Edwards, Rossi on the Podium at US MotoGP Yamaha’s Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi helped thrill a sellout crowd at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway on Sunday, July 10, by closely finishing second and third behind Nicky Hayden. The pair was outfitted in ’70s style yellow and black leathers that matched the bodywork of their M1 race bikes to commemorate Yamaha’s 50th anniversary. But the day was special for a variety of other reasons: It also represented the first time MotoGP has visited North America, and Edwards’ best ever 2005 MotoGP finish. Starting from the pole position, Hayden led the entire race, but never by more than just a few seconds over either Rossi or Edwards. For the first half of the 32-lap contest, Hayden held Rossi at bay. But it was Edwards who was the most impressive. After running in seventh on the first lap, he worked his way up to second with a determined move past Rossi on lap 16. From there Edwards stalked Hayden while distancing himself slightly from the defending world champion. But Rossi surged late in the race and pounced on Edwards, finishing third to the Texan by a scant 0.371 seconds. While Rossi still leads the MotoGP series comfortably for Yamaha, Edwards’ strong finish improves his points position. He currently lies in fifth, just two points behind Sete Gibernau. DiSalvo Thrills in Superstock Shootout For a young racer, Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R1 rider Jason DiSalvo is incredibly patient. Waiting until the last corner of the AMA Superstock race at Laguna Seca on Sunday, July 10, Jason DiSalvo set up and passed Aaron Yates to take the lead. His last corner, last-lap gamble was akin to making a game-winning three-point jump shot at the buzzer in basketball. And it nearly worked. DiSalvo’s impeccably timed thrust inside Yates got him into the lead momentarily, but Yates was able to get on the throttle sooner and retake the lead and grab the win at the flag. The exciting finish to Round 7 of the 2005 Superstock season had serious undertones because only 10 points now separate DiSalvo and Yates in the championship. “It was a good race, I just couldn’t make the pass stick,” DiSalvo said afterwards. “Now I want to go out and try to win every race the rest of the year.” Graves Motorsports teammates Aaron Gobert finished seventh and Damon Buckmaster rounded out the top eight. Like DiSalvo, their Yamaha R1s were beautifully finished in old-school yellow and black paint schemes to honor the company’s 50th anniversary. DiSalvo Scores Laguna Seca Supersport Win It took him until the final corner of the race, but Jason DiSalvo slid his Yamaha YZF-R6 inside Roger Lee Hayden to win a terrific AMA Supersport contest at Laguna Seca on Sunday, July 10. His dramatic move closed out Yamaha’s weekend on a jubilant note. The 17-lap finale began with DiSalvo making a poor start and dropping all the way back to 10th position. But up ahead he soon noticed leader Hayden starting to get away and committed to do something about it. DiSalvo passed rider after rider, and found himself at Hayden’s rear wheel with four laps to go but with no way to get by. When the last corner came up, DiSalvo got inside Hayden under braking. The two touched briefly but DiSalvo got a better drive and sprinted to the line by 0.243 seconds. Fellow Yamaha R6 pilots Aaron Gobert and Damon Buckmaster finished third and seventh, respectively. “It was a definitely a great race, one of the best if not the best of my life,” enthused DiSalvo. “I was really happy to be able to come out and give Yamaha a win for their 50th birthday.” Yamaha Road Racing Manager Tom Halverson added, “I’m really proud to be associated with Yamaha on their 50th anniversary, and to be here with the MotoGP team and the Japanese management.” More, from a press release issued by Safety First Racing: SAFETY FIRST RACING GIVES AWAY FREE HELMETS TO KIDS IN MONTEREY. Safety First Racing started the Laguna Seca weekend off early by conducting a couple of “Safety First” presentations on Tuesday at the Monterey Recreation Center and Youth Camp with the Monterey Park District. Approximately 90 kids were treated to the latest addition to the Safety First Suzuki GSXR 600 promo bike”¦.red/blue flashing police lights. Team owner, Kevin Hanson, commented on the police lights. “I’m always looking at cool, different ways to reach out to kids during our presentations”¦..it worked out really well. The kids went nuts and all weekend long we had droves of race fans coming by taking pictures of the flashing bike all weekend. It was a great time, Shea did an excellent job of speaking to the kids and we gave away several new bicycle helmets to kids that didn’t have one,” exclaimed Hanson. Supersport; The short amount of track time saw Laguna Seca first-timer Shea Fouchek #544 really under the gun to make the most of every track session. After the weekend, Fouchek gave his account on Laguna Seca, “I love this place”¦.this is by far the funnest track we have been to yet!” It was apparent by his results on the weekend. After qualifying 23rd, Fouchek put his head down in the race and finished a solid 18th with a best lap of 1:32:3. “I got a decent start, however I got stuck behind a guy on a Kawasaki for like 9 laps before I could get around him”¦.the group in front had checked out so I just put my head down and road as hard as I could and caught back up and started passing them. If I would have had another lap I think I could have moved up a few more positions and went even faster!” stated Fouchek. Superbike: Going into the weekend, J.J. Roetlin #94 was looking to find his form from earlier in the year.. Roetlin stated, ” I’ve been struggling with my confidence lately in the front end and just getting the bike to work overall for me.” After qualifying 35th in Superbike, Roetlin turned the weekend around and finished a much improved 25th during the race. “I was really struggling with my times at the start of the weekend trying some different things, but we turned it around even with the limited amount of track time by the end of the weekend,” described Roetlin. In speaking with team owner, Kevin Hanson, he described the weekend as being a big positive for Roetlin. “We tried some different suspension stuff at the start of the weekend that didn’t work and went back to what we new on Saturday and instantly saw J.J.’s times start dropping,” explained Hanson. “We just ran out of track time. You could see his confidence coming back at the end of weekend, he just need more seat time to keep improving,” answered Hanson. Superstock: Roetlin qualified 34th and again rode a much better race. “In the race, there were times I just threw it in there on the front end and everytime it stuck”¦..I just need to keep trusting myself on what the bike is doing,” said Roetlin. I think we really made some progress this weekend that will help me carry it over to Mid Ohio with more track time available,” described Roetlin. More, from a press release issued by Impact Safe- T Armor: Nicky & Colin Reach Protection Milestone at USGP Citrus Heights, CA, 13, July 2005 “” Not only did Americans finish 1 & 2 for the first time in MotoGP on July 10th, it also marks the first time that chest protectors were worn by the top two finishers in Grand Prix Racing’s premier class. “We’ve reached an historic milestone that’s advanced the cause of rider safety,” says Impact Safe-T Armor founder Mike Braxton. “We introduced Colin to chest protection in 1994, Nicky in the year 2000. Both Nicky and Colin have been instrumental in its design and vocal advocates for the wearing of chest protectors. “The American 1, 2 also debunks claims that chest protectors are uncomfortable, bulky or somehow affects the performance of the motorcycle. It’s always been our contention that the chest protector is the (Hans device) of motorcycle racing,” says Mike. “Let me put it another way…Nicky and Colin won’t leave pit lane without their chest protectors in place.” Note: Impact Safe-T Armor chest protectors are made to measure and protect sternum, heart, lungs and ribs from the forces of impact energy. More, from a press release issued by Lindemann Engineering (LE): Lion Racing’s Jake Holden started ninth, and ended up 4th in the Laguna Superstock Final, his best finish to date. Jake used his LE modified stock piston/cartridge forks and Penske shock, to set the fastest lap of the race. Jake’s teammate John Hanner had a great ride, coming from behind to finish 5th, making it two of the top five for Lion!