AMA Pro Road Racing Announces Roadracing World Young Gun of the Year Award for 2014 Season

In an announcement out of Daytona Beach the other day, AMA Pro Road Racing announced the return of the Roadracing World Young Gun of the Year Award for the 2014 season. The award honors the youngest of the pro racers in the premier road racing series in America and names the top riders 18 years old or younger who compete and stand out in their respective series throughout the season.

In the shot above taken from the Stu's Shots archives, four riders appear that would have likely at one time or another during their careers been recognized as 'young guns' for their abilities and accolades either earned or 'to be earned' in their respective pro racing careers.

From the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course round of the AMA 250 Grand Prix Championship series event in July-August of 1992, there were four riders who stood out in the series that season that didn't win the title, but were either past or future champions in several major series throughout the world (future 2-Time World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards II won the '92 AMA 250 GP title over this host of fine and talented men.)

(L-R) Rich Oliver is shown on the #97 Wayne Rainey Racing/Otsuka Electronics-sponsored Yamaha TZ250 as the pack gets ready to head out for the series' main event of the weekend at the Camel Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop AMA Pro Road Racing round.

Oliver went on to win five AMA 250 GP Championships to garner the all-time win record of 71 wins at the end of the 2003 season, the series' last before the two-stroke championship was eliminated from the North American road racing championship schedule. Oliver also went on to become undefeated in the 250 series in three seasons, '96-'97, when he won 20-straight races, and in the series' final season of 2003 where he led every lap of the 12-race series swan song. Oliver also claimed a Formula USA Championship and a WERA 250 National Championship to add to his illustrious resume before retiring from the sport to become the owner of the Rich Oliver Mystery School, one of the preeminent riding schools in operation in the United States.

Jimmy Filice, shown on the #1 Commonwealth Racing/Camel/HRC-sponsored Honda RS250, won the previous season's 250 GP Championship while riding for the L.A. Motor Works team, one of three of his championships won in the two-stroke class throughout his career. In winning his final championship during the 2001 season, Filice bested Oliver by just one point to claim the crown in what was a series for the ages as the two battled tooth and nail throughout the year. The 1981 AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year won a total of 29 National series races throughout his racing career, spread between the AMA Grand National Championship and 250 GP Championship, and was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2000. Most fans will probably remember Filice's grand win in the 250 World Championship round at Laguna Seca in 1988, riding as a fill-in rider for world championship-winning tuner Erv Kanemoto.

Kenny Roberts, Jr. was Oliver's team mate during the 1992 season, shown on the #25 Wayne Rainey Racing/Otsuka Electronics-backed Yamaha TZ250. KRJR as he is now famously known, as well as being the first-born son of 'The King', Kenny Roberts, Sr, won the 2000 500cc World Championship while riding for the Suzuki team, in the most recent season that Suzuki has been able to win the premier road racing class in the world. Roberts won four races that season and stood on the podium nine times while starting from the front row 13 times throughout the year.

And last, but surely not least, shown just behind Roberts, is the late Randy Renfrow, who won three premier road racing championships before his early and unfortunate demise from this earth in August of 2002. Renfrow is shown on a Ruben McMurter-backed Honda RS250 (partially obscured.)

The very last of the AMA Road Racing Formula One Champions (1986), Renfrow also won the AMA 250 GP Championship in 1983 and the AMA Pro Twins Championship in 1989 on a Commonwealth Honda RS850, built around the all-conquering Honda RS750 that dominated the AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship in the early-late '80s, and headed up by Louisville, KY's Martin Adams, who went on to campaign Renfrow in Honda's return to the AMA Superbike class in 1990. Renfrow won a total of 17 National championship races throughout his career, including a win on a Commonwealth Honda RC31 in the AMA Superbike Series at Willow Springs in 1990 as a member of the Honda factory team. Renfrow was just inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in October of last year.

You can check out AMA Pro Racing's press release below to read more about the upcoming Roadracing World Young Gun of the Year Award.

AMA Pro Racing Announces Second Season of Roadracing World Young Gun Of The Year Award

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 29, 2014) - AMA Pro Road Racing and Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. have reached an agreement to name the 2014 Roadracing World AMA Pro Racing Young Gun Of The Year.   The Young Gun Of The Year Award is based on Roadracing World's 18 consecutive years of recognizing the best young road racers in North America. The 2014 version of the annual feature recognized 32 riders - 12 of them AMA Pro riders - and was published in the April, 2014 print edition of Roadracing World magazine. One of those riders is likely to be named the 2014 Roadracing World AMA Pro Road Racing Young Gun Of The Year and receive a $2,500 cash award.       Joe Roberts is shown on the #3 M4 Motorcycle Racing Honda CBR600RR during the 2014 Daytona 200, in which he placed in the 11th-place spot at the end of the 57-lap endurance race. Roberts, who won three races in the AMA Pro SuperSport Series during the 2013 season, is an instant contender for the just-announced return of the Roadracing World Young Gun Award for the 2014 season. AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.         To be eligible for the award, riders must have been no older than 18 years old at the start of the 2014 AMA Pro Road Racing season. The award will go to the eligible rider with the most overall points in either the SuperSport or GoPro Daytona SportBike classes and a check will be presented during the 2014 AMA Pro Road Racing Awards Banquet.   "We're happy to work with AMA Pro Racing to name the 2014 Roadracing World AMA Pro Racing Young Gun Of The Year," said Roadracing World founder John Ulrich. "For almost two decades we have recognized the top up-and-coming road racers in the country in our annual Roadracing World Young Guns feature. Many of our Young Guns have gone on to great success with AMA Pro, and this is a great way to work with AMA Pro Racing to acknowledge their aspirations and accomplishments."   AMA Pro Road Racing riders who will be eligible for the coveted award at the conclusion of 2014 include: Garret Gerloff, Ryan Matter, Jake Lewis, Mario Alvarez, Andre Ochs, Max Finders, Erick Sanchez, Mathew McAllister, Christian Crosslin, Hayden Schultz, Kaleb De Keyrel, Richie Escalante, Joe Roberts, Nick McFadden, Eziah Davis, Jason Aquilar, Tucker Lancaster, and Bodhi Edie.   Past Roadracing World Young Guns who have won AMA Pro road races include Corey Alexander, the late Tommy Aquino, J.D. Beach, Cameron Beaubier, Josh Day, Jason DiSalvo, Dustin Dominguez, Danny Eslick, Bobby Fong, Jake Gagne, Nicky Hayden, Roger Hayden, Tommy Hayden, Josh Herrin, Jake Holden, John Hopkins, Elena Myers, Shane Narbonne, Huntley Nash, Tyler Odom, Joey Pascarella, Chris Peris,James Rispoli, Ben Spies, Chris Ulrich and Blake Young. Next Up AMA Pro Road Racing heads to Road America for Round 2 in Elkhart Lake, Wis. May 30-June 1, 2014. For tickets and more information regarding the Subway SuperBike Doubleheader, please visit http://www.roadamerica.com/buy-tickets/superbike-doubleheader-ama-pro-racing.html. How to Watch FansChoice.tv will be the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Road Racing and AMA Pro Flat Track events in 2014. The site will also provide coverage of IMSA's development and single-make series, and NASCAR's touring and weekly series. About AMA Pro Road Racing AMA Pro Road Racing is the premier motorcycle road racing series in North America and is universally regarded as one of the most competitive road racing organizations in the world. The series is comprised of four production-based classes: AMA Pro SuperBike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series. Learn more about AMA Pro Road Racing at www.amaproracing.com/rr/.

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

Read About one of AMA Pro Road Racing's Greatest Seasons in the 600 Supersport Series as Cycle News' Larry Lawrence Remembers the '94 Daytona Thriller

In the late '80s, AMA Pro Road Racing introduced what would be one of the most competitive classes in professional road racing when it rolled out the 600 Supersport Series, a class that was designed to help support the race weekends, the factory as well as the privateer racers, and the ability for the manufacturers to 'race on Sunday and sell on Monday.'

Although the class was virtually dominated for decades with the factory racers and bikes, an occasional privateer would sneak through to take the win over the high-dollar factory efforts.

In what was arguably the most competitive of those seasons was the always-remember '94 year when Yamaha's Vance & Hines fielded '89 AMA Superbike Champion Jamie James on what was at the time considered somewhat of an underdog on the YZF600, against the ultra-dominating Honda CBR600s of the two Mikes, Mike Hale and Mike Smith, and the factory Kawasaki effort of multi-time Canadian Superbike Champion Steve Crevier.

But by virtue of his consistency, and by also winning four of the ten races on the series' calendar along the way (Pomona, Elkhart Lake, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma), James added to his championship tally by taking the crown as the '94 AMA 600 Supersport Champion over Smokin' Joe's Honda's Smith, who won the remaining six rounds, 315 points-294 points. Kawasaki's Crevier finished 3rd in the championship standings with a tally of 287 points.

In the shot above, James' eventual-championship winning #11 Vance & Hines Yamaha/Dunlop/Bel-Ray/Bell-sponsored YZF600 sits under the Vance & Hines hauler's awning at the Mid-Ohio Super Cycle Honda Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire round in July '94.

But the season started a little rough for James at the annual season-opener at Daytona, as the Yamaha was visibly down on 'legs' on the banking against the might of the Big H.

Cycle News' Larry Lawrence, who at the very least should be considered the 'unofficial' historian of AMA Pro Road Racing, penned a great article in this week's issue of CN that chronicles that start to what was a stellar year of racing in America's second-tier pro racing class. And whether you were there to witness part of that season or not as I was, or if you are just a follower of AMA Pro Road Racing's history, this one is a must-read.

Check it out here to take your time capsule ride back 20 seasons to the heyday of American professional road racing. And as always, thanks to Double L for taking us back to the glory days of AMA Pro Road Racing!

Saturday SuperbikePlanet.com Cinema Presents the 2000 Daytona 200 Pre-Race Show

Miguel Duhamel on the #17 American Honda/Dunlop/Jardine/Shoei-sponsored Honda RVT1000R RC51 tries to hold off Aaron Yates on the #20 American Suzuki/Yoshimura/Dunlop/Motorex-backed Suzuki GSX-R750 during the Wiseco Superbike 100 race two at Mid-Ohio on July 16, 2000.  Duhamel's team mate Nicky Hayden, on the #69 American Honda/Honda Riders Club/Pro Honda Oils/Dunlop-sponsored RC51 keeps the duo in sight as he comes up on a lapped rider going into the carousel just past the mid-point of the race.

With just a handful of laps to go, Duhamel would bin it while leading coming out of the Thunder Valley area, and Yates would take his second win of the weekend in the doubleheader round, with The Kentucky Kid following him home to a hard-earned 2nd-place effort.  

The Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire event at the Lexington, OH. facility was in it's 18th running at the northeast Ohio track, but also in the first-ever weekend of running a doubleheader round.  AMA Pro Racing had experimented with the two-race format since the '98 season at the Road Atlanta rounds, and for the 2000 season Mid-Ohio and Road America would be added to the doubleheader slate in what is now a standard for the top-tiered America road racing class, ala World Superbike, but split into two days of the three-day race weekends.

Earlier in the season and a little over 1000 miles south, the AMA Superbike Championship kicked off in Daytona Beach, FL.with the 40th running of the 200-mile classic at the infamous Daytona International Speedway, in the days when the superbike class was the ruling show and still being run on the full, 3.56 mile course.  The race at Daytona had been run for 19 years on the beach course before heading to DIS for the first time in 1961, so technically 2000 would have been the 59th running of the '200.'

Dean Adams from SuperbikePlanet.com has been busy with his video editing skills and has put together another great Saturday diversion with this pre-race show from the 2000 season.  Saturday superbike cinema at it's best.

A big thanks to Dean Adams from SuperbikePlanet.com for this video of the 2000 Daytona 200 pre-race show.  Dean's been around the biz for what seems like forever (I can say that being around as a fan for what seems like forever), and has gone to the trouble of archiving this footage (and many others) from the true glory days of AMA Superbike Championship Series racing.  Thanks for all the hard work man, it's definitely appreciated!

Now kick back with your Saturday coffee--or other beverage of choice--and enjoy the exciting footage of  the pre-race show from the new millennium's first running of the classic Daytona 200.  And enjoy!

Chet Burks Productions Working on TV Package for AMA Pro Road Racing for 2013 Season-See What Roadracing World Has to Say

Two of the most-heralded riders in the history of the AMA Superbike Championship Series go at it again during race two of the Wiseco Superbike 100 Doubleheader at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July '04.  Miguel Duhamel can be seen looking over his shoulder as he rolls into the last right-hander before the quick left onto the front straight on the #17 American Honda/Shoei/Joe Rocket/Dunlop-sponsored CBR1000RR while leading Mat Mladin on the #1 Yoshimura American Suzuki/Motorex/Dunlop/VP Fuel-backed GSX-R1000.  Mladin would go on to pass his French Canadian rival to win the race and would clinch his fifth of seven AMA Superbike Championships at the end of the season.

According to John Ulrich and his people at Roadracing World.com, the man behind the majority of motorcycle road racing television coverage in the United States in the last 15+ years and his company are working on putting together another television package to showcase the great racing in the Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series for the 2013 season.  With the recent news that SpeedTV as we know it may be going away, Chet Burks Productions appears to be working with some of the other sports networks on your favorite satellite or cable provider.  It has been speculated that Speed will most likely get swallowed up by it's Fox flagship and rolled over into another version of Fox Sports for several months now, something along the lines of what has happened with NBC Sports Network, formerly Versus.

Burks talked with Roadracing World founder and Team Hammer/M4 Suzuki team owner John Ulrich about how things are going in putting things together for next season.  Read more below and a big thanks to John Ulrich and Roadracing World.com on this update about a TV package for the 2013 Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing season:

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=50351

AMA Road Racing: Cycle News.com's Larry Lawrence Catches Up with Former Yoshimura Suzuki Racer Tommy Lynch

Tommy Lynch's #30 Yoshimura Suzuki/Motul/AGV/Michelin-sponsored GSX-R750 sits in the team's paddock area at Road America during the Coca-Cola Super Cycle Classic Weekend in June 1991.  Lynch was an up-and-coming rider in the AMA Pro Road Racing ranks having been with the Yoshimura squad since the '89 AMA 750 Supersport season, and was ultimately offered a position on their AMA Superbike team for the '91 season.

In his first season in the premier road racing class in the United States, the California resident and the soon-to-be powerhouse factory Suzuki squad struggled, as the Vance & Hines Yamaha two-up of Jamie James and eventual '91 AMA Superbike Champion Thomas Stevens all but ruled the class during the '91 season.  In the final at Elkhart Lake from which the above shot was taken, Lynch struggled to an 8th-place finish behind race winner James and runner-up Stevens, with a stacked field close behind with riders including Rich Arnaiz, Rueben McMurter and Tom Kipp finishing ahead of the #30 machine that weekend.

It's hard to even imagine using the term 'struggled' along with the name Yoshimura Suzuki in the same sentence, but it would be some seven seasons later when the team would start to become the powerhouse that they are now known for.  With the hiring of eventual 7-Time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin in '97 and eventual 3-Time Champ Ben Spies in the early '00s, the team quickly transformed into the ultimate fighting machine they were from the '98 season until Mladin's last championship winning season in '09. 

And Lynch was no slouch, going on to win the '92 and '93 AMA Endurance Championship.  See more on that achievement below.

The Holland Oil Camel Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August '93 hosted the AMA Pro Road Racing series again for another fine weekend just outside the small town of Lexington, Ohio.  Long before the days of running only four classes in the series, the typical enthusiast would show up at the track with a full slate of racing in not only the premier Superbike class, but also the 600 & 750 Supersport classes, the 250GP class, the H-D Twin Sports class, and the AMA EBC Endurance Championship Series class.

Two Brothers Racing was one of the big teams in the endurance series in those days, fielding an almost superbike-spec Honda CBR900RR in the class.  With riders Tommy Lynch (above rolling out for the show on the #21 Two Brothers Racing/American Honda Motor Co/Bridgestone/AGV-sponsored mount), team co-owner Kevin Erion (soon to be of TBR and Erion Racing fame) and noted motojournalist and go-fast guy Nick Ienatsch, the Two Brothers Honda team won the '93 AMA EBC Endurance Championship, the year after Lynch had captured his first crown while riding for the Fastline Racing team.

You can catch up with what Tommy Lynch is doing now below, thanks to Cycle News.com's Larry Lawrence, and hear what he has to say about the '93 Championship-winning Two Brothers Racing Honda CBR900RR as shown above.


Again a big thanks goes out to my buddy and Cycle News.com's Larry Lawrence as he profiles former AMA Superbike contender and '92-'93 AMA EBC Endurance Champion Tommy Lynch, one of a long line of fine talent that once graced the saddle of a Yoshimura Suzuki AMA Superbike and who also won the '93 AMA Endurance Championship while riding for the Two Brothers Racing Honda team. 

Check out LL's article here in his always bitchin' 'Archives' column in this week's issue of Cycle News:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20121120#pg104

AMA Road Racing: Cycle News & Larry Lawrence Talk About Former Racer Larry Schwarzbach's Rise to Fame & Tragic Loss of Life

Former racer and Vance & Hines teamster Larry Schwarzbach is shown on the #7 Vance & Hines/Dunlop/Ohlins/Bell-sponsored FZR600 Yamaha on the starting grid for the AMA 600 SuperSport Series race at the Camel Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 2, 1992, accompanied by crew chief Steve Johnson and another member of the V&H squad.

Schwarzbach would go on to win what would be his first-ever race in the support series event at the Lexington, OH. track, to the delight of the fans and even competitors including the late Randy Renfrow (2nd-place finish) and Tom Kipp (3rd-place finish and eventual '92 600SS Champion.)  He was signed as a team mate to Louisiana's own and '89 AMA Superbike Champion Jamie James, who was in his second year with the Yamaha factory-supported team, to contest the 600SS series as a signee to the team for the '91 season and in '92 also started competing alongside James in the AMA Superbike class.  After former team mate and '91 AMA Superbike Champion Thomas Stevens moved to the Muzzy Kawasaki team at the end of the '91 season, Schwarzbach was moved up to the #2 seat of the #64 Vance & Hines superbike rocket as a full time competitor in the premier class early in the '92 season.

Unfortunately, just a few short hours after this shot was taken, the Texas resident and likeable rider was involved in a crash during the running of the AMA Superbike Championship final in which he was tragically injured when he was hit from behind after trying to regain control of the bike coming out of Mid-Ohio's last corner onto the front straightaway while battling just out of the top-5.  He succumbed to his injuries just shy of two days later after being taken off of life support and never regaining consciousness.

The up-and-coming rider, who had worked his way out of the WERA ranks and into the bigs of AMA Pro Road Racing, was without a doubt one of the future stars of the series who will be remembered for his ability to adapt and his likeable nature, and the tragic loss of life taken by what he loved doing at too young of an age.  And I for one will remember him for his celebratory lap and smile on the podium after having taken that first and only win at Mid-Ohio in what surely could have been the first of many to come.

Check out the full story below, thanks to my good friend Larry Lawrence, for this in depth article about the life and times of former racer Larry Schwarzbach, the former Vance & Hines teamster who several hours after taking his breakout win in the AMA 600 SuperSport Series race at Mid-Ohio in August '92 was tragically injured and resultingly died as a result of his injuries just two days later after competing in the AMA Superbike Championship Series race alongside team mate Jamie James:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20120828?#pg65

Aaron Yates Gets Wild Card Ride for 5th Annual Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP Round

Aaron Yates is shown on the #20 American Suzuki/Yoshimura/Dunlop/Motorex-sponsored Suzuki GSX-R750 during qualifying for the Honda Super Cycle Weekend Presented by Dunlop Tire weekend at Mid-Ohio in July 2000 in preparation for the Wiseco Superbike 100 doubleheader.  Yates would go on to win both races over the weekend in the AMA Superbike Championship Series class.

The 2-Time AMA SuperStock Champion had been out of action since the California Speedway round of the AMA Superbike Championship in early 2010 when he suffered a severe leg break during an early practice session.  Several weeks ago, Yates returned to racing while riding in a WERA Endurance Series event at Road Atlanta for the BEi Racing/Dunlop Development team on their Suzuki GSX-R1000, which he helped the team to win in the process.

It was announced earlier today that Double A-ron would be stepping up his game in his return to two-wheeled racing action by accepting a wild card ride in the August 2012 Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP round, riding for the BCL Motorsports team in the CRT class at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

You can read that story here thanks to RoadRacingWorld.com:

 http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=48701

AMA Road Racing: Graves Yamaha Extended Service Team Announces Tommy Hayden to Ride Remainder of Season in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Series

Tommy Hayden on the #22 Muzzy's Kawasaki/Dunlop/Bel-Ray/SBS-sponsored ZX-6 leads eventual event winner and soon-to-be '98 AMA 600 SuperSport Champion Steve Crevier on the #4 American Suzuki/Yoshimura USA/Dunlop/American Showa-backed GSX-R600 early in the AMA Pro Road Racing Kerker 600 SuperSport Series final at Mid-Ohio in July 1998.

Crevier would go on to best Tommy Gun and a field full of AMA Superbike Championship regulars (Hayden was in his second season of also riding the Muzzy ZX-7 Superbike) in his only win in the series for the season, but with his consistency throughout the season-long series was able to win his only AMA Pro Road Racing championship, to add to his bevy of Canadian Superbike and SuperSport championships.

Hayden, the oldest of the Hayden Clan out of Owensboro, KY. would go on to win a pair of 600 SuperSport Championships ('04-'05) while riding for the factory-based Kawasaki Motors Corp. team, winning seven events and 10 additional podiums over the course of the two seasons. 

In the '07 season, Hayden would leave the Kawasaki team(s) that he had been so-long associated with to ride for the Yoshimura Suzuki team as a team mate to multi-time champs Mat Mladin and Ben Spies, and splitting time in the 600 SuperSport series, where he would finally break through with his virgin AMA Superbike win during the 2010 season.  But, by the end of the '11 season in spite of winning races and finishing in the top-3 in points during the '10-'11 seasons, Hayden was out of a job due to the still-struggling economy in general, and in racing in particular.

Heading into the season-opening round at Daytona in March '12, it looked like Tommy Gun was going to be on the fence for the new season, a victim of the economy.  But just two days before the Daytona 200, Graves Motorsports Yamaha Extended Service regular rider Garrett Gerloff was unfortunately injured in a practice crash for the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Series, and Hayden was called into last-minute duty to fill in on the #8 YZF-R6 for the team, where he brought home a solid 7th-place finish on the day.

Since that time, Tommy has been garnering great results for the team in Gerloff's absence and now sits in the 4th-place spot in the 2012 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Series championship on the #8 Graves Yamaha, just a few points out of the 3rd-place spot.  After the Road America round 5 event last weekend, it still wasn't known if Hayden would still have a seat after Gerloff's return in the near future.

But great things happen to great people, and in the case of Tommy Hayden his patience and his results have paid off as today Yamaha Racing team manager Keith McCarty made it official that he would be staying on the team through the end of the '12 season and for the rest of the year would be riding his his familiar #22.  Gerloff's return is still uncertain but at this time Yamaha is still expecting him back before the end of the season.

This is great news for Tommy Hayden and his fans, and you can read the full release from Yamaha below!

Thanks to Dean Adams and his rockin' SuperbikePlanet.com for this great news about Tommy Hayden getting a full-time ride for the rest of the 2012 season and also being able to race again with his most familiar #22 number plate for the rest of the year:

http://superbikeplanet.com/2012/Jun/120608-22.htm

AMA Road Racing: Michael Jordan Motorsports' Ben Bostrom Tops the Charts After Two-Day Homestead-Miami Speedway Test

Ben Bostrom leans the #11 American Honda/Dunlop/Arai/Alpinestars-sponsored Honda RC45 through a turn while qualifying for the Wiseco Superbike 100 race during the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire at Mid Ohio in July '98.  The soon-to-be '98 AMA Superbike Champion would go on to bag the title in the premier road racing class in the United States without winning a single event, and only finishing out of the top five all season in only two rounds.

BBoz has raced for a handful of teams throughout his road racing career, not only in America but in his time spent across the pond contesting the World Superbike Championship in the early '00s while racing a Ducati V-Twin.  Upon his return to the States he would team-up again with American Honda, and again race for a U.S.-based Ducati team after having raced for the Vance & Hines Ducati team in '99 before heading to Europe.

Switching to the Graves Motorsports Yamaha team in the '07 season, the elder of the Boz Bros would contest the AMA Superstock Series presented by Dynojet Championship, where he would finish 2nd behind '07 AMA Superstock Champion Ben Spies, doing so on overall consistency with zero wins to Spies' series' leading seven wins, 292-264 points.  Only Aaron Yates and Jake Holden, with the Jordan Motorsports team, would win any of the other events during the 2007 season in the superbike-lite class.

For the 2008 season, Bostrom and the Graves team would change things up dramatically, with BBoz contesting what was now called the AMA Supersport Championship Series after two decades of being run under the title of the AMA 600 Supersport Championship Series.  Bostrom would demolish the competition while riding the Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 in winning 8 out of 11 events and only finishing off the podium one time throughout the season (Miller Motorsports Park.)

With the official takeover of the series from the AMA to the Daytona-based DMG ownership, for the third year in a row the old '600' series would be renamed again, and ultimately combined with the now-defunct AMA Formula Xtreme Championship, but with DOT tires mandated for what was now to be called the AMA Daytona SportBike Championship.  Bostrom only ran two races in the class during the '09 season, and won the season-opening Daytona 200 as well as the Laguna Seca round while riding a Graves Yamaha R6.  The rest of the season he would contest the AMA Superbike Championship riding the team's potent Yamaha YZF-R1, and during the 2010 season he would win the Laguna round for the Graves Yamaha-backed Pat Clark Motorsports team.

2011 saw Ben head to the Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki team, and would contest the AMA Superbike Championship on their GSX-R1000 mounts.  Re-upping with the #23 team for the new season in 2012, Bostrom started the season on a big down note with finishes of 13th and 15th in both Daytona rounds.  But something must have really clicked for the team during the Homestead-Miami test held over the last two days in Southern Florida, as BBoz was back at the top of the charts on the Jordan Suzuki, with team mate Roger Hayden a close second. 

You can check out the full press release below thanks to the great folks at AMA Pro Road Racing, and we wish BBoz 'Captain America' the best of luck for the new year, which will kick back into gear in late April at Road Atlanta.
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Michael Jordan Motorsports Riders Bostrom and Hayden Top the Charts in Final Day of AMA Pro Road Racing Testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway

Beaubier Fastest in Daytona SportBike; Vesrah's Lewis Tops SuperSport Class; Wyman Leads XR1200

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (March 21, 2012) - AMA Pro Road Racing conducted an official test at Homestead-Miami Speedway this week which gave more than 50 riders an important opportunity to prepare their motorcycles in advance of the Big Kahuna Miami, scheduled for September 21-23, 2012. With many of AMA Pro's top teams in attendance, riders and crews went to work perfecting their racecraft on a track that hasn't been on AMA Pro Road Racing's calendar since 1996. Setting the bar high, the Michael Jordan Motorsports team left nothing on the table in the final day of on-track activity. The team's AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike riders Ben Bostrom and Roger Hayden posted impressive lap times in the final session that locked them in at the top of the charts. Bostrom, who pilots the team's No. 23 Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000, posted successively faster lap times over the course of the two-day test before ripping off a final session flyer with a time of 1:21.445 around the Speedway's 2.21-mile motorcycle road course. The former National Guard SuperBike champ is one of the few riders in the Series with experience at the South Florida venue, having won the AMA SuperTwins race 16 years ago in AMA Pro's inaugural race at the venue. "I've been here before, I like it," said Bostrom. "In 1996 I won the Harley race here, so the track was semi-good to me then too. My first lap around here this year, I said 'I don't even remember this track.' It's crazy, I didn't remember it. But the bike is fantastic, nice comeback after Daytona; we had a really tough time there. Actually it sucked, let's admit it. I know for the rest of the tracks, especially these twisty tracks, we have an awesome handling machine. My engineer Darren has found something again, so it's been one of the most successful tests we've ever had actually, as far as speed goes." Teammate Hayden turned in the second overall fastest lap of 1:21.526 in the same session aboard the team's No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000. The Big Kahuna Miami brings motorcycle road racing back to one of the country's biggest entertainment markets and Hayden took this testing opportunity to combine work with pleasure during his brief time in South Florida. "I came here right as the 200 was ending; probably before it was even done I was on my way here," said Hayden. "Me and my girlfriend came here for a few days and hung out by the beach. It's been a long couple of months getting ready for the season so it's kind of nice to take a few days off. I'm a huge sports fan and I've always wanted to see LeBron James play. I went to the Miami Heat game on Sunday night when they played the Orlando Magic, so I got to see Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade and LeBron play. It was one of those things I get to check off the list." Defending AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes turned the test's third fastest lap time of 1:21.647 on his No. 1 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1, followed by yesterday's fast man, Blake Young. Young's No. 79 Yoshimura Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 was often the fastest rider in each National Guard SuperBike session, the Wisconsin posting a time of 1:21.844, good for fourth overall. Larry Pegram rounded out the top five with a lap time of 1:22.266 on the No. 72 Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing BMW S1000RR. With one of the paddock's busiest racing schedules, Pegram left the Miami area bound for Florida's West coast to participate in this weekend's Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with the Star Mazda Championship. "We had a lot of stuff to run through when we were here," said Pegram. "Right here at the end of the day we threw some tires at it to see what we could do and we did a 1:22.2. I'm not ecstatic with that but that's a lot better, we made some good improvements here this weekend. We found some things out, we're still learning. We're getting the bike better all the time. I feel a lot better leaving here than I did leaving Daytona, as far as our competitiveness." Beaubier Blasts Past AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Competition Cameron Beaubier is making waves early in his second AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike season. The Californian finished third after leading five laps of the season-opening DAYTONA® 200 last weekend and was immediately competitive at this week's test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Beaubier's fast time of 1:24.431 on the No. 6 Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 was nearly a half-second ahead of his closest competitor. "It was really good; the track got a little more grip today," said Beaubier. "We tried some things with suspension, getting a little more brake feel. The bike worked really well today, I really like the track and I'm excited to race here." The only other GoPro Daytona SportBike rider to crack the 1:24 mark was GEICO Suzuki's Martin Cardenas, who found speed in the second day of the test and posted a fast lap of 1:24.807. Tommy Hayden, freshly added to the Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha team at Daytona, posted the third fastest lap for the class with a time of 1:25.266. "I enjoyed myself here at the track," said Hayden. "It seemed like everything went pretty smooth, cool to have a new race and a new track to come and ride. I felt more comfortable with the bike and the team as well, chipped away at things little by little. I made my times a little faster and I'm feeling good. I'm going to be doing the next two races, for sure. It's a big change for me, you know, with a new team, running a 600, but I'm really looking forward to it so I want to come to the next race and put in a little better fight than we did in Daytona. No major changes, the bike has proven itself for years. A couple of small things to get myself more comfortable personally to it, for my riding style, but for the most part I'm just adapting myself back to the 600 riding style and trying to break some superbike bad habits. I feel pretty confident at Road Atlanta. We are going to be able to compete there with some good results." Rounding out the top five were AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike rookies Benny Solis (No. 35 Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600), who turned in the fourth fastest lap of 1:25.341, and Jake Gagne (No. 132 RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha YZF-R6). Both rising stars are eligible for the Saddlemen Rookie of the Year award, created to bring attention to AMA Pro's rising talent in the GoPro Daytona SportBike division. Lewis Locked and Loaded in AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport In the first AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race of 2012, Jake Lewis took home a second-place result to defending series champion James Rispoli by just 0.032 seconds. This week during the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Lewis reversed the running order by throwing down the best Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport time of 1:26.336 in Wednesday's opening session on his No. 85 Vesrah Riders Discount Suzuki GSX-R600. Though Rispoli topped him in the day's remaining sessions, Lewis was able to hold on to the top spot. "It went really well, we ended up setting the fastest time of the test so we're happy," said Lewis. "I've gotten really comfortable with the bike and the team and I'm looking forward to going to Road Atlanta. I know that track, so I won't have to deal with the learning curve like I did at Daytona. Mark Junge gave me a road bicycle so I'm going to be training hard to get ready for the next race." Rispoli turned his fastest time of 1:26.441 in the first afternoon session following a series of consistent outings on the No. 1 Celtic Racing/ Orient Express Racing Suzuki GSX-R600. "I think we're pretty close," said Rispoli. "That last session there we did a 1:26.4, we made a couple of mistakes on that lap so I know that lap could have been quicker. Once we get down to those times, we'll be able to click them off whenever we want to. We were very consistent when we did our race simulation and I feel that we can run consistent lap times. We're hoping to get lower for the race weekend coming up and to just run consistent lap times. It seems like everybody is just throwing the one-off laps in there, which is fine, but from what we saw, we've able to be really consistent which is good." Third fastest in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport division was RoadRace Factory rider Hayden Gillim, pilot of the team's No. 69 Yamaha YZF-R6. Wyman Working Hard in AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series Kyle Wyman has contested all but one round of the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series since its inception in 2010. The 22-year-old can also boast the he is the only rider to win an AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series race held in the state of Florida, having successfully defended his 2011 victory at Daytona International Speedway with an equally impressive 2012 win. The top three Vance & Hines XR1200 Series riders from the season-opening round at Daytona found themselves in the same positions during the Homestead-Miami Speedway test, and Wyman's fast lap of 1:33.055 will serve as a benchmark for the competition when the Series returns in September for the Big Kahuna Miami. "I think this is a really fun track," said Wyman. "It was my first time riding here so I didn't know what to expect. Even just in the first few laps, I knew it was going to be something that fit my style. I like the hard braking and tight corners and all that, the flat stuff. Then coming on and off the NASCAR track is always cool, it's worked out pretty good for me in the past. I can't wait to get back here in September, it seems like a long ways away but we've got a really good track. The XR racing is going to be really good, it always is." Not far behind, standout Tyler O'Hara set the second fastest lap for the class at 1:34.060, followed by Bartels' Harley-Davidson teammate Michael Barnes with a time of 1:34.570. Get Back to the Track Tickets for this fall's Big Kahuna Miami, scheduled for September 21 - 23, 2012 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, can be purchased at http://www.m1powersports.com/big-kahuna-miami/.

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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AMA Pro Road Racing Previews 2012 Daytona SportBike Series & Season-Opening Daytona 200

Jake Zemke maneuvers the #98 Erion Honda Racing/Parts Unlimited/PJ-1/MTX-sponsored Honda CBR600RR through turn 14 at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course during a qualifying session for the AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Series round at the Honda Super Cycle Weekend Presented by Dunlop Tire in July 2004.  Zemke, who would go on to win the 2008 (and final) AMA Formula Xtreme Championship, won the Daytona 200 while riding for the American Honda team in 2006.

Zemke will join former Daytona 200 winners Jason DiSalvo (2011) and John Ashmead (1989 when the 200 was a full-on Superbike event) in the field of 47 riders now pre-entered for the Saturday, March 17 endurance race.  It was just announced last week that Zemke had signed on to ride a Ducshop Racing Ducati 748 in his return to the track that he won the Rolex watch at for last year's event.  Dunlop has been working double overtime to ensure no tire problems plague the field like what were experienced during last year's event that saw the 200 shorted to the Daytona 147.

You can read the full preview and press release below for this year's Daytona 200 and AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Series Championship.
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AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike:

2012 Season-Opening DAYTONA® 200 Week Preview

71st Running of Historic Race to Air Saturday, March 17 at 2:30 p.m.ET/11:30 a.m. PT on SPEED

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 13, 2012) - The 2012 AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike season kicks off this weekend from the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, with 47 competitors entered to take part in the 71st running of the historic DAYTONA® 200. America's longest-running endurance motorcycle road race, the DAYTONA® 200 was first held on the shores of Daytona Beach in 1937. Today, the 200-mile, 57-lap race pits man against machine in a demanding battle on the 3.51-mile traditional motorcycle course at the famed speedway. Practice and qualifying for this year's event will be held on Thursday, March 15 and Friday, March 16, with the start of the race scheduled for Saturday, March 17 at 1:00 p.m. local time. In last year's contest, fortune was looking down upon Jason DiSalvo as the always-impressive Team Latus crew persevered during a red-flag situation to repair the No. 40 Ducati 848 and get the Batavia, N.Y. native back in the show for the race's final laps. DiSalvo didn't disappoint, earning victory as the sun began to set on the high banks. For 2012, DiSalvo returns with the same team and a different brand to begin his 2012 AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike title fight. Paying homage an American motorcycle racing legend, DiSalvo's helmet, leathers and Team Latus Motors Racing Triumph Daytona 675 will feature a one-off design scheme for Daytona in the style of the classic, championship-winning No. 9 Triumph Triple ridden by the late Gary Nixon. Grid positions for the DAYTONA® 200 will be determined by the combined results of two timed qualifying sessions scheduled for Friday, March 16 at 8:45 a.m. and later that same day at 1:10 p.m. The DAYTONA® 200 Pole Award, and the accompanying Rolex Daytona Cosmograph, will be given to the pole position winner at noon on Saturday, March 17 during opening ceremonies for the 71st running of the historic 57-lap, 200-mile race. Jake Zemke, winner of the 2006 DAYTONA® 200 and of last year's DAYTONA® 200 Pole Award, will also be back at Daytona on a new brand. The Californian led the majority of the 2011 DAYTONA® 200 before finishing the race in third and has joined forces with Ducshop to compete aboard the No. 98 Ducshop Racing Ducati 848 in the 2012 season. Italian Dario Marchetti will compete aboard the team's No. 23 Ducshop Racing Ducati 848 entry. The importance of the team component to success in the DAYTONA® 200 is often underestimated. As the only event on the calendar that requires pit stops, with all of the intricacies of quick tire changes and safe refueling, it's easy to overlook the fact that the race is often decided by just fractions of a second - last year DiSalvo had an official margin of victory of just 0.029 seconds over Vesrah Suzuki's Cory West. West will be looking to improve by one position this year and top the podium on the No. 57 Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600, racing with and against new teammate and GoPro Daytona SportBike rookie Benny Solis (No. 35 Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki Team Suzuki GSX-R600) for the duration of the season. Following a successful bid in AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, 2010 AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Champion Martin Cardenas returns to the class aboard the No. 36 GEICO Suzuki GSX-R600. Cardenas' last result in the DAYTONA® 200 came in 2009, when he finished ninth. That ninth place finish isn't indicative of the Colombian's innate ability however, which becomes apparent when noting the 17 victories he earned over three years in the top tiers of AMA Pro Road Racing competition, including a rare maiden victory in his debut National Guard SuperBike season last year. Dane Westby, riding the No. 5 M4 Broaster Chicken Suzuki GSX-R600, poses an equally-significant threat and both riders' teams stem from the same racing DNA, well-known for being some of the paddock's most experienced endurance racing teams. Another team with a strong history in endurance racing is Graves Yamaha. This year, the team's impressive two-rider stable of debut-race winners includes Cameron Beaubier (No. 6 Yamaha Extended Service, Graves, Yamaha YZF-R6) and Garrett Gerloff (No. 8 Yamaha Extended Service, Graves, Yamaha YZF-R6). Beaubier is no stranger to victory at Daytona, having earned a victory in his first AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race in the 2010 season, and Gerloff's Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport debut race likewise ended in victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park last year. The recently-created RoadRace Factory Red Bull Team also has a solid two-rider GoPro Daytona SportBike roster which is sure to be at the front when the checkers fall. JD Beach (No. 95 RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha YZF-R6) led two laps of last year's contest and finished the race in fourth, and the 2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion has been training hard in the offseason with new teammate Jake Gagne (No. 123 RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha YZF-R6). Gagne is a GoPro Daytona SportBike rookie whose accolades also include a Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Championship, earned two years after Beach in 2010. LTD Racing's Huntley Nash (No. 75 LTD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) earned two Top 10s last year and now has a full season of GoPro Daytona SportBike under his belt. Beginning at Daytona, LTD Racing's second Yamaha will be piloted by 2011 SuperSport West Champion and GoPro Daytona SportBike rookie David Gaviria (No. 700 LTD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6). Gaviria's last-lap victory in 2011's SuperSport Race 2 at Daytona is a clear indication of the Colombian's riding skill and LTD Racing's two-rider force will be one to be reckoned with in 2012. Another SuperSport West Champion will be back at Daytona in 2012, with 2010 SuperSport West Champion Joey Pascarella slotted to ride the No. 52 Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha YZF-R6. The combination of Project 1 Atlanta and Pascarella is sure to be fast; The Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha earned pole position and led 25 laps of last year's contest with Zemke at the controls and Pascarella has already demonstrated his winning ways at Daytona with a 2010 victory in SuperSport Race 2. Tommy Aquino (No. 827 SGA Racing/Yamaha Champions Riding School Yamaha YZF-R6), who finished third in the 2011 AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Rider Championship, will be racing in the DAYTONA® 200 round of AMA Pro Road Racing before heading overseas to race in the CEV Moto2 Spanish National Championship for Wilmax Racing. Aquino's teammate on the SGA Racing squad is Robertino Pietri (No. 16 Katra/SGA Racing Yamaha YZF-R6), who returns to full-time AMA Pro Road Racing competition following two seasons of racing in the Moto2 Championship. Yamaha will be well represented at Daytona, with 28 of the 47 GoPro Daytona SportBike riders entered on the Yamaha YZF-R6. The most recent Yamaha added to the fold is the No. 50 Meen Motorsports Racing entry, which combines the riding talent Bobby Fong with some of the industry's best tuners. The largest team entered in this year's contest, Triple Crown Industries will host a four-rider lineup consisting of Paul Allison (No. 20 Triple Crown Industries Yamaha YZF-R6), Michael Barnes (No. 34 Triple Crown Industries Yamaha YZF-R6), Austin Dehaven (No. 56 Triple Crown Industries Yamaha YZF-R6) and Sam Rozynski (No. 175 Triple Crown Industries Yamaha YZF-R6). Allison finished 10th in last year's DAYTONA® 200. Fan-favorite Melissa Paris recently inked a deal that will see her competing aboard the No. 13 Sea Miracle Yamaha Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 during the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing season. Paris, the wife of two-time, reigning AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes, holds the record for the highest finish for a female rider in the 71-year history of the DAYTONA® 200 with her 2009 finish of 21st place. The bar was raised for the DAYTONA® 200 mileage record in 2011 and both the current record holder and one of his only close contenders will be at it again in 2012. Heading into last year's contest, Ricky Orlando (No. 12 Ricky Orlando Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R) was nine miles behind Rick Shaw's record of 3,728 miles but finished the race on top with 3,857 miles. 1989 DAYTONA® 200 winner John Ashmead (No. 37 Peter Brady Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R) now sits in third place with 3,679 miles, and is still mathematically within reach of claiming the record for his own if the chips fall in his favor this weekend. The DAYTONA® 200 will be televised in a same-day delay broadcast on SPEED, scheduled for Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT). The SPEED on-air team for AMA Pro Road Racing will include veteran motorcycle broadcaster Leigh Diffey providing play-by-play, with AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scott Russell joining him in the booth for analysis. Longtime SPEED reporter and host Greg White will provide reports from the pits. AMA Pro Fan Walk sessions will take place on two occasions over the race weekend, during which fans will be able to circulate on pit lane to visit with their favorite riders and teams from AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport and the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series. There will be a host of additional fan-specific activities and events during the DAYTONA® 200 Week at Daytona International Speedway, including demo rides, vendor offerings at the Daytona Motorcycle Marketplace and live entertainment, games and bikini contests at Thunder Alley. Another experience not to miss is the seventh-annual "Spring Dash Around Daytona" - the chance to take two laps around Daytona International Speedway's 3.56-mile road course on Saturday, March 17 immediately after the DAYTONA® 200. Live Timing & Scoring of all on-track sessions will be available at http://live.amaproracing.com/rr/. Between the races, stay connected with AMA Pro Road Racing at www.twitter.com/AMAProSBK and www.facebook.com/AMAProRoadRacing; keep up with Daytona International Speedway via Twitter (www.twitter.com/DISupdates) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway). For tickets and additional event information, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP. For information related to AMA Pro Road Racing, please visit www.amaproracing.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 www.amaproracing.com. For additional information contact: AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

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