AMA Flat Track: Mikey Martin National #91 Bonneville Performance Triumph Grabs 9th-place Spot at the Sacramento Mile

One of the team members works on getting the pit area readied in the Bonneville Performance Triumph pits during round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile I on May 27.  Team patriarch and head-man-in-charge Bill Gately can be seen in the left side of the shot hawking the team's street tracker-versions of the parallel twin machines.

Mikey Martin, the team's new rider and 2011 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Champion, pulled out a great 9th-place finish at round 7 of the season at the Sacramento Mile on July 28.  Having struggled throughout the earlier rounds in the Twins Series events, Double M put the big twin into the National main event for his first time ever in his rookie year as an Expert-ranked rider, after coming home in the 4th-place spot in his heat race at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in California.

Martin was in a deeply-stacked heat that saw eventual event-winner Bryan Smith, former rookie of the year Stevie Bonsey and 2-Time Singles Champion Henry Wiles finish ahead of him to secure their spots in the National main.  Mikey finished just .886 seconds behind heat winner Smith to secure his spot in the 25-lap main event.

Mikey ended the evening on the left coast after finishing in the 9th-place spot, 9.164 seconds behind Bryan Smith, and scored his first points of the season in the Expert class in his first National main event of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  He rode the #91 Bonneville Performance Triumph/Wiseco/Safety Kleen/Eddie Atkins-sponsored parallel twin to a great run that will surely see him and the team moving forward as the season continues.

Congrats to Mikey for his great run, we knew you guys would get that big twin headed in the right direction!

You can read the full press release below from Mikey and the Bonneville Performance Triumph team.

Press release courtesy of Mikey Martin National #91, 2011 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Champion & Bonneville Performance Triumph AMA Pro Flat Track team.


Mikey Martin Puts Bonneville Performance Triumph in the National Main at the Sacramento Mile and Brings Home Solid 9th-place finish.


Hey everyone,

Here is my race report from Cal Expo in Sacramento, CA.

I was going into this race feeling confident in front of my hometown crowd as I only live 35 miles away.  Last year as a Pro I did a "clean sweep" meaning, I set the fastest qualifying time, won the fastest heat, and won the main event.  I wanted this to be the day that I make my first main event on the Triumph.

The temperature was up to 98 degrees on Saturday and the grandstands were packed full of spectators.  I had friends, family and neighbors there rooting me on.

In the first qualifying session I qualified fourth and in the second qualifying session I qualified fourth which meant I qualified fourth overall and earned a front row start for the heat race.

Mikey Martin #91 shows his form on the Bonneville Performance Triumph during round 7 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds hosted Sacramento Mile on July 28.  Photo courtesy of Mikey Martin/Bonneville Performance by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.


There was a long intermission so we set up an autograph signing.  I was a little shocked when Frank Gillespie (former National #76 in the early-mid '70s), a former Triumph icon came over and asked for my autograph.  He mentioned to me that I was his new hero and traded a picture of him for my autograph.

Near the end of the opening ceremony two Marine Helicopters did a "fly by" over the track, I was thrilled when the pilots showed up to meet and take pictures with the Bonneville Performance Team.

In the heat race I was on the front row in a really stacked heat . I got a good start, was in second about half the race.  I was battling with Steve Bonsey and Bryan Smith.  I lost third position when Henry Wiles passed me on the last lap.  I ended up in the fourth position this meant a direct transfer to the main event.

Mikey Martin on the #91 Bonneville Performance Triumph took home a hard-earned 9th-place finish at the Sacramento Mile on July 28.  Photo courtesy of Mikey Martin/Bonneville Performance by Amanda Jones/Revved Up Photography.


My bike was working well.  We made some changes to the suspension setup for the main and put on a new tire.

In the main event I started on the second row.  I got a good start and was in seventh until the halfway point.  I kept spinning up coming out of turn 2 and Jeffery Carver got past me coming out.  The white flag came out and I was in eighth up until this point when I slipped off the grove in turn 3 and let another rider get by me.  I finished the race in the 9th-place position, which was my first top-10 finish this year.  I was extremely happy for our team.

<sup>Mikey Martin 91 / Bonneville Performance – Factory Triumph Racing

I would like to give a special thanks to everyone at Triumph Motorcycles and Bonneville Performance.

Thanks to our great sponsors:

AC Racing, Acerbis, All Balls, Alpinestars, Andrews Brothers Racing, Applied Coatings, Arai Helmets, Barnett, Crank Works Inc., CV4, Durelle Racing Suspension, D&D Exhaust, Eddie Adkins, EBC Brakes, K&N Filters, Kibblewhite Precision Machining, Lightshoe, Mayberry Construction, Millennium Technologies, Mike Cougle, Motion Pro, MTFX Graphics, PMP Sprockets, Pro Plates, R-3 Powersports, RK Chain, R&S Erection, Saddlemen, Safety Kleen, San Joaquin Chrome, San Joaquin Steel, Spectro Oils, Spider Grips, SPY Optics, SHY, Triumph Motorcycles, Vortex, VC Graphix, Web Cams, Wiseco Pistons, Woody Kyle Racing, Works Connection</sup>

AMA Pro Flat Track Reviews Round 8 of the 2012 Season at the Castle Rock TT

Round 8 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Castle Rock TT saw '11 AMA Grand National Singles Series Champion Sammy Halbert take his #7 The South Ass/Fredericktown Yamaha/GYTR/Van's Yamaha-sponsored Yamaha YZ450F to a convincing victory in his home state of Washington on Saturday, August 4.  Halbert, riding his 2012 fuel-injected model, led from the start to take his second win in-a-row at the Mt. Saint Helens racing facility and win his second National main event (Lima Half-Mile) in the 2012 season.

Slammin' Sammy is doing one heckuva job in defending his '11 Singles Series Championship by totally dominating at his home track and moving within 2 points of Singles Series Championship points leader Jared Mees (81-79) in his quest to 'double up' on the DTX-based 450s, and also moving within 25 points of overall championship leader Mees (162-137 points), with defending and 2-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson splitting the two men while lying in the 2nd-place spot (147 points.)

With the series half-way into the 2012 season, the time is now to start making your chess moves in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world, and Sammy's been making some dominating moves since his Springfield Mile I crash that left him with only 1 point scored at the first Twins Series event of the season.  The next stretch run of four races within 22 days (Peoria TT, August 12/Indy Mile, August 18/Springfield Short Track, September 1/Springfield Mile II, September 2) should give everyone a pretty good idea of where the cards and pieces are going to fall for the run to the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship.

In the shot above, Sammy's #7 Woody Kyle Racing/Fredericktown Yamaha/AGV/Kings Kustoms-backed Yamaha YZ450Fs sit in his pit area getting some final attention before the start of racing action at round 14 of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Peoria TT on August 21.  Halbert scored a very-strong 3rd-place finish in the penultimate round of the 2011 Singles Series Championship to all-but take the '11 crown before even turning a wheel at the Springfield Short Track round just 13 days later.

You can read the full press release below thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track as the series prepares to roll into the Peoria TT on Sunday, August 12 in round 9 of the 2012 Rolling Thunder Show.

AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil Race Recap: Castle Rock TT

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 7, 2012) - Following a short trip up the coast from Sacramento, Calif., the Castle Rock TT ended AMA Pro Flat Track's first West Coast swing of 2012 and signaled the end of the first half of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil.  The night was a big "homecoming" for Sammy Halbert (Fredericktown Yamaha) along with several other series regulars, but it was Halbert, who had started his motorcycle racing career on the slick little TT, who came out on top.  Halbert returned home with a Castle Rock GNC winning streak alive, the track was the site of his first GNC win in 2007 and last year's race. No GNC races were held at Castle Rock in 2008, '09 and '10. Good starts were the key to success at the Mount St. Helens Race Park. That's exactly what Sammy Halbert got on his Yamaha YZ450F.  "We pulled some great holeshots in the Dash for Cash and main event. It feels so good to win again in front of the hometown crowd," said Halbert. "It's a big boost in the arm for our program. It feels awesome to win it on the new Yamaha. I was riding my 2012 fuel injected Yamaha 450 and it was working great." Sammy Halbert took his #7 The South Ass Yamaha YZ450F to his second win in a row at round 8 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Castle Rock TT on Saturday, August 4.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig. When the 18 rider field hit turn one for the 25-lap national, Halbert was in the lead, but just as quickly, the red lights flashed on when Brandon Robinson (Action Motorsports) and Mikey Rush (Machette Energy Drinks) tangled in turn two. Both would make the restart, but Robinson pulled off seven laps into the race.  While the restart did not affect Halbert, current AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship points leader Jared Mees (Montgomeryville Cycle / National Cycle) benefited greatly from it. Mees had been mired in about sixth place on the first start, but came out right on Halbert's rear wheel the second time around.  "That was most of the race, but you still had to put it together," said Halbert. "You had to go fast and get on the straightaway good. It was really tricky getting onto the front stretch. If you messed up right there, someone could definitely get a wheel on you and make a pass. I had to make a pass in the heat race there. Luckily I kept it smooth and didn't make any big mistakes for the win." Mees was charging hard, as he had defending Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Champion Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing) breathing down his neck.  "When I settled down, I started making some good corners. I had a really good line coming into one with that tight left," said Mees. "I was making huge gains there. I was right there and he (Halbert) went into that tight three and got a hold of a hay bale with his foot. It flung out and I came around and smacked right into it. I about went over the bars."  "A couple times it sounded like he maybe wasn't right on me, but I never looked back," said Halbert. "I just assumed he was there and kept my head down and rode as hard as I could. It was a little bit of a moment when I hit the hay bales and the next lap around there was hay all over the track. I was a little scared to go through it, but everything was fine." Johnson's race turned somewhat boring as he lost contact with the leaders.  "It was all about the start tonight. I came off third and just kind of stayed there," said Johnson. "Sammy, Jared and me just all kind of stayed even for about the first half of the race.  Once Jared got away from me, I saw he was putting a charge on Sammy. There was nothing I could do. I was just on survival mode," said Johnson. "It was getting pretty slick. I was just trying to keep it on two wheels and not throw it away."   Sammy Halbert's older brother Jethro was also enjoying the home cooking and recorded his best Grand National finish of 2012, a fourth. "I really thought I could hang with the top-three guys, but I started fading a little bit," said Halbert.   "I don't think I quite had the motor of those guys. It was a good, fun race. Jimmy Wood's / Southland Fabricating bike was working really good. The track was a little bit follow the leader and I'm just glad I got off with a decent start. I'm happy with a top-five. With about five laps to go I started having an issue through the sweeper and Stevie Bonsey, Joe Kopp and JD Beach got right on my back, but I held them off."  Their little war brought them up to challenge Jethro but he was able to withstand the onslaught, all four finished within a second. Beach was able to make the biggest move coming from an 11th on lap one to finish fifth over Bonsey and temporarily un-retired Joe Kopp. "I just got an ok start. I got in line with everybody and just tried to work my way forward," said Beach. "When people would slip up, I was trying to sneak by them and not leave too much room on the inside for the guys behind me to do it. I ended up fifth so it wasn't too bad. I was trying to get Jethro at the end. I think if I maybe had one or two more laps, I could have. I just wasn't close enough, soon enough." "The starting line is probably 50% of the battle. It's a follow the leader track," said Bonsey. "If you can make a pass here, you can pass anywhere. We got in that group and we kind of stuck where we were at. Bryan Smith slipped up so I got under him. I was chasing down Jethro the whole time. Every lap I would get a little more loose as my tire was going away. I came into the left hander after the jump and threw it sideways and I knew that somebody was going under me. I felt somebody behind me. JD got under me and I thought, oh man. They are so fast, if you give them an inch they will take it. It was a good race. We came up here not expecting much. I've been doing all my own stuff right now. I'm happy with sixth." Crowd favorite, Joe Kopp made a one-time return to the series as it came to his "home" track.  "I got a pretty good start from the third row in the main event. It was hard to pass. I was just kind of following guys. I was seeing who I was following and picking one of them," said Kopp. "I guess after you get away for a while, the hardest part of coming back is turn one on the first lap, turn one and turn two. All I wanted to do was get to the race, the green flag. It is just that turn one off the start is just crazy. Let's just do a rolling start. Later, I had a pretty good rhythm going with JD and Bonsey. I didn't know how far we were working up, but we kept getting a couple here and there. I thought I got like eleventh, I'll take seventh."  Kopp earned the event's MotoBatt "Hard Charger Award." The cash award goes to the rider who advances the most positions during each expert main event. Jeffrey Carver (Carver's BBQ / Twigg Cycles) slipped out of a top five position to finish eighth over Brad Baker (The Brothers Powersports) and Briar Bauman (Rod Lake Racing / USC Racing) filling out the top 10. Bauman currently leads the Saddlemen Rookie of the Year points fund against rivals Mikey Avila and Mikey Martin. Castle Rock marks the mid-point of the 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil season with eight races down and eight to go. Sammy Halbert becomes the first GNC rider to record two wins as the ultra competitive class has a large field of contenders. Halbert's dominate performance has allowed him to creep back into the points race despite his big get off in Springfield that left him with only one point for the day. Mees is still the man on top and a solid night only helps build his confidence.  "After fast qualifying and winning my heat, I was really looking forward to winning this race," said Mees. "We will take second and move onto Peoria next weekend. Jake Johnson has thus far been winless, but podium finishes have the defending Grand National Champion in second in the points. "To come out third, it feels pretty good. We had fast heat and sat on the pole," said Johnson. "Jared got his four points back this week. Hopefully I can take four back next week. It's going to be tough. It's going to be a fight to the end. We are all on our game right now. We are going to have to sit around and wait for somebody to make a mistake. I was hoping it would get a little bit easier, but it's not looking that way. " GNC Race Results 1 Sammy Halbert 25 Laps 2 Jared Mees 1.096 3 Jake Johnson 6.805 4 Jethro Halbert 11.128 5 JD Beach 11.209 6 Steven Bonsey 11.761 7 Joe Kopp 11.889 8 Jeffrey Carver Jr. 12.993 9 Brad Baker 13.203 10 Briar Bauman 14.267 11 Henry Wiles 16.056 12 Scooter Vernon 18.61 13 Mikey Rush 19.665 14 Matt Weidman 22.826 15 Danny Casey 24 Laps 16 Scott Baker 0.383 17 Bryan Smith 8 Laps 18 Brandon Robinson 7 Laps GNC Expert Point Standings   1 Jared Mees 162 2 Jake Johnson 147 3 Sammy Halbert 137 4 Bryan Smith 102 5 Johnny Lewis 97 6 Jeffrey Carver Jr. 82 7 Brad Baker 81 8 Henry Wiles 73 9 Matt Weidman 72 10 Jethro Halbert 70 Sunoco "Go the Distance" Award   1. Jeffrey Carver Jr. - 216.48 miles 2. Jethro Halbert - 214.8 3. Jared Mees - 214.2 4. Jake Johnson - 214.04 5. Bryan Smith - 207.69

Photos from Castle Rock TT Joe Kopp - Castle Rock TT Track Walk     Peoria  TT August 12, 2012 Event Info

Jacob Lehman Wins AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles National Main at Castle Rock TT

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles The 16-lap Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles main got off to a rough start as Wyatt Maguire fell down in the right hander on consecutive starts, forcing two restarts. Fast qualifier Dominic Colindres (Frankie Morris Racing / Bozzie Customs) had claimed the hole shot on the first two starts, but his fortune ran out on the third. Jacob Lehmann (Spy Optics / Vince & Denise Holt), who was making his first professional start in flat track got the hole shot in the one that counted, while Colindres was buried in fourth. Lehmann took full advantage and smoothly pulled clear. "I rode some Supermoto, but this is a different world," said Lehmann. "I came here tonight just hoping to make the main. Then I won my heat and I thought I might do pretty good. I got lucky on the restart and I was just thinking please don't red flag it again."  Washington State resident Jacob Lehman rode his #20M Spy Optics Honda CRF450R to his first-ever victory at the Castle Rock TT round of the Pro Singles Championship last Saturday, August 4.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig. The restarts also worked to help Rod Spencer Jr. (831 Paint / GP Sports). Spencer was dogging Lehmann, but he just put a good charge together. "I was just trying to get a gap on the last few laps so I could have room to breathe but Spencer just kept creeping up on me," said Lehmann.  Spencer would finish just a half second off the win. Colindres worked on current series points leader Gerit Callies (Fun Mart Cycle Center / Rod Lake) until he was able to take over third on lap fourteen. Once in third Colindres ran down the leaders, but had little time to advance, finishing almost two seconds back.  Jake Shoemaker (Montgomeryville Cycle Center / Bob Weirbach Racing) also got by the fading Callies to finish fourth.  Despite fading at the end Callies continues to hold the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles points standings by 12 over Ryan Wells (Weirbach Racing) who finished right on Callies' heels to only lose one point on the night. Jake Shoemaker and Jason Isennock (Highs Dairy Stores) are tied for third another 12 points down. Sunoco "Go the Distance" Award Standings 1. Jake Shoemaker - 143 miles 2. Jason Isennock - 142 3. Adam Bushman - 141 4. Wyatt Maguire - 139 5. Ryan Wells - 138 Pro Singles Race Results Pro Singles  Point Standings 1 Jacob Lehmann 16 Laps 1 Gerit Callies 107 2 Rodney Spencer Jr. 0.511 2 Ryan Wells 95 3 Dominic Colindres 1.989 3 Jake Shoemaker 83 4 Jake Shoemaker 3.114 4 Jason Isennock 83 5 Gerit Callies 5.728 5 Stephen Vanderkuur 78 6 Ryan Wells 5.841 6 Shayna Texter 64 7 Jason Isennock 7.376 7 Hunter Taylor 50 8 Hunter Taylor 9.014 8 Wyatt Maguire 49 9 Adam Bushman 9.405 9 Adam Bushman 47 10 Stephen Vanderkuur 9.498 10 Dominic Colindres 47 11 Wyatt Anderson 13.321 12 James Monaco 13.667 13 Cole Crowley 13.887 14 Ryan Kearns 14.239 15 Bailey Fox 15.823 16 Austin Scaggs 16.216 17 Wyatt Maguire 16.372 18 Michael Inderbitzin 15 Laps

Photos from Castle Rock TT Joe Kopp - Castle Rock TT Track Walk       Peoria TT August 12, 2012 Event Info | Tickets

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

AMA Flat Track: Sammy Halbert Reigns Supreme at Castle Rock TT Repeat Win

Sammy Halbert on his #7 The South Ass/Fredericktown Yamaha/GYTR/Van's Yamaha-sponsored YZ450F motors his way into a hard-earned 4th-place finish at round 3 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield TT on May 26.

Slammin' Sammy managed a repeat win last night in round 8 of the 2012 season on his home track at the Castle Rock TT, leading title rival Jared Mees #9 home for the win by just over 1 second, with 2-Time and defending AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson #1 finishing in the 3rd-place spot just over 6.8 seconds behind Sammy in the 25-lap National main.  Halbert won the Dash for Cash and also brought it home in 2nd-place in his heat to qualify for the main.

2000 AMA Grand National Champion Joe Kopp #3 came out of retirement to bring home a 7th-place finish.  Halbert's older brother Jethro took 4th-place, with Washington State-born JD Beach rounding out the top-5.

Mees extended his overall points series lead over Johnson by 4 points (162-147), while Sammy is creeping up on the leading duo in the 3rd-place slot with 137.  Last week's winner at the Sacramento Mile, Bryan Smith #42, managed only a 17th-place finish but still holds the 4th-place slot in the overall standings with 102 points.  Johnny Lewis #10 again sat out the west coast event, but is expected back in action in next week's round 9 at the Peoria TT on Sunday, August 12.

You can read the press release below thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track, and catch up on the overall with the links at the bottom of the story.  Next up is Peoria next Sunday before the series rolls into round 10 at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on Saturday, August 18 during the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend.

Halbert Goes Back-to-Back and Lehmann Gets First Career AMA Pro Flat Track Victory in Exciting Castle Rock TT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CASTLE ROCK, Wash. (August 4, 2012) - Being from the state of Washington, Sammy Halbert (Fredericktown Yamaha) did not disappoint his hometown crowd as he won tonight's AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil race at Castle Rock Race Park in a landslide.

A large mass of viewers all over the nation, as well as a packed house in Castle Rock, Wash. witnessed Sammy Halbert kick off the second half of the season with a win. Halbert was last year's winner at this very race and is the first rider to win two races this season in AMA Pro Flat Track's premier class.

"This is awesome, I have to give it up to the local crowd for coming out, you guys fired me up and helped me get the win." Halbert said. "I just got a good start and stayed focused the whole time. It feels great. We got to keep this thing rolling; I'm fired up and want to carry this momentum to next race."

Jake Johnson, Sammy Halbert and Jared Mees celebrate on the podium after their 3-1-2 finish in round 8 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davison Insurance Grand Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Castle Rock TT, held last night in Washington State.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.

Coming off a solid restart after Brandon Robinson bit the dust, Halbert took the lead and never looked back as he was the clear-cut winner and was barely contested the entire way. With five laps remaining, Jared Mees (Rogers Racing / Montgomeryville Honda) was the only rider in Halbert's vicinity but was never really a threat as Halbert continued his dominance at Castle Rock Race Park and got to enjoy the sweet taste of victory for the second time this season. Mees and Jake Johhson (Zanotti Racing) closed out the podium, respectively. Jethro Halbert, Sammy's brother, claimed the fourth slot of the main event with J.D. Beach closing out the top five.

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles

As for the single engines, Jacob Lehmann (Spy Optics) took advantage of several restarts and claimed his first ever career victory. After Wyatt Maguire's crash called out a red flag, Lehmann shot out of the restart like a torpedo and maintained the lead for the entire race. Second place finisher Rodney Spencer (831 Pinnit) was Lehmann's only competition of the night as they both ran away from the pack and were neck and neck for the final three laps. The battle for third also proved to be an intense race as Dominic Collindres (Frankie Morris) edged Jake Shoemaker (Montgomeryville Cycle Center) and Garret Callies (Fun Mart Cycle Center) to close out the podium.

"I just came out hoping that I can at least come in the top ten and make the main event." Lehmann said. "I got lucky on the restart and I was just thinking please don't red flag it again. I was just trying to get a gap on the last few laps so I could have room to breathe but Spencer just kept creeping up on me."

AMA Pro Live Streaming Coverage

Saturday's AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil event was the birth of a significant milestone for AMA Pro Flat Track. For the first time ever in the storied history of dirt track racing, cameras planted at three separate vantage points were successful in producing a live video feed directly to www.amaprolive.com for fans to observe in real time as the action unfolded.

Next Up

The stars of AMA Pro Flat Track will return to Peoria, Illinois on August 11, 2012 for another TT event. For tickets and information, please visit http://www.peoriatt.net/.

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                         Here's the link to the full results thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track (PDF version):   http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1240/default.aspx   (Standard version results with drop-down box):   http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/results.cfm?year=2012&eid=2012021240&discipline=FT&class=FL&type=F&rnum=1&class_sort=all   Thanks to Cycle News.com for their story on the race at Castle Rock from last night:   http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2012/08/05/halbert-wins-castle-rock-tt-1/   Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track and official photographer Dave Hoenig for this gallery of shots from the Castle Rock TT:   http://amaproracing.com/ft/multimedia/gallery.cfm?gid=7433

AMA Flat Track: Sammy Halbert Signs The South Ass Apparel Company for 2012 Sponsor

Sammy Halbert and the crew of his #7 Woody Kyle Racing/Fredericktown Yamaha/AGV/Kings Kustoms-sponsored Yamaha YZ450F work on his 'A'-bike in preparation for round 14 of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com at the Peoria TT on August 21.  Halbert qualified 8th on the day just over .5 seconds behind fast man and eventual event winner, Henry Wiles in a field of 39 riders that took a run at qualifying for the oldest continual stop on the series' schedule.

Finishing second in his heat behind Jared Mees, Sammy came into contact with another rider and finished the heat with a loose exhaust.  Getting his machine back to the pits, the team got it back together in time for the Dash event, where he went on to finish 5th behind Mees, Wiles, Jake Johnson, and Rob Pearson.

In the National main event before the as expected strong crowd at the Illinois amphitheatre arena, it was business as usual for the Washington resident as he battled with eventual runner-up Mees and defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson, before Mees got away in his trek to try and run down winner Wiles.  Sammy got the better of the defending champ in finishing 3rd on the day for the final podium spot in victory circle at the Peoria Motorcycle Club.


Sammy Halbert Racing announced the signing of a new clothing sponsor for the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  Kicking off with a doubleheader round at Daytona on March 15-16, Sammy will be sponsored by The South Ass brand of clothing out of his home state of Washington, which should help him to better return to Daytona Beach and defend his doubleheader sweep from the 2011 season opening rounds. 

You can read the full press release below courtesy of Sammy Halbert Racing, and we wish The South Ass and Slammin' Sammy the best of luck for the upcoming season!
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Press release courtesy of Sammy Halbert Racing

‎2011 AMA Grand National Singles Champion Sammy Halbert Signs The South Ass Clothing As Major Sponsor

 

GRAHAM, Washington (February 1, 2012) - Sammy Halbert, 2011 AMA Grand National Singles Champion, has signed The South Ass brand of clothing as a major sponsor for the 2012 season.

"The South Ass is a perfect match for my team," said Halbert, who will not only be defending his Singles title but ...also gunning for the Grand National Championship in 2012.

 

"It's a brand that goes against the establishment, and I've always been a non-conventional kind of racer.  I love wearing The South Ass clothing and I know my fans will too."

The South Ass was established in Halbert's home state of Washington in 2009 by a group of friends who were sitting around a campfire and noticed all their kids were wearing the same brand of apparel.  A few glasses of wine later, they decided to create their own brand: The South Ass.

As part of the deal, Halbert will promote the brand to his fan base and feature The South Ass logo on his bikes and leathers.

As the defending Singles champion and winner of three of four races ever to take place at the Daytona International Speedway dirt track, including a sweep in 2011, Halbert will be the one to beat when the 2012 AMA Flat Track series kicks off in Daytona with a doubleheader March 15-16.

 

With new support from The South Ass, increased support from Factory Yamaha and GYTR, and continued support from longtime supporters Fredericktown Yamaha and Woody Kyle Racing, Halbert's Singles program is stronger than ever heading into the new season.  

About The South Ass

 

The South Ass is an apparel company established in Auburn, Washington in 2009. The brand's logo is the south end of an ass. You can buy The South Ass apparel at www.thesouthass.net.

 

Some of Sammy's other sponsors include:

 

Kings Kustoms, LZ Racing, Fredericktown Yamaha, Woody Kyle Racing, KK Supply, White's Harley-Davidson, AGV, Fluid Suspension, and Motion Pro.

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