AMA Pro Flat Track Sacramento Mile Round on May 21 to Feature Springer vs. Parker in Clash of the Titans Exhibiton Race

SMI, the promoters of the Sacramento Mile for the last couple of years, announced last week that their annual race at the Cal-Expo Fairgrounds this year to be held on Saturday, May 21 will feature another exhibition race involving former 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen.

For the last couple of years, Springer has been paired up with former 7-Time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr in these exhibition rounds that have proved to be very popular not only with the fans on hand but with the racing community overall.

This year's match-up however will involve the all-time winner in AMA Grand National Championship racing history as none other then 9-Time AMA Grand National Champion Scott Parker will be running alongside his fellow Michigan resident in what will surely be another great, bar-to-bar exhibition race that will pit the former factory Harley-Davidson team mates against one another.

In the shot above, Springsteen can be seen standing over Bill Werner as the 13-Time Grand National Championship winning tuner makes some final preps to the #28 and #33 Werner-Springteen Monster Energy/Wosner Pistons/Motion Pro-sponsored Kawasakis of riders Shaun Russell and JR Schnabel at the Lake Odessa Half-Mile on July 23, 2011.

If you haven't already gotten your tickets, which went on sale in late December, now is the time to start getting those purchases made. Not only will the regular roar of the Rolling Thunder Show be an event within itself to attend, but with the addition of Parker and Springsteen going at it in this exhibition round will surely get your adrenaline pumping!

You can check out the full details below of the big clash in May thanks to SMI.

Clash of the Titans III: Scott Parker Joins Jay Springsteen at the Sacramento Mile

Springer vs. Scotty at Cal Expo on May 21, 2016

 

SACRAMENTO, CA (Jan. 21, 2016) – Having met former rival Chris Carr for the last two years in the Sacramento Mile’s Clash of the Titans, three-time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen returns this year. Springer will now face friend and fellow Michigan racing legend, nine-time national champ Scott Parker, in Clash of the Titans III, at this year’s Sacramento Mile on Saturday, May 21, 2016 at Cal Expo. 

Springsteen is undefeated in this friendly exhibition competition, but now he’ll be up against Parker, the all-time winningest rider in AMA Pro Flat Track history. One thing is certain, fans are in store for a treat getting to see two of the biggest legends in the history of the sport going bar to bar around the historic Sacramento Mile. 

Jay Springsteen is considered one of the best AMA Grand National flat-track racers of all time. Bursting onto the scene and earning the AMA Rookie of the Year Award in 1975, Springsteen won three consecutive AMA Grand National Championships starting in 1976. In 1982 he became the first rider to reach 30 wins in AMA Grand National competition – a feat he accomplished at the Sacramento Mile.

Scott Parker’s nine titles and 94 national wins made him the all-time leader in championships and wins in AMA Grand National history when he retired in 2000.  Parker, who rode for the factory Harley-Davidson flat track team for most of his career, was considered the undisputed King of the Mile. His 55-career wins on mile flat tracks was more than double that of his nearest competitor. Parker won the prestigious AMA Athlete of the Year Award three times during his 22-year racing career.

 “The Clash of the Titans is becoming a tradition of the Sacramento Mile,” said Steve McLaughlin, of Team SMI, the group promoting the event. “We’re thrilled Scotty and Jay are coming out to be a big part of the 51^st running of the event. Not only will the fans get to see these two icons of the sport at speed around the Mile, there will also be opportunities to meet with Jay and Scotty to get photos and autographs. These are two of the most beloved riders in all of motorcycle racing, not just here, but globally, and we’re pleased to be able to bring them together for this unique meeting.” 

The AMA Pro Grand National Championship series is one of the longest running motorcycle racing championships in the world. On the long straights of the Sacramento Mile top speeds can reach 130 miles per hour. Flat track racing has produced many of America’s Motorcycle Grand Prix Champions such as Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Jr. and Nicky Hayden. Visit www.sactomile.com to keep up with all the latest on the event.

For additional series info visit: www.amaproracing.com/ft
Via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SactoMile
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sactomile
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sactomile

—

*** 2016 Ticket Information: Ticket information is available for the May 21, 2016 Sacramento Mile at www.sactomile.com.

Fans can order tickets online at http://www.sactomile.com/tickets, or by calling 1-844 SAC MILE (1-844- 722-6453).

Weirbach Racing's Rob Pearson Reports on the Final Rounds of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship Season

In their first season together, Rob Pearson and the Weirbach Racing team fought the good fight to end the season ranked in the 10th-place spot in the overall standings of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship.

After announcing during the off-season that Morton, Illinois resident Pearson would be joining the team located a few hundred miles west of him based out of Ottumwa, Iowa, the former AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles Championship-winning team of Weirbach Racing and 'Bugs' set about laying out the groundwork for the 2013 season ahead of them.

Initially armed with the team's potent Suzuki SV650 and Harley-Davidson XR750 mounts, they also had in the works putting together a Kawasaki EX650-based Twins Series effort that was spearheaded by Racing Unlimited out of the Fort Dodge, Iowa area.

Hoping to get the popular Kawi sorted out and ready for action by the early part of the Twins Series schedule shortly after the first Springfield round in late May (which was coincidentally rained out and rescheduled for Labor Day weekend), delays on getting the final bits and pieces sorted out put those plans on the backburner for the team, thusly concentrating on their already stable SV and XRs.

Which wasn't a bad plan for the team, also in their first full season campaigning the Twins Series class in The Rolling Thunder Show, and based on their strong and steady outings early in the season were able to keep themselves solidly in the top 7 or 8 of the championship standings.

But then, the series headed to a new venue in Virginia, and the dust and grit suffered by all at the Colonial Downs Raceway mile event caught the team out in a big way. Losing a motor in the XR750, the team worked a deal with Dave Waters and the Waters Auto Body KTM team to campaign one of the LC8 900-series bikes that the New York-based team has so diligently been making slow, but steady progress with over the course of the last few seasons with a variety of riders.

Pearson, who never even got the chance to throw a leg over the bike until the National main rolled around in Kent, Virginia, had worked his way up as high as 9th-place in the 18-lap main, when the forces of nature struck and the fuel-thirsty KTM twin ran out of gas, literally and figuratively, with just one lap to go.  Pearson ended the day in the 15th-place spot in what surely would have been a solid top-8 or 9 performance on the KTM, and would not only have kept him and the Weirbach team in the top-8 in points, and would also have been the best outing ever for the Waters Auto Body team's work over the course of the last four seasons.

And then it was time for the doubleheader round at the Springfield Mile over the Labor Day weekend, and just one week's time to get the riding gear back into shape for what was for the team and every member of the AMA Pro Flat Track circus a pivotal race weekend.

In the shot above, Rob Pearson rolls out for the first practice session of the day at the Springfield Mile I on August 31 on the Weirbach Racing/KDM Forest Products/General Engineering-sponsored #27 XR750, following the lead of riders Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. #2 on the Harley-Davidson Motor Company XR, Henry Wiles on the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports XR and team mate Jake Johnson on the #5 LBM Ducati, among others.

Before things even had gotten too far along for the day, Pearson and the Weirbach team had lost another motor in the XR and had soldiered home in the National main on the Suzuki before an electrical-based problem relegated them to a 16th-place finish in round 1 of 2 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.  And there was still one race to go before the weekend was a wrap.

Obviously not being able to rebuild the Weirbach XR in time for the next day's outing, the team was able to work out a deal with Bill Werner and the Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki team to try and practice and qualify one of their Kawasaki mounts alongside second year Expert and the team's main rider, Briar Bauman.

Pearson and Bauman went out in practice together, but unfortunately both struggled and even after master wrench to the stars Werner made some changes to try and help Pearson out (seen above with Weirbach Racing patriarch Richard Weirbach, as former 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen looks on), neither Pearson or Bauman were able to qualify for the Springfield Mile II round on September 1, and both teams were left to load-up and head home, with zero points to their credit and hard work for the day.

And within just three race outings, Pearson and the Weirbach team had scored only seven points for their hard work and team/machine hopping, and were in danger of dropping out of the top-10 for the season.

But old masters and true heroic efforts never say die, and the Weirbach team was able to work out the final details with Racing Unlimited, and showed up at the Santa Rosa round (main event rained out, but one point scored by the team along with all of the contenders who made the main, so no points lost) and the season-finale at the Pomona Half-Mile with the Kawasaki that was originally planned for the team in the early part of the season that Shayna Texter had proven was a pretty-stout mount by taking the double win at Springfield back over the holiday weekend.

At Pomona, Pearson was able to pull out a solid 8th-place effort in the National main at the season-finale after a strong 3rd-place finish earlier in the day in his heat. Not too bad a result for the first main event on what was still a new mount for the team and considering the Santa Rosa rain-out for the main.

So after all the ups and downs and beating themselves up (team co-owner Ted Weirbach was beside himself after the Springfield debacle, although by no fault of his own or the team's, things DO happen in racing.) They stuck it out and held their chins up high and put their noses to the grindstone and were able to finish the season ranked as the 10th-place team in the overall standings.

And although those weren't the results they had been shooting for, let alone hoping for, take into account the fact that this team and rider had to make adjustments and changes on five different machines over the course of the last five rounds, one of which (Santa Rosa) that was called due to rain.  And they still persevered and came out with a pretty solid effort overall, which could have been MUCH worse for all of the adversity they faced in those final five rounds.

So the next time you think you are having a rough go of it, at no matter what you may do or be doing, take into account what the little team that could, Weirbach Racing, and rider Rob Pearson had to go through in those final four weeks of the season, traveling all of those miles and to suffer the maladies that they faced, and still managed to regroup and finish the season ranked as the 10th-place rider and team in the Nation, and oh yes, in just their first season together and Weirbach's first full season campaigning the Twins Series in The Rolling Thunder Show, the greatest racing series on two wheels in the world.

And then ask yourself, am I really having that rough of a go of it, or can I overcome the ups and downs just like the little team that could, and did.

Check out Weirbach Racing and Rob Pearson's season wrap-up press release below, and be sure to keep an eye on these guys next season. 

You can bet 'Bugs' and the Weirbach boys will be doing some riding in the off-season in some of the Steve Nace Indoor Series events in DuQuoin and Springfield and you can put money on the fact that they will be back in 2014 and ready to take just about anything on, and probably will, especially after what they pulled off at the end of this great year.  Bravo guys, you've got my vote for facing the big dog down and not backing away!


Press release courtesy of Weirbach Racing, the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles Champions

Santa Rosa & Pomona year-end summary for Rob Pearson & Weirbach Racing

Ottumwa, Iowa -- October 16, 2013

Santa Rosa Mile

Santa Rosa is a cushion mile that we first went to last year. The track was pretty deep this year and it was my first outing on the Racing Unlimited Kawasaki.

I qualified 7th and the Kawasaki seemed to be working pretty well for its first time on a surface like this.  I got a good start in the heat and had a good shot at making the dash until Matt Weidman got by me and I ended up 3rd.  So I was lined up 8th for the main event and after rain delays for some time we finally got on the track and attempted to start the race.

Rob Pearson on the #27 Weirbach Racing/Racing Unlimited/General Engineering-sponsored Kawasaki EX650-based Twins Series effort is shown in action at the Santa Rosa Mile on September 29. The bike is the same mount that Shayna Texter took to the Basic Twins double win at the Springfield Mile I & II rounds over the Labor Day weekend. Photo courtesy of Weirbach Racing by Tom Hnatiw.



There was so much moisture on the ground and the spray was bad, Sam Halbert fell on the 3rd lap and they decided to cancel the main event.  One point was awarded for everyone in the main event and we were paid out from where we qualified for the main event.

Pomona Half-Mile

Pomona is a 5/8 paperclip style track with similar surface as Santa Rosa.  We struggled a little bit to get the Kawasaki working in qualifying and timed in 13th.  I had the outside starting position and got a good jump off the line in the heat race.  I finished 3rd in the heat to Baker (#12) and Halbert.  I picked the outside of the 2nd row for the main event.

I got off the line good but everyone came up the track in the first corner and forced me way up high. We had made some good improvements to the bike from practice and I finished 8th in the main event.
 
 I finished the season 10th overall in AMA points after missing out on some finishes. Also finished 3rd in both the Twins and Singles class in the All-Star Series Points. We planned on having 2 Kawasaki twins ready for the beginning of the year, but after some set backs I only raced it in the last two races of the season and was forced to use what we had planned as backup bikes through the season.

We are gathering parts to put the second Kawasaki together now and should have it together very soon. Plus we are making some decisions on what we want the next one to be as far as a frame, suspension, motor size. Next year we will have at least two race ready machines and be a threat everywhere on the schedule.

Special thanks to all our sponsors

General Engineering, Mike King/KDM Forest Products, Barnett, Spectro Oil,
DynoJet, K&N, Saddlemen, Works Connection, PMP Sprockets, Motion Pro, Spider
Grips, Durelle Racing, Cheney Engineering, G2 Ergonomics, All Balls Racing,
Firecoat Custom Powderworks, CP Pistons and Carrillo Rods, Web Cams,
Foudree's Graphics, Sunoco, Pro Wheel, Supertrapp, TNT Harley Davidson,
Regina Chain, Factory Backing, Pit Posse, Cosmetic Gaskets, The Baggots,
PMC, ProFactoryHoses.com, Engine Ice, Chicken Hawk Racing, White lightning
Retrievers, R&R, Grandprix, Shoei, Lightshoe, Country Saloon, Paint by
Smokey, Racing Unlimited, Needa-website.com, Shorai, Boyesen

27 Rob Pearson/Weirbach Racing

Brandon Robinson Maintains Lead in 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship With Solid 6th-Place Finish at Stockton Half-Mile

Brandon Robinson and the TJ Burnett Farms/USC/James Hart Racing Kawasaki team fought the good fight throughout the day at round 3 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Stockton Half-Mile on May 11, good enough for a 6th-place finish in the National main, while holding on to the lead in the overall points championship.

The southern Illinois based team worked through adversity throughout the day with bike set-up, gearing and electrical issues on the team's EX650-based Twins Series mounts, and by the end of what was described as a 'very long day' by team owner TJ Burnett, BRob44 had worked his way into the top-6 after getting a poor start in the 25-lap National main held at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds last Saturday.

With round 4 of the season scheduled for the Springfield Mile I round on May 26, the team is ready to get settled into the meat of the 2013 season ahead.

In the shot above, Robinson walks alongside his bike as team owner Bill Werner rolls the #44 Werner-Springsteen Monster Energy Kawasaki out for rider intros at round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Springfield Mile I event, with co-owner and former 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen bringing up the rear.

The TJ Burnett Farms/USC/James Hart Racing Kawasaki EX650 Twins Series machines of then-rider Briar Bauman await the action ahead on the track during last season's round 4 at the Springfield Mile I at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, while team crew chief and head wrench, James Hart, talks with one of the team members.

Robinson's part-time team mate, JD Beach #95, will join the team next weekend at round 4 of the 2013 season on May 26.  Bauman is reportedly going to be riding for the Werner team at Springfield after splitting from the TJ Burnett Kawasaki team before mid-season of last year.

You can check out the full press release below from the Brandon Robinson TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki team as we await one of the biggest racing weekend's in The Rolling Thunder Show on Memorial Day Sunday, May 26.

Brandon Robinson and the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki Twins Series team takes a strong 6th-place finish at the Stockton Half-Mile on May 11

 

 

 

 

 

 

Press release – For Immediate Release

Opdyke, IL. – May 17, 2013 – Stockton Half-Mile Report

Round 3 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season is in the record books, and the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki team with rider Brandon Robinson pulled-out all the stops to bring home a hard-earned 6^th place finish at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds-hosted event on May 11 for the first west coast event of the young season.

After a 5th-place finish and a win at the season-opening rounds of the season at the Daytona Short Track events, the first Twins Series event of the year proved to be a struggle that the TJ Burnett Farms team and rider Robinson handled with grace—or maybe that would be grease.

“The team worked really hard to get the bikes sorted out for me for the day,” stated Brandon, “as we had a fuel pump go out on us on the back-up bike, and we ended up having to do a lot of work on the 'A' bike to get it right for the National. I really have to thank the team, TJ, James Hart and Billy Gruwell for working so hard to get a set-up that we could use that would work for the track.

“We were kind of awful to start with and it made for a long day, and we got things much better by the time the 25-lap National main came around, “ continued Brandon.

Asked if he has been out in the fields helping team owner TJ Burnett getting his corn planted this week behind the wheel of one of the Burnett Farms big John Deere tractors, Robinson laughed and said, “I don't think he trusts me that much, unless it's on two wheels!

“We're all worn out after the long haul back, especially TJ, who did about 90% of the driving. We made it back to southern Illinois (the team's HQ) in about 32-34 hours, but I think TJ is 'jet-lagged' from all the driving—ha!,” said Robinson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon Robinson's #44 TJ Burnett Farms/USC/James Hart Racing Kawasaki EX650 Twins Series machines sit in the pits at the Stockton Half-Mile on May 11. “Holy cow, at one point during the day, we had all three bikes torn apart trying to get things right for Brandon,” stated team owner Burnett. Photo courtesy of Tom Stein/Northwest Track Shots on Facebook.

“We mistakenly left the fuel pump running in the pit area on one of the bikes for about 15 minutes,” according to team owner TJ Burnett, “and that really cost us. James Hart and I were working our tails off to get things set-up for Brandon. Earlier we'd had a slight electrical problem we had to get taken care of (diagnosed as a faulty switch) and then the fuel pump problem. Wow, for awhile I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to get things ready in time.

“I have to hand it to Brandon, though, when it came time to race, he took us from the outhouse to the penthouse. He came off of turn 2 in the National in about 17^th place (out of the 18 riders that qualified for the main) and he worked his way up to 6^th place after the 25-lap main. He did a heckuva job for us,” continued Burnett, “especially as bunched-up as the field got after Jared Mees' near get-off. He did a super job of not crashing the Rogers Racing XR750, and it's something like that that shows you why he's the defending champion.

“We've got all new parts ordered and we'll be ready for Springfield next weekend. It was just an overlooked item on our part with the fuel pump switch. We won't let that happen again, “ stated Burnett.

“We signed a couple of new sponsors since our last race, “ stated Robinson. “Next Moto Champion and Matrix Race Products will be coming on board as of Springfield on May 26.”

Team owner and southern Illinois resident Burnett added, “We're scheduled to meet Next Moto Champion in Springfield next Thursday (May 23). They're helping us out with lettering, graphics and some additions to our tents in the pits. Matrix Race Products has helped us out with some new tool boxes and some race mats for our pit area, which will bring a nice, new shiny look to our pit area.”

After returning to the team's base, they went to work unloading all of the bikes and then loading up for this weekend's Steve Nace All-Star round in Little Rock, AR. This weekend's short track at the I-30 Speedway will see Brandon and team mate JD Beach #95 racing together again for the first time since the season openers in Georgia and Florida, but this time on the team's Singles machines, the TJ Burnett Farms/USC/James Hart Racing Kawasaki KX450Fs. Beach will also be contesting round 4 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Springfield Mile I on May 26 on the team's Kawasaki EX650-based Twins mounts.

“We're all ready for Little Rock and it will be good to have JD along again in helping with the set-up on the bikes at Springfield, too, so that should make for a great event, “ continued Robinson, “we worked well together during the off-season and at the events leading up to Daytona.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon Robinson on the #44 TJ Burnett Farms/USC/James Hart Racing Kawasaki EX650 Twins Series mount is shown in action at round 3 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Stockton Half-Mile on Saturday, May 11. Photo courtesy of Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.

 

 

 

“I'd like to see us end up 1-2 at Springfield on Sunday, May 26, but I'm gonna let Brandon and JD work that out, as long as they don't wreck our equipment—ha,” stated Burnett in closing.

With Brandon's 6th-place finish on Saturday night, the team still holds the lead in the overall standings of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season with 55 points, seven points over 2nd-place in the championship hunt, Dodge Brothers Racing's Brad Baker (55-48) and Lloyd Brothers Motorsports' Henry Wiles in the 3rd-place spot (47 points) heading into round 4 of the season at the Springfield Mile I event over the Memorial Day Weekend on May 26.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon Robinson on the #44 TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki leads fellow Pennsylvania resident Johnny Lewis on the #10 Latus Motors Racing Triumph during their battle in heat race #2 at the Stockton Half-Mile on Saturday, May 11. Lewis got the better of Brob44 in the heat with a 3rd-place finish to Brandon's 4th-place, but Robinson brought the Kawasaki home in the 6th-place spot in the 25-lap National main, while Lewis took home a 13th-place finish in the 18-rider National main event. Photo courtesy of Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.

Unfortunately, the Steve Nace All-Star event originally scheduled to run in Little Rock, AR., has been canceled due to rain for this Saturday, May 18, so the team will take a needed rest before Springfield.

Please make sure when you attend any upcoming rounds of the races to come by and meet and greet the team during each event's fan walk, as we want to make sure that we can talk to as many fans as possible to show each and every one what we are doing and how much we appreciate their support of flat track racing.

Brandon Robinson #44 & the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki AMA Grand National Championship team would like to thank all of our sponsors for the 2013 season:

TJ Burnett Farms, USC Racing Kawasaki, James Hart, Arai, Next Moto Champion, ATI Physical Therapy, Penske Racing Shocks, AXO, Saddlemen, Protect All, Pro Plates, ISC Racers Tape, Motion Pro, Southland, Matrix Race Products, Race Tech, Lemonds Kawasaki, WKR, Mr. Sign, Bill Built, Royal Publishing, VC Graphix, DAOapparel.com, PMP Sprockets, Spectro Oils, CP Pistons, G2 Ergonomics, Works Connection, K&N, Hartman Photography, Mitchell Mechanical, J&H Repair, Big Dawg Racing, Ricko, Jim Chapman, Tom Scibek, Joe Reynolds, John Y, Mom & Dad

2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season schedule: http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/events/

2013 Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track Series presented by Golden Tyre season schedule: http://www.stevenaceracing.com/allstar.html

You can follow Brandon Robinson, the 2008 AMA Pro Flat Track Expert Twins Champion here via his official website: http://brandonrobinson44.com/

Or via his Twitter account:https://twitter.com/BRob44

Or via Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/BrandonRobinsonRacing

Press release prepared by: Mike Stuhler/Stu's Shots/Indianapolis, IN 46234 (317) 373-0522

 

 

http://stusshots.blogspot.com/

stuman714@yahoo.com

Brandon Robinson #44 & the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki AMA Pro Flat Track Team Talk Great Season Start with Win at Daytona

Brandon Robinson waits for one of the final qualifying sessions at round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Indy Mile on August 18, while team owner Bill Werner stands guard over the #44 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki 650R that Robinson would later in the day take to his best-ever career finish of 2nd-place.  Team co-owner Jay Springsteen can be seen between the two in the background talking with one of the other team members.

Robinson, who left the Werner-Springsteen team during the off-season, joined up with the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki team along with USC and James Hart Racing, and started the 2013 season with a bang that saw it capped with his first-ever career win at round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship Series at the Daytona Short Track II event on March 15.

BRob44 told Stu's Shots last week that he had a great relationship with Werner and would have loved to have stayed with the legendary team owner, but the Wisconsin resident was wanting to cut back to where it wouldn't have allowed Robinson to run the full schedule for the 2013 season.  Having nothing but the utmost respect for the 13-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning tuner, Brandon also felt as if Werner had given him a great chance to get his career back to the top after his near career-ending injuries at Indy in August '09, and loved riding for him during the 2012 season.

With a phone call coming from TJ Burnett, Robinson and the southern Illinois team owner were able to work out a plan to contest the full year on the 2013 schedule, along with events run over the off-season at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin alongside team mate JD Beach, and the majority of the events on the Steve Nace All-Star Series for '13 as well.  Robinson won three out of four of the first Twins and Singles events in Georgia and Florida, before heading to Daytona to run the season-openers in The Rolling Thunder Show.

A 5th-place finish on the first night and a win the next night in round 2 left him in the lead in the overall point standings (both career firsts) with what is now a 30 day break until round 3 at the Stockton Half-Mile on May 11. 

The team is working on new and interesting paths in the weeks and months ahead and should have more to announce as we get into the meat of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season, as well as the majority of the events they plan to run during the 2013 Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track Series presented by Golden Tyre season.

JD Beach's #95 TJ Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki sits in waiting while rider Beach gets his gear together in the background, during round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Springfield Mile II on September 16.

Robinson has enjoyed working alongside Beach as a team mate, and they have been able to help one another out throughout the off-season and during testing at Savannah leading up to the first events of the season for the 2013 schedules. 

According to team owner Burnett, 'both work real well together and help to make us one big happy family' as a team unit.  Robinson and Beach will be paired as team mates throughout the season in most of the AMA Grand Nationals that don't coincide with Beach's ride in the Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing schedule, where he normally contests the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Series in his full time job.

Check out the TJ Burnett Kawasaki team and rider Brandon Robinson's press release below and take in some of the great things happening with this young, eager and very capable team!

Brandon Robinson and the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team take 'Lucky 13' season-opening races by storm

Press release (Please note--all pics right click/open new window)

Oxford, PA. – April 11, 2013 – Brandon Robinson and the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team have had a dream start to their first season of racing together. After joining forces during the off-season late last year, the Pennsylvania resident and the 'little team that could' participated in some of the Steve Nace Racing Indoor Flat Track Series events held in the confines of the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, IL.in hopes of getting ready for the 2013 season ahead of them. Little did they know what kind of a break-out start to the season they would have.

Heading south for the season-opening rounds of the Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track Series presented by Golden Tyre in preparation for the eight-month grind that is the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season, Brandon had never even had a chance to sit on the team's Kawasaki 650R-based Twins Series efforts.

“Yeah, we just started testing the Tuesday before the Savannah round, which was the first time I had got a chance to ride the bikes,” stated BRob44, “and they were very similar to the Werner-Springsteen mounts I rode last year, in terms of chassis set-up. The team is working on the Scott Powersports chassis' that they started with, and I was able to get some seat time in on the newer C&J-framed bikes that we hope to have ready in time for the mile events on the Grand National schedule.

“JD Beach (Robinson's team mate when JD is not fulfilling his obligations in the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Series) came in on Thursday and helped us out, and we were able to kind of work off one another in getting them right for each of our styles of riding. We'd spent quite a bit of time on the 450s racing in Du Quoin during the winter break, so we tried to concentrate on the twins for the long season ahead.”

Those testing sessions worked out pretty well, because when the dust had settled at Savannah and the next event two days later in Volusia, Brandon had already pocketed three of the four wins in the first two Twins and Singles events on the SNR schedule, with a 2nd-place finish in the Twins race at Volusia topping off the team's first two major events together.

The season-opening doubleheader rounds at the Daytona Short Track at Daytona International Speedway awaited them a few days later.

The first qualifying session of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season saw Brandon Robinson #44 qualify in the 4th-place spot out of the 42 riders on-hand who took a timed qualifying session, on the T.J. Burnett/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki KX450F. Photo by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.

Qualifying for round 1 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season went well for the team's first Grand National race together. Brandon put his Kawasaki 450 in the 4th-place spot for the March 14 event.

“We made a few changes but didn't have to do too much in order to get the Singles bikes set-up for the race,” continued Robinson, “and we started in the 2nd-place spot in the first heat race, which we were able to win over 2-Time Singles Series Champion Henry Wiles.”

After finishing 6^th in the Dash, the team felt like they were ready for the first 25-lap National main of the season, where they came away with a 5th-place finish behind winner Mikey Rush, Brad Baker, 2012 AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees and Wiles.

“We're all a pretty laid back bunch on the team, so working together has been good for everyone. But we still had one more night to go before the long break before Stockton in May,” stated Robinson, “and we moved up a spot in qualifying on night two by taking the 3rd-place qualifying position.

Robinson started the third heat race on the pole, and ended up taking the win over Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. and Jethro Halbert, which again saw #44 with a slot in the Dash for Cash, where the former 2008 Expert Twins Champion improved his first round result with a 2nd-place behind 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year, Brad Baker.  But the 25-lap National was still ahead.

Round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Daytona Short Track II outing saw an improvement for the Kawasaki-mounted Robinson throughout the evening's program. Photo by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.

With round 2 ready to commence, Brandon started the night in the second position, alongside Baker (due to Baker's faster heat win earlier in the evening) and Wiles, Bryan Smith, Coolbeth and Mees filling out the front row. Coolbeth led at the start, but by lap 2 Robinson put the inside move on The King of Cool and went on to lead the rest of the main to earn his first-ever AMA Grand National Championship main event win.

Asked if he'd come down from his cloud yet, Robinson said, “Yeah, some, but we've all been so busy since that it still seems like it was just yesterday.” After working his way back from career-ending injuries suffered at the 2009 Indy Mile, the youngster with the Pennsylvania-wide grin had finally taken his big win in front of a packed crowd at Daytona.

“I feel very fortunate to have landed with such a great group of guys. T.J. (team owner T.J. Burnett). James (crew chief James Hart) and Billy (team wrench Billy Gruwell) have been super to work with, and to come away four wins in seven races is a testament to the work they have put in on getting us ready for this year,” exclaimed Brandon, “and I'm just thrilled to be able to get such a great start to the season with and for them. And to get that first National win was a dream come true.”

Team owner T.J. Burnett, crew chief James Hart, rider Brandon Robinson and team wrench Billy Gruwell celebrate on the podium after Brandon's break-out win in round 2 of the 2013 season at Daytona. Photo by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.

“Things started coming together for us early last season,” stated team owner Burnett. “James and I have been friends since we were kids, and he was having some financial trouble keeping things going. That's where I came in with some assistance to get the team through the end of the season and beyond. Last year we had several riders on the bikes (most notably Beach, when not contesting the AMA Pro Road Racing rounds), and then to get Brandon on-board really was the glue that bonded us over the off-season and into the beginning of '13. We've had help from Jimmy Wood/Southland Suspension in getting the forks and the chassis' set-up, especially with the air forks on the '13 model bikes” which are a work in progress. To get that first win under our belt was a big step!”

Robinson beams on the podium after taking his career-first AMA Grand National Championship win in round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Daytona Short Track II on March 15. Photo by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.

With Daytona in the rear view mirrors and now just over 30 days until round 3 of the season at the Stockton Half-Mile, the team is doing everything except resting on it's laurels. Robinson has made a couple of trips to the team's headquarters in southern Illinois while working on getting the chassis' fine-tuned for the long stretch ahead.

“We're planning a full slate to the year, of course we're doing all of the Nationals and going to try to do the majority of the All-Star races, as well. Next up is Stockton, and then in between there and the Springfield Mile I, we're going to hit the Little Rock event on the All-Star schedule,” Robinson stated, “in order to get things a little bit more dialed in for the summer stretch run of the schedule.

“I was at T.J.'s last week then made the trip back home for a photo shoot with Next Moto Champion magazine (where he will be featured on the cover of the May 2013 issue), and the rest of the time I have just been training and working out trying to get myself set for the rest of the year ahead.”

With the next race scheduled for May 11 at the Stockton Half-Mile at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, the time is getting nearer for the team and the season to get going full-steam ahead. And if anyone thinks that resting on their Daytona laurels is an option, then they don't know how busy and focused this great bunch is.

Be sure to take the time to come and visit the team at the AMA Grand Nationals and the Steve Nace All-Star events as they rip and roar their way across the nation in search of what surely will be another big win. Each and every round of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season will host a fan walk for the fans to come take part in meeting the teams and the riders, and Brandon Robinson and the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team are looking forward to sharing their time and great fortunes with every one of those fans.

The T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team and rider Brandon Robinson AMA Grand National #44 would like to thank our sponsors:

TJ Burnett Farms, USC Racing Kawasaki, James Hart Racing, Arai, ATI Physical Therapy, Penske Racing Shocks, AXO, Saddlemen, Protect All, Pro Plates, ISC Racers Tape, Motion Pro, Southland, Race Tech, Lemonds Kawasaki, WKR, Mr. Sign, Bill Built, Royal Publishing, VC Graphix, DAO Apparel.com, PMP Sprockets, Spectro Oils, CP Pistons, G2 Ergonomics, Works Connection, K&N Filters, Hartman Photography, Mitchell Mechanical, Big Dawg Racing, Ricko, Jim Chapman, Tom Scibek, Joe Reynolds, John Y, Mom & Dad.

2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season schedule:

http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/events/

2013 Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track Series presented by Golden Tyre season schedule:

http://www.stevenaceracing.com/allstar.html

You can follow Brandon Robinson, the 2008 AMA Pro Flat Track Expert Twins Champion here via his official website:

http://brandonrobinson44.com/

Or via his Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/BRob44

Or via Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/BrandonRobinsonRacing

Press release prepared by:

Mike Stuhler/Stu's Shots

Indianapolis, IN. 46234
http://stusshots.blogspot.com/
stuman714@yahoo.com
317-373-0522

AMA Flat Track: Brandon Robinson #44 to Ride for USC Racing Kawasaki Team in 2013

Brandon Robinson relaxes in the pit area at round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18.  Riding for the Werner-Springsteen Monster Energy Kawasaki team for the 2012 Twins Series events, BRob44 had the best finish of his young career in his fourth season as an Expert-ranked rider by finishing 11th in the overall standings at the end of the season.

Robinson took the #44 Werner-Springsteen Racing/Sponseller/Penske/Motion Pro-sponsored Kawasaki 650R-based parallel twin to a superior finish of 2nd-place later in the evening at Indy for what was his best-ever finish in the Grand National Championship.  Leading laps and almost pulling off the upset win over veteran Sammy Halbert, Robinson backed up his 4th-place finish earlier in the season at the Sacramento Mile with another top-5 performance for the season in his first year with the team.

As was announced a few days ago thanks to the always entertaining, energetic and informative Tyler Porter from Fight For Dirt Track.com, Robinson will be taking his skills in the saddle to the USC Racing Kawasaki team for the upcoming 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track season. 

Brandon will join part-time team mate JD Beach (who will be returning to the Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Daytona SportBike Championship for his full-time job in the '13 season) on the 650R-based team.  Rob Pearson, 2012 Rookie of the Year Briar Bauman and Jethro Halbert are among a few other riders who have ridden for the team in the last two seasons.

Also seen in the shot above are two of the other machines in the Werner-Springsteen stable.  In the middle sits Stevie Bonsey's #80 Werner-Springsteen/Alpinestars/Wossner Pistons/Cometic Gasket-sponsored mount, with Robinson's back-up machine sitting in the background. 

The back-up mount is the same bike taken to the Indy and Springfield Mile wins during the 2010 season under the tutelage of team owners 13-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning master wrench Bill Werner and 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen, with Bryan Smith at the controls.  Sammy Halbert ended up practicing the bike in the first session at Indy under an agreement he had worked out with team captain Werner, but according to the multi-time championship-winning tuner there wasn't enough time to get it dialed in to Sammy's liking in order for him to try to run the National on, and obviously that worked out to Halbert's advantage with him ultimately winning his first-ever mile event later that evening.

The podium celebrations get under way at round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18.  Jared Mees #9 and Brandon Robinson #44 flank first-time mile event winner Sammy Halbert after he had beaten Robinson to the line in the National main by just .027 seconds on his #7 South East Harley/The South Ass/Mo Vaughn Transport/LZ Racing-sponsored XR750.

Robinson was celebrating his best-ever finish of his four year career as an Expert-ranked rider after taking the Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki to a 2nd-place finish, and how ironic that must have been for the Pennsylvana resident after being hurled out of the park during the Lucas Oil Indy Mile in 2009 and fighting back from injuries and surgeries to ulitmately have the best finish of his Grand National career at Indy and at the end of the season overall.

With BRob44's experience on the Kawi twin gaining ground as the year went on, his move to the USC Racing Kawasaki team for the 2013 season should bring in some added knowledge and set-up experience to one of the other great teams now campaigning the parallel twin on the AMA Pro Flat Track circuit.

We wish both USC and Brandon the best of luck for the 2013 season and are looking forward to seeing some strong results out of them in the coming year!


You can follow BRob44 here via his Twitter account:

http://twitter.com/BRob44

...and here via his official website:

http://brandonrobinson44.com/

And again a thanks goes out to Tyler Porter at Fight For Dirt Track.com for making the announcement in his Inslide Line column from late Thanksgiving Thursday.  You can check out TP's most recent columns on FFDT.com here to keep up on the 'inslide line' from one of AMA Pro Flat Track's more amusing and most informative sources:

http://www.fightfordt.com/new_site/inslide_line.php

AMA Flat Track: Stevie Bonsey Takes the #80 Goodwin Racing XR750 to the Win at Tucson Half-Mile in Penultimate Round of the 2012 Season

Racing for his fourth team this season, Stevie Bonsey took the #80 Goodwin Racing XR750 to the win last night at the Tucson Half-Mile, round 15 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  The Salinas, California resident set the fast heat time win while winning heat one to establish himself as the man to beat at the Arizona venue, and proceeded to control the evening's events by winning the Dash for Cash and leading all 25 laps in the National main event.

Bonsey, who campaigns his own equipment in the Singles Series races with the help of George Mack of Mack Daddy Racing, also has run a couple of events this season on the Dodge Brothers XR team, a handful of events for the Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki/Monster Energy/Alpinestars/Arai-sponsored 650R-based mount (shown above after winning semi race #2 at the Springfield Mile II on September 16) and now with the Goodwin Racing effort.  This guy must have his bagged packed all year long with all the great teams and efforts he has campaigned this season, and other then Brad Baker must be the most-traveled of riders in The Rolling Thunder Show this year. 

This is a great win for the young man once promoted as Kenny Roberts' protege.  After winning the 2009 AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year Award, Bonsey won his first-ever Grand National at the Calistoga Half-Mile in late July '10, and now doubles his win total in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world.

Runner-up last night saw Bryan Smith campaigning his #42 Moroney's FastHog.com XR, and Sammy Halbert rounded out the podium on his #7 South East H-D-backed XR to gain a couple of points on series points leader Jared Mees, who finished in the 4th-place spot last night to still hold the lead in the standings 280-268 over Sammy.  2-Time and defending AMA Grand National Champion fell to 20 points behind series' leader Mees with a 6th-place finish on the #1 Zanotti Racing XR, with Brad Baker rounding out the top-5 on the #12 Dodge Brothers Racing XR.

A big congrats go out to Stevie Bonsey for his superb win last night, this fine young man has been forced to curtail his season's efforts this season due to lack of funds, but the one's he has been running he has been making some big statements, with last night's big win sealing the deal for the wayward team traveler.  Not yet on the pre-entry list for Saturday's final round in Pomona, here's hoping he can hook-up another great ride to close the season out with.  Great job man, we knew you could and would do it again.  Bravo!

The Goodwin Racing XR sits in the pits during 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.  Jethro Halbert was running the #69 Goodwin Racing/Drew Massa Trans/SHR/Arai-sponsored XR this particular weekend, and brought the machine home to a 7th-place finish.

I believe this is Goodwin's first-ever win in The Rolling Thunder Show, as I am not that familiar with their effort, but a big congrats also goes out to this team for putting one of the best in the business in Stevie Bonsey on their mount and taking the big win last night in Tucson to beat the rest of the best.  Great job guys!

Here is the link to the complete results for round 15 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at Tucson International Raceway:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1275/default.aspx

And a big thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for not only the link to the results above, but for this gallery of shots from Tucson yesterday by AMA Pro Flat Track photographer Dave Hoenig:

http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/multimedia/gallery.cfm?gid=7669

Check out AMA Pro Flat Track's official press release on the penulitmate round of the 2012 season at the Tucson Half-Mile from yesterday!

Stevie Bonsey Captures AMA Pro Flat Track Win at Tucson Half-Mile

 

TUCSON, Ariz. (October 6, 2012) - The desert heat had no effect on Stevie Bonsey (Harley-Davidson/Goodwin Racing) as he shredded the competition during Saturday night's AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil main event at the Tucson International Raceway. Bonsey took the checkered flag by over a full second and recorded his best performance of the season. It's been five years since AMA Pro Flat Track has held an event in Tucson, Arizona but the high-octane racing action made it worth the wait.

 

 

Stevie Bonsey on the #80 Goodwin Racing XR750 took the lead towards the end of the first lap and went on to win the Tucson Half-Mile by over 1.1 seconds over runner-up Bryan Smith on the #42 Moroney's FastHog.com XR.  Sammy Halbert rounded out the podium on his #7 South East H-D XR750 at last night's round 15 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  The series heads to the final round in Pomona this Saturday, October 13.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.

"I came out and did it in front of the Arizona fans here tonight," said Bonsey. "My first victory was in California and luckily my second one came here in front of you guys. From start to finish, I felt good the whole race and I have to thank my guys for giving me this great opportunity."

Bonsey was the pole sitter and clearly had the fastest bike of the night. Sixth-place finisher and defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson (Harley-Davidson/ Zanotti Racing) got the holeshot out of the gate but that lead lasted less than a full lap as Bonsey went a little lower on the groove off turn four and reclaimed the lead...and never looked back.

Bryan Smith (Harley-Davidson/Crosley Radio) was alone in second place for the majority of the race but saw his comfortable 1.56-second lead over Sammy Halbert (Harley-Davidson/South East Harley) diminish on the final lap. Fortunately for Smith, he was able to hold off Halbert on the final run up the front-stretch to claim an impressive second-place finish.

The bright side for Halbert is that he edged fourth place finisher and current GNC combined points leader Jared Mees to close the gap between them with one final race remaining.

 

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles

All season long, the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles have excelled under the shadows cast by the twin-cylinder engines, and this week was no exception. Shayna Texter (DFW Honda) won her third race of the season and was sharp right from the get-go.

"I have a lot of fans here and I want to give a shout out to them," said Texter. "I also want to thank my team and sponsors; this was a big win for us."

Texter started from pole and when she surrendered the lead to Rodney Spencer Jr. (Honda/831 Pinnit) on lap 12, it looked as if she was going to fall short of the victory. However, on the last turn of the final lap, justice was served as the young phenom ripped the lead right back from Spencer Jr. just in time to capture the checkered flag by a slim .131 second margin. 

Spencer Jr. continued to stay hot as this race made for his second consecutive runner-up finish. Jason Isennock (Honda/Highs Dairy Stores) also impressed as he closed out the podium in what proved to be an intense battle for the third spot. AMA Pro Singles points leader Stephen Vanderkuur (Honda/Parkinson Brothers Racing) and Ryan Kearns (Honda/SM Racing) rounded out the top five riders, respectively.

Next Up

 

AMA Pro Flat Track heads to Pomona, Calif. for the The Law Tigers AMA Pro Flat Track Finals presented locally by Harley-Davidson of Pomona Valley and Glendale Harley-Davidson, scheduled for October 13, 2012 at the LA County Fairplex.

 

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