AMA Pro Road Racing Releases Confirmed Dates for 2013 Season

3-Time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes' #1 Monster Energy Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R1 sits on display under the Yamaha tent during the 5th Annual Red Bull Indianapolis Moto GP Weekend in August 2012.  Hayes, who broke the single season record for wins in defending his AMA Superbike title, is expected to return to the team for the 2013 season alongside Rookie of the Year team mate Josh Herrin to lead the squad again on their assault on the 2013 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship.

Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing announced several confirmed dates for the 2013 season, which will see returning favorites and fan favorites Road America, Mid-Ohio, Barber Motorsports Park and a return to Indianapolis for the third season in-a-row for the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series as the undercard to the 6th Annual Red Bull Indy MotoGP in August.  Daytona will again kick off the season in March.

You can start making your reservations and getting your hotel or camping arrangements together with this release of the confirmed dates on the calendar thanks to the press release below from AMA Pro Road Racing.

AMA Pro Racing Announces Confirmed Dates on 2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (November 9, 2012) - AMA Pro Racing is pleased to announce nine confirmed events on the 2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing schedule. In addition to the events listed below, AMA Pro Racing will make announcements on the remaining events in the near future.

GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing events in 2013 will again feature non-stop entertainment and thrilling motorcycle road racing action from AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBIke and AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport. New for 2013, the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series has been renamed the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series, but the spec-based class will still continue to feature hotly-contested races by some of America's finest talent.

 

Josh Herrin #2 leads Blake Young #79, Josh Hayes #1 and the rest of the field during an AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship event in the 2012 season.  AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Daytona International Speedway will once again play host to the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing opener as the series kicks off the 2013 season with the historic DAYTONA® 200; a standalone endurance spectacular for the star-studded lineup of the GoPro Daytona SportBike division. The opening event will be bolstered by the full complement of GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing classes and is scheduled for March 14-16, 2013. The 72nd running of the historic 200-mile DAYTONA® 200 is set to go green on Saturday afternoon, March 16.

Race fans in the Midwest will be happy to know that the series will be heading back to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., on the weekend of May 31-June 2, 2013. Measuring in at just over four miles and the longest circuit on the schedule, the classic track is sure to size up the competition as the summer season begins to kick in across the nation.

Fans in the Southeast will be pleased to know that the series will be returning to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. for an event scheduled on the weekend of June 21-23, 2013. As if the racing action isn't enough, the historic venue is also home to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum which contains over 750 vintage and modern motorcycles for avid race fans to take in over the course of the weekend.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has been a well-deserved mainstay on the American road racing scene since 1962, and the legendary asphalt has seen some of the most exciting road racing action in the country. The weekend of July 12-14, 2013 does not intend to be the exception as the series heads back to Lexington, Ohio for the 31st time to take on the 2.4-mile, 15-turn natural terrain road course for another set of exciting shootouts.

National Guard SuperBike, GoPro Daytona SportBike and Motorycycle-Superstore.com SuperSport will then head west to be featured alongside MotoGP as part of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The international event at the 2.238-mile natural road course in Monterey, Ca. is scheduled for the weekend of July 19-21, 2013.

GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing will return to Miller Motorsports Park for a standalone, full-featured event on August 2-4, 2013. For the first time since the picturesque track was built in Tooele, Utah, fans will get to take in the excitement of the doubleheader race weekend.

It wouldn't be a complete season without the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series heading up to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for their stand-alone event alongside MotoGP at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. The big-bored twins will hit the bricks on August 16-18, 2013, intending to provide some of the most intense racing seen in the great state of Indiana.

Next up on September 13-15, 2013, riders and fans alike will be thrilled as the series heads back to New Jersey Motorsports Park for the fifth consecutive season. The 2.25-mile track in Millville, N.J. has been a battlefield for competitors since the gorgeous grounds were opened in 2009. In 2013, seven-time NJMP winner Josh Hayes will likely be excited at the prospect of once again building up his collection of New Jersey gold.

GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing will then proudly join the eni FIM Superbike World Championship as they return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca's legendary 2.238-mile circuit in Monterey, Calif. for World Superbike's only U.S. appearance event on the weekend of September 27-29, 2013.

Additional events or Official Series Tests will be added to the 2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing schedule. AMA Pro Racing will release details on any additional events as soon as they are available.

2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Schedule:

 

Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida		March 14-16, 2013
TBD		April/May
Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin		May 31-June 2, 2013
Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama		June 21-23, 2013
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio		July 12-14, 2013
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California		July 19-21, 2013
Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah		August 2-4, 2013
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, Indiana (Harley-Davidson XR1200)		August 16-18, 2013
TBA		August/September
New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, New Jersey		September 13-15, 2013
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California		September 26-28, 2013

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

Muzzy Kawasaki, Doug Chandler, Scott Russell and the AMA Superbike Championship-Winning ZX-7R: Check Out Some Great Reading by Larry Lawrence

Eventual 3-Time AMA Superbike Champion Doug Chandler takes the time to give Stu's Shots one of those killer sly grins during a break from the on-track action at The Coca-Cola Super Cycle Classic round of the AMA Superbike Championship Series at Road America in late June of '90.  The late Merlyn Plumlee tends to DC10's #10 Muzzy Kawasaki/Wiseco/Nankai/Dunlop-sponsored ZX-7R in the grassy area of the paddock at the flowing four-mile track outside Elkhart Lake, WI. 

Chandler would go on to overtake the late Randy Renfrow on the #5 Commonwealth Racing Honda RC30 during the AMA Superbike Championship Series main event on Sunday, July 1 to win one of four races on the year to take his first of three championships in the U.S. superbike series while riding for the Bend, OR.-based Muzzy team.  Chandler would head to Europe in the '91-'94 seasons to contest the 500CC World Championship, riding for Kenny Roberts and the Cagiva team in the premier road racing series in the world.  Returning to the States for the '95 season, he would sign for the Harley-Davidson VR1000 team, but suffered injuries that year which kept him off the track for some of the season.

By '96, the Salinas, CA. resident would be back riding for the Mean Green team of Muzzy's and together they captured the '96-'97 AMA Superbike Championships along with several more wins along the way.  And they came close to winning again in '98 but lost the title by mere points at the season ending round to Ben Bostrom on the #11 American Honda RC45.
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Doug Chandler on the #6 Muzzy Kawasaki ZX-7R 750 Supersport machine leads Scott Russell on the #7 Muzzy Kaw as they chase Tommy Lynch on the #13 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 during AMA 750 Supersport Championship Series final action at Road America in late June 1990.  Russell would win his first AMA 750 Supersport Championship at the end of the season.
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Scott Russell's #22 Muzzy Kawasaki/SBS/NGK/Dunlop-backed ZX-7R sits in the paddock area during the WERA Grand National Finals/F-USA Series weekend at Road Atlanta during late October of 1990.  Story had it at the time that the bike was actually Doug Chandler's AMA Superbike Championship-winning machine that was brought into duty to help Russell get some track time in the run-what-ya-brung premier F-USA doubleheader round outside of Gainesville, GA.  WERA ran a doubleheader weekend for the F-USA class to make up for the canceled-due to rain round at Indy's IRP in early October, and with the AMA Series having been wrapped up for the year, the bike was available to run in the talent-laden F-USA finale weekend.  Other racers on hand for the big round were Dale Quarterley, Mike Smith, the late Mike Harth, Kurt Hall, Tom Kipp and Marlboro Roberts's Robbie Petersen.

Russell would finish 5-2 on the weekend at Road Atlanta, but set a new track record (that had been held by Doug Polen) during the Sunday finale while trying to run down Kenny Roberts'/Marlboro's Robbie Petersen on the Yamaha YZR500 that Wayne Rainey had just won his first 500CC World Championship on.  Russell was forced to start from the pitlane (for reasons I can't remember in my old age!) but rode like the future champ he was to be in passing riders left and right all over the course of the season-ending race, and would finish less then 2 seconds behind Petersen's GP bike at the end of the day.  The Screaming Chief put on a riding clinic in using the curbing as a berm for the Superbike ZX and wowwed the crowd on-hand in the process. 

Russell had just wrapped up his first of three-in-a-row AMA 750 Supersport titles, and would go on to win the  '92 AMA Superbike Championship, '93 World Superbike Championship and five Daytona 200's to cement his legendary status as one of the best road racers in the world to throw a leg over a premier class four-stroke machine.
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Check out this great story of the glory days of AMA Superbike Championship Series racing and the Muzzy Kawasaki team of the late '80s/early '90s written by Cycle News.com's Larry Lawrence.  Doug Chandler and Scott Russell combined as team mates over the years to win 4 AMA Superbike Championships, a World Superbike Championship and a bucket load of AMA Superbike races with the ZX-7R that helped to add to not only their, but Kawasaki's legendary status in the world of AMA and WSBK Championship Series racing.

One of the sport's leading (and legendary in his own right!) historians, LL tells the story like no one else could about the rise to fame of the Muzzy team with the then-new ZX-7R that took road racing around the world by the throat, and tamed it:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20110907#pg120
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Doug Chandler Talks AMA Road Racing and Racing Bicycles With RRX.com's Mark Gardiner

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3-Time AMA Superbike Champion Doug Chandler gets on the throttle coming out of the turn eight area at Road America during qualifying in the AMA Superbike class for the Coca Cola Super Cycle Classic round at Elkhart Lake, WI. in June of '98. Riding the #1 Muzzy Kawasaki/Bel-Ray/SBS/Dunlop-sponsored ZX-7R, Chandler was the defending AMA Superbike Champion, having won the series crown in '97 to add to his other two AMA Superbike Championships from '90 and '96. Doug rode for Muzzy starting in the '89 season and through the end of the '90 championship-winning season before moving over to the GP wars in Europe for the next four seasons.
In most fan's eyes, he is more well-known for his #10 plate that he carried
starting with the '84 season while racing for Team Honda's AMA Flat Track team before crossing over into the AMA Road Racing Series on a full-time basis in the '88 season, and winning his first AMA Superbike race aboard one of Muzzy's Kaws at Mid Ohio in the summer of '89. After returning from Europe to ride the ill-fated Harley-Davidson VR1000 in the '95 season, he spent the better part of that year nursing injuries. Re-teaming with Muzzy for the '96 season, he must have felt right back at home, going on to win his second AMA Superbike Championship, and following it up with his third premier class crown for the 1997 season. Chandler is only one of four men in the history of the series to win multiple championships, behind 7-Time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin, and Fred Merkel and Reg Pridmore, both former 3-Time AMA Superbike Champions.
Chandler won the '83 AMA Rookie of the Year Award after winning the third race he qualified for that year at the Sante Fe Short Track round in Hinsdale, IL. He was also one of the youngest riders, at age 17, to win an AMA National in the days when the AMA Grand National Championship was comprised of the four different types of flat track racing as well as road racing. Chandler also holds a distinction that is still to this day only held by three other men-Grand Slam Champion. Chandler is the fourth man amongst the elite group, including Dick Mann, Kenny Roberts and Bubba Shobert, to have won races on all four types of dirt tracks (half mile, mile, short track and TT) as well as winning a road race National. Nicky Hayden is the closest currently-active rider in any form of racing to be close to joining that group, only short a mile win in AMA Flat Track.
Always one of the nice guys on and off the track, Chandler had a steely-eyed intensity on the bike that also helped him in his well-known racing development skills. After Kawasaki took their AMA Superbike team back in-house for the 2000 season, Chandler continued to ride for Team Green through the end of the 2001 season. He also campaigned Ducatis in the premier series during the 2002 season for the HMC Ducati squad out of Wisconsin. One of Chandler's last appearances in the AMA Superbike Championship Series was in '07 aboard the No Factory Support Honda team. He was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2006.
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If you're a long-time fan of AMA Road Racing and AMA Flat Track like I am, the name Doug Chandler should bring up great memories of a true champion who came through the ranks to win the prestigious AMA Superbike Championship. Chandler actually won it three times, and all of those coming on Rob Muzzy Kawasakis in the '90s. One of the best set-up men in the business, Chandler was adept at balancing out his machine with the tires, weather and track surface available at whatever venue he may have been racing at at the time. And he very rarely ever crashed while doing so, as well.

Road Racer X.com's Mark Gardiner has been doing a super job of keeping readers up to date on AMA Flat Track, green racing and riders who have disappeared from the limelight of the sport over the years. Last month he was able to catch up to 3-Time AMA Superbike Doug Chandler, who is now running his own bicycle sales and tuning shop close to his home in Salinas, CA. And just like with everything else Doug has done when it comes to equipment, it is top-notch. Mark got a chance to tour DC10's shop, and you can find the link to this great interview, with one of the all-time greats of AMA Road Racing below.

Thanks to Mark Gardiner again for keeping us up to date on Memory Lane, and thanks to Doug Chandler for all the great years wrestling a superbike, or a flat tracker, and making this fan very proud to have met him on a casual and passing basis. I know when I hear the name Doug Chandler, a BIG smile breaks out on my face and memories start to fly by so fast they almost look like they have a big green '10' on them!
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Here's the link to Mark's great interview with one of the greats and one of the nice guys of the sport, Doug Chandler:

http://www.roadracerx.com/features/backmarker/backmarker-dc-10-lands-with-no-engines/
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This is a great little article that Dean Adams wrote about ten years ago that he has on his SuperBikePlanet.com site about Doug. It's a real nice history piece on one of the nicest guys to ever throw a leg over a racing motorcycle:

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/001002a.htm
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You can check out Doug's AMA Hall of Fame page here:

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?racerid=380
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3-Time AMA Superbike Champ Doug Chandler Talks About The Current State of Racing

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Doug Chandler on the #1 Muzzy Kawasaki ZX-7R turns it into turn 8 during qualifying for the AMA Superbike round at Road America in June of 1998. Chandler, who won the AMA Superbike Championship in '90, '96-'97, is one of the most versatile racers to ever throw a leg over a fire-breathing 180+ HP superbike rocket. One of only four men to earn the original AMA Grand Slam in Class C racing, Doug always made it look effortless in getting the best out of the machine. One of the friendliest riders in the paddock, Doug was known for his ability to learn the machine and apply it to the track and/or circumstances at hand and bringing it home.
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Doug Chandler rips it out of Canada Corner at Road America during a practice session in June of 1999. While contesting the AMA Superbike Championship on the Muzzy Kawasaki ZX-7R, Doug and Rob Muzzy helped set the bar for professionalism on and off the track. Working with legendary tuners that included Gary Medley and the late Merlyn Plumlee, Chandler and Team Muzzy put together a string of wins and championships that went from '89-'90 and '96-'99. Doug also raced for Kawasaki in '00-'02 after they took the superbike program in-house.
Chandler also contested the AMA 600 and 750 Supersport Championships throughout the same years at different times, and from '91-'94 was in Europe contesting the 500CC World Championship for Yamaha, Suzuki and Cagiva. Upon his return to the States in '95 Doug hooked up with the then-new H-D Factory VR1000 Superbike team, but injuries suffered trying to develop the VR while racing kept him out of action for some of the year.
Back before the mid-'80s, when AMA Racing split the road race and flat track championships apart, AMA Pro Racing in 'Class C' competition as it was originally run, included running dirt track races on four different types of tracks--mile, 1/2 mile, short track, and TT (which includes a jump and where the bikes are also equipped with front brakes)--and running road racing events. To win one race at all five types of tracks incorporated in Class C racing is known as a 'Grand Slam.' There are only four men to have won the prestigious and extremely hard--especially now since the split--to attain Grand Slam. Those four men are Dick Mann, Kenny Roberts, Bubba Shobert and Doug Chandler. Nicky Hayden is about the only active racer that could possibly add his name to that list, but the chances of Ducati-or anyone in MotoGP, for that matter-allowing a multi-million dollar rider to try to contest a mile dirt track race are pretty slim and none. Doug Chandler resides in some pretty tight company.
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Former 3-Time AMA Superbike Champion Doug Chandler, who lives pretty much within ear-shot of Laguna Seca, was interviewed the week before this last weekend's Red Bull Monterey MotoGP and AMA Superbike event by one of the local sports writers and chimed in on his thoughts on racing and racing as it is now. Always one of the more approachable riders at the track, Chandler was known for his ability to bring it home and to set up a bike to be able TO bring it home.

Winning the AMA Superbike Championship in '90, '96-'97 while riding for Rob Muzzy's Kawasaki powerhouse, Chandler was one of the go-to guys of the day and along with Scott Russell, Fred Merkel, Steve Crevier and Tommy Hayden (among others) helped to make Muzzy's team the one to beat for well over a decade. The Salinas, CA. resident is one of the most versatile of this bunch, honing his abilities for Team Honda on the pro dirt track scene and then on the road race courses in the early-mid '80s. By the time Chandler hooked up with Muzzy the ability and the attitude were there, but putting that on Muzzy's Kawasakis uncorked it all once they hit the track.

Doug Chandler is what racing is and always should be and he brought a level of professionalism and attitude to the track as well as the paddock that was welcomed by all. But beneath those boyish grins was a mad man with steely eyes who could whip a throttle on a bike and that could make a grown man cry. But it was always a pleasure to see him do it and to be able to witness what he did for AMA Superbike and for the fans and to be able to talk with him and bore him to death with all the pictures he autographed for me over the years.

Thanks for all the memories, Doug! You made it fun to be a witness to it all.


Here's Doug's spin on the current state of racing, as well as racing in the States, thanks to The Monterey Herald in Monterey, CA.:

http://www.montereyherald.com/motorsports/ci_15556976
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Own a Piece of AMA Superbike History: Flyin' Fred Merkel's '95 Yoshimura Factory Suzuki GSX-R750 For Sale On eBay

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Flyin' Fred Merkel bends the #27 Yoshimura Factory Suzuki GSX-R750 through a turn at Gateway International Raceway, just east of and over the river from St. Louis, during practice for the AMA Superbike round (and the only AMA event ever held at the track) in August of 1995. Merkel won the '84-'86 AMA Superbike Championship while riding Honda Interceptors tuned by Mike Velasco, one of the Fabulous Burner Brothers of the era (and still is!) Flyin' Fred then went off to Europe in '88 and won the '88 and '89 World Superbike Championships while riding a Honda RC30 for Team Rumi. Those were the first two years of the new series, as well. #27 then returned to the States in the early '90s to run the AMA Superbike and AMA 750 Supersport Series for Muzzy Kawasaki and then Yoshimura Suzuki, winning several races in the 750SS series along the way. He was forced to retire early due to a season and career ending crash at a west coast AMA round at the end of the '95 season. He currently resides in New Zealand, and as a spokesperson and fan favorite for the sport, is sorely missed. Here's to Fred Merkel, one of the original iconic AMA Superbike racers of our once world level racing series.
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A fine piece of AMA and U.S. Road Racing history is currently for sale on eBay. This would make a great addition to anyone's collection. Maybe in glass for an end table or mantle piece for the fireplace? Of course, it would have to be a pretty good size fireplace. I'm just sayin'...................


CycleNews.com reports that Flyin' Fred Merkel's 1995 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 Superbike is for sale by the former 3-Time AMA Superbike and 2-Time World Superbike Champion. Bids start at $35K and you still have time to get on the bandwagon with a racing machine for the ages and ridden by one of the true champions, icons, and spokespersons of the sport.


Here's the story as posted by CycleNews.com I found this morning:
http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/07/07/merkel-selling-his-suzuki

And here is the listing for this great find over on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Suzuki-GSX-R-Racebike-Fred-Merkel-Suzuki-1995-GSX-R-Superbike-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2eae44fdf1QQitemZ200492252657QQptZUSQ5fmotorcycles#v4-37
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Ben Spies to Run Sterilgarda Colors in Spain This W/E....

While we're checking out some shots of Ben Spies '08 Superbike at Road America, and of him running away with race 1 at Elkhart Lake in June 0f 2008 during the AMA Road Racing w/e, word comes from the net today that he will be running the same color scheme on his Yamaha M1 at Valencia, Spain during the final round of the MotoGP season, as what he had run and won the the championship with during the WSBK season.

Having the opportunity to run as a 'wild card' entry this w/e, this will give Ben a leg up on testing the M1 and being able to get started on a baseline for what is and will be his 'rookie' season in MotoGP for the 2010 season. With testing at a premium now with all of the economic cut backs, this will undoubtedly be a big plus for Ben and his crew to get a jump start on next season.
Thanks to the fine folks at http://www.cyclenews.com/, http://www.roadracingworld.com/ ,
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/ and http://www.roadracerx.com/ for the posts and the super sweet pics of what Ben's ride will look like in Valencia this coming w/e.

Check it out and remember to watch for Ben and cheer him on! Go get 'em Ben and good luck!!

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2009/11/04/spies-news-ride
http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=38610
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2009/Nov/091104-11.htm

http://www.roadracerx.com/news/spies-valencia-livery/

Ben Spies to Join Tech III Yamaha for Season Ending Round at Valencia...

With one round to go, not to mention one major motorcycle race left in the world

before the long and cold winter break, one of the big things to look forward to with

this weekend's race event in Spain is that recently crowned '09 WSBK Champion Ben

Spies will be joining the Tech III Yamaha M1 team on one of the team's Monster

Energy Drink bikes.

This will be the team that Elbowz Spies will ride for next year in the MotoGP ranks,

and will essentially be taking over as team mate to Colin Edwards next year and moving

current team mate James Toseland off of the #52 bike and back over to World Superbike.

Ironically, he will be riding the bike Ben just clinched the championship on, and actually

tested in Portugal with it last week.

One Mr. Spies will be riding this w/e as a tune-up to the 2010 season, and with all of the

current restrictions in place as to testing, this will be great for Ben to get some serious

track time. Having ridden for the Team Rizla Suzuki squad last year in three events, one

of those being the Indy round where he got a very respectable 6th place finish in the winds

of the remains of Hurricane Ike. With this added track time, it will be essential to gain as

much info as possible to carry over into the 2010 season when testing officially starts back

up towards the beginning of spring.

The races will be televised via tape delay on Speed TV this w/e, with the 250GP race, the

very last race of the quarter liter ring dings before they go the way of the Edsel, to be televised

at 1700 EST with the MotoGP round following at 1800 EST. Again this is on Sunday 11/8.

You can follow all the action via the feeds from the left side column. MotoGP.com will have their

live timing up during all on-track sessions, and all the other sites will be just right behind with

any and all updates. It should be a great weekend for all!

The shots above are of #5 Colin Edwards and #52 James Toseland's Tech III Yamaha M1's

on display outside their respective garages at Indy back at the end of August. Enjoy and thanks

again for coming on down!

We Are The Champions!! Ben Spies Wins 2009 WSBK Championship!!

You gotta figure Ben Spies was humming the classic rock hit by the group Queen when

he was cruising home on the last lap of the final race in the 2009 World Superbike Championship in Portugal today. What a magnificent day, let alone year.
On a day when a 10 point lead could go either way in deciding the championship,

Ben Spies overcame the deficit--with a little help from Nori Haga's dnf in race 1--to

become the 2009 WSBK Champion with a 1st/5th placing in today's two races.

After going into the w/e with that little 10 point deficit-thing hanging over his head,

Ben not only took a record breaking 11th Superpole for the year--breaking an 18 year

old record held by another Texan, Doug Polen, and also the '91 and '92 WSBK Champ--but

set the track record in Portimao to start off the w/e. Today he went out and won the first race

after Nitro Nori low-sided out a little over 1/3 race in, and then sailed home to a strong 5th place in race 2 to Haga's 2nd place finish to win the title over Haga by 6 points. And in the process won

Yamaha their first WSBK Championship.

Quite an accomplishment by the WSBK 'rookie' on the season he has had! Congrats to Ben,

the Italy-based Sterilgarda Yamaha R1 team, and to Mary Spies for raising such a worthy

champion and fine young man! You are ALL the champions! And you have made us very proud!

The official links below are thanks to the wonderful work from the great folks at http://www.superbikeplanet.com/, http://www.roadracingworld.com/, and the Official Site of the World

Superbike Championship, http://www.worldsbk.com/. Thanks to all of their efforts for the results!

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2009/Oct/091025r2.htm

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2009/Oct/091025u1vx.htm

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=38542

http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Racing/wsb/

http://sbk.perugiatiming.com/pdf_frame.asp?p_Round=POR&p_Anno=2009&p_Manifestazione=14&p_Gara=01&p_Sessione=002&p_Stampa=STD

While you are reading the official results and reads from the great folks above, the shots

showcasing Ben today were shot at Road America in 2006, Barber Motorsports Park in 2007,

and the shot of Ben's 2007 AMA Superbike Team Yoshimura Suzuki's was taken in the garage

area at Mid Ohio in 2007.

Shot 1 is Ben leading race 1 of the Road America w/e over Miguel Duhamel #17 and Jake Zemke on the #98 Honda's, while chasing them all down is Mat Mladin on the #1 Suzuki.

Shot 3 is also 2006 at Elkhart Lake but in Sunday's race 2, with Ben leading Miguel Duhamel

on the #17 Team Honda CBR1000RR.

The final 2 shots are of Ben during different stages of practice and qualifying at Barber in

April of 2007.

Congrats again to Ben Spies, the 2009 World Superbike Champion! Take a bow, mate.

Ben Spies Nails Superpole #11 for the Year In Portimao, Portugal WSBK Season Finale....

In his quest to run down Nitro Nori Haga on the Team Xerox Ducati for the
10 point lead in the championship finale, Ben Spies put an impressive ride in today
during Superpole at Portimao to clinch the top spot on his Yamaha R1 by over
.58 seconds over the second place man on the grid, Shane 'Shakey' Byrnes on
another Ducati. Here's the link to the official results in pdf form:

http://sbk.perugiatiming.com/pdf_frame.asp?p_Round=POR&p_Anno=2009&p_Manifestazione=14&p_Gara=01&p_Sessione=Q6A&p_Stampa=RIE


Going into the final 2 races of the season tomorrow, Ben's philosophy has been to go
in and win both races to guarantee him taking the title over Nitro Nori, before he moves
on to MotoGP for the 2010 season. This should be a good start to doing so.
You can follow the races by checking out the links on the left side column. The Official
World Superbike site http://www.worldsbk.com/ will have live timing of the races as they go
off beginning on Sunday a.m. Keep in mind Portugal is 5 hours ahead of EDT.

The shots above are of Ben running down Mat Mladin during race 1 of the AMA Road Racing
W/E at Barber Motorsports Park in 2007 and of Ben during qualifying.

Go get 'em Ben!

Update 1620 EDT:

Larry Lawrence has a great write up about Ben winning Superpole #11 for the year today over
on his bitchin' site www.theriderfiles.com. You can go to the link below to get the scoop from
ole Double L. Thanks again Larry!

http://www.theriderfiles.com/?p=1459

Ben Spies Talks About Moving On Up....

Ben Spies did an interview with the European reps while in Magny Cours, France, today for
the WSBK round. Check it out and take the time to make a tip of the hat to
www.RoadRacingWorld.com for putting this up for us:


http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=38305

The Worst Kept Secret in WSBK to MotoGP is No Longer a Secret....

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2009/Oct/091001a.htm

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=38283

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/MotoGP/2009/October/oct0109-spies-admits-motogp-switch-was-difficult/


Well, as you have probably heard, or have known the possibilities of through the rumors
around the web, 3-Time AMA Superbike Champ, and current 2nd place man in the
World Superbike Championship, Ben Spies, made the announcement today that he was
moving to MotoGP in 2010 to partner and team with Colin Edwards on the Tech III
Yamaha team. Spies, who had been reported to have all but solidified this deal some
2 or so weeks ago, made the rumor official today.

I want to thank the fine folks at http://www.roadracingworld.com/, http://www.superbikeplanet.com/
and http://www.motorcyclenews.com/ for the above news links and the fine work they do as well.

As you ponder what 2010 will bring with Team Texas in the MotoGP circus, you are viewing
Mr. Spies leading Mr. Mat Mladin at Road America during race 1 of the AMA Superbike Series
in Elkhart Lake, WI., in June 2008. Go get 'em Ben! And good luck to you and Colin both!

Motorcycle News Europe Has Spies MotoGP News Update....

According to these guys, Ben Spies and James Toseland will be announcing the switch tomorrow.
Here is the link to that story:

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/MotoGP/2009/September/sep3009-toseland-poised-to-unveil-2010-plans/

According to MotoMatters.com Spies to Announce Switch to MotoGP for '10 on Tuesday 9/29/09

According to http://www.motomatters.com/, formerly MotoGPMatters.com, tomorrow Ben Spies and
Yamaha will be announcing his move to MotoGP for the 2010 season on the Tech III Monster
Energy Yamaha team. Teaming with Colin Edwards, former 2-Time World Superbike Champ
on team as it appears that James Toseland will be the odd man out with him supposedly heading
back to WSBK. Which IMO would be wonderful for that series, as well. Read on for the
'official' rumor....and thanks to MotoMatters.com!



http://www.motomatters.com/news/2009/09/28/spies_to_announce_motogp_switch_tomorrow.html

UPDATE Tuesday 9/29/09 1830 EDT

As of this time, no news about the above mentioned announcement has yet to hit the web. After perusing several major sites I follow, besides www.motomatters.com who originally broke this yesterday. The rumor mill sometimes gets stirred up quite a bit, but I wouldn't hesitate to say at this point that we won't NOT hear this announcement this year, but just maybe a little closer
to the end of the 'official' WSBK season in about 4-5 weeks time. Everything else I see/read/hear out here at this point sure does point to look and sound like this will happen, just
timing the official announcement at this time being the critical and final domino in the puzzle.
Stay tuned!

Ben Spies Leads the WSBK Circus Into Imola This W/E

While checking out Ben Spies at Mid Ohio in 2008, you can also follow him via

the links and pages listed right here at Stu's Shots R Us this weekend as he leads

the circus that is World Superbike Racing into the beautiful Imola, Italy round.

With just 3 events and 6 races up for grabs, Ben will be looking to build on his point

lead in the championship and trying to put some more room between himself and

Nori Haga on the Team Xerox Ducati. You can follow the action by checking out some

of the stories and action via the following links. And good luck to Ben!

http://www.worldsbk.com/en/home.html

http://www.autodromoimola.it/en/index.php

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/newind.htm/

http://www.roadracingworld.com/

http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Racing/wsb/results/?ezrace=true&race=tcm:78-290491&reporttype=race%20report&report=report&PageTitle=2009%20WSB%20Italy%20-%20Imola%20-%20race%20report

New Website From a Great Old Pro!! Check it out....

While you are checking out the various racing going on around the
world this w/e, please take the time to visit the following link:

http://www.theriderfiles.com/

...and the official shameless plug for Stu's Shots R Us:

http://www.theriderfiles.com/?p=232


Larry Lawrence, who at one time took care of media relations with and for the AMA racing series, and whose fine work you can now also find in Cycle News, amongst other publications, has started his own website featuring some shots and stories he has done over the years.
Currently covering the AMA Flat Track Series on a regular basis as well as penning his column 'Archives' for Cycle News, Larry has been around the
motorcycle racing world almost as long as dirt, and myself have been. His weekly column is reason enough to buy and read CN, but his coverage of the
flat track series the last several years has been stellar, to say the least.
After all of the time he has wrapped up in doing this, 'LL' started his website earlier this month featuring a BOAT load of great archival shots and writings
that go back in to the 70s. Being an ole hoss like myself, he has been around some of the finest and fastest and his work more then speaks for itself. And I
can't remember when I ever heard anyone speak a harsh word about the man, so his jovial attitude and endearing smile and laugh almost immediately make you gravitate towards anything bike-related, or otherwise, he is involved with. The man is an expert and has fun, obviously, doing it!
Please take the time to check him out--I guarantee you won't be dissapointed!

The shot above is actually one of 3-Time AMA Superbike Champion Doug Chandler, that I took at Road America in June of '90, the w/e he won and continued on a tear for the rest of the year to capture his first AMA title. As
you look at the shot of Doug looking over his tuner's shoulder at the bike, in the
background you can see the constant-smiling face of Mr. Larry Lawrence walking past. He is the gentleman in the center-rear of the shot in blue jeans and light blue shirt. Okay, if you didn't know him well you might not recognize him, but nonetheless his 'Cheshire Cat' grin is one that never seems to disappear as you can tell.

Take care and enjoy the races and the w/e!

Straight From The 'Guess Who Won Their 5th & 6th SuperPole' Dept.--Mat Mladin Wins AMA 5th SuperPole and Ben Spies Wins 6th WSBK SuperPole

As we begin to get into the thick of the motorcycle road racing seasons
in the AMA American Superbike Series as well as the World Superbike Series,
two names keep coming to the top in both.
Having fought one another tooth and nail for the previous three years in America
in the AMA Superbike Series, Mat Mladin and Ben Spies are both setting and maintaining
new records in their quests to win a 7th AMA title and 1st WSBK title, respectively.
Yesterday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA., Mad Mat took his series-leading title
venture to another, and not surprising, level in winning the 5th SuperPole session of the year
in the new AMA American SuperBike Series. This morning, Ben 'Elbowz' Spies took his
World Superbike-leading 6th SuperPole win at the South African round of the WSBK Series.

Both riders, besting a field of multi-talented and race-winning riders, managed to pull off
another milestone in each of their series to lead their fields off the line in each of their w/e's
upcoming races.
You can follow Mat's ventures via the link below in the AMA series at Infineon this w/e. This
afternoon's race starts at 3 P.M. west coast time and tomorrow's race at 4 P.M. west coast time:

http://www.amaproracing.com/rr/events/event.cfm?eid=2009010925

....and you can get the live timing link here as well:

http://wire.ama-cycle.org/

As for following Mr. Spies venture at Kyalami in South Africa, tomorrow's races are at 6 A.M. and 9:30 A.M. east coast time. The link is below and the live timing is located on the right side
of the Official WSBK website:

http://www.worldsbk.com/en/home.html

The shots we view as we keep up on their exploits were taken at the beautiful Barber
Motorsports Park in Leeds, AL., just outside of Birmingham, at the AMA round in April
of '07. In both we see Elbowz chasing Mad Mat in both shots, as he did in both races that
particular w/e, while defending and ultimately winning his 2nd of 3 AMA Superbike Championships.

Good luck to both Mr. Spies and Mr. Mladin in their quests to show the U.S. and the World as
to really who is top man in each of their indicidual series they are competing in this year.
It just doesn't get any better than on 2 wheels!

Ben Spies Takes 5th SuperPole of the Year at Monza WSBK

While we see Ben Spies bend it into turn 11 at Barber Motorsports Park
during qualifying for the old AMA SuperStock class in April of '07, word comes
from across the pond that young Mr. Spies has claimed his 5th SuperPole of the year
in the World Superbike Series in Monza, Italy.
Being a 'rookie' racing in Europe this year, Elbowz Spies has now amassed 5 Superpole wins, 4 wins, 1 second, and also, unfortunately, 3 crashes. The 3 crashes, with ZERO points each for those three races, mean that Mr. Spies comes into the 5th round of the year 60 points in arears
of one Nori Haga on the Team Xerox Ducati in the fight for the '09 World Superbike Series
Championship. However, with the 2 races for tomorrow, and the other 9 events and 18 races
to go in the season, anything can happen. And Nitro Nori in this young season has made ZERO
mistakes so far, having captured 2nd place to Mr. Spies 4 wins.
You can keep your fingers crossed and watch the tape-delayed races tomorrow on Speed TV, or
even catch the live timing during the races 'live' on your computer. The races roll off at 0600 and 0930 ET in the morning, and will be shown 16-1800 ET on Speed, or the night owl times of
0300-0500 on Wed. 5/13 on the same. You can also follow along with the
updates from the website on the left side column, or click here:

http://www.worldsbk.com/en/home.html

It should be a great round to see.
Go get 'em Ben!!!

Ben Spies Crash at Assen WSBK Race 2

As we check out Ben Spies leading Mat Mladin and Miguel
Duhamel at Road America in race 1 of the 2006 w/e, I found a
link from the fine folks at www.superbikeplanet.com that they posted
from YouTube.com on Ben's race 2 crash at Assen this last w/e. Pretty
nasty tumble for sure and he AND we are all lucky he wasn't hurt worse
than what it appears on the video. Check it out....and pucker up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEh92QVQTDo

Ben Spies Rolls in Assen to Take World Superbike Superpole #4

As we view some various shots of Ben Spies at Road America in

June of '06--the early part of the year when he won his 1st AMA

Superbike Championship--word comes from across the pond that

Ben Spies not only led all sessions of practice and qualifying this w/e

at Assen, but also managed to take his 4th event Superpole of the year.

And this on a track that before Thursday he had never seen in person.

Great stuff from the Tall Texan who the world is getting to know why he

is called 'Elbows,' as these shots will indeed reinforce. To view the results of

the races in the World Superbike Championship, take a look here:

http://www.worldsbk.com/en/season.html

You can also click on their 'home' page tag to take you to the live timing which

is available during the events of the weekend. The races for Sunday, April 26th

are due to roll off at 0600 EDT and 0930 EDT. Unfortunately, due to licensing

restrictions, the live feed available to other parts of the world are not to us here in

the U.S. But..........they are on tape-delayed on Sunday 4/26 on SpeedTV at 3 and 4

P.M. ET. And for you night owls repeated on Tuesday 4/28 at 0300 and 0400 ET.

So stay tuned as Mr. Spies highlights and shows his talent to the rest of the world for

part 4 of the 14 part World Superbike Series of 2009. You will not be dissapointed in

watching what this very talented young man can do!

The above shots were taken as mentioned at Road America--all of them in turn 14 before or

in mid-corner which leads onto the 3700 foot front stretch in Elkhart Lake, WI. The first two

shots you see Ben leading Miguel Duhamel on the #17 Team Honda CBR1000RR. In the first

shot you will also see multi-time AMA FX Champion Jake Zemke on the #98 Team Honda

CBR1000RR trying to keep them within sight. These two were taken during race 2 on Sunday

afternoon of the weekend. In the other shots, Mr. Elbows is in various forms of practice or qualifying on Friday and Saturday of the w/e event.

So tune in as we see the Tall Texas Elbows Man take on the world again and show them

what the fine state of Texas, as well as the once-fine AMA Road Racing Series has turned out

in the way of talent. Let the pain begin......

Ben Spies '08 Championship Winning Yoshimura Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSXR-1000

As you view the shots above of Mr. Ben Spies 3rd Championship

winning Suzuki in various stages of dress, the updates from across

the pond as he takes his assault to the World Superbike stage are

good and bad.

We'll start with the bad as it occurred in race one at Valencia this last

w/e, as Ben crashed chasing Nori Haga on the Xerox Ducati. Thankfully

it was only a high speed wash out, but the bike appeared to suffer fairly

severe damage from the endo it took into the kitty litter. He did, however,

get right up without appearing to have suffered any serious damage to his

body, and 3 1/2 hours later jumped on his back-up bike, and pulled off a

very valiant effort for 2nd behind Mr. Haga again. While scoring zero points

for the first leg, he grabbed a solid 20 for his second place effort to come out of

the w/e only 40 down from Nori after 3 events and 6 races. We still have 11 events

and 22 races to go and I guarantee we will see MUCH more of Mr. Spies on the box,

and most probably on the top at that. And did I fail to mention he did take Superpole

again for the w/e. Sure, it doesn't pay any points, but after 3 events, and 3 Superpoles

under his belt on tracks he has at best barely seen, well, you can do the math.

Good luck, Ben, we're all behind you and amped up you are doing such a super job.

We'll be following your exploits throughout the season and looking forward to more!

And you can follow all of his exploits through all of the links and feeds on the left-side

column. You won't be disappointed!

All of the shots above I took at Road America in June of '08 in the Yosh camp in the

paddock area. One of the most sanitary looking operations you will see anywhere in

this series, if not in the world. Between Ben and Mat Mladin, they have won 9 championships

since 1999 in the AMA Road Racing Series. That's 9 Superbike Championships, the grand

daddy of the best. Not too mention their current race winning streak of 51 races and

you start to realize you are looking at not only mastery, but history as well. Enjoy their

wares above. They are built for the gods of the series, and they are the gods of

machinery on two wheels.