From a press release issued by behalf of Dunlop:
Dunlop race report from Pikes Peak International Raceway
The American Motorcyclist Association’s (AMA) Superbike series rolled into Fountain, Colorado May 22-23 for the fifth stop on the 2004 tour. This year’s four racing series offered plenty of excitement for fans in the thin, 5300-foot altitude and blustery winds at Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR).
Sunday’s racing started off with the highly-competitive and entertaining 600cc Supersport series. The pole sitter, Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert, rocketed off to the lead on his R6 but was challenged immediately by Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden on his ZX-6RR. Again and again, the two swapped the lead as Hayden would pass Gobert along the front straight, only to be overtaken by Gobert on the brakes as they entered the infield on turn three. Gobert led nearly all of the laps when, on lap 28 of the 29-lap event, Hayden was able to pass and then hold off Gobert. Hayden won by .672 seconds over Gobert, earning Kawasaki its 32nd Supersport win.
“I tried not to overheat my tires, we were pushing the wind,” said Hayden. “Towards the end I felt like I had a little better tire. I had gotten behind and was able to close back up pretty quickly through the infield. The last time (pass) I tried to make it stick. I put in a lot of effort over the last few laps and it worked out good.” Yamaha’s Jason Disalvo and Jamie Hacking took third and fifth, respectively, sandwiching Kawasaki’s Roger Lee Hayden in fourth. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies and Aaron Yates finished seventh and eighth on their GSX-R600s as Dunlop-shod riders took nine of the top ten places. In the points chase, Tommy Hayden widened his lead to 164 over teammate and brother Roger Lee, who has 150. Aaron Gobert slipped up to third in the standings with 143 points.
Sunday’s second race, the 1000cc Superstock class, brought out the best in the series’ points leader, Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking. PPIR’s course puts a lot of heat into the left side of the tires, due to the counter-clockwise oval and the numerous left-hand turns. Dunlop brought three front tire and three rear tire selections for Superstock competition, including two rear tires with multiple compounds to handle the heat-generating demands on the left side of the tire. Hacking selected a hard compound front tire and utilized a multi-compound rear tire on his R1 that allowed him to set off on a torrid pace. He quickly built a two-second lead and was never headed, taking his third consecutive victory by 1.819 seconds over teammate Aaron Gobert.
“This morning I put 39 laps on a set of race tires,” said Hacking. “I knew the tires would be holding up underneath me. I just sat on my two-second lead and rode the way I needed to ride and that was all I needed to do.” Gobert found himself battling another Hayden in this race, Kawasaki’s Roger Lee Hayden, but he never relinquished second place. After Hayden’s ZX-10RR in third place came Disalvo, Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore, Tommy Hayden, and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies in fourth through seventh, respectively. Dunlop riders took eight of the top ten slots. Hacking now leads the series with 173 points over Gobert with 150 and Tommy Hayden with 137. Missing from the action was Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster, who held third position coming into PPIR .Buckmaster fractured his wrist last week at the races in Birmingham, AL and is expected to be out for two races.
Next up on the track were the highly-modified machines of the Formula Xtreme class, with one exciting addition – the first race appearance of former Superbike champion Doug Chandler on the 750cc twin-cylinder HMC Ducati. The Ducati’s displacement overcomes the inherent advantage that the numerous 600cc four-cylinder possess under the class rules. In the hands of Chandler it qualified third, less than .6 seconds behind pole sitter, Erion Racing’s Jake Zemke, and Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel, both on CBR600RRs.
Zemke was on a mission this day, taking an early lead he would never give up to take his second consecutive Formula Xtreme victory. He was followed closely by Duhamel throughout the race, but Duhamel was unable to overtake him in the last laps. “At the start of the race, we set a pretty good pace,” said Zemke. Zemke’s lead improved after a lapped rider crashed in front of DuHamel. “I picked up the pace at that point and that’s when I ran my fastest laps, and we made a little gap on Miguel and held it toward the end.” Chandler charged late in the race, passing three riders to finish third. Pridmore took fifth and Erion Racing’s Alex Gobert finished sixth; overall, Dunlop riders took six of the top ten spots. Zemke earned 38 points for the day, bringing his season total to 170, just five points behind series leader Duhamel with 175. Gobert is in third place with 137.
The run-up to Sunday’s marquee Superbike event saw the Dunlop racers sorting through a selection of tires similar to the options offered to the Superstock racers. Zemke set a new lap record of 53.775 seconds on a qualifying tire on his CBR1000RR, breaking the record set by Honda’s Nicky Hayden in 2001 and earning him his first Superbike pole. “It’s good to finally give them (Honda) a pole position and a track record for the Superbikes. I know that record’s been standing for awhile since Nicky had it, so it’s good to get that.” Duhamel was second on the front row, followed by Mladin and Yates on their GSX-R1000s. Honda Racing’s Ben Bostrom qualified fifth and Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes was sixth. A strong qualifying run by Hooters Suzuki’s John Haner put him at the end of row two, next to Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom.
On race day, Eric Bostrom grabbed the lead at the start, followed closely by Mladin, Zemke, Yates and Hayes. Zemke slipped past Mladin on lap seven and settled in behind Bostrom, who steadily built a 3.167-second lead by lap 14. At that point, Zemke began chipping away at the lead, closing to within .104 seconds on lap 31 and nearly overtaking Bostrom on the brakes in turn three. But lapped riders and the need to conserve his tires, reasoned Zemke, prevented from exceeding his limits. At the checkered flag after 48 laps, Bostrom had his first win of the season by 1.135 seconds over Zemke. Zemke was followed by Yates, Duhamel, Ben Bostrom, Mladin, and Hayes. Overall, Dunlop riders took eight of the top ten positions.
“Eric jumped out front and he was riding a great pace,” said Zemke. “We brought it home second and made up some points in the championship. We’re going to keep our heads down and keep charging for the championship.” Zemke closed on the series leader, Mladin, who leads with 268 points. Zemke now has 249 and Duhamel holds third with 245.
Next stop for Dunlop and the AMA road racing tour will be Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on June 4-6.
More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:
TYRE PROBLEMS KEEP MLADIN OFF THE PODIUM AT PIKES PEAK
Fountain, Colorado, USA (Sunday, May 23) – A pit stop to replace a failing rear tyre with ten laps to run, saw Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin slip from a comfortable third to an eventual sixth place finish at round eight of the American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship held at Colorado’s Pikes Peak International Raceway today.
After qualifying third fastest for the event yesterday, the four times American Superbike champion held down second place for the opening laps before being passed by pole sitter Jake Zemke (Honda) on lap eight. Mladin continued to hold down third place until lap 37 when he pitted for a new rear tyre, rejoining in sixth place which he held to the completion of the 48-lap national.
Ducati’s Eric Bostrom led from flag to flag to claim his first victory of the season, finishing 1.135 seconds clear of Zemke. Third went to Mladin’s Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Aaron Yates.
With eight of the scheduled eighteen championship races now complete, Mladin maintains the points advantage at the top of the table with a margin of 19 over Zemke (268 to 249), with today’s fourth place finisher Miguel DuHamel (Honda) third with 245.
In what turned out to be very reminiscent of last years corresponding event where Mladin was forced to give up a strong position as he pitted for a new rear tyre, the Australian was rather philosophical about the result and the expected tyre wear that would occur during today’s race.
“We were prepared to come sixth today, but were obviously hoping for better,” said Mladin. “It was one of those races where we weren’t too sure how things were going to end because tyres were always going to be an issue. We overheated a tyre and had to pull in to get one and that’s how it was for us today.”
“We were prepared to pit for a tyre,” added Mladin. “I hung with them for about 20 laps or so, but started to lose time after that. Really I needed a tyre with about fifteen laps to go. I stayed out there about five laps too long and I guess that cost me fifth place, because if I would have pulled in when my tyre first went rather than slow down for the next four or five laps, possibly I could have caught back up to Ben (Bostrom) who was running fifth just ahead of me.”
“We’re so far down on acceleration and trying to make it up in the middle of the corner just wears things out and that’s what happened today.”
The AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship takes two weeks off as the teams make the trek to the Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for a double-header Superbike round that takes place on the weekend of June 5 & 6.
More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin:
ERIC BOSTROM SCORES HIS FIRST DUCATI VICTORY AT PIKES PEAK
Fountain (Colorado) – Sunday May 23, 2004: Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom rode his Ducati 999 to a superb win in the AMA Superbike race at Pikes Peak today, emerging victorious after fighting off challenges from runner-up Jake Zemke (Honda) throughout the grueling 48-lap battle. Eric led every lap of the race after taking the lead in turn two of the opening lap.
The 27-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada qualified seventh but overnight changes to his Ducati 999 helped him win his 12th career AMA Superbike victory, and the first for Ducati in AMA competition since Eric’s brother Ben won at Brainerd in 1999 on a Ducati 996.
“It’s good for Ducati, Michelin and me to get our first win as a team,” a jubilant Bostrom said after the race. “We’ve done a lot of hard work together and haven’t gotten the win we’ve wanted until today. We made some definite headway this weekend, getting better balance with the Ducati 999 that helped me push harder. The level of competition is so high in AMA Superbike right now – to win this race, one of the toughest we have on the tour, makes it feel even better.”
Eric immediately broke to the front of the pack from his second-row starting position and gradually increased his lead lap after lap. By lap 14 Eric had opened up a gap of just over three seconds and seemed headed for an easy fifth win at the 1.3 mile track when Zemke, who had broken free from a battle with series points leader Mat Mladin (Suzuki), chased down the Ducati until the gap was a mere .104 seconds with 17 laps still remaining.
“Everything was great from the start. I was building a gap by a couple tenths on every lap and I thought that if I could keep it up I’d get my first win without any drama,” explained Eric. “But then Jake started chipping away at my lead even though I was turning good lap times.” In spite of the continued pressure, Eric kept his focus and slowly rebuilt his lead, eventually winning the race with a 1.135 second margin of victory.
Racing Manager Tom Bodenbach was pleased with the entire team’s effort. “Eric had some changes he wanted us to make last night and the guys stayed late to get it done. He liked the bike better this morning in practice and his lap times really came down to the level where we felt he would be competitive in the race. Eric rode with a lot of heart today and it showed.”
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a nail-biter,” said team owner Terry Gregoricka. “But it was a great race to watch – and an even better one to win! Eric, Michelin, Ohlins and all the guys on our team – everybody’s done so much to get this win today.”
Road America hosts round 6 (races 9 and 10) of the AMA Superbike Championship at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on June 4-6.
More, from a press release issued by Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki:
Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki finished up their Pikes Peak International Raceway weekend by picking up three top ten finishes on Sunday.
Vincent Haskovec took the team’s highest-placing finish on the day, piloting his Suzuki GSX-R600 Formula Xtreme racer to a fine fourth place. The Czech Republic-born rider held down a podium position for much of the race, but eventually just lost out on the battle for third.
Overall, he was pleased with the effort. “Not so bad,” said Haskovec who is currently fifth in the FX title race. “We tried many different tires throughout the weekend and went with best we had. I tried to hang with the guys up front — we were a little bit down in a couple of places, but overall we were quite good. I thought I was going to be able to hold down third place, but ten laps from the end we started to struggle a little getting a good drive out of corners. I went around the outside of a lapper and went a little wide; I had to open it up more than usual and I went sideways. Having to correct that opened the door, and I wasn’t able to get back up into third.”
Looking forward to the Road America round in two weeks, he commented, “We should be getting more horsepower from the bike as we continue to develop the machine. It will be really interesting to see how we do then.”
Steve Rapp had a successful day on his Michelin-shod GSX-R600 as well. For the second consecutive week, the Californian ranked as the top Suzuki rider in the highly-competitive Supersport class. He claimed sixth place after coming out on top of a four-man scrap for the position.
“Supersport was good again,” Rapp said. “We’ve been quite competitive the past two races, battling with the factory riders.”
Third Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki rider Chris Peris finished 14th in the 29-lap Supersport race.
The team had a less fortunate day with their GSX-R750s in Superstock. Rapp ran impressively in the middle stages of the race up against the powerful 1000s; he ranked as high as the top five and as the top Suzuki rider but faded late to finish in eighth. Haskovec took 14th.
“It looked like we had fifth place well in hand. Even though we hadn’t qualified as well as I hoped we would have, the race was going our way. I was comfortable running the pace it took to get up to fifth spot,” said Rapp, who is now seventh in the championship standings in both Supersport and Superstock. “But we had a tire issue and I couldn’t maintain it. We had to nurse it home from there just to make sure we got as many points as possible.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:
Hondas Close Up in Championship
Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke and American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel tightened up the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship with solid finishes in the Rocky Mountain altitude of Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colorado, Zemke on the podium, Duhamel just missing it.
Fresh from his second Formula Xtreme race victory in a row, just prior to the Superbike race, Zemke ran a strong second in the Superbike main, closing to within a tenth of a second of the leader and chasing him to the end. The margin of victory would be 1.135 seconds, lapped riders getting in the way at the end.
Duhamel sparred with teammate Ben Bostrom for much of the 48 laps around the 1.315 mile bull ring, missing a spot on the podium by just .032 seconds. Bostrom was slowed by back spasms that struck just past the midpoint in the race. Despite problems breathing and the shooting pain, Bostrom soldiered on to the end to take fifth.
The race was won by Eric Bostrom, Ben’s younger brother, on a Ducati.
After eight of 18 rounds, Zemke moves into second in the championship with 249 points, 19 behind the leader, Mat Mladin, sixth today, and four up on Duhamel.
Zemke led all 29 laps of the Formula Xtreme race, Duhamel a pressing second the whole time. The race was decided when a lapped rider crashed just behind Zemke, nearly hitting his wheel, with Duhamel slowing to take evasive action. The incident caused Duhamel to lose touch and he finished 3.019 seconds back, but well up on the third place finisher.
Zemke’s second FX win in a row allowed him to close within five points of Duhamel, 170 to 175, after five of 11 rounds. Third place is held by Erion Honda’s Alex Gobert, sixth today after a pair of podium finishes.
Jake Zemke, Second Place Eric (Bostrom) jumped out front and he was riding a great pace and I just didn’t have anything for him today. We brought it home second and made up some points in the championship. The whole Honda team, they worked really hard and our efforts are paying off right now. For sure, that’s what we’re looking for right now, we’re looking for the end of the season. We’ll keep charging.
Miguel Duhamel, Fourth Place Ben (Bostrom) brought me up to (Aaron) Yates. Then I got Ben and I was trying to get Yates for the rest of the time and couldn’t do it and I was trying really hard until I saw Mat (Mladin) leave. I was trying to get Yates. We were both strong in the same spot, on the brakes in the back and coming out of one. Last lap I was wide open all the way around and so was he and we were pretty much sliding both of us and didn’t want to make any mistake thinking Mat had a pretty bad weekend. I drag raced Aaron, I squared him up in the last corner, I was going to go for the big old stuff move, but he knew. Then I tired square him up you’re so frustrated, you’re full throttle and you’re jumping on the seat trying to get traction. I almost ran into him actually.
Ben Bostrom, Fifth Place
Just after halfway I started feeling a pain in my back. Something started pulling in there and then each lap pulling worse and worse and worse and then pretty soon like a piano wire back there. I never had that before. The whole time you’re out there all you can think is am I riding funny. Obviously I’m not riding as fast as I should be riding because this bike should be leading this race. You’re out there and you’re trying to change your style. You’re trying anything. I couldn’t wait to get around that right hander. I wanted that right hander longer so I could relax my back.
Superbike:
1. Eric Bostrom (Ducati)
2. Jake Zemke (Honda)
3. Aaron Yates (Suzuki)
4. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
5. Ben Bostrom (Honda)
6. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)
7. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki)
8. Shawn Higbee (Suzuki)
9. Ricky Orlando (Kawasaki)
10. Geoff May (Suzuki)
Championship Standings:
1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 268
2. Jake Zemke (Honda) 249
3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 245
4. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 184
5. Geoff May (Suzuki) 175
6. Lee Acree (Suzuki) 156
7. John Haner (Suzuki) 148
8. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki) 136
9. Ben Bostrom (Honda) 131
10. Cory Denton West (Suzuki) 122
Formula Xtreme:
1. Jake Zemke (Honda)
2. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
3. Doug Chandler (Ducati)
4. Vincent Haskovec (Suzuki)
5. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki)
6. Alex Gobert (Honda)
7. Jacob Holden (Suzuki)
8. Danny Eslick (Suzuki)
9. Michael Barnes (Buell)
10. Nicky Moore (Suzuki)
More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Suzuki:
ATTARD TAKES NINTH IN SUPERSPORT AT PIKES PEAK
Ben Attard rode his Corona Extra Suzuki GSX-R 600 to ninth in another close fought SuperSport race at a sunny but very windy Pikes Peak International Raceway.
Seeing the mile-high track for the first time on Friday, Attard took some time getting into race speed as the crew continued to get the suspension sorted – they have been chasing a front-end problem on the new for 2004 GSX-R 600 since starting the season. They made progress though and Ben posted his best qualifying position to date – tenth. In the race Ben made a good start, getting round the first lap up one position in ninth. For the rest of the race Ben had a spirited ride in a pack including Suzuki factory riders Yates and Spies, Yamaha SuperSport Champion Hacking and Valvoline Suzuki rider Rapp. Ben moved up to eighth and as high as seventh passing Rapp and Yates. When the pack started hitting lapped traffic Ben got some tough breaks and lost first one and then a second position. Ben settled for ninth and said after the race, “The bike was working really well, we finally got the front-end sorted. But we made the wrong tire choice and went with a soft rear – by the end of the race the back-end was sliding and I couldn’t push any harder. It was a great race though to be up with those guys (Yates, Hacking, Spies and Rapp)!” Ben is now eleventh in the SuperSport points standings.
In SuperStock, Christian Pistoni struggled with bike set-up. Trying to sort out the suspension left little time for Christian to get the hang of the new-for-him track in the new two-day event format. He never really got on the pace, qualifying nineteenth. In the race he improved some positions finishing sixteenth. He said, “we have big problem in suspension with bike sliding in corners. I get bad start and could not push bike hard!”
Superbike rider Marty Craggill is still recovering from his surgery and missed the event.
More, from a press release issued by Proforma:
MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGIES SUZUKI HAS GREAT WEEKEND AT PIKES PEAK
Millennium Technologies Suzuki teammates Shawn Higbee and Danny Eslick both rode to excellent results over the weekend at Pikes Peak International Raceway, round five of the 2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship. Shawn finished eighth in the 48-lap Chevrolet Superbike final on Sunday, while Danny had his best results of the season with 12th place in the 29-lap Pro Honda Oils Supersport race and eighth place in the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme final, both on Supersport-spec GSX-R600 machinery. The weekend was shortened to two days from the normal three-day format, putting a premium on quick bike set-up and tire selection for the final.
Shawn Higbee
Sunday’s Chevrolet Superbike Final – 8th Place
Shawn gambled on the rear tire selection for Sunday’s race, going with a softer tire than recommended. “I took a gamble,” said Shawn. “I went with the 640, I knew it could go 50 laps. I adjusted my riding position, and started to slide the bike a bit more than I normally do. I got a good start, got in front of Ben Bostrom. It took a couple of laps to get going, to get my head into it. Josh Hayes came by me and that motivated me to pass John Haner. Late in the race, I got the blue flag, so I pulled off-line to let them through and Ricky Orlando took advantage of me and I had to re-pass him to get back my spot. If that’s what guys are gonna do in the future with the blue flag, I’m just gonna keep racing and the leaders will have to find a way around me.”
Danny Eslick
Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Final – 12th Place
“The bike was working really well in the Supersport race,” said Danny, who had qualified fifteenth on Saturday. “We had changed some settings on the forks, and it really made a big difference in the race.” Danny continues to sit in 15th position in the Supersport points standings, hurt by his DNS at Infineon Raceway two events ago.
Sunday’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Final – 8th Place
“That was a fun race!,” said the seventeen-year-old Eslick. “I raced with Barney (Michael Barnes) for the whole race, we went back and forth a few times. Jake Holden came through and we stayed with him until about five laps from the end. We had made some changes for Formula Xtreme from the Supersport race, but they made it harder to ride when the tires went off. I had to start “pole-parking” it, slowing down in the middle of the corner, then standing it up and driving off.”
More, from another press release issued by Proforma:
ACREE AND CAYLOR STRUGGLE THROUGH PIKES PEAK EVENT
Suzuki riders Lee Acree and Opie Caylor struggled through the shortened-format weekend at Pikes Peak International Raceway, round five of the Chevrolet Superbike Series. Lee had an engine failure during the Pro Honda Oils Supersport event, and both Lee and Opie struggled with set-up issues in the 48-lap Chevrolet Superbike final. After requesting to be released from their contracts with Empire Racing last week, both riders are now racing exclusively with the continuing support of the existing sponsors. For the Pikes Peak event, they were also without the services of the usual crew of Tommy Lancaster, Grant Matsushima and Jimmy Williams, who were unable to attend, forcing Lee and Opie to pull double duty as riders and mechanics.
Opie Caylor
Sunday’s Chevrolet Superbike Final – 19th Place
“Pikes is always a bogey for me,” said Opie, who had qualified 17th for the race. “I didn’t get that great of a start, then I ended up going back and forth with Cory West. I’ll take what I got and move on to Road America.”
Lee Acree
Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Final – DNF
“I had a pretty good 600 race going,” said Lee, who had qualified in 12th place behind Aaron Yates. “I was comfortable running in 12th, just waiting for the race to play out. It dropped a cylinder shortly before halfway, and I had to pull in.”
Sunday’s Chevrolet Superbike Final – 11th Place
“I spent most of the race running down (Geoff) May,” Acree said, noting that his set-up and his tires went off, forcing him to adjust his riding style. “It went fairly well, but I had to start making time on the brakes instead of with acceleration. I caught Geoff, but I couldn’t get around him before the laps ran out”
More, from another press release issued by Proforma:
JOHN HANER TRIES HIS HARDEST AT PIKES PEAK
Hooters Suzuki’s John Haner rode his Superstock-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000 to 12th and 15th place finishes, respectively, in the Repsol Superstock and Chevrolet Superbike finals at Pikes Peak International Raceway, round four of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship. In both races, John got his trademark strong starts and ran well in the early portions of the races, only to have set-up issues cause him to slow and lose positions at the end.
Sunday’s Repsol Superstock Final – 12th Place
“I should have finished fourth or fifth in that race,” said Haner. “I had been fourth fastest in the (Sunday) morning warm-up, and I did the times easily. I got a good start and things were working good, I was in fifth or sixth place racing with (Steve) Rapp and Tommy (Hayden). Then, with like five laps left, I just lost a ton of grip and it was everything I could do to keep the bike off the ground. It’s definitely disappointing.”
Sunday’s Chevrolet Superbike Final – 15th Place
“I put the dual-compound (tire) on for Superbike, but it went off at about the mid-point of the race,” John said. “I guess we just didn’t hit the set-up right for that tire. My crew has been working so hard, and we’ve made the bike a lot better since, like, Fontana, where we struggled. But we’re making progress. I’m ready to go to Elkhart and bust some heads!,” joked John.
More, from a press release issued by behalf of Pirelli:
PIRELLI PRIVATEERS HANG TOUGH AT PIKES PEAK
Three Riders In Superbike Top-10 Points, Four in Formula Xtreme Top 10, And One in SuperSport; Also, Vesrah And Pirelli Win WERA’s VIR Endurance Race
(Rome, GA) Lion Racing’s Jake Holden and his Pirelli-equipped GSX-R600 raced to a seventh in the AMA Formula Xtreme final at last weekend’s AMA action at Pikes Peak, two spots better than his ninth the week before at Barber. It was a lonely race, all alone in seventh and over seven seconds in front of the eighth-place bike at the finish, but it was good enough for Holden and Pirelli to hold onto his rarified fourth place in the Formula Xtreme points. Factor in that the guys in the first three positions are on Honda factory bikes, and young Mr. Holden’s performance becomes that much more impressive.
But Holden isn’t the only Pirelli-backed racer in the AMA’s Formula Xtreme top-ten points chase. In fact, there are four, including Holden. Triangle Cycle’s Larry Pegram holds seventh, and Mach 1-EMA’s Perry Melneciuc and Hester Racing’s Nathan Hester are tied for ninth. Pirelli also put two more in the Pikes Peak top 10, when Prieto Racing/Champions Online’s Michael Barnes came in ninth, and young-gun Nicky Moore on his Shy Racing Suzuki finished tenth, each improving one position from the previous week.
Speaking of going up against the big guns, Prieto Racing’s Geoff May and his Pirelli-equipped GSX-R1000 slipped a spot in his AMA Superbike points total – from fourth to fifth – but he gave it up to none other than race winner Eric Bostrom and his factory Ducati 999, who moved ahead of May into the fourth position by virtue of his first Superbike win of the season. Right behind May in the Superbike points is Pirelli’s Lee Acree in sixth following his eleventh place finish at Pikes Peak in what’s now largely a self-financed race “team” since the apparent demise of former title sponsor, Empire Racing.
Prieto Racing/Champions Online’s Michael Barnes used an 11th in the Supersport final to retain his hold on eighth place in the hard-fought Supersport championship points.
In WERA National Endurance Series racing at Virginia International Raceway on Friday the 17th, reigning champions – and longtime Pirelli team – Vesrah Suzuki won the four-hour event with riders Mark Junge, Tray Batey, and John Jacobi.
More, from a press release issued by Buell:
BUELL RACERS TACKLE MILE-HIGH CHALLENGE AT PIKES PEAK
Kosco Team Continues Top 10 Run; Hal’s Team Suffers Electronic Gremlin
FOUNTAIN, Colo. (May 23, 2004) – Buell Firebolts entered by Hal’s Harley-Davidson/Buell and Kosco Harley-Davidson/Buell mounted a challenge to factory-backed teams in the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme class during the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship Series at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Hal’s rider Mike Ciccotto ran as high as fifth position while Michael Barnes pushed his Kosco Firebolt as high as seventh spot before dropping back to ninth at the finish.
“The Pikes Peak course presents some special challenges, and our dealer teams responded with a good performance,” said Erik Buell, chairman and chief technical officer at Buell Motorcycle Company. “The guys were running strong and it’s clear these teams are making some real progress, and learning more at each race.”
Located at an elevation of 5,300 feet in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the tight, 1.3-mile Pikes Peak course demands that teams re-tune for the oxygen-thin air and cope with higher engine temperatures. Ciccotto qualified in 10th position, with Barnes right behind in the 11th qualifying position.
Both riders got a great start in the Formula Xtreme race. Ciccotto jumped up to
