CELTIC RACING’S CHAZ DAVIES 5TH IN AMA SUPERSPORT RACE AT MID-OHIO LEXINGTON, OH. – Celtic Racing’s Chaz Davies had the paddock seeing green as he made an impressive finish at his debut for the team at the AMA Superbike Championship finale at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this past weekend. Not only was it his first visit to the USA, but his first race ever on a 4-stroke machine. The first race final for Celtic Racing was the Formula Xtreme, where Davies rode an impressive race amongst the factory boys, bringing his R6 across the line in 9th place with a best time of 1:29.52. With only one race separating the Formula Xtreme final and the Supersport final, Davies had to focus on his goals. That did not seem to be a problem for this British racer, as the start of the Supersport race had Davies acing his start and propelling his Celtic Racing R6 to the top of the field entering into the first turn. Giving Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking a run for his money, Davies passed Hacking on the 4th lap and was able to pull away and gap him with a 2 second lead. It wasn’t until the 2nd last lap of the race, when the tires on the R6 started to lose grip that Hacking was able to catch up to Davies and finally make a pass. This battle had Davies posting a time of 1:29.60. Davies is from Birmingham, England, and rode in the 125GP world championship in 2002 (aged just 15 years) and then had three full seasons in the 250GP world championships, with a best year of 2004 when he finished 8th at Brno, 9th in Malaysia and 6th in Australia and Valencia. Celtic Racing owner Barry Gilsenan commented: “We were ecstatic to have Chaz ride for us at Mid-Ohio and were equally excited that he was able to run at the front of the field his first time on a 4-stroke machine. His obvious talent and experience on 2-stroke machinery has certainly made its presence known in his 4-stroke riding results.” More, from a press release issued by Roadracingworld.com Suzuki: ULRICH AND PIETRI ACCOMPLISH SUPERSTOCK POINTS GOALS FOR ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Despite a sometimes frustrating and chaotic season finale at Mid-Ohio, Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki came through in the end to close out the 2006 AMA road racing season in fine form. Both riders were able to attain their primary preseason goals as Chris Ulrich finished ninth in the competitive Superstock championship and first-year AMA rider Robertino Pietri was 15th in season points and the top South American in the class. Showers throughout the day on Saturday and early on Sunday heavily impacted the weekend’s schedule. With Saturday all but washed out and no action on the track Sunday morning, Chris Ulrich played an instrumental role in making sure all of the riders were allowed a brief practice to test out the track surface before taking part in their races on a busy Sunday afternoon. Still, the relative lack of track time made Sunday’s 16-lap Superstock race was a bit of a roll of the dice. While it didn’t start out well for Ulrich, he rode a determined race aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000 and battled his way up from 15th in the early going to take the checkered flag in tenth, his second top-ten result in the season. His terrific finish catapulted him up from just outside the top ten to ninth in the final Superstock standings, allowing the Californian to realize his 2006 goal of securing a top ten ranking in the class. “The race was a bit of a struggle and the whole day was very difficult,” Ulrich admitted. “The way it started this morning with the rider revolt, so to speak. I put myself in the middle of that and was one of the riders who felt we needed to take a stand and I was outspoken about it. I was happy to see the AMA and the track finally gave us what we needed, which was extra practice. About ten minutes — that was enough. That was a good victory for us riders.” Commenting on his race, Chris said, “I was a bit nervous coming into the race. I didn’t know how the tires were going to last and how the pace was going to be. And at the start the bike was running very hot and I didn’t have the power to go how I wanted to, so I worked hard and worked hard some more and then at the end of the race I saw a couple guys come back to me. I kept my head down and made up what I had to make up. “It’s fantastic for me to finish another race in the top ten and lock up ninth in the championship. I’m real proud of our Roadracingworld.com team. I had a strong, strong team — one of the very best in the paddock — and we got stronger as the year went on. Last year I told everybody that would listen if I got a year without an injury I’d arrive in the top ten. Now it’s been about a year-and-a-half and we’re in the top ten. Now we’re going to work on a few things for 2007. For sure I’ll be in the championship and the goal is the top five for next year. It’s not going to be easy but with a full healthy winter and season under my belt, I’m fully capable of it.” Teammate Robertino Pietri had a difficult weekend as the Venezuelan was especially hit hard by the lack of track time on the weekend. A couple of crashes in the limited time furthered his struggles and he ultimately pitted during the Superstock race to avoid any further incidents. Still, the Venezuelan accomplished his target of a top-15 season in the 11-round series. Pietri explained, “This isn’t the way I wanted to the end the season. The weekend was a mess with the rain and the schedule wasn’t what was planned. It was changed many times and made for some confusion for the riders and teams. “On Friday, I was testing a tire that was an option for the race. I lost the front and had a big, big crash. From there everything went downhill. We fixed the bike and the next day we went out again. I was feeling good but I got caught up in a multi-rider crash in Turn 1 when it started to rain. I don’t think it was right that we competitors were sent out then. Everybody knew it was going to rain. From that point my head wasn’t on straight. Sunday we didn’t ride most of the day because of the weather. It was a really tough weekend. “In the Superstock race, the bike was okay but I lost grip on lap 10 and I didn’t want to crash again so I pulled in. At least I’m healthy to go to Venezuela to compete in the championship there but I wanted one more good result for some momentum.” Still, Pietri was able to look past one tough weekend and appreciate a very valuable first full season of racing in America. The talented youngster is expected to leverage what he learned this season and prove to be a major force in his home national championship and then come back to the USA in 2007 even more competitive. “I’m happy with the year,” the 21-year old remarked. “I finished 15th in the points and finished top ten at Daytona, the only track I knew before the year. I have a great team and I really want to thank Roadracingworld.com Suzuki, my mechanics, and John and Chris Ulrich. They’re really working hard and they gave me a great opportunity. This year was a great experience and I hope to come back next year and be fighting for the top ten on a regular basis.” More, from a press release issued by Team Stargel Castrol: TEAM STARGEL CASTROL ENDS 2006 AMA SEASON AT MID-OHIO People often ask us why we go motorcycle roadracing. When you have the difficulties we faced at Ohio, you may not be able to answer why, but you will find out how badly you want to compete. This event proved to be difficult, stressful, unpredictable, and ultimately frustrating. While we may have not gotten the results we wanted, we were proud of the fact that we dealt with what we were given, and finished both races. Thursday was to be a full day practice session for our team. Due to health problems, we were unable to attend the Mid-Ohio round in August. With the track being repaved, the team sorely needed setup time for the bike and laps for rider, Brian Stokes. We got off on the wrong foot when Thursday presented us with rain and a wet track. There would be no promoter practice for us. While the race track was dry on Friday, it was also quite cold. This gave everyone problems in determining what tire compounds would work, and for how long. We managed to get in practice on the Superbike and Formula Xtreme bike, while having only minor problems with setup. Things were going ok, with the exception of Stokes just not getting enough laps. Formula Xtreme qualifying found us in 13th, not quite what we expected, but not a huge surprise considering our lap of track time. Saturday’s schedule was extensive to say the least. Instead of superbike qualifying, there would be four separate heat races. In the afternoon, we would also have our Formula Xtreme final. To make a long story short, the day came and went, and our motorcycles never came off their stands. The wet track conditions did not present an opportunity for our team to make any real improvements to the motorcycles and we chose not to practice. The rest of the events were cancelled for the day. When we went to bed, we prayed for good weather on Sunday. The good weather finally did appear Sunday morning, unfortunately the track surface decided it did not want to cooperate and remained wet and cold. After hours of waiting, it was announced that two heat races would be run in the afternoon to establish the superbike grid. As we had no track time for the last two days, the decision was made for Stokes to take to the track to evaluate the conditions. We would be starting the superbike race from the second row, after finishing fourth in the first heat race. Before the superbike final, we had the Formula Xtreme race to contest. We had scored top ten finishes in our last three F/X races and badly wanted to end the season with our fourth. Early in the race, it looked like another top ten finish would be possible, but as the weekend had gone, we were dealt an unexpected blow. As Stokes was attempting to pass another rider at high speed on the back straightaway, the team’s Yamaha R6 developed a violent headshake. As Brian approached the braking zone, he found that he had no brakes whatsoever. He was forced to run off the track, but luckily did not crash. He reentered the race after a delay, and went on to finish in 16th position. The superbike race would be consistent only in it’s unpredictability. Stokes, got an excellent start, but midway through the race, a red flag was thrown due to the crash of Scott Carpenter. Stokes pitted to tell the team how well his Michelin rear tire was working and that he did not want to make a tire change. When it was time for the race restart, the team’s Yamaha R1 did not want to start. Many friends in the paddock alternated in push starting the motorcycle, but the engine would not fire. Finally, the engine started, but at this point, it was too late to take the grid. Stokes would have to start last from the hot pit! Riding hard enough to run under his qualifying time, Stokes made up a number of positions and went on to finish 14th. Considering the circumstances, the team was happy to leave Ohio with two finishes. Team Stargel Castrol will look back on the 2006 AMA season as having been a very difficult one. Serious health problems forced us to miss a number of rounds, while also making other appearances very difficult. The team finished 26th in superbike points and 16th in Formula Extreme with three top ten finishes out of five rounds run. Special merit should be given to crew chief Ward Wilson for the motorcycles high level of performance and total reliability. Of the twelve AMA races started, Stokes was able to finish every one. Team Stargel Castrol was content and cohesive during some very difficult periods. We would like to thank our sponsors and families for supporting us in doing what we love. Thank you, and we hope we have made to proud by our efforts. We all look forward to a healthy and successful 2007 season! More, from a press release issued by Safety First Suzuki: Safety First Suzuki Ends 2006 On A Strong Note; Meiring Gains Front Row Start And Top Ten Overall Finishes For Supersport And Formula Xtreme Team Safety First Suzuki finished the year off strong, with Komodo sponsored rider Tony “The Tiger” Meiring qualifying third for Sunday’s Supersport race and finished the year solidly in the top ten for both Supersport and Formula Xtreme. Tony Meiring FX- 12th (7th Overall) Supersport- 9th (8th Overall) “First, I would like to thank Kevin Hanson and the whole Safety First Suzuki Crew for my year. I also need to give a shout out to Komodo Riding Gear, they put me in awesome leathers and gloves that protected me great all year. I’d love to keep working with them. I also need to thank Jim Rashid and the 4&6 Racing crew back in Chicago for all their hard work. We got our bikes just before Daytona and with our limited testing schedule, the guys back at the shop did real well. I hope my front row for the Supersport start and top ten finishes this year is a good reward for them. “Regarding the race weekend, what can you say? I wish we had more track time, as it made set-up difficult, and not too much transferred over from our previous weekend here, due to the huge temperature differences and the track conditions. I got back on the front row for the Supersport race, I just wish we could have done the whole grid process so I could have been interviewed by Speed to give Safety First and Komodo, along with my other sponsors like HJC Helmets, Alpinestars boots and Oakley the recognition they deserve for putting me there. “Danny and Jamie got together in turn 1 during the Supersport race right in front of me and I had to stand the bike up and lost a lot of momentum, getting swamped into turn 2. After that, I lost the breakaway group and we had a freight train going with the guys fighting it out for 4th to 9th place the whole rest of the race”. Shane Narbonne FX-22nd Supersport- 18th “Wow, what an educational process. I really enjoy being here as part of the AMA series and I want to thank Kevin Hanson for giving me an opportunity this year to exhibit my skills. I know where I need to be”¦”¦it’s here in the AMA. It was great working with Jim and Owen Weichel (rider coach) this year and I learned so much. I am definitely a better rider for racing with the team at the end of this year.” Kevin Hanson- Team Owner “Tony did a great job for us this year by finishing in the top ten in both classes. Komodo stood behind us all year and allowed the riders and the crew to be the best looking team out there, both on and off the track! I can’t thank American Suzuki enough for all the support they have given us over the last three years. All of our sponsors have been great to work this year and I can’t wait to develop bikes over the winter and hit the track running in 07.” More, from a press releaswe issued by AMA Pro Racing: BEN SPIES: 2006 AMA SUPERBIKE CHAMPION PICKERINGTON, Ohio (October 3, 2006) — Ben Spies earned his first AMA Superbike Championship on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006, with a conservative seventh-place finish in the season finale at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. It marked a record 10th AMA Superbike Championship for Suzuki. Spies, a 22-year-old, second year AMA Superbike rider from Longview, Texas, had a record-setting season that showed his speed, determination and grit. Spies and his crew came into their own this year. From the second round at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., in April, through to the late May event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., Spies went on a record-tying six race winning streak. That tied the six consecutive AMA Superbike wins set by Miguel Duhamel in 1995. Spies then showed his resolve after breaking his hand during qualifying at Virginia International Race in mid-August. He continued to ride and even with the painful injury he was able to earn podium finishes in three of the next four rounds. In the end Spies needed only to finish 13th or better at Mid-Ohio to secure the championship. He actually let most of the other factory riders pass him in the final so he could race on a clear track and not have to worry about potentially getting caught up in another rider’s crash. “That’s the tightest I’ve ever ridden in my life,” Spies said of the Mid-Ohio finale. “I’m not going to lie about that. I was definitely nervous, and didn’t want to slow anybody else up. I saw Mat right behind me one corner, and obviously I’m not going to win the race, so I want him to. I just didn’t want to get in anybody’s way.” In 19 races during the 2006 season Spies won a series leading 10 rounds and only finished off the podium twice. He also won a best-in-series seven poles at the 11 racing venues. Spies entered 2006 with one AMA Superbike victory. He now owns 11-career wins, which puts him in a tie with Anthony Gobert for 12th on the all-time AMA Superbike wins list. Spies, who turned 22 in July, is the second youngest rider in the history of AMA Superbike to win the championship. He is the 17th rider to earn the title and the third rider from Texas to win the championship following in the footsteps of Bubba Shobert and Doug Polen. Spies has already signed to return to the Yoshimura Suzuki squad to contest the AMA Superbike Championship again in 2007. “It was an awesome season,” Spies said on reviewing his 2006 campaign. “The bike just worked really good. The team worked awesome. It was a little bummer we had the mistake at Virginia and I had to ride hurt a little bit. Obviously I wish that wouldn’t have happened, but it did, and we worked our way through it. Mat came on strong at the end, and we luckily brought it home. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but it’s – I can already tell the feeling is getting there. Hopefully next year, now we know what to expect for a full year leading, and the pressure, and all that stuff. So just go back home and train, and obviously try not to take a step backwards, make a couple steps forwards, and be tougher next year. That’s the goal.” More, from a press release issued by Racing Performance Services: Kelsey, McCluskey, and Burleson thrill at Mid-Ohio Danny Kelsey, Jonas McCluskey, and Cory Burleson turned in great performances for RPS and the Mid-Ohio crowd this past weekend. Kelsey and Burleson competed in the AMA Sports 600 Supersport race that featured the top 20 riders from the previous weekends race held during the Grand Championships. McCluskey would run in the Formula Extreme class in his quest for a top 15 finish. Despite a turbulent weather forecast and issues with the track, the weekend went great. Danny Kelsey AMA Sports 600 Supersport race Practice on Friday went well for Kelsey and the weather held long enough for the Texan to put in 12 good laps of practice. Danny posted the 3rd quickest lap time of the session. Saturday’s practice was cancelled for the class, but this allowed RPS owner Marcus McBain to put in a fresh clutch for the race. Sunday provided a 10-minute practice session where Kelsey posted the fourth fastest time while breaking in the new clutch and feeling out the still drying track. Danny would start the race from the front row by virtue of his previous weekend’s finish. The only decision left was which tire would work best. Michelin was providing a good selection of tires and Danny chose a tire that would be strong at the finish. As the green flag dropped, Kelsey was the first to enter turn one, but settled into second as the riders prepared for the Chicane. As he made his run for the straight, Danny realized that he would have to wait a few laps for the tire to come in. Kelsey would fight between 3rd and 5th spot for the next 5 laps. On lap 7 the rear tire started coming in strong and Danny moved up to 4th place. By this point he was 5 seconds down on the leader, but the young Texan put a string of 1:32’s together and closed the gap to within 3 seconds of the leader and one second off the final podium spot. With a huge effort, Kelsey pulled up on the rear fender of the 3rd place rider and made a run for the podium. At the checkered flag, Kelsey came up .08 seconds short of 3rd place and 3.2 seconds of the race winner. The Georgetown, Texas rider reflected on the race and the weekend, “This has been great. I would have loved to win this race, but I know I ran well and Michelin has some great tires that worked awesome at the end. To start off as a provisional novice this year and to be here now is amazing, I can’t wait for next year.” Jonas McCluskey Formula Extreme This weekend marked the best opportunity for the Horton, Michigan rider to capture an elusive top 15 finish in the FX class. The weather caused a bit of havoc for the rider and team as it limited the opportunity to get the gearing optimized. McCluskey used the original gearing he came to the race with and would not use 6th gear. This would be a liability on the straights, but did allow for great drivability around the track. Jonas made the best of the situation and this resulted in a qualifying run of 25th spot. McBain and McCluskey’s crew worked together to get the chassis working the best possible and opted to change some of the rear shock valving Saturday night. A short practice on Sunday showed that the chassis was working well as Jonas posted the 18th fastest time and was positioned well for the race. At the start of the Race, McCluskey put his head down and moved to the 22nd spot at the end of lap 1. Over the next five laps, Jonas moved up to 17th spot. Everything looked like it was coming together for a top 15 finish. On lap seven, a small miscue moved the Michigan rider to 18th, but the position was regained on lap eleven. As the race wound down, McCluskey was focused and ready to move up. On lap fifteen and sixteen, the 18th place rider and Jonas swapped positions. It was apparent that the lack of straightaway speed would become a liability as even the smallest mistake allowed competitors to get by. On the last lap, McCluskey made a small mistake and ran wide coming out of turn one. Three riders went by and Jonas would not be able to get back by before the checkered flag. The team and rider were both excited and disappointed as they knew they got the bike working well, but also realized proper gearing would have put the team over the edge for Jonas to get the big finish all had hoped for. Cory Burleson AMA Sports 600 Supersport race The 2006 Horizon award winner made an incredible trek to return to the scenic Ohio track to put some icing on his Horizon award cake. In order to participate in the AMA Sports 600 Supersport race, Burleson had to travel back to Arkansas to repair his heavily damaged GSXR-600 and then drive back. Originally not expecting to be at Ohio for more than a weekend, the opportunity to race during the AMA Sports race was almost as big of a surprise as the Horizon award. Luckily, a few new sponsors stepped up to help Cory. Cory made it back to Lexington, Ohio Friday at 10:00 and pieced the remainder of his 2005 GSXR-600 back together. Practice was uneventful as Cory used it more for a shakedown than to get up to speed. On Sunday, it appeared that the bike would hold together for the event. Burleson would start the event from the back row due to the last place (in the qualifying class) he received when another rider took out his handlebar during previous weekend’s action. At the drop of the green flag, Burleson was showing why he earned the Horizon award and quickly moved up the standings. By lap 3, Burleson was in the top 7 and knocking on the door of the front-runners. Catastrophe struck midway though the race as the lower fairing started coming off the bike after a handful laps. A quick repair would have put him back on track, but it was also discovered that the radiator had a crack in it and was leaking water. It was a disappointing return to the facility for Burleson, but he proved once again if you give him a bike, Cory will ride the wheels off it. RPS owner McBain reflected on Cory’s weekend, “I hate for him to not be able to finish the race. He has time after time shown that if he can just line up, he will win. It is a bittersweet situation. I believe someone is going to pick up Cory and take advantage of his talent and maturity. I think this will be the last year we will be working together and I will miss working with him.” Teams and sponsors interest in discussing Cory Burleson’s 2007 plans may contact him at 870 715 9633. More, from a press release issued by Matt Lynn Racing: Matt Lynn Completes Successful 2006 Campaign at Mid-Ohio Eighth in Superstock and on the Podium in the Superbike Consolation Event In the final event of the 2006 season, a controversial weekend filled with dodgy weather and rider revolt ended with Matt Lynn on the podium for the Superbike consolation race, with champagne spraying in near twilight conditions after a great race for second place with KWS/Millenium teammate John Haner. Lynn was forced into the consolation event when most riders banded together Sunday morning and refused to race the scheduled five lap heats because of questionable track conditions and the denial of officials to provide adequate practice before the heats. Several corners with very little runoff were very unpredictable and slippery, and riders only asked for enough practice to get familiar with the slick track. In the end, ten riders gridded for the heats and Matt wasn’t among them. With no provisional qualifying spot, Matt could only spectate through the Superbike final. In the consolation race that followed, he started on the front row next to Jordan’s Jake Holden. Holden checked out early, but Lynn became involved in a scrap with teammate John Haner throughout the ten-lap affair. It came down to last lap heroics, with Matt a very close third. Matt describes the last lap as Haner made the pass into turn six: “I tried to protect the inside because he had come up beside me a couple times and showed me a wheel, and I actually left the outside open, and he got by me on the outside, and that was like, ‘Matt, you made a mistake! You’re going to have to get him back’. I tried to pass him coming out of Thunder Valley – the high-speed left-hander right there – and I couldn’t really do anything. I was right beside him whenever we finished. It was a really close battle and it was a lot of fun getting to race with him so I enjoyed it.” In Superstock action, Lynn took a fine eighth place in the final, his sixth top ten in the class this year. The race was less eventful then the consolation battle, with Haner once again challenging early on but fading late in the race. “I just tried to ride smooth and smart and finish out the season on a good note without doing anything too crazy, and I ended up finishing eighth,” Lynn remarked. “It wasn’t too bad of a race for it being as late as it was in the afternoon.” Lynn finished fifteenth in Superbike points and thirteenth in the Superstock championship. “I’m really happy with the way the whole year went,” Lynn continued. “My finishes were really good and I was happy. With every track we went back to, I was noticeably faster than I had been last year, so it made a big difference. I think the year went well with KWS. It was a great year for me, personally. Six top tens in Superstock and four top tens in Superbike – I can’t complain too much. “I’d like to thank my team for making it all possible. Those guys would go to war for me! My crew chief Rick Matheny played a big part in my success this season. He kept it organized, planned our strategy, and made sure the team stayed focused on results. Brian Stricker came in this year as my mechanic and was an awesome wrench and totally dedicated. Brian Drebber helped with so many parts of my program from sponsorship to logistics and even to fetching parts and tires – he is the ultimate ‘scrounger.’ He happily did whatever we asked him to do. Of course my Dad was there to help with whatever we needed, he’s been there throughout my career and he’s my number one fan and mentor. Mike Fitzgerald from Öhlins made a huge contribution to my success, he’s a genius with suspension. Mike Godin came over from Haner’s crew to help us mid-season when John (Haner) was injured and always pitched in when we needed him, and I have to thank all the guys at KWS for building fast motors. The crew from Pirelli were great and we had superb tires. All of my sponsors who have stayed with me and supported me during the season are essential parts of the whole program, and I couldn’t have done any of this without them. I’m looking forward to next year!” More, from a press release issued by Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki: Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki with a Double Podium at Mid-Ohio Lexington, Ohio – Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Ron Ayers Motorsports arrived on the podium in an AMA Superbike race for the first time ever in what many consider the weirdest weekend in recent memory. The highlights of the weekend included a rain, cold, rider boycotts, and at least three schedule changes on Sunday alone. Due to rain and cold temperatures on Saturday the AMA was unable to run the scheduled qualifying heat races to qualify for the Superbike main event or the standard qualifying session for Superstock. Fortunately the weather was beautiful on Sunday, but the track was not considered dry until early afternoon. The AMA then held a meeting Sunday afternoon to explain the final schedule to riders and team principles. Instead of eliminating the heat race format and running four practices and four races as suggested by the riders, the AMA decided at the insistence of the promoter to continue with the heat race format and scratch practice for Superstock and Supersport. All of the factory and factory supported riders felt this was unsafe as many of the Supersport and Superstock riders had not been on the track since Friday’s single practice session for both classes. The majority of the Superbike riders decided not to run the Superbike heat races until the AMA gave equal practice to all classes. When only ten privateer riders participated in the two scheduled heat races, the AMA conceded to the riders and gave ten minute for practice to all classes. Once this compromise had been met, riders who are in the top ten in Superbike points took provisional starts for the Superbike main event. This unfortunately left Millennium/KWS Suzuki riders John Haner and Matt Lynn, as well as Jordan Suzuki rider Jake Holden and factory Kawasaki rider Roger Hayden in the Superbike consolation race. The Superstock race was gridded utilizing Friday practice times in which Matt Lynn was twelfth and John Haner was fourteenth on their LeoVince sponsored Suzuki GSX-R1000’s. In the race both riders got good starts and raced nose to tail for eighth place until the tenth lap when Haner’s rear tire began to fade. Lynn went on to finish in the eighth position, Lynn’s tenth top ten of the season. Haner hung on to finish in the twelfth position. “With almost zero practice time all weekend the team had to take a gamble with the rear tire and they chose the wrong one,” said Haner “The Pirelli tires have been great this year and they are getting better all the time.” The Superbike consolation race was gridded on Friday practice times as well as there was no last chance qualifier. Matt Lynn started in the second position and John Haner was gridded in the sixth position. Both riders got excellent starts but Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Holden was able to jump out to an early lead from pole. This left Lynn and Haner to race an epic ten lap battle in which they were never more than three bike lengths apart. Haner eventually came out on top with a last lap pass to finish second. Lynn finished right behind Haner in third. John Haner “It was a weird weekend but it turned out really well. The Superstock race could have been better but we made up for it in the Superbike race. I would like to thank the team, especially Michael Godin and Owen Garnett for all their efforts this year, despite the injury and some bad luck we had a lot of fun. I also would like to think my sponsors.” Matt Lynn “The weekend was a little crazy with the weather and all, but it turned out pretty good. We only had a limited time to set up the bike but fortunately we had a good base setting from the last time we were here. I want to thank Millennium/KWS Suzuki for giving me an opportunity to prove myself this year and of course thanks to my mechanics Rick Matheny and Brian Stricker. Kevin Hunt “I just want to thank everybody involved with the team for a great year. The team, the riders, the sponsors, everybody. There was a lot of up’s and a lot of down’s and we worked through it all the best we could. I feel confident that everybody gave 110% and I can’t wait to do it all again next year with new 2007 Suzuki GSX-R1000.”
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