Chris Fillmore on the #55 Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Racing/Revolution Performance/Geico-sponsored Harley-Davidson XR1200 leads this pack of riders into turn 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in race one of the AMA Pro Road Racing Vance & Hines XR1200 Series presented by Harley-Davidson Insurance during the RedBull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend on Saturday, August 27. Eventual race one winner Tyler O'Hara is just out of sight in the lead. Fillmore would crash out several turns later, handing the win to O'Hara. He would come back to win race 2 at Indy the next day, and regain a healthier lead in the standings after dropping to just 6 points ahead of runner-up Steve Rapp.
In what was arguably the best motorcycle road race ever held at Indianapolis, the XR1200 Series hit it out of the park on the legendary 2.6 mile road race course in their first appearance as the undercard of the MotoGP Weekend. With a full field of XR1200-mounted riders, they put on the best race on Saturday afternoon of the MotoGP weekend that the iconic track has seen to date. For over half the race on Saturday afternoon, this group of riders (along with winner O'Hara) drafted and swapped the lead all over the 16-turn facility at Indy.
Trying to keep things close include Jeremy McWilliams on the #99 Harley-Davidson of Bloomington/Indiana Biker's Choice/Rider's Insurance-backed XR1200. McWilliams is the 2010 British XR1200 Champion who paid money out of his own pocket to travel across the pond in order to be able to say he competed at the iconic Indy track, The World Capital of Racing. McWilliams was blamed for and involved in the crash that took out Fillmore just a few turns later, but remounted to finish the race in 10th.
Also in the mix is Indy double-runner up Steve Rapp on the #5 Parts Unlimited/Vance & Hines-sponsored H-D XR1200, who kept things close in the championship right until the end of this last weekend's season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Rapp also spent time this year racing a San Diego BMW in the AMA Superbike Championship, and also competed at the season finale at NJMP on a Cycle World/Attack Performance Kawasaki ZX10R in the premier class. Rapp is also a former winner of the Daytona 200, having won the event several years ago while also riding for the Attack team on a Kawasaki ZX6R. Rapp also scored two wins on the year on the big XRs as well as another podium finish.
And bringing up the rear for what would be a 3rd place finish on this fine Saturday afternoon in Indy, is 2011 Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo on the #40 Latus Motors Racing/RSRaceCraft.com
/FMF/Speedymoto-backed XR1200. DiSalvo jumped at the chance to race at Indy on the big XR12 for his team owner George Latus, and in early testing the week before set fast time after very limited time on the machine. His bid to better his Saturday 3rd place finish came up short in race 2 at Indy with a reported mechanical problem, but when the weekend was done DiSalvo showed that his runs this year in the AMA Pro Road Racing Daytona SportBike Series class haven't been a fluke, in spite of a couple of crashes on the year to drop him out of the title lead. It was great to see the young veteran back in the mix again, and on something he is not normally accustomed to riding regularly.
Fillmore took the title fight east to New Jersey over the Labor Day Weekend, and out fought runner-up Rapp to win the coveted #1 plate in the second season of the AMA Pro Road Racing Vance & Hines XR1200 Series, after Danny Eslick had claimed the crown in the series' inaugural, limited schedule season in 2010.
Bravo to the XR1200 Series and the riders that have competed not only at Indy, but in the season's full schedule this year. Some darn fine racing going on there. Hats and helmets off to AMA Pro Road Racing and Vance & Hines for putting together a 'working man's' class that has produced some great results this year. Great job!
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Fillmore Claims 2011 AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Championship
MILLVILLE, NJ (September 4, 2011) - Chris Fillmore ended the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 season with style at New Jersey Motorsports Park's AMA Pro Road Racing Championship Weekend by Pro-Motion, where the Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Racing GEICO Revolution Performance rider took his fifth win of the season en route to the class championship. Starting from pole position, Fillmore led flag-to-flag while holding off challenges from Tyler O'Hara and a determined Michael Beck.
"I feel really good," said Fillmore. "The XR1200 series ... now that I went through the year and got used to the bikes, I think I learned a lot. It's a great series, I had a lot of fun with it. I stayed in it and learned a lot about lines, and I'm really glad that at the end of it, Richie [Morris] and I hooked up and I got the opportunity to ride with him. What AMA Pro and Vance & Hines have done with this series gave guys like us -- guys who haven't really had a chance to develop a name -- a place to go to develop our names and learn the tracks. It's been great."
Beck (Vance & Hines J&P Cycles) crossed the line just .135 of a second behind Fillmore, and he was joined on the podium by Kyle Wyman (RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing), who took third place after working his way past O'Hara on the last lap.
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Chris Fillmore celebrates on the podium at NJMP after winning the season finale and clinching the title in the AMA Pro Road Racing Vance & Hines XR1200 Series in it's second year, and first full season of racing competition. AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.
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"For sure I gave it my all," said Beck, who placed fourth in the overall championship. "It was a fun race. I got a little bit of a lazy start and a couple of the guys got by me, but I never gave up and reeled 'em in. I had a little bit of back-and forth with O'Hara, but didn't want to let Fillmore go because I knew he'd be running away with it. I saw that O'Hara ran off halfway through, but Fillmore was still right there and he had a good pace today. I gave it all I had."
Today's third-place finish earned Wyman, who ended the 2011 season in fifth overall, his career third AMA Pro podium. "I was struggling all weekend," said Wyman. "I didn't qualify that well and just wasn't finding the feeling I was looking for. It just kind of clicked as soon as I got a carrot out in front of me in the race, though, once I saw Tyler. These Harleys have been so much fun ... I had a little bit of bad luck in some of the rounds, but it's good to end [the season] on a high note."
Chris Fillmore #55 leads Michael Beck #60 during the AMA Pro Road Racing Vance & Hines XR1200 Series season finale at NJMP on Sunday, September 4. AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.
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Fillmore's closest championship rival, Parts Unlimited's Steve Rapp, finished sixth after starting the race from the back of the grid. Rapp's team reported suspecting a mechanical problem following the warm-up lap, which resulted in their decision to forego Rapp's front-row starting position rather than put the entire field at risk. After using the first few laps to ensure that his XR1200 was in good shape, Rapp put his head down and began a steady march through the field that netted him second overall in the championship.
Just behind Rapp in final standings was O'Hara, with Beck and Wyman completing the top five. Michael Barnes (Drag Specialties), Michael Corbino (RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing), Chase McFarland (Latus Motors Racing), Paul James, and Michael Morgan rounded out the top ten.
| 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 |
Championship Contenders Square Off in AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Qualifying at New Jersey Motorsports Park
MILLVILLE, NJ (September 4, 2011) - The top two AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 title contenders again squared off in yesterday's qualifying in preparation for today's final race of the season at New Jersey Motorsports Park. When the smoke cleared, points-leader Chris Fillmore had captured his fifth pole position of the year, while rival Steve Rapp had to settle for the second spot on the grid.
Despite a disappointing AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike outing prior to the XR1200 qualifying session, Fillmore posted a determined fast-lap aboard his Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Racing GEICO Revolution Performance machine. The bonus point for pole position increased his lead to 13 points heading into this afternoon's 12-lap race.
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Chris Fillmore bends the #55 Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Racing XR1200 into a turn at NJMP during qualifying for the season finale in the AMA Pro Road Racing Vance & Hines XR1200 Series. Fillmore took the pole by .690 seconds over Steve Rapp on the #5 XR1200. AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.
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"It's definitely tough for me to go from the KTM [SuperBike] to the Harley," said Fillmore, "[though] I think the hardest part is going from the Harley to the SuperBike -- everything happens so fast. Like Steve says, you can tell when these XR1200s are at the limit, and fortunately, we went a little bit quicker than these guys because we were at the limit. I know what I need to do now; it's kind of a points-game for me right now. I'm looking to wrap up the championship, so we'll gladly start on pole."
Rapp entered the fray late in the session, posting the class' second-best time on his Parts Unlimited XR1200. Rounding out the front row of today's grid will be Rapp's Vance & Hines teammate, Michael Beck (J&P Cycles), and Indianapolis Race 1-winner Tyler O'Hara.
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Steve Rapp is shown rolling into his pit stall at NJMP during qualifying for the AMA Pro Road Racing Vance & Hines XR1200 Series season finale. Rapp qualified the #5 Parts Unlimited/Vance & Hines machine in the 2nd spot behind pole sitter Fillmore, and managed to finish the race in the 6th spot. He ended the season ranked 2nd in the 2011 season championship behind winner Chris Fillmore. AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.
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"It kind of went like it always does," said Rapp. "I didn't get any practice this morning, so I used the early part of the qualifying session to get up to speed and make sure the bike is balanced. Then I go out with new tires and do the best I can. I wasn't sure where Chris was at ... I ride as hard as I can and when the Harley is at its limit, it lets you know, and my bike was definitely giving me the signs that it was at the limit. I didn't want to do anything stupid, so I took what the bike would give and made sure I'm ready for [the race]."
Michael Barnes (Drag Specialties), Kyle Wyman (RMR Rossmeyer's Daytona Racing), Chase McFarland (Latus Motors Harley-Davidson), and Shane Narbone (Suburban Motors) make up the second row.
To learn more and to be a part of the AMA Pro Road Racing Championship, visit amaproracing.com and join us on facebook.com/AMAProRoadRacing and twitter.com/AMAProSBK.
| 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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