Safety First Racing press release from Pikes Peak: Shea Fouchek #544 Fouchek continued his AMA learning curve at Pikes Peak this weekend. In Formula Extreme, Fouchek qualified 21st and moved up several positions in the race and finished 14th. Fouchek stated, “I wish I could have qualified better like I did in Supersport, but the race went well and I moved up several spots. I kind of got held up from some guys and lost touch with the group in front during the race and couldn’t make up the gap.” In Supersport, Fouchek qualified on the 4th row 15th and finished a very respectable 17th after encountering rear brake problems in the race. “I almost ate crap in turn three on the first lap!” replied Fouchek. “I went into three hard on the brakes, heard a whack and almost got spit off”¦.I didn’t have any rear brake the rest the race. Coming from a motocross background, I really rely on the rear brake,” explained Fouchek. It was later determined that the rear brake caliper bracket broke. “Then on lap two I had a guy ram me going into three and smashed the mid pipe on the exhaust. It was definitely an eventful race, I was just happy to finish and look forward to Road America,” replied Fouchek J.J. Roetlin #94 Roetlin spent the weekend searching for the right setup. “I didn’t qualify very well in Superbike, however in the morning practice session I found over half a second and got down into the solid 56’s,” explained Roetlin. In Superbike, Roetlin qualified 26th, and finished 30th after crashing and remounting to finish the race. “I just tucked the front going into turn three hard on the brakes. Fortunately, I was able to come into the pits and the team bent the shift lever back around and I was able to get back out there,” replied Roetlin. In Superstock, Roetlin qualified 20th and finished 15th in the race. “The race was going well”¦.I was catching the Hooters guys until the rear tire started to fade about halfway through the race and spin everywhere. At that point I was just trying not to loose any positions. With the heat, this place was just really hard on tires,” explained Roetlin. “I’m looking forward to Road America and improving my results for the team, the last two weekends haven’t gone as well as I would have liked,” stated Roetlin. More, from a press release issued by Jason DiSalvo’s publicist: DISALVO SETS TWO POLE POSITIONS AT PPIR Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha factory racer competed at Pikes Peak International Speedway Saturday and Sunday May 21st and 22nd. With the race schedule being shortened to a two-day session, practice and qualifying were both accomplished on Saturday. Jason was fastest in each practice and set pole position in both the 600cc SuperSport and 1000cc SuperStock. On Sunday, Jason continued his top position in morning practice in both classes. He set a new track record for PPIR BEING THE FIRST RIDER EVER TO HAVE POLE POSITION IN TWO CLASSES. In the SuperStock race, Jason took the lead in the first lap from his pole position only to experience a lack of grip from his rear tire, moving him back gradually to finish 4th at the checkered flag. DiSalvo commented, “From the first lap I had little or no grip spinning the rear tire through the long turn 1 and both front and back straights. It was difficult to try and stay with the front three”. The SuperSport race was televised live on Speed Channel at 4pm Eastern time on Sunday. Jason again starting from his pole position took control of the race from lap one and ran flawlessly for 18 laps at a pace were only the reigning National Champion was in contention. With a constant breaking duel in each passing area, Jason got into turn three to deep on lap 19 and lost the front causing a low side crash which damaged the bike preventing him from being able to rejoin the race. It was disappointing for Jason after having such great times in practice and qualifying. With the season being half over the Championships loom larger than ever. In the SuperStock class Jason is currently tied for second with only two points seperating the top three positions. The SuperSport class finds Jason in sixth place after this weekends DNF. The next race is Road America in Wisconsin June 4th, 5th, and 6th. The PPIR race will be televised Tuesday, May 24th at 1pm, Thursday, May 26th at 4am, and Tuesday, May 31st at 5:30pm. More, from a press release issued by Racing Performance Services: Racing Performance Services PPIR Wrap-up RPS sponsored Ty Howard, Ricky Orlando, and Greg Greenwood took on the fast and tough AMA Formula Extreme class at PPIR. Ty Howard AMA FX #7 Jeff Maloney brought the GP Tech Yamaha to Pikes Peak to continue the pursuit of getting Ty Howard on the podium in the AMA Formula Extreme class. The combination of Ty Howard, GP Tech, and Racing Performance Services working together has netted nothing less than top 10 results since the group started working together at Mid-Ohio last year. Texan Ty Howard started the weekend off with a shake down during Friday promoter practice. Although Howard was able to put in a 56.7, he was having a lot of issues with consistent rear grip. RPS owner Marcus McBain upgraded the valving on the Ohlins shock to solve the issue Friday night while GP-Tech owner Jeff Maloney worked to solve some minor brake issues. Going into Saturday practice, Howard and the team felt confident that the Texan would be able to push ahead with a qualifying performance that would turn some heads. Howard put in a solid 7th fastest time in the Saturday morning practice session and as Qualifying began, it looked like the team hit pay dirt with the setup as Howard used the first 15 minutes of qualifying to test the actual race tire. When Howard came in for a softer tire to better his times for qualifying, he quickly communicated that the rear was spinning up. A quick inspection found that fuel was venting on the rear tire. The team quickly remedied the problem and got Howard back on the track, but time ran out for a fast qualifying lap. Howard still managed an awesome 8th place qualifying run despite the obvious issues. Sunday Morning looked like everything had fallen into place. Ty posted the 4th fastest practice time with a 56.4 and both Howard and the team were pumped up. As the riders went out for the warm-up lap, catastrophe struck. The rear chain adjuster that was used in the quick-change system for the Daytona 200 shattered and the chain immediately came off the rear sprocket as the axle moved forward. Howard and the team were greatly disappointed, as the team could not recover quickly enough for the fast Texan to competitively resume the race. Howard reflected, “It was really disappointing for something like that to go wrong, but I always like the way the team works together and we always seem to have a good opportunity to run up front. Michelin provided some awesome tires this weekend and I really wish we would have been able to start the race.” Ricky Orlando AMA FX #112 AMA veteran Ricky Orlando came to PPIR looking for a top finish on his ZX-6r. After some front end chatter problems at Fontana, Orlando and McBain worked on some setup changes. Orlando used the Friday promoter practice to verify the new setup and all went well. Throughout the Friday afternoon sessions and Saturday morning practice, Ricky put in quick laps, and improve his times. At the end of Saturday, Orlando stood 15th fastest after qualifying and felt he had some more left in himself and the ZX-6r. After completing Sunday Morning practice, Orlando had a solid game plan and commented, “I really need to get a good start. If I can get hooked up with a couple of quick bikes, we can probably make a break and look at a top 10 finish. The chassis and suspension is working well. Marv (Rosencrans) has the motor working well and we have enough hp to stay with some of the faster teams.” At the drop of the green flag, Orlando was on pace quickly. He jumped into 13th place and started to battle with Heath Small. As the race progressed, Orlando stayed tucked in with Small through traffic. As the race progressed Orlando turned up the heat and ran a 57.7, but Small responded with a 57.5. As the race wound down, Orlando found himself in 12th place as the checkered flag dropped. Greg Greenwood AMA FX #193 The 42-Year entrepreneur and AMA Rookie made his professional racing debut at his home track. Greenwood entered the weekend ready for a solid weekend after winning at the previous weekend’s MRA sprint races on his ComCables Yamaha R-6’s with Nick Adams built motors. The weekend started off a bit slow as the team worked to tune-in his suspension that had some new valve configurations. At the close of promoter practice, Greenwood was just hitting his stride and the chassis was tracking well. During the Saturday morning practice, Greenwood found some more speed with a few more adjustments and posted a 59.7 that left the Colorado rider ready to put in some fast laps for qualifying. At the start of qualifying, Greenwood wasted little time and got his Yamaha in the top 20 by posting a time of 58.7 and taking the 17th qualifying position. Greg and the team fine-tuned the chassis even more Sunday morning and Greenwood was ready to assert himself into the top 15 for the actual race after posting some quick laps Sunday morning. The start of the FX race started great for Greg and he quickly moved into 14th and focused on maintaining a good pace that would allow him to move up as the race progressed. Halfway through the race, Greenwood had to change his game plan as he lost 9 positions when he ran off in Turn 3 after a miscue. The AMA rookie gathered himself and gained back several positions to post a very strong 19th place finish. Greenwood also elected to participate in the 600 supersport race on his back-up Yamaha R-6 and finished a very credible 23rd place after qualifying 26th. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS SUZUKI’S STEVE RAPP HAS GREAT FINISHES AT PIKES PEAK Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki rider Steve Rapp finished sixth in both the Superstock and Superbike classes at round five of the AMA Superbike Championship at Pikes Peak International Raceway on Sunday, May 22nd. Rapp fought hard for the 6th place finish in Superstock, and was once again the top rider in the Superbike class on Superstock-spec machinery, managing his tires throughout the 48-lap race. Teammate Montez Stewart raced to a 22nd place finish in Superstock, continuing to make progress on the set-up of his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Jason Pridmore, still recovering from his spleen surgery, was at the event over the weekend and will ride during an upcoming STAR Motorcycle School in the Denver area, in anticipation of racing at the upcoming AMA Superbike Championship event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in two weeks. Steve Rapp Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 6th Place “My Suzuki was good and the Dunlop tires were good, I just got a horrible start,” said Rapp, who had qualified eighth. “This track, it’s really hard to pass on, so once I got stuck behind some guys, I really had to work hard. I think I only had five or six laps away from people. I think we could have been up a couple of more places. The bike was good and the tires were good, so I kind of blame myself.” Rapp is looking forward to the next round at Road America in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin, and returning to a true road racing facility. Rapp’s Suzuki GSX-R 1000 showed its power at Daytona by posting top speeds of over 194 mph, which will be useful at Road America’s 3 long straightaways. Sunday’s Superbike Final – 6th Place “Awesome start,” said Rapp, who came from 15th place on the grid. “I was on Hodgson and I passed (Ben) Spies. Then I hooked up with Josh (Hayes), forever, the whole entire race. I couldn’t pass him. I stayed right behind him and tried to save my tires. Ran like three-quarters throttle around the banking, to keep it from spinning. I was just gonna follow him and save my tire as much as I could. I figured three laps to go and try to make a move. Then (Mat) Mladin passed us, then we got lappers, and it mixed it all up. I was really lucky in that race, because I was right behind (Neil) Hodgson and his radiator blew or something, right in front of me. I thought they were gonna red flag it, because I thought it was a lot of water on the track. I am just really happy with the entire Jordan Suzuki crew, and the support all of our sponsors.” Montez Stewart Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 22nd Place “My race went okay, but I didn’t like my tire choice,” said Stewart after the race. “The tire I tested on Friday in practice that I really liked, we didn’t have any more of that tire. We went with the tire that everybody was going with, that Dunlop selected. My style of riding is different from everybody else, things have to be changed a little, even tire choices are different, just because of my height and I sit so far back on the bike. What works for other people usually doesn’t work for me. That’s the first time I raced a big bike around here. Last year, I fell down in the Supersport race and didn’t get one lap. But I am looking forward to getting back to my home track Road America in two weeks.” Ken Abbott – General Manager / Jordan Suzuki “We are really happy with Steve’s hard work, and he has been carrying the Jordan Suzuki banner well all year. We missed the podium this week, but we’ll be back soon. We are very proud of him. We also look forward to Jason’s return in a couple of weeks at Road America, and showing the power of the new 2005 Suzuki GSX-R 1000s. Our Gatorade sponsorship was a key element this week with the record heat in Colorado. We used so much Gatorade product to keep hydrated and stay healthy, it’s a good thing that we are heading back to our race shop in Wisconsin, since we need to reload. The team is incredible, and a great productive environment for everyone to work, and I look forward to the second half of the season when we return to tracks that both Steve and Jason really like. We are expecting great results from both riders to mix up the championship hunt a bit.” Superstock Results – Round 5 – Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain, CO 1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha 2. Aaron Yates, Yoshimura Suzuki 3. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 4. Jason Disalvo, Yamaha 5. Michael Barnes, M4 EMGO Suzuki 6. Steve Rapp, Jordan Suzuki 7. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki 8. John Haner, Lion Racing Suzuki 9. Geoff May, M4 EMGO Suzuki 10. Jake Holden, Lion Racing Suzuki Superbike Results – Round 5 – Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain, CO 1. Eric Bostrom, Ducati 2. Aaron Yates, Yoshimura Suzuki 3. Ben Spies, Yoshimura Suzuki 4. Mat Mladin, Yoshimura Suzuki 5. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki 6. Steve Rapp, Jordan Suzuki 7. Mark Ledesma, Honda 8. John Haner, Lion Racing Suzuki 9. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 10. Brent George, Corona Suzuki More, from a press release issued by North Valley Racing: North Valley Racing from Phoenix Arizona congratulates our rider Mark Ledesma on his 7th place finish at Pikes Peak in the AMA Superbike race. Mark was the first Honda to cross the finish line. We believe Mark Ledesma is a shining example of what a true privateer can accomplish. Mark works 5 days a week tuning and rebuilding motorcycles in our shop. He took a stock bike off our showroom floor and personally built the engine and dyno tuned it to 205 RWHP, set up his suspension, loaded the trailer, unloaded, worked on the bike, changed tires, qualified 12th, finished 7th, loaded the trailer and then flew home to prepare for work on Tuesday. Mark can also be found at the local Phoenix Firebird racetrack during trackdays teaching the fast smooth lines and helping enthusiasts with their set up. More, from a press release issued by Team MPTracing.Com/JC Baldwin Suzuki: Sporting a new helmet paint scheme representing new sponsor Monster Energy Drink, Team MPTracing.Com/JC Baldwin Suzuki rider Danny Eslick had a strong race weekend at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Eslick got a good start in the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme race moving from his sixth place spot on the grid to fourth going into turn 1. He quickly took third place up the inside of Ben Attard in turn three. Danny was able to hold onto the final podium spot until lap 15 of the 29 lap race. As he transitioned into turn 7 on the tight infield, the back end spun around on him and low-sided his Suzuki GSXR 600. Eslick managed to hold onto the bike as it slid on its right side, keeping it from tumbling as it slid off into the grass. The young Oklahoma rider was able to remount the bike and get back on track in fifth spot were he would finish the race. Even after sliding off the track, Eslick was still able to run a lap time within 10 seconds of his race pace. Coming off the track Danny told crew chief, Grant Matsushima, “I was really happy that the front brake lever was still there, because I didn’t check it till I got into turn 1.” The result gave him valuable points to keep his hold on third place in the overall championship. Danny Eslick returned later in the day with the MPTracing.Com/JC Baldwin Suzuki GSXR 600 Supersport bike, starting 11th on the grid in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race. He had another great start, pushing up to fifth on the opening part of lap one. At the end of the first lap Danny was in sixth place. From there Eslick rode a consistent race and finished in eighth place by the checkered flag. The finish gave him his best Supersport result of his career and helped to maintain his eleventh place in the championship standings. More, from a press release issued by Racers4kids: Zalusky voted “Most Popular” racer at PPIR The results of the “Vote For Charity” event sponsored by Racers4Kids at PPIR indicate that female racers are very popular with the fans. Given the opportunity to donate $1.00 per vote to charity, fans overwhelmingly voted for Jessica Zalusky. Eric Bostrum finished second in the voting followed closely by Miguel DuHamel. PPIR officials were not surprised, stating that female racers in all motorsports at PPIR draw large numbers of fans. The autograph line at Zalusky’s garage was stacked with fans for nearly 2 hours after the Formula Extreme race in which she raced. Zalusky braved the hot sun in her leathers until every fan had been greeted. Proceeds from the “Vote For Charity” Event will be donated to The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Fans can participate in the season long “Vote For Charity” fundraiser and vote for their favorite racer in all forms of motorsports by visiting www.Racers4Kids.com and selecting the “Vote Here” link. More, from another press release issued by Racers4kids: RACERS 4 KIDS RECEIVES SUPPORT OF TOP AMA RACERS AT PPIR Racers 4 kids is helping to enrich the lives of children by supporting children’s charities and other programs which benefit children and encourages children to become involved in motorsports as an alternative to alcohol or Drug abuse. Several top AMA racers including Ben Attard, Michael Barnes, Marty Craghill, Miguel DuHamel, Mat Mladdin, Dan Sallis, Aaron Yates and Jake Zemke lent their name in support. Attard, Barnes, DuHamel, Zemke, and Yates were also kind enough to film video clips which will be included in the Racers 4 Kids promotional video featuring racers from all forms of motorsports speaking to and encouraging children to get involved. The video, still in production, will be released later this year and distributed to schools, libraries and other children’s clubs. Racers and/or teams who would like to join us should visit www.racers4kids.com to learn more. Racers 4 Kids invites racers from all levels to join and take part in our efforts.