AMA Pro Racing Hires Jeff Ward as Rider and Team Liaison

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Jeff Ward sits in his pit area and scopes out the practice action on track during the AMA Supermoto Road America round in June of 2005. The supermoto series ran in conjunction with the Super Cycle Weekend at the scenic Elkhart Lake, WI. track for the first time this year. 'Wardy' tallied two fourth place finishes for the weekend.
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Jeff Ward, the 2004 AMA Supermoto Champion, can be seen in his pit at Road America again in 2005 talking with his crewman and overlooking his Honda CRF450R supermoto machine. His sponsor Troy Lee's Honda CRF250R #25 can be seen in the shot as well. Ward ran the bigger Supermoto class while Troy Lee ran the Supermoto Lites class in the series.
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The Troy Lee Designs-sponsored #1 Honda CRF450R of '04 AMA Supermoto Champ Jeff Ward sits in the pits as it gets worked over and set up by a crew member for the weekend. 'Wardy' finished second in the championship for the 2005 season behind rider Jurgen Kunzell of Germany who rode for the Red Bull KTM team.
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In more great news coming out of the home offices of AMA/DMG Pro Racing is the hiring yesterday of former multi-time AMA Motocross and '04 AMA Supermoto Champion Jeff Ward to the position of rider and team liaison and advisor beginning with the upcoming Fontana round of AMA Pro Road Racing scheduled for next weekend.
'Wardy' is a former racer who's personality and knowledge of the sport, demographics and fans will surely pay big dividends as the DMG-run series tries to turn the ship around from the pitiful season of 2009. With the improvements that were seen and heard at Daytona this is another big sign from the series bosses that they want to make nice and they want to make road racing and flat track work here in the States like it should without all the dumbing down that was experienced last year. Having that inside line will no doubt serve Jeff AND the teams, riders, and fans well.
Good luck to Jeff in this new venture, and we applaud and tip the helmet to the AMA and DMG folks for trying to get things straightened out after what all had to suffer through from last year. This should be most excellent and the buzz it has already created is humming right along!
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Click here to read the official release as supplied to the always 'kick a..' Larry Lawrence over at his great site The Rider Files.com:
http://www.theriderfiles.com/?p=3578
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Here's a great snapshot of Jeff's career from the AMA Hall of Fame:
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=291
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Aaron Gobert-The Middle Brother of the Racing Gobert Brothers-Is Racing in Australian Supersport Championship for 2010 Season

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Aaron Gobert on the #96 Rockwall Honda CBR600RR getting light in the rear end and crossed-up in the front end during the wet practice session at Road America for the AMA Formula Xtreme class. The 'middle' Gobert brother used this cool move as shown from the turn 10 area of the track to nail the win in the FX final on Sunday of June of 2008 for his only win of the class for the year, but a thrilling one it was! Gobert is the middle brother of the Gobert clan that consists of oldest brother Anthony 'The Go Show' Gobert and Alex Gobert, the 'youngster.' There was some good water and a lot of vitamins in that family as all of them have or have had some immense racing talent that has seperated them from us mere mortals.
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Josh Hayes on the Attack Kawasaki ZX-10R leads Tommy Hayden on the #22 Team Kawasaki ZX-10R and Aaron Gobert on the #96 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 coming out of turn 8 at Road America during the SuperStock finale of June 2004. Tommy Gun took the win over Josh by .018 seconds with Aaron 1.496 seconds back of winner Hayden. Hayes was the reigning champ from '03 in this class and Gobert won it for the 2004 season, while Hayden was the '04 and '05 AMA SuperSport Champion.
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Gobert on the #96 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 while qualifying for the AMA SuperStock race at Road America in June of 2004. Aaron was also the 2000 Australian 250 Production Champion and started racing in the States in 2001. This will be his first year back home racing in the Land of Oz since that time. We wish him the very best of luck and hope to see him back in the States very soon slinging it into the corners! After nine years here in the States he will be missed on and off the track.

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Aaron Gobert can be seen rifling through traffic on the back part of the course at Mid Ohio on the #1 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 during the July 2005 running of the AMA SuperStock final. Just coming into the photo leftside is Brent George on the Corona Suzuki GSX-R1000, just exiting shot on rightside is one of the Team Jordan Suzuki's (not enough rider/bike to positive ID but it should be either #15 Steve Rapp or #43 Jason Pridmore since they all were running in a group at this venture of the race). Just behind Aaron is #149 Blake Young on the Millenium Technologies Suzuki GSX-R1000.

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What appears to be another hit in racing due to the downside of the economy, Aaron Gobert, the 'middle' of the three Australian Gobert clan, has headed back 'home' to the Land Down Under to contest the Australian Supersport Championship for the 2010 season. Having come to the States in 2001 to race in the AMA Pro Road Racing series, and winning the 2004 AMA SuperStock Championship while riding for Team Graves Yamaha along the way, Aaron has been one of the 'staples' of riders that have contested the series regularly for the last 8-10 years. Gobert has ridden for Graves Yamaha, Erion Honda Racing and Rockwall Honda in the AMA SuperSport, AMA SuperStock and AMA Formula Xtreme classes, and last year took on the venture of racing the new Aprilia Factory RSV1000R in the Daytona SportBike class. With his experience on the middleweight class machines and hooking up with a Graves-prepped Yamaha R6 for the Australian series, this could be a very strong move for Aaron.

We wish Aaron the very best and hope his season goes well, and hope sometime soon down the road we will see him back here in the States on competitive equipment! Good luck to ya mate and be safe!
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Here's the link to the article about Aaron's venture racing back home in the Land Down Under in the Australian Supersport Championship thanks to the great pen-or laptop-of David Swarts at RoadRacingWorld.com:

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39747

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If The AMA, Harley and Now Vance and Hines Build It, Will They Come?

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Scott Zampach rests up in his garage at Mid Ohio in '94 after a practice session. One of Zampach's Don Tilley-sponsored Harley Davidson 883's sits outside his garage on display. Zampach was the winningest rider in the Twin Sports/883 classes over the years, amassing a handful of AMA 883 Championships in '91,'92,'93 and '95. He also finished 2nd in class to Matt Wait in '94. Don't let the friendly smile warm you over-Zampach was ferocious on the track.
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Roy Nicholson leads on his #55 H-D 883 over #1 Scott Zampach, #2 Shawn Higbee and #80 (unknown) during the AMA Twin Sports Race at Mid Ohio in '94. Competition in the class was fierce although, as per most H-D pavement races, speeds were nominal at best. So were the 'extra' crowds on hand that came running to see their beloved twins race, and even win for a change on the pavement. But the class and the racing didn't draw any more paying customers then a road race would have anyway, even at Road America, some 50 miles up the road from the H-D factory. The class was eventually dropped for others more technologically advanced then a bilge pump on steroids.
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Nigel Gale on his #1 H-D 883 machine in the paddock area at Road America in 1990. Gale was sponsored by Bartel's H-D at the time, even though his leathers say 'Mockbee Racing' on the leg. This was the first year for the U.S. Twin Sports , Harley Davidson Twin Sports or Super Twins class in AMA Pro Road Racing as it was called in it's different 883-based variations.
Gale won the inaugaral championship in '90.
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Scott Zampach--The 'Z- Man'--on his #1 Tilley Harley Davidson-sponsored championship winning 883 at Road America in 1992. Zampach also won the '89 AMA 600 SuperSport Championship and won a slew of races and championships in WERA throughout his racing career. With his skill and personality, he is still missed on and at the track after all these years. Last I heard he was selling Harley's for Fletcher's H-D in Clearwater, Fl. He did some announcing for several years at Road America as well during Super Cycle Weekend.
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The Z-man leads Nicholson and Higbee onto the main straight at Mid Ohio during the Twin Sports race in 1994. Even though the technology on these bikes wasn't exactly state of the art as in the Superbike and other classes, the racing was close and the oil spills were few. Higbee won the '95 AMA Twin Sports Championship with Bartel's as his sponsor. Matt Wait winning the title in '96 and Eric Bostrom in '97 were the other class champs in the series run.
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It was announced at Daytona the week before last, that the AMA, Harley Davidson, and Vance and Hines would be putting on a new class for select rounds this year of AMA Road Racing based on the new for the U.S. H-D XR1200. In what could surely be looked at as taking a step back in time to the old Twin Sports 883-based classes of '89-'97, someone is looking to try and fill the stands at AMA events, especially the way the fans ran away from the running of the 2009 season. But the big question is and still remains--if they build it, will they come?
This sport we all love and cherish so much isn't baseball and this isn't 'Field of Dreams' so putting people in the seats at any motorcycle racing event, or especially an AMA Road Racing event, is going to take more then just advertising to the Harley crowd, because we already know that they won't come based on the fact that it didn't happen from 1989 through 1997 when the 883-based class ran.
And this surely doesn't take away from the fact that, albeit much slower then the superbike or sportbike classes, the racing WAS extremely close and and the competition was fierce. Add to that the talent that came out of the series. Riders such as Ben Bostrom ('98 AMA Superbike Champ and '08 AMA SuperSport Champ) and Eric Bostrom ('97 Twin Sports Champ), Aaron Yates, Matt Wait ('96 Champ), Shawn Higbee ('94 Champ) and Scott 'The Z-Man' Zampach ('91-'93 and '95 Champ) not only raced and won championships, but most went on to the big bike classes, having been groomed on the art of tight, close low horsepower racing. Learning in the class was at a premium, as the draft was not kind if it was lost. High torque and low horsepower meant learning to learn and love the draft.
We applaud the AMA, H-D and V&H for trying to drum up more interest in the races, as we all know the need of having to draw paying customers. And I fully expect to see that these races will be great for competition and closeness. But drawing paying customers with a shaker class will not work, just as was proven in the past. And part of the problem, we all have to face, is the fact that unless a person is into bikes already, even being a race fan, doesn't automatically mean they will 'get it.' There are an awful lot of ways to draw a full house, but to keep them drawn and quartered, they DO have to get it. And I'm sure, as you are reading this and thinking the same, if someone doesn't get the motorcycle racing thing, it doesn't matter what type of race you put on. They might come initially for curiosity sake, but they won't return, because they don't get it. And that is something that I have seen for over three and a half decades of going to these races. Some people just don't get motorcycle racing like they do other types of motorsports events, whatever they may be. It's just that simple and I don't think that will ever change to the point where all of a sudden the crowds just show up in droves. Otherwise, why, after all these years, people don't rush the gate to see one of these things. And that applies to the flat track scene, as well. You can put on the best show on wheels, but if the crowd doesn't have a clue, you are lost.
I hope I'm wrong, as time will only tell. I think it still gets down to the fact that if you dig motorcycle racing-unless it's supercross or motocross-the numbers are what they are and you have to appreciate it and deal with it at the levels that have been sustained attendance-wise for decades. And that is a sad reality in the world of motorcycle racing from my eyes, as nothing equals a good high speed two wheel race. Nothing!
I found a couple of articles to go along with today's rant on the scene of AMA Road Racing. The first one below was written by Dean Adams over at SuperBikePlanet.com and dwells in a much better way then I can about the numbers, or lack thereof, over the former Twin Sports and future XR1200 series. And below that is Paul Carruthers at CycleNews.com official release from Daytona talking about the new series.
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Dean Adams over at SuperBikePlanet.com ponders the age-old question--If the AMA and Harley (and now Vance and Hines as well) build it, will they come:

http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100304dtwinsports.htm

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The official release as posted by Paul Carruthers over at CycleNews.com talks about the Vance and Hines involvement in the new XR1200 class, where the five race series will compete at, as well as the purse money up for grabs in the new class:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/03/04/a-vance-hines-harley-class-for-2010

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Thanks again for stopping by. As always, if you have a spin on this or anything else, leave me a comment for discussion. I wish I knew how to put more people in the stands at road race and flat track events. Hell, if I did, they would have been overflowing decades ago.....

Rizla Suzuki Rolls Out the New Troy Lee-Designed Goods for the 2010 MotoGP Season

The Rizla-Sponsored Suzuki MotoGP Team rolled out their line of new equipment today for the upcoming 2010 MotoGP season. Riders Loris Capirossi and Rookie Alvaro Bautista and Team Manager Paul Denning unveiled and spoke about the team's new line of GSV-R bikes over at http://www.motogp.com/ and the fine folks at http://www.roadracingworld.com/ have a copy of the team release as well as a good pic of the new bike below in the official news links.

The shots above were taken during the pitlane walk at the inaugaral round at Indy in September of 2008 while the team was showing off the bikes and the sounds.
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2010/Rizla+Suzuki+unveil+2010+livery

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39717

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2010/Denning+guide+to+the+2010+GSVR

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Another great site I like to check out on a regular basis is http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/. They do a great cross-section of stuff in the general, racing and technical side of things when it comes to scooters and going WFO. They have an interesting line on the Troy Lee Designed new look Suzuki MotoGP goods and some more pics of the new designed as released today. See what you think after checking it out here:

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/troy-lee-designs-rizla-suzuki-gsv-r-motogp/#more-9348

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Colin Edwards Talks About Poop and the MotoGP Engine Limit Rules for 2010

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Colin Edwards on the Vance and Hines Yamaha at Mid Ohio in 1993 while rolling down the pitlane during qualifying. Edwards talks about poop, the new engine rule and what it takes to ride one of the MotoGP beasts in a great link to a story from the people at Crash.net.
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During qualifying for the '94 round of the AMA Superbike race at Mid Ohio, Colin Edwards drives his Vance and Hines Yamaha out of the final turn onto the main straight. Edwards went on to win the Superbike final that weekend to bag his first premier class win in the series.
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While perusing the race web sites yesterday, I came acrossed this interesting article from the guys acrosssed the pond on www.crash.net that has Colin Edwards, the Tech 3 Yamaha rider and 2010 team mate to Ben Spies, talking about the new MotoGP engine rules, testing, and of all things, turds.
Let's face it, if you can come acrossed a good story about riders discussing poop, you have to check it out. Read on:
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/157528/1/edwards_dude_im_not_this_slow.html
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The AMA Road Racing Paddock Won't Be the Same Without Dunlop's Jim Allen

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Jim Allen, The Dunlop Tire Guy, is shown taking lap times in Scott Russell's Team Muzzy Kawasaki pit during the AMA Road Racing Weekend of 1991. Gary Medley, tuner to the stars, can be seen talking with Russell who is seated on the armco barrier. Another unidentified
Team Muzzy member can be seen partially obscuring Russell as he goes about his duties.

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Jim Allen can be seen walking along the left side of Doug Chandler's Team Muzzy Kawasaki ZX-6-based 600 SuperSport bike on pitlane at Road America for the 1998 running of the classic AMA road race as the rest of the Team Muzzy crew goes about their weekend business. Larry Maiers with the news crew can be seen in the very center of the shot along the outside armco barrier. Allen, who has been a long-time fixture with Dunlop and at the AMA races, will be officially retiring on April 1st. His last race as the 'official' Dunlop Tire Guy was at Daytona last week.

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Jim Allen can be seen in this shot coddling his favorite adult beverage of choice as he chats with some friends at Siebkin's of Elkhart Lake in June of 2005. Every year I have been to Road America in the last two decades I have seen Jim at Siebkin's at the end of the race day hanging with the crowd, blending in like another race fan shooting the breeze over the days races. Allen's last official race as the Dunlop Tire Guy was last week at Daytona and will be calling it a career on April 1st. We wish him well!

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One of the truly nice guys in the AMA Road Racing paddock is calling it a career on April 1st. Jim Allen, who has been THE Dunlop Tire Guy for as long as I can remember, will be hanging up his clipboard and stopwatches on April 1st.
This news might have made it under the radar for the average race fan, but Jim Allen has been an icon and a constant presence in the AMA paddock for at least the last two decades or so. The former racer will be missed as much for his being THE go-to guy for Dunlop riders in the States, but for his pleasant demeanor and almost-constant smile in the paddock and out and about the race towns that the AMA Road Racing series frequents. Not having known the man personally, but only having a couple of brief conversations with him at Siebkin's and at the tracks over the course of the last 20 years, the man was always approachable, congenial, and very pleasant to talk to and with. Having heard the 'chatter' over the years from both sides, I can only say how he was in passing and race conversation--a true gentleman and a pleasure to talk to, let alone a wealth of knowledge. And a smile that lasts forever!
They hosted a retirement party for him and his associate, Dave Watkins, who is also retiring, at Daytona and Dean Adams over at http://www.superbikeplanet.com/ wrote a very fitting story about the man. Check it out here:

http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100305jimallen.htm
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We here at Stu's Shots give a tip of the helmet and Dunlop cap to Jim and wish him the very best in his future retirement endeavors, and we can say for sure that the AMA paddock won't be the same without him. And neither will Siebkin's........
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Josh Herrin Takes R6 and Team Graves Yamaha to Daytona 200 Victory

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Josh Herrin #46-now running #8 for 2010-in action during the AMA SuperSport race at Barber Motorsports Park in April of 2007. Running for the same Team Graves Motorsports Yamaha team, the youngster spanked the competition last night in winning the 69th edition of the Daytona 200. Nearly flawless pit stops by his great team helped to seal the deal.

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Josh Herrin on the #8 Team Graves Motorsports Yamaha R6 won the Daytona 200 endurance race last night by using nearly flawless pit stops and good traffic strategy to take the top spot on the podium for the 69th running of what was once the classic North American motorcycle race.
Dane Westby on the #2 Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha R6 finished second a little over 7.9 seconds back, and perennial iron man Steve Rapp on the #15 Team Latus Motors Racing Ducati 848 finished a solid third a little over 24.4 seconds back of Herrin. Rapp won this event in '07 while running for the Attack Kawasaki Squad, and has been riding in AMA competition for over 14 seasons now and did a fine job of bringing it home.
You can check out the official results and the official press conference below to get the full meal deal on this eventful race.

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Provisional results of the Daytona 200 courtesy of John Ulrich's group of hard working pro's over at http://www.roadracingworld.com/. Their coverage and updates over the course of the week have been outstanding:
http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39653


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Daytona 200 press conference thanks to Dean's crew at http://www.superbikeplanet.com/ who according to their Facebook.com page were 'asked to leave the pitlane' the other day. In spite of the DMG's outlook on these great folks, they tell it like it is:
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100306b.htm

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Congratulations are in order not only for Josh for such a fine ride last night, but especially to all the riders and participants, and a special tip of the hat goes out to the DMG folks for starting off the season on a very high note and making it known that they are willing to help, learn and listen to everyone to ensure the series has a good year and no problems to follow such as the 2009 debacle in running the show. Bravo!
I also added the link in yesterday's post for the second superbike race press conference. The general feeling was good in Daytona after the way the series was handled last year. Ben Bostrom had a very nice comment about it all so if you get the chance to check it out, do so. Bravo again!
Thanks for following along with us for the road racing and flat track running of the races from Daytona this week. It's been a blast and although I plan to revert back to my normal writing and posting intervals, I wanted to try and follow the new year as quickly and as closely for all that I could. It's been a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to a new year, let alone a new outlook from the offices and managers of the AMA and DMG people. Other then the AMA Flat Track Live Timing and Scoring clusterf..k that we are confident they will have worked out by the next round, it has been a great week. Thanks again for taking your time to come by, see my old stuff and put up with me on a rant....or an occasional non-rant, even. God Bless to all and take care!
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Zemke Does the Double at Daytona and Nips Tommy Hayden at the Line by .009 Seconds!

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Jake Zemke on the Team Honda CBR1000RR Superbike during qualifying for the AMA round at Barber Motorsports Park in April of 2007. Jake won the second superbike race today at Daytona to make it 2-0 on the competition and for Team Jordan Motorsports for a fine start to the 2010 AMA Superbike season. Today was Jake's second win as well on a Suzuki after having ridden Honda's for the better part of the last decade. Looks like a pretty good career move....

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Tommy Hayden on his Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 during superbike race one action at Barber Motorsports Park in April of 2007. Hayden came up .002 seconds short of his initial win again today after garnering second in yesterday's race one. Still, a good start for Tommy Gun.

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Ben 'B-Boz' Bostrom on his Team Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1-based SuperStock bike during qualifying for the Barber AMA round in April of 2007. The '98 Superbike Champ and 2009 Daytona 200 Champ came from 1.2 seconds behind setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 9 to nab third place today .081 seconds behind Jake Zemke and Tommy Hayden. It looks like Ben and Pat Clark Motorsports may have something to bring to the table this year and bringing in outside-the-industry sponsors in the Palms Resort and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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Jake Zemke made the career switch of his life this year and he more then proved it today by winning his second Daytona SuperBike race in as many days and giving Team Jordan Suzuki it's second premier class victory in as many days as well. Zemke made a run at the end on Tommy Hayden and beat him to the line by .009 seconds. Ben Bostrom was third .081 back on Zemke.
Here's the official report by the great people of http://www.cyclenews.com/ and the top 10 results:
http://cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/03/05/zemke-again-in-daytona-superbike
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Both yesterday's and today's races will be shown on Speed TV on Saturday, Mar. 6th at 10:30 EST-providing the earlier delayed coverage of the supercross event doesn't run over.
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----Friday, Mar. 5th 6:30 P.M. EST Update-----
Here's a super article that reaks of the enthusiasm of and in the race today by the great bunch of people over at www.roadracerx.com. This is a MUST read!
http://www.roadracerx.com/breaking-news/ama-pro-american-superbike-report-spoiler-pics/
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Congrats to Jake, Jordan Motorsports/National Guard Suzuki, Tommy Hayden and the Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki team, and Ben Bostrom and the Pat Clark Yamaha team on a fine show today. We're looking forward to the rest of the year with finishes like this!
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Saturday March 6, 1:4o P.M.
I wanted to add the press conference from the second superbike race as was put together for us fans by Susan Haas over at Dean Adam's super site www.superbikeplanet.com. If you can't read the whole thing, take the time to scroll down to the bottom and the comment that Ben Bostrom makes about the great week it was for all at Daytona, and how the feeling in the paddock was MUCH better to start the year off from the DMG-run series then the stain it left on everyone's shirts from the 2009 version. Very good sounding news for the fans and the competitors after what everyone had to endure last year. Bravo to the AMA and the DMG folks! Keep up the great work!
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100306a.htm

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Jake Zemke Talks About His 1st Daytona Superbike Win

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Jake Zemke #98-now #54 for 2o1o-whips by on his Team Honda CBR1000RR Superbike in race 2 action at Mid Ohio in 2005. Zemke won his first superbike race in over 45 months yesterday at Daytona on a Suzuki after being on Honda's for the better part of the last decade in the AMA Road Racing series. Round 2 rolls off this afternoon at 4:00 P.M. EST from the world center of racing and Jake will have another chance to make Team Jordan proud.
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One of Dean Adam's long-time scribes, Susan Haas, has the superbike press conference from yesterday's first round event at Daytona over at www.superbikeplanet.com.
Jake Zemke talks about what it's like to win at Daytona, to have won a superbike race after over 3 1/2 years, and what it was like to do so on a Suzuki after having fought tooth and nail on Honda's for so long in the class. Check it out here for a great read:
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/e/n100305a.htm
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Danny Eslick Wins the Pole and Rolex Watch for Daytona 200, Jake Johnson Wins Daytona Short Track R2

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Danny Eslick #69-Now #1 in Daytona SportBike-while qualifying for the Mid Ohio round of AMA Formula Xtreme on his MPTracing.com GSX-R600 for the 2005 event. Eslick won the pole and the Rolex watch for the Daytona 200 late yesterday for tonight's running of the classic road race.
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'Jersey' Jake Johnson's #1-now #5 for 2010-American Suzuki/Parts Unlimited RMZ450 sits under the pit awning at Springfield for the Labor Day weekend running of the short track race in Sept. 2007. Johnson ran away and hid in last night's 2nd round short track at the new Daytona Short Track stadium while riding a Honda for this year's short track & TT campaign.
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Danny Eslick added further credibility to his '09 AMA Daytona SportBike Championship by winning the pole for tonight's Daytona 200. Qualifying ran last night for tonight's classic and Eslick qualified only .002 seconds ahead of Martin Cardenas, his last year'r rival for the championship. Both riders were GSX-R600-mounted for the DSB class pole session, Eslick being sponsored on the Richie Morris Racing machine by Geico Powersports and Cardenas by Monster Energy on his M4 Suzuki team.
Congrats to Danny and we look forward to tonight's race which will be shown tape delayed on Speed TV at 9:00 P.M. EST. You can read the official story here thanks to http://www.cyclenews.com/:
http://cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/03/04/eslick-wins-a-rolexd
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And just outside the legendary tri-oval, Jake Johnson, riding the #5 Zanotti Racing Honda CRF450 ran away and hid to win by 1.7 seconds-a half a lifetime in short track racing-to take his fifth Daytona Short Track win over Kenny Coolbeth and Jared Mees, both Honda mounted.
Although the AMA Live Timing and Scoring was still suffering the same sad, not available problems from the previous night's race, the Twitter feed as shown from Wednesday night's post was most effective in keeping up with the lap action for us land locked fans here in Indy. Several mentions of this over at the forum on http://www.flattrack.com/ brought the same type of reaction as would be expected, especially after it was stated from Wednesday at Daytona by Mike Kidd that they were working on the software issues. I guess that didn't pan out as planned, unfortunately.
We here at Stu's Shots hope that Mike and team AMA Flat Track now have plenty of time to get this issue dealt with before the next round in Arizona in May. One thing about the former National #7 (and before winning the '81 GNC title #72), Mr. Kidd will get it straightened around as he knows the importance of running a first class series and program, and he knows without a doubt what the fans need and want as well, whether you are at the track or not.
Congrats to Jake and the Zanotti Racing crew! This could be a great year for them as this is the team that took 1979 AMA Grand National Champion Steve Eklund to the title, and they have a good program lined up for this year.
You can read the official story here, again thanks to http://www.cyclenews.com/.
This event will be shown on Speed TV, as well, on Sunday, Mar. 7th at 6:00 P.M. EST and is supposed to be comprised of highlights from both events with some final action thrown in as well: http://cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2010/03/04/johnson-takes-fifth-daytona-win

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Thanks for dropping in, and if you can't catch tonight's tape delayed action of the Daytona 200 on Speed TV you can follow it 'Live' via the live timing and scoring link on the left side column from the AMA. The road race side DID get their software problems worked out as it worked great for all racing yesterday and was a great tool for those of us not in cold, but sunny Daytona.
Also, AMA Superbike race two is this afternoon at 4:00 P.M. EST and you can follow live on the timing link for it as well, and it will be shown with yesterday's first round action tomorrow on Speed TV beginning at 10:30 P.M. EST, providing the supercross race doesn't run over. I'm pretty sure it's delayed as well so shouldn't be a problem, but to be safe you might want to add in for overrun time in case you are tivoing the show.
Take care, and we'll have more on this afternoon's Superbike race and tonight's 200 before the weekend is done!
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Daytona Superbike Race 1 to Team Jordan's Jake Zemke

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Jake Zemke #98 (this year now #54), Erion Racing/Parts Unlimited Honda CBR600RR in rain practice for the AMA FX class at Road America's turn 10 in 2008. Zemke went on to clinch the '08 AMA Formula Xtreme Championship and won his first AMA Superbike Race in 45 months today at Daytona.
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On his maiden voyage aboard the Jordan Motorsports/National Guard Suzuki GSX-R1000, Jake Zemke pulled off his first win in AMA Superbike competition in over 3 1/2 years by beating Tommy Hayden on the Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 by a mere .238 seconds. Pegram Racing/Foremost Insurance-sponsored Larry Pegram finished third a scant .021 seconds back. The top five were covered by .307 seconds at the end. And Zemke also was able to celebrate even more as he was able to give Michael Jordan's team it's VERY FIRST win in AMA Superbike competition in the seven years they have been contesting the series. Bravo and take a bow Jumpman Folks. You deserve it!
In what is shaping up to be a good year of racing thanks to off-season changes by the AMA/DMG folks in terms of leadership, rules making and atonement, and a variety of safety maladies that made the U.S. series a laughingstock, the first round of superbike competition was very intense. And with the rules packages in place now, this is looking to be a barn-burner of a year competition-wise.
You can read the full results and race re-caps here thanks to all the fine folks at http://www.roadracingworld.com/, http://www.cyclenews.com/ and http://www.speedtv.com/ who are on site at the legendary racetrack and doing a great job of keeping us land-locked race fans up to date and in the know. Round two of superbike action hit's the track at 4:00 P.M. EST tomorrow afternoon.
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Road Racing World's results:
http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39639
Great article by Paul Carruthers at Cycle News on the first superbike race at Daytona today:
http://cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/03/04/on-guard-zemke-wins-daytona-opener
Chris Martin pens a super read here over at Speed TV's site that says it all about today's race:
http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/spoiler-warning-ama-sbk-results-race-1-daytona/
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A big tip of the Dunlop Tire hat to Team Jordan, National Guard and Jake Zemke for breaking their AMA Superbike cherry and getting it done at the world center of speed in Daytona. Great job guys!

Sammy Halbert Wins R1 Daytona Short Track, Aaron Yates on Daytona Superbike Pole, AMA Live RR Timing Back Online and FT Live Timing Still Out

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Sammy Halbert's #43 Memphis Shades YZ450 Springfield ST Sept. '07

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Team Honda's Miguel Duhamel #17 leads Jordan Suzuki's Aaron Yates #20 at Road America Superbike Race 1 in 2008--Yates took the pole at Daytona today for today's and tomorrow's Superbike Doubleheader finals.

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In what was a major show of authority, Woody Kyle Racing's Sammy Halbert, National #7 by his virtue of being the overall champ in the GNC series in '09, ran away with round one of the AMA Flat Track Doubleheader last night. Riding a Yamaha YZ450 that was obviously dialed-in, Halbert-former National #43 as shown in the first shot above-ran away and hid from the field to win by two seconds over Henry 'Hammerin' Hank' Wiles on a Kawasaki and 'Jersey' Jake Johnson on a Suzuki. Halbert will go down in history as the inaugaral winner at the new short track facility outside turns one and two at the world famous raceplex.
Thanks to the great folks at http://www.cyclenews.com/ and http://www.roadracingworld.com/ for the official news links as shown here:
http://cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2010/03/03/halbert-dominates-daytona-short-track-1
http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39629
Congrats to Sammy for this opening round win and we'll be looking forward to this evening's races to see how things go for him and the rest of the field as they do it all again!
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On the road racing side of things, Jordan Suzuki's Double A-ron Yates won the Superbike pole position today beating out early fast man Larry Pegram by a little over .25 seconds. Yates, a long time competitor in the series, also took the honors of garnering the very first superbike pole for the Jordan Brand-sponsored team in it's seventh year of competition in the class. Congrats to Aaron and to the Michael Jordan team for this great result.
Here is the rest of the lineup thanks to Dean Adams and his troupe at http://www.superbikeplanet.com/:
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100304b19.htm
Congrats to Aaron and Team Jordan Suzuki for this great achievement!
The first superbike race is scheduled to roll off the line this afternoon at 3:30 P.M. EST, and as of late this morning, the AMA Live Timing on the road racing side was back up and running. You should be able to follow the race here:
http://laptraxtg.racersites-cluster.com/LapTraxTG/AMA/livescoring.html?LAPTRAXID=2010011005
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Yesterday's software problems for the AMA Flat Track Live Timing are still up in the air, and we are hoping they do get this issue resolved for this evening's second round at the new Daytona Short Track. As of this writing no live timing is available for the flat track and I have been getting updates from the forum at http://www.flattrack.com/ in order to keep up with what is going on on the track.
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Here is the link to last night's post about the problems that they were having with the live timing all day yesterday:
http://stusshots.blogspot.com/2010/03/pegram-fastest-in-both-superbike.html
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Thanks for coming by, now let's check out that first Superbike race!

Pegram Fastest in Both Superbike Practice Sessions at Daytona as AMA Live Scoring and Timing Suffers from Major Problems on Both RR and FT Sites

In an opening salvo to the AMA American Superbike season, Larry Pegram lead all comers today in both practice sessions at Daytona to set his stamp of authority on the beginning of the season.
However, the AMA Live Timing and Scoring has been suffering through some major glitches today that all but has kept the timing site down. Once it finally did come back up, the new-look link stayed on results of the first Daytona SportBike session-led by Martin Cardenas-and never updated beyond.
And from a post over at http://www.flattrack.com/, other people were having the same problem as I have all day over on the AMA Flat Track side and couldn't get anything more then the last results of the Supercross race from Atlanta last Saturday. One person did post that said to the effect that Mike Kidd (AMA Flat Track) did say the timing and scoring would be up for the races themselves this evening at the short track. We'll see and are waiting patiently.

As of this writing, at 6 P.M. EST, the 'live timing' link had been completely removed from the road race side and the link on the flat track side took you to Saturday's Supercross results in Atlanta.

Are you listening AMA? We hope so......

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Here is the 'new' link as taken off of the AMA Road Racing site earlier today:

http://laptraxtg.racersites-cluster.com/LapTraxTG/AMA/livescoring.html?LAPTRAXID=2010011005#

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Without trying to be critical of Mike or the AMA, which I'm not as I understand his and their position is to oversee and run the show, I do want to point out that for both the AMA Road Racing site and AMA Flat Track site to come out of the box with these types of problems at an event that is not only their 'Super Bowl' so to speak, let alone the inuagaral races of the year, and to not have the glitches ironed out at this point is a gross oversight. And one that after all the problems from last year and the steps taken by both series over the off season to improve themselves leaves a pretty big gap in trying to please the fan base and keep and/or to grow on that fan base. Let alone in this wired world we live in now.


For the results of the first two Superbike practice sessions you can go here thanks to the great people at http://www.superbikeplanet.com/ who are on scene for the 'festivities' at the big raceplex in Daytona:
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100303c.htm
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100303e.htm
And you can check out the first Daytona SportBike session from this morning here. The second session is scheduled for tonight and should be running now. Of course if the AMA's timing and scoring was running we could tell:
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100303b82w.htm

We sincerely hope that the glitches experienced throughout the day today on both the AMA Road Racing site http://amaproracing.com/rr/
and the AMA Flat Track site http://amaproracing.com/ft/
are not something that we will have to put up with throughout the course of the rest of the event. We would like to think that they can get these details worked out at least by this evening to where by tomorrow we can follow the great live timing and scoring that we have come to expect out of the people at the AMA. And that their oversight in having these problems on the first day of the first races of the season are just that. An oversight. We are patient, but........

The shot I picked above for this irate sounding post is of Larry Pegram's Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R as was on display last August at the Indy MotoGP round. This was a diplay of the bike Larry used to contest the '09 season last year in AMA American Superbike and won three races with, including a surprise victory over 7-Time Champ Mat Mladin in the second race at Elkhart Lake's Road America in June.

Here's a link to a great article penned by Paul Carruthers over at http://www.cyclenews.com/ that talks about Larry's first session today:
http://cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/03/03/pegram-gets-it-started

We wish Larry the best of luck and a tip of the helmet for his first day's work effort at the opening round today, and we wish all the competitors the best of luck and safety. At least we are back racing. Now, if the AMA can get the technical problems straightened out with the live timing and scoring, this could be a great race event to see and watch over the next few days.

Thanks again for hanging with us here at Stu's Shots and listening to me rant again! Maybe they'll be able to get these problems worked out for us fans and I won't have to rant again. At least not this week....
Maybe I just have too much passion for this sport, and it might just be me. But I doubt it. And as I have proven in the past, if I am wrong I will retract my statements and offer a complete and total apology to those parties involved. Until then, it appears as amateurish at best coming from the professional series that they are.
But we are still waiting patiently.....

....and apparently so are others.
As of 8:35 P.M. EST over at www.roadracingworld.com, this was just found on the problems having to do with the timing and scoring:
http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39626

It's going to be a long week.........

Update 9:00 P.M. EST--

According to a post over at www.flattrack.com, Mike Kidd with the AMA has said that they are having problems with the software for the timing and scoring on both the RR and the FT side. They ARE working on the problem as this was posted.

Here is the Twitter link that seems to be updating current race info at the short track:

https://twitter.com/GNC_Flattrack

Stu's Shots Previews the AMA Flat Track Daytona Short Track Doubleheader

Jake Johnson #14 leads heat race action at Springfield ST, Sept. 2004



Jared Mees #21 Honda's in the pits, Springfield ST, Sept. 2007



Chris Carr #4 KTM stable in the pits with Chris signing autographs in background,
Springfield ST, Sept. 2007.



Henry Wiles #17 Obermeyer Yamaha's in the pits, Springfield ST, Sept. 2007



Kenny Coolbeth #31 poses and signs for fans next to his Honda's in the pits at
Springfield ST, Sept. 2007
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In what is gearing up to be a big year for AMA Flat Track, the Grand National Championship Rodeo kicks in action starting Wed. March 3rd for the first of a two-round doubleheader season kick off at the new Daytona Short Track located just outside of turns 1 and 2 at the famed Daytona raceplex.
With AMA Flat Track Racing Director Mike Kidd announcing the re-hiring of Steve Morehead to the position of Flat Track Operations Manager last month, this year is looking to start off on a high note. Also being announced officially at the Indy Dealer Show and unofficially almost two weeks prior was the merging of the Grand National Champion back into one sole unit. With the announcement came news that, as it was originally designed, the overall GNC will be recognized for the winner in the twins and singles classes overall, with a respective champion for each series to be recognized as well. This will bring all 21 races on the schedule this year-should they all be able to run without any cancelations due to Mother Nature-under one umbrella as an overall series champion. This alone was great news that we covered on this previous post when it was 'unoffcially' announced last month. Here is the link to that news along with the complete schedule for the year:
http://stusshots.blogspot.com/2010/02/ama-flat-tracks-mike-kidd-tells-double.html
With a field of 44 riders officially entered for both nights for the Pro Grand National Singles side of the program, there should be some great racing to help kick off the new short track that was just finished late last fall. Bringing the flat track to the speedway should also help in terms of attendance, so now even the party folks who normally don't take in the races may be able to do so since it is right on the property now. In terms of helping the series we here at Stu's Shots view this as a great move to help to bolster attendance and enthusiasm for the greatest show on wheels, and give a special nod of the helmet to the Daytona Motorsports Group and the France family for this move.
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All of the info you need for both days events is posted right here-schedule, event info, rider entries AND AMA Live Timing and Scoring:
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EVENT SCHEDULE Daytona Short Track Doubleheader (both days schedule):
http://www.amaproracing.com/assets/030410_Schedule.pdf
Event info for Round 1 Daytona Short Track Wed., March 3rd:
http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/event.cfm?eid=2010021005
Event info for Round 2 Daytona Short Track Thurs., March 4th:
http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/event.cfm?year=2010&eid=2010021006
AMA Live Timing and Scoring:
http://wire.amaproracing.com/
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If you are a follower of AMA Flat Track, or even follow us here on Stu's Shots, several of these names that are pre-entered for Daytona are already familiar to you. But nonetheless, here is a basic rundown of some of them as well as info on the preview pictures above we have used for this preview post.
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Chris Carr #4, 7-Time Grand National Champion, Chris Carr Racing Honda CRF450
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Chris has been racing in the Grand National Championship full time for close to 25 years now, except for a brief break when he ran for Harley Davidson in the AMA Pro Road Racing series on the factory's ill-fated VR1000. Also known as the 'Prince of Peoria' for amassing more wins at the famed Peoria TT then any other racer, Carr is tough as nails and knows how to get around on a short track as well. With his mile and half mile wins and experience, look for Carr to be on the box often and compete for the big prize. He should be tough to beat in any of the races this year, and as a perennial crowd favorite will also be heavily favored by his many fans.
The 3rd shot above shows Chris signing and conversing with one of his many fans as others line up behind. Chris' KTM's are lined up in front of him, and just behind and off to the side were several boxes of shirts that he was selling as well during this pit walk through at the Labor Day Weekend running of the Springfield Short Track in September of '07.
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Jake Johnson #14, NOW #5 for 2010, 2-Time AMA Flat Track Singles Champion, Zanotti Racing Honda CRF450
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'Jersey' Jake Johnson captured two AMA Singles Championships in '06 and '08 while riding for American Suzuki. Along the way, he won three Daytona Short Track finals and also Springfield in Sept. of 2007. This year he will team up with Zanotti Racing, who are most famous for helping to take the late Steve Eklund to the 1980 Grand National Championship. Jake also won his first mile last year at the Labor Day running of the Springfield Mile, so his program should be pretty tough to beat this year.
You can definitely expect to see Jake up at the front this year, just as you can in the very first shot of this post as Jake leads a bevy of riders through turns one and into two during heat race action at the Labor Day Weekend running of the Springfield Short Track in '04 while then-Honda mounted. With the championships being combined this year, Jake will switch to #5 to recognize his past championships after having worn the #14 for so long. The #5 plate was last worn competitively by former 1975 Grand National Champion Gary Scott until the mid '80s when he retired.
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Kenny Coolbeth formerly #31, #2 for 2010, 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion, '07 AMA Singles Champion, Bettencourts and Mom & Dad Racing, Honda CRF450
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The 'King of Cool' Kenny Coolbeth will be returning this year with sponsorship on the TT's and short tracks from Bettencourts Honda, one of his long-time sponsors, and will be aboard the Harley Davidson Factory's XR750's for the mile and half-miles. Having won three GN Championships in a row from '06-'08 and the '07 AMA Singles Championship, Kenny has a vast array of wins and experience under his belt and will be heavily armed and ready to launch an assault to get the #1 back on his bike--or bikes. And with his heavy off-season training that he is famous for, don't even think to count him out of the big picture. He may have the looks of a young boy, but he has the will and the wrist of an old champion-in a young man's body! Kenny will carry the #2 plate on his bikes for the 2010 season. Of course the #2 has been made famous by Dick Mann, the former '63 and '71 GN Champ, Kenny Roberts, the '73-'74 GN Champ, and most recently by Scott Parker, the former 9-Time GN Champion.
The last shot above shows Kenny at Springfield during the Labor Day Weekend running of the Springfield Short Track in Sept. of '07. He had them lined up outside his pit area for pictures-as he poses above for some fans-and autographs. Kenny is shown standing between his Bettencourt Honda's in his pit area during the walk through.
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Jared Mees #21 for GNC Singles, #1 for GNC Twins Class, '09 AMA Grand National Twins Champion, Rockysonline.com/Rogers-Lake Racing Honda CRF450
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'Jammin' Jared Mees went into the final round of the championship at Pomona last fall with a chance to win it all along with three other riders, and without the benefit of winning any races in the Twins Championship, came out on top with the #1 plate for the upcoming 2010 season in hand. Having ridden since the early part of the last decade in the AMA Flat Track Series, Jared has been a consistent front runner in the overall championship. Due to the economy and cut backs by Harley Davidson during the off season, Jared will still be getting help on the big bikes from long-time sponsor Blue Springs Harley. And with his prowess with the singles bikes--he has absolutely re-written the record books in the ICE Speedway Championships this winter --he should be tough again on the track in all disciplines. With the consolidation in the championships, The Jammer will wear #21 in the Singles class and #1 in the Twins class. With what he has done in winning all of the ICE races this off-season, and his prowess on the big bikes, Jared looks to be the man to beat for the 2010 overall championship.
The second shot down in the pics above shows Jared's #21 Saddlemen's Honda's in the pits at Springfield during the walk through for the Labor Day Weekend Short Track in '07. Saddlemen's will be along with Jared again as a co-sponsor for the 2010 season.
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Henry Wiles #17 for GN Twins, #1 for GN Singles for 2010, '09 AMA Grand National Singles Champion, Jones Bros/Don's Kawasaki KXF450
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'Hammerin' Hank/Henry Wiles had been working up to this for the last 4-5 years. After having won the Peoria TT every year since '04, the Springfield Short Track every year since '07, and add in last year's opening round win at Daytona, Henry was building a kingdom of his own on the singles bikes. And don't forget his Springfield TT win in May of '09. After clinching the title in the '09 GN Singles class at Springfield last September, Henry used the roughly seven week hiatus to tune up for his win at Pomona on the half mile in October for his first win in the twins class. He also helped Kawasaki clinch it's first championship in AMA Flat Track. And this after suffering serious injury to both wrist after falling off a roof in the early part of the summer.
Henry's Obermeyer Yamaha's are shown in the pits at Springfield in the fourth shot down during the '07 Labor Day walk through. Although not shown in this photo, Hammerin' Hank had them lined up for autographs as one of the more popular riders in the series. He should be REAL tough to beat this year in his run for the overall championship.
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There are MANY more riders set to contest the championship this year to look out for, as well. Among them 2000 AMA Flat Track Champion Joe Kopp on the #3 Latus/Lloyd Brothers/Larry Pegram Racing team. Joe will be helping to better develop the Ducati's for the team and also have his Latus XR750's available for the half miles. Joe will also be Honda-mounted for Daytona. Sammy Halbert, former #43 and now for 2010 #7 (by his clinching the overall championship in 2009), Sammy will be as tough as ever. J.R. Schnabel will be on the #33 Memphis Shades Yamaha on the TT's and Short Tracks and a Reiman's H-D XR for the big tracks. And don't count out Bryan Smith on the #42 Werner Springsteen Racing Kawasaki's for both the singles and twins as reported here in January. Easily a contender if Bill 'SuperWrench' Werner can put it all together. And really, who EVER doubts what Bill Werner can do with a flat tracker?!
http://stusshots.blogspot.com/2010/01/bryan-smith-signs-with-werner.html

Thanks for taking the time to drop in for our little Daytona previews. We hope what you have seen and read here today and over the past 12-14 months will want to keep you coming back. We're going to be WFO trying to keep the racing news and Stu's Shots archives out front to showcase the great action on the track, and we hope you'll be there for the ride with us to celebrate all the great racing for the 2010 season.
We wish everyone at Daytona the best of luck and the utmost in safety as we kick off the 2010 U.S. premier racing series this week. Have a fast and safe week at the World Center of Speed from us here at Stu's Shots!
Now, I'm gonna shut up (yes, there is a god!) and we're gonna go racin'!