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More From This Past Weekend’s Various Races

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More From This Past Weekend’s Various Races

GO BIG’S GLENN TAKES HOME CHAMPIONSHIP, MILLSON STRONG IN SHANNONVILLE (Shannonville, ON) Go Big Racing’s Ross Millson (Hamilton, ON) and Paul Glenn (Keene, ON) wrapped up a very busy and successful final weekend of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park on Sunday afternoon. Glenn, competing in his rookie season in the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike class, wrapped up Go Big Racing’s first Championship Title with a strong third place finish in Shannonville. Glenn started the race from the front row with a 14 point cushion on second place rider Israel Johnas and shot off the line to take the lead in the first corner. Unfortunately, the race was red flagged when another rider was injured during the start so after a brief delay, the grid was once again set for the restart. “I got a great start, but saw the red flags come out in turn 2.” Said Glenn of the initial start “I came into the pits and the crew threw the Bickle tire warmers on, and on the restart, I was able to get out front and grab the lead again.” Racing for the championship, but also the many fans and sponsors who came out to the track this weekend, Glenn maintained his first place position until the dying laps of the race when both Pedro Sousa and Catherine Nadeau slipped by him looking for the race win. Glenn brought home the #79 Suzuki GSX-R600 in third place to celebrate his AM600 Championship with his elated pit crew. “We worked all year to be in this position” said Glenn on his Championship win “I could not have done this without the tireless efforts of the Go Big crew and the support of all our sponsors.” In the Pro Class, Ross Millson finished up a strong rookie season with a 17th place finish in the Pro 600 race and followed that up with an impressive 13th place finish in the Superbike finale. In the Pro 600 race, Millson once again showed his toughness and racing spirit as he slid out coming on to the front stretch only to hop up and jump back on the bike and continue down the front straight to a cheering grandstand. Millson finished 11th overall in the Superbike standings and came in 3rd in the Pro Rookie of the Year Standings. In addition to the standing room only crowd on hand to witness the final round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, many more were listening to Go Big Racing’s success online through the Parts Canada Superbike Championship website which was broadcasting all over the world, including Canadian Armed Forces personnel stationed in Afghanistan. Shannonville also was a busy venue off the track for the Go Big team as sponsor contests, autographed shirts and programs and free stickers and sponsor patches brought most of the Shannonville crowd through the Go Big paddock. Melanie Ross from Canadian Forces Base Trenton was the winner of the Summit Gearworks Prize Pack and the team was honoured to be asked by Shauna Szewczuk of Parts Canada and Laura Lang from Inside Motorcycles to help with drawing names for a Parts Canada/Inside Motorcycles draw with Team Sponsor Turn 2 Sportbike Rentals. Dan Leiskau of team sponsor J.D. Graphics was also on hand to promote an online contest with Go Big Racing. An interview over the PA system with Frank Wood ensured that everyone in attendance knew to head to www.gojdonline.com to enter to win $1,500 worth of signage. The contest will close on September 15, 2007. Go Big Racing would also like to thank their dedicated team, who spent countless hours each week preparing everything from the bikes to the food at the track. Ross and Paul would like to thank Mark Millson, Scott Laidman, Blaine Groves, Mike Weil, Sabrina Siciliano, Jessica Langille, Christina Millington, Angie and Mike Hallman, George Budacki, Johnny Spinelli and Mike Rice for all their help and support this season.

Toseland: 66 Points Is Not A Big Enough Lead To Enable Us To Relax

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Toseland: 66 Points Is Not A Big Enough Lead To Enable Us To Relax

HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s James Toseland enters round 11 of the 2007 World Superbike Championship at Lausitz this weekend with a 66-point advantage over his title rivals. However, with 150 points still up for grabs before the end of the season, the battle for the championship crown is far from over. Toseland put in his best performance of the year so far at Brands Hatch, clinching his first ever double win in front of his home crowd. While the results were an all-important confidence boost for the Isle of Man resident, he is acutely aware of how crucial the two races at Lausitz are. Toseland secured one race victory at the 4.26km circuit in 2006 and will be aiming to match, if not beat, that result this year. Team-mate Roberto Rolfo made good progress at Brands Hatch and is aiming to maintain his recent good form in Germany. The Italian rider currently lies in eighth place in the championship standings with three crucial rounds left to go. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “Brands Hatch was the highlight of the season for us when James secured his first ever double win, and the team’s first double of the season. However, Lausitz is another race weekend and, although we have a 66-point lead at the moment, it doesn’t mean we can lose concentration. With 50 points per weekend at stake, it is easy to lose that advantage. Also, this part of season usually means that the chance of rain is very likely. We are fortunate that James managed to get a good feeling on the bike in wet conditions at the Magny Cours test. For Roby, we hope he can progress his riding once again. With the layout of the Lausitz track, I am confident that he can get some good results this weekend.” James Toseland: “We had a great result last year at Lausitz after winning a hard battle against Haga, so it’s a track we know we can do well at. If we can have a weekend similar to Brands Hatch then it will be difficult for the rivals to catch us in the championship. However, at this stage there is still all to play for and 66-points is not a big enough lead to enable us to relax. We still need to concentrate and hopefully we can do the job.” Roberto Rolfo: “I can’t wait to get back to racing as we have had quite a break since Brands Hatch. I am happy with the bike now and the feeling is very good. I feel like I have made good progress over the last few rounds and I am looking forward to Lausitz so I can try to get up to the front of the pack. The team is working really well together and I hope that I can bring home a good result for them this weekend.”

Kagayama On Lausitzring: It Is Very Important To Get A Good Start

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Kagayama On Lausitzring: It Is Very Important To Get A Good Start

After a five-week break, Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra’s Max Biaggi and Yukio Kagayama are refreshed and ready for the 11th round of this year’s Superbike World Championship at the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Germany this weekend. Both riders tested at the track in June this year, so it will be one circuit that Biaggi will not be seeing for the first time. Kagayama took a superb win in the first race last year and fourth in the second and will be hoping for more of the same this year. The 4.3 kilometre long track is part of one of the biggest and modern race tracks in the world and only opened for business in 2000. Max Biaggi: “Although I have not raced at Lausitz, I tested here earlier this year so at least I know which way the track goes round! Although it’s not a hugely demanding circuit, it is a track where you need a good rhythm if you are to lap quickly. So, once again, a good set-up is important. Getting a podium in the last round, at a circuit I was racing at for the first time, was very important for me. I have confidence in my own ability and I always give 100% and I will be going to Lausitz with the same attitude. If everything goes well, there is no reason why I cannot take a podium – though two would be better!” Yukio Kagayama: “Last year I had good results in Lausitz so I would like some more of the same this year. The track is OK, though it is not the most difficult track in the calendar. It is mostly flat and there are some slow corners and sometimes it can be a bit of a one-line track. Because of the first chicane and series of bends before the first long straight, it is very important to get a good start. If you don’t, the first riders can pull out a gap and then it’s very hard to catch them up and challenge for the lead. I want to be in the top three at the start of both races and be fighting for the podium places at the end.” 2006 results: Race 1: 1 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 4 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha), 5 Barros (Bra-Honda), 6 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda). Race 2: 1 Toseland (GB-Honda), 2 Haga, 3 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 4 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 5 Muggeridge, 6 Lanzi (I-Ducati). Max Biaggi – DNS.

Martin To Fill In For Celani Suzuki’s Injured Polita At Lausitzring World Superbike Round

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Martin To Fill In For Celani Suzuki’s Injured Polita At Lausitzring World Superbike Round

TOSELAND THE TARGET FOR THE REST With three rounds and thus six individual points scoring races left to run in the SBK championship, an overall season strategy can be put aside by the top contenders. For long-time championship leader James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) all he needs to do is keep racking up points and podiums to maintain or increase his impressive 66-point championship lead. For the rest of the top five (the only riders still in with even an arithmetical chance of the championship win itself) have to make up Toseland’s advantage, without worrying about the progress of any other rider. This simplification of the rules of engagement should heighten, not reduce the ferocity of the front running competition, which recommences after a month’s lay-off since round 10 at Brands Hatch. At that event Toseland scored a double win, his first in World Superbike, but his rivals will be hoping that a change to the flat, featureless and generally tight EuroSpeedway Lausitz circuit will allow them to get back into closer company with Honda’s top rider. VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF TOP FIVE LIFE Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia), Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) comprise the chasing section of the top five quartet, and testimony to how accessible World Superbike has become since the advent of single make control tyres comes from that fact that there are four different makes of machine in the top four places – Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Ducati. Of the top four chasing riders, Corser, some 128 points behind Toseland, has only a marginal chance of overhauling the Englishman, but almost as worryingly for the rest, no rider with the kind of lead Toseland has at this stage has ever surrendered it in the previous 19 years of World Superbike competition. EUROSPEEDWAY LAUSITZ HISTORY PROVIDES A FEW POINTERS In terms of how fast any single rider can circulate the 4.265km EuroSpeedway Lausitz circuit, Troy Bayliss is the current best lap holder (1:37.623), fastest in Superpole (1:37.923) and official lap record holder, (1:38.635). Despite all these performances coming in his second championship-winning year for Ducati in 2006, Bayliss scored his three Lausitz race wins some time ago, in 2001 and 2002. In terms of recent race wins, three manufacturers have won at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Honda (twice), Ducati and Suzuki (one apiece). Significantly, Toseland is the most recent winner of a Lausitz race, but aside from the aforementioned Bayliss, two other current SBK riders have been victorious at this track. Last year Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) scored the first race win, and in 2005, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) secured his first-ever SBK race win. Each of these riders has scored podium finishes this year, but it is Kagayama who has the best recent form in the 2007 season. Sunday’s 24-lap races will prove if history will been repeated or not, but it may be significant that no Yamaha rider has ever won at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, and despite a test here earlier in the year, Max Biaggi has never raced at the German circuit before. XAUS AND LANZI RESUME GENTEEL HOSTILITIES Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) enters the EuroSpeedway Lausitz race with a slim two-point lead over the officially entered 999F07 machine of Lorenzo Lanzi. Xaus is the only rider outside the top four to have won a race this year, with the current win total reading Toseland 8, Bayliss 5, Haga 3, Biaggi 2, and Xaus 1 (at Valencia in April). TOP TEN PACKED WITH TALENT Talented Italian rider Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) will be out for his first podium of the year at Lausitz, Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) is ninth overall going into his only home race of the year, and the pre-Lausitz top 10 is completed by the aforementioned Kagayama. Behind the top ten the roll of talented riders continues unabated, with privateer Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse) having scored a podium again this year, in 11th. Former championship challenger Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) is now leading his Kawasaki team-mate Fonsi Nieto, Jakub Smrz (Caracchi Ducati) is 14th and 15th placed rider, Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha YZF Team) is ready to score more points. A couple of old faces re-appear on new bikes for Lausitz, as Karl Muggeridge is joined in the Alto Evolution squad by former WSS race winner Yoann Tiberio, and a man rapidly earning he title ‘Super-sub’ – Steve Martin – replaces the still-injured Alessandro Polita in the Celani Suzuki team. Luca Morelli (DFX Honda Corse) and Dean Ellison (Pedercini Ducati) complete the regular roll call of riders, with Martin Bauer (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) and Jiri Drazdak (Yamaha Junior Pro SBK Team) providing some one-off wildcard spice. WORLD SUPERSPORT – KENAN BACK ‘HOME’ WITH TITLE IN THE BAG After Brands Hatch Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was crowned 2007 World Supersport champion, and it is fitting that his adopted country of German is the venue for the first stop of his whistle-stop championship celebration. Sofuoglu moved to Germany from his native Turkey to further his career, and he can be sure of many supportive fans in the Lausitz grandstands – and they can be sure that Sofuoglu will be keen to take more wins to underline a stellar year. The battle for second in the championship is still on, with Fabien Foret (GIL Kawasaki) attempting to keep his 39-point lead over Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda, Lausitz race winner in 2002) while simultaneously resisting challenges from the ever-competitive Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda) and Brands Hatch race winner, Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team). Other riders to look out for include Joshua Brookes (Stiggy Motorsports Honda), Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni), Barry Veneman (Pioneer Hoegee Suzuki) and Craig Jones (Revè Ekerold Honda) – and maybe 2005 and 2006 champion Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) who went pole at Brands Hatch, only to be excluded from the final results. Previous Lausitz form? Sofuoglu was the race winner in 2006. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP – BAIOCCO 12 POINTS AHEAD Matteo Baiocco (Umbria Bike Yamaha) enters the EuroSpeedway Lausitz race some 12 points up on new second place rider Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki), who has scored two seconds and a win in the last three races. Mark Aitchison (Celani Team Suzuki Italia) is now third, some 20 points from Baiocco, with most recent race winner Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox 1098) 23 points back. The championship is still absolutely wide open in this most unpredictable of classes, especially as fifth place Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) is only 32 points from the lead, and riders like Michele Pirro (Team Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha) and Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) have already shown they can win at the highest level of Superstock racing in 2007. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – BERGER FROM MAGNONI It’s like the FIFA World Cup all over again as France takes on Italy in the final stages of a championship. Frenchman Maxime Berger (Trasimeno Yamaha) scored the race win at Brands Hatch to put himself 14 points ahead of Italian rider Michele Magnoni (Bevilacqua Yamaha), with another Italian, Andrea Antonelli (Team Italia Megabike Honda AX), some 32 points off the lead. Like the other classes, three races remain in the series. TIME TO REFLECT AFTER LAUSITZ After the third last round of the season, the all the 2008 SBK champ classes will have a rest of two weeks before they participate in a final flurry of activity, at Vallelunga (30 September) and Magny-Cours (7 October).

Polaris, Victory And Riders To Raise Funds For American Cancer Society

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Polaris, Victory And Riders To Raise Funds For American Cancer Society

MEDINA, MN Polaris and Victory Motorcycle dealers in Minnesota and Wisconsin are teaming up with Polaris ATV, RANGER and Victory riders to raise funds for the American Cancer Society in a special campaign called the “Polaris Rider Challenge to Fight Cancer.” This special fundraising drive runs through October 31, 2007. Polaris is rallying its employees, dealers, riding groups and all riders in Minnesota and Wisconsin to hold special fundraising events to help The American Cancer Society combat the disease Americans consider the most important health problem they could face. As a special incentive, participating fundraising teams may enter a drawing for a custom Polaris RANGER XP utility vehicle with $2,500 in accessories. “Our dealers, employees, and numerous ATV clubs will hold rides, charity events and fundraisers, so we will all be pulling together to fight cancer,” said John Corness. “The sobering truth is that 1.3 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and half a million people will die from cancer. We hope this grass-roots fundraising effort can help raise awareness of the American Cancer Society’s research, education and patient services.” Riders in Minnesota and Wisconsin are urged to visit their Polaris and Victory dealers or local riding clubs to learn about fundraising projects such as group rides, distance rides with pledges from donors and ride-ins at the dealerships. “In Wisconsin and Minnesota alone, there will be nearly 50,000 people who will be diagnosed with cancer. Just under half of them will die. That’s why the American Cancer Society is proud to team up with Polaris in the fight against the disease because one person hearing, ‘You have cancer,’ is one too many, in our opinion,” said Peter Balistrieri, spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. To learn how to form a fundraising team, get tips on raising donations and to get details about the RANGER XP drawing, visit http://main.acsevents.org/polaris. “We invite riders to create their own, original ways to raise contributions too,” said Corness. “We expect them to come up with some highly imaginative approaches.” The “Polaris Rider Challenge to Fight Cancer” campaign is being viewed as a pilot program that could be implemented nationwide in the future. For more information about cancer including early detection and prevention recommendations and about the American Cancer Society, visit www.cancer.org. About Polaris With annual 2006 sales of $1.7 Billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), Victory Motorcycles and the Polaris RANGER for recreational and utility use. Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry and one of the largest manufacturers of ATVs in the world. Victory Motorcycles, established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive inroads into the motorcycle cruiser and touring marketplace. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII,” and the Company is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 stock price index. Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com. About the American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States. For more information anytime, call toll free 1.800.ACS.2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

Safety First Suzuki Launches New Website

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Safety First Suzuki Launches New Website

Safety First Suzuki has launched their new high-end website that follows the latest trend of having increased multimedia aspects integrated into the site. The website www.safetyfirstracing.com will contain the latest in team news, video clips, podcasts and online shopping. “One really cool piece that everyone needs to check out is the Suzuki intro video that OnTheThrottle.tv produced for us ~http://www.safetyfirstracing.com/multimedia/videos/banger-video/~ ,” exclaimed Team Owner Kevin Hanson. The video highlights all of the Suzuki sponsored teams; Yoshimura, M4, Jordan, Matsushima and Safety First with some outrageous racing crashes, including the infamous Geoff May/Jamie Hacking Barber crash! “I’ve had James Bhathena from Total Racing Solutions working with the web designers for several months in developing the sight and it’s turned out really great even though it’s still in its infancy stages,” explained Hanson. “The video will also be shown at all of my nationwide ‘Safety First’ kid’s presentations to get the kids pumped up and to visually show the importance of wearing a helmet and proper safety gear. I’ve got a lot of things in the pipeline with the guys at OnTheThrottle.tv being produced now and next year that’s never been done. It’s really cutting edge video that will benefit trackday riders, racers, sponsors and fans”¦..so stay tuned!” explained Hanson. Safety First Racing was formed in 2004 by police officer/racer, Kevin Hanson, based out of Chicago, IL. For 2007, Safety First Suzuki will be competing in the AMA Superbike series in the Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes. Checkout www.SAFETYFIRSTRACING.com to see the Safety First Suzuki line of apparel and casual wear. Kevin Hanson continues to educate elementary school aged children nationwide about the importance of helmet usage.

Rea Signs Three-year Deal With HANNspree Ten Kate Honda, Will Race World Supersport In 2008

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Rea Signs Three-year Deal With HANNspree Ten Kate Honda, Will Race World Supersport In 2008

The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Team has signed British rider Jonathan Rea for the 2008 World Supersport Championship campaign. Rea, from Ballyclare, Northern Ireland, will make his debut in the World Championship next year after signing a three-year contract with the team, from Nieuwleusen, Netherlands. Talented Rea, 20, currently lies in second place in the British Superbike Championship with two rounds to go, riding for the factory-supported HM Plant Honda Team. He has secured 10 podium finishes, including five race wins this season, and is the youngest rider in British Superbike history to secure a pole position, podium and race win. Ten Kate Honda has won the last six World Supersport Championship titles and the team believes the addition of Rea will assist both the rider’s and the team’s development during 2008 and beyond. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “We are delighted to have secured Jonathan’s services for the 2008 World Supersport campaign with HANNspree and Honda. We have been contesting the championship for 10 years now and we are always on the lookout for fresh new talent. Jonathan has everything we want in a rider – he is young, highly motivated and has the ability to go far in the sport. He is already familiar with Honda and I know that he is eager to race on the CBR600RR. I am sure he will make the transition to the world stage very well and we are looking forward to bringing out the best in him over the next three years. A special thanks must go to his current HM Plant Honda team and to Honda UK, not only for producing such a talented riders but also for their co-operation in helping him make the transition to the world stage.” Jonathan Rea: “I am really excited to be moving into the World Supersport Championship with HANNspree Ten Kate Honda. It’s very important for me to be learning the world circuits now and I’m sure it will be a great experience that I can use in the years to come. I am saddened to be leaving my old team in British Superbike, they have worked incredibly hard over the past four years and they have been an awesome team. However, I have to look forward and I cannot wait to get to work with HANNspree Ten Kate Honda. It’s an ideal situation for me to be progressing with Honda – in fact it was my number one priority. I hope this is the start of a long and successful relationship.”

Updated Yet Again: Even More From The AMA Nationals And USGPRU Race At Road Atlanta Last Weekend

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Updated Yet Again: Even More From The AMA Nationals And USGPRU Race At Road Atlanta Last Weekend

Good Race Weekend For Safety First Suzuki at Road Atlanta

Safety First Suzuki made some great strides at Road Atlanta this weekend as Team Owner Kevin Hanson related, “I am really happy with the way the guys rode this weekend. Sixteen-year-old Bobby Fong continues to show how talented he really is as a rider. All of the tracks are new to Bobby except for the CA rounds. In the Supersport race Bobby got down to a 1:26:3 and passed Factory Yoshimura Suzuki rider Tommy Hayden and several other more experience riders before making a mistake and losing three positions by grabbing one to many downshifts into the hard breaking turn 10. I can’t ask for anything more from a really young rider. Bobby continues to go faster and learn every race weekend. Scotty (Ryan) had his best weekend so far with his lap time progression. He went three seconds faster this year than he did previously and found almost a full second for the Supersport Race. We had a new front slick that we tested from Michelin that worked great that the club level guys are really going to be excited about.” Bobby Fong- Finished 13th-FX, 16th- Supersport

“I feel a lot better now after finishing this weekend. Ron Wood from Michelin gave us some great new front slicks for our Formula Xtreme qualifying and race that we were able to get a lot out of. I lost out to (Tommy) Hayden and Lee (Acree) after snicking down one to may gears into corner 10, standing the bike up and riding through the gravel trap. But I was reeling them back in again right after that. I wish we had a few more laps as I am confident I would have caught and re-passed them.”

Fong currently is in 9th place for Formula Xtreme points and remained in 18th for the Supersport class following Road Atlanta.

Scotty Ryan- Finished 17th- FX, 24th-Supersport

“It takes me a bit longer to get up to speed, which in this case had me turning my fastest laps of the weekend during Supersport. We did have a compressed schedule and lost some track time with the rain in Saturday, so I really had to cram. Jim (Rashid) gave us the best set-up we have had all year. My finish in Formula Xtreme matched my best result this year. I want to thank Ron and Scot from Michelin for the new tires we were able to use this weekend. The only word that I can think of to describe the tires would be “awesome”! I had a low-side after loosing the front in the spotty misting that we saw on Sunday morning, but my Komodo leathers and Suomy helmet did their job. Going to Laguna in two weeks will be nice and I hope we can pick up right where we left off in July when we last raced there, as we have a real tight schedule that weekend with only getting on the track on Saturday and Sunday.”

Ryan remained in 18th for Formula Xtreme and 31st place in Supersport after the round.

The team will be finishing the 2007 season in two weeks time at Laguna Seca. This will mark the first time this year that the Safety First Suzuki riders will be visiting a track where they both have prior racing experience.

Safety First Racing was formed in 2004 by police officer/racer, Kevin Hanson, based out of Chicago, IL. For 2007, Safety First Suzuki will be competing in the AMA Superbike series in the Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes. Checkout www.SAFETYFIRSTRACING.com to see the Safety First Suzuki line of apparel and casual wear. Kevin Hanson continues to educate elementary school aged children nationwide about the importance of helmet usage.

More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Honda:

ELLISON MOVES CORONA EXTRA HONDA CBR1000RR TO EIGHTH AT ROAD ATLANTA SUPERBIKE

With the East Coast heat wave following the AMA circus, James Ellison continued to improve his riding of the Corona Extra Honda CBR1000RR SuperBike, taking eighth in the second SuperBike event of this weekend’s doubleheader at Road Atlanta. A mechanical problem sidelined him in the first race.

Ellison immediately came to grips with the high-speed Road Atlanta track and was quickly up to speed in practice and qualifying. Within seconds of the close of qualifying he was fourth but ultimately was pipped for that front-row slot by mere tenths of a second so had to settle for fifth, first on the second row. This was his best qualifying all year and boded well for the races!

Come the green flag for the first race, James got a poor start and found himself in eleventh slot after the first lap. He quickly started making up positions getting to ninth by lap four when championship leader Ben Spies crashed, bringing out the red flag. The restart was very prompt and the crew had no time to change the notoriously delicate clutch of the CBR1000RR Superbike. James tried to feather it but it gave up the ghost and he was forced to retire. The disappointed crew immediately put in a new one for race two!

James was obviously concerned about the clutch in race two and it showed in his cautious start which again found him eleventh on lap one. Once again he put his head down and started making up positions getting three by the finish and ending up in eighth, a solid finish. James said; “I was really gentle on the clutch and lost some positions at the start. After I got around some guys I couldn’t get on the draft of the next group. The track is really fast and the draft makes all the difference. I’m bummed I was not able to capitalize on my qualifying position!” The weekend has Ellison remaining eleventh in the SuperBike championship series.

More, from a press release issued by Millennium/KWS Suzuki:

Millennium/KWS Suzuki’s David Weber in the Top Ten at Road Atlanta

Braselton, GA Sep 2007 — Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Ron Ayers Motorsports rider David Weber rode through injuries to his foot, shoulder, and wrist to get his best AMA finish of his career. John Haner was back with the team for Road Atlanta after suffering from a severe case of pneumonia and was riding well, but mechanical problems put a damper on his come back weekend.

Superstock qualifying was canceled because of water seepage on the track so the grid was set from Practice times from Saturday morning. The Millennium/KWS riders started from the third row with Weber in the eleventh position and Haner in the twelfth position. The second Superbike qualifying session was also canceled, but Weber and Haner were able to qualify in the fourteenth and fifteenth positions based on the first qualifying session. Weber rode his Dunlop shod Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a time of 1:25.521. Teammate Haner was right behind Weber with a time of 1:25.983.

In Superbike Race One both riders got excellent starts and raced together for most of the race. The Millennium Technologies sponsored riders crossed the finish line back to back once again. Weber finished in the thirteenth position and Haner finished right behind his teammate in the fourteenth position.

Sunday morning’s Superstock race started well with Haner running as high as sixth on lap one. Unfortunately he suffered a mechanical failure coming out of the last turn, ending what would have certainly been a top ten finish. Meanwhile, teammate David Weber was locked in a race long battle with Halof Suzuki’s Scott Jensen which culminated to a ninth place finish for the Dunlop equipped Weber. This ties Weber’s best AMA finish to date, matching his ninth place finish in Superstock earlier this year at Road America.

Superbike Race Two was only and hour after the Superstock race and was going to be challenge for Weber’s injured right wrist. Weber rode a smart race, only pushing when he needed to and conserving the strength in his wrist to get another top fifteen finish. Haner’s bad luck weekend continued when the clutch failed at the start forcing Haner to retire on lap three.

David Weber “It was a really good weekend, although a bit painful. My wrist was pretty good throughout the week, but long runs on the bike made it really sore. I got some good results and I owe it all to my guys, Rick Matheny and Matt Hill. They worked super hard was usual. I want to thank Dunlop, Suzuki, Penske and the entire Millennium/KWS Suzuki team. These guys work really hard to give me the best equipment every weekend.

John Haner “It was a tough weekend. We had a lot of bad luck but that’s racing sometimes. This is a great team and we will get it right for Laguna in two weeks. I want to thank Michael Godin for all his hard work this weekend. He is the hardest working guy in the paddock and I appreciate every hour he puts in. I also have to thank Rockstar Energy Drink for coming out and supporting us.”

Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) “It was a pretty good weekend. We had some bad luck, but as usual the team pulled together and made the most of it. I want to thank the John and David for riding 100% even with the injuries and the illness and I want thank the crew for all the hard work. Nobody works harder than these guys.”

More, from a press release issued by Shift:

AMA ROAD RACING REPORT CORY WEST

Privateer road racer Cory West gives you the inside scoop from Round 10 of the AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme Championships at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA.

By Cory West

After the races in Virginia, I actually had a weekend off, so I flew back to San Diego for a week. I spent most of my time relaxing with my girlfriend, Amanda, and helping her to get ready for college to resume. My birthday was on the 23rd and I didn’t really do anything special except for going out to sushi for dinner!

I flew back to Atlanta on the following Tuesday so I could help Chuck get everything ready for the weekend. With a bunch of help from all of our sponsors, we managed to get everything fresh and ready again after our issues in Virginia. Both bikes were ready to roll and all I had to do was break one motor in a little bit on Thursday’s practice day.

Everything got off to a pretty good start on Thursday in the first few practice sessions. My times were getting close to what I had turned at Road Atlanta earlier in July during the WERA Cycle Jam and we weren’t having any big issues with the bikes. The day got cut short in the afternoon though because it started raining. Road Atlanta is another track that the AMA doesn’t race at in the wet. I don’t want to sound like a cry baby when I say this, but Road Atlanta is by far the most dangerous place on the AMA schedule, if you ask me. There are some walls in places that are very high speed, and for that reason the AMA doesn’t make the riders risk everything by going out on this track in the rain.

Everything dried up on Friday and the first practice sessions went pretty well for us. I definitely wasn’t fully up to speed yet but my times were consistently getting faster. I have a little bit of trouble not getting up to speed as fast as some of the other riders, but it’s usually because I’m trying to get comfortable before I start pushing the envelope. In the past my record at Atlanta has been pretty bad. I’ve crashed a lot at this track and I’ve had some horrible luck here too, so I really wanted to take it a step slower so things didn’t get bad right away. In FX qualifying at the end of the day I ended up 13th and turned in a reasonably quick lap time but we were still a little off the pace. I really tried not to get too worked up about putting in a particular lap time and just focused on getting comfortable and turning consistently quick laps.

Friday night when we were leaving the track, it started raining pretty hard. I don’t know if it rained all through the night but when we showed back up on Saturday morning the track was still partially wet. So morning practices were delayed until the track was completely dry and by the time everything was good, our Supersport practice turned into a 25 minute qualifying session. That really didn’t throw us off too bad and I ended up finishing the session in 11th place. I was happy where I ended up because I’d be starting on the third row and everyone that was in front of me wasn’t going that much faster. I knew it would be a good Supersport race with the times being so close.

After our little practice/qualifying session around noon, all I had left for Saturday was the FX race. I knew the start would be important if I was going to try to hang with the top 7 or 8 guys, so I tried to ride real aggressive in the first few corners. My jump off the line was good and I got into about 8th place right away but the red flag stopped us after completing only two laps. On the restart, I didn’t get as good of a launch and I got held up in the first chicane. It took me a couple of laps to get around a few guys that were holding me up and by the time I got clear track, I had already lost touch with the lead pack. I was in 11th and didn’t have a very exciting race going because I was alone for most of it, but on the last lap, Chris Peris, who was running 10th, fell in turn six and handed me a top ten finish. My times were consistent during the race but I was having a few issues with the rear suspension while I was accelerating. So we came up with a few ideas to try to get me going quicker for Sunday’s Supersport race.

Sunday morning was nice and dry and the morning Supersport practice felt pretty good. We tried a little change to the rear suspension and the bike felt better in a few areas of the track. I felt pretty confident going into the race and I felt like I could keep up a faster pace for a longer time compared to the FX race. The start was just as important in the Supersport race and I got into a good position early and held on to a big group of riders. Including me, there were six of us all in a pack racing for 4th place. I was sitting on the tail end of the group and started turning lap times about half a second faster then what I had qualified at. I was comfortable running that pace but I couldn’t quite get out of turn 5 and turn 7 hard enough to hang with those guys. I could catch up on the brakes but I couldn’t match their drive off of the corners. I held that position all the way to the end of the race and ended up finishing 9th. When I came in and checked the results on the monitor, I finished only 11 seconds off of the leader and turned the 6th fastest time of the race. The whole team was pretty excited that we finished both races without any crashes or mechanical issues. But besides just finishing both races, they were both top tens and I felt pretty good about that. Atlanta has been a very difficult track for me and I feel like I’ve finally conquered it by doing well and not crashing. We had some extra help over the weekend from Sam Lehrfeld at Kneedraggers.com, and Don Finnely helping with suspension, and I felt like it helped me get going as fast as I did. I feel real good about the last race at Laguna and can’t wait to get back on track!

More, from a press release issued by USGPRU:

PJ Jacobsen Victorious at Road Atlanta

The USGPRU headed for Road Atlanta last weekend for the penultimate round of the 2007 season. The AMA pro series hosted the weekend, which allowed many of our young racers to rub elbows with some of their heroes and meet their future teammates and competitors. The weekend started out with a session of the Apex Academy, hosted by 1993 World 500GP Champion, Kevin Schwantz. Twenty of the USGPRU racers all listened to Kevin as he described the fast line around the Road Atlanta circuit as well as a few stories from his illustrious racing career. 

The Saturday qualifying session had 41 riders ripping off fast laps around the race track. Fourteen-year-olds, PJ Jacobsen and Kris Turner battled for pole position with PJ finally claiming the slot with a time of 1:34.205. Kris was only .5 seconds behind PJ and certainly still in the hunt. Nobi Iso and Elena Myers were able to round out the rest of the front row. 

The weather cooperated Sunday as the skies threatened rain, but held off long enough to get the race underway. The green light saw Iso catapult his Aprilia into the lead heading into turn one, closely followed by Myers, Turner, and Toriano Wilson. PJ got a very poor start, but proceeded to mow through the crowd and caught up with Turner by the second lap. Myers was shown a ‘meatball’ flag for jumping the start though and had to roll in to the hot pit for a stop-n-go penalty. While she was in serving her penalty, Floridian, Steve Wenner highsided his Honda RS125 in turn 10b, bringing out the red flag, and stopping the race. The 8-lap restart was made from original grid positions. And in a picture perfect replay, Iso again put his Aprilia out into the lead with Myers right on his rear wheel. Myers couldn’t complete another lap though as her Honda suffered an electrical failure and had to retire. Turner was riding like a man possessed, and ducked under Iso in T-6. But the power of the Aprilia allowed Iso to drive right by again down the long back straight. PJ wasn’t about to let these guys have all the fun, and joined in to make for a 3-way battle royal at the front. Turner led for 4 of the 8 laps, Iso for 2, and PJ for the remaining 2 laps. But the only lap that counts is the final lap, and for that, PJ was able to slip through some lap traffic and finished just under 1 second ahead of Turner and Iso. 

While all this was going on up front, there was a six-way battle for fourth place between Tyler Odom, Melissa Paris, Royce McLean, Toriano Wilson, Lloyd Worrell, and Miles Thornton. The oldest racer of the crowd was a whopping 23 years old! The battle raged all race long, but the final lap saw Worrell and McLean pull a little gap on the rest of the group. It appeared that Worrell had the spot wrapped up coming down the hill into the final corner, but McLean held the throttle WFO, rode up on the curbing around the outside of Worrell, and clinched the position by inches at the line. The crowd sighed a collective breath when the 12-year-old McLean popped out from behind Worrell at the line with his fist pumping in the air! 

The USGPRU would like to thank Kevin Schwantz for participating in this round of the Apex Academy, as well as Marnie Lincoln for helping to get the event all set up. Thanks also to Keith Kizer and Morgan Broadhead for allowing us to come out and race with the Pro series. Finally, thank you to all of the staff at the Road Atlanta raceway and special thanks to the corner workers and medical staff for their hospitality and assistance throughout the weekend. 

The final round of the USGPRU 2007 season will be held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH the weekend of 22 September. 

125GP Race Results: 1. Patrick Jacobsen -Honda RS125 2. Kris Turner -Honda RS125 3. Nobi Iso -Aprilia RS125 4. Royce McClean -Yamaha TZ125 5. Lloyd Ramsey -Honda RS125 6. Melissa Paris -Aprilia RS125 7. Toriano Wilson -Honda RS125 8. Tyler Odom – Honda RS125 9. Chase Vivion – Honda RS125 10. Cassidy Heiser -Honda RS125 11. Shannon Caisey -Honda RS125 12. Hayden Gillim -Honda RS125 13. Leon Cortes -Honda RS125 14. John Hjelm -Honda RS125 15. Kevin Murray -Yamaha TZ125 16. Steve Scott -Yamaha TZ125 17. Corey Rech -Honda RS125 18. Merle Eschman -Honda RS125 19. Brandon Warren -Honda RS125 20. Connor LeFrance -Honda RS125 21. Jake Mormon -Honda RS125 22. Tony Wang -Honda RS125 23. Allen Campbell -Honda RS125 24. Miles Thornton -Honda RS125 25. Scott Thompson -Honda RS125 26. Corey Alexander -Honda RS125 27. Robert Terando -Honda RS125 28. John Long -Yamaha TZ125 29. Justin Long -Yamaha TZ125 30. Marcus Matthews -Honda RS125 31. Scotty VanHatten -Honda RS125 32. Duane Hixon -Honda RS125 33. Adam Neese -Honda RS125 34. Christopher Terheyden -Honda RS125 35. Antoine Richards -Honda RS125 36. Elena Myers -Honda RS125 37. Steve Thompson -Honda RS125 DNF Steve Wenner -Honda RS125 DNF Barrett Long -Yamaha TZ125 DNS Paul Hoyt Nelson -Honda RS125 

Current Top-5 Points – National 125GP class 1. Patrick Jacobsen 300 2. Nobi Iso 260 3. Benny Solis 236 4. Tyler Odom 150 5. Jon Schendel 130 

Current Top-5 Points – National 250GP class 1. Ryan Ferris 250 2. Eddy Brunet 222 3. Vincent Rolleri 166 4. Kyle Ferris 148 — Mark Kelly 148

More, from a press release issued by Rockwall Honda:

TOP TEN RESULTS FOR ROCKWALL HONDA RACERS IN ATLANTA

The Rockwall Honda completed the Road Atlanta weekend with Ryan Elleby and Ryan Andrews earning top ten results in the Formula Xtreme race after the teammates put on a stellar battle. Racer Ben Thompson competed one of the team’s Supersport bikes last weekend and impressed before retiring from the race with a mechanical problem.

Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race saw the Rockwall Honda riders compete for eighth position as the Elleby and Andrews spent much of the race in close quarters. Andrews took eighth and Elleby was ninth at the flag, just 0.6 seconds behind his teammate. In their race-long battle, Elleby crossed the line was in front for seven of the race’s 13 laps, while Andrews led his teammate six times, including the final lap.

“It was fun,” said Andrews. “After the restart, I got a better start and maintained my position through turn one. After that, it was Elleby and me going at it for the whole race. I haven’t had that much fun since Barber when we had four riders going for position. In the long run, our bikes were so equal it was insane. Both were very fast and we were side-by-side plenty of times. It kept coming down to braking battles at the end of the straights. I had a blast out there.”

“I think my tire might have lasted a little longer and that might have been the deciding factor,” added Andrews.

Elleby’s result was all the more impressive, given that he crashed before the red flag and the team had to make some fixes to his CBR600RR. “It was a great battle out there with Ryan,” he said. “The crew did a great job of getting the bike back in the race.”

Andrews took 15th in the Supersport race, while guest rider Ben Thompson had a mechanical issue.

“I got a decent start but I got pinched in turn one,” said Andrews. ” We dropped back some, but I clicked off laps in the race and made up a few positions. We’d struggled with setup some this weekend and my tire was about done by the halfway point. Also, I had one of the biggest saves of my career coming down the hill on the last lap. I tucked the front but I was able to save it and we got 15th.”

Although he was unable to finish the race, Thompson made his mark with the team. “Ben was very sharp and gave us great feedback,” said Rockwall Honda crewchief Robert Ward. “He’s an impressive rider.”

The AMA season finale will be held at Laguna Seca September 15-16.

Stoner Fastest In Post-race Testing At Misano, Hayden Second-fastest

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Stoner Fastest In Post-race Testing At Misano, Hayden Second-fastest

MELANDRI AND ELIAS: POSITIVE AFTER RACE TEST AT MISANO The Honda Gresini squad went back on track today after the yesterday great performance that saw Marco Melandri finishing 4° after starting from the 12th position and Toni Elias 7° rrecovering from a start from 5th row. The Honda Gresini riders focused on tyre testing and tested different set up solutions. MARCO MELANDRI (1’34″37): “Together with the Bridgestone technicians we tested in preparation of the next races. I also used all the time at disposal to work on the set up of the bike recovering the time lost on Friday because of the rain and on Saturday because of my crash during the morning practices. We found some interesting solutions and I’m happy because the bike is working well. Today I still had some pain so a preferred not to make too many laps in a row”. TONI ELIAS (1’35″22): “the race yesterday was very demanding and at the end I was really tired. I suffered a lot for my leg so Today I couldn’t push too much. In total I completed 85 laps, not bad if I consider my physical conditions. Today we focused on tyre testing and we worked on the set up and I could improve my race rhythm. Now I need some days of rest before starting the preparation for the Portugal GP” UNOFFICIAL LAP TIMES 1. C.Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) 1’34″1 2. N.Hayden (Repsol Honda) 1’34” 24 3. D.Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) 1’34″29 4. C.Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) 1’34″30 5. V.Rossi (Fiat Yamaha1’34″34 6. M.Melandri (Honda Gresini) 1’34″37 7. C.Edwards (Fiat Yamaha) 1’34″40 8. R.DePuniet (Kawasaki) 1’34″54 9. J.Hopkins (Rizla Suzuki) 1’34″62 10. C.Checa (Honda LCR) 1’34″66 12. T.Elias (Honda Gresini) 1’35″22 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: STONER & CAPIROSSI COMPLETE POSITIVE TEST SESSION AT MISANO BODY { font-family : Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; } The day after Casey Stoner’s historic San Marino Grand Prix victory that gave Ducati its first-ever MotoGP win on home tarmac, Stoner and team-mate Loris Capirossi, who yesterday charged through from 13th to fifth position, were back on track today for testing. Another day of good weather allowed the Ducati Marlboro Team riders to concentrate on Bridgestone race tyre tests and on machine set-up. Stoner did a best of 1m 34.11s during his 58 laps, while Capirossi did a best of 1m 35.79s during his 40 laps. The Ducati Marlboro Team now prepares for the next MotoGP event – round 14 at Estoril (Portugal) on September 16. Casey Stoner Best lap: 1m 34.11s, on race tyres (total of 58 laps) “We are very happy with today. We had a few tyres to test, very similar to those we had tested after the race at Brno. We have once again found some very positive points which could give us a step forward at future races. Also, we tried another step with the chassis, again similar to what we did at Brno, just to confirm things, and once again we did consistently very fast times. It has been a very positive test for us, though also a quite a long and hot day.” Loris Capirossi Best lap: 1m 35.79s, on race tyres (total of 40 laps) “Today we made some tyre tests and we tried some changes to the set-up, aiming to sort out the problems we had during the weekend. Concerning the Bridgestone tyres, I had got a good feeling today and I think we’re starting a good job for the future, but concerning the set-up tests, we weren’t able to make the steps forward we were hoping for.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Event: Misano Test Date: Monday, 3rd September 2007 Ambient temperature: 25 degrees C Track temperature: 42 degrees C Humidity: 61% POSITIVE TEST FOR FIAT YAMAHA TEAM IN MISANO Fiat Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were back out on track in Misano today, keen to put the bad memories of yesterday’s race behind them and start moving forward before the last five races of the season. Once again the principle focus for both riders was tyre testing and there were some encouraging steps made this afternoon, with some of the new material that Michelin brought throwing out some promising results. Rossi and Edwards finished the day fourth and sixth fastest according to the unofficial time sheets, after completing 57 and 94 laps respectively. The team will now have a short break before reconvening in Estoril next week for the Portuguese Grand Prix. Valentino Rossi Position: 4th Time: 1’34.34 Laps: 57 “The disappointment of yesterday hasn’t gone away but of course the best way to deal with it has been to get back to work, and this is what we’ve done today. Our engineers have looked at the engine and it seems that the problem was something which could have occurred also in the old one, so it was just bad luck for us. The new engine gives us some speed advantage over the old one so we will keep on working on its development. This afternoon we tried some new tyres and we found some very interesting and positive things. It seems that Michelin have done a good job in their recent work and it was definitely a much more positive test than in Brno, so we’re quite happy with our day’s work.” Colin Edwards Position: 6th Time: 1’34.44 Laps: 94 “This morning we were working on the right side of the tyre following the problems we had yesterday and to be honest we didn’t really make much progress. However after lunch Michelin brought out some new stuff which I tried and immediately liked and so we just kept working in that direction throughout the afternoon. I was doing mid 34s very comfortably and it really felt better and better as we went on, so I was really pleased. We tried some new electronic stuff and a new shock for Ohlins but it was mostly about tyres and it was great to be making some progress. I think I can honestly say that this was the most constructive test we’ve done in the last six months; it was a good way to round off an otherwise bad weekend and it’s put us all in a positive frame of mind for the next race.” Test Times 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1’34.10 2. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 1’34.24 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’34.29 4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1’34.34 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini 1’34.37 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1’34.44 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team 1’34.54 8. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1’34.58 9. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR 1’34.66 10. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 1’35.31 11. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1’35.37 12. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini 1’35.44 13. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki 1’35.61 14. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1’35.80 15. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 1’37.07 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Misano MotoGP Test Monday September 3, 2007 Misano Circuit, Santa Monica, Italy REPSOL HONDA PUTS IN THE HARD MILES AT MISANO The Repsol Honda Team completed a positive day’s testing at Misano on Monday as many MotoGP teams remained at the scene of yesterday’s San Marino Grand Prix. Putting the disappointment of the second corner incident that ended the chances of both Repsol Honda riders behind them, the team ran through and extensive programme of Michelin tyre testing and machine set-up adjustments ahead of the next round of the World Championship in Portugal on September 16. Nicky Hayden put in an astonishing effort today, once again proving that though his title defence is effectively over the World Champion has lost none of his work ethic or motivation. The 26-year-old American completed 134 laps of the 4.180km (2.596-mile) Misano circuit, the equivalent of nearly five race distances, and amassed an incredible 3.5 hours of riding time all at full pace. It was time well spent as Hayden recorded a best lap of 1m 34.26s on Michelin race tyres while lapping consistently in the 1m 34s bracket. Dani Pedrosa also put in a full day’s work, completing 95 laps on his RC212V. The Spaniard spent valuable time assessing further adjustments to chassis settings, referencing data that was gathered over the race weekend. Michelin supplied a range of race tyre options to test before Pedrosa set his best time of the day on a qualifier recording a lap of 1m 34.36s. Lying third in the World Championship, the 21-year-old will be looking for a strong result in Portugal in a fortnight to close the 18-point gap to Valentino Rossi in second place. Nicky Hayden Best lap time: 1m 34.26s 134 laps “I’m pretty happy with this test. I did a 1m 34.2s lap on race tyres which is quite decent and it actually makes the first lap incident yesterday even more frustrating. We were probably closer to the pace yesterday than even I thought because today, without really making any changes, we were able to go quite a lot quicker. Also when I ran off track yesterday it cut the tyre and so we weren’t able to learn anything in the race. I’m not going to fool anybody and say we had anything to match Stoner but I was able to lap pretty comfortably in the 1m 34s this afternoon. The track condition improved and that helped quite a bit too. We did some serious work with Michelin and they are really putting in the effort, though I can’t say we found a whole lot because towards the end I went back to a reference tyre and did my best lap of the weekend. The team did a really good job and worked hard so a big thanks to them they’re as committed as ever. We’ll go to Portugal and try to use some this information.” Dani Pedrosa Best lap time: 1m 34.36s 95 laps “This was a useful test today and we were able to get some information about the bike and tyres at this track that we missed out on in the race yesterday. It can seem quite difficult to come back and test after such a disappointing race result I only completed a couple of hundred metres before I was taken down but once we were out on track the conditions were quite good and we could spend some good time testing tyres and also some settings adjustments. I’m looking forward to the next race now and really want to do a good job there and get the sort of result the team deserves.”

More From The AMA Superbike Races At Road Atlanta

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More From The AMA Superbike Races At Road Atlanta

TOP TEN FINISHES FOR TEAM ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Despite a bout of bad luck on Sunday afternoon at Road Atlanta, Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki came away with a pair of top ten finishes in the penultimate round of the 2007 AMA Superstock season. The field was surprised early Saturday morning when the regularly scheduled practice session was transformed into a qualifying session due to weather concerns. However, team riders Chris Ulrich, Gary Mason, and Robertino Pietri responded admirably. All three riders broke into the top ten with Californian Ulrich leading the way. In his best dry qualifying result of the season (Ulrich was on pole in the wet at Road America), he put his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000 on the inside of the second row with the fifth-fastest time of the session (1: 24.012). Briton Mason joined Ulrich on the second row, qualifying eighth best on his Red Devil Energy Roadracingworld.com Suzuki with a fast lap of 1:24.514 around the 2.54-mile circuit. Venezuelan Pietri opened the 15-lap Superstock final one row behind his teammates, qualifying tenth overall at 1:24.877. Ulrich got off to a terrific start in the race and ran solidly inside the top ten. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue caused him to slow his pace by two seconds a lap and allowing five riders to erase the advantage he had built over them and to pass him late in the race. He still soldiered on to finish in tenth. Once Ulrich encountered his difficulties, Mason took up the charge and finished an impressive seventh at the checkered flag. Pietri was right in tow, but his race ended prematurely when a red flag was momentarily shown on the course, leading the reigning Latin American and Venezuelan Superbike champion to think the race had been called and he returned to the pits instead of securing what should have been another top ten result. At the end of the weekend, Ulrich said, “The race was great until around halfway and we had a problem that dropped my pace from the ’24s to the ’26s. I had a strong run going and had a second and a half gap over the riders behind me at the time. It’s still a tough pill to swallow. Gary stepped up and put in a strong weekend, and ‘Tino was doing well, too, before he backed off and pulled in because of that errant red flag. “I think all three of us are looking forward to going to Laguna and ending the season on a high note,” said Ulrich, who is sixth in the season’s points standings. Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki will conclude the 2007 season in two weeks when the series returns to Laguna Seca for the finale on September 15-16. More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: MAY EARNS ANOTHER PODIUM, CARDENAS FIGHTS FOR THE WIN AT ROAD ATLANTA Team M4 EMGO Suzuki completed a strong weekend for the squad at Road Atlanta with a pair of top-five finishes, including a podium result. Geoff May and Martin Cardenas both put in impressive efforts on Sunday, battling at the front of the Superstock and Supersport races. Georgia native May put his front row qualifying position to good effect in front of his local fans, powering away with the lead group in the Superstock final. May established himself a clear fourth late in the race and then was elevated to third two laps from the checkered flag when a rival tangled with a lapper. May’s third-place result was his fourth podium finish of the season aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000. He said, “I knew it was going to be a tough race going into it today. We worked really hard all weekend and found something this morning. I was able to run more consistent lap times and be right up there with the top guys. The tires were working great and I was really happy. I got my times into the 1:22s and that’s all I could ask for. I was just hoping if I stayed there — the leaders weren’t getting away from me — that I could maybe put a charge on them at the end.” Unfortunately, May encountered disappointment in the following Supersport race, running off the track early after qualifying second fastest. He fought his back up through the field but a mechanical problem prevented him from finishing the race. Colombian Martin Cardenas took up the charge for his teammate, scrapping for the race win. The former Spanish Supersport champion got another terrific start and waged a thrilling dogfight with the top three ranked riders in the field. He came home in fourth at the checkered flag after swapping positions multiple times on the final lap. Cardenas missed a podium result by just 0.134 seconds and was only 1.298 seconds removed from the win. “On the last lap I tried to pass Jamie Hacking in turn 10,” Cardenas explained. “He passed me again in the next corner and I got out of shape and almost highsided. In the last corner a backmarker was blocking the way and Roger Hayden came to the inside and there was nothing I could do.” Michael Beck earned his best result of the season at Road Atlanta. The young Californian concluded the 15-lap final with his first top-ten result of the season, guiding his GSX-R600 to tenth place. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki will conclude the 2007 AMA roadracing season in two weeks, as the series heads back to Laguna Seca for the season finale on September 15-16. More, from a press release researched and written for Honda Racing by Cycle News reporter and columnist Henny Ray Abrams: Zemke Third in Points Heading to Final Showdown American Honda’s Jake Zemke heads to the AMA Superbike Championship season finale in two weeks third in the point standings after tire problems struck in both ends of the Superbike double-header at Road Atlanta north of Atlanta, Georgia. The recently repaved 2.54-mile road circuit was brutal on tire life, with a number of riders having problems on Saturday. Because of tire wear concerns, Sunday’s 25-lap race was shortened by five laps. Saturday’s race was red-flagged when defending class champion Ben Spies crashed on the sixth of 25 scheduled laps. Zemke was fifth at the time. An adjustment to his Honda CBR1000RR didn’t work out as planned, and he wasn’t able to improve his position. He finished sixth. The pace on Sunday was faster than it had been on Saturday. Zemke gated well, slotting into third place behind the leading Suzukis. But tire wear again became an issue and he was relegated to fourth on lap seven of 20. Zemke fought back to re-take third for two laps, then fell a few more places to finish sixth for the second day in a row. In two weeks, Zemke heads to the final championship round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, site of the U.S. Grand Prix, with a five point cushion on the fourth placed rider. American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel sat out his second race in a row after suffering injuries in a test crash here at Road Atlanta three weeks ago. His status for the final race at Laguna Seca isn’t known. Mat Mladin beat Suzuki teammate Ben Spies in both races. Jamie Hacking was third both days on the Kawasaki. Jake Zemke, 6th, Saturday we struggled with grip a little bit. Actually before the red flag came out, we were going pretty good, except on the very first lap of the race in the back straightaway kink I lost the front end and I lost it bad. And not just once, but it tucked and I saved that one and then it tucked really good. I’m really glad that Aaron (Yates) wasn’t right beside me because I’d just drafted before we bent it into the kink and as soon as I turned the thing in I lost the front. I was real lucky to save that one. So we made an adjustment to the bike in the red flag and it actually hurt us really bad over here in the esses on the whole first half of the race track. We weren’t able to do those times again. We definitely struggled for grip there. With the changes I had made, I just couldn’t get the bike to get through the esses. But the boys overnight came up with a good setting this morning. We were P-3 and we were able to do pretty consistent mid-22’s and thought we’d be good for the race for the podium there, which we were for a while. But I never foresaw those guys dipping into the high 21’s, which all the guys who beat me did. By the end of the race I had used my tire up pretty good. When Roger Lee (Hayden) came by me, I just couldn’t get off the corner to get a run at him. And the boys were working hard and we made a big improvement from yesterday to today, it just didn’t show in the results. Sunday Superbike: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 3. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki) 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 5. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 6. Jake Zemke (Honda) 7. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 8. James Ellison (Honda) 9. Jake Holden (Suzuki) 10. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) Saturday Superbike: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 3. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki) 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 5. Jake Zemke (Honda) 6. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 7. Matt Lynn (MV) 8. Jake Holden (Suzuki) 9. Luca Scassa (MV) 10. Ben Thompson (Suzuki) Championship Standings: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 618 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 615 3. Jake Zemke (Honda) 441 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 436 5. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 429 6. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki) 403 7. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 360 8. Roger Hayden (Kawasaki) 344 9. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) 336 10. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 335 More, from a press release issued by Robertino Pietri’s publicist: En la categoría Superstock del circuito AMA Superbike de los Estados Unidos PIETRI TERMINÓ NOVENO EN ROAD ATLANTA En una carrera llena de confusión por un error técnico, el criollo logró mantenerse décimo en la tabla general. El piloto venezolano Robertino Pietri fue el noveno en cruzar la bandera de cuadros en la décima válida del torneo AMA Pro en la categoría Superstock. Pietri, dos vueltas antes de finalizar la carrera, marchaba firme en el noveno lugar. Pero al entrar a la vuelta siguiente, salió una bandera roja lo cual hizo que él, junto a otros competidores bajaran la velocidad, siguiendo el reglamento. Cuando Pietri da otra vuelta al circuito y pasa por la recta principal se da cuenta que la bandera de cuadros está siendo ondeada, generando una gran confusión. El criollo pasó de doceavo en ese momento. El anzotiguense junto a los otros pilotos que bajaron la velocidad hicieron el reclamo en la secretaría de carrera y después de varios minutos recibieron una respuesta. Lo sucedido fue que la bandera roja fue ondeada por error, lo que hizo que los representantes de AMA tomaran como el resultado final de la válida los puestos en que iban los competidores en la vuelta anterior al incidente, lo que colocó a Pietri en la novena casilla. “Me siento satisfecho conmigo mismo porque hicimos una buena carrera pero a la vez me causa frustración porque sino hubiese existido esa bandera roja yo creo que hubiese sido capaz de pasar a otros pilotos y lograr terminar al menos séptimo” afirmó el venezolano, quien dentro de quince días disputará la última válida del campeonato en Laguna Seca. Con este resultado, Pietri se mantiene en la décima posición del torneo con 134 unidades acumuladas. El piloto norteamericano Ben Spies, logró ganar esta válida y así, con todavía una carrera por realizarse, conquista matemáticamente el campeonato de la categoría Superstock. More, from a press release issued by Martin Cardenas’ publicist: Exitoso fin de semana en la pista para el equipo M4 EMGO Suzuki en Road Atlanta. VIERNES El Colombiano Martin Cárdenas estuvo de Nuevo entre los mejores pilotos de la categoría en Formula Xtreme sin tener importancia su falta de experiencia en pistas americanas. El excampeon de Supersport lucho adelante con los mejores pilotos durante la sesión de clasificación de Formula Xtreme el viernes en la tarde y termino asegurándose una posición en la primera fila de la grilla para la carrera del sábado con el cuarto mejor tiempo de la categoría 1:24.881. En la practica de Supersport su compañero de equipo May estuvo entre los primeros diez, consiguiendo el mejor décimo tiempo de la sesión en 1:26.342. Cárdenas estuvo muy cerca de el consiguiendo el mejor onceavo tiempo de la sesión en 1:26.445. El sábado de nuevo Cárdenas tratara de subir de nuevo al podio de Formula Xtreme. SABADO El colombiano Martin Cárdenas de Nuevo nos demostró que es uno de los más competitivos en la categoría de Formula Xtreme, llevando su Pirelli-shod GSX-R600 hasta la quinta posición cuando paso por la bandera de cuadros al finalizar la carrera de 13 vueltas. Es la cuarta vez que el expiloto de factoría del campeonato mundial de 250cc termina una carrera de Formula Xtreme entre los primeros cinco desde que ingreso al equipo M4 EMGO Suzuki. Cárdenas y Michael Beck empezaran la carrera de Supersport una fila detrás de May en la grilla de esta forma los tres pilotos del equipo M4 EMGO Suzuki en las GSX-R600´s consiguieron posiciones entre los primeros ocho. Cárdenas fue el quinto mejor con un tiempo de 1:25.724 mientras que Beck estuvo un poco mas atrás con el mejor octavo tiempo en 1:25.985. DOMINGO De nuevo Martin estuvo impresionante en la carrera de Supersport luchando adelante con el grupo que lideraba la carrera. Durante la carrera de Supersport su compañero de equipo May se salio de la pista y trato de remontar, pero un problema mecánico no le permitió terminar la carrera. Martin Cárdenas se encargo de ponerle sus máximos esfuerzo para conseguir ganar la carrera. El excampeon colombiano de Supersport tuvo una magnifica largada de nuevo y tuvo una excitante lucha con los tres mejores pilotos en la pista. Cuando paso por la bandera de cuadros quedo de cuarto después de múltiples adelantamientos y cambios de posición hasta la ultima vuelta de la carrera. Cárdenas no subió al podio por tan solo 0.134 segundos y estuvo a tan solo 1.298 segundos de la Victoria. “En la ultima vuelta trate de pasarme a Jamie Hacking en la curva 10,” Martin explica. “El me paso de nuevo en la siguiente curva y cometí un leve error y casi un highsided. En la ultima curva otro piloto me bloquio un poco el camino y Roger Hayden llego por dentro y ya no había nada mas que hacer.” El equipo M4 EMGO Suzuki terminara su temporada de carreras del AMA en dos semanas, regresando de nuevo a Laguna Seca del 15-16 de septiembre a disputar la última carrera de campeonato 2007. More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Kawasaki: Monster Energy Kawasaki Earns Double Podium in AMA Supersport Hacking Impresses with Another AMA Superbike Podium BRASELTON, Ga. Monster Energy Kawasaki riders Jamie Hacking and Roger Hayden took second and third in the AMA Supersport race at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. Hacking claimed his second AMA Superbike podium of the weekend during the second race of this doubleheader weekend. The AMA Supersport race was exciting from start to finish as Hacking battled back and forth for the lead during the majority of the 15-lap race. With only a few laps left, he was unable to regain the lead but finished with a hard-fought second place. “We got a decent start,” said Hacking. “I saw first place starting to move away and I knew I had to stay close. The bike was running really well, with good top speed, and I managed to close in on him. I got kind of held up and he pulled a little bit of a gap on me. We gained a few points on Roger and I’m looking forward to Laguna Seca.” Teammate Hayden got a mid-pack start and once he got past fourth place, he rode hard to catch the front pack of riders. With two laps to go and the championship on the line, he made a remarkable pass to finish third on the last turn before the checkered flag. “Once I got some clear laps in front of me, I was able to start chasing down the leaders,” said Hayden. “I need to get a better start because I can’t always depend on getting a bad start and being able to make it up to the front. If I get a good start, I know I can win.’ Going into the final round, Hayden maintains his lead for the championship, while Hacking sits in second, just nine points behind. Attack Kawasaki’s Steve Rapp finished the race in seventh, while teammate Ben Attard worked his way up from 23rd to finish in 11th place. “In the supersport race, if you get a bad start then it’s hard to make up a lot of ground if you get stuck behind slower riders,” said Rapp. “It’s hard to make up time in the straight sections when you don’t have a draft. I’m looking forward to Laguna. I finished well in July and hopefully that will carry over into the last race.” After finishing yesterday’s AMA Superbike race on the box, Hacking continued with an impressive race on Sunday. Starting on the grid in 10th, he managed to come across the first lap in sixth. After making a few clean passes, Hacking rode to his fifth AMA Superbike podium. “To have two consecutive podiums in the same weekend, it really shows that our consistency is getting a lot better,” said Hacking. “Each weekend, the bike is staying close to the same with few changes at each track. I am getting really comfortable out there.” Hayden also put in an impressive race aboard his Kawasaki ZX-10R after starting ninth. He worked his way up to sixth place, and during the final lap, made a smooth pass to round out the top-five. The final round of the AMA Superbike Championship is set for September 15-16 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. For the most recent Kawasaki racing action, interviews and more visit www.kawasaki.com/racing AMA Superbike Championship Road Atlanta Braselton, Ga. September 2, 2007 AMA Supersport Results 1. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda 2. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 3. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 4. Martin Cardenas, Miami, Fla., Suzuki 5. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha 6. Blake Young, Madison, Wis., Suzuki 7. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI 8. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Yamaha 9. Cory West, Eureka Springs, Ariz., Yamaha 10. Michael Beck, Simi Valley, Calif., Suzuki 11. BEN ATTARD, MURRIETA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI AMA Supersport Standings 1. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 271 2. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 262 3. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda, 260 4. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 226 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 193 6. Blake Young, Madison, Wis., Suzuki, 187 7. Geoff May, Gainsville, Ga., Suzuki, 179 8. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha, 145 9. BEN ATTARD, MURIETTA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 151 10. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 150 AMA Superbike Results, Race Two 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. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda 7. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki 8. James Ellison, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., Honda 9. Jake Holden, Eatonville, Wash., Suzuki 10. Eric Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha AMA Superbike Standings 1. Mathew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki, 618 2. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki, 615 3. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 441 4. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 436 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 429 6. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 403 7. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda, 360 8. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 344 9. Eric Bostrom, Las Vegas, Nev., Yamaha, 336 10. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha, 335

More From This Past Weekend’s Various Races

GO BIG’S GLENN TAKES HOME CHAMPIONSHIP, MILLSON STRONG IN SHANNONVILLE (Shannonville, ON) Go Big Racing’s Ross Millson (Hamilton, ON) and Paul Glenn (Keene, ON) wrapped up a very busy and successful final weekend of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park on Sunday afternoon. Glenn, competing in his rookie season in the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike class, wrapped up Go Big Racing’s first Championship Title with a strong third place finish in Shannonville. Glenn started the race from the front row with a 14 point cushion on second place rider Israel Johnas and shot off the line to take the lead in the first corner. Unfortunately, the race was red flagged when another rider was injured during the start so after a brief delay, the grid was once again set for the restart. “I got a great start, but saw the red flags come out in turn 2.” Said Glenn of the initial start “I came into the pits and the crew threw the Bickle tire warmers on, and on the restart, I was able to get out front and grab the lead again.” Racing for the championship, but also the many fans and sponsors who came out to the track this weekend, Glenn maintained his first place position until the dying laps of the race when both Pedro Sousa and Catherine Nadeau slipped by him looking for the race win. Glenn brought home the #79 Suzuki GSX-R600 in third place to celebrate his AM600 Championship with his elated pit crew. “We worked all year to be in this position” said Glenn on his Championship win “I could not have done this without the tireless efforts of the Go Big crew and the support of all our sponsors.” In the Pro Class, Ross Millson finished up a strong rookie season with a 17th place finish in the Pro 600 race and followed that up with an impressive 13th place finish in the Superbike finale. In the Pro 600 race, Millson once again showed his toughness and racing spirit as he slid out coming on to the front stretch only to hop up and jump back on the bike and continue down the front straight to a cheering grandstand. Millson finished 11th overall in the Superbike standings and came in 3rd in the Pro Rookie of the Year Standings. In addition to the standing room only crowd on hand to witness the final round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, many more were listening to Go Big Racing’s success online through the Parts Canada Superbike Championship website which was broadcasting all over the world, including Canadian Armed Forces personnel stationed in Afghanistan. Shannonville also was a busy venue off the track for the Go Big team as sponsor contests, autographed shirts and programs and free stickers and sponsor patches brought most of the Shannonville crowd through the Go Big paddock. Melanie Ross from Canadian Forces Base Trenton was the winner of the Summit Gearworks Prize Pack and the team was honoured to be asked by Shauna Szewczuk of Parts Canada and Laura Lang from Inside Motorcycles to help with drawing names for a Parts Canada/Inside Motorcycles draw with Team Sponsor Turn 2 Sportbike Rentals. Dan Leiskau of team sponsor J.D. Graphics was also on hand to promote an online contest with Go Big Racing. An interview over the PA system with Frank Wood ensured that everyone in attendance knew to head to www.gojdonline.com to enter to win $1,500 worth of signage. The contest will close on September 15, 2007. Go Big Racing would also like to thank their dedicated team, who spent countless hours each week preparing everything from the bikes to the food at the track. Ross and Paul would like to thank Mark Millson, Scott Laidman, Blaine Groves, Mike Weil, Sabrina Siciliano, Jessica Langille, Christina Millington, Angie and Mike Hallman, George Budacki, Johnny Spinelli and Mike Rice for all their help and support this season.

Toseland: 66 Points Is Not A Big Enough Lead To Enable Us To Relax

HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s James Toseland enters round 11 of the 2007 World Superbike Championship at Lausitz this weekend with a 66-point advantage over his title rivals. However, with 150 points still up for grabs before the end of the season, the battle for the championship crown is far from over. Toseland put in his best performance of the year so far at Brands Hatch, clinching his first ever double win in front of his home crowd. While the results were an all-important confidence boost for the Isle of Man resident, he is acutely aware of how crucial the two races at Lausitz are. Toseland secured one race victory at the 4.26km circuit in 2006 and will be aiming to match, if not beat, that result this year. Team-mate Roberto Rolfo made good progress at Brands Hatch and is aiming to maintain his recent good form in Germany. The Italian rider currently lies in eighth place in the championship standings with three crucial rounds left to go. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “Brands Hatch was the highlight of the season for us when James secured his first ever double win, and the team’s first double of the season. However, Lausitz is another race weekend and, although we have a 66-point lead at the moment, it doesn’t mean we can lose concentration. With 50 points per weekend at stake, it is easy to lose that advantage. Also, this part of season usually means that the chance of rain is very likely. We are fortunate that James managed to get a good feeling on the bike in wet conditions at the Magny Cours test. For Roby, we hope he can progress his riding once again. With the layout of the Lausitz track, I am confident that he can get some good results this weekend.” James Toseland: “We had a great result last year at Lausitz after winning a hard battle against Haga, so it’s a track we know we can do well at. If we can have a weekend similar to Brands Hatch then it will be difficult for the rivals to catch us in the championship. However, at this stage there is still all to play for and 66-points is not a big enough lead to enable us to relax. We still need to concentrate and hopefully we can do the job.” Roberto Rolfo: “I can’t wait to get back to racing as we have had quite a break since Brands Hatch. I am happy with the bike now and the feeling is very good. I feel like I have made good progress over the last few rounds and I am looking forward to Lausitz so I can try to get up to the front of the pack. The team is working really well together and I hope that I can bring home a good result for them this weekend.”

Kagayama On Lausitzring: It Is Very Important To Get A Good Start

After a five-week break, Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra’s Max Biaggi and Yukio Kagayama are refreshed and ready for the 11th round of this year’s Superbike World Championship at the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Germany this weekend. Both riders tested at the track in June this year, so it will be one circuit that Biaggi will not be seeing for the first time. Kagayama took a superb win in the first race last year and fourth in the second and will be hoping for more of the same this year. The 4.3 kilometre long track is part of one of the biggest and modern race tracks in the world and only opened for business in 2000. Max Biaggi: “Although I have not raced at Lausitz, I tested here earlier this year so at least I know which way the track goes round! Although it’s not a hugely demanding circuit, it is a track where you need a good rhythm if you are to lap quickly. So, once again, a good set-up is important. Getting a podium in the last round, at a circuit I was racing at for the first time, was very important for me. I have confidence in my own ability and I always give 100% and I will be going to Lausitz with the same attitude. If everything goes well, there is no reason why I cannot take a podium – though two would be better!” Yukio Kagayama: “Last year I had good results in Lausitz so I would like some more of the same this year. The track is OK, though it is not the most difficult track in the calendar. It is mostly flat and there are some slow corners and sometimes it can be a bit of a one-line track. Because of the first chicane and series of bends before the first long straight, it is very important to get a good start. If you don’t, the first riders can pull out a gap and then it’s very hard to catch them up and challenge for the lead. I want to be in the top three at the start of both races and be fighting for the podium places at the end.” 2006 results: Race 1: 1 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 4 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha), 5 Barros (Bra-Honda), 6 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda). Race 2: 1 Toseland (GB-Honda), 2 Haga, 3 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 4 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 5 Muggeridge, 6 Lanzi (I-Ducati). Max Biaggi – DNS.

Martin To Fill In For Celani Suzuki’s Injured Polita At Lausitzring World Superbike Round

TOSELAND THE TARGET FOR THE REST With three rounds and thus six individual points scoring races left to run in the SBK championship, an overall season strategy can be put aside by the top contenders. For long-time championship leader James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) all he needs to do is keep racking up points and podiums to maintain or increase his impressive 66-point championship lead. For the rest of the top five (the only riders still in with even an arithmetical chance of the championship win itself) have to make up Toseland’s advantage, without worrying about the progress of any other rider. This simplification of the rules of engagement should heighten, not reduce the ferocity of the front running competition, which recommences after a month’s lay-off since round 10 at Brands Hatch. At that event Toseland scored a double win, his first in World Superbike, but his rivals will be hoping that a change to the flat, featureless and generally tight EuroSpeedway Lausitz circuit will allow them to get back into closer company with Honda’s top rider. VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF TOP FIVE LIFE Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia), Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) comprise the chasing section of the top five quartet, and testimony to how accessible World Superbike has become since the advent of single make control tyres comes from that fact that there are four different makes of machine in the top four places – Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Ducati. Of the top four chasing riders, Corser, some 128 points behind Toseland, has only a marginal chance of overhauling the Englishman, but almost as worryingly for the rest, no rider with the kind of lead Toseland has at this stage has ever surrendered it in the previous 19 years of World Superbike competition. EUROSPEEDWAY LAUSITZ HISTORY PROVIDES A FEW POINTERS In terms of how fast any single rider can circulate the 4.265km EuroSpeedway Lausitz circuit, Troy Bayliss is the current best lap holder (1:37.623), fastest in Superpole (1:37.923) and official lap record holder, (1:38.635). Despite all these performances coming in his second championship-winning year for Ducati in 2006, Bayliss scored his three Lausitz race wins some time ago, in 2001 and 2002. In terms of recent race wins, three manufacturers have won at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Honda (twice), Ducati and Suzuki (one apiece). Significantly, Toseland is the most recent winner of a Lausitz race, but aside from the aforementioned Bayliss, two other current SBK riders have been victorious at this track. Last year Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) scored the first race win, and in 2005, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) secured his first-ever SBK race win. Each of these riders has scored podium finishes this year, but it is Kagayama who has the best recent form in the 2007 season. Sunday’s 24-lap races will prove if history will been repeated or not, but it may be significant that no Yamaha rider has ever won at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, and despite a test here earlier in the year, Max Biaggi has never raced at the German circuit before. XAUS AND LANZI RESUME GENTEEL HOSTILITIES Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) enters the EuroSpeedway Lausitz race with a slim two-point lead over the officially entered 999F07 machine of Lorenzo Lanzi. Xaus is the only rider outside the top four to have won a race this year, with the current win total reading Toseland 8, Bayliss 5, Haga 3, Biaggi 2, and Xaus 1 (at Valencia in April). TOP TEN PACKED WITH TALENT Talented Italian rider Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) will be out for his first podium of the year at Lausitz, Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) is ninth overall going into his only home race of the year, and the pre-Lausitz top 10 is completed by the aforementioned Kagayama. Behind the top ten the roll of talented riders continues unabated, with privateer Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse) having scored a podium again this year, in 11th. Former championship challenger Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) is now leading his Kawasaki team-mate Fonsi Nieto, Jakub Smrz (Caracchi Ducati) is 14th and 15th placed rider, Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha YZF Team) is ready to score more points. A couple of old faces re-appear on new bikes for Lausitz, as Karl Muggeridge is joined in the Alto Evolution squad by former WSS race winner Yoann Tiberio, and a man rapidly earning he title ‘Super-sub’ – Steve Martin – replaces the still-injured Alessandro Polita in the Celani Suzuki team. Luca Morelli (DFX Honda Corse) and Dean Ellison (Pedercini Ducati) complete the regular roll call of riders, with Martin Bauer (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) and Jiri Drazdak (Yamaha Junior Pro SBK Team) providing some one-off wildcard spice. WORLD SUPERSPORT – KENAN BACK ‘HOME’ WITH TITLE IN THE BAG After Brands Hatch Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was crowned 2007 World Supersport champion, and it is fitting that his adopted country of German is the venue for the first stop of his whistle-stop championship celebration. Sofuoglu moved to Germany from his native Turkey to further his career, and he can be sure of many supportive fans in the Lausitz grandstands – and they can be sure that Sofuoglu will be keen to take more wins to underline a stellar year. The battle for second in the championship is still on, with Fabien Foret (GIL Kawasaki) attempting to keep his 39-point lead over Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda, Lausitz race winner in 2002) while simultaneously resisting challenges from the ever-competitive Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda) and Brands Hatch race winner, Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team). Other riders to look out for include Joshua Brookes (Stiggy Motorsports Honda), Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni), Barry Veneman (Pioneer Hoegee Suzuki) and Craig Jones (Revè Ekerold Honda) – and maybe 2005 and 2006 champion Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) who went pole at Brands Hatch, only to be excluded from the final results. Previous Lausitz form? Sofuoglu was the race winner in 2006. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP – BAIOCCO 12 POINTS AHEAD Matteo Baiocco (Umbria Bike Yamaha) enters the EuroSpeedway Lausitz race some 12 points up on new second place rider Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki), who has scored two seconds and a win in the last three races. Mark Aitchison (Celani Team Suzuki Italia) is now third, some 20 points from Baiocco, with most recent race winner Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox 1098) 23 points back. The championship is still absolutely wide open in this most unpredictable of classes, especially as fifth place Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) is only 32 points from the lead, and riders like Michele Pirro (Team Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha) and Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) have already shown they can win at the highest level of Superstock racing in 2007. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – BERGER FROM MAGNONI It’s like the FIFA World Cup all over again as France takes on Italy in the final stages of a championship. Frenchman Maxime Berger (Trasimeno Yamaha) scored the race win at Brands Hatch to put himself 14 points ahead of Italian rider Michele Magnoni (Bevilacqua Yamaha), with another Italian, Andrea Antonelli (Team Italia Megabike Honda AX), some 32 points off the lead. Like the other classes, three races remain in the series. TIME TO REFLECT AFTER LAUSITZ After the third last round of the season, the all the 2008 SBK champ classes will have a rest of two weeks before they participate in a final flurry of activity, at Vallelunga (30 September) and Magny-Cours (7 October).

Polaris, Victory And Riders To Raise Funds For American Cancer Society

MEDINA, MN Polaris and Victory Motorcycle dealers in Minnesota and Wisconsin are teaming up with Polaris ATV, RANGER and Victory riders to raise funds for the American Cancer Society in a special campaign called the “Polaris Rider Challenge to Fight Cancer.” This special fundraising drive runs through October 31, 2007. Polaris is rallying its employees, dealers, riding groups and all riders in Minnesota and Wisconsin to hold special fundraising events to help The American Cancer Society combat the disease Americans consider the most important health problem they could face. As a special incentive, participating fundraising teams may enter a drawing for a custom Polaris RANGER XP utility vehicle with $2,500 in accessories. “Our dealers, employees, and numerous ATV clubs will hold rides, charity events and fundraisers, so we will all be pulling together to fight cancer,” said John Corness. “The sobering truth is that 1.3 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and half a million people will die from cancer. We hope this grass-roots fundraising effort can help raise awareness of the American Cancer Society’s research, education and patient services.” Riders in Minnesota and Wisconsin are urged to visit their Polaris and Victory dealers or local riding clubs to learn about fundraising projects such as group rides, distance rides with pledges from donors and ride-ins at the dealerships. “In Wisconsin and Minnesota alone, there will be nearly 50,000 people who will be diagnosed with cancer. Just under half of them will die. That’s why the American Cancer Society is proud to team up with Polaris in the fight against the disease because one person hearing, ‘You have cancer,’ is one too many, in our opinion,” said Peter Balistrieri, spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. To learn how to form a fundraising team, get tips on raising donations and to get details about the RANGER XP drawing, visit http://main.acsevents.org/polaris. “We invite riders to create their own, original ways to raise contributions too,” said Corness. “We expect them to come up with some highly imaginative approaches.” The “Polaris Rider Challenge to Fight Cancer” campaign is being viewed as a pilot program that could be implemented nationwide in the future. For more information about cancer including early detection and prevention recommendations and about the American Cancer Society, visit www.cancer.org. About Polaris With annual 2006 sales of $1.7 Billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), Victory Motorcycles and the Polaris RANGER for recreational and utility use. Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry and one of the largest manufacturers of ATVs in the world. Victory Motorcycles, established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive inroads into the motorcycle cruiser and touring marketplace. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII,” and the Company is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 stock price index. Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com. About the American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States. For more information anytime, call toll free 1.800.ACS.2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

Safety First Suzuki Launches New Website

Safety First Suzuki has launched their new high-end website that follows the latest trend of having increased multimedia aspects integrated into the site. The website www.safetyfirstracing.com will contain the latest in team news, video clips, podcasts and online shopping. “One really cool piece that everyone needs to check out is the Suzuki intro video that OnTheThrottle.tv produced for us ~http://www.safetyfirstracing.com/multimedia/videos/banger-video/~ ,” exclaimed Team Owner Kevin Hanson. The video highlights all of the Suzuki sponsored teams; Yoshimura, M4, Jordan, Matsushima and Safety First with some outrageous racing crashes, including the infamous Geoff May/Jamie Hacking Barber crash! “I’ve had James Bhathena from Total Racing Solutions working with the web designers for several months in developing the sight and it’s turned out really great even though it’s still in its infancy stages,” explained Hanson. “The video will also be shown at all of my nationwide ‘Safety First’ kid’s presentations to get the kids pumped up and to visually show the importance of wearing a helmet and proper safety gear. I’ve got a lot of things in the pipeline with the guys at OnTheThrottle.tv being produced now and next year that’s never been done. It’s really cutting edge video that will benefit trackday riders, racers, sponsors and fans”¦..so stay tuned!” explained Hanson. Safety First Racing was formed in 2004 by police officer/racer, Kevin Hanson, based out of Chicago, IL. For 2007, Safety First Suzuki will be competing in the AMA Superbike series in the Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes. Checkout www.SAFETYFIRSTRACING.com to see the Safety First Suzuki line of apparel and casual wear. Kevin Hanson continues to educate elementary school aged children nationwide about the importance of helmet usage.

Rea Signs Three-year Deal With HANNspree Ten Kate Honda, Will Race World Supersport In 2008

The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Team has signed British rider Jonathan Rea for the 2008 World Supersport Championship campaign. Rea, from Ballyclare, Northern Ireland, will make his debut in the World Championship next year after signing a three-year contract with the team, from Nieuwleusen, Netherlands. Talented Rea, 20, currently lies in second place in the British Superbike Championship with two rounds to go, riding for the factory-supported HM Plant Honda Team. He has secured 10 podium finishes, including five race wins this season, and is the youngest rider in British Superbike history to secure a pole position, podium and race win. Ten Kate Honda has won the last six World Supersport Championship titles and the team believes the addition of Rea will assist both the rider’s and the team’s development during 2008 and beyond. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “We are delighted to have secured Jonathan’s services for the 2008 World Supersport campaign with HANNspree and Honda. We have been contesting the championship for 10 years now and we are always on the lookout for fresh new talent. Jonathan has everything we want in a rider – he is young, highly motivated and has the ability to go far in the sport. He is already familiar with Honda and I know that he is eager to race on the CBR600RR. I am sure he will make the transition to the world stage very well and we are looking forward to bringing out the best in him over the next three years. A special thanks must go to his current HM Plant Honda team and to Honda UK, not only for producing such a talented riders but also for their co-operation in helping him make the transition to the world stage.” Jonathan Rea: “I am really excited to be moving into the World Supersport Championship with HANNspree Ten Kate Honda. It’s very important for me to be learning the world circuits now and I’m sure it will be a great experience that I can use in the years to come. I am saddened to be leaving my old team in British Superbike, they have worked incredibly hard over the past four years and they have been an awesome team. However, I have to look forward and I cannot wait to get to work with HANNspree Ten Kate Honda. It’s an ideal situation for me to be progressing with Honda – in fact it was my number one priority. I hope this is the start of a long and successful relationship.”

Updated Yet Again: Even More From The AMA Nationals And USGPRU Race At Road Atlanta Last Weekend

Good Race Weekend For Safety First Suzuki at Road Atlanta

Safety First Suzuki made some great strides at Road Atlanta this weekend as Team Owner Kevin Hanson related, “I am really happy with the way the guys rode this weekend. Sixteen-year-old Bobby Fong continues to show how talented he really is as a rider. All of the tracks are new to Bobby except for the CA rounds. In the Supersport race Bobby got down to a 1:26:3 and passed Factory Yoshimura Suzuki rider Tommy Hayden and several other more experience riders before making a mistake and losing three positions by grabbing one to many downshifts into the hard breaking turn 10. I can’t ask for anything more from a really young rider. Bobby continues to go faster and learn every race weekend. Scotty (Ryan) had his best weekend so far with his lap time progression. He went three seconds faster this year than he did previously and found almost a full second for the Supersport Race. We had a new front slick that we tested from Michelin that worked great that the club level guys are really going to be excited about.” Bobby Fong- Finished 13th-FX, 16th- Supersport

“I feel a lot better now after finishing this weekend. Ron Wood from Michelin gave us some great new front slicks for our Formula Xtreme qualifying and race that we were able to get a lot out of. I lost out to (Tommy) Hayden and Lee (Acree) after snicking down one to may gears into corner 10, standing the bike up and riding through the gravel trap. But I was reeling them back in again right after that. I wish we had a few more laps as I am confident I would have caught and re-passed them.”

Fong currently is in 9th place for Formula Xtreme points and remained in 18th for the Supersport class following Road Atlanta.

Scotty Ryan- Finished 17th- FX, 24th-Supersport

“It takes me a bit longer to get up to speed, which in this case had me turning my fastest laps of the weekend during Supersport. We did have a compressed schedule and lost some track time with the rain in Saturday, so I really had to cram. Jim (Rashid) gave us the best set-up we have had all year. My finish in Formula Xtreme matched my best result this year. I want to thank Ron and Scot from Michelin for the new tires we were able to use this weekend. The only word that I can think of to describe the tires would be “awesome”! I had a low-side after loosing the front in the spotty misting that we saw on Sunday morning, but my Komodo leathers and Suomy helmet did their job. Going to Laguna in two weeks will be nice and I hope we can pick up right where we left off in July when we last raced there, as we have a real tight schedule that weekend with only getting on the track on Saturday and Sunday.”

Ryan remained in 18th for Formula Xtreme and 31st place in Supersport after the round.

The team will be finishing the 2007 season in two weeks time at Laguna Seca. This will mark the first time this year that the Safety First Suzuki riders will be visiting a track where they both have prior racing experience.

Safety First Racing was formed in 2004 by police officer/racer, Kevin Hanson, based out of Chicago, IL. For 2007, Safety First Suzuki will be competing in the AMA Superbike series in the Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes. Checkout www.SAFETYFIRSTRACING.com to see the Safety First Suzuki line of apparel and casual wear. Kevin Hanson continues to educate elementary school aged children nationwide about the importance of helmet usage.

More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Honda:

ELLISON MOVES CORONA EXTRA HONDA CBR1000RR TO EIGHTH AT ROAD ATLANTA SUPERBIKE

With the East Coast heat wave following the AMA circus, James Ellison continued to improve his riding of the Corona Extra Honda CBR1000RR SuperBike, taking eighth in the second SuperBike event of this weekend’s doubleheader at Road Atlanta. A mechanical problem sidelined him in the first race.

Ellison immediately came to grips with the high-speed Road Atlanta track and was quickly up to speed in practice and qualifying. Within seconds of the close of qualifying he was fourth but ultimately was pipped for that front-row slot by mere tenths of a second so had to settle for fifth, first on the second row. This was his best qualifying all year and boded well for the races!

Come the green flag for the first race, James got a poor start and found himself in eleventh slot after the first lap. He quickly started making up positions getting to ninth by lap four when championship leader Ben Spies crashed, bringing out the red flag. The restart was very prompt and the crew had no time to change the notoriously delicate clutch of the CBR1000RR Superbike. James tried to feather it but it gave up the ghost and he was forced to retire. The disappointed crew immediately put in a new one for race two!

James was obviously concerned about the clutch in race two and it showed in his cautious start which again found him eleventh on lap one. Once again he put his head down and started making up positions getting three by the finish and ending up in eighth, a solid finish. James said; “I was really gentle on the clutch and lost some positions at the start. After I got around some guys I couldn’t get on the draft of the next group. The track is really fast and the draft makes all the difference. I’m bummed I was not able to capitalize on my qualifying position!” The weekend has Ellison remaining eleventh in the SuperBike championship series.

More, from a press release issued by Millennium/KWS Suzuki:

Millennium/KWS Suzuki’s David Weber in the Top Ten at Road Atlanta

Braselton, GA Sep 2007 — Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Ron Ayers Motorsports rider David Weber rode through injuries to his foot, shoulder, and wrist to get his best AMA finish of his career. John Haner was back with the team for Road Atlanta after suffering from a severe case of pneumonia and was riding well, but mechanical problems put a damper on his come back weekend.

Superstock qualifying was canceled because of water seepage on the track so the grid was set from Practice times from Saturday morning. The Millennium/KWS riders started from the third row with Weber in the eleventh position and Haner in the twelfth position. The second Superbike qualifying session was also canceled, but Weber and Haner were able to qualify in the fourteenth and fifteenth positions based on the first qualifying session. Weber rode his Dunlop shod Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a time of 1:25.521. Teammate Haner was right behind Weber with a time of 1:25.983.

In Superbike Race One both riders got excellent starts and raced together for most of the race. The Millennium Technologies sponsored riders crossed the finish line back to back once again. Weber finished in the thirteenth position and Haner finished right behind his teammate in the fourteenth position.

Sunday morning’s Superstock race started well with Haner running as high as sixth on lap one. Unfortunately he suffered a mechanical failure coming out of the last turn, ending what would have certainly been a top ten finish. Meanwhile, teammate David Weber was locked in a race long battle with Halof Suzuki’s Scott Jensen which culminated to a ninth place finish for the Dunlop equipped Weber. This ties Weber’s best AMA finish to date, matching his ninth place finish in Superstock earlier this year at Road America.

Superbike Race Two was only and hour after the Superstock race and was going to be challenge for Weber’s injured right wrist. Weber rode a smart race, only pushing when he needed to and conserving the strength in his wrist to get another top fifteen finish. Haner’s bad luck weekend continued when the clutch failed at the start forcing Haner to retire on lap three.

David Weber “It was a really good weekend, although a bit painful. My wrist was pretty good throughout the week, but long runs on the bike made it really sore. I got some good results and I owe it all to my guys, Rick Matheny and Matt Hill. They worked super hard was usual. I want to thank Dunlop, Suzuki, Penske and the entire Millennium/KWS Suzuki team. These guys work really hard to give me the best equipment every weekend.

John Haner “It was a tough weekend. We had a lot of bad luck but that’s racing sometimes. This is a great team and we will get it right for Laguna in two weeks. I want to thank Michael Godin for all his hard work this weekend. He is the hardest working guy in the paddock and I appreciate every hour he puts in. I also have to thank Rockstar Energy Drink for coming out and supporting us.”

Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) “It was a pretty good weekend. We had some bad luck, but as usual the team pulled together and made the most of it. I want to thank the John and David for riding 100% even with the injuries and the illness and I want thank the crew for all the hard work. Nobody works harder than these guys.”

More, from a press release issued by Shift:

AMA ROAD RACING REPORT CORY WEST

Privateer road racer Cory West gives you the inside scoop from Round 10 of the AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme Championships at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA.

By Cory West

After the races in Virginia, I actually had a weekend off, so I flew back to San Diego for a week. I spent most of my time relaxing with my girlfriend, Amanda, and helping her to get ready for college to resume. My birthday was on the 23rd and I didn’t really do anything special except for going out to sushi for dinner!

I flew back to Atlanta on the following Tuesday so I could help Chuck get everything ready for the weekend. With a bunch of help from all of our sponsors, we managed to get everything fresh and ready again after our issues in Virginia. Both bikes were ready to roll and all I had to do was break one motor in a little bit on Thursday’s practice day.

Everything got off to a pretty good start on Thursday in the first few practice sessions. My times were getting close to what I had turned at Road Atlanta earlier in July during the WERA Cycle Jam and we weren’t having any big issues with the bikes. The day got cut short in the afternoon though because it started raining. Road Atlanta is another track that the AMA doesn’t race at in the wet. I don’t want to sound like a cry baby when I say this, but Road Atlanta is by far the most dangerous place on the AMA schedule, if you ask me. There are some walls in places that are very high speed, and for that reason the AMA doesn’t make the riders risk everything by going out on this track in the rain.

Everything dried up on Friday and the first practice sessions went pretty well for us. I definitely wasn’t fully up to speed yet but my times were consistently getting faster. I have a little bit of trouble not getting up to speed as fast as some of the other riders, but it’s usually because I’m trying to get comfortable before I start pushing the envelope. In the past my record at Atlanta has been pretty bad. I’ve crashed a lot at this track and I’ve had some horrible luck here too, so I really wanted to take it a step slower so things didn’t get bad right away. In FX qualifying at the end of the day I ended up 13th and turned in a reasonably quick lap time but we were still a little off the pace. I really tried not to get too worked up about putting in a particular lap time and just focused on getting comfortable and turning consistently quick laps.

Friday night when we were leaving the track, it started raining pretty hard. I don’t know if it rained all through the night but when we showed back up on Saturday morning the track was still partially wet. So morning practices were delayed until the track was completely dry and by the time everything was good, our Supersport practice turned into a 25 minute qualifying session. That really didn’t throw us off too bad and I ended up finishing the session in 11th place. I was happy where I ended up because I’d be starting on the third row and everyone that was in front of me wasn’t going that much faster. I knew it would be a good Supersport race with the times being so close.

After our little practice/qualifying session around noon, all I had left for Saturday was the FX race. I knew the start would be important if I was going to try to hang with the top 7 or 8 guys, so I tried to ride real aggressive in the first few corners. My jump off the line was good and I got into about 8th place right away but the red flag stopped us after completing only two laps. On the restart, I didn’t get as good of a launch and I got held up in the first chicane. It took me a couple of laps to get around a few guys that were holding me up and by the time I got clear track, I had already lost touch with the lead pack. I was in 11th and didn’t have a very exciting race going because I was alone for most of it, but on the last lap, Chris Peris, who was running 10th, fell in turn six and handed me a top ten finish. My times were consistent during the race but I was having a few issues with the rear suspension while I was accelerating. So we came up with a few ideas to try to get me going quicker for Sunday’s Supersport race.

Sunday morning was nice and dry and the morning Supersport practice felt pretty good. We tried a little change to the rear suspension and the bike felt better in a few areas of the track. I felt pretty confident going into the race and I felt like I could keep up a faster pace for a longer time compared to the FX race. The start was just as important in the Supersport race and I got into a good position early and held on to a big group of riders. Including me, there were six of us all in a pack racing for 4th place. I was sitting on the tail end of the group and started turning lap times about half a second faster then what I had qualified at. I was comfortable running that pace but I couldn’t quite get out of turn 5 and turn 7 hard enough to hang with those guys. I could catch up on the brakes but I couldn’t match their drive off of the corners. I held that position all the way to the end of the race and ended up finishing 9th. When I came in and checked the results on the monitor, I finished only 11 seconds off of the leader and turned the 6th fastest time of the race. The whole team was pretty excited that we finished both races without any crashes or mechanical issues. But besides just finishing both races, they were both top tens and I felt pretty good about that. Atlanta has been a very difficult track for me and I feel like I’ve finally conquered it by doing well and not crashing. We had some extra help over the weekend from Sam Lehrfeld at Kneedraggers.com, and Don Finnely helping with suspension, and I felt like it helped me get going as fast as I did. I feel real good about the last race at Laguna and can’t wait to get back on track!

More, from a press release issued by USGPRU:

PJ Jacobsen Victorious at Road Atlanta

The USGPRU headed for Road Atlanta last weekend for the penultimate round of the 2007 season. The AMA pro series hosted the weekend, which allowed many of our young racers to rub elbows with some of their heroes and meet their future teammates and competitors. The weekend started out with a session of the Apex Academy, hosted by 1993 World 500GP Champion, Kevin Schwantz. Twenty of the USGPRU racers all listened to Kevin as he described the fast line around the Road Atlanta circuit as well as a few stories from his illustrious racing career. 

The Saturday qualifying session had 41 riders ripping off fast laps around the race track. Fourteen-year-olds, PJ Jacobsen and Kris Turner battled for pole position with PJ finally claiming the slot with a time of 1:34.205. Kris was only .5 seconds behind PJ and certainly still in the hunt. Nobi Iso and Elena Myers were able to round out the rest of the front row. 

The weather cooperated Sunday as the skies threatened rain, but held off long enough to get the race underway. The green light saw Iso catapult his Aprilia into the lead heading into turn one, closely followed by Myers, Turner, and Toriano Wilson. PJ got a very poor start, but proceeded to mow through the crowd and caught up with Turner by the second lap. Myers was shown a ‘meatball’ flag for jumping the start though and had to roll in to the hot pit for a stop-n-go penalty. While she was in serving her penalty, Floridian, Steve Wenner highsided his Honda RS125 in turn 10b, bringing out the red flag, and stopping the race. The 8-lap restart was made from original grid positions. And in a picture perfect replay, Iso again put his Aprilia out into the lead with Myers right on his rear wheel. Myers couldn’t complete another lap though as her Honda suffered an electrical failure and had to retire. Turner was riding like a man possessed, and ducked under Iso in T-6. But the power of the Aprilia allowed Iso to drive right by again down the long back straight. PJ wasn’t about to let these guys have all the fun, and joined in to make for a 3-way battle royal at the front. Turner led for 4 of the 8 laps, Iso for 2, and PJ for the remaining 2 laps. But the only lap that counts is the final lap, and for that, PJ was able to slip through some lap traffic and finished just under 1 second ahead of Turner and Iso. 

While all this was going on up front, there was a six-way battle for fourth place between Tyler Odom, Melissa Paris, Royce McLean, Toriano Wilson, Lloyd Worrell, and Miles Thornton. The oldest racer of the crowd was a whopping 23 years old! The battle raged all race long, but the final lap saw Worrell and McLean pull a little gap on the rest of the group. It appeared that Worrell had the spot wrapped up coming down the hill into the final corner, but McLean held the throttle WFO, rode up on the curbing around the outside of Worrell, and clinched the position by inches at the line. The crowd sighed a collective breath when the 12-year-old McLean popped out from behind Worrell at the line with his fist pumping in the air! 

The USGPRU would like to thank Kevin Schwantz for participating in this round of the Apex Academy, as well as Marnie Lincoln for helping to get the event all set up. Thanks also to Keith Kizer and Morgan Broadhead for allowing us to come out and race with the Pro series. Finally, thank you to all of the staff at the Road Atlanta raceway and special thanks to the corner workers and medical staff for their hospitality and assistance throughout the weekend. 

The final round of the USGPRU 2007 season will be held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH the weekend of 22 September. 

125GP Race Results: 1. Patrick Jacobsen -Honda RS125 2. Kris Turner -Honda RS125 3. Nobi Iso -Aprilia RS125 4. Royce McClean -Yamaha TZ125 5. Lloyd Ramsey -Honda RS125 6. Melissa Paris -Aprilia RS125 7. Toriano Wilson -Honda RS125 8. Tyler Odom – Honda RS125 9. Chase Vivion – Honda RS125 10. Cassidy Heiser -Honda RS125 11. Shannon Caisey -Honda RS125 12. Hayden Gillim -Honda RS125 13. Leon Cortes -Honda RS125 14. John Hjelm -Honda RS125 15. Kevin Murray -Yamaha TZ125 16. Steve Scott -Yamaha TZ125 17. Corey Rech -Honda RS125 18. Merle Eschman -Honda RS125 19. Brandon Warren -Honda RS125 20. Connor LeFrance -Honda RS125 21. Jake Mormon -Honda RS125 22. Tony Wang -Honda RS125 23. Allen Campbell -Honda RS125 24. Miles Thornton -Honda RS125 25. Scott Thompson -Honda RS125 26. Corey Alexander -Honda RS125 27. Robert Terando -Honda RS125 28. John Long -Yamaha TZ125 29. Justin Long -Yamaha TZ125 30. Marcus Matthews -Honda RS125 31. Scotty VanHatten -Honda RS125 32. Duane Hixon -Honda RS125 33. Adam Neese -Honda RS125 34. Christopher Terheyden -Honda RS125 35. Antoine Richards -Honda RS125 36. Elena Myers -Honda RS125 37. Steve Thompson -Honda RS125 DNF Steve Wenner -Honda RS125 DNF Barrett Long -Yamaha TZ125 DNS Paul Hoyt Nelson -Honda RS125 

Current Top-5 Points – National 125GP class 1. Patrick Jacobsen 300 2. Nobi Iso 260 3. Benny Solis 236 4. Tyler Odom 150 5. Jon Schendel 130 

Current Top-5 Points – National 250GP class 1. Ryan Ferris 250 2. Eddy Brunet 222 3. Vincent Rolleri 166 4. Kyle Ferris 148 — Mark Kelly 148

More, from a press release issued by Rockwall Honda:

TOP TEN RESULTS FOR ROCKWALL HONDA RACERS IN ATLANTA

The Rockwall Honda completed the Road Atlanta weekend with Ryan Elleby and Ryan Andrews earning top ten results in the Formula Xtreme race after the teammates put on a stellar battle. Racer Ben Thompson competed one of the team’s Supersport bikes last weekend and impressed before retiring from the race with a mechanical problem.

Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race saw the Rockwall Honda riders compete for eighth position as the Elleby and Andrews spent much of the race in close quarters. Andrews took eighth and Elleby was ninth at the flag, just 0.6 seconds behind his teammate. In their race-long battle, Elleby crossed the line was in front for seven of the race’s 13 laps, while Andrews led his teammate six times, including the final lap.

“It was fun,” said Andrews. “After the restart, I got a better start and maintained my position through turn one. After that, it was Elleby and me going at it for the whole race. I haven’t had that much fun since Barber when we had four riders going for position. In the long run, our bikes were so equal it was insane. Both were very fast and we were side-by-side plenty of times. It kept coming down to braking battles at the end of the straights. I had a blast out there.”

“I think my tire might have lasted a little longer and that might have been the deciding factor,” added Andrews.

Elleby’s result was all the more impressive, given that he crashed before the red flag and the team had to make some fixes to his CBR600RR. “It was a great battle out there with Ryan,” he said. “The crew did a great job of getting the bike back in the race.”

Andrews took 15th in the Supersport race, while guest rider Ben Thompson had a mechanical issue.

“I got a decent start but I got pinched in turn one,” said Andrews. ” We dropped back some, but I clicked off laps in the race and made up a few positions. We’d struggled with setup some this weekend and my tire was about done by the halfway point. Also, I had one of the biggest saves of my career coming down the hill on the last lap. I tucked the front but I was able to save it and we got 15th.”

Although he was unable to finish the race, Thompson made his mark with the team. “Ben was very sharp and gave us great feedback,” said Rockwall Honda crewchief Robert Ward. “He’s an impressive rider.”

The AMA season finale will be held at Laguna Seca September 15-16.

Stoner Fastest In Post-race Testing At Misano, Hayden Second-fastest

MELANDRI AND ELIAS: POSITIVE AFTER RACE TEST AT MISANO The Honda Gresini squad went back on track today after the yesterday great performance that saw Marco Melandri finishing 4° after starting from the 12th position and Toni Elias 7° rrecovering from a start from 5th row. The Honda Gresini riders focused on tyre testing and tested different set up solutions. MARCO MELANDRI (1’34″37): “Together with the Bridgestone technicians we tested in preparation of the next races. I also used all the time at disposal to work on the set up of the bike recovering the time lost on Friday because of the rain and on Saturday because of my crash during the morning practices. We found some interesting solutions and I’m happy because the bike is working well. Today I still had some pain so a preferred not to make too many laps in a row”. TONI ELIAS (1’35″22): “the race yesterday was very demanding and at the end I was really tired. I suffered a lot for my leg so Today I couldn’t push too much. In total I completed 85 laps, not bad if I consider my physical conditions. Today we focused on tyre testing and we worked on the set up and I could improve my race rhythm. Now I need some days of rest before starting the preparation for the Portugal GP” UNOFFICIAL LAP TIMES 1. C.Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) 1’34″1 2. N.Hayden (Repsol Honda) 1’34” 24 3. D.Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) 1’34″29 4. C.Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) 1’34″30 5. V.Rossi (Fiat Yamaha1’34″34 6. M.Melandri (Honda Gresini) 1’34″37 7. C.Edwards (Fiat Yamaha) 1’34″40 8. R.DePuniet (Kawasaki) 1’34″54 9. J.Hopkins (Rizla Suzuki) 1’34″62 10. C.Checa (Honda LCR) 1’34″66 12. T.Elias (Honda Gresini) 1’35″22 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: STONER & CAPIROSSI COMPLETE POSITIVE TEST SESSION AT MISANO BODY { font-family : Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; } The day after Casey Stoner’s historic San Marino Grand Prix victory that gave Ducati its first-ever MotoGP win on home tarmac, Stoner and team-mate Loris Capirossi, who yesterday charged through from 13th to fifth position, were back on track today for testing. Another day of good weather allowed the Ducati Marlboro Team riders to concentrate on Bridgestone race tyre tests and on machine set-up. Stoner did a best of 1m 34.11s during his 58 laps, while Capirossi did a best of 1m 35.79s during his 40 laps. The Ducati Marlboro Team now prepares for the next MotoGP event – round 14 at Estoril (Portugal) on September 16. Casey Stoner Best lap: 1m 34.11s, on race tyres (total of 58 laps) “We are very happy with today. We had a few tyres to test, very similar to those we had tested after the race at Brno. We have once again found some very positive points which could give us a step forward at future races. Also, we tried another step with the chassis, again similar to what we did at Brno, just to confirm things, and once again we did consistently very fast times. It has been a very positive test for us, though also a quite a long and hot day.” Loris Capirossi Best lap: 1m 35.79s, on race tyres (total of 40 laps) “Today we made some tyre tests and we tried some changes to the set-up, aiming to sort out the problems we had during the weekend. Concerning the Bridgestone tyres, I had got a good feeling today and I think we’re starting a good job for the future, but concerning the set-up tests, we weren’t able to make the steps forward we were hoping for.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Event: Misano Test Date: Monday, 3rd September 2007 Ambient temperature: 25 degrees C Track temperature: 42 degrees C Humidity: 61% POSITIVE TEST FOR FIAT YAMAHA TEAM IN MISANO Fiat Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were back out on track in Misano today, keen to put the bad memories of yesterday’s race behind them and start moving forward before the last five races of the season. Once again the principle focus for both riders was tyre testing and there were some encouraging steps made this afternoon, with some of the new material that Michelin brought throwing out some promising results. Rossi and Edwards finished the day fourth and sixth fastest according to the unofficial time sheets, after completing 57 and 94 laps respectively. The team will now have a short break before reconvening in Estoril next week for the Portuguese Grand Prix. Valentino Rossi Position: 4th Time: 1’34.34 Laps: 57 “The disappointment of yesterday hasn’t gone away but of course the best way to deal with it has been to get back to work, and this is what we’ve done today. Our engineers have looked at the engine and it seems that the problem was something which could have occurred also in the old one, so it was just bad luck for us. The new engine gives us some speed advantage over the old one so we will keep on working on its development. This afternoon we tried some new tyres and we found some very interesting and positive things. It seems that Michelin have done a good job in their recent work and it was definitely a much more positive test than in Brno, so we’re quite happy with our day’s work.” Colin Edwards Position: 6th Time: 1’34.44 Laps: 94 “This morning we were working on the right side of the tyre following the problems we had yesterday and to be honest we didn’t really make much progress. However after lunch Michelin brought out some new stuff which I tried and immediately liked and so we just kept working in that direction throughout the afternoon. I was doing mid 34s very comfortably and it really felt better and better as we went on, so I was really pleased. We tried some new electronic stuff and a new shock for Ohlins but it was mostly about tyres and it was great to be making some progress. I think I can honestly say that this was the most constructive test we’ve done in the last six months; it was a good way to round off an otherwise bad weekend and it’s put us all in a positive frame of mind for the next race.” Test Times 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1’34.10 2. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 1’34.24 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’34.29 4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1’34.34 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini 1’34.37 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1’34.44 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team 1’34.54 8. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1’34.58 9. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR 1’34.66 10. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 1’35.31 11. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1’35.37 12. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini 1’35.44 13. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki 1’35.61 14. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1’35.80 15. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 1’37.07 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Misano MotoGP Test Monday September 3, 2007 Misano Circuit, Santa Monica, Italy REPSOL HONDA PUTS IN THE HARD MILES AT MISANO The Repsol Honda Team completed a positive day’s testing at Misano on Monday as many MotoGP teams remained at the scene of yesterday’s San Marino Grand Prix. Putting the disappointment of the second corner incident that ended the chances of both Repsol Honda riders behind them, the team ran through and extensive programme of Michelin tyre testing and machine set-up adjustments ahead of the next round of the World Championship in Portugal on September 16. Nicky Hayden put in an astonishing effort today, once again proving that though his title defence is effectively over the World Champion has lost none of his work ethic or motivation. The 26-year-old American completed 134 laps of the 4.180km (2.596-mile) Misano circuit, the equivalent of nearly five race distances, and amassed an incredible 3.5 hours of riding time all at full pace. It was time well spent as Hayden recorded a best lap of 1m 34.26s on Michelin race tyres while lapping consistently in the 1m 34s bracket. Dani Pedrosa also put in a full day’s work, completing 95 laps on his RC212V. The Spaniard spent valuable time assessing further adjustments to chassis settings, referencing data that was gathered over the race weekend. Michelin supplied a range of race tyre options to test before Pedrosa set his best time of the day on a qualifier recording a lap of 1m 34.36s. Lying third in the World Championship, the 21-year-old will be looking for a strong result in Portugal in a fortnight to close the 18-point gap to Valentino Rossi in second place. Nicky Hayden Best lap time: 1m 34.26s 134 laps “I’m pretty happy with this test. I did a 1m 34.2s lap on race tyres which is quite decent and it actually makes the first lap incident yesterday even more frustrating. We were probably closer to the pace yesterday than even I thought because today, without really making any changes, we were able to go quite a lot quicker. Also when I ran off track yesterday it cut the tyre and so we weren’t able to learn anything in the race. I’m not going to fool anybody and say we had anything to match Stoner but I was able to lap pretty comfortably in the 1m 34s this afternoon. The track condition improved and that helped quite a bit too. We did some serious work with Michelin and they are really putting in the effort, though I can’t say we found a whole lot because towards the end I went back to a reference tyre and did my best lap of the weekend. The team did a really good job and worked hard so a big thanks to them they’re as committed as ever. We’ll go to Portugal and try to use some this information.” Dani Pedrosa Best lap time: 1m 34.36s 95 laps “This was a useful test today and we were able to get some information about the bike and tyres at this track that we missed out on in the race yesterday. It can seem quite difficult to come back and test after such a disappointing race result I only completed a couple of hundred metres before I was taken down but once we were out on track the conditions were quite good and we could spend some good time testing tyres and also some settings adjustments. I’m looking forward to the next race now and really want to do a good job there and get the sort of result the team deserves.”

More From The AMA Superbike Races At Road Atlanta

TOP TEN FINISHES FOR TEAM ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Despite a bout of bad luck on Sunday afternoon at Road Atlanta, Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki came away with a pair of top ten finishes in the penultimate round of the 2007 AMA Superstock season. The field was surprised early Saturday morning when the regularly scheduled practice session was transformed into a qualifying session due to weather concerns. However, team riders Chris Ulrich, Gary Mason, and Robertino Pietri responded admirably. All three riders broke into the top ten with Californian Ulrich leading the way. In his best dry qualifying result of the season (Ulrich was on pole in the wet at Road America), he put his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000 on the inside of the second row with the fifth-fastest time of the session (1: 24.012). Briton Mason joined Ulrich on the second row, qualifying eighth best on his Red Devil Energy Roadracingworld.com Suzuki with a fast lap of 1:24.514 around the 2.54-mile circuit. Venezuelan Pietri opened the 15-lap Superstock final one row behind his teammates, qualifying tenth overall at 1:24.877. Ulrich got off to a terrific start in the race and ran solidly inside the top ten. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue caused him to slow his pace by two seconds a lap and allowing five riders to erase the advantage he had built over them and to pass him late in the race. He still soldiered on to finish in tenth. Once Ulrich encountered his difficulties, Mason took up the charge and finished an impressive seventh at the checkered flag. Pietri was right in tow, but his race ended prematurely when a red flag was momentarily shown on the course, leading the reigning Latin American and Venezuelan Superbike champion to think the race had been called and he returned to the pits instead of securing what should have been another top ten result. At the end of the weekend, Ulrich said, “The race was great until around halfway and we had a problem that dropped my pace from the ’24s to the ’26s. I had a strong run going and had a second and a half gap over the riders behind me at the time. It’s still a tough pill to swallow. Gary stepped up and put in a strong weekend, and ‘Tino was doing well, too, before he backed off and pulled in because of that errant red flag. “I think all three of us are looking forward to going to Laguna and ending the season on a high note,” said Ulrich, who is sixth in the season’s points standings. Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki will conclude the 2007 season in two weeks when the series returns to Laguna Seca for the finale on September 15-16. More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: MAY EARNS ANOTHER PODIUM, CARDENAS FIGHTS FOR THE WIN AT ROAD ATLANTA Team M4 EMGO Suzuki completed a strong weekend for the squad at Road Atlanta with a pair of top-five finishes, including a podium result. Geoff May and Martin Cardenas both put in impressive efforts on Sunday, battling at the front of the Superstock and Supersport races. Georgia native May put his front row qualifying position to good effect in front of his local fans, powering away with the lead group in the Superstock final. May established himself a clear fourth late in the race and then was elevated to third two laps from the checkered flag when a rival tangled with a lapper. May’s third-place result was his fourth podium finish of the season aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000. He said, “I knew it was going to be a tough race going into it today. We worked really hard all weekend and found something this morning. I was able to run more consistent lap times and be right up there with the top guys. The tires were working great and I was really happy. I got my times into the 1:22s and that’s all I could ask for. I was just hoping if I stayed there — the leaders weren’t getting away from me — that I could maybe put a charge on them at the end.” Unfortunately, May encountered disappointment in the following Supersport race, running off the track early after qualifying second fastest. He fought his back up through the field but a mechanical problem prevented him from finishing the race. Colombian Martin Cardenas took up the charge for his teammate, scrapping for the race win. The former Spanish Supersport champion got another terrific start and waged a thrilling dogfight with the top three ranked riders in the field. He came home in fourth at the checkered flag after swapping positions multiple times on the final lap. Cardenas missed a podium result by just 0.134 seconds and was only 1.298 seconds removed from the win. “On the last lap I tried to pass Jamie Hacking in turn 10,” Cardenas explained. “He passed me again in the next corner and I got out of shape and almost highsided. In the last corner a backmarker was blocking the way and Roger Hayden came to the inside and there was nothing I could do.” Michael Beck earned his best result of the season at Road Atlanta. The young Californian concluded the 15-lap final with his first top-ten result of the season, guiding his GSX-R600 to tenth place. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki will conclude the 2007 AMA roadracing season in two weeks, as the series heads back to Laguna Seca for the season finale on September 15-16. More, from a press release researched and written for Honda Racing by Cycle News reporter and columnist Henny Ray Abrams: Zemke Third in Points Heading to Final Showdown American Honda’s Jake Zemke heads to the AMA Superbike Championship season finale in two weeks third in the point standings after tire problems struck in both ends of the Superbike double-header at Road Atlanta north of Atlanta, Georgia. The recently repaved 2.54-mile road circuit was brutal on tire life, with a number of riders having problems on Saturday. Because of tire wear concerns, Sunday’s 25-lap race was shortened by five laps. Saturday’s race was red-flagged when defending class champion Ben Spies crashed on the sixth of 25 scheduled laps. Zemke was fifth at the time. An adjustment to his Honda CBR1000RR didn’t work out as planned, and he wasn’t able to improve his position. He finished sixth. The pace on Sunday was faster than it had been on Saturday. Zemke gated well, slotting into third place behind the leading Suzukis. But tire wear again became an issue and he was relegated to fourth on lap seven of 20. Zemke fought back to re-take third for two laps, then fell a few more places to finish sixth for the second day in a row. In two weeks, Zemke heads to the final championship round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, site of the U.S. Grand Prix, with a five point cushion on the fourth placed rider. American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel sat out his second race in a row after suffering injuries in a test crash here at Road Atlanta three weeks ago. His status for the final race at Laguna Seca isn’t known. Mat Mladin beat Suzuki teammate Ben Spies in both races. Jamie Hacking was third both days on the Kawasaki. Jake Zemke, 6th, Saturday we struggled with grip a little bit. Actually before the red flag came out, we were going pretty good, except on the very first lap of the race in the back straightaway kink I lost the front end and I lost it bad. And not just once, but it tucked and I saved that one and then it tucked really good. I’m really glad that Aaron (Yates) wasn’t right beside me because I’d just drafted before we bent it into the kink and as soon as I turned the thing in I lost the front. I was real lucky to save that one. So we made an adjustment to the bike in the red flag and it actually hurt us really bad over here in the esses on the whole first half of the race track. We weren’t able to do those times again. We definitely struggled for grip there. With the changes I had made, I just couldn’t get the bike to get through the esses. But the boys overnight came up with a good setting this morning. We were P-3 and we were able to do pretty consistent mid-22’s and thought we’d be good for the race for the podium there, which we were for a while. But I never foresaw those guys dipping into the high 21’s, which all the guys who beat me did. By the end of the race I had used my tire up pretty good. When Roger Lee (Hayden) came by me, I just couldn’t get off the corner to get a run at him. And the boys were working hard and we made a big improvement from yesterday to today, it just didn’t show in the results. Sunday Superbike: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 3. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki) 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 5. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 6. Jake Zemke (Honda) 7. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 8. James Ellison (Honda) 9. Jake Holden (Suzuki) 10. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) Saturday Superbike: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 3. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki) 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 5. Jake Zemke (Honda) 6. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 7. Matt Lynn (MV) 8. Jake Holden (Suzuki) 9. Luca Scassa (MV) 10. Ben Thompson (Suzuki) Championship Standings: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 618 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 615 3. Jake Zemke (Honda) 441 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 436 5. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 429 6. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki) 403 7. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 360 8. Roger Hayden (Kawasaki) 344 9. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) 336 10. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 335 More, from a press release issued by Robertino Pietri’s publicist: En la categoría Superstock del circuito AMA Superbike de los Estados Unidos PIETRI TERMINÓ NOVENO EN ROAD ATLANTA En una carrera llena de confusión por un error técnico, el criollo logró mantenerse décimo en la tabla general. El piloto venezolano Robertino Pietri fue el noveno en cruzar la bandera de cuadros en la décima válida del torneo AMA Pro en la categoría Superstock. Pietri, dos vueltas antes de finalizar la carrera, marchaba firme en el noveno lugar. Pero al entrar a la vuelta siguiente, salió una bandera roja lo cual hizo que él, junto a otros competidores bajaran la velocidad, siguiendo el reglamento. Cuando Pietri da otra vuelta al circuito y pasa por la recta principal se da cuenta que la bandera de cuadros está siendo ondeada, generando una gran confusión. El criollo pasó de doceavo en ese momento. El anzotiguense junto a los otros pilotos que bajaron la velocidad hicieron el reclamo en la secretaría de carrera y después de varios minutos recibieron una respuesta. Lo sucedido fue que la bandera roja fue ondeada por error, lo que hizo que los representantes de AMA tomaran como el resultado final de la válida los puestos en que iban los competidores en la vuelta anterior al incidente, lo que colocó a Pietri en la novena casilla. “Me siento satisfecho conmigo mismo porque hicimos una buena carrera pero a la vez me causa frustración porque sino hubiese existido esa bandera roja yo creo que hubiese sido capaz de pasar a otros pilotos y lograr terminar al menos séptimo” afirmó el venezolano, quien dentro de quince días disputará la última válida del campeonato en Laguna Seca. Con este resultado, Pietri se mantiene en la décima posición del torneo con 134 unidades acumuladas. El piloto norteamericano Ben Spies, logró ganar esta válida y así, con todavía una carrera por realizarse, conquista matemáticamente el campeonato de la categoría Superstock. More, from a press release issued by Martin Cardenas’ publicist: Exitoso fin de semana en la pista para el equipo M4 EMGO Suzuki en Road Atlanta. VIERNES El Colombiano Martin Cárdenas estuvo de Nuevo entre los mejores pilotos de la categoría en Formula Xtreme sin tener importancia su falta de experiencia en pistas americanas. El excampeon de Supersport lucho adelante con los mejores pilotos durante la sesión de clasificación de Formula Xtreme el viernes en la tarde y termino asegurándose una posición en la primera fila de la grilla para la carrera del sábado con el cuarto mejor tiempo de la categoría 1:24.881. En la practica de Supersport su compañero de equipo May estuvo entre los primeros diez, consiguiendo el mejor décimo tiempo de la sesión en 1:26.342. Cárdenas estuvo muy cerca de el consiguiendo el mejor onceavo tiempo de la sesión en 1:26.445. El sábado de nuevo Cárdenas tratara de subir de nuevo al podio de Formula Xtreme. SABADO El colombiano Martin Cárdenas de Nuevo nos demostró que es uno de los más competitivos en la categoría de Formula Xtreme, llevando su Pirelli-shod GSX-R600 hasta la quinta posición cuando paso por la bandera de cuadros al finalizar la carrera de 13 vueltas. Es la cuarta vez que el expiloto de factoría del campeonato mundial de 250cc termina una carrera de Formula Xtreme entre los primeros cinco desde que ingreso al equipo M4 EMGO Suzuki. Cárdenas y Michael Beck empezaran la carrera de Supersport una fila detrás de May en la grilla de esta forma los tres pilotos del equipo M4 EMGO Suzuki en las GSX-R600´s consiguieron posiciones entre los primeros ocho. Cárdenas fue el quinto mejor con un tiempo de 1:25.724 mientras que Beck estuvo un poco mas atrás con el mejor octavo tiempo en 1:25.985. DOMINGO De nuevo Martin estuvo impresionante en la carrera de Supersport luchando adelante con el grupo que lideraba la carrera. Durante la carrera de Supersport su compañero de equipo May se salio de la pista y trato de remontar, pero un problema mecánico no le permitió terminar la carrera. Martin Cárdenas se encargo de ponerle sus máximos esfuerzo para conseguir ganar la carrera. El excampeon colombiano de Supersport tuvo una magnifica largada de nuevo y tuvo una excitante lucha con los tres mejores pilotos en la pista. Cuando paso por la bandera de cuadros quedo de cuarto después de múltiples adelantamientos y cambios de posición hasta la ultima vuelta de la carrera. Cárdenas no subió al podio por tan solo 0.134 segundos y estuvo a tan solo 1.298 segundos de la Victoria. “En la ultima vuelta trate de pasarme a Jamie Hacking en la curva 10,” Martin explica. “El me paso de nuevo en la siguiente curva y cometí un leve error y casi un highsided. En la ultima curva otro piloto me bloquio un poco el camino y Roger Hayden llego por dentro y ya no había nada mas que hacer.” El equipo M4 EMGO Suzuki terminara su temporada de carreras del AMA en dos semanas, regresando de nuevo a Laguna Seca del 15-16 de septiembre a disputar la última carrera de campeonato 2007. More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Kawasaki: Monster Energy Kawasaki Earns Double Podium in AMA Supersport Hacking Impresses with Another AMA Superbike Podium BRASELTON, Ga. Monster Energy Kawasaki riders Jamie Hacking and Roger Hayden took second and third in the AMA Supersport race at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. Hacking claimed his second AMA Superbike podium of the weekend during the second race of this doubleheader weekend. The AMA Supersport race was exciting from start to finish as Hacking battled back and forth for the lead during the majority of the 15-lap race. With only a few laps left, he was unable to regain the lead but finished with a hard-fought second place. “We got a decent start,” said Hacking. “I saw first place starting to move away and I knew I had to stay close. The bike was running really well, with good top speed, and I managed to close in on him. I got kind of held up and he pulled a little bit of a gap on me. We gained a few points on Roger and I’m looking forward to Laguna Seca.” Teammate Hayden got a mid-pack start and once he got past fourth place, he rode hard to catch the front pack of riders. With two laps to go and the championship on the line, he made a remarkable pass to finish third on the last turn before the checkered flag. “Once I got some clear laps in front of me, I was able to start chasing down the leaders,” said Hayden. “I need to get a better start because I can’t always depend on getting a bad start and being able to make it up to the front. If I get a good start, I know I can win.’ Going into the final round, Hayden maintains his lead for the championship, while Hacking sits in second, just nine points behind. Attack Kawasaki’s Steve Rapp finished the race in seventh, while teammate Ben Attard worked his way up from 23rd to finish in 11th place. “In the supersport race, if you get a bad start then it’s hard to make up a lot of ground if you get stuck behind slower riders,” said Rapp. “It’s hard to make up time in the straight sections when you don’t have a draft. I’m looking forward to Laguna. I finished well in July and hopefully that will carry over into the last race.” After finishing yesterday’s AMA Superbike race on the box, Hacking continued with an impressive race on Sunday. Starting on the grid in 10th, he managed to come across the first lap in sixth. After making a few clean passes, Hacking rode to his fifth AMA Superbike podium. “To have two consecutive podiums in the same weekend, it really shows that our consistency is getting a lot better,” said Hacking. “Each weekend, the bike is staying close to the same with few changes at each track. I am getting really comfortable out there.” Hayden also put in an impressive race aboard his Kawasaki ZX-10R after starting ninth. He worked his way up to sixth place, and during the final lap, made a smooth pass to round out the top-five. The final round of the AMA Superbike Championship is set for September 15-16 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. For the most recent Kawasaki racing action, interviews and more visit www.kawasaki.com/racing AMA Superbike Championship Road Atlanta Braselton, Ga. September 2, 2007 AMA Supersport Results 1. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda 2. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 3. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 4. Martin Cardenas, Miami, Fla., Suzuki 5. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha 6. Blake Young, Madison, Wis., Suzuki 7. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI 8. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Yamaha 9. Cory West, Eureka Springs, Ariz., Yamaha 10. Michael Beck, Simi Valley, Calif., Suzuki 11. BEN ATTARD, MURRIETA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI AMA Supersport Standings 1. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 271 2. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 262 3. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda, 260 4. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 226 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 193 6. Blake Young, Madison, Wis., Suzuki, 187 7. Geoff May, Gainsville, Ga., Suzuki, 179 8. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha, 145 9. BEN ATTARD, MURIETTA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 151 10. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 150 AMA Superbike Results, Race Two 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. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda 7. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki 8. James Ellison, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., Honda 9. Jake Holden, Eatonville, Wash., Suzuki 10. Eric Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha AMA Superbike Standings 1. Mathew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki, 618 2. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki, 615 3. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 441 4. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 436 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 429 6. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 403 7. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda, 360 8. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 344 9. Eric Bostrom, Las Vegas, Nev., Yamaha, 336 10. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha, 335

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