SPEEDCELL EQUIPPED RIDERS DOMINATED 2012 AMA PRO ROADRACING (Las Cruces, New Mexico) — The 2012 AMA Pro Roadracing season has come to a close. The season ended the same way that it began and continued all season– with Speedcell equipped riders standing on the top step of the podium. Josh Hayes, riding his Speedcell equipped Monster Energy Graves Yamaha R1 earned his tenth Superbike pole and two more victories at NOLA in an encore performance after wrapping up the 2012 Superbike Championship in Miami. This was his third championship in a row, all while using Speedcell batteries. In Daytona Sportbike, Speedcell equipped riders had a near monopoly on podium positions all season. The final race at NOLA was no different with Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha rider Cameron Beaubier winning race one and newly crowned 2012 Daytona Sportbike Champion Martin Cardenas on his GEICO Suzuki winning race two. Speedcell equipped riders’ performances at NOLA: Superbike- Superbike Race 1- 1. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1) Monster Energy Graves Yamaha 2. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R1000) Yoshimura Suzuki Racing 5. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000) Team Venezuela 8. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-10R) Attack Performance Racing 10. Aaron Yates (BMW S1000RR) Evan Steel Performance/ Iron Horse BMW 13. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000) M4 Suzuki Superbike Race 2 1. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1) Monster Energy Graves Yamaha 4. Aaron Yates (BMW S1000RR) Evan Steel Performance/ Iron Horse BMW 6. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000) M4 Suzuki 7. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000) Team Venezuela 9. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-10R) Attack Performance Racing 15. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R1000) Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Superbike Qualifying 1. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.229 5. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.962 6. Aaron Yates (BMW S1000RR), 1:41.037 10. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:41.806 12. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:41.975 14. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:42.650 Daytona Sportbike- DSB Race 1- 1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R6) Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha 2. Dane Westby (Suz GSX-R600)M4 Suzuki 3. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6) RoadRace Factory RedBull Yamaha 10. Tommy Hayden (Yam YZF-R6) Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha DSB Race 2- 1. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R600) GEICO Suzuki 2. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R6)Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha 4. Dane Westby (Suz GSX-R600) M4 Suzuki 5. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6) RoadRace Factory RedBull Yamaha 7. Tommy Hayden (Yam YZF-R6) Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha DSB Qualifying- 1. Jake Gagne (Yam YZF-R6), 1:42.443 2. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R6), 1:42.882 4. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R600), 1:43.403 6. Dane Westby (Suz GSX-R600), 1:43.828 8. J.D. Beach (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.057, 11. Tommy Hayden (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.486 SuperSport- SuperSport Race 1 1. Hayden Gillim (Yam YZF-R6) RoadRace Factory RedBull Yamaha 3. Tomas Puerta (Yam YZF-R6) RoadRace Factory RedBull Yamaha 5. Elena Myers (Suz GSX-R600 SportbikeTrackGear. com Suzuki SuperSport Race 2 1. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R6) Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha 2. Hayden Gillim (Yam YZF-R6) RoadRace Factory RedBull Yamaha 4. Tomas Puerta (Yam YZF-R6) RoadRace Factory RedBull Yamaha 9. Elena Myers (Suz GSX-R600) SportbikeTrackGear. com Suzuki SuperSport Qualifying 1. Hayden Gillim (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.737 3. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R6), 1:45.479 6. Tomas Puerta (Yam YZF-R6), 1:46.318 10. Elena Myers (Suz GSX-R600), 1:46.716 About Speedcell Technologies Speedcell Technologies, a division of Navitus Group, was established in 2008 to create a lightweight lithium battery alternative to original equipment lead acid batteries. Speedcell engineers design and build all batteries in-house, in the USA. Speedcell builds OEM battery replacement and custom battery solutions for specific applications. Speedcell also works with various cell chemistries and builds battery management systems. Speedcell supplies batteries to the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy. Speedcell is a proud supplier to Attack Performance Motogp, Monster Energy Graves Yamaha, Yoshimura Suzuki Racing, Attack Performance Superbike, GEICO Suzuki, M4 Suzuki, Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha, Roadrace Factory RedBull Yamaha, Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com. Speedcell also supplies batteries to the Factory Yamaha Snowmobile team. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: McGuinness stars at Darley Morecambe’s John McGuinness made his annual trip to the Darley Moor circuit at the weekend for the ‘Stars at Darley’ meeting and it was another profitable visit with the Honda TT Legends rider grabbing third overall from the two legs. Riding his TT winning Honda Fireblade, John was in fine form around the 1.5-mile circuit near Ashbourne and took third in each race behind British Superbike riders Peter Hickman and Barry Burrell to claim his spot on the rostrum. With perfect conditions all weekend at the Derbyshire venue, John signalled his intentions in qualifying when he placed third on the grid, just 0.37s behind the pace-setting BMW of Burrell, and with less than one second covering the top six riders, two close encounters lay in store. Indeed, the first 15-lap race panned out exactly as qualifying had predicted and John led the field round at the end of the opening lap, team-mate Gary Johnson slotting into second. A lap later, John still led but Burrell and Hickman were now up to second and third and by lap four, they’d pushed John back to third. There was still less than two seconds between the trio at the end of lap five but the race was soon stopped due to an incident involving Michael Pearson and the result declared. The second 15-lap later in the afternoon went the full race distance and John again grabbed the holeshot with Hickman and Burrell occupying second and third at the end of the first lap. Hickman squeezed ahead a lap later with Burrell doing the same on lap three and they gradually eased away to leave John circulating on his own in third. Indeed, John was comfortably secure in the final podium position and here he remained to also claim third in the overall standings. Speaking later, a pleased John said, “I’ve been coming to the Stars meeting since 1998 and always support the event as best as I can so it’s been great to come to Darley again and put on a bit of a show. It was nice to get back out on the Honda TT Legends machine again and I can’t fault the performance of the bike this weekend. I gave it my all and I am pleased with my brace of third place finishes. My pace and lap times were good and I pushed Barry and Peter as much as possible but with them riding their bikes week in week out, it was a tall order to better them. I stuck with them in the early stages before they nosed ahead but we weren’t a million miles away though and with some great weather, I think we all put on some good racing today.” John now heads to Brands Hatch where he’ll be back on board the Padgetts Honda for the final round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship. More, from a press release issued by Öhlins USA: For Öhlins in N’Oleans, it’s a Near Perfect AMA Superbike Event: Seven Races, Six Wins New Orleans, Louisiana: From below-head pushrod twins to overhead cam fours, it was a weekend of six wins for Öhlins equipped motorcycles in the inaugural AMA Superbike event at NOLA Motorsports Park, just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, topped off by AMA superbike champion Josh Hayes, on his Graves Yamaha winning the defense of his title for yet another year. The big excitement at the Big Easy track was in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 class, where fan-favorite, Michael “Barney” Barnes took his first solo AMA Pro Championship, after a race-long, wheel-to-wheel, arm-to-arm battle with his primary rival. After the checkered flag his competition in the race, and in the championship, was penalized for purposely making contact with Barney on the final run to the flag from the last corner, when he grabbed Barnes’ throttle arm. You can’t do that! For a rider who’s had enough of the Blues, on this day down the delta from where the Southern crosses the Yellow Dog, Barney finally took the prize he’s sought for more than two decades of racing. The new track in the low delta of Louisiana saw its historic first professional motorcycle win taken on Saturday, October 6, by AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport rider Hayden Gillim and the Road Race Factory Red Bull team. Yamaha YZF-R6 rider Gillim won the race by an astounding 11.082 seconds. In the SuperSport class Race Two on Sunday, Gillim earned second place after a hotly contested, race-long battle with fellow Öhlins rider Garrett Gerloff and the Yamaha Extended Service Graves Motorsports team, who took the win. In AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike on Saturday, it was an Öhlins sweep of the podium with three different teams awarded a trip to winners circle: Cameron Beaubier on the Yamaha Extended Service Graves Motorsports YZF-R6, Dane Westby on the M4 Suzuki GSX-R600, and JD Beach riding a YZF-R6 for the Road Race Factory Red Bull team. Just perfect. On Sunday, Beaubier brought his bike home in second place for Daytona SportBike Race Two, after multiple passes for the lead on the final lap, finishing within a wheel of race winner Martin Cardenas. Nearly perfect. AMA Pro Superbike Champion Josh Hayes did his usual feat of taking the pole and winning both races, even though the NOLA track was as new to him as it was to any rider. Hayes took each win on his Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 by nearly a ten-second margin, winding his lap times down at the checkered flags. Öhlins USA and Öhlins Racing AB send their congratulations to these race winners and champions. We also congratulate our competitors for a great season of fair and challenging competition, and for their successes. Öhlins USA distributes and services the world’s leading performance suspension components for automobiles, motorcycles, and ATVs. Öhlins develops its proprietary and trend-setting suspension components, steering dampers and oils, at the highest levels of racing from open-wheel car racing, to Moto GP, to off-road competition on two and four wheels. Öhlins USA also provides training for service centers and dealers. Öhlins USA can be contacted at: 828-692-4525; www.Ohlinsusa.com More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Sylvain Barrier: Champion on the BMW S 1000 RR. The French rider from the BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet STK Team wins the 2012 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. Magny-Cours, 7th October 2012. Another title win for the BMW S 1000 RR: French rider Sylvain Barrier was crowned champion at the season finale of the 2012 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup at Magny-Cours (FRA). For his BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet STK Team it was the second title win in three years competing in the series, after the triumphant season with Ayrton Badovini (ITA) back in 2010. In the season’s ten races, 23-year old Sylvain celebrated four victories, which was more than any other rider. In total, the Frenchman rode his RR to six podium finishes and claimed seven pole positions. Over the course of the year, he also showed his spirit to never give up. He fought his way back to the top after a setback halfway through the season when he suffered a severe shoulder injury that put him a long way back in his title campaign. At the penultimate round two weeks ago at Portimão (POR), Sylvain retook the lead by finishing the race in second. He arrived with an advantage of three points to his closest rival at the season finale on home soil. At the last race of the year he secured the title by claiming another podium and finishing second. The first to congratulate him straight after the finish line was his mentor, double Superbike world champion James Toseland (GBR). “I still cannot believe I won the title,” Sylvain enthused. “The hard work done with the team throughout the season has paid off and I want to thank the guys, my family, James, the Clinica Mobile and everyone who supported me during the year. It was a tough race, but I was feeling very comfortable on the bike from the warm-up. I rode very carefully on the first two laps because the rear tyre was not warmed up properly and also Eddi La Marra and Bryan Staring had already crashed. I tried to maintain the gap I had with the following riders and at the same I concentrated on making the tyres work properly and did not push to the limit. It’s been a fabulous week-end and I am over the moon!” “The result achieved today in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup is amazing,” said Andrea Buzzoni, General Manager BMW Motorrad Italia. “We built on our success from 2010 and won the title again thanks to a very high-level team, a rider of unquestionable talent who was able to grow and mature even more and a bike that proved once more to be the best not only in the worldwide market but also on track.” “We’re extremely happy about Sylvain’s Superstock 1000 Cup title win, especially if we consider the fact that three rounds ago we were 31 points behind in the standings,” commented Serafino Foti, BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet Superbike Team Sporting Director. “The credit for this achievement goes to all the people who supported us, to our sponsors, to BMW and especially to the team that has done an incredible job. Sylvain brilliantly kept total concentration in both tough and important times and very well deserved the title.” More, from a press release issued by KFG Racing: KFG Racing would like to congratulate AMA rider #122 Ryan Matter on his very successful season. 2012 was Ryan’s rookie season. The 17-year-old finished 4th in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport West Championship and top 10 in the overall SuperSport Championship. Ryan accomplished this feat despite losing points in two races due to an incident at Infineon that left his bike unraceable and not having a back-up bike. Ryan made his AMA debut at the New Jersey round in 2011. Ryan would like to thank his sponsors for their continued support: Gearzy, KFG Racing, Penske, GP Suspension, Shoei, Alpinestars, Evol Technology, ACT Leathers, Fast Racing, Co., 53 Maritime, GP Tech, TAW Performance, Brembo, On Track Wellness, CGL Freight, Citizens of Humanity Jeans, Bazaaz, Heat Shield Products, Duce Brand Watches, Carbon Clothing, California Cycle & Watercraft Design, 2 Fast Trackdays, Fasttrack.com and Track Daz. To learn more about Ryan, please visit: ~http://www.ryanmatter22.com~