AMA Road Racing: National Guard Returns as 2012 Title Sponsor for AMA Superbike Championship

Tom Kipp on the #16 Fast By Ferracci/DKNY MEN/Ducati Motorcycles/AGIP Lubricants-sponsored Ducati 998 leads eventual '98 AMA Superbike Champion Ben Bostrom on the #11 American Honda/Dunlop/Arai/Alpinestars-backed Honda RC45 early in the Wiseco Superbike 100 at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in July '98.  Following closely on Bostrom's tail section is Jamie Hacking on the #92 Yamaha Motor Corp/Dunlop/
Sharkskinz/Yamalube-sponsored YZF750, with Pascal Picotte on the #21 Harley-Davidson/Zippo/Dunlop/Shoei-sponsored H-D VR1000 doing an admirable job of keeping the big-HP machines he is chasing within reach, during the premier event of the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire at the Lexington, OH. facility. 

Mid Ohio has hosted AMA Pro Road Racing events at the track since the early-to-mid '80s and has almost always been one the higher crowd turn-outs for the series.  Hopefully they will be back on the schedule again for the 2012 season!


Good news for AMA Pro Road Racing fans of the series' AMA Superbike Championship was released today when it was announced that title-sponsor National Guard would return to the series for the 2012 season, making it the fourth year as title-sponsor.  Past companies that have sponsored the premier road racing series on the North American continent include Chevrolet and Parts Unlimited.  National Guard will also be putting up some extra dough for the series season-ending rider payout.
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Army National Guard and AMA Pro Racing Announce Extended Partnership and Introduction of Year-End Points Fund

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (November 21, 2011) - Officials from AMA Pro Racing and the Army National Guard announced today an extension of their existing partnership, which names the Army National Guard as the Official Department of Defense Branch of AMA Pro Road Racing and title sponsor of AMA Pro Road Racing's premier AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike class. Additionally, AMA Pro Racing will be naming a new $50,000 year-end points fund for the SuperBike division in honor of America's soldiers and to reflect the relationship that the series has with the Army National Guard. The 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing season will mark the Army National Guard's fourth consecutive year of series support.

"The Army National Guard is an incredible American institution that we are proud to be partners with," said David Atlas, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. "The men and women that serve our country are the true heroes of the modern age. It is very rewarding for us to have the opportunity to show our support for those heroes and to promote the Army National Guard and its recruiting efforts."

The Army National Guard is the oldest component of the U.S. Armed Forces and one of the longest enduring U.S. institutions. The fast-paced environment found at AMA Pro Road Racing events attracts a high-energy, dedicated fan base which provides a high degree of potential candidates for recruitment in the Army National Guard. Since the partnership began in 2009, there has been a steady expansion in cooperative promotional activations at AMA Pro Road Racing events, exposing the loyal fans of the series to the many exciting opportunities available in the Army National Guard.

One of the most prominent promotional activities featured at AMA Pro Road Racing events is the National Guard 2-Up ride-along program. The National Guard 2-Up program is an outreach tool that gives soldiers, dignitaries and media representatives the opportunity to ride on the back of a specially-prepared Suzuki GSX-R1000 in order to offer an expanded understanding of motorcycle road racing and to emphasize the importance of proper safety equipment and riding techniques to rider safety.

New for the 2012 season, AMA Pro Racing and the Army National Guard will introduce "Guard Minute" features as part of the official series and local media coverage for each event. These features, which will be distributed via the AMA Pro Racing website, social media outlets and other media channels, will showcase the Guardsmen in attendance at events and the prominent contribution that they make to the excitement of AMA Pro Road Racing events and to the sport of motorcycle racing as a whole.

The new agreement also provides for the Army National Guard to have an expanded title sponsorship role with the "Paddock Chatter Blog" on the AMA Pro Racing website. The "National Guard Paddock Chatter Blog" is hosted by SPEEDTV announcer Greg White and features insider news and information on AMA Pro Road Racing riders and teams. Recognizing the importance of rider development, the Army National Guard also plans to have an expanded role in the fostering of the rising stars of American motorcycle racing in the 2012 season.

The 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing season will kick off with the historic Daytona 200 Week, scheduled for March 15-17, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway. Please visit www.nationalguard.com for more information on the National Guard.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. For additional information contact:   AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

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Ben Spies Takes Maiden MotoGP Win at Assen TT

Ben Spies on the #1 Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura American Suzuki-sponsored GSX-R1000 heads into the carousel towards the end of lap 1 of race 2, leading the pack during the Wiseco 100 Superbike Doubleheader at Mid Ohio in August of 2008, the premier event of the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire round of the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited.  Following closely on his heels is team mate and then 6-Time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin on his #6 like-sponsored GSXR.  Mladin would go on to win the battle, but Spies would go on to win the war and at the end of the year capture his 3rd AMA Superbike Championship, adding to his '07 AMA Superstock Championship earned in AMA Pro Road Racing over the course of the previous three years.

Just behind Mladin (and partially obscured) is Jamie Hacking on the #2 Monster Energy Kawasaki ZX-10R, Neil Hodgson on the #100 Honda/Parts Unlimited/Suomy-backed CBR1000RR, with team mate Miguel Duhamel on the #17 American Honda/Shark/Joe Rocket-sponsored CBR.  Aaron Yates on the #20 Jordan Brand/American Suzuki-sponsored GSX-R1000 tries to keep the front pack in sight as he just comes into the shot on far left.



Spies control and mastery in all-types of competition over the course of the last seven years of premier-class racing has seen him accomplish things we mortals can only dream of in the sport of high-speed road racing around the world.  After leaving the AMA Series after the end of the '08 season, Elbowz arrived on the World Superbike Championship Series (WSBK) scene, and immediately let everyone know his lack of knowledge of race circuits was not going to leave him deterred.  By the end of the '09 season, he had won the WSBK Championship in a route, winning half the races on the season and 11 of 14 poles on the year.  Spies then left the Yamaha World Superbike team to ride alongside fellow-Texan and Mr. Popularity in the MotoGP Championship, Colin Edwards, on the Tech 3 Yamaha satellite team, winning the Rookie of the Year Award along the way and scoring podiums and a pole position at one of his home events, the RedBull Indianapolis MotoGP round last August, less then six miles down the road from the home of Stu's Shots.

Now riding alongside of 2010 MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo on the Yamaha Factory team, the Texas Terror has had a rough start to the 2011 campaign, with three DNF's in the first six rounds.  Today at Assen, however, in what were described as 'treacherous conditions' by journalists throughout the world, the quiet man from Texas made a steep leap in the learning curve process by winning his maiden MotoGP race in The Netherlands, a track Spies noted was very special to him 'after having watched all his heroes' race and win there over the years. 



Today, Spies added to his hero status to us mere mortals by winning his first of what are sure to be MANY more race wins in the premier road racing series in the world.  And probably left even a few of us tearing up seeing him get that first big win in the process.  Congrats Ben for a job well done!
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Ben Spies took the top spot on the box earlier today for his first win in the MotoGP World Championship at the Assen TT round in The Netherlands, breaking his cherry in the premier road racing series in the world after only 28 events.  The Yamaha Factory Racing pilot took his 50th Annivesary-laiden YZF-M1 #11 machine home to the victory over 2011 season dominator Casey Stoner on the #27 Repsol Honda by over 7.6 seconds, setting the fastest lap of the race on the 12th of 26 laps along the way.  Rounding out the podium at the Iveco Assen TT was the #4 Repsol Honda of Andrea Dovizioso another 20-some seconds back from team mate Stoner.

Spies caught the break he needed less then half a lap into the race.  After coming off the middle of the front row, 2010 MotoGP World Champion (and team mate to Spies) Jorge Lorenzo tried to make the pass on Elbowz, only to run wide in the first turn, allowing Spies the margin necessary to stay ahead of the mayhem that was to befall his team mate and allow him to gap the field almost immediately into the event.  Polesitter Marco Simoncelli on the San Carlo Honda highsided his #58 machine shortly thereafter just in front of Lorenzo's #1 machine, causing both to go down while the pack snaked by.  Both remounted, and in a ride that champions are made of, Lorenzo blasted back through the field to eventually finish in the 6th position, just over a second behind 5th place finisher Nicky Hayden on the #69 Marlboro Ducati. 

7-Time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi overcame his 11th starting spot to garner 4th place, only his second time on the season inside the top 4.  Rossi's struggles with the Ducati GP11 have been well-documented on the year, and after receiving chassis updates for this round seems to be coming to grips with the needed-changes after an up-and-down weekend at Assen, and on the year overall.  Colin Edwards on the #5 Tech 3 Yamaha brought it home 7th, and Hiroshi Aoyama, filling in for injured Dani Pedrosa on the Repsol Honda, came home in the 8th spot.  Simoncelli managed to come up through the field after his first lap get-off to bring it home in 9th, and Toni Elias on the #24 LCR Honda rounded out the top 10.

Congratulations go out to Ben Spies for his maiden win in the MotoGP World Championship.  The man from Texas has now gotten that first win in his pocket and we, along with all of his fans around the world, are glad to help him celebrate.  Great ride today Ben!
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Round 7 Assen TT stories and picture links of the race, in the 2011 MotoGP World Championship Series in The Netherlands

Here's the summary to the race as well as the results from the Assen round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship, thanks to David Emmett and his great MotoMatters.com site:

http://motomatters.com/results/2011/06/25/2011_assen_motogp_race_result_first_lap_.html

Matt Beer at Autosport.com filed this report of the race with some quotes from Assen winner, 3-Time AMA Superbike Champion, '09 WSBK Champion, and '10 MotoGP Rookie of the Year, Ben Spies:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92622

BBC Sport.com has this great article, with a very nice shot of Spies on the Yamaha 50th Anniversary #11 YZF-M1 at Assen:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motogp/13914777.stm

GP Update.net has some great photos from the weekend at the Dutch TT in Assen, as well as their event wrap-up here:

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/race-editions/1582/2011-dutch-motogp-grand-prix/
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Results from the Iveco TT Assen, round 7 of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship

MotoGP.com's link to most recent results here (standard versions):

http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics

Round 7 Assen results here (PDF version):

http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/2011/NED/MotoGP/RAC/Classification.pdf?v1_facb3226

2011 MotoGP World Championship point standings, after round 7 at Assen (PDF version):

http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/2011/NED/MotoGP/RAC/worldstanding.pdf?v1_bbdf240c
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AMA Pro Road Racing Reviews Miller Motorsports Park Two-Day Test

The annual stop at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH. has been one of the premier events in the history of the AMA Superbike Championship since the early '80s, with the track hosting the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire round.  Wiseco Superbike 100 race two action in July of 2001 shows Kurtis Roberts leading this group of riders on his #80 American Honda/Parts Unlimited/Erion Racing-sponsored Honda RC-51, followed closely by Miguel Duhamel on his #17 American Honda/Universal/Shoei-backed RC-51.  Jamie Hacking on the #92 American Suzuki/Yoshimura/Motorex-backed GSX-R750 keeps the two close at hand.
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Miller Motorsports Park Test: Hayes, DiSalvo, Gaviria, Wyman Top Sessions

TOOELE, UT (May 3, 2011) - Ringed by snow-capped mountains, Northern Utah's majestic Miller Motorsports Park played host to a two-day AMA Pro Road Racing test May 2-3 that brought in a total of 62 participating riders. All four classes were represented at the test, which served as preparation for AMA Pro Road Racing's Round 2 (May 13-15 at Infineon Raceway) as well as for the series' Round 3 return to Miller Motorsports Park, an event at which it will run concurrent with Round 5 of the World Superbike Championship.

Monster Energy Graves Yamaha's reigning National Guard SuperBike Champion, Josh Hayes, was dominant in both days' testing, topping seven of eight sessions on the 3.05-mile, 15-turn "natural road course" configuration. Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing's Larry Pegram headed the one session Hayes did not, but M4 Suzuki's Martin Cardenas and Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammates Blake Young and Tommy Hayden were an even more consistent presence at the top of the time sheets throughout. Cardenas' times were particularly notable, as the reigning AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion has just a single SuperBike race under his belt thus far.

Also showing strongly in SuperBike testing was Jordan Suzuki's Roger Hayden, who returns to the AMA Pro series this year after a difficult 2010 season in World Superbike. At the opposite end of the experience scale from those listed above, Cycle World/Attack Performance Kawasaki's JD Beach used the test to make his debut AMA Pro SuperBike appearance, dropping more than 7.726 seconds between his first and best session to finish with the 12th-quickest time overall.

In all, twenty-one SuperBike riders attended the MMP test; the top-five overall were as follows: Josh Hayes, 1:50.333; Blake Young, 1:50.840; Larry Pegram, 1:51.215; Tommy Hayden, 1:51.255; Martin Cardenas, 1:51.351.
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Miller Motorsports Park photo by Brian J. Nelson
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Twenty-two AMA Pro Daytona SportBike riders rolled out on track for the Monday-Tuesday sessions, Celtic Racing/Fast by Ferracci Ducati's PJ Jacobsen taking over the scoreboard early and topping five of eight sessions, with only Latus Motors Racing's Jason DiSalvo and M4 Suzuki rider Dane Westby able to wrest the top spot away. DiSalvo's seventh-session lap, however, was good for quickest overall, and with Monster Energy Graves Yamaha's Josh Herrin consistently hunting the front-runners, Herrin's third-quickest overall time came as no surprise.

GP Bike Parts Racing's Cameron Beaubier and Vesrah Suzuki's Cory West placed consistently among the top lap-runners; also strong were Y.E.S. Yamaha's Tommy Aquino and Triple Crown Industries' Paul Allison. But with riders like GEICO Powersports/RMR Suzuki's Danny Eslick, Vesrah Suzuki's Taylor Knapp, Tyler Odom, and more lurking just behind, Infineon can't come soon enough for the field.


In related news, following a productive meeting held late Tuesday at the Utah track between AMA Pro Racing officials, Josh Herrin, and Graves Motorsports Yamaha personnel, AMA Pro has determined that Herrin will serve a one-race suspension at Round 2 instead of the two-race penalty originally assessed post-Daytona. "The communication and shared understanding between parties was such that AMA Pro felt it was appropriate to move forward in this manner," said AMA Pro Racing COO David Atlas.


The top five Daytona SportBike riders at the MMP test were as follows: Jason DiSalvo, 1:55.254; PJ Jacobsen, 1:55.596; Josh Herrin, 1:56.543; Cameron Beaubier, 1:56.881; Cory West, 1:56.981.
Sixteen-year-old Benny Solis impressed in AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport testing, the Team Roadracingworld.com rider topping the majority of the two days' sessions, but he was narrowly edged out in the test's final hours by LTD Racing/Y.E.S. Yamaha's David Gaviria, who posted the quickest SuperSport lap of the test in the seventh session.

Sixteen-year-old Benny Solis impressed in AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport testing, the Team Roadracingworld.com rider topping the majority of the two days' sessions, but he was narrowly edged out in the test's final hours by LTD Racing/Y.E.S. Yamaha's David Gaviria, who posted the quickest SuperSport lap of the test in the seventh session.

Gaviria's teammate, Tomas Puerta, also showed well, topping one session and turning in the fourth-quickest lap overall, but it was Vesrah Suzuki's Corey Alexander (currently in his first full season of AMA Pro competition) who really came into his own at MMP. Alexander turned in the third-quickest SuperSport lap at the circuit, just a few tenths behind Solis.

The class' top-five overall were as follows: David Gaviria, 1:57.988; Benny Solis, 1:58.348; Corey Alexander, 1:58.615; Tomas Puerta, 1:58.615; Quentin Wilson, 2:00.655.

Many of the series' most competitive AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 riders also rolled in the MMP gates Monday morning, Latus Motors Racing teammates Joe Kopp and Chase McFarland getting started early and taking turns at the top of the timesheets twice and three times, respectively. RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing's Chris Fillmore was the first to break the cycle, but teammate Kyle Wyman soon followed, turning in laps quick enough to see him ranked first overall by Tuesday evening. Top-five rankings at test's end were as follows: Kyle Wyman, 2:08.637; Chase McFarland, 2:08.964; Joe Kopp, 2:09.085; Gerry Signorelli, 2:09.837.

For complete results from the test at Miller for all four classes, click here:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/rr/2011/R1107/default.aspx

With AMA Pro Road Racing's Round 2 at Infineon Raceway now just ten days away, series participants return home for a short break before heading to Sonoma, California's pastoral wine-country, soon to get loud with the sounds of Infineon Raceway's West Coast Moto Jam. For information about and tickets to the California circuit's May 13-15 AMA Pro Road Racing weekend and surrounding events, visit http://www.infineonraceway.com/.

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 http://www.amaproracing.com/.

For additional information contact:

AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com
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Suzuki Teams Talk About Daytona Opening Rounds of AMA Superbike Championship

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Jamie Hacking's #92 Yoshimura/American Suzuki/Dunlop/Motorex-sponsored GSX-R750 gets final work done inside the Yoshimura garages at Mid Ohio in July of '01 in preparation for the AMA Superbike Championship round at the Lexington, OH. track. The Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire began hosting two rounds of the Wiseco 100 for the premier superbike class in July of 2000, along with Road America and Road Atlanta, which had been the first track to hold a double round in 1998.
The official factory version of Team Suzuki in '01 consisted of then-2-Time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin (and soon to be 7-Time Champ), along with team mates Hacking and Aaron Yates on the Yosh GSXRs. Jump to 2011 and Blake Young and Tommy Hayden helm the team that now houses the GSX-R1000s with Rockstar/Makita backing. Both are multiple-time winners in the premier series in AMA Pro Road Racing, and Young did the double at Daytona last Friday and Saturday, for the second year in a row that the same rider won both opening rounds. Jake Zemke scored the double in 2010 while riding with the Michael Jordan National Guard Superbike team.
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With the winds of Daytona having blown by for another year, and some two months before round two of the 2011 AMA Pro Road Racing Superbike Championship hits the track at Infineon Raceway in May, teams took the time to reflect this week on last weekend's outings. With the Daytona 200 SportBike show catching most of the attention due to the calamitous nature of the way the race eventually came down, the AMA Superbike Championship rounds one and two were all but overlooked. But not for the lack of excitement, on the track where it belongs!

With Team Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Young winning both opening rounds at the World Center of Speed, #79 showed the field and the fans that his race win at the season ender last year at Barber was no fluke, and the young man from Wisconsin is again on top of his game after breaking his back last year and missing part of the season. Team mate Tommy Hayden on the #22 carded 2nd/3rd results in the openers and for the second year in a row missed the top step of the podium in both races by a combined .235 seconds! Needless to say both will be a constant threat throughout the remainder of the season and will provide some excellent and exciting racing once the series hits the real tracks on the schedule.

Team Jordan/National Guard Suzuki teamsters Ben Bostrom on the #23 Jordan Brand GSX-R1000 and Roger Lee Hayden on the #54 National Guard GSXR also figured into the mix for the season opener, but obviously not what either would have wanted, with BBoz scoring a 4th/5th and RLH a 5th/15th, the latter of which was caused by losing the front end on a painted line/stripe in a cornering move. With both of these guys being new to not only the team, but the new 2011 GSXRs as well, and testing having been at a bare minimum for all, look for both to better their results as the year progresses. BBoz obviously still has the fire in him that propelled him to the '08 AMA Supersport Championship and his '09 Daytona 200 win, let alone his win at Laguna last summer on the Pat Clark Yamaha. And the youngest of the Hayden Brothers out of OWB, KY. is looking to race at the front again in 2011 after suffering from running at the back in the World Superbike Championship last year while riding the under-funded Kawasaki for Team Pedercini. Either of these riders could garner the next win for Michael Jordan's team in it's eighth season of competing in the AMA Pro Road Racing Series.

The 2011 version of the AMA Superbike Championship reconvenes at Infineon Raceway (Sears Point to all you old heads like me) on May 13-15. With Daytona gone down the road, the series hits the real tracks for some real racing, in what should be a super year for Suzuki AND the rest of the field!
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Suzuki Racing reviews Daytona rounds one and two of the 2011 AMA Superbike Championship:

http://www.suzuki-racing.com/young-dominates-daytona-superbike-opener.23805.cms?SRS_ID=1

More here from Suzuki Racing's official website:

http://www.suzuki-racing.com/young-and-hayden-take-daytona-one-two.23775.cms?SRS_ID=1

Team Rockstar/Yoshimura/Makita Suzuki and Team Jordan Suzuki review their Daytona's to kick off the 2011 season. Thanks to RoadRacingWorld.com for this press release:

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=43666
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AMA Pro Road Racing has the official results of all the racing at Daytona International Speedway here:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/rr/2011/01-daytona/default.aspx
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AMA Road Racing & Dunlop Tire Set for Daytona Test on March 17 & 18

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Anthony Gobert leads a field of stellar competition on his way to the event win riding the #95 Vance & Hines Ducati 996 during the AMA Superbike Championship final at Road America on June 14, 1998, as part of the Coca-Cola Super Cycle Classic weekend round in Elkhart Lake, WI.
Following closely early in the race are Miguel Duhamel on the #17 American Honda RC45, team mate (and eventual '98 AMA Superbike Champion) Ben Bostrom on the #11 American Honda RC45, Jamie Hacking on the #92 Yamaha Motor Corp. YZ750, Doug Chandler on the #1 Muzzy Kawasaki ZX-7R, Aaron Yates on the #20 Yoshimura American Suzuki GSX-R750 (partially hidden), Tom Kipp on the #16 Fast By Ferracci Ducati 996, and just coming out from under the old Billy Mitchell Bridge the #97 Yamaha Motor Corp. YZ750 of Rich Oliver.
In this shot, all riders but Tom Kipp are Dunlop Tire-shod, with the FBF team running Michelins this particular year. With Dunlop being the sole control tire provider in the new age of AMA Road Racing (along with many other spec tire series running throughout the world now), the English tire giant will be plenty busy come Monday and Tuesday of the upcoming week in supplying tires to over 50 riders for the test scheduled at Daytona. With the extra load that the banking sections at Daytona puts on tires (even in these days of Superbike-Lite tuned motors) tire testing is a must in order to ensure participant safety as the stresses put on the machines and getting the power to the ground are extreme.
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What used to be the annual trek to Daytona Beach for the AMA Road Racing and Dunlop Tire tests is finally set for the first of next week, as AMA Pro Road Racing released this press release late yesterday on what the particulars will be for the two day event. The World Center of Speed at Daytona International Speedway will play host to the stars of today's AMA Road Racing Series as tires will be put to the test to better help get a gauge on the newly-paved track for the March running of the AMA Superbike Championship round and the Daytona 200.

AMA Pro Road Racing also notes that the Live Timing and Scoring feature will be available while the tests are being run, and taking a look at it today they have done a VERY nice job of updating this feature for easier viewing and better stats to keep you up to date. Great job AMA Pro Road Racing!

You can check out the official release here thanks to the new and improved AMA Road Racing. With just under two months until action kicks off for the 2011 racing season in the U.S., this will be a great primer to help keep us Midwesterner's a little warmer and fueled up in the off season!
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AMA Road Racing Lineup Set for 2011 Dunlop Tire Test at Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, Florida--Friday January 14, 2011

AMA Pro Racing and Dunlop Tire will be conducting a two-day test session at the newly resurfaced Daytona International Speedway on January 17 and 18. All four AMA Pro Road Racing classes will be participating in the first open test for the AMA Pro Road Racing competitors. A limited test was conducted this past December by Dunlop Tire and successfully paved the way for the first big open test of 2011.

An impressive 53 rider entry list has been set for the two-day test with 17 AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike riders, 15 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike riders, 10 AMA Pro SuperSport riders and 11 AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series riders.

The test will begin at 12:00 noon on Monday, January 17th and run until 5:00 p.m. and then the riders will have a full day on the track on Tuesday, January 18th, running from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Highlighting the entry will be 2010 National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes with his Yamaha now sporting the coveted Number One plate. He will be joined by 2010 Daytona SportBike Champion Martin Cardenas, making his National Guard SuperBike debut on a Team M4 Suzuki. Also testing for the first time at Daytona in 2011 will be Tommy Hayden, Blake Young, Chris Ulrich, Geoff May, Chris Clark and others.

A number of riders will be making their debuts on new team or equipment combinations including Ben Bostrom, Larry Pegram, Eric Bostrom and the aforementioned Cardenas. Rejoining the AMA Pro series in 2011 is Roger Hayden.

The series will also be welcoming back Kawasaki to AMA Pro Road Racing for this year's Daytona round, the exciting new project that was announced earlier today will see Eric Bostrom riding the iconic green Kawasaki Ninjas at Daytona in both the SuperBike and Daytona SportBike classes with the Team Cycle World Attack Performance program.

Larry Pegram has made an equipment change, riding a BMW in this year's series.

Ben Bostrom will join Roger Hayden at the Jordan Motorsports team in a complete rider change for the team. Hayden will be riding the National Guard Suzuki and Bostrom will be aboard the famous number 23 Jordan Suzuki.

In the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike category, 15 riders will be testing the new racing surface. 2009 Daytona SportBike Champion Danny Eslick will be getting his first look at the new track surface and he will be joined by a number of new rider team/equipment combinations as well, including Dane Westby riding with Team M4 Suzuki, Taylor Knapp moving to Vesrah Suzuki alongside Cory West, and P.J. Jacobsen riding a Ducati for Celtic Racing with technical support from Fast by Ferracci. The series will also see the return of Jason DiSalvo, riding with Team Latus Motors. AMA Pro 2010 SuperSport Young Gun East Division champion J.D. Beach will be making his debut in the Daytona SportBike class aboard the exciting new Kawasaki entry alongside Eric Bostrom as part of the Team Cycle World Attack Performance program with Kawasaki.

2010 AMA Pro SuperSport race winners Elena Myers and James Rispoli headline the 10 SuperSport bikes that will be testing at Daytona, getting their first look at the new asphalt, the second resurfacing in track history and the first since 1978. Also running in SuperSport will be Eric Stump, Stefano Mesa, Miles Thornton and Michael Corbino among others.

The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series, which debuted last year in June at Road America, will be taking to the Daytona highbanks for the first time. Bolstered by another healthy addition to the prize money fund by Harley-Davidson, the test will see a strong 11 Harley-Davidson XR1200's take to the track next week. A number of familiar names will be riding the big twins including Michael Barnes, Kyle Wyman, Paul Schwemmer, Chris Fillmore and Clinton Seller. Making a welcome debut in road racing will be AMA Pro Flat Track star Joe Kopp with Team Latus Motors and he will joined by Chase McFarland on a second Latus XR1200. AMA Pro 2009 SuperSport Young Gun West Division Champion Ricky Parker will also be testing a XR1200.

Following the earlier limited testing this past December, Dunlop Tire engineers will be on hand to closely monitor the performance of the various new combinations. The previous test was quite successful with the new surface receiving many complements from not only the AMA Pro riders that participated but also from the other categories of motorsports that have tested on the amazingly smooth new surface.

The AMA Pro teams will return in March for the opening rounds of the 2011 season with the Daytona 200 Week activities beginning March 5th with the Daytona Supercross event. The AMA Pro Flat Track events at the DAYTONA Flat Track are scheduled for Thursday, March 10th and Friday, March 11th. The AMA Pro Road Racing activities begin Thursday, March 10th and the closing race of Bike Week this year will be the famous Daytona 200, which will be run during the day on Saturday, March 12th.

Live Timing & Scoring from the Dunlop Tire Test will be available for the duration of the two-day test at http://live.amaproracing.com.

Please visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com for more schedule and ticket information and also www.amaproracing.com for testing results and information. Once again the 2011 AMA Pro Road racing season will be seen on SPEED TV, please visit www.speedtv.com for more information.

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You can check out the release below on the AMA Road Racing site, where they have the full list of particpants for Monday and Tuesday's test at DIS:

http://amaproracing.com/rr/news/index.cfm?cid=40937

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Mid Ohio AMA Superbike Preview--Get it All Here! (Updated 7/16/10 w/ Live Timing and Scoring)

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Mat Mladin on the #66 Yoshimura Makita Rockstar Suzuki GSX-R1000 leads team mate Ben Spies on the #1 machine across the stripe early in AMA Superbike race two action at Mid Ohio in 2008. Just coming out of the last corner onto the front straight is Jamie Hacking on the #2 Monster Energy Team Kawasaki ZX-10. Team Honda team mates Neil Hodgson on the #100 CBR1000RR and Miguel Duhamel on the #17 lead Aaron Yates on the Michael Jordan Motorsports #20 Suzuki GSX-R1000 as they all try to keep the front group in sight.
Since the takeover of the AMA Road Racing properties and running of the racing events by the DMG-led folks, the Superbike class has gone from a fire-breathing, 240+ HP and top-of-your-game class to Superstock heavy. With control tires and control fuel being implemented to help level the field--not a bad thing by me, it's working in WSBK!--and less-then-super Superbikes in the way of stock front suspensions-albeit the internals can be changed out-to milder-tuned and less hopped-up engines. With the racing arguably closer in the premier class, but still missing the fire that a full-blown Superbike class should have (see WSBK rules). And due to other problems such as the economy, losing sponsors and teams, the AMA Road Racing series at least appears to be making somewhat of a comeback in 2010. Though they do still need to work on the television package in respect to times shown (or not).
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One of the more user-friendly tracks (in terms of fan viewing and garage-access anyway) on the AMA Road Racing schedule is the flowing 2.5+ mile track known as Mid Ohio, located just outside beautiful downtown Lexington, OH. The Trueman Family still runs the track after all these years, and their ties to one of their original Indy car sponsors in Red Roof Inns is still prominent in the building and rooftop colors.
One of the nicer advantages of viewing a race at Mid Ohio is the way they set up some of the garages on each end of the paddock with stairs and a walkway above and over-the-shoulders of the teams set up inside for the race weekend. It gives you a nice chance to view some of the teams as they prepare for the weekend-or scramble because of it, and not get in anyone's way while doing it. Overhead views seem to lay everything out for you, so to speak, as well, in giving you an idea of where everything is.
In this shot you can see Josh Herrin's Graves Motorsports Yamaha 600 Supersport machine and his team as they prepare for the day's events in the summer of 2007. Herrin can be seen at the bench in the tan cap. Herrin will be looking to extend his lead in the 2010 AMA Daytona SportBike Championship at M.O. this weekend with two races on tap. Herrin won the Daytona 200 back in March riding for Team Graves and has gradually over the course of the last four seasons proved to be a seasoned-veteran with the team on and off the track. Winning multiple races the last couple of years it's just a matter of time before he bags a championship for Yamaha and for Graves Motorsports.
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Coming out of the keyhole onto the back straight at Mid Ohio, several riders run together during the first qualifying session for the AMA Formula Xtreme class in 2004.
Just outside the keyhole area the track offers camping and motorhomes and is a good high-speed vantage to watch from as the riders roll it on through the gears. The track also offers shower facilities just behind the paddock area where the safety garages and cars are. You can't miss that, just look for all the Honda's set up in racing school gear!
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Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, one of the oldest tracks on the current AMA Road Racing schedule that has been an annual stop since the early '80s, hosts round six of the AMA Superbike and AMA Daytona SportBike races this weekend. Also on hand will be the AMA Supersport races and the new Vance and Hines H-D XR1200 race on Sunday.

Honda Supercycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tires is the hosting sponsor for the races that will kick off with practice sessions tomorrow at Noon EDT and continue into Saturday for race one and wrap up with race two on Sunday for the top three classes.

Links to all you need to know to follow action at Mid Ohio can be found below!

Mid Ohio has been hosting double-race Superbike rounds since the 2000 season, and this track is a great place to see a race in terms of viewing and bang-for-the-buck happenings. If you can't get excited about watching the races anywhere around this place you don't have a pulse.....

Of note for the race weekend, Eric Bostrom #32 will be returning to AMA Superbike action riding for the Cycle World/Attack Suzuki team and Doug Polen, the '91-'92 WSBK Champion and '93 AMA Superbike Champion, will also be riding a Ducati for DucShop Racing in the Daytona SportBike class. Unfortunately, Aaron Yates' leg is not mended enough for him to ride for Michael Jordan this weekend, but Canadian sensation Brett McCormick is scheduled to fill the seat of the #23 Superbike entry again after filling in for the last few rounds on Aaron's bike.
Also, #79 Blake Young is out after a massive crash in testing after the Road America round in early June, and the rider that was slated to be his replacement on the Yoshimura Suzuki squad, Josh Waters, an Australian Superbike fenom, was also injured in a testing crash a couple of weeks ago, and will not fill the seat as planned. No word if anyone will be in the seat tomorrow when first practice rolls out at 1 P.M. EDT for the Superbike class.

AMA Road Racing Honda Supercycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tires Mid Ohio event info:
http://amaproracing.com/rr/events/event.cfm?eid=2010011030

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Various AMA Road Racing Mid Ohio event press releases courtesy of RoadRacingWorld.com:

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=41118

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=41101

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=41082

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=41169

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=41150

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Lexington, OH. weather thanks to the Weather Underground:
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=44904

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Google Maps link to Lexington, OH.:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&g=7721+Steam+Corners+Road,+Lexington,+OH+44904-0108&q=lexington,+oh&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lexington,+Richland,+Ohio&ll=40.678815,-82.580624&spn=0.06405,0.110035&t=h&z=13

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Mid Ohio Official track link:

http://www.midohio.com/Home

Official Mid Ohio Track Map (pdf version):

http://www.midohio.com/Assets/Images/Pictures/TS-GenTrackMap-09

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AMA Live Timing and Scoring Mid Ohio event Link--UPDATED Fri. 7/16/10:

http://laptraxtg.racersites-cluster.com/LapTraxTG/AMA/livescoring.html?LAPTRAXID=2010011030
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Eric Bostrom's Coming Off the Farm to Race Some AMA Superbike Events

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Eric Bostrom on the #32 Austin Ducati/Parts Unlimited Ducati 999R leads Mat Mladin on the #1 Team Yoshimura GSX-R1000 and Miguel Duhamel on the #17 American Honda CBR1000RR early in superbike race two action at Road America in June of 2004. Ben Bostrom on the #155 American Honda CBR1000RR and Jake Zemke on the #98 Erion Racing Honda CBR1000RR follow closely into turn 14. E-Boz ran for Team Austin Ducati in the '04-'05 seasons and won two races with them in the '05 season. His return to the track will be watched closely by many since he retired to the mango farm at the end of the '08 season, and will be great for more parity in the AMA Superbike Series for the three race events he is planning to run.
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E-Boz gets a knee down while qualifying for the Mid Ohio AMA Superbike round in July of 2000. This was his first of his four years with Team Kawasaki riding the ZX7-R-based superbike. Bostrom finished in the runner-up spot in '01 and '02 in the premier class for Team Green while winning several races and won the '01 AMA 600 Supersport Championship for them as well on a ZX6-R-based machine. The youngest of the Boz Bros. also won the '96 and '97 AMA 883/SuperTwins Championship as well as the '98 AMA Formula Extreme Championship.
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In 1999, E-Boz was asked to 'fill-in' for Miguel Duhamel (as if anyone could do so-nothing against EB!) on the American Honda RC45 while Duhamel was out injured as a result of his devastating Road Atlanta crash. In this shot Eric is on the outside (on the screaming RC45 #32) of Vance and Hines Ducati's #95 Anthony 'The Go Show' Gobert going through the carousel turn at Mid Ohio in superbike final action in the summer of '99. Close behind are Pascal Picotte on the #21 H-D VR1000 (partially hidden), Jamie Hacking on the Team Yamaha YZF-750 #92 and Larry Pegram on the #72 Team Fast By Ferraci Ducati.
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Eric Bostrom hammers the throttle WFO in qualifying for the Road America AMA Superstock round in June of 2006. Eric hooked up with the Graves Motorsports Yamaha team for the '06-'08 seasons putting in time the first two years on the YZF-R1 superstock machine and also in the Formula Extreme class. EB moved to the superbike class with Graves for the '08 season, which was Yamaha's first official year back in the class in several years, and placed 4th in the class behind his team mate Jason DiSalvo that year. After the '08 season he announced his 'retirement' to the mango farm in Brazil that he and his older brother Ben had purchased.
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Miguel Duhamel on the #17 American Honda RC51 leads Eric Bostrom on the #32 Team Kawasaki ZX-7, Mat Mladin on the #1 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 and his team mate, and eventual dual-weekend winner Aaron Yates on the #20 Yosh Suzuki GSX-R750. Bostrom would win several of his 15 superbike/premier class wins while running for Team Green, including a round at Road America and one at Mid Ohip in '02. This was going through the carousel at Mid Ohio during AMA Superbike race two action in the summer of 2000, Eric's first year with Kaw. Other then Mad Mat, Eric was the most dominant of superbike racers in this span, garnering two runner-up spots in the championship behind Mat in '01 and behind Nicky Hayden in '02.
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Great news was rumored over the weekend, and then confirmed the first of this week that Eric Bostrom, the youngest of the Boz Brothers racing duo, would be returning to AMA Superbike Series action for several events later this year. Partnering with Cycle World, Yoshimura Suzuki and Attack Performance, E-Boz will be returning to the track in late July at Laguna Seca, and also competing in rounds at VIR in August and the season-ender at Barber in late September.
After 'retiring' at the end of the 2008 season to work the property in Brazil that he and his brother had purchased, E-Boz all but dissappeared off the racing radar while working in South America.
The timing must have been right, and maybe the former two-time premier class runner-up and the '01 AMA 600 Supersport Champion felt that way as well. With the new rules in the class that were established for the '09 season, and coupled with the loss of 7-time champ Mat Mladin to retirement and 3-time champ Ben Spies now off to MotoGP, the racing has gotten much closer throughout the class and parity is certainly the norm now. Other then the fact the class is still filled with Suzuki's, there are a number of stout teams and racers that could win on any given day. With E-Boz back in the mix, and if he is up to par after having been away for the better part of two years from active competition, you should be able to throw his name in the mix as well.
Highly missed by the fans, it will be good to see E-Boz back in action again and thrilling us all with his riding prowess. We will be watching and rooting for Eric and looking forward to seeing him back in the AMA series where he belongs!
We wish Eric the best of luck and can't wait to see him put it on the box with this new effort. Hopefully it works out good enough to put him on a full time ride for the 2011 season. Fingers crossed! And go get 'em man!
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Here's the official press release as posted over at RoadRacingWorld.com that comes from the Attack Performance folks who will be involved with Eric's homecoming party along with Yoshimura Suzuki, Cycle World, Leo Vince and others. Read and right on:
http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=40290

And here is the original article thanks to David Swarts over at RoadRacingWorld.com that speaks about Eric's return to the three AMA Superbike rounds later in the year:
http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=40273
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Jamie Hacking's Name Mentioned in Rumor Mill to Fill the #23 Michael Jordan Motorsports Superbike in Aaron Yates' Absence--UPDATED

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Kurtis Roberts on the #80 Erion Honda Racing RC-51 leads '95 AMA Superbike Champion Miguel Duhamel on the #17 Team Honda RC-51 through the carousel section at Mid Ohio during superbike race 2 in July of 2001. Jamie Hacking on the #92 Team Yoshimura GSX-R750 holds off the challenges of 3-Time AMA Superbike Champ Doug Chandler on the #10 Team Kawasaki ZX750 while Pascal Picotte on the #21 Team Harley VR1000 makes way behind them. With the injury to Aaron Yates leg from his practice crash at Fontana most likely to keep him out of action for at least the Road Atlanta round beginning on April 16th, Hacking's name came up in the rumor mill as being the most likely to be given some seat time to fill Aaron's ride while he recuperates. Just as with all bad news, sometimes good news comes with it and being a Hacker fan this could be a great chance for him to show more of his stuff. Let's hope the rumors are true!
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While congratulations are in order to The Hacking Family on their new edition, the rumor mill churned out Jamie Hacking's name this week to fill-in for Aaron Yates on the #23 Michael Jordan Motorsports superbike while Aaron recuperates from his practice crash at Fontana from Sunday morning. With the Road Atlanta round ready to rumble on April 16th, Team Jordan knows it is in a position to have to fill the seat while Aaron gets well. And with The Hacker being out of work due to the downturn in the economy and the racing cutbacks, what better man to fill the seat of those that would and could be available. Even though Jamie last rode a Suzuki back in '01 for Team Yoshimura, the demographics of the class have changed some, and he is more then capable of jumping on an open ride and performing well. Being a multi-time AMA Champ, Jamie would be more than up to the task and would give it all it's worth and then some!
We wish The Hacking Family safe and healthy journey, congratulations on the new edition to the family, and we hope as well that the rumor mill has churned out a good one and The Hacker gets to ride the #23 Michael Jordan GSX-R1000 superbike in Aaron's place while he recovers from his injuries.
Here's the article thanks to the great people over at CycleNews.com that announced the birth of Chloe Annabell Hacking and mentions Jamie's name being up for the fill-in ride:
http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/03/30/jamie-and-rachel-and-chloe
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Updated Wed 3/31/10 2130 EDT---

Just found this update over at CycleNews.com.

Aaron Yates' surgery went well and he has hard bones.

And now Brett McCormick's name is in the mix for a try-out with Team Jordan at the Infineon Raceway test at the end of the week. He is the rider that Pascal Picotte has been helping out in the Canadian Superbike Series as well as at Daytona a few weeks ago. Read it here:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/03/31/yates-surgery-a-success
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3-Time AMA Champ Jamie Hacking Without a Ride Going Into the 2010 Season...

One of the oddities of the rise and fall of the economy is the effect it has on people. Whether it

be the million dollar corporate exec, the regular working guy, or even the factory-contracted pilots who risk their lives on a regular basis to thrill us in the sport of motorcycle road racing.

Obviously for the working guy, tomorrow can be a big if. The million dollar exec will most often survive--if he didn't spend foolishly and invested and saved properly. And the factory pilot? Well, he may be okay in terms of financials in dealing with the economy, but no one knows no

work like an out of job motorcycle racer. When you aren't on the track, when you aren't in the

limelight of the public and/or fan's eyes, when you aren't out their showing your stuff, the world

of motorcycle racing can and will leave you behind.

Of all of the current motorcycle road racers out of work, 'former' factory pilot Jamie Hacking is

one who hopes it won't leave him behind. As are his fans, such as myself, who consider it a tragedy that a man with the skill and talent levels of The Hacker, who has more then proved himself on the track. With his three AMA Championships, his superbike class wins and points

tallies, and his numerous wins in Supersport and Superstock races among many other accomplishments, Jamie Hacking has a racing resume that The Pope would be impressed with.

And for mere mortals such as myself, I and many other fans over the course of the last 12-13 years have seen what this man has done on the track and the rapport he has with the fans and

the sheer excitement level that he brings to a race, and you have to wonder why he doesn't have

a contract to race motorcycles for the upcoming season?

There are several possibilities, most of which would point to the overall economy as how it

pertains to motorcycles, motorcycle road racing, and motorcycle sales. And without a doubt

some of it could point to the reckless way that the AMA/DMG people ran roughshod on the

paddock last year and drove off the people and teams and factories and Japanese that had

supported the U.S. series for decades. But that is for someone else to debate and argue and

point out. And to help you wonder why as much as I do and have, or to better help you to make

up your own mind on the reason, I have included the press releases from the last few days so

that you can do so. First I have to take the time to thank my main man, Larry Lawrence,

for his outlook on the current subject over at his website http://www.theriderfiles.com/. And then thanks again to Dean Adams and his crew for the interview and spin over at his site

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/. And last but not least the great people at http://www.cyclenews.com/

for Paul Carruthers fine interview with Jamie as well. And just to help better ingrain in you

what type of racer and champ that Jamie Hacking is and has been, I have added the link

to his stat page from his website, http://www.jamiehacking.com/ and another link and general overview of his racing career as well.

In the meantime, we wish Jamie Hacking and his family the VERY best of luck in not only your

personal life, but in your future career as a motorcycle racer, whatever path that that may take

in the future. We know no matter where The Hacker lands on a road race track that he will be

tearing up the competition, bringing it home, smiling from ear to ear, and being the class act and

spokesman for the sport he has always been. And we will be standing on the sidelines shooting

the pics, grinning and shaking our heads, and rooting for him all the way!
http://www.theriderfiles.com/?p=2387

http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Jan/100106-92.htm

http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Jan/100108-92-interview.htm

http://cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/01/06/hacking-nothing-yet

http://www.jamiehacking.com/stats.shtml

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

While you are taking a read, today's Stu's Shots come to you from beautiful Road America, in

Elkhart Lake, WI., during the '04 and '06 AMA Supersport and Superstock campaigns.

Starting out we have Jamie on the Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1 Superstock machine coming

out of turn 8 during practice for the '06 round. He won the '06 AMA Superstock Championship later that year, along with the '06 AMA 600 Supersport Championship. The last time anyone

won both championships in the same year was in the late '80s when Doug Polen did it. Pretty cool and hard to attain feat, for sure.

We then see Jamie leading in the earlier stages of the 600 Supersport race on the #1 as they come into turn 14 at Road America in '04. He's leading his teammate Aaron Gobert on the #96 Graves Motorsports Yamaha R6, followed by teammates and brothers Tommy Hayden on the #22 and Roger Lee Hayden on the #95 Team Kawasaki ZX6R-based machines, with #40 Jason DiSalvo on another Graves bike trying to stay ahead of #11 Ben Spies on a Yoshimura Suzuki GSXR-600. Jamie was the defending 600 Supersport Champion from '03, hence the change to

his number plate in this class.

We then have a paddock shot from '06 of Jamie's championship-winning Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1 Superstock machines as they are in various stages of being prepped for the weekend races.

Fourth on today's list is JH again on the #2 Graves Yamaha R1 trying to chase down #95 Roger Lee Hayden on his #95 Team Kawasaki ZX10R-inspired mount during the Superstock finale in '04.

And last but not least is Jamie giving it his best impression of WFO coming out of turn 8 during

practice for the '04 Superstock race at Road America.

Thanks again to all of you for coming by and for spending your time with Stu's Shots. We hope you have seen something that will want you to keep coming back to enjoy this wonderful thing of motorcycle racing and to hang out again with us and do some bench racing while we try to stay

warm from the chill of a January winter in the midwest and get amped up for the upcoming motorcycle racing season. Take care, God Bless and have a safe week.

Another One Bites The Dust in AMA/DMG U.S. Road Racing As Kawasaki Pulls The Plug....

That sound you are hearing is pretty much like the one you hear after flushing your toilet,

as it was announced yesterday that Kawasaki would be pulling out all support, direct or otherwise, in AMA/DMG Road Racing in the U.S. Whether you attribute that to the

lackluster economy or the way the dominoes have been falling with the DMG-run AMA Pro Racing series is up to you. They did state in the official release that it was due to the poor economy, but one can't help but feel that the hot potatoe of AMA Road Racing as we have

seen it run by the Damaged Motorcycle Guys could or would have some major significance

to it as well. That is purely speculation and me just talking out loud.

The worst of it all is the fact that it leaves two more highly qualified riders without rides for

2010 season--Jamie Hacking and Roger Lee Hayden. And with the current situation here as

well as the global economy being major factors, and most teams having contracts and teams

in place for the upcoming season, that can't be good. For anyone, but especially now Jamie

Hacking and Roger Lee Hayden. You can read the official release here thanks to the super crew of people over at Dean Adams' http://www.superbikeplanet.com/. We appreciate their efforts!

http://superbikeplanet.com/2009/Dec/091218a.htm

If you take the time to list all of the great riders who have ridden for Kawasaki in the last 3

decades alone you would run out of ink. Well, almost. Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Scott

Russell, Fred Merkel, Doug Chandler, Eric Bostrom, Jamie Hacking, Tommy Hayden, Roger

Lee Hayden. And that's just for starters for the factory teams. The supported teams includeJamie Hacking and Roger Lee Hayden again, Josh Hayes, Jason Pridmore, Steve

Rapp, Chazz Davies, Ben Attard. And the championships and race wins with these very

informal let alone incomplete lists goes on even longer.

While you are bummin' like I am that the once strong U.S. road racing series is hitting some

very turbulent times--like you didn't think it could get any worse then the '09 season--at least

we can relish in the great memories that teams like the Muzzy Kawasaki effort, the official Team

Kawasaki and Kinko's Kawasaki and Attack Kawasaki have given us over the course of these

last three decades. And to help with those memories I grabbed a couple of shots from the dust

bins to throw in for today's story. Having been taking these pro road racing pictures now since the early '80s, I still have a boat load of scanning to do from the earlier years, so this is in no way indicative nor is it a slam against the rider pics I DIDN'T use on this post. These were handy and seemed good for today so please don't anyone get their panties in a bunch since I didn't have any actions shots of Scott 'The Screaming Chief' Russell or of Doug 'The Triple Threat' Chandler or of a lot of great riders who have thrown a leg over a factory or factory-supported Team Green bike. Again, these were handy and if you have been or will be in the future a follower of Stu's Shots you know I am likely to bring just about anything out at any given time--get your mind out of the gutter as I'm talking about my pics here! You pervs! So just so we are straight on that now, let's take a gander at today's offerings!

Top shot to start off this series is a shot of Doug Chandler's #10 ZXR750 Team Kawasaki Superbike in the paddock at Road America in 2000. Doug won Superbike Championships for

Rob Muzzy and Team Green in '90, '96 and '97.

Next up is Roger Lee Hayden on the #95 Team Kawasaki 600 Super Sport machine while qualifying for the Mid Ohio race in 2005. We then have a shot of Eric Bostrom on the Team Kawasaki #32 ZXR750 while qualifying for the superbike race at Mid Ohio in 2000. Fourth in our series today is Josh Hayes on the Attack Kawasaki ZX10 #41 during the second superbike race of the weekend at Mid Ohio in 2004. And our fifth and final shot today is of Jamie Hacking's

Team Monster Energy ZX-10R Superbike #2 in the Road America paddock in June of '08.

So as you are contemplating as I am that the World Superbike and MotoGP series are looking

even stronger for the 2010 season then they were in '09, let us all take the time to hope and

pray that not only the economy comes back around, but that sometime SOON so does the

AMA Road Racing series here in the good ole U.S. of A. And we can see all of the racers

deserving of a ride and fans deserving of a professionally run series that doesn't come off like

the dirty little red headed step child that it seems to have taken on the look of. But, that's just

me.

Thanks again for coming by and putting up with my rants and opinions and checking out Stu's

Shots. We appreciate you taking time out of your day to drop in and check us out. You rock!