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 Pro Road Racing & SpeedTV Announce Television Schedule for 2012 Season Opening Daytona 200 Week

A hot and sultry weekend greeted the riders at Gateway International Raceway in August 1995 as the ranks of the AMA Pro Road Racing series headed to the track located just east of  the St. Louis Arch and across the Mississippi River for the Gateway Superbike Nationals.  In what would be horrendously humid conditions throughout the weekend, the stars of the premier road racing series in the United States would put on a show for the fans in what would be the series' first and only appearance at the track, located just across the street from one of the local landfills.

For what was at that time one of the top support classes in the series, the AMA HP4 600 SuperSport Series gets ready to do battle in one of the five finals for the final day of racing in Madison, IL. in what would be the 22 lap final for the DOT tire-shod event. 

Lining up on the front row shows Miguel Duhamel's #117 American Honda Motor Co/Smokin Joe's Racing/Dunlop/DID-sponsored Honda with crew chief Al Ludington chatting with another team member.  Partially obstructed by the television crew is Steve Crevier standing by his #4 Kawasaki/Muzzy's/Bel-Ray//Dunlop-backed mount, followed by Toronto, Ontario's Owen Weichel standing next to his #8 HYD-MECH Saws/4&6 Cycles/Teknic Leathers/Shoei Helmets-sponsored Kawasaki.  Thomas Wilson's #2 Kinko's Kawasaki/Dunlop/EBC/Muzzy's-backed machine and team fill out the front row.

On the second row just behind Ludington you can catch a glimpse of Pascal Picotte's #112 Muzzy Kawasaki, while Michael Barnes zips up and holds his umbrella next to the #34 Erion Racing/American Honda/Bridgestone/Honda Parts & Accessories-backed mount.  Duhamel went on to win the lone race at Gateway to add to his legend as the all-time 600 SuperSport Series champion and race winner.


With the 600 SuperSport series morphing into SuperSport, and since the 2009 season the Daytona SportBike Championship Series, the middleweight bikes now hold the distinction of being the 'premier' show at the season-opening round at Daytona Beach.  Comprised of a good mix of twins, triple and four cylinder machines, the series has produced a good mix of manufacturers and riders over the last few seasons.

With the Daytona 200 scheduled for Saturday, March 17, AMA Pro Road Racing and SpeedTV today announced the television viewing schedule for the upcoming season-opening round for next week.  Besides the Daytona 200, the Daytona event will include two rounds of the AMA Superbike Championship and AMA SuperSport Championship, as well as one round of the Vance & Hines XR1200 Series.

You can read the full press release below to see what time you will need to set your DVRs for!
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AMA Pro Racing and SPEED Release Broadcast Schedule for AMA Pro Road Racing's 2012 Season-Opening DAYTONA® 200

DAYTONA 200® Week Races to be aired on SPEED in a 4.5 Hour Programming Block on Saturday, March 17, 2012

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 6, 2012) - SPEED™, the nation's first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle, will once again serve as AMA Pro Road Racing's broadcast partner in 2012. Fans of AMA Pro can tune in to SPEED on Saturday, March 17, 2012 beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT to catch all of the AMA Pro Road Racing action from the season-opening DAYTONA® 200 Week at Daytona International Speedway in a set of back-to-back broadcasts.

 

SPEED's coverage of AMA Pro Road Racing at Daytona International Speedway will begin with AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Race 1, scheduled to air in a one-hour program on Saturday, March 17 at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT. At 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT, viewers can catch the stars of the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike division as they compete in the 71st running of America's most historic motorcycle endurance race, the 2012 DAYTONA® 200.

Following the two-and-a-half hour DAYTONA 200® broadcast, coverage of Saturday's National Guard SuperBike Race 2 is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT.

Highlights of the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport and AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series races from Daytona will be included in the SPEED broadcasts and also available live on SPEED2, an online-only racing network located at http://www.speed2.com featuring exclusive and same-day delay racing events, on-demand international motor sports content, as well as automotive and motorcycle enthusiast programming.

 

Friday's Vance & Hines XR1200 Series race and Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport Race 1 can be viewed live on SPEED2 starting at 2:10 p.m. ET/11:10 a.m. PT, and before tuning to SPEED on Saturday, fans can log back into SPEED2 for a live online broadcast of the final SuperSport race, scheduled for 9:55 a.m. ET/ 6:55 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 Fame rider and five-time DAYTONA® 200 winner Scott Russell joining him in the booth for analysis. Longtime SPEED reporter and host Greg White will provide reports from the pits.

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. For tickets, please visit http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

About SPEED™

SPEED, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation's first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in nearly 84 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services, including SPEED2, a groundbreaking new broadband network featuring live, streaming and on-demand events complementing offerings of the linear network. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.

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 Racing and Sunoco Fuels Announce 2013 Daytona 200 VIP Sweepstakes

In a great battle of the 'black and blue' brigade during the Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader weekend at Road America in June 2004, four riders go at it for the final spot on the podium, early in the going of the Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme final as they head into turn 14.  Leaders (and eventual 1st and 2nd placers) Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke are already well ahead of this pack during the 10 lap event on their Honda CBR600RR machines, leaving this pack to go at it for the 3rd place spot on the podium.

Alex Gobert on the #23 American Honda/Erion Racing/Parts Unlimited-sponsored CBR600RR leads Doug Chandler on the #10 HMC/Ducati Milwaukee-sponsored 749R, Steve Crevier on the #714 DXS Diablo Suzuki/Joe Rocket/KBC-sponsored GSX-R600 and Vincent Haskovec on the #3 Valvoline Emgo Suzuki/Michelin/Arai-backed GSX-R600.  Gobert would hold the point to the end to garner that final spot on the box, just .241 seconds ahead of former 3-Time AMA Superbike Champ Chandler, with former '98 AMA 600 Supersport Champ Crevier fading to 3.165 seconds back, with Haskovec coming home in the 6th spot, a little over 7 seconds behind Crevier.


AMA Pro Racing and spec-fuel sponsor Sunoco Fuels announced a very nice sweepstakes for the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing and AMA Pro Flat Track seasons that will see one lucky winner wave the checkered flag at the completion of the 2013 Daytona 200 event. 

You can read the official press release below.
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AMA Pro Racing and Sunoco Race Fuels Launch Sunoco VIP Experience Sweepstakes for 2013 DAYTONA® 200 Week

Grand Prize Includes All-Expense Paid Opportunity to Wave Checkered Flag for 2013 DAYTONA® 200

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 5, 2012) - Beginning at noon on Monday, March 5, 2012, fans will have the chance to register for the first two rounds of the 26-round Sunoco VIP Experience sweepstakes, a program designed by AMA Pro Racing and Sunoco Race Fuels to provide a socially-engaging experience for fans over the course of the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing and AMA Pro Flat Track seasons. First Prize Winners of the Sunoco VIP Experience sweepstakes will be awarded the highly-coveted, Sunoco-branded checkered flags signed by each event weekend's race winners.

The Grand Prize Winner of the Sunoco VIP Experience will be awarded the opportunity to wave the checkered flag for the 2013 running of the historic DAYTONA® 200 as part of an all-expense paid trip to Daytona Beach, Fla.; a luxury package valued at well over $3,000.

There will be 12 entry periods for AMA Pro Road Racing events and 14 entry periods for AMA Pro Flat Track events over the course of the 2012 season. The entry period for each event begins 10 days prior to on-track action and ends four days following the waving of each checkered flag, with random drawings for First Prize Winners performed the day after the closing of each entry period.

The 26 First Place Winners will be presented with a Sunoco-branded checkered flag autographed by the race winner(s) of the event that they registered for; this is a true fan's dream opportunity to capture a rare piece of American motorcycle road racing history.

Fans are asked to participate in each and every round of the Sunoco VIP Experience sweepstakes. While entries are only permitted once per round per person, an entry into each round guarantees a better chance of winning the Grand Prize and the namesake of the sweepstakes - the Sunoco VIP Experience.

The Grand Prize Winner of the Sunoco VIP Experience will be treated to a lavish package that includes round-trip air transportation for two to Daytona Beach, Fla., three nights' accommodations at a hotel and two exclusive VIP credentials for the 2013 DAYTONA® 200; not to mention the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of waving the checkered flag when the winner of America's most historic road race crosses the line at Daytona International Speedway.

Enter now by visiting AMA Pro Racing's Sunoco VIP Experience Facebook Apps on the AMA Pro Road Racing and AMA Pro Flat Track Facebook pages, located at http://www.facebook.com/AMAProRoadRacing?sk=app_348269925184578 and http://www.facebook.com/AMAProFlatTrackSeries?sk=app_383017578376585, respectively.

Both Facebook Apps also include direct links to the Official Rules for participation in the Sunoco VIP Experience sweepstakes.

The 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing and AMA Pro Flat Track seasons will kick off with the historic DAYTONA® 200 Week, scheduled for March 15 - 17, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway.

For tickets, please visit http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

About Sunoco Race Fuels:

Sunoco Race Fuels is the fuel of choice for a prestigious lineup of American motorsports organizations, including AMA Pro Racing, NASCAR, GRAND-AM Road Racing and ARCA. Sunoco has also been a consistent and valued supplier to grassroots motorsports, with more than 400 race tracks throughout the United States currently offering Sunoco racing gasoline at their facilities. For more information on Sunoco Race Fuels' premium products, please call 1-800-RACE GAS (1-800-722-3427).

To locate a distributor near you, please log onto Sunoco's cutting-edge and highly-useful online fuel finder at http://www.racegas.com/fuelfinder.

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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Happy Birthday to Steve Crevier From Stu's Shots!

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Steve Crevier bends the #14 Smokin' Joe's Team Honda RC45 through the carousel at Mid Ohio during a practice session for the AMA Superbike Series annual trek to the Lexington, OH. track in the summer of '97. Crevier was probably better known in his home country of Canada then here in the States, though he was undoubtedly one of the more popular riders in the paddock during his years of competition in lower North America. Back home he garnered six Canadian Superbike Championships ('89 on a Yamaha, '91-'93 on Kawasakis, '00-'01 on Honda RC51's), not to mention his four Canadian National Sport Bike (600) Championships and his three Canadian Open/750 Production Championships. He also won the '98 AMA 600 Supersport Championship here in the U.S. while campaigning GSX-R600's for Team Yoshimura Suzuki.
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Steve Crevier on the #14 Yoshimura Suzuki TL1000 twin is seen going into the turn 11 area while qualifying for the AMA Superbike event at Mid Ohio in July of 1999. Crevier was teamed with Ohio's own Larry Pegram during the '98-'99 seasons on the big twins, while team mates Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates were teamed on the GSX-R750s. Crevier won the '98 AMA 600 Supersport Championship for the team while riding GSX-R600s and won the Mid Ohio event in '98 three events before the end of the season to help seal up the championship over Team Muzzi Kawasaki's Doug Chandler.
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Mat Mladin on the #66 Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 leads the Yosh TL squad of Larry Pegram on the #72 and Steve Crevier on the #14 through the carousel at Mid Ohio during AMA Superbike final action in July of '98. Rich Oliver on the Team Yamaha YZF-750 #97 machine is seen bringing up the rear of this pack. Suzuki team mate Aaron Yates is long gone on the #20 GSX-R750 and captured the event final.
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You can see the almost-ever present smile on his face through his helmet opening as Steve Crevier chats with his mechanic just before the start of the Mid Ohio AMA Superbike final in August of '92. Crevier rode for Two Brothers Racing (Craig and Kevin Erion) and campaigned Honda RC30s for the team alongside team mate Fast Freddie Spencer during the '92 season.
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The Team Muzzy Kawasaki ZX7-based #14 machine of Steve Crevier cranks a big wheelie after winning the pole for the one-time AMA Superbike event at Gateway International Raceway (just over the river from St. Louis) in the hottest event of the year--and maybe the decade--in August of '95. Crevier campaigned the Rob Muzzy machine while also competing in the AMA 600 Supersport Championship during the '95 season.
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Steve Crevier is one of the easiest going, and most animated individuals to ever hit the AMA Road Racing scene, and he is celebrating his birthday on Friday June 18, and Stu's Shots justs wants to tip the helmet to this great racer and all around fun guy.

Crevier, who currently resides in Maple Ridge, BC, CA., was born in 1965, and competed in the AMA Road Racing series for over a decade starting in '92 (at least that's when I started seeing him around the U.S. races) for teams including Two Brothers Racing, Team Muzzy and the Smokin' Joe's Honda team. While campaigning Team Yoshimura Suzukis in '98 and '99, he won the '98 AMA 600 Supersport Championship (while also winning the '98 Mid Ohio round of the series). He added that championship to go along with his six Canadian Superbike Championships, four 600 Canadian Championships and three 750/Open Production Canadian Championships. Can you say winner?!
One of the more animated people on/off the track, very rarely have I ever seen the man at a race without a big smile on his face and laughing and carrying on about something jovial. And Crevier never fails to perform on the track, especially with his race-ending stoppies and smokies and wheelies. Never a dull moment when he is near or on the track, it is a pleasure to watch him get it on while racing and while on the cool off lap! The man is a 3-ring circus in and about himself with his antics, and he's always shown the crowd a great time.

Stu's Shots wishes Steve a very Happy Birthday and wants to thank him for all of his years of on-the-edge competition and for showing the fans a great time.
And thanks for taking the time to sign a bunch of my pictures over the years, as well. It's always been and always will be a pleasure!
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