Jarod Vanderkoii Wins 1st Race as AMA Pro Flat Track Pro-Level Rider in Pro Twins Class at Springfield Mile I

If the first race of young Jarod Vanderkooi's Pro debut at the Springfield Mile I was any kind of indication as to what the future has to hold for fans of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship, then that future is very bright, as the youngster from Mt. Gilead, OH. flat ran away from the field in the first round of the AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Twins Series last Sunday, May 25.

After turning 16 just after the season-opening rounds at the Daytona Short Track in mid-March, the fine young man and his father set about getting ready for Jarod's debut as a Pro-ranked rider at round 3 of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship at the Springfield Mile I over the Memorial Day weekend.

With some help from some friends and rider Ben Evans, the team went about putting together a Kawasaki EX650-based mount for Jarod built on the popular C&J chassis that has taken over the competition in The Rolling Thunder Show. Completing their build just days before last Sunday, Jarod hit the track on the #17F Johnny's Vintage Motorcycles/Dave's Cycle/Motorcycle-Superstore.com-sponsored effort and proceeded to show that the dawn of a new and young era is very bright and exciting for all those fans of the greatest racing series on two wheels in the world.

Setting fast time out of the box-by just over .6 seconds at that-Jarod let 'er rip in the first heat race of the Pro Twins Series of the day, and promptly put any questions to rest as to whether he was ready to take that next step in his career, by besting the 2nd-place heat race finisher by over 4.2 seconds in the 6-lap race. From there, it was on to the 12-lap Pro Twins National main event, and Jarod set sail right off the line to take a commanding lead and win the race over 2nd-place and also new Pro rider, TJ Burnett Farms Racing's Davis Fisher by just over 6.6 seconds.

With a full race slate ahead this season for the bright and emerging talent from Ohio, a state known for it's past influence of vastly talented flat track riders, Vanderkoii left no doubt that he is ready to make his mark in the highly competitive world of AMA Pro Flat Track racing and we will assuredly be seeing much more of this fine, friendly and grounded young man in the not to distant future.

Read on to check out the press release below from Motorcycle-Superstore.com to see what they had to say about one of their support riders and see how the newly minted rookie out of Ohio went about turning some heads at the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval last Sunday. A big congrats to Jarod and his father, Jerry and the great effort that they have put into their team as we wish them the best of luck for their great season ahead!


Press release courtesy of Motorcycle-Superstore.com

Motorcycle Superstore Bell Helmet Supported Riders Vanderkooi Vanquishes the Competition in First Race as Pro-Level Rider at the Springfield Mile I

MEDFORD, OR (May 28, 2014) Your first Pro race is something you'll never forget especially if it is at the historic Springfield Mile - AND YOU WIN! That is exactly what happened to Motorcycle-Superstore Bell Helmet support rider Jarod VanDerKooi when he entered his first Pro race in the Pro Twins class in Springfield, IL. The Springfield Mile track is hallowed ground steeped in Flat Track history and it is an honor just to race there let alone win. It takes raw talent and tons of skill to lead all twenty laps of your main event and run away with the win by a 6.656 margin...     IN YOUR FIRST RACE! "I had a really great start," claimed the Superstore/Bell Helmet support rider from Ohio.  "I got the holeshot and never looked back. I rode a smooth race and was happy to put it on top the podium. This was also the first time I rode this bike... we just finished it three nights ago at three in the morning."   VanDerKooi is sponsored by Johnny's Vintage Motorcycle and was racing a Kawasaki EX650. If his first race is any indication, this 16-year-old could be The Real Deal... stay tuned for the next round at the Knoxville Half-Mile on June 15 in Knoxville, IA, to see if the "VanDerKooi Vanquisher" can slay the competition two races in a row. For more event information go HERE. Being interviewed by Barry Boone on the podium rocks almost as much as winning the race!   Photo Credit: Larry Lawrence About Motorcycle Superstore Motorcycle-Superstore.com is the leading online retailer in the motorcycle and powersports industry.  Serving motorcycle riders for more than 15 years, Motorcycle-Superstore.com specializes in selling motorcycle and powersports helmets, riding apparel, accessories and parts at the lowest prices possible. Internet Retailer magazine has ranked Motorcycle Superstore in the top 10 of all sporting goods sites and in the top 200 of all e-commerce sites. Powered by a dedicated staff of motorcycle enthusiasts, Motorcycle-Superstore.com continues to impress customers  by constantly raising its online shopping standards. Visit www.motorcycle-superstore.com. Media Contact Tim Clark / tc@541marketing.com / 541-282-4323

Repsol Honda's Marquez Takes 6th Pole of Season, Pedrosa 4th in MotoGP Round 6 Qualifying for Mugello Italian Grand Prix

Press Release www.repsolhondateam.com Gran Premio d’Italia Round 6 - Saturday, May 31st 2014   Italy - Qualifying Report Weather conditions Sunny spells 23°C Air temp 40°C Track temp 35% Humidity Marquez continues perfect 2014 with sixth straight pole Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has taken his 6th consecutive pole of the 2014 season, in as many rounds, with teammate Dani Pedrosa in fourth. After the strange weather yesterday, when light rain prevented many of the riders going out on track in the afternoon, the sun was shining today in Mugello. Dani, who struggled with the setup in yesterday’s FP1 improved significantly this morning, posting the fastest time on track in FP3 (1’47.754), with Marc just 0.261s behind him in second (1’48.015). The Repsol Honda duo remained 1st and 2nd in FP4, but only Marc was able to continue this through to qualifying and snatched his sixth pole in six races with a time of 1’47.270 on lap three of eight. Dani improved on his time from this morning, but made a small mistake and touched the mapping button reducing his power slightly. His time of 1’47.584 – on his final lap of eight – placed him on the second row of the grid in fourth, missing the front row by just 0.063s. Team Quotes 1st - 1'47.270 "I'm very happy to have taken this pole position at a track that I found very difficult last year. I've felt good on the bike right from the opening practice session this time around, and this shows that we are working well this season - because in 2013 it was much harder to be up at the front. As for the race, it will be difficult to break away and do what I've been doing up to now, because at this track you tend to ride in a group and things are more tightly packed. However, I will try to give 100% in order to fight for the victory” 4th - 1'47.584 “Today qualifying went better than in Le Mans, and we had good sessions - especially in FP4. I think that the bike was working fairly well, although when we put on the second tyre option in qualifying I made a small mistake - which I didn’t realise until afterwards - and I touched the engine mapping button which lowered my power and I wasn’t able to improve my time. Tomorrow we will try to start well and have a good race, it seems that the pace of the other riders is very evenly matched, but we will do all that we can” qualifying results   Gran Premio d’Italia - Round 6 Pos. Rider Num. Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap 1 Marc Marquez 93 ESP Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'47.270 2 Andrea Iannone 29 ITA Pramac Racing DUCATI 1'47.450 3 Jorge Lorenzo 99 ESP Yamaha Factory Racing YAMAHA 1'47.521 4 Dani Pedrosa 26 ESP Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'47.584 5 Pol Espargaro 44 ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'47.612 6 Cal Crutchlow 35 GBR Ducati Team DUCATI 1'47.659 7 Bradley Smith 38 GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'47.681 8 Andrea Dovizioso 4 ITA Ducati Team DUCATI 1'47.754 9 Stefan Bradl 6 GER LCR Honda MotoGP HONDA 1'47.765 10 Valentino Rossi 46 ITA Yamaha Factory YAMAHA 1'47.791 11 Alvaro Bautista 19 ESP Go & Fun Honda Gresini HONDA 1'48.132 12 Aleix Espargaro 41 ESP NGM Mobile Forward Racing YAMAHA 1'48.218 13 Yonny Hernandez 68 COL Pramac Racing DUCATI 1'48.722 14 Scott Redding 45 GBR Go & Fun Honda Gresini HONDA 1'48.754 15 Michele Pirro 51 ITA Ducati Team DUCATI 1'48.794 16 Karel Abraham 17 CZE Cardion AB Motoracing HONDA 1'48.894 17 Hiroshi Aoyama 7 JPN Drive M7 Aspar HONDA 1'49.505 18 Colin Edwards 5 USA NGM Mobile Forward Racing YAMAHA 1'49.780 19 Hector Barbera 8 ESP Avintia Racing MotoGP FTR-KAWASAKI 1'49.932 20 Michael Laverty 70 GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART & PBM 1'50.505 21 Mike Di Meglio 63 FRA Avintia Racing MotoGP FTR-KAWASAKI 1'50.515 22 Broc Parkes 23 AUS Paul Bird Motorsport PBM 1'50.875 23 Michel Fabrizio 84 ITA IodaRacing Project IODA-SUTER 1'53.116 24 Nicky Hayden 69 USA Drive M7 Aspar HONDA DNS Copyright Free Images - For Editorial use only For more images please click here Circuit Information View circuit page at www.repsolhondateam.com Length 5.245 m / 3.259 miles Width 14m Left corners 6 Right corners 9 Longest straight 1.141 m / 0.709 miles Constructed 1974 Modified     Via Senni, 15 50038 Scarperia Province of Florence Italy Tel: +39 055 849 9111   www.mugellocircuit.it   Pole Position 1m 47.157s (176.2 km/h) Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 2013) Race Lap 1m 47.639s (175.4 km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2013) Race Time 41m 37.477s (173.889km/h) Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha, 2012) 2012 Race Winner Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2013 Race Winner Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha)   Honda Racing Corporation 3-15-1, Senzui, Asaka-shi, Saitama-Pref., 351-0024 Japan