AMA Pro Racing kicked off the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship before a standing room only crowd at the “World Center of Racing” on the brand new DAYTONA Flat Track.

The large crowd that braved the cold temperatures were treated to some very hot racing all night. Woody Kyle Racing / Fredericktown Yamaha / Kings Kustoms backed Sammy Halbert blasted around early leader Joe Kopp (American AGIP / Latus Harley-Davidson / Moto Concepts) on lap eight and pulled to over a two second lead by the end of the 25 lap National.

“I just found my line on the track and was able to get out to a good lead,” said Halbert. “I looked back late in the race and had a good lead. I yelled a few times in my helmet, I was pretty sure I had it won. It’s really special to be the first winner at this new facility.”

Kopp had gotten the hole shot and was settling into a lead over Bettencourt Honda’s Kenny Coolbeth when Halbert came knocking on Coolbeth’s door on lap three. Halbert wasted no time in his charge to the front and by lap ten he had pretty much locked the win away.

Kopp and Coolbeth then had to fend off defending Singles National Champion, Henry Wiles (Kawasaki USA / Don’s Kawasaki / Shift Racing / Jones Brothers Racing). Wiles was finally able to get by the two former Grand National Champions on lap fourteen and slide into a comfortable second.

A major war developed over the final podium spot as Kopp and Coolbeth were joined by future brothers in laws, Johnny Lewis (Scott Powersports / Pit Posse / Monster Energy) and Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing / Leo Vince / Arai / Tucker Rocky).

Johnson came out on top of there and Woddy Kyle Racing / Fredericktown Yamaha / Kings Kustom’s Jethro Halbert made a last lap pass of Kopp for fourth.

Earlier in the night Johnny Lewis had captured the four lap Expert Dash and the all important five bonus points that go with the $1,000 check. Kopp, Sammy Halbert, Wiles, Coolbeth and Matt Weidman (Mack Daddy Racing / Matt’s Racing) were right behind.

The sixteen lap Pro Singles National got off to a rough start when Alpinestars / Arai / Oakley / Team 95 backed JD Beach hit the ground on the first lap in turn three. Beach also gathered up defending class Champion, Brad Baker (Brothers Power Sports / Mike Velasco / Micah Racing) and several others.

The restart saw James Rispoli off first but, Van`s Yamaha / Yamaha Motor Co / GYTR / Carver`s BBQ’s Jeffery Carver sliced his way into the lead on lap four and was never headed. Rispoli pressured in second while Stephen Vanderkuur grabbed the last podium position. Mikey Avila made his Pro debut a success with a fourth place finish.

Brad Baker worked his way all the way from dead last on lap one to fifth at the checkered flag, over fast qualifier Mike Poe and JD Beach.

Arai Helmets added money to the nights program for a Pro Singles Dash and JD Beach came away with the cash.

RESULTS:
GNC SINGLES: 1. Sammy Halbert (Yam); 2. Henry Wiles (Kaw); 3. Jake Johnson (Hon); 4. Jethro Halbert (Yam); 5. Joe Kopp (Hon); 6. Johnny Lewis (Hon); 7. Kenny Coolbeth (Hon); 8. Matt Weidman (Hon); 9. Raun Wood (Hon); 10. Jared Mees (Hon); 11. Don Mullen (Hon); 12. Chris Carr (Hon); 13. JR Schnabel (Yam); 14. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 15. Brandan Bergen (Hon); 16. AJ Eslick (Hon); 17. Luke Gough (Hon).

PRO SINGLES: 1. Jeffery Carver (Yam); 2. James Rispoli (Hon); 3. Stephen Vanderkuur (Hon); 4. Mikey Avila (Hon); 5. Brad Baker (Hon); 6. Mike Poe (Kaw); 7. JD Beach (Hon); 8. Kenny Malaguarnero (Hon); 9. Gerit Callies (Hon); 10. Mikey Martin (Hon); 11. Jake Shoemaker (Suz); 12. John Long (Suz); 13. Chad Kenyon (Kaw); 14. Adam Cobb (Yam); 15. Dalton Winkler (Yam); 16. Rob McClendon (KTM); 17. William Cato (Hon); 18. Cory Strickler (Yam).

Day Two:

Another packed house turned out on another cold night for Round Two of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship. The new DAYTONA Flat Track presented the riders with a whole different race track from the Series opener. Despite being much smoother and faster the slick surface proved to be a major challenge all night.

Jake Johnson is sporting a new number on a new team, but the Zanotti Racing backed veteran ended the night with his fifth Daytona National win on his number 5 Zanotti Racing / Leo Vince backed Honda. “I knew I had to get out front and stay smooth,” said Johnson. “I could hear someone back there and with about four laps left I peeked. I saw that big number two and thought, ‘Oh oh here comes Coolbeth.’ I knew I had to keep my concentration and stay on my lines.”

Johnson had obviously been fast all night, but last night’s winner Sammy Halbert had been fast qualifier on his # 7 Woody Kyle Racing / Fredericktown Yamaha / Kings Kustoms backed Yamaha, picking up the $250 Arai fast qualifier check.

Johnson’s win in the second qualifying heat would put him on the pole for the National as the other two heats were red flagged at some point, ending any chance for fast time.

In the GNC Dash Sammy Halbert showed the same speed and determination as he had with last night’s win. Halbert stayed glued to the bottom while Joe Kopp had his # 3 American Agip / Latus Harley-Davidson backed Honda riding the rim.

Kopp came up just inches short at the line as the two Washington riders charged out of turn four. Johnson was just a tick back in third.

The start of the twenty five lap National saw Johnson on the point with Sammy Halbert right on his heels. As Halbert tried to shoot under Johnson exiting turn two he hit a slick spot starting and started a slow spin right in front of the entire field. Somehow everyone missed him and with the engine still running Halbert rejoined the chase.

Johnson had been presented a gift of a little space on the field as the avoided the # 7 bike and he made the most of it. Kopp was back up at the top of the track in second with Johnny Lewis and his # 10 Scott Powersports / Pit Posse / Monster Energy backed Honda in third.

Defending GNC Singles Champion Henry Wiles was also on the high line with his Kawasaki USA / Don’s Kawasaki / Shift Racing / Jones Brothers Racing backed # 1 Kawasaki, but that high line would go away and both Kopp and Wiles would fade into the pack.

While Johnson was cruising, the large crowds attention was riveted on the # 7 as Halbert caught the back of the pack by lap night and started working his way to the front, by lap fourteen he was in tenth place and still working forward. That was where the fairytale ended however as his Yamaha gave up and Sammy’s night was over too soon.

Almost unnoticed, Jared Mees had been working his Pro Honda Oils / Montgomeryville Cycle Center / Rogers Lake Racing backed # 21 Honda into second, but that was short lived as Kenny Coolbeth was coming from even farther back on his # 2 Bettencourt’s Honda / Jason Perry backed Honda. Coolbeth was able to come from ninth to second by lap twelve, but that is where is drive stalled. Coolbeth cut into Johnson’s lead, but never challenged.

Johnny Lewis capped off a fine couple of days on his # 10 Scott Powersports / Pit Posse / Monster Energy backed Honda with a fourth place finish. Jethro Halbert kept Halbert Family racing in the mix as he rode a steady race to fifth on his # 69 Woddy Kyle Racing / Fredericktown Yamaha / Kings Kustom backed Yamaha.

In the Pro Singles class JD Beach had been road racing at the neighboring speedway all day and missed practice, but was allowed to ride one four lap qualifying session. He was able to turn sixth fast time his # 95C Alpinestars / Arai / Oakley / Team 95 backed Honda.

In the Pro Singles Main, defending Pro Singles Champion Brad Baker got the hole shot on his # 1 Mike Velasco Racing / Brothers Power Sports / Rod Lake backed Honda, but he had a whole horde of riders right behind.

On lap four Beach wedged himself under Baker as they exited turn two and took command for the remaining twelve laps. Stephen Vanderkuur pushed the # 10J Dallas Fort Worth Honda / D&D Exhaust backed Honda to the front of a three way battle over second.

As Beach cruised, the podium appeared to be set, but a last lap shake-up saw last nights winner, Jeff Carver slip his # 24P Van`s Yamaha / Yamaha Motor Co / GYTR / Carver`s BBQ backed Yamaha into second. Baker held on for third.

RESULTS:
Grand National Championship: 1. Jake Johnson (Hon); 2. Kenny Coolbeth (Hon); 3. Jared Mees (Hon); 4. Johnny Lewis (Hon); 5. Jethro Halbert (Yam); 6. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 7. Joe Kopp (Hon); 8. Henry Wiles (Kaw); 9. JR Schnabel (Yam); 10. Don Mullen (Hon); 11. Brandan Bergen (Hon); 12. Rob Pearson (Yam); 13. Mick Kirkness (Suz); 14. Raun Wood (Hon); 15. Chris Carr (Hon); 16. Gary Conklin (Hon); 17. Sammy Halbert (Yam); DQ. Matt Weidman (Hon).

Pro Singles: 1. JD Beach (Hon); 2. Jeffery Carver (Yam); 3. Brad Baker (Hon); 4. Stephen Vanderkuur (Hon); 5. Mikey Avila (Hon); 6. James Rispoli (Hon); 7. Cory Strickler (Yam); 8. Shane Narbonne (Hon); 9. Mikey Martin (Hon); 10. Rob McClendon (KTM); 11. Mickey Fay (Hon); 12. John Long (Suz); 13. Mike LaBelle (Hon); 14. Wyatt Maguire (Yam); 15. Andrew Smith (Hon); 16. Adam Cobb (Yam); 17. William Cato (Hon); 18. Jacob Constantine (Hon).

GRAND NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS: 1. Jake Johnson (42 pts / 1 win); 2. (TIE) Henry Wiles / Joe Kopp / Johnny Lewis (34); 5. Sammy Halbert (33 / 1 win); 6. Kenny Coolbeth (32); 7. Jethro Halbert (29); 8. Jared Mees (25); 9. Bryan Smith (18); 10. Don Mullen (17).

PRO SINGLES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Jeffery Carver (42 pts / 1 win); 2. JD Beach (35 / 1 win); 3. James Rispoli (32); 4. Stephen Vanderkuur (31); 5. Brad Baker (30); 6. Mikey Avila (29); 7. Mikey Martin (19); 8. John Long (14); 9. (TIE) Cory Strickler / Mike Poe (13).

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 26, 2010) – AMA Pro Racing kicks off its 2010 season at the legendary Daytona International Speedway for the 69th running of the famous Daytona 200, March 3-5 as part of the Daytona 200 Week activities.

This will be the second year the Daytona 200 will be run at night under the lights at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, March 5th. Practice and qualifying for the Daytona 200 will take place Wednesday, March 3rd and Thursday, March 4th.

The AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike class will see double action with two races for the very first time at Daytona. The first 15 lap race will take place on Thursday, March 4th and the second race will be on Friday, March 5th giving fans two opportunities to see this exciting class. Josh Hayes, 2009 Daytona 200 Winner Ben Bostrom, AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike returnee John Hopkins, Aaron Yates, Tommy Hayden, 2006 Daytona 200 winner Jake Zemke and Geoff May headline the AMA Pro American SuperBike class this year. With seven-time champion Mat Mladin’s retirement, the field is wide open.

The classic Daytona 200 has been run continuously since 1937 with only the war years interrupting what is a true American classic motorcycle race. Every accomplished and important rider and motorcycle manufacturer has featured and won this event. To join the illustrious group of previous winners is to enter into a group of riders who share a special place in the history books of motorcycle racing. Ed Kretz of Pomona, CA won the very first Daytona 200 on his Indian motorcycle. The list of winners extends to legends such as NASCAR great Paul Goldsmith to USAC and Flat Track star Joe Leonard to Flat Track greats Gary Nixon and Cal Rayborn to world champions Kenny Roberts and Eddie Lawson to Scott Russell, Miguel Duhamel, Nicky Hayden and Mladin and last year’s winner, Bostrom. All have proven to be the best of the best. Racing under the lights again this year on Friday, March 5th, the 57 lap race will once again start the 2010 season off in fine fashion.

This year’s AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL field see the return of 2009 champion Danny Eslick on his new Geico Powersports RMR Suzuki. Also returning will be Graves Yamaha riders Josh Herrin and Tommy Aquino. Martin Cardenas will be riding the M4 Suzuki and 2009 SunTrust MotoGT champion Mark Crozier will be running his DNA Ducati 848. Looking to improve on her 21st place finish last year will be Melissa Paris, whose performance last year was the best result ever for a female rider at Daytona.

The AMA Pro Racing SuperSport class will also have two races this year, showcasing the Young Gun group of riders aged 16 to 21 against the more experienced Top Gun class of riders which is comprised of more experienced Expert licensed riders and local talent. Each AMA Pro Racing SuperSport race will be 35 miles in length and will run Thursday, March 4th and then again on Friday, March 5th. Each race will run prior to the AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike races on both days.

Practice for all three classes begins on Wednesday, March 3rd and the races begin on Thursday, March 4th. Make sure to check out the many displays, demo rides and activities inside and outside of the Daytona International Speedway, the Sprint FanZone will be operating throughout the events and don’t miss the D5X, admission is free from March 4th through March 6th.

The Daytona 200 will air on SPEED at 9 p.m. ET. The AMA Pro American SuperBike races will air back-to-back, Saturday, March 6th at 10:30 p.m. ET.

AMA Pro Racing Daytona 200 Quick Notes

2006 Daytona 200 Winner Jake Zemke joins Michael Jordan Motorsports team.

Former MotoGP and World SuperBike rider John Hopkins joins M4 Racing team.

2009 Daytona 200 Winner Ben Bostrom joins newly formed Pat Clark Motorsports team with teammate Chris Clark.

Blake Young and Tommy Hayden now lead the Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura team.

Larry Pegram returns after three wins in 2009, his first in AMA Pro SuperBike since 1999.

Aaron Yates again leads National Guard Jordan team.

2009 AMA Pro Racing presented by AMSOIL Champion Danny Eslick and the Geico Powersports RMR team change motorcycle brands for 2010 season.

Dane Westby won 2009 Eight Hour Daytona race. New Atlanta based team for 2010.
comming
Geoff May is running own program for 2010 in Daytona SportBike.

Melissa Paris is running to benefit Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation.

Martin Cardenas and Chris Ulrich won the 2008 Daytona eight hour race, Ulrich also won eight hour race in 2007.

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.

AMA Pro Road Racing officials announced today that entries are now being accepted for the season-ending AMA Pro Road Racing 8 Hours of Daytona weekend for AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT and AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei at Daytona International Speedway, October 16 -18.

The entry deadline for all races is September 11th with late entries accepted up to the close of business on September 18th.  Post entries will be accepted for SuperSport only on Thursday, October 15.

The featured 8 Hours of Daytona is the season-ending event for SunTrust Moto-GT and will run on Saturday, October 17 from 1 – 9 p.m. ET.  The posted purse features a larger per-class payout than the per-class payout of the 200 race.  Both the GT1 and GT2 classes will each pay $15,000 in first-place prize money.

The 8 Hour will race with the same level of lighting provided in previous years, and all competing motorcycles must have working headlights and taillights.

The SuperSport Shootout race purse is more than double the standard per-event posted payout at series races this season.  The winner’s race purse is $5,000, double the first-place payout at 2009 races. The Shootout race winner will be the SuperSport National Champion.  All SuperSport Shootout participants must have run at least one previous SuperSport race during the 2009 season.

The complete purse payout can be found at AMAProRacing.com or by clicking here.

March 13, 2009 (Brea, Calif.) ? Congratulations to Suzuki Motorcycle and ATV racers who earned multiple victories and podium finishes throughout the Daytona Bike Week. After the dust and smoke settled, Suzuki claimed stake to five first place finishes throughout Superbike, Supercross, GNCC and ATV racing. It’s an impressive kick-off to the racing season and testament to why Champions choose Suzuki.

Motorcycle Racing

GNCC Round 1 – March 3, 2009
First Place, Charlie Mullins, Team FMF Suzuki Off-Road Suzuki RM-Z450 AMA Pro SuperSport – March 5, 2009 Third Place, James Wikle, Team RoadracingWorld.com Suzuki GSX-R600

AMA Pro American Superbike – March 5, 2009
First Place, Mat Mladin, Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000
Third Place, Tommy Hayden, Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000
Fifth Place, Blake Young, Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000

AMA Pro Daytona 200 – March 6, 2009
Third Place, Jason DiSalvo, Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600

AMA Supercross – March 7, 2009
First Place, Chad Reed, Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450
Fourth Place, Mike Alessi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450

AMA Supercross Lites – March 7, 2009
Third Place, Nico Izzi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250
GNCC Round 2 – March 8, 2009
Third Place, Joshua Strang, Team FMF Suzuki Off-Road Suzuki RM-Z450

ATV Racing

GNCC Round 1 – March 3, 2009
Second Place, Rockstar Makita Chris Borich, Suzuki QuadRacer R450

GNCC Round 2 – March 8, 2009
First Place, Chris Borich, Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450

AMA ATV MX Championship – March 8, 2009
First Place, Dustin Wimmer, Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450
Suzuki racing action continues March 14 in New Orleans for AMA Supercross where Chad Reed looks to make it three in a row on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450. On March 21 and 22, the Pro American Superbike series heads to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., where the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Racing crew attempts to continue its domination of roadracing. That same weekend, the AMA Supercross series moves up to St. Louis, Missouri; the GNCC Championship series moves to Morganton, North Carolina; and the AMA ATV Pro MX series travels to Pell City, Alabama for round 2 of racing action.

About American Suzuki
The Motorcycle/ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, Calif., was founded in 1963 by Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC). ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 120 distributors in 191 countries.

NEIL HODGSON TAKES SECOND IN THRILLING DAYTONA SUPERBIKE SERIES OPENER

Corona Extra Honda Racing’s Neil Hodgson took his Honda CBR1000RR to second place at the first Superbike race of 2009 on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway. In what has been widely credited as one of the most exciting Superbike races in years, Hodgson edged out Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden by .001 sec at the flag after 15 hard fought laps that saw a number of lead changes and on track excitement down to the photo-finish.

Hodgson qualified the Corona Honda CBR1000RR on the front row in fourth in the new-fo-09 Superpole session. At the green flag Neil was at the front of the pack taking second behind leader Mladin. On lap six Neil moved into the lead, holding it through lap seven when he was passed by Mladin and Ducati’s Pegram. He got back into second on lap ten and came under pressure from Suzuki’s Hayden who took the position on lap fourteen but with Hodgson right on his tail. Mladin had opened up a second lead but could not break away further form the pair behind who closed towards the finish and what a finish it was with Hodgson making the draft work to his advantage and edging Hayden by half a tire at the stripe – a photo finish by one one-thousandth of a second!

After the race an elated Hodgson said: “I was definitely pleased with that. It’s nice to be battling for a win. I’ve not had that opportunity for the last few years. When I was in the lead I thought I could win the race. I knew Mat (Mladin) was probably not in 100% condition and, it’s such a funny place, Daytona. Your tire can just start going down and there’s nothing you can do about it once it starts spinning. I could see Larry’s (Pegram) tire go off pretty much. And I thought that could happen to Mat. And when I got the lead, I’m thinking, ‘I’ll just go as fast as I can.”

Neil credited his crew for putting in long hours to get the bike ready and allowing him to ‘do his job!’ Hodgson is currently second in the Superbike points standing.

In its ‘Race to the Lime’ Corona Extra Honda Racing is proud to be partnering with; Parts Unlimited, Cycle Gear, Pro Honda Oils, AGV, FMF, Autolite, Hotbodies Racing, K&N, Motion Pro, Vortex, Dainese, GPR, Ogio, CR&A, RK, Dunlop, Powerstands, Bellco, Adran, K&L, HRC, Acme Garage, Vicci, Fluid Designs, EBSCO Media, MTS.

AMA Pro Racing – Daytona International Speedway – March 6, 2009

Provisional Race Results (3.51-mile course, all on Dunlop tires):

OVERALL:

1. Wisconsin Racing (Jeff Purk/Calvin Martinez), Duc 848, GT1, 58 laps

2. Old Pros Racing (Jean Paul Tache/Paul Schwemmer), Kaw ZX-6R, GT1, -93.814 seconds

3. Pair-A-Nines (Jay Springsteen/Nick Cummings), Kaw EX650, GT2, 57 laps

4. Liberty Waves Racing (Eric Haugo/Eric Pinson), Buell 1125R, GT1, -16.032 seconds

5. V Vargas Racing (Jeffrey Lampe/Roberto Vargas), Kaw ZX-6R, GT1, -56.078 seconds

6. Touring Sport Ducati (Frank Shockley/Brad Phillips), Duc PS1000LE, GT2, 56 laps

7. Cycle Dynamics 34 (Dustin Dominguez/Les Banta), Kaw EX650, GT2, -8.048 seconds

8. Crozier Motorsports (Mark Crozier/Phil Caudill), Tri Daytona 675, GT1, -34.643 seconds

9. Team Hurtbyaccident.com (Chris Boy/Jason Edmonds), Duc PS1000LE, GT2, 55 laps

10. Mid-Illini Motorsports 17 (Kenny Rodriguez/Trey Yonce), Suz SV650, GT2, 54 laps

MotoGT1:

1. Wisconsin Racing (Jeff Purk/Calvin Martinez), Duc 848, 58 laps

2. Old Pros Racing (Jean Paul Tache/Paul Schwemmer), Kaw ZX-6R, -93.814 seconds

3. Liberty Waves Racing (Eric Haugo/Eric Pinson), Buell 1125R, 57 laps

4. V Vargas Racing (Jeffrey Lampe/Roberto Vargas), Kaw ZX-6R, -40.045 seconds

5. Crozier Motorsports (Mark Crozier/Phil Caudill), Tri Daytona 675, 56 laps

6. Team Hurtbyaccident.com (Armando Ferrer/Rodolfo Ramirez), Suz GSX-R600, 17 laps

7. James Gang/Hoban Bros. Racing (Paul James/Jeff Johnson), Buell 1125R, -176.402

MotoGT2:

1. Pair-A-Nines (Jay Springsteen/Nick Cummings), Kaw EX650, 57 laps

2. Touring Sport Ducati (Frank Shockley/Brad Phillips), Duc PS1000LE, 56 laps

3. Cycle Dynamics 34 (Dustin Dominguez/Les Banta), Kaw EX650, -8.049 seconds

4. Team Hurtbyaccident.com (Chris Boy/Jason Edmonds), Duc PS1000LE, 55 laps

5. Mid-Illini Motorsports 17 (Kenny Rodriguez/Trey Yonce), Suz SV650, 54 laps

6. Mid-Illini Motorsports 26 (Mitch Stein/Gene Burcham), Suz SV650, 52 laps

7. Double Life (Dan Dominguez/Les Banta), Suz SV650, -17.868 seconds

8. East Coast Supertwins (Gary Cain/Dave Zylberberg), Suz SV650, 51 laps

9. Cycle Dynamics 43 (Ted Cobb/Kyle Wyman), Kaw EX650, 13 laps

10. Coatzymoto International Racing (Fernando Ferreyra/Fernando Barbosa), Duc PS1000LE, 9 laps

11. McNology Racing 1 (David McPherson/Mark McCormick), Suz SV650, 1 lap

Round 1 –AMA Pro American Superbike Series – March 4-5 2009

In an amazing display of hard work, technical skill and sheer willpower, Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki were able to complete the difficult task of taking production street bikes straight from the dealership floor to race winning machines in less than three weeks time. Faced with the challenge of preparing brand new GSX-R1000’s for the season opening round of the new AMA Pro American Superbike Series, Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki worked overtime to set up and prepare the racing machines for team riders Mat Mladin, Tommy Hayden and Blake Young.

All three Rockstar Makita Suzuki riders delivered with Mladin taking pole position and winning the first race of year, Hayden posted a solid podium finish and newcomer Blake Young carded an impressive fifth place finish. Even more amazing the seasoned Rockstar Makita Suzuki team was able to finish in front of teams that had the luxury of longer preparation time for their own racing machines.

Aki Goto – Rockstar Makita Suzuki Team Manager
“This is an amazing victory for everyone at Rockstar Makita Suzuki, especially considering the long negotiation period with the DMG group, the increasingly difficult economic situation, and the minimal preparation time trying to get ready for this exciting race weekend.”

“Thanks to Mat Mladin, Tommy Hayden and Blake Young for their exceptional riding effort today. I also want to give special thanks to the entire Rockstar Makita Suzuki team for all their hard work in preparing these race-winning GSX-R1000’s in such a short amount of time.”

Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki will race next at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on March 20-22, 2009.

Daytona Beach, Florida – Daytona International Speedway – March 4 -5 2009

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Mat Mladin celebrated his 73rd AMA Superbike victory by taking the win at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Thursday afternoon. The six-time AMA Superbike Champion also captured the coveted pole position in the new Superpole procedure, thus taking his 56th career pole position. Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden qualified right behind Mladin and rode an impressive 15-lap race. Hayden got a rough start but worked his way up into third place. Right down to the wire, he was battling for second position and the final result was a photo finish with Hayden taking third. Finally, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s newest team member Blake Young started the season strong by carding an impressive fifth-place finish in his first AMA Superbike race with his new team.

Mat Mladin:
“It was an interesting race, that’s for sure. It’s always nice to get any win, obviously, and with all the new stuff this year it was really nice to get one for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and keep that Suzuki win streak alive. Now I’m looking forward t the next race at Fontana, and the boys will be getting home and doing a little work and doing a few things so we can go to Fontana and have a bit of a go.”

Tommy Hayden:
“I felt like I was riding pretty good, and my Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 was definitely working very well. Considering I got a little confused with the new starting process and was 10th off the line, this result is all right. Fortunately, I was able to get up to the front-runners pretty easily. And with Mat being a little
wounded today, I thought this was my day to get a win but I came up a little bit short. We’ll do a few things before the next race at Fontana and come back strong.“

Blake Young:
“I have to admit it would have been nice to be up on the podium with Mat and Tommy today, but since this is my first Superbike race on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000, and running new tires and after very little testing, I’m OK with fifth place. But every day, I’m getting to know my new crew better and I know we’ll come back for Fontana with a better bike and hopefully a better result.”
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, on the weekend of Saturday, March 7, 2009.

Erion Honda’s Odom Wins AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei Season-Opener at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 5, 2009) – Erion Honda’s Tyler Odom won Thursday’s season-opening AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei race at Daytona International Speedway after passing leaders Joey Pascarella and Russ Wikle two laps from the checkered flag.

Odom, who recently turned 16, started fifth in his No. 46 Erion Honda CBR600RR and raced well clear of the leaders for the majority of the 12-lap sprint. After polesitter Josh Day was uninjured when he crashed out early in Turn 1 on his No. 4 ESP Yamaha YZF-R6, Pascarella and Wikle stepped up to stage a great battle for the lead for most of the race.

Pascarella, riding the No. 25 Suzuki GSX-R600, unofficially swapped the top spot with Wikle’s No. 5 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R600 nearly a dozen times before Odom reeled them in with less than three laps remaining and had enough left in his Dunlop tires to make the winning move.

“About halfway through the race I could see them getting closer and closer and tire wear comes in as a big part,” said Odom, who scored the biggest win of his young career. “I don’t mind running on a worn set of tires. My Dad and Kevin Erion have been trying to really stuff into my head to wait for the last laps to make my move. I saw that they were holding me up just a little bit here and there in the infield and I figured if I can get around them for it then I could pull enough bike lengths to not worry about having to draft around them at the end.”

Odom passed Wikle at the start of the next to last lap and then took the lead from Pascarella after the first chicane in the infield. The winner crossed the finish line .311 of a second ahead of Pascarella and averaged 101.300 mph in the caution-free race that was completed in 20:37.087.

Pascarella and Wikle literally battled to the end and crossed the finish line in nearly a dead heat. Wikle was just .002 of a second behind runner-up Pascarella and the margin back to third place was a snug .313 of a second.

“It was a really good race and I got off to a really good start,” said Pascarella, who is also 16. “I actually missed a shift in the last chicane on the last lap and I thought I was going to get passed by Russ. I was surprised he didn’t draft past me. We had a good battle.”

Wikle, 17, believed he was well positioned to draft to the front from third on the last lap.

“I thought I was sitting pretty fat and happy in third and I thought I was going to be able to draft by both of them with ease,” said Wikle, who is also racing in Friday’s Daytona 200 by Honda AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL race. “Coming out of the chicane I kind of timed it a little off, I guess, and I got right up beside Joey. I think we were just side-by-side around the whole banking. I couldn’t really get in his draft but two thousandths of a second is pretty close.”

Kyle Wyman (No. 33 Yamaha YZF-R6) and Matthew Sadowski (No. 77 Kiwi’s Care Yamaha YZF-R6), son of 1990 Daytona 200 by Honda winner David Sadowski, rounded out the top five.

AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei is AMA Pro Road Racing’s new showcase of the sport’s future motorcycle racing stars today. The proving ground series is reserved strictly for up-and-coming riders between the ages of 16 and 21 who compete on 600cc sport bikes that are only minimally modified from what you will find at your local Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda or other motorcycle dealerships.