Barnes Wins AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Race at NOLA Veteran Rider Also Earns First AMA Pro Class Championship Milwaukee (October 7, 2012) KLR Group/Spyke’s Harley-Davidson rider Michael Barnes won his third AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series race of the season and earned the first AMA Pro Racing class championship of his 25-year professional racing career Sunday at NOLA Motorsport Park in New Orleans, La., in a race that began with an atmosphere of highly charged anticipation and ended in controversy as the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing season drew to a close. Barnes and fellow championship contender Tyler O’Hara (Bartels’ Harley-Davidson/Scrubblade) jumped into the lead at the start of the nine-lap contest after polesitter Jake Holden (MOB Racing) crashed on the opening lap. Following another crash on lap four by Ray Delaney that caused a red flag stoppage, the pair picked up where they left off on the subsequent restart, setting up a five-lap sprint for the XR Showdown crown and its $25,000 first place bonus. O’Hara shadowed Barnes until the penultimate lap, when he made a move to the front early in the lap, only to give the position back on the white flag lap in Turn 1. O’Hara attempted to regain the lead again several corners later but went wide under braking, allowing Barnes to stay in front. Then as the pair exited the final corner onto the start/finish straight side by side, O’Hara reached over and appeared to grab Barnes’ right arm, pulling it off the throttle and causing his motorcycle to lose momentum as O’Hara drew past him and crossed the finish line in the lead. However, AMA Pro Racing officials subsequently ruled the incident as avoidable contact between riders and issued a penalty that repositioned O’Hara to last place in the finishing order, settling the championship in Barnes’ favor. “Tyler came up on the inside of me, but I had the outside line and I knew I had the better drive. Then he grabbed onto my arm and pulled by me,” Barnes said after the race. “I know he was desperate, but we should have just run it right to the line. You never know, he could have got it. But he grabbed onto my arm and pulled me back a couple of feet. I was just screaming as soon as he did it, ‘Man, what you doing? Why would you do that?’ There was a lot on the line. We’ve had such an awesome season. Wow, a championship. It only took me 25 years.” Following the race, O’Hara had little to say about the incident: “Barney was coming over and I just had to let him know I was there. I grabbed him with my arm and that was it.” A crash by eventual fourth place finisher Michael Corbino on the last lap caused a second red flag to be thrown resulting in several riders behind him being scored a lap down at the finish. NOLA Motorsports Park Race Result: 1. Michael Barnes (KLR Group/Spyke’s H-D), 9 laps 2. Shane Narbonne (MOB Racing/Teterboro Rams LLC), +5.761 seconds 3. Benjamin Carlson (Suburban Motors H-D), +6.680 seconds 4. Michael Corbino (Rossiter’s H-D/XP Motorsports), 8 laps, crash 5. David Estok (Ruthless Racing/Deeley H-D Racing), +9.055 seconds 6. Josh Chisum (Bartels’ H-D/Scrubblade), +12.746 seconds 7. Eric Haugo (MOB Racing/Teterboro Rams LLC), +17.606 seconds 8. Brice Cooper (Woodstock H-D/Powerlet), +32.807 seconds 9. Paul James (Hoban Cycle/Woodstock H-D), +33.504 seconds 10. Chris Hamilton (Rig Tech), +37.365 seconds 11. Tyler O’Hara (Bartels’ H-D/Scrubblade), +37.366 seconds 12. Travis Wyman (Harv’s H-D), 5 laps 13. Ray Delaney (Fury Offshore Racing Team), 4 laps, crash 14. Darren James (Ruthless Racing/Deeley Racing), 1 lap 15. Jake Holden (MOB Racing/Teterboro Rams LLC), 0 laps, crash Final XR1200 Showdown Points Standings (Championship Bonus) 1. Michael Barnes, 1,121 ($25,000) 2. Benjamin Carlson, 1,103 ($10,000) 3. Tyler O’Hara, 1,098 ($7,500) 4. Michael Corbino, 1,082 ($4,000) 5. Travis Wyman, 1,071 ($3500) 6. David Estok, 1,065 ($3,000) 7. Kyle Wyman, 1,062 ($2,500) 8. Josh Chisum, 1,057 ($2,000) 9. Gerry Signorelli, 1,018 ($1,500) 10. Darren James, 1,000 ($1,000) Company Background Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit harley-davidson.com. More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura: TEAM YOSHIMURA SUZUKI CONCLUDES 2012 SUPERBIKE SEASON WITH SOLID PODIUM FINISH Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Young celebrates 2nd-place result in New Orleans NEW ORLEANS, LA Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Young wound up the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike season with a flourish, racing his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a celebratory podium finish at the final round of the series at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, LA. This past weekend started out with Yoshimura Suzuki’s Young getting an excellent start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 in Saturday’s 18-lap race. Young got off the line in second place and turned in a smart, savvy ride to bring home the runner-up spot on the podium. On Sunday, Young was running in second place and en route to another podium finish when he suffered some bad luck when another rider collided with him and he had to retire for the day. “On Saturday, I got a pretty good start,” said Young. “The only thing I would change is that I would have liked to turn faster laps at the start of the race. I put a lot of pressure on myself but it was a good race, and I guess I’m pretty happy with second. The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 was working good for me and, as always, my team worked hard for me. It’s been a tough season, but hats off to my Yoshimura Suzuki crew for always giving me 110 percent.” Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s Young finished the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship season in second overall, with three wins and 13 podium finishes. Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Chris Clark was unable to contend the final race of the season due to illness. NOLA Superbike Results, Race 1: 1. Josh Hayes 2. Blake Young 3. Roger Hayden 4. Chris Fillmore 5. Robertino Pietri 6. Larry Pegram 7. Taylor Knapp 8. Steve Rapp 9. David Anthony 10. Aaron Yates NOLA Superbike Results, Race 2: 1. Josh Hayes 2. Ben Bostrom 3. Danny Eslick 4. Aaron Yates 5. Chris Fillmore 6. Chris Ulrich 7. Robertino Pietri 8. David Anthony 9. Steve Rapp 10. Jordan Burgess 2012 Superbike Class Standings: 1. Josh Hayes 580 2. Blake Young 426 3. Roger Hayden 314 4. Josh Herrin 307 5. Geoff May 277 6. Ben Bostrom 271 7. Larry Pegram 260 8. Danny Eslick 242 9. Steve Rapp 216 10. Chris Ulrich 186 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 American Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded the Motorcycle and ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, CA, in 1963. 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 147 distributors in 201 countries/regions. For more information visit www.suzukicycles.com. More, from a press release issued by Dainese: Wrapping up the AMA Pro Roadracing season finale in the Big Easy, Dainese & AGV riders strive to end on a winning note by securing their hard-earned places in the standings and capturing the last available championship for 2012. Avondale, LA- In a SuperSport Race 1 bookended by red flags, the man of the hour was Dainese & AGV Celtic Racing Orient Express racer James “The Rocket” Rispoli. Sporting a freshly custom-painted GP-Tech helmet on his way to making the record-books, Rispoli’s 4th place finish was enough to officially capture him both the AMA Supersport West and overall championships- a first in AMA history. Fellow Dainese racer Roadrace Factory’s Thomas Puerta made yet another trip to the podium finishing 3rd. The final SuperSport race of the season rolled off without a hitch. James Rispoli took his final podium of the season coming home in 3rd place, with Thomas Puerta trailing home behind him by 3.7 seconds in 4th place. Suffering unpredictable front tire performance, SuperBike Race 1 was a crapshoot for most of the grid. From a great start, Dainese and Jordan Suzuki’s Ben Bostrom battled hard with Dainese and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Young for 2nd position. When Bostrom was forced to retire with mechanical trouble, Young never let up, bringing home a solid 2nd place. Weekend latecomer Dainese and AGV Attack Performance’s Steve Rapp, who rode as high as 4th, crossed the finish line 8th after missing Friday practices. The AMA SuperBike season ended much the way it began for Blake Young- with a Dainese D-Air deployment. Battling Jordan Suzuki’s Roger Hayden on lap 9, Young was taken out in a high-speed crash when Hayden lost control of his bike entering Turn 1. Despite the speed and severity of the accident, Young walked away uninjured. Steve Rapp ran an almost identical race to Saturday, running as high as 5th before settling into a 9th place finish. Reeling off consistent fast laps all race with determined focus, Ben Bostrom took Dainese’s final podium of the year earning a great end-of-season 2nd place. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS TEAM CLOSES OUT 2012 SUPERBIKE SEASON WITH TWO PODIUM FINISHES NEW ORLEANS, LA The Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) team finished up the 2012 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike season with a bang at the series’ final round at NOLA Motorsports Park this past weekend in New Orleans, LA. MJM’s Ben Bostrom raced his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 to second place on Sunday, while National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Roger Hayden finished third on Saturday. Sunday’s 18-lap race was a good one for MJM’s Bostrom. After qualifying second on the starting grid, Bostrom got a good launch on his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 and ran in third for the first several laps. Bostrom continued to battle for a podium position as the race continued. Then, as the checkered flag was about to fly, the rider in front of Bostrom crossed a track boundary and was penalized five seconds. When the smoke cleared, MJM’s Bostrom walked away with the second spot on the podium. “It was a good end to a rough day,” said Bostrom. “It was a tough race, but it was good overall. Everyone rode well and I had a good battle toward the end. And I can’t thank the Michael Jordan Motorsports team for giving me such a great bike with the Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000. It’s been powerful all season long and it always reminds me why I love to race motorcycles.” In the previous day’s race, National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Hayden was the one celebrating on the podium. Saturday saw Hayden overcome a lackluster start and make the most of his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000. Hayden put his head down and moved up steadily through the field to take a podium position via a third-place finish. “It was an exciting race for me,” said Hayden. “I got a bad start; I got pinched off in Turn One and I tried to make it all back up and I ran off the track. Then I made up a few spots, but went off the track again. Finally, I just started picking guys off slowly, didn’t try to force anything and worked my way up. It wasn’t my best race, but we also got third in points and that’s my best season finish so far.” In the 2012 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship points standings, Hayden finished the season in third place overall after capturing his first-ever Superbike victory, plus seven podium finishes. MJM’s Bostrom finished sixth overall in the championship points, with three podium finishes. ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS: Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports in 2004 as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. His mission is to bring a new level of excellence and style to the motorcycle racing industry. For more information on MJM, please visit www.23race.com, www.twitter.com/23race and http://www.facebook.com/23race. ABOUT THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: The National Guard is the oldest military branch. Today, Citizen-Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while training part time, staying ready to defend America in the event of an emergency. The National Guard serves both state and federal governments. During local emergencies, Guard units assist residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard companies deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. Michael Jordan Motorsports is proud to partner with: Jordan Brand (a division of Nike), National Guard, American Suzuki, Hanes, Gatorade, Bazzaz, Vortex Racing Components, FMF Exhausts, Gemini Racing, K-Tech Suspension-Orient Express Racing, Maxima Racing Oils, Mechanix Wear, K & N Air Filters, Dainese Leathers, AGV Helmets, Ancra Tie-downs, Chicken Hawk Racing Tire Warmers, Armour Bodies, DID Chains, Factory Pro Dyno, Roclun International, Cardo Scala Rider, STAR Motorcycle School, Motion Pro Tools, Zero Gravity Windscreens, with transportation provided by Eastside Trucking.