Mid Ohio in '93 just before practice in the paddock area.

Next up is another shot of PP on the VR1000 at Road America, just coming out of turn 8 during qualifying for the '98 race weekend. And then we have another shot of #21 at Road America on the Michael Jordan Brand Motorsports/Jumpman23 Yamaha YZF-R1-based Super Stock machine while practicing in superbike trim for the '04 weekend. This was Michael Jordan's first season in AMA Road Racing, and Pascal was riding Yamaha's in the Canadian series that year so this was a good barometer of how the bike was for the Jordan team. After qualifying in 13th spot some 5.3 seconds off the pole speed, Pascal was running in the top 7 or 8 and ran out of fuel in the standard, non-endurance style fuel tank, had to pit for fuel and still came out and finished 14th in race one. This was shot in turn 14.

And to finish off Stu's Shots post for the day is Pascal on the #21 H-D VR running with Miguel Duhamel on the #17 Team Honda RC-45. This was shot as they were just coming out of turn 8 at Road America right before they go under the bridge and into the carousel during qualifying for the '98 race event.

Thanks for coming by to check out the good news for today and we hope you'll want to drop by again. Less then two weeks to Daytona and less then eight days for the World Superbike series to fire up. Can't wait! How bout you? We need some racin' to get the blood warm again!

For Sale Across the Pond--You Can Own a Piece of Honda Motorcycling and Road Racing History....

I came acrossed an interesting story over the weekend that a '2010' Honda RC-45 with ZERO miles on it was for sale. The link to the article is here thanks to the great people at www.motorcyclenews.com who posted it. Per the article, this zero miles model is for sale and you can own it now if you hurry, as I would imagine this one could go fast, if not already:

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/General-news/2010/February/feb1210-0-mile-rc45-spotted-on-mcn-bikemart/?&R=EPI-122148

Probably one of the most exotic of race motorcycles to ever hit the track, the U.S. versions were said to cost in the neighborhood of $500K at their peak in '98 and '99, and put out close to 200hp in their finely tuned trim from the boys at Team Honda. The RC-45 reaped three major championships in it's glory, the '95 and '98 AMA Superbike Championships with Miguel Duhamel and Ben Bostrom, respectively, and the '97 World Superbike Championship with John Kocinski with the Team Castrol Honda folks. Duhamel also won the '96 Daytona 200 riding one of these exotic beasts.

Here are a couple of videos I found on www.YouTube.com from the good folks at Honda that chronicle the '97 World Superbike Championship and the assault that Kocinski and team launched on the world, including his then team mate Aaron Slight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNxztuow9rw&feature=related

Link to '97 World Superbike race at Sentul with eventual '97 WSBK Champ John Kocinski battling with teamster Aaron Slight on the Team Castrol Honda RC-45's. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD5Sc2Ub7-Y&feature=related

To help celebrate such a fine piece of motorcycle road racing history, I've thrown in a few pics from the Stu's Shots files to showcase this fine piece of machinery and it's impact on racing, at leasst here in the States since I didn't make it across the pond to watch Johnny K bag 'em and tag 'em in '97.

First up is a shot as the '45' is most likely best remembered in the States, with sponsorship from the Smokin' Joe's folks. The cigarette money was starting to dry up, and sponsorship was being curtailed to the point where sponsors of such product could only market in a certain way, thusly the Smokin' Joe's campaign after having been under the 'Camel' marque for several years prior. Camel went to the Smokin' Joe's tutelage in the '94 season and hung on through the '97 season here in the States. This particular shot is of Miguel Duhamel on the #17 Smokin' Joe's Team Honda RC-45 at St. Louis' Gateway International in the dreadfully hot August of '95.

Then we see a couple of shots of the massive '45' under the paddock tent at Road America in '98. Both shots are of eventual '98 AMA Superbike Champ Ben Bostrom's bike while it is being overseen by Al Ludington and the Team Honda squad for the weekend's event.

Next up is a shot of Ben on the #11 RC-45 going into turn 8 at Road America during practice for the '98 event. And last but not least is another shot of Miguel on the #17 '45' while coming out of turn 8 in practice for the '98 event.

I hope you enjoy these shots as we get ready to start the new week. We now have less then two weeks before the World Superbike season starts up and then another few days after that the U.S. teams will hit the track at Daytona mid week on March 3rd. With the news that the purses would be increased for at least Daytona, the entry list is starting to look much better then it did a little less then a month ago. And with two superbike events running before the premier Daytona 200 scheduled to run March 5th, the season kick off is looking much better. And last I checked on www.speedtv.com at least we will get to see the '200' albeit it looks like tape delayed with a 9 p.m. Eastern Time slot shown. Hey, at least we're still on the schedule on the same day and don't have to wait a couple of weeks to see the action. And don't forget the twin short track races at the new Daytona short track on March 3rd and 4th as well. And, if you are a Supercross fan, that race is scheduled for Saturday March 6th as well.

Take care and thanks again for dropping in to read up on trivial motorcycle racing items and view old race shots with us. As always I/we really appreciate your taking the time to come on down and hang with the crew at Stu's Shots and we'll keep trying to showcase the archives as we discuss the present and the future in the coming year. Have a great week and God Bless!

We're Ready to Go Racing as AMA Road Racing Announces Purse Increases for Daytona!!

In what can only be viewed as a very positive turn of events, the AMA announced at the end of last week that they would be increasing the purse pay-outs and totals for the superbike class at Daytona, and will also be adding a second race for the superbike class as well. With all of the bad happenings in the AMA Road Racing scene in the last 18-20 months, this is another VERY positive step coming out of the headquarters of the DMG/AMA folks that will help to bolster the class and maybe even some fans. After announcing late in '09 that that purses would be cut again, after having done so early in the season, this is welcome news to the teams, racers and fans of the sport that has taken the some of the biggest hits of late in not only the retirement of 7-time champ Mat Mladin, but the loss of direct factory support from both Honda and Kawasaki. In what just after the start of the new year was looking like a pretty lean effort to run a series, the superbike class may be drawing more entries now with this great news.

You can read the news here thanks to the great people at http://www.superbikeplanet.com/ as well as http://www.roadracingworld.com/:

http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Feb/100205-225.htm

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39330

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39332

It's still early and racing hasn't begun and won't until March 3rd, but we can only take this as a step forward after the series took several steps backwards last year in terms of prestige, continuity in safety and rules enforcement, as well as the general outlook from the rest of the world in how poorly the series was being perceived as a result. I consider this a big olive branch from the AMA folks in trying to get the series back in line as a major international series and hope that this is only one of the first steps in learning to crawl and walk again.

To highlight today's delayed news I chose a few pics from the Stu's Shots archives to help celebrate the great news from the AMA.

First off is the front row at Mid Ohio for the superbike final in August of '91. Eventual race winner and '91 AMA Superbike Champion #11 Thomas Stevens and his Vance and Hines Yamaha take up the far left outside pole and next to him his Fast Freddie Spencer on the Erion Brothers Two Brothers Racing #19 Honda RC-30. Spencer won the '83 and '85 500cc World Championships and added an '85 250cc World Championship to his tally as well. In the second slot is '91 Daytona 200 winner Miguel Duhamel on the Martin Adams Team Camel Honda RC-30 #97. Duhamel added to his Daytona 200 wins later in the '90s and '00s and also bagged the '95 AMA Superbike Crown as well. He's also won some 5-6 600 SuperSport Championships to go along with his wins. And on the far right side on the #2 Vance and Hines Yamaha is '89 AMA Superbike Champion and event pole-sitter Jamie James. Jamie also won the '90 Pro-Twins Championship and in '94 added the 600 SuperSport Championship to his resume as well.

Then the champagne starts to fly after the '92 AMA Superbike event at Mid Ohio as Tom Kipp-far left-representing the Martin Adams Team Camel Honda in 3rd, Thomas Stevens in the center from the Muzzy Kawasaki team and second on the day, and event winner Doug Polen from the Fast By Ferracci Ducati team.

We then go to Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, AL., for the first lap of the first superbike race during the '07 season. The main group has flown by and Jamie Hacking on the #2 Team Kawasaki ZX-10R tries to keep them in sight. Coming along for the ride are #40 Jason DiSalvo on the Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1, #17 Miguel Duhamel on the Team Honda CB1000RR, Jake Holden on the Michael Jordan Motorsports GSXR-1000 and Matt Lynn on the #50 Fast By Ferracci MV Agusta M4 1000.

And bringing up the rear for today's shots list is from Road America in 2000 from out of turn 14 up the main straight. Mat Mladin on the #1 Team Yoshimura GSXR-750 has blasted away from this pack that consists of 3-time AMA Superbike Champion Doug Chandler on the Team Kawasaki ZX-7 #10. You can tell Doug as he looks over his left shoulder in the lime green leathers to see Tommy Hayden on the #22 Team Yamaha 750 keeping him honest. You can then still see the crash stains on the back of #82 Steve Rapp's leathers on the Vance and Hines Ducati 996 as he straightens it out onto the straight. The stains were from what is now the famous first lap, first turn get off he suffered the day before in race one. The pictures of that crash are pretty famous, and here are two short low quality videos of the melee:

http://noolmusic.com/google_videos/steve_rapp_crashing_the_ducati_996_ama_factory_race_bike_at_.php

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=2031993272

The $250K factory superbike exploded and bounced like a superball and Steve was miraculously not injured seriously. And at the end of this conga line is Mr. Daytona himself, Scott Russell, the '92 AMA Superbike Champ and '93 World Superbike Champ. Throw in several AMA 750 SuperSport championships to that mix as well. And his five Daytona 200 victories. Scott was on the #4 Team Harley VR1000 that year and considering that this bike was always behind the curve for performance and keeping up with the grade, actually took it home to some 'decent' finishes. It wasn't the bike, believe me.

So we hope you enjoyed the great news, and the shots thrown in to help and get the celebration going. Hopefully this year will keep getting more positive and we will keep hearing good news out of the AMA Road Racing folks as the year progresses. Thanks for coming by to hang with us today and we hope you found something that will make you want to keep coming back. Take care and God Bless and have a great rest of the week!

A Special Burn Out by The King to Thank John at Speed Junkies and ioannis Design!

I just wanted to take the time to thank John/Astroman/ioannis over at ioannis Design and Speed Junkies for taking the time to post some of my shots. You can view the wonderful post and fine compliments here:

http://ioannisdesign.com/speedjunkies/?p=1403

We really appreciate all the help we can get from all of the different sites and blogs out there in posting stuff here from Stu's Shots, and The Speed Junkie himself is no exception. They went above and beyond in posting this shot along with a few others on this post--let alone others they have posted over the course of the last few months here--and go all out to showcase mine and others work. I personally could not get all of my stuff out there after so many years of following this racing thing without help like this, let alone the internet in itself and the doors it has opened for me to be able to do so.
And I am by NO means a full 'Pro' AMA Photographer as The Speed Junkie has labeled this post. I've been very fortunate to sell a couple of shots and get some of these out there over the years to make it more exciting for me, but I consider the work of Brian J. Nelson-who shoots for www.roadracingworld.com and www.superbikeplanet.com-- and Larry Lawrence--who runs his awesome site www.theriderfiles.com and writes for www.cyclenews.com as the true AMA Pro Photographers.
I've been taking pics since I was a YOUNG kid back in the early '60s first with a little brownie camera, working my way up to a little Kodak Instamatic in the late '60s, and then getting into the 35mm stuff when I was in high school back in the early '70s. My dearly departed Dad set me up with my first AND only 35 outfit back in late '73. It was a new, but left over '73 model Minolta SRT-101. And I didn't even get my first 'lens' until mid '75 when he set me up with a Vivitar 85-205 Autozoom as a high school graduation present. And then about 17-18 years ago or so I added an AutoSears 300 Telephoto that was a 'loner' from one of my best buds, Tom Snyder (no, not the late night guy).
And I have just started working with the digital shots in the last five years or so and still haven't worked into a full-on SLR yet. The little Sony DigiCam I use pretty much for still shots, and if I get lucky an occasional action shot. Pretty bare bones stuff that really has served me well over the years and decades.
So to be catagorized this way is a supreme compliment and I really appreciate it. But by no means do or would I consider consider myself on that level. Heck, I remember seeing Double L out at Indianapolis Raceway Park back in the early '80s when he was working for American Roadracing and he was on some sort of 'loaner' program where they would send him different lenses to 'test.' I remember thinking some of them looked like pieces of sewer/drainage pipe they were so big. But Lare always could get the shot! I'm just thrilled to finally get some of this racing stuff out here after all the years of taking these as pretty much my hobby. I always sported wood at the races and to be able to catalog it with pictures over the years has just helped to nurture the fix. And now with the internet, and having started Stu's Shots within the last 18 months or so I can finally get some of this out there to share with the masses. And if another time or two comes along to make a couple of bucks if someone wants to do a magazine article or book using some of my stuff, great, another added bonus of being able to share it all and get it out there for more to see and, hopefully enjoy.
So, thanks again to The Speed Junkie himself for reaping such high praise on my meager little offerings here--it is REALLY appreciated and I am more then glad to help him AND all of the others who have taken the time and effort to showcase my work. Without you folks out there, and the internet, of course, none of this would be possible. You rock big time!
And take the time to check out more stuff over at http://ioannisdesign.com/speedjunkies/ as I guarantee you WILL NOT be dissapointed. Great stuff! And thanks again for checking us out.

Doug Polen and Eraldo Ferracci To Celebrate 20th Anniversary of Setting the World on Fire...

Twenty years ago Doug Polen, Eraldo Ferracci and Ducati teamed together to what would soon become one of the most formidable teams and forces in World and AMA Superbike Road Racing.

Winning the '91 and then the '92 World Superbike Championship, and then adding in the '93 AMA Superbike Championship, they set sail on what would later be known as one of the most powerful forces in superbike racing ever to hit the planet. Setting records for poles and wins, Polen, Ferracci and Ducati set a precedent that would stand the test of time for almost two decades. Winning on tracks never seen before and winning races by margins considered almost impossible, the trio blazed a trail even hotter then what had been started in 1990 with Raymond Roche winning Ducati's first world championship in superbikes. And that trail has not grown cold some two decades later as Ducati still sets the bar to this day. Especially in total World Superbike race event wins AND World Superbike Championships.

With the 2010 season considered the 20th anniversary of when it all started for this super team, Doug Polen and Eraldo Ferracci are marking this event with a special promotion which you can read about here. Thanks to the great folks at http://www.cyclenews.com/ for the news on this great anniversary event:

http://cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/02/05/celebrate-with-polen-and-ferracci

To read up on some basics on Doug's illustrious road racing career, you can check out the basics here thanks to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Polen

With this news event I pulled out some pics from the Stu's Shots archives that were taken of Doug at Mid Ohio in '92--when he won the superbike main event while spending his 'off-time' away from the World Superbike circus--and from '93 as well.

Top shot kicks us off with Doug wheeling the Fast By Ferracci Ducati 888 across the finish line after taking the checkers for his win in August of '92. With a break in the World Superbike championship, Doug used his weekend off to come spank the field at Lexington, OH. Next is a shot of Doug during practice that weekend, and then the victory circle podium as Thomas Stevens, the '91 AMA Superbike Champion and riding the Team Muzzy Kawasaki ZX7 that weekend for a 2nd place. Center is Doug Polen and then Tom Kipp, who scored a 3rd place on the Team Camel Honda RC30.

Then we have a shot of Doug at Mid O from the '93 season in the paddock getting ready to roll out for the final, hence the 'lime' green leathers for the new year.

And last is a shot of Doug on his final lap of the '92 superbike final jetting down the front straight just before setting up to enter turn one.

We want to first thank Doug and Eraldo for all the wonderful memories that together they brought us while re-writing the record books, as well as thank them for this event they have planned for the anniversary. And of course, we want to thank you for taking the time to come by and hang at Stu's Shots and wish you all the best in the upcoming week. We hope to see you back soon!