Fiat Yamaha riders on flying form in sweltering Misano

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo looked ready for business at Misano on the Italian Riviera today, putting in some impressive times and finishing the day first and second, several tenths ahead of the next fastest rider. This was despite the uncomfortably hot and humid weather, although a forecast late rain shower tonight promises to cool things down a little for tomorrow.

It was Lorenzo, fresh from his victory in Indianapolis just five days ago, who looked in command for the early part of the session as he immediately found a good setting and set about improving his time lap by lap. In the last twenty minutes however Rossi made a step forward and was able to join his team-mate lapping in the 1’35s, the local favourite eventually finishing the session a tenth ahead of the Spanish challenger. There was a further gap of over six tenths back to Dani Pedrosa in third, promising another tense weekend of racing between the Fiat Yamaha pair.

Valentino Rossi – Position: 1st Time: 1′35.304Laps: 29
“This is more the weather for the beach than for the racetrack, today was unbelievably hot! The first session was much better than in Indy though and I am quite happy. We have made a few experiments with different settings and then at the end when we put everything together with the right tire, I was able to do three fast laps and finish first. It’s a good sign to be in this shape already on Friday and now we just have to improve a bit more tomorrow because it’s very important here to be on the front row. It’s quite a tricky track and you have to be quite careful in some places, but my bike felt good today.”

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 2ndTime: 1′35.430Laps: 29
“Today was very hot which meant it quite hard to ride, and also the track is quite slippery here. I felt comfortable on my bike from the start and I was able to be quite fast, which is always encouraging, but I think we have some more work to do because we’re not perfect yet and the front could be better, especially on the entry to the corners. Tomorrow we will try to work on this and especially on T2 and T3, because these are the areas where we are losing some time. Valentino is very strong, as I expected because it’s his home and he won last year, so we will have to be at the maximum to be able to fight with him.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“We did a lot of work today and it looks like we’ve done a good job. We worked on both bikes and all the tires and by the end of the session Valentino had a good pace and rhythm. We hope that we have found a good base on which we can build tomorrow. The important thing is that we continue to fine tune the setting in the morning so that we’re at our best tomorrow afternoon and Sunday.”

Daniele Romagnoli – Team Manager
“A good start here in Misano, in extremely hot weather. Jorge found a good pace from the beginning of the session but we need to improve the feeling with the front because this track is very demanding on it. We already tried some different settings during the session and we collected some good data in order to help us to improve our package for tomorrow.”

Edwards opens with sixth fastest time in heat wave at Misano

Texan Colin Edwards posted the sixth fastest time in a hot and steamy opening free practice session at the Misano World Circuit today. Joining Edwards in the top ten was his Monster Yamaha Tech3 teammate James Toseland who was ninth and just half a second outside the top four.

Both Edwards and Toseland have carried the momentum of strong performances in last Sunday’s Indianapolis GP to their early preparations for the Misano race. Edwards, who feels he can easily find another half second with a gearing change, held a top four spot until the final minutes of the session as he concentr ated on his race day set-up.

Toseland was also in a buoyant mood. The Briton was sixth with five minutes remaining and is confident of maintaining that pace with further gains in rear end grip over the bumpy Misano tarmac. Track temperatures hit 45 degrees C with the hot weather forecast to continue for this late summer race, round 13 of the MotoGP world championship.

Colin Edwards – Position: 6th Time: 1′36.350 Laps: 26
“We got a lot of work done, the bike was very close to begin with and with a rear setting adjustment and a switch to the hard tires, the bike started feeling really good. But it was hot, it felt like nine million degrees. But the heat wasn’t that bad for seven laps runs but if it’s like this on Sunday then 28 laps here is going to be tough. I was sitting 4th for a long time and I know some of these guys just mess around the whole session and the catch onto somebody to ado a hot lap at the end. But my bike feels slow. I know we have the same gearing as last year but the bike is not reacting, it feels like there is no bottom end and you have to keep the RPM up and carry astronomical corner speeds. I guess it is the long life engines, we have lost some of the bottom end that Yamaha made such a good step on earlier this year. We plan to shorten the gearing for tomorrow and I reckon I have half a second in three corners just from that.”

James Toseland – Position: 9th Time: 1′36.588 Laps: 27
“It didn’t seem hot on the bike but the humidity was high and that really got to you so its going be pretty physical if it is this temperature on Sunday. You need the bike to work well here because if you are battling with the bike in this temperature then it is hard work. This is one of my better Friday session this season and we started with the Indianapolis set-up and just made some small changes. The bike is a little bit aggressive on the rear over the bumps so we are working to smooth that out. The track is quite bumpy this year but it always is around here and you forget how bad the bumps are. I got up to sixth at one point and then dropped to ninth but only 0.5s off fourth. I’m pleased, a good session for a Friday.”

Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) rider Aaron Yates and the #23 Jordan Suzuki team will start the final round of the 2009 AMA National Guard American Superbike championship from the front row at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). Located in Millville, New Jersey, the NJMP facility is a new addition to the AMA Pro Racing calendar and great racing is expected, with the top twelve in the American Superbike competition covered by a scant .9 seconds after Basic Qualifying. The top 10 moved onto the Superpole round with veteran Jordan Suzuki rider Yates looking to improve on his fifth position in Basic Qualifying with a strong Superpole performance. Yates did just that by posting a 1:22.069 during his flying Superpole lap, pushing the #23 GSXR-1000 up two positions (P3) and onto the front row for Saturday and Sunday’s feature races.

Yates’ MJM teammate Geoff May just missed out on the Superpole round with an 11th position in Basic Qualifying. May, who was less than one second off P1 at the conclusion of Basic Qualifying, will post a qualifying time in Saturday’s Final Qualifying session and is looking to capitalize on his strong starting abilities to propel the National Guard Jordan Suzuki into the front pack at the start of each race.

Aaron Yates – 3rd 1:22.069 – Jordan Suzuki #23
“It’s the last race of the year and it’s good to have the Jordan Suzuki up on the front row,” said Yates. “It’s exciting to be at a new track and this NJMP course is pretty fun. We had a pretty good Superpole lap and we’ve been getting the bike better and better with each session. From the looks of it, we are going to have some good close racing this weekend and I’m looking to put this thing up on the podium to close it out.”

Geoff May – National Guard Jordan Suzuki #54
“We definitely are a little disappointed to miss Superpole, but it’s encouraging to see we’re really close to the front pace,” May said. “I think this is the first time all year you’ve seen a dozen bikes all within a second in the Superbike class and I know our #54 isn’t very far from being where we need it to be. I’m heading out into Final Qualifying with some good changes lined up and we’ll be ready to dive into the fray come racetime.”

Josh Hayes (No. 4 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1) won his second AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited Superpole of the season while Taylor Knapp (No. 54 Latus Motors Racing Buell 1125R) scored his first career Superpole in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL qualifying Friday at the 10th Anniversary Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at Virginia International Raceway.

Hayes turned a top lap time of 1:25.014 (95.702 mph) as the 10th and final rider to qualify in the single-bike Superpole format.  He also won the Superpole two races ago at Mid-Ohio where he went on to sweep both of that weekend’s races.  Hayes won his first race of the season in May at Infineon Raceway where he broke a season-opening streak of seven straight wins by Mat Mladin (No. 7 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000), who he edged for the Superpole Friday at 2.25-mile circuit.

“I think we left a little bit out there but it was a good lap,” Hayes said.  “I put a lot of effort into it.  Our bike had a lot of grip and worked really well.  I did a clean lap and it was enough to nip Mat by just a small margin.  Since we pulled the bike out of the truck we’ve been pretty fortunate that it’s going around the racetrack well.  I’m having a lot of fun riding.  This has been a good race track for me.”

Mladin, who turned a lap time of 1:25.103 (95.602 mph) held the top spot until Hayes made his run. He still leads American Superbike with a series-high eight Superpoles this season.

“It was all good today,” said Mladin, who joined most of his competition in having no trouble handling temperatures in the high 80s.  “I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.  It’s been a lot worse around this place before, today’s not too bad.  The breeze is nice on the bike, we’ve had a lot worse conditions here than today.”

Jordan Suzuki teammates Geoff May (No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) and Aaron Yates (No. 23 Brand Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) turned in a solid Superpole team performance to complete the four-rider front row.  May qualified third with a lap at 1:25.720 (94.913 mph) while Yates was fourth fastest at 1:26.126 (94.446 mph).

“I was feeling good,” May said. “We just re-analyzed some stuff.  Since Road America we’ve had a downward spiral.  This weekend we said ‘you know what, we’re going to go back to where we had this bike in the beginning of the year when we first got it.’  It seemed pretty good.  So we rolled it out of the truck and haven’t really done much since and we’re back up where I feel we should be.”

Yates is on his second straight American Superbike front row after qualifying second fastest one race ago in the Tornado Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

“It’s just like any other weekend,” said Yates, who joins his teammate May as Georgia natives. “I’m just going out there and riding the thing.  I definitely felt like the grip was down a little that time out, but we’ve made a few changes with the front of the bike.  It was sitting lower, I don’t think we quite had the load on the rear that we’ve had earlier and it was missing some traction there.  It’s like home for me, I like it hot.  I didn’t know if was going to be like this, so we’re ready.”

Larry Pegram (No. 72 Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R), who won the Superpole at the Tornado Nationals and both of that weekend’s American Superbike races, rounded out the top five in qualifying at VIR.

Saturday’s first American Superbike race of the weekend is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. local time for 23 laps/50 miles.  The Big Kahuna races will be featured in a pair of same-day telecasts on SPEED.  Saturday’s American Superbike and Daytona SportBike finals will be shown that night in a two-hour show at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) while Sunday’s premier class races and other highlights will air in a two-hour show that evening at Midnight ET (9 p.m. PT).

Wild Daytona SportBike Friday

An AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL Superpole qualifying session that was as notable for those who were not in it as the 10 riders who were saw Knapp break through for his first career top qualifying effort.  Knapp clocked in with a lap time of 1:28.233 (92.210 mph) and will share the two-rider front row with Jake Zemke (No. 1x Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR) who lapped at 1:28.663 (91.764 mph).

“It’s not only my first pole, but the first time I’ve ever been in a press conference,” said Knapp, who finished a career-high fifth in the Sunday American Superbike final at the Tornado Nationals on the No. 44 Taylor Knapp Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.  “It’s really cool. I had a little spin coming out of Turn 2 or 3, the left hander, the track crowns off on the edge and I got a little wide.  It spun up and I bounced off the curb and I didn’t know if that was going to hurt me too much.  I just kept stringing the lap together the best I could and ended up on top.  Totally cool, I’m looking forward to the races.”

Zemke joined teammate Chris Peris (No. 10 Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR) in giving Erion Honda its best starting positions as a team this year.

“I actually messed up the lap right at the very beginning going into Turn 1,” Zemke said.  “I went in there and my foot slipped off the shifter.  I was thinking, ‘I don’t think that thing went into gear.’  I hit the shifter again and it went into gear, but it was the wrong one.  It was first gear.  I lost a ton of time in the first segment.  I just kept my head down and got through the rest of the lap and it turned out okay for us.  Congratulations to Taylor on his first pole and it should be a good race tomorrow.”

Peris qualified third at 1:28.676 (91.764 mph) and was the only 2009 race winner participating in Daytona SportBike Superpole Friday.

“My lap was basically the same as I did in practice this morning,” said Peris, who won the Saturday final at Road America in June.  “It was nothing too hairball.  Nothing really out of the ordinary, but I wasn’t expecting to move up this far.  Everyone went a little bit slower so maybe it was a little bit better.  The bike’s working awesome, the team’s been great.  It just all worked out.”

Roger Hayden (No. 95 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) was also in season-best form Friday and qualified fourth at 1:28.682 (91.743 mph).

“The bike is definitely working pretty good this weekend,” Hayden said.  “My lap was okay. When I came across the start-finish line I didn’t expect it to be a 28.7, I felt like I left a lot of time out there.  I think it’s going to be a good race.  We’ve been going pretty good all weekend, we just have to get a little bit better.  I’m looking forward to it.  I’m definitely a lot closer to the front than I’ve been all year.  It makes the race weekend a lot more fun.”

Notable by their Superpole absence were Daytona SportBike championship leaders Danny Eslick (No. 9 GEICO Powersports/RMR Buell 1125R) and Martin Cardenas (No. 36 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600).  Eslick laid the bike down in the downhill section during the group session and qualified 12th, missing the Superpole round, while Cardenas suffered a lowside incident in morning practice that resulted in a fractured right hand.  After receiving medical treatment onsite at VIR, Cardenas rallied to participate in group qualifying and did well to clock in 13th quickest.

“I broke a bone in my hand,” said Cardenas, who crashed in the downhill run at Turn 15. “I made a mistake and hit a curb going downhill.  It was a big mistake, I crashed and I hurt my hand.  Off the bike, it feels okay and if I don’t move the hand, it doesn’t hurt.  On the bike the hardest thing is changing direction, and a little bit under braking, especially turning to the right side.  I will just try to deal with it, race tomorrow and do a good job.  There is not much you can do, only put ice on it.  That’s it, I think.”

Also enduring a tough day was Daytona SportBike Superpole leader Jason DiSalvo (No. 40 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600) who was uninjured when he went off course during his Superpole run.  DiSalvo, who has a class-leading five Superpoles in 2009, will start ninth on the grid in this weekend’s dual races.  Chaz Davies (No. 57 Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team Aprilia RSV1000R) , who struggled with mechanical problems in the morning practice session and Superpole run, will start 10th.

Josh Herrin (No. 8 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) rounded out the Daytona SportBike top five qualifiers.

Saturday’s first Daytona SportBike race of the weekend is scheduled to start at 4:10 p.m. local time for 23 laps/50 miles.  The Big Kahuna races will be featured in a pair of same-day telecasts on SPEED.  Saturday’s American Superbike and Daytona SportBike finals will be shown that night in a two-hour show at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) while Sunday’s premier class races and other highlights will air in a two-hour show that evening at Midnight ET (9 p.m. PT).

SuperSport Practice Day

Josh Day (No. 4 Team E.S.P. Yamaha YZF-R6) could clinch the AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei East division title this weekend and was the fastest rider in Friday’s opening practice.  Day, who won the races at Topeka and Mid-Ohio, turned a top lap time of 1:29.707 (90.695 mph).

“We ended up fastest and we still have some work to do on the front end, but I was pretty happy with that time,” Day said.  “The E.S.P. guys have been working really hard and we have just been able to carry the setup that we found since Mid-Ohio and it has pretty much worked at every racetrack so far.  We have just had to change and fine tune a few things.  I am really not thinking about the championship, and trying not to.  I don’t want it to mess me up and I am just going to come out here and try and do my best and just try to stay on top.”

Day has a 45-point lead over Leandro Mercado (No. 92 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R), 126 – 81. That equates to more than a full-race lead and guarantees he will leave the Big Kahuna on top of the standings even if he fails to clinch the crown.  Even if Mercado scores all 32 available points at VIR, Day only needs to finish third or better to leave Virginia with the East title.  Mercado was 10th fastest Friday.

Sunday’s SuperSport final is18-laps for 40 miles and is scheduled to start at 3:10 p.m.

Westby Rolls In SunTrust Moto-GT Qualifying

Westby Racing riders Dane Westby and Dustin Meador (No. 13 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) continued their roll in AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT and won the pole for tomorrow’s two-hour team race at 11 a.m.  Meador turned a quick lap of 1:31.439 (88.977 mph) to qualify first overall and in the GT1 class.

“This is a good team,” Meador said.  “We are just going to keep working hard and racing hard and get our third win. I have done this kind of racing before and I like it and like running with Dane and the Westby guys.”

Championship leaders Mark Crozier and Dave Estok (No. 14 Crozier Motorsports Triumph Daytona 675) qualified second despite Crozier’s lowside during the session.  The team/owner rider was uninjured and turned the No. 14’s top lap of 1:32.638 (87.826 mph).

“We are fine and the bike is fine,” Crozier said.  “We got back going and finished qualifying and now we have to keep it clean and win a championship.”

Day and teammate Dominic Jones (No. 27 Four Feathers Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) will start third after Jones turned a lap of 1:33.787 (86.750 mph).

The No. 63 Coatzymoto International Racing Ducati PS1000LE of Fernando Ferreyra and Robertino Pietri won the GT2 pole with a lap time of 1:36.150 (84.618 mph).

The SunTrust Moto-GT race starts tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Larry Pegram (No. 72 Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R) won his first AMA Pro Road Racing pole since 1996 in AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited competition while Jason DiSalvo (No. 40 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600) earned his fifth AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL pole of the season in Friday’s Superpole qualifying for the Tornado Nationals presented by BriggsAuto.com at Heartland Park Topeka.

Pegram paced a competitive group of American Superbike competitors that saw four different manufacturers on the front row for the first time since the May 2002 race at Road Atlanta.  It was also the first Superbike pole for Pegram since the 1996 Road America race and the first for Ducati since Eric Bostrom qualified first at Daytona in March 2004.

“I actually feel really good because I usually really screw up in Superpole,” said Pegram, who clinched the top spot with a lap time of 1:36.368 (93.392 mph).  “I felt like I left a little bit out there like I normally do, but it was good enough to hold on.  I’m really happy.  My guys have worked so hard and there has really been rejuvenation this season by being back on a bike that is capable of winning.”

Pegram and Ducati will share the front row with Aaron Yates (No. 23 Brand Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000), Jake Holden (No. 59 Holden Racing Honda CBR1000RR) and Ben Bostrom (No. 2 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1) for the most diverse American Superbike front row in more than seven years.

“It was a pretty decent lap and no big dramas or moments, or anything,” said Yates, who clocked in second overall and the fastest Suzuki at 1:36.513 (93.252 mph).  “I let off a little over the hill in Turn 1 and slowed down a little too much for the switchback there.  I was off a few tenths in the second segment, I think, which I have been struggling there all weekend, but I was pretty strong in the other end of the track and got through there good.  I just barely missed out.”

Holden joined Corona Extra teammate Neil Hodgson (No. 100 Corona Extra Honda CBR1000RR) as the only Honda riders in Superpole and qualified a solid third with a lap of 1:36.540 (93.226 mph).  Holden was also the fastest rider in American Superbike group qualifying earlier on Friday.

“After this morning I felt pretty good about going to Superpole,” said Holden, who posted his best qualifying effort of the year.  “I felt like I got a decent lap in but I lost the front coming through Turn 2 there over the bumps.  I tried to pull it back together and ended up still quick in that segment, so it wasn’t too bad.  It is great to be back up here on the front row. I bought this bike right before Daytona and it is pretty much just a stock machine except for the motor.”

Bostrom represented Yamaha on the front row with a fourth-place qualifying lap of 1:36.643 (93.126 mph).  He held the top spot for the majority of the middle of the session but knew his lap likely wouldn’t hold up for the pole.

“I botched the third split pretty bad, and I just wasn’t so good in the last one,” Bostrom said.  “I felt fine in the first couple and got a few things to learn, but the bike is fantastic.  It is really important to try out the newer soft tire before you go out for Superpole, but we kind of let that slip.  We had a little mechanical there during qualifying.  I don’t know, I just wasn’t ready for the thing to grip that good.  The track is pretty slippery and really fun to ride around.  There’s a lot of sideways action everywhere and the race is going to be exciting and I think one of the better races.”

Bostrom was also complimentary of the outstanding effort Heartland Park Topeka owner Raymond Irwin has made in working with AMA Pro Road Racing to improve the safety aspects of the circuit.

“The promoter is trying hard to reconstruct the track for safety issues,” Bostrom said.  “When we come back there will be a few things that definitely need to be done, but it looks like he is proactive and will do it.  Good on him, its nice to have a new track.”

Bostrom’s teammate Josh Hayes (No. 4 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1) qualified fifth.

Saturday’s first American Superbike race of the weekend is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. local time for 20 laps/50 miles. Coverage of Saturday’s races will begin at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT) on SPEED.

DiSalvo’s Fifth Daytona SportBike Superpole

While Pegram and Ducati qualified up front for the first time in years, DiSalvo boosted his class-leading run of Daytona SportBike Superpoles to five with today’s result at Heartland Park.  DiSalvo locked down the top spot with a lap of 1:38.924 (90.979 mph) and now has his sites set on his first win of the season.

“I think we can get the win and it is going to be a good race,” said DiSalvo. “The crew has been working really hard and we have a new engine spec this weekend.  I am just really excited.  The bike feels great and we have made a lot of development to the chassis this weekend.  I am really pumped to get out and race tomorrow.”

DiSalvo will share the front row with Josh Herrin (No. 8 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) while their respective teammates Martin Cardenas (No. 36 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600) and Tommy Aquino (No. 6 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) rounded out the top four.

“I figured I had a pretty good run all the way until the second-to-last corner when I tucked the front,” Herrin said. “The slide was just normal, every lap is usually like that.  It’s just the style that I have.  It felt really good the whole lap.  We finally got the good solid Superpole lap we’ve been looking for the whole year.  It’s nice just for confidence going in to tomorrow knowing that we don’t have to fight through that whole pack in the beginning.”

Points leader Cardenas is locked in a tight championship battle with Danny Eslick (No. 9 GEICO Powersports/RMR Buell 1125R), who qualified 10th, claiming the final spot of today’s Daytona SportBike Superpole qualifiers.  Cardenas still expects the Eslick and Buell to be up to speed in this weekend’s races.

“I expect the Buell to be fast in the race and maybe something happened in his run,” Cardenas said.  “I’ve been improving at the Superpole thing.  This time it came up good, I got a third position and made a good lap.  It could be better, but it’s the way it is.  The bike has been working great and the crew also.  We’ve been trying some different settings because here the back of the bike slides a lot.  I think we found a good solution and the bike is ready for tomorrow.”

Aquino scored his first top-three finish of the year one race ago at Mid-Ohio and was on form again Friday at Topeka.

“We got some really close action in this class, it’s pretty intense,” Aquino said.  “It seems like whenever I make it into Superpole I gain a position or two.  Today I think I stayed where I was at.  The second row is good.   I’m pretty confident that everybody here is going to be in the main pack the whole race.  It’s going to be good.”

Jake Zemke (No. 1x Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR) rounded out the Daytona SportBike top-five qualifiers.

Saturday’s first Daytona SportBike race of the weekend is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. local time for 20 laps/50 miles.  Coverage of Saturday’s races will begin at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT) on SPEED.

Good Day In SuperSport and SunTrust Moto-GT

Josh Day (No. 4 Kerker Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) won his first race in AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio to take the East division points lead.  He kept the momentum up Friday at Heartland Park where he paced SuperSport practice and won the pole for Saturday’s AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT race.  In SuperSport, he was fastest in both of Friday’s practice sessions and turned his top lap of 1:41.490 (88.679 mph) in the morning session.

Day is also joining fellow SuperSport rider Bryce Prince on Scotty Van Hawk’s No. 27 Four Feathers Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 in SunTrust Moto-GT in addition to racing for Van Hawk in Daytona SportBike this weekend.

“Racing in Moto-GT is definitely helping me learn the tracks,” said Day, who won the SunTrust Moto GT1 pole with a lap time of 1:41.848 (88.367 mph). “Scotty Van Hawk over at Four Feathers let me ride this bike and the Daytona SportBike, so I got a pretty busy schedule this weekend, but it is going pretty good so far.  I have never been here before but we did the promoter practice yesterday and it definitely helped us a lot for today.  It has been a fun track to learn and I am running in three races this weekend, so I am going to need the laps.”

In SunTrust Moto-GT2, the No. 77 Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati PS1000LE will start first with young riders Cory Rech and Huntley Nash onboard.  The duo won on the team’s second Ducshop Ducati in their debut at Mid-Ohio and were assigned to the team’s primary title contender for Topeka.

The SunTrust Moto-GT race starts tomorrow at 11 a.m. local time while the SuperSport final is Sunday at 3 p.m. for 16 laps/40 miles.

He’s done it again; Ben Spies sits a top the World Superbike Grid at Brno.

Brno Superbike – Superpole – Saturday  July 25, 2009

1- 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1; 1′58.868
2- 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R; 1′58.950
3- 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory; 1′59.055
4- 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR; 1′59.740
5- 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R; 1′59.787
6- 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR; 2′00.046
7- 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR; 2′00.096
8- 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1; 2′00.240
9- 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R; 1′59.730
10- 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR; 1′59.748
11- 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R; 1′59.873
12- 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R; 2′00.159
13- 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9; 2′00.223
14- 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R; 2′00.235
15- 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory; 2′00.262
16- 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR; 2′00.498
17- 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR; 2′00.718
18- 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR; 2′00.811
19- 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R; 2′03.819
20- 121 Hopkins J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR; 2′14.727
21- 10 Nieto F. (ESP) Ducati 1098R; 2′01.510
22- 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R; 2′01.643
23- 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R; 2′01.816
24- 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR; 2′02.346
25- 53 Polita A. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9; 2′02.718
26- 94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R1; 2′02.785
27- 88 Resch R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9; 2′04.041
28- 51 Cihak M. (CZE) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9; 2′04.905

Yamaha World Superbike superstar Ben Spies showed more of his unbeatable talent today, flying through the three Superpole sessions with ease. Despite rain drops starting to fall as the third and final session got under way, the American rider hit the track with an incredible display of speed and put down a pole grabbing lap less than two tenths off the Best Lap record put down in the dry by Fabrizio in the previous session. He was the only rider to drop under the 1.30 mark in the final session. Spies enjoyed a good qualifying session earlier in the day, perfecting his race set up and tire choice, and finishing in third, just two tenths from session leader Fabrizio. Spies time was just 1.1 seconds off Valentino Rossi’s 2007 qualifying time in the 2007 Donington MotoGP.

Team-mate Tom Sykes continued to show his potential today as he spent the majority of the second qualifying session in the top three, only dropping to sixth as the session drew to a close. Sykes started the Superpole sessions well, and went through to the second with ease. The second session saw him take what was thought to be a safe fifth place, only to be dropped to tenth at the last minute. With not enough time to get back out he missed out on the third and final session.

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1st, 1′29.846)
“It was a good Superpole session for us, we almost got caught out as I think I was the last one to leave the garage. As soon as I came out of the pit lane I could see the drops start to come so I had to really attack the warm up lap. I told myself to nail the first sector so I could relax a little bit in the back half in case it rained a bit more. The first sector was brilliant, in the second and third rain drops were coming so I wanted to be careful not to touch any paint down. It was good to get up there to the front as it’s a short start to turn one so it’s a good position for us. The bike is working great on race tires as well so I’m looking forward to what will be an exciting race.”

Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team (10th, 1′30.229)
“A bit of a shame, obviously I’m not impressed, on the qualifier I ran wide on lap one a little bit and didn’t make it happen. It’s especially frustrating as looking at the times in Superpole three a front row start was definitely on the cards for me. We messed up a bit in session two, really disappointing as race pace is up there and I wanted a good clean start for tomorrow. We’re on row three so let’s see what happens. I’m going to have to dig deep and make some passes. The qualifying session was ok, we definitely have a fast race pace, if we can get away clean we are in with a good chance tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“Another Superpole is great, it just gives us more confidence for tomorrow with Ben. Tom has also been making great improvements compared to the last races. I think tomorrow the results will depend a lot on the weather, it could be wet or dry. I really hope it’s dry as its always better to have a dry race, but whatever happens we are ready for both conditions.”

Misano Superbike – Superpole – Saturday, June 20, 2009

1- 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1′35.435
2- 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1′35.609
3- 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1′35.631
4- 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1′35.811
5- 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1′36.224
6- 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1′36.277
7- 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1′36.537
8- 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1′36.884
9- 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′36.439
10- 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1′36.510
11- 10 Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′36.510
12- 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′36.682
13- 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′36.916
14- 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1′36.978
15- 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1′36.994
16- 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1′37.209
17- 36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1′37.266
18- 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1′37.300
19- 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′37.361
20- 2 Hacking J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′38.558
21- 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′38.522
22- 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1′38.671
23- 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′38.755
24- 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′38.827
25- 94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R1 1′38.828
26- 121 Hopkins J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 1′38.856
27- 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1′39.067
28- 53 Polita A. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′39.308
29- 88 Resch R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′40.489

Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) brought Ben Spies’ seven-race Superpole record to an end with a new circuit best lap in the decisive qualifying session at Misano. The 26 year-old from the Czech Republic was in terrific form, powering his private Guandalini Ducati 1098 around the 4.226 km Misano World Circuit in a time of 1 minute 35.435 seconds. Second place in an exciting session, which was held under the constant threat of rain, went to Britain’s Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who has been fast all weekend. Spies was also on the pace on his team Yamaha World Superbike machine, but the Texan this time had to settle for the third slot, just ahead of one of his championship rivals, Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) in fourth.

Jakub Smrz: “I am really pleased with my first-ever Superpole, it’s a great feeling to be there. But not just my Superpole time was good, I also have a good race pace as well, and I hope to be able to fight against the other guys up at the front and get a podium in the races. Last year I went well at Misano, but I hope for a better result this time around.”

Jonathan Rea: “It’s been pretty good for us, we found a good time for the second place. A big thanks to my crew, they’ve been doing so much all week. We got through a fair amount of hardware at Magny-Cours testing and got a good base setting for this weekend. And finally in the last few sessions and qualifying we’ve been doing some good times, so hopefully it’ll all come good in the race tomorrow.”

Ben Spies: “A front row start is good anyway and congratulations to Jakub. We missed out today because we just didn’t have it when it counted. I’m happy with the bike and the race set-up is good, but to be honest we’re a little bit quicker than the guys we’re racing against for the championship and that’s a good thing. However I’m sure they’ll all be up there in the race tomorrow.”

Michel Fabrizio: “It’s important to be on the front row here at Misano and I start from the same position as last year, but this time in the race I hope to do better! I saw both this morning and this afternoon that my race pace was very similar to that of Ben’s so it’s clear that I’ll be running my race around him tomorrow.”

The Misano Superpole was also the first time Pirelli did not use their one-lap qualifying tire, which has now been abandoned in favour of a new soft compound that can last up to five or more laps. The results were extraordinary because all four riders on the front row of the grid went quicker than last year’s mark set by Troy Corser in 1′35″993.

The second row of the grid sees Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati) holding down fifth place, with points leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) and the Ten Kate Honda duo of Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari seventh and eighth. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) was heading for a front row slot but failed to make the final run due to a technical problem and the Italian had to settle for ninth, ahead of Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda) and Fonsi Nieto, the leading Suzuki Alstare runner. The first BMW, that of Troy Corser, qualified on row 4, while after their encouraging form shown on Friday, the two Kawasakis of Broc Parkes and Jamie Hacking slipped down to the fifth row.

Times: 1. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1′35.435; 2. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1′35.609; 3. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1′35.631; 4. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1′35.811; 5. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1′36.224; 6. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1′36.277; 7. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1′36.537; 8. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1′36.884; 9. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′36.439; 10. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1′36.510; 11. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′36.510; 12. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′36.682; 13. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′36.916 ; 14. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1′36.978; 15. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1′36.994; 16. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1′37.209

World Supersport

Italian Michele Pirro upset the applecart in Supersport qualifying at Misano with a blistering lap in the last few minutes to take pole. For the Yamaha Lorenzini man it was the first time he starts from the top slot, and it comes in his first season in the category. The last time an Italian started from Supersport pole was Michel Fabrizio (Honda) at Magny-Cours in 2005. The session was conditioned by a rain shower at the start, which kept the riders in their pit garages until ten minutes from the end. The final stages were hectic as all the riders went out on the drying track to set their time, and Pirro was the best at interpreting the changing track conditions. Leader Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) lines up alongside in an Italian sandwich, with 2006 Misano Supersport winner Massimo Roccoli (Intermoto Honda) third. Katsuaki Fujiwara took the first Kawasaki Provec machine to fourth, while Gianluca Nannelli (Triumph ParkinGo) showed good progress to grab the fifth slot. One of the protagonists of the season Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) had some difficulty but lines up in eighth, one row ahead of three other possible candidates for the win, Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Provec) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda).

Times: 1. Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′40.498; 2. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′40.508; 3. Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1′40.509; 4. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′40.994; 5. Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 1′41.109; 6. West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′41.425 ; 7. Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′41.458; 8. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1′41.459

Superstock 1000

Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox) powered to the pole position in the Superstock 1000 category with a new circuit best lap, knocking seven tenths off the previous mark. The Belgian rider made his attack two minutes from the end of the session, grabbing the lead from Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Honda). The front row was completed by Domenico Colucci (Barni Racing Ducati) of Italy and Santiago Barragan (Honda Holiday Gym) from Spain. Claudio Corti (Suzuki Alstare) made less of an impression today and only ended up with seventh quickest time, but the points leader was just a couple of tenths away from the front row.

Times: 1. Simeon X. (BEL) Ducati 1098R 1′39.329; 2. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1′39.498; 3. Colucci D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1′39.814; 4. Barragan S. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1′39.958; 5. Magnoni M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 1′40.111; 6. Barrier S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1′40.184; 7. Corti C. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′40.195; 8. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1′40.272

Superstock 600

Pole position for the European 600 Superstock race went to a wild-card rider from a family with a famous name, Ferruccio Lamborghini (Yamaha), who took advantage of the rain showers in the last few minutes of the session to hold off points leader Danilo Petrucci. In an all-Italian and all-Yamaha front row, third place went to Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Trasimeno) ahead of another wild-card Giuliano Gregorini (Baru Racing Yamaha). Britain’s Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda), level on points with Petrucci at the top of the table, could only manage tenth place and starts from row 3.

Times: 1. Lamborghini F. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′41.803; 2. Petrucci D. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′42.117; 3. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′42.235; 4. Gregorini G. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′42.498; 5. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′42.632; 6. Lonbois V. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 1′42.728; 7. La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1′42.784; 8. Boscoscuro A. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′43.003. – Infront

Qualifying at Road America

A pair of familiar faces found their way to the top of the charts in Friday’s Superpole qualifying sessions for the Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader at Road America, as Mat Mladin and Jason DiSalvo claimed pole positions in AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited and AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL, respectively.

As he has done for every American Superbike race thus far in 2009, Mladin put the No. 7 Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 on the pole, this time with a lap at 2:13.218 (109.391 mph). The six-time American Superbike champion has won eight of the season’s nine races to date and goes in search of his ninth Road America victory in Saturday’s first race of the doubleheader.

“It was a decent lap for us,” Mladin said. “We left a little bit out there, but it wasn’t too bad. It’s more important to get things sorted out for tomorrow, and we’re definitely lacking some speed this week. A couple of other bikes have somehow picked up a lot of speed in the last month or so, straight-line speed. It looks like it might be a rough and tumble race and we’ll see how it goes in the end.”

Starting alongside Mladin will be teammate Blake Young on the No. 79 Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Young, who hails from nearby Madison, Wis., posted the second-quickest lap of Superpole at 2:13.736 (108.967 mph). Young is returning to American Superbike action this weekend for the first time since he was injured in the second race of a doubleheader at Barber Motorsports Park early last month.

“This is the favorite track on the circuit for me, obviously to have the fans and friends and family here,” Young said. “It’s good to be back on the motorcycle. I’m really happy and it went really good for us. We moved up a spot, so we’re just going to have to work on a few more things for tomorrow morning’s warm-up session and we’ll be back at it.”

Josh Hayes qualified third on the No. 4 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1 with a lap at 2:13.995 (108.756 mph). Hayes is the only rider other than Mladin to stand atop the American Superbike box this season, which he achieved with his victory in the first race of the doubleheader at Infineon Raceway last month. He was quick to point out that he and his team have some more work to do if they are going to celebrate another victory this weekend.

“We need a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work,” Hayes explained. “Mat’s still setting the benchmark, so we’re just out there working and we’ll see if we can catch up to him and make him race for it a little bit. ”

Geoff May completes the American Superbike front row followings
??? at 2:14.280 (108.525 mph) on the No. 54 National Guard/Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000.

The first American Superbike race of the Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader goes off from a standing start at 3:00 p.m. local time tomorrow afternoon. The scheduled distance is 13 laps (50 miles).

DiSalvo Continues March in Daytona SportBike Superpole

In the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL Superpole session, DiSalvo claimed his fourth straight pole on the No. 40 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600 at 2:20.153 (103.978 mph). While DiSalvo is riding a four-event streak of pole positions, he heads into tomorrow’s race still looking for his first Daytona SportBike victory.

“It’s good to have a front-row start,” DiSalvo said. “With the rolling start format, it’s always really important to be up front. I think tonight the guys are going to really tuck in and do some work. We’ve got to go crunch some numbers and just try to figure out where we’re going to find our couple of missing tenths (of a second) out there. We’re pretty close now.”

Joining DiSalvo on the front row is his teammate, Martin Cardenas on the No. 36 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600. Cardenas posted a Superpole lap at 2:20.908 (103.421 mph) to earn his best starting spot of the season to date. The Colombian has won the last four consecutive Daytona SportBike races and five of the last six dating to his first victory at Road Atlanta in April.

“It’s going to be very difficult to duplicate the results that I’m having, but we’ll see tomorrow in the race what happens,” Cardenas said. “I’ll do my best. The lap was okay. I made one mistake and I was a little bit disappointed because I’ve been feeling good since we rode the bike yesterday and the bike is going pretty good. I was hoping for a little bit better lap, but it wasn’t possible. We’ll try tomorrow.”

Bobby Fong will start third on the No. 27 GreenerAcres.org Yamaha YZF-R6 following his Superpole lap of 2:22.021 (102.610 mph). It was also Fong’s best Daytona SportBike qualifying performance to date and was his second consecutive appearance in the 10-rider Superpole session. He qualified ninth last time out at Infineon Raceway. Chaz Davies completed the second row with a lap at 2:22.123 (102.537 mph) on the No. 57 Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Aprilia RSV1000R.

Jake Zemke originally qualified the No. 1x Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR on the Daytona SportBike pole and his teammate Chris Peris was originally third on the No. 10 Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR in Superpole, but both riders’ times were disallowed in post-qualifying technical inspection due to a fuel infraction. The remaining eight riders in Superpole were moved forward accordingly.

Zemke and Peris will be allowed to participate in final qualifying tomorrow morning with a best starting position of ninth available to all remaining Daytona SportBike riders.

The first Daytona SportBike race of the Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader closes out Saturday’s activities beginning at 4:00 p.m. local time. The scheduled distance is 13 laps (50 miles).

Aussie Dave Racing and Pair-A-Nines Take Poles for SunTrust Moto-GT

In qualifying for tomorrow’s two-hour AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT race at the Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader the No. 2 Aussie Dave Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 claimed the overall and GT1 class pole, while the No. 9 Pair-A-Nines entry took the GT2 pole position.

The No. 2 Suzuki, which is co-ridden by David Anthony and Hawk Mazzotta, was quickest overall in the 30-minute qualifying session with a lap at 2:26.970 (99.155 mph). It will be joined on the front row by the No. 14 Crozier Motorsports Triumph Daytona 675 of Mark Crozier, Phil Caudill and Doug Polen, which qualified second at 2:27.519 (98.786 mph).

In GT2, the No. 9 Kawasaki being shared by Nick Cummings and AMA Hall of Famer Jay Springsteen starts from the class pole with a lap at 2:36.306 (93.232 mph). Starting second in GT2 will be the No. 64 TeamHurtByAccident.com Ducati PS1000LE being shared by Justin and Jimmy Filice, another AMA Hall of Famer. The No. 64 Ducati posted a best qualifying lap at 2:36.308 (93.231 mph).

It originally appeared that both class poles would be won by Ryan Elleby, who took the GT1 class honors on the No. 4 Scooter Superstore/Hooters Aprilia RSV1000 with a lap at 2:26.491 (99.479 mph) and posted the fastest qualifying time in the GT2 class at 2:33.247 (95.093 mph) on the No. 77 Touring Sport Ducati/Ducshop Ducati PS1000LE.

However, both times were subsequently disallowed. The No. 4 Aprilia encountered engine problems toward the end of qualifying and was unable to complete its mandatory run on the dyno after qualifying. The dyno test of the No. 77 Ducati, meanwhile, revealed that the bike exceeded the maximum horsepower allowed for the GT2 class.

The fourth round of the nine-race 2009 SunTrust Moto-GT season takes the green flag at 11:00 a.m. local time.

Mercado Tops SuperSport presented by Shoei Practice

Leandro Mercado topped the time charts in both AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei practice sessions with an overall best lap at 2:23.685 (101.422 mph) in the afternoon session on the No. 92 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. The Argentine is looking for his second SuperSport victory of the season after claiming his maiden win in April at Road Atlanta.

Second quickest on the day was Ricky Parker on the No. 96 Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 with a lap at 2:24.328 (100.970 mph) in the afternoon session, followed by Russ Wikle on the No. 5 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R600 at 2:25.399 (100.226 mph) in the morning session.

The SuperSport race wraps up the weekend’s activities for the Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader with a 10-lap (40-mile) race beginning at 4:00 p.m. local time on Sunday afternoon. This weekend’s race at Road America marks the first time since the season opener at Daytona that the SuperSport East and West championships will race together.

Daytona Sportbike