CARDENAS EARNS SECOND PLACE IN VIRGINIA SUPERSPORT Team M4 EMGO Suzuki closed out the Virginia International Raceway weekend on a high note, picking up two top fives in the AMA Supersport final including a superb second-place finish for Martin Cardenas. Colombian Cardenas showed off his start-line skills on Sunday, twice taking the holeshot from the second row in the once red-flagged Supersport contest. In the race’s opening half, Cardenas went too deep into the first corner, however, and was shuffled back to fifth. The restart gave the Colombian new life and he took full advantage. After leading nearly the entire opening lap after the red flag, he pressured eventual winner Josh Hayes before claiming his second Supersport podium of the season aboard the team’s Pirelli-shod GSX-R600. The former Spanish Supersport champ said, “On the first start I got it pretty good but I went too hard in the first turn and a couple of guys passed me. For the first race unfortunately we made a bit of a wrong choice on the rear tire so I was getting dropped back. The restart really helped me. We put on a different rear tire and it worked pretty well for the whole race. “I got another great start. I was first in the first corner and almost for the first lap and then Josh came by. I just could hang onto his tail for most of the race. I got second and it’s my second podium in Supersport and I’m very happy. I’d like to thank a lot the whole team, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki and Pirelli and all the guys that work with me.” The result was a fine reward after a difficult weekend learning the tricky VIR circuit. Cardenas explained, “It’s been really hard to learn a track in three days. Some tracks are more difficult than the other ones. For example here I was struggling too much the first two days. In the race, when I was behind somebody I could watch them and try to learn as much as possible. It went better every time.” Cardenas was joined in the top five of the Supersport race by teammate Geoff May. The Georgian was a contender early, running in the top three much of the race before the red flag. Afterwards, he resumed the race in sixth and eventually worked up to third before ultimately finishing fifth at the flag. The result helped make up for a disappointing run in the Superstock final where May was forced out after running second early due to a mechanical problem. Teammate Michael Beck suffered a similar fate in the Supersport race. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki will be back in action in two week as the AMA championship heads to Road Atlanta on August 31-September 2. More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Honda: ELLISON AND CORONA EXTRA HONDA CBR1000RR SUPERBIKE TAKES TENTH AT SWELTERING VIR James Ellison and his Corona Extra Honda CBR1000RR SuperBike rider put in a spirited ride to post tenth place in the first SuperBike race held at the picturesque but sweltering Virginia International Raceway. Getting to grips with the tight and twisty VIR track took some time for James. This challenge, when combined with the search for grip made for a difficult practice and qualifying. The problem, attributed to the extremely hot conditions (over 105 degree F at times), was a very greasy surface. The crew tried a number of suspension settings which slowly got Ellison up to speed in only his second time at the track, the last being 2003. Ultimately James qualified thirteenth. The first race held on Saturday and 100+ temperatures saw Ellison in eleventh after the first lap, a position he held for eight laps. As he got comfortable on the bike and his tires came “on” he was able to pass Holden for tenth but was then nearly eight seconds down on the pair of Jake Zemke on the factory Honda and Tommy Hayden on the factory Suzuki. Amazingly, with an incredibly spirited ride, James made up the time and caught the pair three laps from the end. He tried everything to pass but the tight track and traffic prevented him from taking any more slots by the finish so he had to settle for tenth. Without a doubt James’ ride was the talk of the race! He said; “I took a while getting going but then everything seemed to come together. The bike felt really good. I could See Tommy (Hayden) so just put my head down and rode as hard as I could. When I caught them I thought it would not be difficult to pass but there’s very little room on the track and the traffic made it even harder. Still I tried!” The second race looked to be a humdinger for James with him and the crew finding another half second over his best race time in the morning practice. Come the start he could not find any rear grip and after a number of near high-sides and off-track excursions came in on lap two for a new rear tire. Unfortunately he was deemed to have exceeded the pit lane speed limit on the way in and was black flagged for a ride through penalty. A lap later he came in and retired citing aggravation of his 2005 injury to his left arm from the high-side incidents. The weekend leaves Ellison down one spot at eleventh in the SuperBike championship series. More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Kawasaki: ALTON, Va. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking captured a third-place finish after an intense battle that was decided on the final lap during the first of two AMA Superbike races at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va. Hacking, who qualified third, earned a season-best start as he lead the pack of riders into the first set of turns. Making sure he didn’t make any mistakes, he kept a fast pace and fought for the third position. Going into the last lap in fourth, Hacking made an exciting pass for third that would stick until the checkered flag. “This was by far the best start I have had all season long,” said Hacking. “This track is one of the few that actually had a long enough straightaway for our bike. It has a really tall first gear and it works better if you don’t have to get going and immediately stop. The team is doing a great job and I am ready to see what we can do during Sunday’s race.” Teammate Roger Hayden got a mid-pack start and worked hard to move up several positions aboard his Kawasaki ZX™-10R. After 10 laps he made his way up to fifth, but didn’t have enough time to catch the fourth-place rider and finished with a respectable fifth place. “It was a pretty good day considering the start I got,” said Hayden. “I worked my way up to fifth, but the other guys battling for the podium got too big of a gap and I couldn’t reel them in. The bike worked really well and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s race.” In the AMA Formula Xtreme race, Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard fought for another great finish as he came across the finish line in fourth. “The race started off all right,” said Attard. “The Kawasaki ZX™-6R was running great but after about the fifth lap, I started to slide around. Hopefully tomorrow we can make some adjustments and do well in the supersport race.” Teammate Steve Rapp got a ninth-place start and quickly moved up seventh where he would eventually cross the finish line. “I got stuck behind the group at the start,” said Rapp. “In the first few laps, I was behind slower people and by the time I got to seventh, I couldn’t find any edge grip. I just did what I could to maintain my position and was happy I could keep seventh.” The AMA Supersport and second AMA Superbike races are set to race Sunday afternoon at Virginia International Raceway. AMA Superbike Championship Virginia International Raceway Alton, Va. August 18, 2007 AMA Formula Xtreme Results 1. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda 2. Larry Pegram, Pataskala, Ohio, Ducati 3. Martin Craggill, Boulder, Colo., Ducati 4. BEN ATTARD, MURIETTA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI 5. Martin Cardenas, Medellin, Columbia, Suzuki 6. Chaz Davies, Nyack, N.Y., Yamaha 7. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI 8. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda 9. Cory West, Eureka Springs, Ariz., Yamaha 10. Jeff Wood, Winchendon, Mass., Yamaha AMA Formula Xtreme Standings 1. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda, 286 2. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 223 3. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 209 4. Larry Pegram, Pataskala, Ohio, Ducati, 188 5. BEN ATTARD, MURIETTA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 178 6. Chaz Davies, Nyack, N.Y., Suzuki, 156 7. Bobby Fong, Stockton, Calif., Suzuki, 136 8. Ryan Andrews, Robinson, Texas, Honda, 132 9. Martin Craggill, Boulder, Colo., Ducati, 131 10. Ryan Andrews, Robinson, Texas, Honda, 116 AMA Superbike Results 1. Mathew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki 2. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki 3. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 4. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki 5. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 6. Eric Bostrom, Las Vegas, Nev., Yamaha 7. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha 8. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda 9. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki 10. James Ellison, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., Suzuki AMA Superbike Standings 1. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki, 519 2. Mathew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki, 507 3. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 360 4. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda, 360 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 358 6. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 353 7. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha, 324 8. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 318 9. Eric Bostrom, Las Vegas, Nev., Yamaha, 299 10. James Ellison, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., Honda, 277 11. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 272 More, from another press release issued by Monster Energy Kawasaki: ALTON, Va. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking earned a third-place finish after making a last-lap pass on teammate Roger Hayden in the AMA Supersport race at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va. In the midst of hot and humid weather, Hacking proved that he can come from behind and be a contender for the coveted AMA Supersport Championship. After a fourth-place start, the defending champion was closing in on the rider in front of him, but a red-flag stopped the race with eight laps to go. At the restart, Hacking and Hayden stayed close together and on the last lap, Hacking made the pass that earned him his second podium of the weekend. Hayden finished less than a tenth of a second behind him in fourth. “My race was pretty good,” said Hayden. “I struggled with my starts all day, and was always working my way up. I need to work on my starts and get that sorted out. I was kind of pushing the front end a little bit and wasn’t feeling really comfortable. I didn’t want to take any chances with crashing. I think that if I get my starts where they need to be, I can get a few more wins.” Hayden maintains his lead in the race for the championship, while Hacking sits in second and trails by just 11 points. Attack Kawasaki’s Steve Rapp was running in fifth when the race was red flagged. He had a good jump on the restart and came across the finish line with a respectable seventh place. “I don’t think we benefited from the red flag,” said Rapp. “I had a pretty good pace but I think that other people put on softer tires and we used the same choice that we started with.” Teammate Ben Attard got caught up in a first-turn incident which caused him to fall to the back of the pack. When the race was restarted, Attard was forced to pull off with a bike problem, ending his day. Coming off a third-place finish during Saturday’s AMA Superbike race, Hacking continued to impress in Sunday’s finale aboard his Kawasaki ZX™-10R. He got a great start and settled into the fourth position where he would eventually finish the day. “We got a really good start in both superbike races,” said Hacking. “The team changed the tire combos for the second race, which helped a lot. I was holding onto third when I got a bad cramp in my leg, but was able to keep a pace to finish fourth.” Hayden has shown vast improvements in the AMA Superbike class. However, after a fifth-place start he was forced to pull in to check a problem with his bike. Despite the problem, Hayden made an incredible effort to finish the race to round out the top-10. The next round of the AMA Superbike Championship is set for August 31-September 2 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. AMA Superbike Championship Virginia International Raceway Alton, Va. August 19, 2007 AMA Supersport Results 1. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda 2. Martin Cardenas, Miami, Fla., Suzuki 3. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 4. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 5. Geoff May, Gainsville, Ga., Suzuki 6. Chaz Davies, Nyack, N.Y., Yamaha 7. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI 8. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Yamaha 9. Jeff Wood, Winchendon, Mass., Yamaha 10. NICKY MOORE, RIVERBANK, CALIF., KAWASAKI AMA Supersport Standings 1. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 241 2. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 230 3. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda, 223 4. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 202 5. Geoff May, Gainsville, Ga., Suzuki, 176 6. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 175 7. Blake Young, Madison, Wis., Suzuki, 162 8. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 150 9. Chaz Davies, Nyack, N.Y., Yamaha, 145 10. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha, 145 12. BEN ATTARD, MURIETTA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 131 AMA Superbike Results, Race Two 1. Mathew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki 2. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki 3. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki 4. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki 6. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda 7. Luca Scassa, Willow Grove, Pa., MV Agusta 8. Matt Lynn, Ball Ground, Ga., MV Agusta 9. Jake Holden, Eatonville, Wash., Suzuki 10. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI AMA Superbike Standings 1. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki, 550 2. Mathew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki, 544 3. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 390 4. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 384 5. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 382 6. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda, 360 7. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 345 8. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha, 324 9. Eric Bostrom, Las Vegas, Nev., Yamaha, 315 10. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 293 More, from a press release issued by Team Stargel: Trying weekend for Team Stargel Yamaha. Team Stargel Yamaha and rider Tony Meiring overcame the burning heat, a burning bike, illness and rider injury to finish 17th in Formula Xtreme. Team owner Rocky Stargel commented on the team’s weekend: “The way we were looking on Thursday at lunchtime we thought we’d have trouble loading the bike into the trailer much less getting on the track for the weekend’s races. Credit has to go the entire team for getting the bike back together and out there to race. Our finish doesn’t reflect the amount of heart, desire, blood and sweat that went into the weekend.” Stargel then laughed “If nothing else, Tony earned himself a new nickname!” More, from a press release issued by Safety First Suzuki: Tough Weekend for Safety First Suzuki in Virginia As most teams found during the weekend, finding grip around the slick, twisty VIR racetrack was difficult and resulted in high attrition for the races that included several crashes during the race weekend for the Safety First Suzuki team. As team owner Kevin Hanson noticed, “We tried some different settings to find Bobby (Fong) and Scotty (Ryan) more grip and make the bike transition easier. By Sunday’s Supersport race, we finally got it to where the guys were comfortable. While we were trying to find a good set-up, we lost some ground in qualifying and ended up a bit farther back than we should have. After Saturdays Formula Xtreme race though, we took what we learned from that and made improvements for Sunday that both riders said worked much better. The riders are working well in regards to qualifying and getting the best out of the Michelin tires. Now they are starting to go out, light the switch in qualifying and run their fastest times on the first few laps of a new tire. It’s unfortunate that Bobby crashed in both races, but that’s part of the learning curve with a young rider and finding the limits. It’s great seeing that every race weekend he gets faster and all of the AMA tracks are new to him other than the California rounds. Hanson also commented, “Scotty took to the settings we made and turned significantly faster laps during the Supersport race on Sunday, almost a second and a half faster. He is picking up tracks much more rapidly as the year goes along and is able to give real good feedback during debriefing sessions that allow us to move forward with our set up for each session.” Bobby Fong- Finished DNF(Classified 28th) -FX, DNF (Classified 36th)- Supersport “I just got done with the worst AMA race weekend I have ever had. This track is technical with 18 turns packed into a short track. The full-course layout that we don’t use looks much more interesting. I really wanted to do well these last three races, but now it’s down to the last two races. I was pulling away from the group I was in during the FX race when I lost the front in turn one and was as far up as 12th during the ultra-competitive Supersport race when I had the spectacular crash in the back section that I guess Speed TV caught. I had a break through regarding debriefing for Sunday’s race which will definitely help me for the rest of the season!” Fong current is in 7th place for Formula Xtreme points and is sitting in 18th in Supersport. Scotty Ryan- Finished 23rd – FX, 22nd-Supersport “I had a hard time with this track. It was slick everywhere. The rain on Friday didn’t help as it cut our track time down and we really didn’t get caught up until Sunday morning, when we tried something radically different for the set up, which seemed to work well. I have to thank my crew chief, Jim Rashid this weekend. We sat down and had some very long debriefing session, going corner by corner to discuss what the bike was doing so Bobby and I could get comfortable on the bike and have some confidence in the front end of the bike, as most of the track, especially the last section, which requires confidence to be fast. What really helped is that we are giving better feedback regarding what the bike is doing so the team can head in the right direction and that can only come with more time working together. I was at Road Atlanta last year, so I will have some good baselines to work with next race as opposed to going into the weekend cold like I did here.” Ryan remained in 19th for Formula Xtreme and 31st place in Supersport after the VIR round. More, from a press release issued by Millennium KWS Suzuki: Millennium/KWS Suzuki’s Ben Thompson in the Top Ten at VIR Alton, VA August 2007 — Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Ron Ayers Motorsports made the best of a difficult situation at VIR with both team riders John Haner and David Weber were unable to ride for the weekend. John Haner was diagnosed with pneumonia earlier this week and David Weber fell in Thursday practice injuring his wrist. Privateer Ben Thompson was brought in to replace Haner for the weekend and did an incredible job of adapting to the Millennium/KWS Suzuki GSX-R1000 and finishing in the top fifteen in both Superbike races and in the top ten in Superstock. In Superstock qualifying Thompson used the amazing grip of the Dunlop N-Tec tires to put the Millennium/KWS Suzuki GSX-R1000 on the second row with a time of 1:27.137 for seventh position. In Superbike qualifying the young Alaskan rider turned a 1:27.672 for fifteenth position on his Superstock- spec GSX-R1000. Thompson got a great start in Superbike Race One, moving to ninth in the first turn. The Dunlop sponsored rider raced with the factory MV Augusta’s for most of the race, but set up issues in the extremely hot weather saw him finishing in the fourteenth position. This made Thompson the highest finishing true privateer. The team was extremely excited for the first Superstock race in over two months. Ben got a good start but was hit by another rider going into turn one forcing him to the outside however, he was able to stay on track and recover quickly to finish in the eighth position. This was Thompson’s best AMA finish to date. In Sunday’s Superbike Race Two the team was able to correct some of the set up issues from the day before. Thompson got an excellent start and raced with Scott Jensen for most of the race to finish in the twelfth position. Ben Thompson “I had a great weekend! I want to give a huge thanks to Kevin Hunt and the entire Millennium/KWS Suzuki team for giving me this opportunity. The crew was great and we meshed well together. I really want to thank Michael, Rick, Chip, Jim, and Matt for all their hard work. It was a really great experience and I hope to be able to do it again soon.” Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) “Ben did great this weekend. We only had a few sessions to set the bike up for Ben, while our competition has had all year. Despite the lack of set up time, Ben gave great feed back, rode consistent and got some good results. I want to thank Jimmy Stallings, Tim Calhoun, Chris Hackl and all the sponsors from coming out this weekend and supporting us, we couldn’t do it with out you!”