Kyle Wyman Racing makes waves in wet Road Atlanta event
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — The Millennium Technologies/KWR team endured wet conditions at Road Atlanta this past weekend for strong finishes in the AMA/FIM MotoAmerica Road Racing event. Supersport rider Kyle Wyman finished 15th/8th respectively in each race while middle brother Travis accomplished double-podium results in Superstock 600 and Cody claimed 21st/11th results.
The weekend began with a damp day of qualifying on Friday with oldest brother Kyle putting his Millennium Technologies/KWR R6 on the grid in 7th position.
“We started out the weekend really strong in qualifying,” Kyle said. “I felt really comfortable in the damp conditions from the get-go, and my K-Tech suspension was working really well. Myself and the crew felt we would be prepared for any condition mother nature could throw at us.”
Mother Nature kept it dry for Saturday’s Supersport race 1, and Wyman got off to a strong start, working his way through the pack on lap one to settle into 7th place. On lap 15 of the 20 lap event however, Wyman suffered a mechanical issue which caused him to retire.
“Unfortunately, yeah, we popped a motor,” added Wyman on the engine failure. “I can’t remember the last time I had a DNF because of a mechanical. My Millennium Technologies crew works so hard for me and it’s heartbreaking to have something like that end our race. Sometimes these things happen, and that’s racing.”
Saturday’s Superstock 600 race one was also a dry event. Travis and Cody soldiered through the 16-lap race, with Travis finishing on the podium for the first time since 2011 in third.
“I owe this all to my Dad, brother Kyle and my Mom for putting this program together for me,” said Travis, 23. “We didn’t have any plans to race two months ago and they put it together and gave me an opportunity to get back out here after taking a year off. Big thanks to Millennium Technologies as well for sponsoring the team. This is a great feeling.”
Sunday’s race two saw Travis back up his 3rd place on Saturday with one spot better, finishing 2nd and leaving with two podium finishes in Atlanta. Youngest brother Cody improved ten spots on his Saturday 21st result by finishing 11th in Sunday’s rain-affected final.
“I struggled with feel in the bike in the beginning of the weekend, and didn’t get a qualifying result that I know I’m capable of,” said Cody, 21. “But we made steady progress throughout the event, and even though I really wanted a top-10 finish this weekend, I’m happy that we were able to come through the pack from a bad starting position. I can’t wait for VIR in a few weeks to keep this show on the road!”
Stay up to date with KWR by visiting www.kylewymanracing.com
About Millennium Technologies:
Millennium Technologies is a premier supplier of high performance engine services and parts for many types of vehicles, notably in the powersports market. Starting in 1997 as a Nickel-Silicon-Carbide cylinder relating and servicing company, Millennium Technologies has branched out into complete service for cylinders, heads, crankshafts and top-ends and also supplies relevant parts such as pistons, gaskets, camshafts and more by working with OEMs, dealers, race teams and weekend mechanics. Millennium Technologies is also the parent company of its extended branches Revolution Performance, Xport CNC Services, Ballistic Performance Components and Forward Motion. For more information visit www.mt-llc.com
About Kyle Wyman Racing:
Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR) was formed in 2011 as a motorcycle road racing team focusing on healthy sponsorship opportunities for companies within and outside the motorcycle industry. KWR is the 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson series championship winning team and current partner with Millennium Technologies family of companies. For more information visit www.kylewymanracing.com
More, from a press release issued by Marietta Motorsports:
Anne Roberts Not Left Out To Dry at Road Atlanta
Braselton, GA — At only her second ever pro event and in extremely unfavorable conditions, Marietta Motorsport’s Anne Roberts qualified then finished in the middle of the Superstock 600 class all weekend. Roberts was pleased with her finishes at MotoAmerica’s Road Atlanta round but not anywhere near satisfied. “I like racing in the dry or in the rain!” said Roberts while packing her trailer. “It was just never one or the other. Every session it had just finished raining or was just beginning to rain. The weather made for the most difficult setup and tire choices we’ve ever faced. Saturday, my crew changed the wheels on the bike four times between sessions! This weather is great for my business (Roberts owns a commercial and residential property maintenance company in North Atlanta called Belle Landscape) but not that good for motorcycle racing. We sure made the best out of it though!”
Friday’s qualifying session was overcast but not raining on a damp track. Roberts was running well into the top 10 and even briefly held P1 before eventually settled for qualifying to the 6th row. Saturday’s qualifying session was mostly wet, so it was good practice for the races to come but her qualifying position wasn’t improved.
Race 1 was started on a drying track with several damp and wet spots. Roberts turned her fastest laps of the weekend aboard her 181 numbered Yamaha YZF-R6, using Dunlop’s GP-A Pro DOT tires, as the track dried. “I didn’t get a great start because my clutch was starting to go and getting grabby but I just put my head down and worked on passing people. All the way to the last lap ‘pass, pass, pass’ was all I kept saying to myself” Roberts recalled. She finished 15th out of a very competitive field of 32 racers.
Race 2 was started late in the day Sunday after torrential rains and deep puddles on the track postponed the schedule. Roberts heading to the grid on rain tires and with a new clutch. The cautiousness of the field into turn 1 kept everyone bunched up and left little room for passing or a hole-shot. Roberts crossed the start / finish line on lap one farther down than she qualified. “I tried to do the same thing I did the day before and just work on the person in front of me but everyone was all over the place. Nothing unsafe but some racers were offline avoiding parts of the track with puddles, others were trying to get out of the mist from the bikes in front of them, everyone’s brake markers had moved. It was nerve-racking! Huge thanks to Shoei’s shield design for never fogging and allowing me to keep everything in sight! Just as I started getting a good rhythm and clicking off passes the track started drying and my rain tire started to go.” Rain tires are extremely soft so they can work well without the heat that other types of tires depend on to stay ‘sticky’. When they can’t be cooled by the rain they’re supposed to be ridden in they begin to overheat and start to wear quickly. “The race had been shortened to 10 laps because of the rain delay so I knew I didn’t have too much to worry about” said Roberts. “I still would look for wet parts of the track to run through on the straightaways. When I highsided myself onto the windscreen and then fell back into the seat coming out of 10b I knew it was time to just concentrate on finishing the race instead of trying to work myself up any further.”
Roberts finished by saying “I couldn’t of done this with a lot of help from my sponsors, family, friends and supporters. I work with great people and try to use the best products so my weekends go smoothly, allowing me to concentrate on doing my best. I love looking at the crowd on the cool down lap and seeing people cheering for me. Especially ones that I’ve met early at other races, trackday or in the pits when they came to look for ‘that girl on the plaid bike’! I’m planning to race all the MotoAmerica events on the East coast but we’ll have to see if we can pick up another sponsor that would like to advertise through us or maybe I can get a few more properties to mow!”
Anne Roberts Racing can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnneRobertsRacing
She proudly supports and is sponsored by: Marietta Motorsports, N2 Trackdays, Graves Motorsport, Motul, Belle Landscape, Yamaha Champions Riding School, Shoei, Highside Photo, Eberhart Creative, Galfer, Ballistik Apparel, Dunlop and The Color Spot.
Anne wishes to thank Craig ‘Huey’ Stewart, Celena Swift, John Risconsin, Chris Callaghan, John Ulrich, Chuck Graves and everyone that supports her online and in the stands!
More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Suzuki:
LEWIS SCORES HIS FIRST SUPERBIKE PODIUMS AT ROAD ATLANTA
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden Wins the Pole
BRASELTON, GA – Jake Lewis had a red-letter day in the AMA Superbike races at Road Atlanta Sunday. The Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing GSX-R1000 rider scored his first and second-career Superbike podiums, taking third in race one and following that up with a second in race two. It was a breakthrough day for the Superbike rookie and it moved him up to third in the series standings after four races.
Veteran teammate Roger Hayden began the weekend with a bang, earning his first Superbike pole of the year, but from that point on the Road Atlanta weekend proved to be one Hayden will hope to put behind him. He led both races Sunday, but crashed out in treacherous conditions both times.
Hayden was the man who came out of Saturday’s 15-minute MotoAmerica Superbike Superpole 2 session with pole position on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Hayden led the wet session with a 1:35.308 lap to best the two Yamahas of Josh Hayes and Cameron Beaubier, who joined him on the front row.
“This weekend I’ve been working really hard on the half-wet, half-dry things where previously Josh [Hayes] has been really strong in those conditions,” Hayden said after earning his third career Superbike pole position. “I had a lot more confidence than normal and got a good first lap. On the second one I was like, ‘I’m going for it.’ I could have gone another lap, but I don’t think I could have gone any quicker and I didn’t really want to really go through that again. Going down the back straightaway it was just like all over the place. I’m happy to get pole, but tomorrow is what matters and I feel ready to go either wet or dry.”
Hayden was battling for the lead in race one when he crashed, then in race two he was pulling away and held a substantial lead when he crashed again.
“I was pretty down after today,” Hayden admitted on Sunday evening. “It was probably one of the lowest points in my career. I was off line maybe a couple of inches in both of those races and it cost me. Now I just have to focus on the race next month at VIR. I know I can run up front – we’ve proven that. Now I just have to put a complete weekend together. With the new points structure we’re not out of it and we won’t give up.”
While Hayden’s weekend went from highlight to agony, his young teammate and friend Lewis was all smiles on Sunday.
Lewis, who was initially having trouble getting used to handling the powerful Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 in wet conditions, broke through what he felt was a psychological barrier on Sunday and raced to a pair of podiums in sketchy conditions.
“I was always a good rain rider, but I was having a tough time getting used to it on the 1000,” Lewis admitted. “My parents talked to me and told me they had confidence in me and reminded me I was good in wet conditions. I woke up and decided to push harder and it paid off. I got a lot of my confidence back racing in these conditions today and it feels great to be on the podium. Hopefully I can keep it up as the season goes on.”
The Yoshimura Suzuki squad returns to action on May 15-17 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Danville, Virginia. The races can be viewed live on FansChoice.TV and then nationally televised on May 24th on CBS Sports Network at 7:00 pm Eastern.
Road Atlanta AMA Superbike Race 1 Results:
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha)
2. Josh Hayes (Yamaha)
3. Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
4. Bernat Martinez (Yamaha)
5. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki)
6. Elena Myers (Suzuki)
Road Atlanta AMA Superbike Race 2 Results:
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha)
2. Jake Lewis (Suzuki)
3. Bernat Martinez (Yamaha)
4. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki)
5. Stefano Mesa (Honda)
6. Elena Myers (Suzuki)
2015 AMA Superbike Championship Points:
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha), 95
2. Josh Hayes (Yamaha), 65
3. Jake Lewis (Suzuki), 60
4. Bernat Martinez (Yamaha), 51
5. Elena Myers (Suzuki), 38
6. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki), 34
7. Roger Hayden (Suzuki), 32
8. Ricky Orlando (Kawasaki), 14
9. Aaron Hersh (Suzuki), 13
10. Stefano Mesa (Honda), 11
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki Motor of America, Motorex, Parts Unlimited, Dunlop, Shorai, Sunstar, K&N Performance Filters, NGK Spark Plugs, RK Racing Chain, Genmark Automation, Pilot, Chicken Hawk Racing and Zeta.
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.
About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. SMAI’s supplier, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com
More, from a press release issued by Meen Motorsports:
April 21, 2015- The Meen Team made an impressive comeback at MotoAmerica’s round two at Road Atlanta this past weekend, going home with 4 podium finishes. Working with on and off rain conditions during qualifying, Meen Team’s Josh Herrin secured a second row spot for the Supersport class, starting in fourth. Wheels in Motion/ MotoSport.com/ Meen Yamaha teammate, Joe Roberts dominated every warm-up and qualifying session, capturing pole position for the Superstock 600 class aboard his Yamaha YZF R6.
After an unfortunate crash in Austin, Herrin came back swinging in Supersport race one at Atlanta, landing himself on top of the box for his first 1st place podium finish of the MotoAmerica season. Herrin battled with Yamalube/YES/Graves Yamaha’s Garret Gerloff for the lead throughout the race, stepping up the pace every time Gerloff challenged him. Delivering a perfect last lap, Herrin lead the Meen Team to victory winning by a .478 margin. Due to unsafe rain conditions, Supersport race two proved to be a strategic one for Herrin. After a three hour rain delay, Herrin rode a smart race and finished second.
Meen Team’s Joe Roberts had a flawless weekend, sweeping the podium with a double win in the Superstock 600 class. In race one Roberts took an early lead, taking the win by 8.5 seconds over rider Richie Escalante from Yamaha Concept Store Mexico. In race two Roberts once again took an early lead, skillfully managing the challenging dry to wet track conditions to the finish line in first place.
“I am very happy with the results of this weekend, especially after having both riders crash out of top positions last week in Austin. My hat goes off to the entire crew who has been working very hard all off season to prepare for the MotoAmerica championship. I look forward to VIR and all the new challenges it will bring”, comments team owner Ameen Sajjadi.
Meen Motorsports would like to thank all their partners: Wheels In Motion, MotoSport.com, Yamaha Motor Corp, Arma Energy, Yamalube, Core Moto, Dr. David Benkle, MOTO-D, Galfer, Camera Control, Active, Dynojet, Graves Motorsports, GB Racing, Flash Tune, Yamaha Generators, Designstar3.com, Motopia, Zero Gravity, Drippin Wet, Speedcell, D.I.D., Vortex, and Dunlop tires.
Meen Motorsports is a professional motorcycle racing team established in 2012 formally known as GP Bike Parts Racing (2011). If interested in being a partner/sponsor of Meen Motorsports please contact [email protected]. For more about the team please visit, www.meenmotorsports.com. Become a Facebook Fan, search Meen Motorsports. Follow live team updates on Twitter @meenmotorsports and on Instagram @meenmoto.
More, from a press release issued by FRC Concepts on behalf of Chisum/Motul Racing:
Tyler O’Hara Scores Two Second Place Finishes at Road Atlanta
The Chisum/Motul Racing Rider Sets the Fastest Lap Time in Race Two
Braselton, GA (April 21, 2015) –Tyler O’Hara powered his Chisum/Motul Racing Yamaha R1 to two second place finishes during this weekend’s MotoAmerica races at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA. O’Hara’s second and third podium finishes of the year moves him into second position behind Jake Gagne in the Superstock 1000cc class.
O’Hara started the Road Atlanta weekend off slowly and couldn’t find the right setup during the Friday practice sessions. However, the Chisum/Motul Racing rider seemed to find his groove during the Superpole qualifying as he held the pole position for a majority of the session. However, with seven minutes left in qualifying, the factory Superbike of Roger Hayden beat his time just as a red flag temporarily stopped the session. Once the track was cleared, the session restarted but O’Hara could not get up to speed in the five minutes remaining and fell back to fifth position overall (second in Superstock).
Riders had to deal with a wet track in both races on Saturday and it seems that the rider from Petaluma, CA has adjusted well to riding in poor conditions. O’Hara got a decent start in the first race of the day but got shuffled back in the pack in turn two after making a small mistake. He started making some moves and passed his way into second position behind Josh Day. By this time, Day had a good lead so O’Hara paced himself to earn his second podium of the year.
The second race of the day saw O’Hara get a better start with the lead group, but he had to slow quite a bit when a rider went down in front of him. His quick actions helped him avoid crashing but it also let a number of riders get around him. Once again, O’Hara found himself playing catch up with the leaders and set the fastest lap of the race as he powered his way to second at the finish line.
“We had good speed and we probably could have been at the top of the podium today,” said O’Hara. “The track conditions made things tough for all us out there, but I’m pretty happy with the two second place finishes. These few weekends off will allow us to work on the bike and get us on par with the other guys out here.”
The Chisum/Motul Racing Team will be competing at Virginia International Raceway for round 3 of the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship on May 15-17, 2015. The team would like to thank Motul, Motion Pro, Sidi, Performance Friction Brake Pads, Core Moto, RS Taichi, Barnett Clutches, Moto Liberty, Arai, Troy Lee Designs, Yoshimura R&D, K-Tech and Orient Express.