AMA Pro Road Racing Barber Motorsports Park Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport & Vance & Hines XR1200 Series Recap

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport Recap

Daytona Beach, FL.-July 3, 2012-At Barber Motorsports Park, the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport class was once again a competitive battle with multiple young riders and brands fighting for victory. Jake Lewis (Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki) and James Rispoli (Orient Express Celtic Racing) split the wins in what was an important race weekend for everyone because it was a combined East-West race; everyone's points counted in the championship.  Lewis won on Saturday, taking an impressive run to the front. After a protracted battle with Rispoli for second, the Kentuckian ran down polesitter Dustin Dominguez (Latus Motors Racing Triumph) to take the win. The two traded the lead back and forth five times on the penultimate lap before Lewis finally made the race's decisive pass in what was one of the weekend's biggest highlights. The two aggressive and fast riders truly put on a show in the Alabama heat. "I just settled in and saw what the pace was going to be and tried to manage my tires to save them for the end," Lewis said. "Dustin ended up breaking away a little bit. I set my eyes on him and he was running really well. He had a little gap but I slowly reeled him in, bit by bit and was right there on him. With two laps to go I passed him and we had a good little battle for a bit and then on the last lap I really put my head down." Dominguez ran strong but a win just eluded him. "The lap leader point was important," said Dominguez. "We put our head down and got a little gap and then had a little tire fade, but that's no excuse. Jake rode an awesome race."  Rispoli took third in the race. He said he missed the setup and had to settle for third on Saturday. "I couldn't really get a run anywhere," he said. "I was spinning." Stefano Mesa (Kneedraggers.com Yamaha) won a three-rider battle for fourth ahead of Corey Alexander (National Guard Fairhills Group Celtic Racing) and Tomas Puerta (Roadrace Factory/Red Bull). Elena Myers (Suzuki SportBikeTrackgear.com), Tyler Linders (Rotobox Yamaha), Ryan Matter (Gearzy Data Driven Performance) and Ryan Kerr (RFC Kawasaki) rounded out the top ten. James Rispoli #1 leads Jake Lewis #85 and the rest of the field during one of the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport Series races at Barber Motorsports Park in June 2012.  AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson. Sunday's race was less conventional, with two red flags slowing the action. The first came at the battle at the front, when Mesa ran off and then reentered the track, collecting Dominguez. Another red flag flew shortly after the re-start.  When the race finally commenced again, Rispoli emerged with a solid win, a narrow escape of just 0.039 over Lewis. Lewis tried to outrace Rispoli to the line exiting the final corner but the defending champ held off his rival. Rispoli said, "I just got as small as possible and said 'Come on, baby, let's go!' It seemed like every time we went back out, the tires got greasier and greasier. Us dirt trackers were really sliding it around." "I wasn't really where I wanted to be on the last lap and couldn't make a move at turn five," said Lewis. "In the right hander, (James) hugged it pretty tight. My only chance was to try to draft by him at the line." RoadRace Factory Yamaha riders Tomas Puerta and Hayden Gillim were also in that group, with Puerta taking the position over his teammate.  "It was a good race, and I felt the bike worked better on Sunday," Puerta said. "We switched from a medium tire on Saturday, and the bike felt better getting out of the turns." Gillim chose the medium tire while the others picked the softer rubber, and Gillim said he just lacked a little grip to make a bid for the win, even though he managed to lead at one point.  Myers improved to fifth and finished much closer to the lead on Sunday. She topped Dominguez, who was unluckily gridded at the back of the field after the first red flag when he became tangled in the airfence.  Steafano Mesa rebounded from his earlier adventure to take seventh, ahead of Matter, Eric Stump (EyeballNYC.com) and Alexander. Rispoli (Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport West) and Lewis (Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport East) are leading their divisions, with James having a 56-point gap on Gillim and Lewis a 38-point margin over Mesa and 39 over Dominguez.

Title Sponsor       Photo Galleries    Friday Saturday Sunday Videos Triumph Superbike Classic - AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport Race 1 Highlights Triumph Superbike Classic - AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Supersport Race 2 Highlights SuzukiScoopFans' Elena Myers Gives Wrist Injury Update

AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series Recap

Daytona Beach, FL.-July 3, 2012-For the second race in a row, KLR Group/Vesrah Racing's Kyle Wyman won out in a final lap duel to claim the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series victory at Barber Motorsports Park.  The win came following a titanic dogfight with title leader and polesitter Tyler O'Hara on the Bartel's Harley-Davidson XR1200 after the two made an early escape from the field. The narrow victory sees Wyman further tighten the title fight thanks to his three victories, the most in the field. O'Hara still leads at 165, but Wyman is lurking and increasingly drawing nearer, now at 159.  "It was huge to have the KLR Group at the race and I really wanted to get a win for them," Wyman said. "It was a great. It was a good race at the front -- a lot of dicing and battling. There were different places on the track where (Tyler) was a little bit stronger and other places where I was stronger and I just tried to make the most of those and be there at the end. It all paid off for me."  O'Hara said, "We just diced it up the whole race. My goal this weekend was to have a full performance and have no regrets and that's what we did." Michael Barnes has typically been the third part of a three-man fight for supremacy upfront, but found himself just attempting to minimize the damage at Barber Motorsports Park.  Putting together a new program midseason, Barnes turned up in Birmingham, Ala. as part of the MOB Racing team. His new bike wasn't fully sorted and while 'Barney' was struggling with the suspension all weekend long, he somehow managed to hold down third.  It took a big effort to do so, however, as he was constantly forced to fight off David Estok (Ruthless Racing Inc.), Gerry Signorelli (Kuryakyn) and Shane Narbonne (Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson) to do so. Estok made a run on Barnes at the flag but came up 0.146 seconds short of the podium, while Signorelli and Narbonne were victims of the intense multi-rider fight in the sweltering conditions, both men crashing out late in the race.  Narbonne's teammate, Ben Carlson, inherited the final spot in the top five as a result. Barnes said, "I just kept pushing as hard as I could -- as hard as the motorcycle would allow me to push. I'm disappointed with not being up there fighting for the win, but that's part of my transition and acclimation to my new team as we get things sorted out." Kyle Wyman #33 leads the rest of the field into turn 1 at Barber Motorsports Park during the running of the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series in June 2012.  AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson. Next Event AMA Pro Road Racing will next head to Ohio for Round 7 with a stop at Lexington, Ohio. The Buckeye SuperBike Classic will take place at Mid-Ohio in two weeks time, July 13-15. For tickets and event information, please visit www.midohio.com

Title Sponsor   Photo Galleries Saturday Sunday Videos Triumph Superbike Classic - AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Race Highlights MOB Racing Brings on Michael Barnes to the Team   Next Up Mid-Ohio July 13-15 Event Info | Tickets

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

Tom Sykes Sets Fast Time at eni SBK World Championship Test at Aragon

Sykes fastest on new 17-inch wheels and tyres

 

MotorLand Aragon (Spain), Monday 2 July - Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) set the fastest time of the one-day Infront Motor Sports official tests on the new generation of 17-inch wheels and Pirelli tyres which were seen for the first time today. His lap of 1 minute 57.254 seconds compares favourably with the existing race lap record, set on race tyres not qualifying rubber, of 1 minute 58.251 seconds.

“We’ve worked hard today again after a difficult day yesterday, when unfortunately I believe that the wind affected us more than our competitors,” said Sykes. “We did a run this morning to confirm our race pace and I did a 58.8 on lap 17 so it’s a completely different story with no wind. The plan was to test the 17” tyre in the morning but we wanted to confirm what happened yesterday, then this afternoon we kept the same settings and tested the new size wheel and tyres which I was pleasantly surprised with.”

Tom Sykes was the man on top today on the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R during the testing held at the MotorLand Aragon circuit.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) was barely slower than Sykes despite not improving on his morning test session best lap, with Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) third quickest and Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) fourth.

Marco Melandri set the 2nd fastest times today on the BMW Motorrand Motorsports S1000RR during the MotorLand Aragon tire tests.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Setting outright fast lap times was not the aim of these tests, which were designed as an introduction to the new 17-inch aluminium wheels which will be mandatory in 2013, and an early comparison between the existing Pirelli tyres and the new range which will feature on the 17-inch rims.

Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) and Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) finished testing fifth and sixth, but Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) was an improved seventh. Top Honda rider was Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) eighth, just ahead of Althea Racing Ducati pairing Davide Giugliano and Carlos Checa.

Times: 1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'57.254 average 164.075 kph; 2. Melandri (BMW) 1'57.313; 3. Badovini (BMW) 1'57.658; 4. Laverty (Aprilia) 1'58.034; 5. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'58.054; 6. Haslam (BMW) 1'58.150; 7. Camier (Suzuki) 1'58.179; 8. Rea (Honda) 1'58.201; 9. Giugliano (Ducati) 1'58.283; 10. Checa (Ducati) 1'58.365; 11. Fabrizio (BMW) 1'58.816; 12. Baz (Kawasaki) 1'58.880; 13. Aoyama (Honda) 1'58.903; 14. Davies (Aprilia) 1'58.949; 15. Hopkins (Suzuki) 1'59.512; 16. Zanetti (Ducati) 2'00.063; 17. Salom (Kawasaki) 2'00.208; 18. Mercado (Kawasaki) 2'03.139; 19. Brignola (BMW) 2'03.585; 20. Toth (BMW) 2'08.447.

World Supersport

Thanks to his morning best time Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Products Honda) finished up ahead of all his rivals after the official Infront Motor Sports test at MotorLand Aragon. Parkes’ best lap of 2 minutes 02.452 seconds was just under one second quicker than the improving Josh Day (Team GO ELEVEN Kawasaki) and Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step). Foret, like Parkes, did not improve on his opening session time from this morning. Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini) put in the fourth best lap of the tests, heading up Frenchman Valentin Debise (SMS Racing Honda) and Jed Metcher (Rivamoto Junior Team Yamaha). Fifteen riders in total lapped the 5.344km circuit in testing and all used the latest development tyres from Pirelli.

Points leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini) did not take part in the test because immediately after the race yesterday he flew to Turkey for a check on his left knee, and may have to undergo an operation on his meniscus. In any case Sofuoglu should be fit for the next round at Brno on July 22.

Times: 1. Parkes (Honda) 2'02.452 average 157.110 kph; 2. Day (Kawasaki) 2'03.415; 3. Foret (Kawasaki) 2'03.516; 4. Morais (Kawasaki) 2'03.576; 5. Debise (Honda) 2'03.779; 6. Metcher (Yamaha) 2'03.800; 7. Talmacsi (Honda) 2'04.078; 8. Antonelli (Yamaha) 2'04.132; 9. Leonov (Yamaha) 2'04.151; 10. Menghi (Yamaha) 2'04.199; 11. Lanusse (Kawasaki) 2'04.282; 12. Marconi (Yamaha) 2'04.912; 13. Lombardi (Yamaha) 2'05.019; 14. Davies (Kawasaki) 2'08.779; 15. Pozdneev (Yamaha) 2'10.280.

For further information:

Julian Thomas
Press Office Associate Manager
Cell. +39 340 0993623
Email: julian.thomas@infrontsports.com

Nino Barra
Press Office & PR ItaliaCell. +39 339 4688138
Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com

Valentina Conti
Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager
Cell. +39 388 3032059
Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com

In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following:

 
- A worldwide TV audience of 462 million
- Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries
- 3,106 broadcast hours
- Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators
- 3,779,237 contacts on the official website www.worldsbk.com

AMA Flat Track: Sammy Halbert Storms to 2nd Lima Half-Mile Win-in-a-Row

Lima winner Sammy Halbert takes a moment to cool-off while Jake Johnson is all smiles while being interviewed on the podium by AMA Pro Flat Track announcer Barry Boone, after coming home in 3rd place at round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Lima Half-Mile on Saturday June 30, after having his best-ever finish on the pea gravel surface at the fast Ohio track. 2nd-place finisher Henry Wiles was forced to start from the penalty line in the initial start after jumping the start, and had worked his way all the way into 2nd before the red-flag delay brought on by Brandon Robinson's get-off on the #44 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki.  Robinson was reportedly shaken but not seriously injured, although the bike sustained major damage.

The event was only delayed a few minutes, and after the re-start and subsequent 5-lap dash to the end, Halbert took control while Wiles tried everything he could to catch and pass Halbert.  With two laps to go, Wiles got even with the #7 rider crossing the finish line, but Sammy was able to keep it out front for the last 2600 feet in spite of Hammerin' Hank's nifty cross-over move coming out of turn 3 in the run to the checkers.  Halbert and Wiles disagreed on the podium as to who was at fault and shared some words as to what or who was at fault, but quickly went about the victory ceremonies before any major confrontations ensued.  From our standpoint on the front straight, it looked like a case of some heavy racing, with no major contact.  But to paraphrase, we weren't in the middle of the battle and also several hundred feet away from where the supposed 'incident' took place.

In a thrilling evening of fast and furious action at the Allen County Fairgrounds, Slammin' Sammy again walked away from the field after chasing down early leaders Johnny Lewis and Jake Johnson and took his second victory-in-a-row on his #7 South East H-D/The South Ass/Mo Vaughn Transport/LZ Racing-sponsored XR750.  Halbert has the best record at Lima over the course of the last three seasons after finishing 2nd during the 2010 event behind then-winner Wiles.

Matt Weidman on his #20 GCR/White's H-D/SNIP/Fiorio Investments-sponsored H-D XR750 throws a rooster tail as he heads out of turn 4 during the final qualifying round at the Lima Half-Mile on Saturday June 30.  Mighty Matt was the fast qualifier for the night among the 44 Expert riders on-hand, but unfortunately on the next go-around while coming out of turn 2 caught the fence with his foot and footpeg, which resultingly pitched him over the bike and slammed him hard into the racing surface, landing a good 20-25 feet away from his bike, which was all but destroyed in the massive get-off.

Worse yet, the accident slammed Matt so hard that he suffered from a broken left collarbone and right foot, and was forced to sit out the evening after having placed 2nd in the event in 2011 and 3rd in 2010.  According to his Mom, Rachel (who was on-hand for the first time in the 2012 season along with Dad Guy, who now has some serious work ahead of him repairing and replacing what was left of Matt's machine) and she stated other then being a little groggy and the broken bones he will be back in roughly 6-8 weeks.  We wish Matt a speedy and complete recovery as he will be sorely missed in the field.

The Dash for Cash entrants fire off the line at round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Lima Half-Mile on June 30 in front of a packed house at the Allen County Fairgrounds.  In last night's action, Henry Wiles took the win aboard the spot-on prepared #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports-prepped Foremost Insurance Group/Ramspur Winery/ENI USA/Motorcyclist Magazine-backed Ducati 'L' twin over Johnny Lewis on the #10 Scott Powersports/Saddlemen Seats/Wallace Trucking/AXO-sponsored Kawasaki 650R-based parallel twin.  Johnson rounded out the Dash podium on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-sponsored XR750.

Eventual National main event winner Sammy Halbert brought his #7 South East H-D-backed H-D XR750 home in 4th, Jeffrey Carver, Jr. took the #23 Kiesow Racing/Hall's Cycles/Eddie Atkins/Sponseller-sponsored XR750 came home 5th and Bryan Smith on his #42 Moroney's H-D/FastHog.com/American H-D/Doc's H-D-sponsored XR rounded out the field in the 4-lap points and cash paying romp.

With Jared Mees' finish of 4th on the #9 Rogers Racing XR750 in the main event, The Jammer retained his lead in the points over now-2nd place man, Jake Johnson by 11 points (93-82), with Lewis in 3rd just 1 point back.  Sammy Halbert sits in the 4th spot with 77 points, and Weidman and Wiles are now tied for 5th with 64 points heading to round 6 of the season at the Hagerstown, MD. half-mile on Saturday July 7.

You can check out the official press release below from AMA Pro Flat Track, who in spite of the adverse weather conditions that rolled through Lima on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, put on another stellar event. 

Halbert Repeats with Thrilling AMA Pro Flat Track Win in Lima Half-Mile National

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LIMA, Ohio (July 1, 2012) - Round five of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil gave the large crowd in attendance for the AMA Pro Flat Track Lima Half-Mile National a little bit of everything. Typical Lima heat combined with a quick sprinkle after qualifying got riders primed for a great night of racing. When the checkered flag fell on the 25-lap national it was South East Harley-Davidson's Sammy Halbert on top, but it was far from easy.  "I didn't get a very good start and was about fifth or sixth and wasn't gaining anything," Halbert said. "Then Jared (Mees) went around me on the outside and I thought 'Well, I guess I better try that.' I just went higher and higher until I found my line." Sammy Halbert on his #7 South East H-D XR750 took control just before the mid-point of the 25-lap National main last night at Lima and sealed the victory for the second year-in-a-row in round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig. While Halbert was looking for his "line," Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing / Schaeffer's Harley-Davidson) and Johnny Lewis (Scott Powersports) were having a great race for the lead. Johnson got the hole shot and led the first four laps before Lewis pushed his Kawasaki into the lead. The two battled back and forth until lap 11 when Halbert blasted by both and looked to be running away. All the while Henry Wiles, who had been sent to the penalty line when he jumped the start on his Lloyd Brothers Motorsports / Foremost Insurance backed Ducati, was clawing his way to the front. On lap 16, Wiles dispatched Mees (Rogers Racing / Blue Springs Harley-Davidson), who had been battling with Lewis over third. By lap 19, Wiles was in second and in hot pursuit of Halbert, but it appeared Halbert's lead was insurmountable. Then on lap 20, the red lights were flashing as Brandon Robinson had pitched away his Werner-Springsteen Racing Kawasaki in turn four. This resulted in a five-lap dash for the win, now with Wiles starting right on Halbert's flank. This time, Halbert got a great start and Wiles was once again left to run the defending Lima champion down. The two exchanged the lead several times, but Halbert officially led all five laps, including the last. Johnson held onto third over Mees and Lewis. Mees climbed six positions from his starting position to finish fourth and claim the night's MotoBatt Hard Charger Award, a cash award presented to the rider who advances the most positions during each expert main event. Kiesow Racing / Hall's Cycle's Jeffery Carver had a great ride as he finished just in front of fellow Illinoisan Rob Pearson (Memphis Shades) and Bryan Smith (Moroney's Harley-Davidson). Saddlemen Rookie of the Year points leader Briar Bauman (Rod Lake Racing / USC Kawasaki) and Deeley Harley-Davidson's Don Taylor rounded out the top ten. There were many hard luck riders on the night, none bigger than last year's second-place finisher. Matt Weidman (Greg Crow Racing / White's Harley-Davidson) posted a lap time good enough for fastest time of the night in the first round of practice, but had a big get off in round two. Weidman was transported with shoulder and ankle injuries. Harley-Davidson Motor Company's Kenny Coolbeth tweaked his leg on the first lap of the national, ending his night. All the promise of Brad Baker's first night on the Columbia Avionics / Mark Cheza Harley-Davidson came to an end on lap two when the third-fastest qualifier dropped out. The AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil points standings still have Jared Mees on top, but Jake Johnson is now only 11 points back. Johnny Lewis is only one behind Johnson, while Sammy Halbert is sixteen off the pace. Matt Weidman and Henry Wiles are tied for fifth 29 points back. The AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles main was just as competitive, as Western Hills Honda's Zakk Palmer came from behind to repeat his Lima win from last year. Palmer worked his way up from fifth to take the lead on lap five as he blasted past early leader Jordan McCready (Parkinson Brothers Racing) and Weirbach Racing's Ryan Wells. Also making strong charges were Kris Myers Farm's Benjamin Myers and Jacob Constantine. Myers' second position finish came in his first national race while Constantine posted his first podium finish as well. Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles points leader Gerit Callies (Fun Mart Cycles) brought his KTM home in 12th, but that was good enough to retain his lead by two over Ryan Wells. Jason Isennock (High Dairy Stores), Palmer and Jake Cunningham (Schiller's Tree Service) are all in a tight fight over third.

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 Here's the link to the complete official results of last night's Lima Half-Mile courtesy of AMA Pro Flat Track:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1220/default.aspx

And a big thanks to Larry Lawrence for this story in Cycle News from last night's round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Ohio National Championship in Lima:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2012/06/30/halbert-wins-dramatic-lima-grand-national/

eni SBK World Championship Round 8 MotorLand Aragon Results

Biaggi and Melandri share the wins again at MotorLand

MotorLand Aragon (Spain), July 1^st 2012 – Like last year Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) and Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) scored a win apiece in the eni FIM Superbike World Championship round today, after two classic races unfolded during each 20-lap contest. Biaggi now has 20 career wins to his credit, Melandri seven.

There was drama aplenty in warm conditions, but raceday temperatures had cooled from the fiery intensity of the first two days, a factor that played a part for some riders in their final fortunes. Strong winds also affected the riders today, but the abiding memory of all will be a superb second race in which Melandri held off the attentions of not only Biaggi, but also two other Aprilia riders, Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing Aprilia). Davies had to catch up the leading trio in a forceful run to the front and was rewarded with his first career podium to add to his fourth place from race one.

Race 1

Biaggi secured a tight win by only 0.278 seconds from his great rival Melandri. This was Biaggi’s fourth win of 2012, and his third in a row. The top two were well clear of the battle for third, which eventually went to Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) from Davies, even though he took it in bizarre circumstances after Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was deprived of what looked like a sure podium place when Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) lost the front and his machine, which then hit Sykes’ rear wheel, and both riders fell.

Max Biaggi: “It was a nice race. I saw I could stay in the lead. The tyres are always a problem here and it’s very difficult to keep the pace, but we were working good all weekend to be comfortable with the tyres moving around. There were only two riders in front, we tried to overtake each other and understand where and what was possible to do at the end. The result could have been the other way around but this time I did it so I’m happy.”

Marco Melandri: “I was struggling to pass Laverty and Sykes and then I had to push a lot to catch Max who was leading. When I was there I tried to take him but it was not easy. In the end he passed me quite easy because he was faster than me, but it was a good result anyway. BMW and the team have been working very well and we will try and win race 2.”

Carlos Checa: “We always fight until the end, you never know! Today for sure we were lucky because we were not in the best position so to be here was quite a surprise. Hopefully Badovini and Sykes are OK after their crash, but I’m quite satisfied for the final result. It’s my home race and it was difficult to be in front fighting for the win today.“

Marco Melandri, Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa celebrate on the podium after race 1 today at the MotorLand Aragon circuit.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Results: 1. Biaggi (Aprilia) 20 Laps/106.880 km in 39'51.188 average 160.911 kph; 2. Melandri (BMW) 0.278; 3. Checa (Ducati) 9.462; 4. Davies (Aprilia) 10.827; 5. Laverty (Aprilia) 15.708; 6. Fabrizio (BMW) 27.597; 7. Haslam (BMW) 29.032; 8. Giugliano (Ducati) 39.374; 9. Camier (Suzuki) 40.887; 10. Berger (Ducati) 41.440; 11. Canepa (Ducati) 42.056; 12. Guintoli (Ducati) 42.369; 13. Zanetti (Ducati) 42.669; 14. Aoyama (Honda) 48.010; 15. Hopkins (Suzuki) 49.752; 16. Rea (Honda) 54.590; etc.

Race 2

Melandri secured his third win of the season after a spectacularly tight fight against three other riders. Second was Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing) who lost out by only 0.042 seconds. Immediately behind, Davies held off the attention of Biaggi to take his first ever podium in the championship, as the top four were only 0.484 seconds apart after 20 laps. Behind the leading quartet Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) went fifth after recovering from another bad start, with Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), Checa and Sykes in basically the same group for most of the race.

Marco Melandri: “I have no words actually! After race 1 I was a little disappointed so I tried to get a win in race 2, it was not easy because the wind was very strong. Eugene started to lead the race and was very fast, suddenly with three laps to go Max passed me and when I passed him back I went wide then Chaz passed me. We were running so wide and so fast and I had no plan for the last lap! To win here has been beautiful.”

Marco Melandri celebrates after winning race 2 at the MotorLand Aragon circuit today on the #33 BMW Motorrad Motorsports S1000RR.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Eugene Laverty: “It was close with Marco on the last lap, he got the better of me. Still it’s nice to be back on the podium after Assen and Monza where we were top 3, and where I think we have belonged in the last three rounds but where we had small electronic problems that held us back. But we’re back where we belong, which is fighting for race wins. The second race was a really good battle, we made some changes and I was much happier.”

Chaz Davies: “What a race! I didn’t get off to the greatest start and the first couple of laps weren’t good either but I put my head down and got to fourth. I tried to keep chipping away and eventually caught the top 3. I had a great race, enjoyed every moment of it. I was really surprised to be on the podium but I knew we had the pace.”

Results: 1. Melandri (BMW) 20 Laps/106.880 km in 39'59.200 average 160.373 kph; 2. Laverty (Aprilia) 0.042; 3. Davies (Aprilia) 0.446; 4. Biaggi (Aprilia) 0.484; 5. Rea (Honda) 6.611; 6. Haslam (BMW) 7.491; 7. Checa (Ducati) 9.325; 8. Sykes (Kawasaki) 10.444; 9. Badovini (BMW) 10.828; 10. Giugliano (Ducati) 10.925; 11. Fabrizio (BMW) 21.955; 12. Berger (Ducati) 22.046; 13. Guintoli (Ducati) 22.486; 14. Zanetti (Ducati) 42.801; 15. Aoyama (Honda) 49.144; 16. Salom (Kawasaki) 50.961; etc.

Points (after 8 of 14 rounds): 1. Biaggi 248.5; 2. Melandri 200.5; 3. Rea 183; 4. Checa 175.5; 5. Sykes 172.5; 6. Haslam 142; 7. Laverty 126; 8. Guintoli 110; 9. Giugliano 94; 10. Davies 78; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 266; 2. Ducati 247.5; 3. BMW 242; 4. Honda 189; 5. Kawasaki 178.5; 6. Suzuki 63.5.

World Supersport

After an accident delayed the eventual running of the full 18-lap Supersport race, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini) crossed the line first but was demoted four places in the final results because of a coming together between him and eventual second place rider Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step). The final race winner was Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) after Sofuoglu was penalised for not dropping the regulation three places during the race. It was Lowes' second win of the year and it puts him second overall in the championship, after PTR Honda rider and pole man Jules Cluzel had crashed out early on.

Sam Lowes on the #11 Bogdanka PTR Honda CBR600RR leads Kenan Sofouglu on the #54 Kawasaki Lorenzini ZX-6R in route to winning today's World Supersport Championship round at the MotorLand Aragon Circuit.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini) scored his first podium in this class in third, with Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Products) fourth and Sofuoglu fifth. Another South African Ronan Quarmby (PTR Honda) was sixth.

Results: 1. Lowes (Honda) 18 Laps/96.192 km in 37'14.284 average 154.990 kph; 2. Foret (Kawasaki) 1.446; 3. Morais (Kawasaki) 4.322; 4. Parkes (Honda) 5.924; 5. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 6.377; 6. Quarmby (Honda) 16.333; 7. Iannuzzo (Triumph) 19.948; 8. Metcher (Yamaha) 22.663; etc.

Points (after 7 of 13 rounds): 1. Sofuoglu 117; 2. Lowes 101; 3. Cluzel 84; 4. Foret 83; 5. Parkes 66; 6. Baldolini 54; 7. Morais 53; 8. Quarmby 44; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 156; 2. Kawasaki 151; 3. Triumph 76; 4. Yamaha 60; 5. Suzuki 6.

Superstock 1000

Bryan Staring (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) took his first win in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup class today, front-running to take a final advantage of eight seconds and setting a new lap record of 2 minutes 01.446 seconds along the way. Runner-up was MRS Kawasaki rider Jeremy Guarnoni, who passed long-time second-placed man Lorenzo Baroni (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) in the closing stages. Fourth was Barni Racing Team Ducati Panigale rider Eddi La Marra. Championship leader Sylvain Barrier is now only a single point ahead of La Marra after he and Luca Savadori collided early in the race and Barrier eventually retired.

Results: 1. Staring (Kawasaki) 12 Laps/64.128 km in 24'28.928 average 157.163 kph; 2. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 8.073; 3. Baroni (BMW) 11.320; 4. La Marra (Ducati) 14.630; 5. Reiterberger (BMW) 15.911; 6. Coghlan (Ducati) 24.471; 7. Bussolotti (Ducati) 28.367; 8. McFadden (Kawasaki) 28.914; etc.

Points (after 5 of 10 rounds): 1. Barrier 75; 2. La Marra 74; 3. Savadori 67; 4. Baroni 56; 5. Reiterberger 52; 6. Guarnoni 46; 7. Staring 45; 8. Bergman 40; etc. Manufacturers: 1. BMW 100; 2. Ducati 87; 3. Kawasaki 85; 4. Honda 36; 5. Aprilia 15.

KTM European Junior Cup

A fantastic finish to the EJC race saw local rider Javier Orellana win from pole man Lukas Wimmer by only 0.040 seconds after eight laps at the long and fast Motorland Aragon Circuit. Gaston Garcia and Christian Vidal, also local Spanish riders, followed on behind Austrian Wimmer. Jean Francois Demoulin was fifth and Artur Wielebski went sixth.

Results: 1. Orellana (KTM) 8 Laps/42.752 km in 18'38.964 average 137.544 kph; 2. Wimmer (KTM) 0.040; 3. Garcia (KTM) 6.630; 4. Vidal (KTM) 6.659; 5. Demoulin (KTM) 16.253; 6. Wielebski (KTM) 21.911; 7. Patterson (KTM) 21.979; 8. Kyee (KTM) 31.071; etc.

Points (after 4 of 8 rounds): 1. Orellana 46; 2. Wimmer 45; 3. Vidal 39; 4. Demoulin 35; 5. Wielebski 30; 6. Pasek 25; 7. Garcia 25; 8. Lewis 25; etc.

Official Tyre Supplier "The race weekend at Motorland Aragòn confirmed, first and foremost, that Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) and Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) are particularly fond of this circuit where they definitely are able to express themselves at top levels: once again this year, just like last year, they battled to the finish for the top step of the podium in race 1. On the other hand, in race 2 the Roman rider passed the baton to his team mate, Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team), wisely managing his advantage in the standings over his rivals. Max Biaggi certainly solidified his leadership position in the championship with 248.5 points, now pursued by Marco Melandri at 200.5 points which he earned in both race 1 and race 2 with the Best Lap. A note of merit is also due Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) who rode a splendid Superpole on Saturday and setting a track record with a 1'56.552 lap, breaking Marco Melandri’s record from last year by more than 1 second. Chaz Davies and the ParkinGO MTC Racing team also had an excellent performance, riding to the podium in race 2. Generally speaking, as regards the tyres we brought to this round, we can definitely ascertain that the development of the SC1 for the rear, the R302, has once again shown itself to be an excellent solution capable of working well in a very wide temperature range like the one in the last few days: from the almost 60° asphalt temperatures during the Friday test sessions to the 30° and 37° which were found respectively in race 1 and race 2 where it was the solution all the riders chose. Now we are already projected toward the future and the first important step will be the one we take tomorrow with the tests of the new 17 inch tyres which we expect to be quite promising." - Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director, Pirelli Moto  Pirelli BEST LAP Awards: SBK Race 1 – Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 1'58.251 (Lap 6) SBK Race 2 – Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 1'58.950 (Lap 3) Total BEST LAP (SBK): Checa C. (Althea Racing): 5, Biaggi M. (Aprilia Racing Team): 4; Melandri M. (BMW Motorrad Motorsport): 3; Sykes T. (Kawasaki Racing Team): 2; Guintoli S. (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing): 1     WSS – Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini), 2'03.300 (Lap 13)  Total BEST LAP (WSS): Lowes S. (Bogdanka PTR Honda): 2; Foret F. (Kawasaki Intermoto Step): 2; Parkes B. (Ten Kate Racing Products): 1; Lanzi L. (Prorace): 1; Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini): 1  Stk1000 – Bryan Staring (Team Pedercini), 2’01.446 (Lap 5) Stk600 – Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI), 2'05.799 (Lap 4)

For further information:

Julian Thomas
Press Office Associate Manager
Cell. +39 340 0993623
Email: julian.thomas@infrontsports.com

Nino Barra
Press Office & PR ItaliaCell. +39 339 4688138
Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com

Valentina Conti
Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager
Cell. +39 388 3032059
Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com

In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following:

- A worldwide TV audience of 462 million
- Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries
- 3,106 broadcast hours
- Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators
- 3,779,237 contacts on the official website www.worldsbk.com

Tom Sykes Takes Superpole #6 for the Season at MotorLand Aragon Round 8 of the eni SBK World Championship

Super six Tissot-Superpole wins for record breaker Sykes

MotorLand Aragon (Spain), June 30, 2012 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) blasted the previous track best at MotorLand Aragon to record a time of 1 minute 56.552 seconds in Tissot-Superpole, earning his sixth pole position of the season. His new best time was over a second better than the best lap from 2011, a huge margin even at a relatively long circuit like MotorLand Aragon. It was all the more remarkable as his top speed was ten km/h less than the best of his rivals, and he made a mistake in one section of the circuit during his fastest lap.

Tom Sykes took his 6th Superpole of the 2012 eni SBK World Championship season at the MotorLand Aragon circuit yesterday on the #66 Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Aprilia Racing Team riders Max Biaggi and Eugene Laverty were second and third respectively and the front row for Sunday’s two 20-lap races was completed by Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport). Haslam’s team-mate Marco Melandri was fifth in Tissot-Superpole, with Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) in sixth place.

Tom Sykes: “I took a bit of warming up to be honest. In the first two Superpole sessions I thought I was trying hard but obviously not hard enough. Then in SP3 I put a bit extra on the line and fortunately it paid off. I made a mistake in the last sector so to cross the line with that lap time I’m more than happy. We also had a good test here last week and I think we’ve closed the gap to the front guys on a hot and greasy track, which has been a big issue.”

Max Biaggi: “We’re looking good, we’ve been constantly in the top 4 or 5 but we knew that we would be from last year’s strong races. Today we saw other manufacturers go closer and someone else go faster but it was an impressive lap time for Tom, congratulations to him, he was faster than anyone. We could only get second and it’s not so bad but the races are going to be very hard tomorrow.”

Max Biaggi qualified in the 2nd spot yesterday at the MotorLand Aragon circuit on the #3 Aprilia Racing Team RSV4 Factory mount.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Eugene Laverty: “Superpole started well then in the second one I wasn’t able to go so fast with a qualifying tyre and I thought that had spoiled my chances, but my last run was on a soft race tyre and that put me on the front row and made sure we’ll be there challenging tomorrow. We haven’t been out of the top 5 all weekend and it’s been the strongest performance all year, so I’m feeling confident for the races.”

Leon Haslam: “I’ve got to be happy with the front row, but I feel this weekend we’ve been a little bit on the back foot trying to find a good race set-up. But the guys have worked well and in the last two sessions and we found some better pace, and to put the bike on the front row as well has made me really happy.”

World Champion Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) echoed his race number by finishing seventh after Superpole. Fast 2012 rookie Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Team Aprilia), was eighth. The top ten was rounded out by Team Effenbert Liberty Racing rider Sylvain Guintoli and Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet). Checa’s Althea Racing team-mate Davide Giugliano secured a third row starting spot in 11^th place, while Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) was 12^th.

Max Biaggi, Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty celebrate during the Tissot-Superpole events at the MotorLand Aragon circuit yesterday.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Times: 1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'56.552 average 165.063 kph; 2. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'57.260; 3. Laverty (Aprilia) 1'57.592; 4. Haslam (BMW) 1'57.710; 5. Melandri (BMW) 1'57.784; 6. Rea (Honda) 1'58.033; 7. Checa (Ducati) 1'58.243; 8. Davies (Aprilia) 1'58.485; 9. Guintoli (Ducati) 1'58.073; 10. Badovini (BMW) 1'58.249; 11. Giugliano (Ducati) 1'58.264; 12. Smrz (Ducati) 1'59.160; 13. Fabrizio (BMW) 1'58.534; 14. Camier (Suzuki) 1'58.660; 15. Baz (Kawasaki) 1'59.302; 16. Zanetti (Ducati) 1'59.549; etc.

World Supersport

Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) popped up to score pole in the Spanish sunshine with a lap time of 2 minutes 02.624 seconds, in what was a close final qualifying session. He headed off three Kawasaki riders, with Lorenzini pairing Sheridan Morais and Kenan Sofuoglu second and third respectively and the final front row slot being taken by Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step Racing).

Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) scored fifth and Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Products Honda) sixth. All of the top six riders were covered by 0.271 seconds, indicating that Sunday's 18-lap race should be closely contested.

Times: 1. Cluzel (Honda) 2'02.624 average 156.889 kph; 2. Morais (Kawasaki) 2'02.665; 3. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 2'02.804; 4. Foret (Kawasaki) 2'02.882; 5. Lowes (Honda) 2'02.892; 6. Parkes (Honda) 2'02.895; 7. Iannuzzo (Triumph) 2'03.451; 8. Metcher (Yamaha) 2'03.701; etc.

Superstock 1000

Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) secured his third pole of the 2012 season after a tense competition in hot conditions at Motorland Aragon. He held off his compatriot Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki), with Barrier's team-mate Luca Baroni third and the Barni Racing Team Ducati 1199 Panigale of Eddi La Marra fourth.

Aussie star Bryan Staring (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) was a top five finisher, one place up on Markus Reiterberger (Team Alpha Racing BMW). British rider Kevin Coghlan (DMC Racing) was seventh on his Ducati Panigale.

Times: 1. Barrier (BMW) 2'02.709 average 156.781 kph; 2. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 2'02.720; 3. Baroni (BMW) 2'02.833; 4. La Marra (Ducati) 2'02.935; 5. Staring (Kawasaki) 2'02.986; 6. Reiterberger (BMW) 2'03.187; 7. Coghlan (Ducati) 2'03.739; 8. Savadori (Ducati) 2'03.769; etc.

Superstock 600 – Race

Riccardo Russo (Yamaha Team Italia FMI) set a new lap record of 2 minutes 05.799 seconds on his way to the win in the shortened European Superstock 600 Championship race. After a red flag halted the first attempt the planned ten lap race dropped to six and the subsequent sprint saw some intense action at the front. Michael van der Mark (EAB Ten Kate Junior Honda) finished 1.514 seconds behind Russo while Gauthier Duwelz (MTM Yamaha) was third. Francesco Cocco (Team Pata by Martini Yamaha) was fourth in the race and Adrian Nestorovic (MTM Yamaha) was fifth. The race finish today was identical to the championship order. Russo has 106 points, van der Mark 99 and Duwelz 58.

Results: 1. Russo (Yamaha) 6 Laps/32.064 km in 12'41.673 average 151.548 kph; 2. Vd Mark (Honda) 1.514; 3. Duwelz (Yamaha) 4.594; 4. Cocco (Yamaha) 4.622; 5. Nestorovic (Yamaha) 5.642; 6. Davies (Kawasaki) 5.813; 7. Vitali (Yamaha) 8.545; 8. Suchet (Honda) 8.784; etc.

Points (after 5 of 10 rounds): 1. Russo 106; 2. Vd Mark 99; 3. Duwelz 58; 4. Calero Perez 50; 5. Vitali 42; 6. Gamarino 33; 7. Nestorovic 28; 8. Chesaux26; etc.

KTM European Junior Cup

Lukas Wimmer scored the pole time in the KTM European Junior Cup qualifying contest, with Javier Orellana from Spain second and his compatriot Gaston Garcia third. Italian runner Federico Fazzina was a top four rider, with Aussie pilot Jake Lewis fifth. Christian Vidal, another fast local rider, took his Duke 690 to sixth. British rider Jamie Patterson starts tomorrow's race from seventh place.

Times: 1. Wimmer (KTM) 2'17.601 average 139.813 kph; 2. Orellana (KTM) 2'18.356; 3. Garcia (KTM) 2'19.511; 4. Fazzina (KTM) 2'19.562; 5. Lewis (KTM) 2'20.255; 6. Vidal (KTM) 2'20.323; 7. Patterson (KTM) 2'20.717; 8. Demoulin (KTM) 2'21.252; etc.

For further information:

Julian Thomas
Press Office Associate Manager
Cell. +39 340 0993623
Email: julian.thomas@infrontsports.com

Nino Barra
Press Office & PR ItaliaCell. +39 339 4688138
Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com

Valentina Conti
Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager
Cell. +39 388 3032059
Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com

In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following:

- A worldwide TV audience of 462 million
- Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries
- 3,106 broadcast hours
- Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators
- 3,779,237 contacts on the official website www.worldsbk.com

AMA Flat Track: NBC Sports Reschedules Springfield Mile I for Future Date, Springfield TT to Air Tonight at 5 PM EDT

AMA Pro Flat Track TV Schedule Update: Springfield TT to Air Sunday, July 1, 2012 on NBC Sports

Fans encouraged to watch AMA Pro Flat Track riders take to the exciting Springfield TT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 29, 2012) - Lucas Oil, AMA Pro Flat Track's television broadcast partner, has issued an updated broadcast schedule. The previously announced NBS Sports timeslot for the Springfield Mile, July 1, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT, will now feature the Springfield TT. An updated airdate for the Springfield Mile will be released as soon as it is available. NBC Sports Channels on Select Providers: Dish Network - 159 DirecTV - 603 AT&T U-Verse - 640 Jake Johnson takes the early lead in his heat race on the #1 Zanotti Racing Honda CRF450R at the Springfield TT, round 3 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season on May 26.  NBC Sports has rescheduled the previously announced Springfield Mile I round and will now air the Springfield TT tonight at 5 PM EDT/4 PM CDT.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig. Please check your local listings for a channel line-up to find NBC Sports. Search Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour or Motorsports Hour if you don't see the program listed.

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