Zanotti Racing Announces Signing of Top 1 Oil as Team Sponsor for 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Season

In a fresh announcement today from the team that is hot off of a 1-3 finish in round 2 of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship at the Daytona Short Track II on March 14, 3-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning team Zanotti Racing has signed Top 1 Oil as one of their leading sponsors for the 2014 season.

With new signee Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. taking his first short track win at Daytona last week since the indoor short track round in DuQuoin back in April 2011, and first full-year man and 2-time Grand National race winner Stevie Bonsey bringing home a solid 3rd-place finish, the Zanotti squad is off to a roaring start to the new season ahead. And with the bulk of the series coming up being in the Twins Series division, the racing is bound to get even hotter and heavier than what we saw in Daytona last weekend (which was pretty darn hot!)

In the shot above from round 8 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Indy Mile on August 17, the Zanotti team goes about getting rider Stevie Bonsey's #80 Zanotti Racing/RGR/Arai-sponsored XR-750s set for the first round of practice coming up at the Indiana State Fairgrounds-hosted event held over the last weekend of the Indiana State Fair and the big 6th Annual Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP event being held a few miles down the road at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Former crew chief Ted McDermitt, team owner Dave Zanotti and man on point Wayne Karcich can be seen in the background, while rider Bonsey and rider/coach and 7-Time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr relax before The Rolling Thunder Show takes to the track.

With now two riders under his umbrella to take care of after fielding a single-rider team for the last several seasons, team owner Zanotti now has twice the output in order to field what is always a competitive effort in the series, and with Top 1 Oil coming on board to help out, this should help to ease a little bit of the financial burden for one of the most dedicated team owners in the sport.

A big congrats to all of the guys on Team Zanotti, as we're looking forward to chatting them up some more come the Springfield Mile I round on May 25, and this is great news for these guys! Check out their full press release below to see all of the particulars as we all weather the break in racing between Daytona last week and the Memorial Day weekend kick off to what is truly the full racing season ahead.


Press release courtesy of the Zanotti Racing team, 3-Time AMA Grand National Champions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Zanotti Racing Announces Major Sponsorship Agreement with Top 1 Oil

Top 1 Gets Behind Zanotti Racing’s Harley Championship Title Chase

SAN JOSE, CA. –- March 22, 2014 – Zanotti Racing is pleased to announce that a major sponsorship agreement has been reached with Top 1 Oil of San Mateo California. Top 1 Oil has signed on to support the team in keeping David Zanotti's stable of Harley Davidson XR-750's at or near the top of the box in 2014 as the team chases its 4th AMA Grand National Title.

David Zanotti, owner of Zanotti Racing explains, "Since the '70's when my father Mario founded Zanotti Racing and won the first championship with Steve Eklund, we have strived to align ourselves with quality people, products, and sponsors. Top 1 Oil fits the bill perfectly. Keeping five Harley Davidson XR-750’s in top running condition for three time champ Kenny Coolbeth and up-and- comer Stevie Bonsey is challenging. Our goal is to regain the AMA Grand National Title once again and Top 1 Oil will help get us there."

From Frank Ryan, V. P. Sales & Marketing, “Top 1 Oil, a high quality lubricants company, is very excited to be partnered up with the first rate Zanotti Racing team for the 2014 season. Zanotti Racing has a rich racing history similar to Top 1. My father started Top 1 in the 70’s and continues today as A family run business with a focus on producing quality products and working with quality people.”

About Zanotti Racing

Zanotti Racing is a leading GNC race team, based in San Jose, California. In the 2010 and 2011 the team won back-to-back Grand National Championships. The team presently has two highly talented riders, Kenny Coolbeth and Stevie Bonsey contesting the 2014 GNC series.

About Top 1 Oil Products Company

TOP 1 Oil Products Company, U.S.A., is one the largest exporters of synthetic lubricants from the West Coast of the United States. Their synthetic lubricants, grease and chemicals are well-recognized by consumers and racing communities around the world.

Media Contact: Wayne Karcich

(408) 768-5729; info@zanottiracing.com

AMA Pro Flat Track News & Happenings: Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. to Zanotti Racing, Brad Baker Gets Harley-Davidson Factory Ride & Ted McDermitt Splits from 3-Time AMA Grand National Championship-Winning Zanotti Racing Team

A plethora of news, changes and rider and team changes and partings hit the followers, teams and fans of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series over the course of the last five days, which affected the falling of dominoes throughout what will be the new and updated paddock and team scene for the 2014 version of The Rolling Thunder Show.

One of the first changes to hit the airwaves was the parting of 3-Time AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins Series Champion Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. from the Harley-Davidson Motor Company factory team after the end of the regular season.

Actually announced before the final round at Pomona back on October 12, it was known that The King of Cool would be parting ways with the factory team after eight seasons riding the factory XR750s out of Milwaukee, but it wasn't known for sure until late Monday evening of this week for sure where he would land for the 2014 campaign, although the rumor mill had been at full throttle on what that distinct possibility would be.

After speaking with one of Zanotti Racing's pr reps late Monday evening, who held me to silence in making any announcement until after the official press release hit the airwaves by Kenny on Tuesday. It was then confirmed  by Coolbeth on Tuesday that he would be joining forces with the 3-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning team for the Twins Series part of the schedule for the upcoming year. Coolbeth made it 'official' when he released his press release to the masses announcing that move for next season, which will see him also return to riding Hondas under the Zanotti fold after campaigning Chaplin Kawasakis in the Singles Series since the beginning of the 2011 season.

Also making the move along with Coolbeth to the Zanotti Racing team will be 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship-winning tuner Dave Atherton, who will take over the wrenching duties for Coolbeth with the also-just announced parting of former Zanotti wrench Ted McDermitt (see more below on that move.)

In the shot above in one of his last rides for the H-D factory squad, Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. leads the team out during rider intros at the Springfield Mile I at round 10 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship on August 31. Rider/coach and former AMA Grand National #67 Mike Hacker rolls the #2 Harley-Davidson Motor Co/Screamin Eagle/Traxxas-sponsored factory XR750 out (in all it's 110th Anniversary livery splendor) while Kenny's Dad, Kenny, Sr. brings up the rear. Coolbeth went on to finish in the 6th-place spot on the day, and wrapped the doubleheader weekend at the Illinois State Fairgrounds with a 4th-place finish on Sunday at the Springfield Mile II event.

Earlier on Monday, the official announcement came out that 2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad 'The Bullet' Baker would be filling that empty seat left vacant by Coolbeth's departure/release from the Milwaukee-based factory team.

Baker, hot off his third season as an Expert-ranked rider, and after winning the first two Grand National races of his career at Hagerstown and Pomona, clinched the 2013 AMA Grand National Championship at the end of the season after leading the overall point standings since his breakout first win of his career in early July.

Baker's worst finish of the season came at the Colonial Downs round the week before the Labor Day weekend doubleheader at Springfield when he lost a motor in the National main and finished a season and career-worst 19th. With his two wins on the year and his 12 top-5 finishes of the season, Baker took the championship over title rival Bryan Smith by 10 points at Pomona after railing back to the lead in what was considered one of the best races of the season.

In the shot above, Baker awaits the first round of practice at the Indy Mile on August 17 in round 8 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Also seen next to Baker on the #12 Dodge Brothers Racing/Sefnco Communications/Specialty Fabrication Inc-backed XR750 is 2013 AMA Grand National Championship-winning tuner Dave Atherton, who as was announced above will be spinning the wrenches for Zanotti Racing's new signee Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. for the 2014 season.





And in the final announcement of changes this week in the greatest racing series on two wheels in the world, 2-Time AMA Pro Flat Track Mechanic of the Year Ted McDermitt announced that he would be leaving the Zanotti Racing fold after seven seasons of spinning the wrenches as the crew chief for the California-based team.

 

In the official announcement also out on Monday, McDermitt stated that there 'was no bad blood' between himself and the team and it was a 'mutual agreement' between himself and the Zanotti Racing squad.

 

McDermitt, who was largely responsible for guiding Zanotti and Jake Johnson to the 2010-2011 AMA Grand National Championship, will surely land with a strong team as his years of experience and expertise will be a great asset to any number of teams in the paddock looking to step it up a notch for the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship.

 

Zanotti Racing's other Grand National Championship came in the late '70s when Dave's father, Mario, guided '76 AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year and the late Steve Eklund to the championship during the 1979 season.

 

In the shot above, McDermitt can be seen warming up the motor on Jake Johnson's #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing-sponsored XR750 while team owner Dave Zanotti removes the starter unit and Jersey Jake slips on his gloves and gets ready to step aboard the pristine mount as he gets ready to head out for the first practice round at the Springfield Mile I during round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season on May 27.

While the official schedule has yet to be released for the 2014 season, the rumor mill runs rampant across the internet boards and throughout several postings over the course of the last 10 or so days on Facebook.

While we do know that Daytona will once again kick-off the 2014 season on March 13-14, and that the Basic Twins Series will return to the Springfield Mile I on May 25, those are the only 'confirmed' dates on the calendar for the upcoming season.

We have heard that Springfield will return, again (of course!) for it's annual Labor Day outing, and that Peoria and Indy are being swapped around in terms of dates to better accommodate the MotoGP schedule in Indianapolis for next summer. There is talk that Lima will be back on the schedule at the end of June in spite of the retirement of long time promoter Dean Gallup, there is rampant speculation that Grays Harbor in Elma, Washington will get another shot at running a half-mile in the Great Northwest in spite of their stinging pull-out from the schedule this season just nine days before the scheduled event, and Sacramento, Pomona, Colonial Downs, Santa Rosa, Castle Rock and Hagerstown will all return to the schedule again.

There is also talk of a return to Knoxville, Iowa, home of the National Sprint Car Museum, in spite of not being able to put any sizeable crowd in the stands for the two races run in the 2011-2012 seasons, and a round in Swartz Creek, MI. has been mentioned as well as a return to the Sturgis Half-Mile in August during the big Sturgis outing in South Dakota.

Of course, until the powers that be on Fentress Boulevard in Daytona make anything official, it's still purely conjecture for most of these events, but at least something to chew on until the hammer drops when the schedule does roll out.

We expect the official schedule to be released sometime in the next couple of weeks, as the 2011 schedule was released on December 17, 2010, the 2012 schedule on December 21, 2011 and the 2013 schedule on December 10, 2012.

And we're just as anxious as anyone to see what's on tap for 2014 and will have the announcement as soon as it hits our inbox!

 

AMA Pro Flat Track Pulls Out All of the Stops-& Restrictors-With Early Release of 2014 Technical Rules

In what amounts to a big change as well as an earlier than normal release, AMA Pro Flat Track late yesterday released the updated technical rules for the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season. And the big news that will without a doubt will/should silence all of the bickering and complaining that has occurred for the last several seasons, sees the loss and complete removal of ALL restrictor rules/regs in the Expert Twins Series class effective for the new season ahead.

One of the most common complaints heard throughout the paddock and the track over the course of the last several seasons, and for that matter even dating back to what some consider the 'hey day' of flat track racing in the mid-late '80s when Honda was dominating the sport, has been the use of various size restrictor plates in order to level the competition playing field.  AMA Pro Flat Track opened up the allowable opening for the XR750 teams with the use of 32mm restrictors for the half-mile tracks and 33mm restrictors for the mile tracks for the 2013 season (with a special formula used for teams running larger than 750cc and up to 1250cc for other machinery), but the 2014 season will see the restrictors completely removed for all machines on both size tracks.

This will undoubtedly be met with applause, especially from the XR750 camp, many of whom have complained of being able to keep in the draft, especially on the mile venues, with the hot Kawasaki mounts. However, as one team owner mentioned to me several years ago, 'no matter what size motor you are running' or how much power that mount may be putting out, you still have to get it to the ground. And with the spec tire currently being used in AMA Pro Flat Track will most surely be the final and lasting, deciding factor in not only getting that power to the ground, but managing that tire wear, as well.

However, this will be a great step all around for all comers and all campaigners in The Rolling Thunder Show, whether it be the teams running the Triumph 955-based mounts, the Suzuki 1000, KTM 950/990s or the Ducati 1098/1100 platforms, as it will allow each of these manufacturers and team's engines to breath freely and move any and all guess work to tire wear and a more finely tuned suspension setting in order to harness that free-breathing motor and properly supplant it to the track.

In the shot above, Zanotti Racing crew chief Ted McDermitt pulls the K&N air filters off of the #80 Zanotti Racing/RGR/Arai-backed Harley-Davidson XR750 of rider Steve Bonsey after the end of practice at the Springfield Mile I on August 31 during round 10 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship, in order to allow the AMA Pro Flat Track tech crew to measure the restrictor size for the day's events.

Also seen in this shot just behind Zanotti's McDermitt are the father and son duo of Dave and Kevin Atherton of the 2013 AMA Grand National Championship-winning Dodge Brothers Racing team of rider Brad Baker, Jared Mees' team working on removing the breathers from the #1 Rogers Racing team's XR, and one of the team cohorts from the Harley-Davidson Motor Company-sponsored #2 XR of rider Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. with the breathers removed and allowing a good look down the throat of the flat slide carbs on The King of Cool's factory mount.

There are a few other 'minor' tweaks that have been made to the new rulebook, but the leveling of the playing field with the loss or 'banning' of all restrictors in AMA Pro Flat Track competition for the 2014 season is the biggest move and change for everyone. And a big tip of the helmet to AMA Pro Flat Track for getting the rulebook out some five weeks earlier than what we saw in the release of the 2013 season rules in mid-December of 2012. Bravo guys!

You can check out the link below to the new rules as released by the folks on Fentress Blvd. in Daytona from late last evening below, as we get ready to 'weather' the cold winter months ahead while awaiting the release of the 2014 season schedule, reportedly being released 'very soon.'

2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Technical Rules

To: AMA Pro Flat Track Community
From: AMA Pro Member Services
Date: November 8, 2013
Subject: 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Technical Rules

 

A redline version of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Technical Rules has been made available on the competitor information section of amaproracing.com.

 

The 2014 redline technical rules document includes deletions from the 2013 rule book in strike-through font and all additions and modifications noted in red for additional clarification.

 

A direct link to the file follows:

• 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Technical Rules 

If you are unable to open PDFs on AMA Pro Racing's website, please do the following:

• If you are using Google Chrome, please try another web browser. There is a known compatibility problem with Chrome's built-in PDF viewer and PDFs created with certain versions of Adobe Acrobat.
• Ensure that you have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed. Visit http://get.adobe.com/reader/ for installation instructions.
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• Browse to the file and double-click to open it in Adobe Reader

AMA Pro Racing Competition Department

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMA Pro Flat Track: Zanotti Racing & Jake Johnson Are Making Changes and Working Towards Regaining the #1 Plate in the AMA Grand National Championship

Jake Johnson gets ready to roll out on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-sponsored XR750 for the first practice session of the day at round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile I on May 27.  Crew chief Ted McDermitt steps back after lending a hand while team owner Dave Zanotti rolls the starter out of the way after getting Jersey Jake's mount ready to go.  

After winning the team's second and third AMA Grand National Championship with rider Johnson during the 2010-2011 seasons (Dave's father, Mario, won the team's first AMA GNC back in '79 with the late Steve Eklund), the 2012 season was very different for the California-based front runners in The Rolling Thunder Show.  Although still finishing in the 3rd-place spot in the overall championship and with Johnson going on a late-spring to mid-summer run of consistent podium finishes, Jake and the team failed to win a race for the first time in their three seasons together.  To some, a third-place effort would be a great mark in any sport or avenue, but to the long-tenured efforts of this team, it was a major set-back and a time to take a look at the coming season ahead in a very different way.

Different in terms of what machinery they will be campaigning in the near future.  As was reported in early January, the team that has been extremely loyal to the Harley-Davidson brand over the course of it's lifetime of racing is now working on putting together a Kawasaki Ninja 650R-based parallel twin for their 2013 Twins Series efforts.  And as was confirmed by Tyler Porter of Fight For Dirt Track.com fame a little over a week ago, those plans are coming together quite nicely.

Surrounded by a former 3-Time 500cc World Championship-winning rider and team owner (and 2-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning rider) and a former World Championship-winning tuner (Kenny Roberts and Warren Willing), the Zanotti Racing squad is looking to even the odds in the oldest and truest form of racing in the United States.

Rider Johnson looks over the pit area at the Illinois State Fairgrounds after his first practice session, while team members Wayne Karcich, Ted McDermitt and owner Zanotti go about their regular routines before hitting the track again at round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.

Karcich, a long-time friend of team owner Dave Zanotti, and who handles the Zanotti Racing team's pr, took the time to talk with me a few weeks ago to further confirm the team's big leap to the 'other side' after having exclusively campaigned the long-standing XR750 twins mount since their inception in the early-mid '70s.  He also mentioned a former 250 and 500cc World Championship-winning Japanese/American tuner that could very well end up being responsible for the building and tuning prowess on the 650R-based twins.  And due to the fact that 'Harley was cutting back completely on their outside sponsorships,' the team found it necessary to look further into being able to regain that #1 plate and the now-very popular Kawasaki twin was their weapon of choice.  

Karcich, a current and long-time fan and competitor in flat track racing, also stated that while attending the A1 round of the AMA Supercross Series that he had some talks with other sponsors including Kawasaki and Red Bull and that they were hopeful that someone would come on board to better help fund the Zanotti team's efforts.

Starting with a baseline built around a C&J-framed unit, former tuner to the American and European stars Warren Willing has been put in charge of building the team's frames for their new mounts and Roberts has been on-board to help with his technical prowess as well, for what will be a full-on assault on the 2013 Twins Series events.  In other words, they are parking their XRs and going with the Kawis for both the mile and half-mile rounds this year.

Jon Vedas, who runs the 2 Wheels Only radio show out of Jacksonville, FL., talked with team owner Zanotti and Johnson a couple of weeks ago, but no mention was made at that time about the Kawasaki effort.  

The team has also been putting in some early-season testing to better prepare for the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  In early January for the first time in memory Jake and the team hit Perris Raceway in California to better get their Singles Series mount ready for the season ahead.

Jake and the team also ran the season-opening rounds of Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series in Las Vegas and hope to be able to get some testing in before heading to Daytona for the season-opening AMA Pro Flat Track rounds on March 14-15.  Their plans are to roll out in Savannah the weekend before the short track doubleheader at the Steve Nace All-Star round with the new Kawasakis to get some on-track testing done on the half-mile and then head to Volusia for the second SNR event being held in DeLeon Springs, FL.

In the shot above, Jake puts a good lap down while qualifying the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-backed Honda CRF450R at the running of the final National main event at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Multipurpose Arena-held short track on September 15, 2012. 

RacerXonline.com was on-hand at Perris Raceway when Jake and the Zanotti Racing team were there in early January testing and took this video of the action.

And Steve Warne, who runs the Poppa Wheelie site & also covers almost all of the west coast flat track action, was there to take some shots of Jake and the team at Perris.

This new mix for the upcoming Rolling Thunder Show season should make for some very interesting changes for the year.  With teams such as the Werner-Springsteen effort, Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports entry, USC Racing, Baer Racing and several others now campaigning the Kawasaki twin, the landscape of the 'all XR' show in AMA Grand National Championship racing is changing, and changing fast. 

Along with the Lloyd Brothers Ducati-based team, the Bonneville Performance Triumph team, the Waters Auto Body KTM team, Ron Woods' BMW/Rotax mount (which made the Pomona season-finale with Scott Baker #11), and a handful of other possible campaigners, that landscape is evolving into a great mash-up of machinery in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world, whereas what seems like just a few years ago the series was looking like a H-D XR750 spec series.  In just the last couple of seasons we have seen as many as eight different manufacturers show up at several of the Twins Series events to try and run the big show, making the parity in the AMA Grand National Championship all but unparalleled in memory.

The 2013 season is just around the corner and we're definitely looking forward to seeing what comes about, and we wish the Zanotti Racing team and the rest the very best of luck as always.  One thing is for sure, we can't wait to see them and everyone else hit the track as the first wheel is turned in anger in what will surely be an epic season all around as the quest will begin again for the AMA Grand National Championship and that elusive #1 number plate.  And it's shaping up to be a good one!

AMA Flat Track: Dave Zanotti, Kenny Roberts and Kawasaki--Can It Be True?

Crew chief Ted McDermitt, rider Jake Johnson and team owner Dave Zanotti are seen getting the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-sponsored XR750 ready to roll for the first practice session of the Twins Series season at the Springfield Mile I on May 27, 2012.  Round 4 of the AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw the 3-Time and defending 2-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning team ready to hit their stride and work towards another #1 plate to add to their collection.

However, the team suffered through their worst season in some time in not winning a single race during the 2012 season, although not for lack of effort or trying.  Continually in the hunt throughout the 16-race season, the Zanotti team and rider Jersey Jake Johnson had a string of podium finishes in the mid-part of the season that kept their, and their fans' spirit alive.  But in the end, Johnson and the team ended the year ranked in the 3rd-place spot in the overall championship standings, and looking forward to the 2013 season ahead to be ready to do it again.

In following up on a rumor that has been spreading throughout the flat track community since mid-August, it was reported yesterday by Dean Adams at SuperbikePlanet.com that Dave Zanotti was working with another former 2-Time AMA Grand National Champion, Kenny 'The King' Roberts, to build and possibly field a Kawasaki 650R-based parallel twin to compete in the mile events on the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track schedule.

Zanotti, who has been very faithful to Honda and Harley-Davidson throughout the team's tenure in AMA Grand National Championship racing (dating back to when Mario Zanotti spearheaded the efforts to take '76 AMA Flat Track Rookie of the Year Steve Eklund to the '79 AMA Grand National Championship), was rumored last summer to be working on something for the future involving the Kawasaki twin missile-of-choice in The Rolling Thunder Show.  Apparently even with the rules changes for the upcoming season giving the XRs another millimeter of restrictor back on the miles and a minimum weight limit set across the board for the Twins Series was still not enough for the championship winning team owner to want to take any chances in lucky '13.

Add to the mix of one of the sharpest team owners in AMA Grand National Championship racing and working with Roberts is former World Championship-winning tuner and engineer Warren Willing (who himself is a legend in the sport of two-wheeled high-speed racing) and you have the potential for another championship-winning effort in The Rolling Thunder Show long before a wheel has even been turned on the track.

This could add another layer of guess who-brought-what to the table in the upcoming season, with 2012 AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees also mentioning that whatever it takes to win for 2013 was what he and team owner and newly-signed crew chief Kenny Tolbert were willing to do.  And with the already-existing Howerton Motorsports team and rider Bryan Smith also looking to step things up for this coming year, we could have an even better season ahead of us than what we could have even imagined in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world.


A big thanks to Dean Adams at SuperbikePlanet.com for this story and photo released yesterday that sure seems to confirm rumors heard since mid-August 2012 that Dave Zanotti could be building a Kawasaki to contend the mile events with for the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  Read on to check it out:

Roberts, Willing and Zanotti Racing?

Please take the time to check out Zanotti Racing's Facebook page here to keep up with what is happening with the team:

Zanotti Racing on Facebook

And here is their official website:

Zanotti Racing's Official Website

Update--Sat. 1/5/13 4:45 PM EST--It looks like the above mentioned item is a reality, and for the complete Twins Series season.  Read on to see what Flattrackers.com had to say today:

Zanotti, The King & Kawasaki for 2013

A BIG Thanks to the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour & NBC Sports Group for the Airing of the AMA Pro Flat Track Pomona Season-Finale

With the year winding down and the racing season having long ago ended, we were treated to a season-ending treat today with NBC Sports' airing of the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour coverage of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season-finale at Pomona from back in mid-October.  In what was excellent coverage of round 16 of the AMA Grand National Championship, the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour group hit it out of the park in bringing us up-front coverage of The Rolling Thunder Show's final race of the year.

And what a race it was, with Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. putting on a runaway clinic to take the win, and battles all around the track with riders Brad Baker, Bryan Smith and the rest putting on a show for the fans of the greatest sport on wheels in the world.  The camera crew on-hand did a thumbs up job of capturing the action all around the 5/8ths mile oval from back on October 13.

If you were fortunate enough to check out today's coverage on NBC Sports, please take the time to contact them and the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour people and let them know how much we appreciate their airing of this great sport.  If you didn't see today's race coverage, you'll have another chance to catch it on Monday, December 31 at 3:00 PM EST.  Details on that airing can be found at the link at the bottom of this write-up.

The links to contact both NBC Sports and the LOMH people can be found below--please take the time to thank them!


In the shot above from round 13 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile II, the bikes are ready for their riders to show up as the 25-lap National main event gets ready to roll out onto the legendary Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval on September 16. 

RIDE Academy owner and rider coach Mike Hacker (back to camera) watches over Kenny Coolbeth, Jr.'s #2 Screamin' Eagle/Harley-Davidson Motor Co-sponsored factory XR750 while talking with Jake Johnson and Zanotti Racing's crew chief, Ted McDermitt just behind Johnson's #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D-backed XR.

In the background, left of center, Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki Racing's Bill Werner talks with Howerton Motorsports' Jeff Gordon, while team member Donnie Jones gets an earful listening in to two of the most colorful and knowledgeable people in the world of motor sports, with either two or four wheels. 

Brandon Robinson's #44 Werner-Springsteen/Wosner Pistons-backed Kawasaki 650R can be seen partially obscuring Bryan Smith's #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki.  JB Beach's #95 USC Racing/Red Bull-sponsored Kawasaki can be seen in the back of the shot.


You can contact the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour folks here.  If you took the time to watch the excellent coverage of round 16 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Pomona Half-Mile, then you already know what a super job these folks did in covering the races.

Please take the time to let them know so that they can bring us more coverage of The Rolling Thunder Show put on by the Blue Crew of AMA Pro Flat Track.  Look for the 'contact us' tab at the top right of the homepage from the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour:

http://motorsportshour.com/

And you can also send an e-mail to the NBC Sports Network to thank them for airing the final round of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season at Pomona.  Here is their e-mail:

nbcsportshelp@nbcuni.com

And in case you missed today's original airing of round 16 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the L.A. Fairplex in Pomona, you can find out when and where this will air again on Monday, December 31 here:

http://stusshots.blogspot.com/2012/12/ama-flat-track-nbc-sports-to-air-pomona.html

 

 

AMA Flat Track: Sacramento Mile Round 7 Wrap-Up






















While Jake Johnson gets a big hug from team owner Dave Zanotti, crew chief Ted McDermitt takes the reigns of the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-sponsored XR750 after the 25-lap National main at round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  Johnson had just brought the 2-Time and defending AMA Grand National Championship-winning machine home in 2nd-place behind Springfield Mile I winner Willie McCoy.

3rd-place finisher at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Memorial Day Weekend classic Bryan Smith rolls up on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki/Midwest Performance Hardware/Guts Wear-backed 650R-based mount while master builder Rick Howerton (back to camera) discusses the race with Bryan's Dad, Barry, and team member, sponsor and long-time friend Jeff Gordon.

The first Twins Series event of the season just over two months ago saw the Howerton/Eaken parallel twin emerge as one of the significant new players in town by immediately making an impact on the field and the series.  While winning his heat race and the Dash for Cash event at Springfield, and just coming up short of the win with a 3rd-place finish in the main, Smith and the team immediately were regarded as 'the one's to beat' at the remaining four mile events of the 2012 season.  And when Sacramento rolled around last weekend, they had stepped-up their game and made some improvements to allow Flyin' Bryan to take his first win (in only their second race together as a team) ahead of Johnson and series points leader Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing XR.

Smith, who had previously won the Sacto Mile last year and in the '03 season (during the now-defunct Formula USA Series), won practice and then went out and qualified 9th-fastest, but less then .4 seconds behind fast-qualifier Jersey Jake.  Winning his heat to qualify for the National main and coming home in 3rd-place in the Dash for Cash, the only thing left was the 25-lap big show.

Needless to say Smith, Johnson, Mees, Sammy Halbert and Brandon Robinson put on one heckuva show at Sacramento last Saturday night as they battled throughout the event's just over 16 minutes.  But in the end, Smith had more then come to terms with the characteristics of the Kawi rocket and showed that the 750cc powerplant was more then capable against the all-mighty and long-conquering XRs and had plenty of power to make for some serious closing rates along the straights at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds.

In the end, the gap to runner-up Johnson only shows .038 seconds on the official results tab, but make no mistake about who had 'em covered with Smith leading 23 laps at the line and Johnson following through with the other two crosses of the stripe.  A new sherriff is surely in town in The Rolling Thunder Show, and with three more mile events on the season's schedule the rest of the teams and riders have got to be thankful there aren't any more for this season.

What should be very interesting when everything comes out in the wash at round 10 at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18 is when Johnny Lewis on the #10 Scott Powersports Kawasaki returns to the track and Brandon Robinson gets another shot on the #44 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki after his best-ever result of 4th-place at Sacto.  Add in Slammin' Sammy on his always-potent #7 South East H-D XR, Henry Wiles on the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati, Willie McCoy returning to action on his #59 Harley-Davidson of Wausau and the rest of the greats in The Rolling Thunder Show and that should make for some seriously excellent racing at the Indiana State Fairgrounds during the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend, in front of what should be a packed house.  That is one race you DON'T want to miss!

A big congratulations, again, to the Crosley/Howerton/Smith team for their breakout win last weekend, and a big tip of the hat to Mees and Johnson, your current points leaders, for their excellent runs as well!

With the series rolling into the Castle Rock TT tomorrow night, the Singles Series will take over for the next two events.  The Peoria TT is set for Sunday, August 12 and then the greatest racing show on wheels in the world heads to the Lucas Oil Indy Mile for the next Twins Series event of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  And this train is moving on and it's moving on fast!

Round 7 Sacramento Mile links of interest (story of the race, videos and complete results):


Thanks to Dave Hoenig and Cycle News for the (as always) excellent coverage of last weekend's round 7 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Sacramento Mile:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20120731?#pg48

Dave also has a very nice selection of pics from the Sacto Mile on his great site Flat Trak Fotos.com.  A big thanks to Dave for all of his efforts in always getting THE great shots!

http://www.flattrakfotos.com/2012%20Results/7-28-12.html

AMA Pro Flat Track posted the following videos from the Sacto Mile (another big thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track and the great duo of Yve Assad and Will Fulford for their undying efforts in the production of these (and ALL of their) videos.

Bryan Smith #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki 1st-place interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI3ptNKkJNE

Jake Johnson #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D XR750 2nd-place interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47nnKIAM-R4

Jared Mees #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D XR750 3rd-place interview (which has some excellent footage on the back straight at Sacramento that shows the closing rate of the Kawi on the #1 & #9 XRs):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAEKuDb_6AE

And again, thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for the complete results from the Sacramento Mile:

PDF version, complete:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1235/default.aspx

Standard version, drop-down box:

http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/events/results.cfm?year=2012&eid=2012021235