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Southern Comfortable: Hayes Rallies to Win Big Kahuna Title at Road Atlanta
BRASELTON, Ga. (April 22, 2012) - Reigning AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes responded to rival Blake Young's shocking Saturday victory with a Road Atlanta triumph of his own to conclude the Triumph Big Kahuna Atlanta presented by Dunlop Tire and LeoVince.
While Young's wins are almost always taken in dramatic fashion (and none more so than yesterday's), Hayes' more often come in the form of domination.
The Monster Energy Graves Yamaha star imposed his will on the field on Sunday early, breaking the Yoshimura Racing Suzuki pilot's pursuit with a string of blisteringly quick laps while still in the race's developing stages. Hayes pushed his No. 1 Yamaha YZF-R1 around the 2.55-mile circuit with a string of laps faster than his pole time, including a 1:24.922, which stood as nearly a half-second better than his qualifying best.
Hayes worked his advantage up at a clip around a half-second per lap during the stretch, ultimately pushing his margin of victory to 5.214 seconds in the one-sided affair.
After scoring Yamaha's first-ever AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike victory at Road Atlanta, the weekend's 'Big Kahuna' said, "I'm excited about it. This has always been a pretty good track for me and I've always had pretty good speed here. I'm glad to be able to put one together this afternoon and put some good strong laps down.
"Yesterday's race was the first time we came in and did a good debrief and tried to make some improvements. This morning I rode the bike and thought it was the right direction to go. We decided to stick with it for the race and we were able to put down some good laps.
"It's not how I expected the race to go -- I expected a race a lot like yesterday. It's a lot easier on my ticker to be able to get away a little bit and ride by myself."
Young was pulled free of the remainder of the group in his early chase of Hayes and rode a lonely race from there. He did his best to stay in touch with his title rival and was rewarded with a second-placed points haul in the end. The result was a relatively welcome one considering Young's Sunday chances came under threat when he felt something wrong with his racebike on the warm-up lap.
"I was a little bit sore when I woke up this morning, but I got warmed up and stretched out and felt pretty good by the time I got on the bike this morning," Young said. "I was ready for the race but we had a little bit of drama with the bike when I rolled out. I had to come in and get the other bike and was just happy they let me grid up in the second spot this time instead of putting me on the back row.
"I found it a little difficult to settle in and it just took a minute for Josh to click off some quick laps and get his gap. There wasn't much I could really do with it then."
A spirited battle raged behind to decide the final podium position. Hayes' Monster Energy Graves Yamaha teammate, Josh Herrin, held down third pretty much throughout the 20-lap content, but never with any significant breathing space as he felt the constant pressure of National Guard Jordan Suzuki's Roger Hayden.
Hayden made an attempt on the brakes entering Turn 10 at the end of the back straight on the penultimate lap, but Herrin held strong and solidified third as he came out on top of a side-by-side swing through the chicane.
"I didn't see Roger until the second-to-last lap in Turn 10," Herrin said. "That gave me a little boost for the last lap because I knew he was right there. It was a really good race -- I had fun just keeping Josh and Blake in my sights for the first seven laps or so. That felt good. I'll go home and work on my strength -- I just need to be a little stronger to throw these bikes around."
Another showdown decided fifth. A big pack of riders aboard varied machinery contested the spot with Larry Pegram narrowly laying claim to it aboard the Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing BMW S1000RR. The National Guard SuperBike vet finished fractions of a second ahead of RidersDiscount.com/Vesrah Suzuki's Taylor Knapp, KTM/HMC's Chris Fillmore, and Attack Performance Kawasaki's Steve Rapp.
Team Hero EBR's Danny Eslick fell off that tussle late to accept ninth with Young's Yoshimura Racing teammate, Chris Clark, completing the top ten.
Team Amsoil/Hero EBR's Geoff May was running a solid fifth early before being forced to pit with a mechanical issue. The home track hero returned to climb his way back up to 13th in the end. Meanwhile, Jordan Suzuki's Ben Bostrom was an early DNF, crashing out on the race's second lap.
Hayes' second victory of the season has catapulted him back in front of Young in the 2012 AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike title fight, 116-110.
AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike
Martin Cardenas, riding the GEICO Suzuki, took his 18th career AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike win in a race-long battle with Tommy Hayden on the Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha. Cardenas had his hands full with Hayden but the Colombian pulled away in the last two of 20 laps as he eased a slight gap of 1.220 seconds to sweep Road Atlanta's GoPro Daytona SportBike races.
"Today's race was a lot tougher than yesterday," said Cardenas, who now leads the points. "Tommy was on my back the entire race and he wasn't backing up. I rode as hard as I could to try to put some gap between us but it wasn't possible. So I tried to maintain a very good rhythm to the end. Two laps to the end we found some lappers. I was in front so I passed them first and they held him a little bit. It gave me a little gap and it was enough to secure the position and win the race."
Hayden upped the ante and had a quicker pace throughout after conceding he could not hang with the Suzuki rider on Saturday.
Dane Westby (M4 Broaster Chicken Suzuki) earned another podium finish when he took third. Westby had a good fight with Jake Zemke (Ducshop Ducati) around the scenic Georgia circuit, with Westby earning the spot with another late-race push. Aside from Cardenas, Zemke was the only other rider to officially lead a lap during today's contest. The Californian surged to the front from the start to lead the 30-bike field across the stripe on the first circuit.
After a Saturday crash, Jake Gagne (RoadRace Factory/Red Bull) managed to earn the top-five finish that had eluded him recently. Bobby Fong (Meen Motorsports) took the top spot in a three rider pack that included JD Beach (RoadRace Factory/Red Bull) and LTD Racing's Huntley Nash.
AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport
Jake Lewis won his first AMA Pro race when he was declared victor in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race at Road Atlanta. Lewis, who battled with James Rispoli yesterday, was engaged in another fight 'til the end. Lewis and Rispoli traded places several times and looked to be even around the 2.55-mile circuit. Rispoli happened to be leading Lewis when the race was red flagged just after the two crossed the line on lap 12, but Lewis had led the last completed lap and thus took the victory.
Dustin Dominguez (Castrol Triumph) took third place less than six seconds back, ahead of Hayden Gillim (RoadRace Factory/Red Bull) and Kneedraggers.com rider Stefano Mesa.
AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series
Tyler O'Hara led home a Bartel's Harley-Davidson 1-2 in the weekend's AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series race. O'Hara, who started from pole, was engaged in a three-man scrap for the lead with teammate Michael Barnes and Harv's Harley-Davidson's Steve Rapp deep into the contest. Rapp, however, encountered a mechanical issue while leading the pack with just over two laps to go, leaving O'Hara and Barnes to settle the race between themselves.
Rapp's loss was Kyle Wyman's gain. The KLR Group/Vesrah rider crashed in oil on the race's original opening lap, resulting in a short red flag period. Wyman switched to his backup machine, forcing him to start from the back of the field when the group lined up for a complete restart. He then pulled a mini-Blake Young, racing forward and ultimately landing on the bottom step of the podium.
Source: AMA Pro Racing
AUDI AG acquires sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.
4/18/2012: AUDI AG is acquiring from Investindustrial Group the tradition-steeped Italian sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A., which has its registered office in Bologna. The transaction will be completed as quickly as possible once authorized by the competition authorities. The Supervisory Boards of AUDI AG and Volkswagen AG approved the acquisition today in Hamburg. Ducati is known worldwide as a leading brand in motorcycle manufacture, with outstanding expertise in engine development and lightweight construction.
The company was founded by Adriano and Marcello Ducati in Bologna in 1926. Known originally as Società Scientifica Radiobrevetti Ducati, it initially built parts for radios. It ventured into the manufacture of motorcycles in 1949.
Ducati has been actively involved in motorcycle racing for many decades through its racing division Ducati Corse. Its racing activities are currently focused on the Ducati official factory team in the MotoGP class of the Motorcycle World Championship and in the Superbike World Championship, supporting competitive private teams. Ducati won the manufacturers’ championship in this latter class 17 times in 21 championships and the pilots’ 14 times.
Source: Audi Media
MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo opens 2012 with victory in Qatar
4/08/2012: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) took his first premier class victory at the Losail International Circuit to open the 2012 MotoGP™ season in the best possible manner, after battling reigning World Champion Casey Stoner and the Australian's Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa for the duration of the 22-lap race on Sunday evening. It was also a superb start to the new 1000cc era in MotoGP, as the CRT machines also made their debut in an action-packed race.
Starting from pole for the first time since the US Grand Prix last July, Lorenzo held the lead until the third lap before Stoner assumed first position with a pass on the start/finish straight. Lorenzo then followed Stoner for the majority of the race before passing his rival with three laps to go, and he eventually crossed the line 0.852s ahead of Pedrosa who placed second as Stoner ended the race third.
After a difficult weekend which had seen Pedrosa qualify in seventh the Spaniard shot from row three of the grid into third position on the opening lap, and on lap 20 passed his team-mate Stoner with a superb move on the brakes going into Turn 1 to take second. Stoner, who had won in Qatar for four of the past five seasons, took his 16th successive podium finish as he got his title defense underway.
With the leading trio involved in an eye-catching contest for the podium positions at the front, an excellent duel between Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mates Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso played out in their wake. The Italian, in his first race on the M1, was in front with his British team-mate all over his exhaust until lap 17, when Crutchlow got past Dovizioso and held out for fourth to equal his best-ever MotoGP result.
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) was the highest placing Desmosedici, beating Álvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini) to sixth by just 0.033s on the Spaniard's debut with the team, and 2011 Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) capped an impressive debut MotoGP ride with eighth place.
Héctor Barberá (Pramac Racing) had been in the hunt for sixth but ran off when he pushed too hard in the closing stages and the Spaniard finished ninth, and the final spot in the top 10 went to Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) who had appeared to be struggling with his Desmosedici GP12 in the early stages of the race.
Yamaha Factory Racing's Ben Spies ended the race in 11th, whilst the honor of the highest placing CRT went to Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team). The American held off the challenge of Randy de Puniet (Power Electronics Aspar) to place his BMW-Suter 12th, with Yonny Hernández (Avintia Racing MotoGP) and Aleix Espargaró (Power Electronics Aspar) taking the last points on offer.
Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing), Danilo Petrucci (Came Iodaracing Project) and Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini) all suffered the disappointment of not finishing the race.
Source: MotoGP
Jorge Lorenzo edges Stone in thrilling battle for Qatar pole
4/07/2012: An enthralling first qualifying session of the 2012 MotoGP™ season saw Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) take pole position for the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar, as the Spanish rider beat reigning World Champion Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) to the fastest lap by 0.221s on Saturday evening.
Lorenzo's time of 1'54.634 gave him the edge over Stoner as the pair swapped the lead more than once in the final few minutes of the one-hour session, as the appetite was well and truly whetted for the first 1000cc race.
The battle for pole was not the only thing which caught the attention as Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) put in his best-ever MotoGP qualifying display to seal the final front-row spot with the third best lap. Crutchlow's time of 1'55.022 left him just 0.167s short of Stoner in second, and made it two Yamaha M1 machines on the front row.
Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) set the fourth-fastest time before a crash five minutes from the end of qualifying brought his session to a premature close, and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) was the highest placing Desmosedici in fifth. Andrea Dovizioso will start his first race for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team from the second row after going sixth fastest in QP.
Heading up the third row will be Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), who will be accompanied by Héctor Barberá (Pramac Racing) and rookie Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda). Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) had a crash at the very end of the session but had already qualified in 10th place, and the Czech rider will have Álvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) for company on row four.
Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team) took the honor of qualifying as the fastest CRT machine in 13th, 0.831s behind Rossi, with Power Electronics Aspar duo Randy de Puniet and Aleix Espargaró getting onto the fifth row with the American. The Frenchman escaped a crash 20 minutes from the end unharmed.
Source” MotoGP
MotoGP: Full advantage taken of third and final day at Jerez
3/25/2012: The MotoGP™ class was blessed with close to ideal conditions at Jerez on Sunday, where the third and final day of the Official Test took place. With the first practice session of the season's opening race – the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar – less than two weeks away, all 21 riders who will make up the elite category grid in 2012 were able to pack in a full day's work at the southern Spanish circuit thanks to clear blue skies and favourable temperatures.
Laying down the gauntlet in the lead-up to the new campaign World Champion Casey Stoner, who on Saturday had ridden just three laps and was one of those most aggrieved by the loss of a day to the poor conditions, was able to make significant progress on Sunday and timed in at 1'38.780. The Australian built up to his fast lap steadily, taking top spot inside the final quarter-of-an-hour of the day and then improving on it with his 61st and final lap. Perhaps of most concern for Stoner's rivals will have been the consistency of his pace – on his longest run, which was a 10-lap stint prior to his hot lap, his average time was registered at fractionally under 1'39.7.
Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) had occupied top spot for the majority of the day before Stoner leapt ahead of him. Lorenzo was the only other rider to get under 1'39” across all three days when he set a scorching fast lap of 1'38.953 in the morning, on a new set of slick tyres., With that the Spaniard remained the quickest rider until shortly before the conclusion of the day, and was able to focus on electronics work, a race simulation and pace consistency in the afternoon as he put in a total of 84 laps.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was the next closest challenger to Stoner in terms of lap times, getting to within 0.377s of his team-mate thanks to a best time of 1'39.157. Pedrosa also carried out a race-distance run, and the pace of both Pedrosa and Lorenzo during their 26-lap long runs was highly impressive as each lapped regularly in the low- to mid-1'40” region.
Yamaha Factory Racing's Ben Spies, in a similar vein to his team-mate Lorenzo, did not have anything new to try out but rather concentrated on improving his YZR-M1's set-up and the American was able to get to within 0.715s of Stoner. The highest-placing non-factory prototype of the day was Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), who on Saturday had said that he believed there could be time to be gained from a new front tyre compound which was made available on Sunday by Bridgestone. The Brit made up over half-a-second on his time from the first day, posting a 1'39.585 to end the Test fifth fastest following an impressive display.
After what had been a hugely disappointing second day for Valentino Rossi and with a corner entry issue having been a major problem for the Italian on day one, he found a personal improvement of almost 1.2s on Sunday afternoon to get into the 1'39”s for the first time during the Test. The Ducati Team rider's best effort of the day of 1'39.733 made him the last rider to get within a second of Stoner, which represented something of a considerable step forward compared to Friday's results as Rossi worked on trying to carry more speed into corners.
Having suffered with illness on Friday, Andrea Dovizioso was able to take advantage of a full day's riding to put in 72 laps as he carried on where he had left off on day one – namely finding an electronics setting which better aided stability in corner exit. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider was just ahead of Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team), who in his search for better traction in the faster corners timed in as the last rider under 1'40” with a 1'39.919.
The top 10 was completed by Álvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini), who escaped an afternoon crash at the Dry Sack corner unharmed, and rookie Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) who at 1.318s off the fastest time of the Test rounded off a solid pre-season. Héctor Barberá was the busiest rider of the day, putting in 91 laps on his Pramac Racing Ducati machine, and he timed in just under three-tenths ahead of fellow GP12 rider Karel Abraham of the Cardion ab Motoracing team.
Frenchman Randy de Puniet (Power Electronics Aspar) ended the Test as the fastest CRT rider on his Aprilia machine, and in 13th position overall was 1.821s off Stoner at the top. De Puniet ended the Test 1.044s ahead of team-mate Aleix Espargaró who was the next fastest CRT machine.
The Spanish rider led a group of seven CRT riders all within a second of one another by the end of the day, as Danilo Petrucci (Came Iodaracing Project), Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing), Mattia Pasini (Speed Master), Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini), James Ellison (Paul Bird Motorsport) and Iván Silva (Avintia Racing) bunched closely on the timesheet. Pasini was another rider who walked away uninjured from a crash, which came late in the day. Yonny Hernández closed Sunday 0.460s off his Avintia Racing team-mate Silva.
Source: MotoGP
MotoGP: Poor conditions affect day two of Test at Jerez
3/24/2012: Saturday proved to be a largely frustrating affair for those present at the MotoGP™ Test at Jerez, as wind and rain contributed to a difficult second day.
A spell of heavy rain in the afternoon did however permit some progress to be made in terms of trying out full wet set-ups, and also saw the roll-out of the new rear tail-lights that will be mandatory in such conditions throughout the 2012 season.
The morning started out grey and overcast with a low track temperature, and blustery wind and light spots of rain meant that only a handful of riders had ventured out by around 1.30pm local time. By that stage Ducati Test rider Franco Battaini and CRT team Avintia Racing's Iván Silva were the only two to have put in more than an out lap.
However, with the arrival of a more substantial amount of rain shortly after the vast majority of riders saw the benefit in accumulating laps, and Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa was the first to emerge in full wet set-up, putting in a long run of 20 laps which he said at the end of the day had been a worthwhile confidence builder on the RC213V, on which he rode a total of 25 laps.
As the rain came down heavier every rider except Avintia Racing's Yonny Hernández went out for more than a single lap, putting in varying amounts of work. In total 12 of the 21 MotoGP™ riders racked up more than 20 laps, with lap times spread widely due to the conditions.
Shortly before the end of the day's action, which came at 6pm local time, the track was almost completely dried out, allowing Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) to register a time of 1'40.755. Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) also put in a fast lap at the end, but the likes of Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing), Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team), Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda), and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 pair Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso did not ride in the drier conditions late on. World Champion Stoner only went out for a total of three laps, seeing no value to be gained from the state of the track.
With such a varied day the workloads of the teams and riders were somewhat limited, aside from the wet set-up work undertaken, and the majority will now focus on Sunday, the third and final day of the Test.
Source: MotoGP
MotoGP: Stoner claims fastest lap on day one at Jerez
3/23/2012:The final official MotoGP™ Test of the pre-season at Jerez got underway on Friday with Casey Stoner laying down the fastest time, as the reigning World Champion shot to the top of the timesheet with his 54th and final lap of the opening day. Breaking the 1'40” barrier with five of his laps, it was the Repsol Honda rider's final turn of the session which left him 0.273s quicker than Jorge Lorenzo.
Stoner's blistering lap of 1'39.146 came after the Australian spent most of the latter part of the day heading out for runs of between three and four laps, as many riders found increasingly windier conditions harder to deal with.
Yamaha Factory Racing rider Lorenzo had occupied top slot for the majority of the day, as he focused on the electronics settings on his YZR-M1 to aid an improvement in acceleration. His best time of 1'39.419 was set on the 46th of a tiring 76 laps, and at one point the Spaniard set five sub-1'40” laps on the trot as he rode with a similar set-up to the one used at the last Test at Sepang.
Dani Pedrosa got under 1'40” once and it was that lap of 1'39.579 which left the Repsol Honda rider third on the timesheet at the conclusion of the day. The Spaniard highlighted an improvement in braking as the main outstanding issue to be tackled on the RC213V. In fourth position Ben Spies, who at one stage had led the timings with his best lap of 1'39.984, ended 0.838s off Stoner with that effort.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3's Cal Crutchlow was the fastest non-factory rider in 1'40.130, with Nicky Hayden the quickest Ducati in sixth. The American of the factory team's best effort was a 1'40.512, which left him 1.366s off Stoner's pace. Álvaro Bautista (San Carlos Honda Gresini) was unharmed following a crash early in the day as he continued his adaptation to the RC213V with the seventh-best time, and Andrea Dovizioso (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) tried to concentrate on the base setting of his M1. The Italian's day was hampered however as he complained of not feeling well.
In ninth spot Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) struggled to a best time of 1'40.920, almost 1.8s off Stoner. The nine-times World Champion explained at the end of the day that he was losing time on corner entry, as he encountered problems loading the front of the Desmosedici GP12 and carrying speed into each turn. Rookie Stefan Bradl's (LCR Honda) inauguration into the premier class continued as the 2011 Moto2 World Champion completed the top 10 with a time of 1'40.983.
In 11th position Randy de Puniet (Power Electronics Aspar) was the fastest of the CRT bikes, as the nine riders who will compete on the new regulation machinery pitted themselves against one another on the same track for the first time this pre-season. The Frenchman was largely concerned with the seat height and subsequently the riding position of his Aprilia machine, and escaped unhurt from a fall around midday and went on to register a 1'41.015.
De Puniet's team-mate Aleix Espargaró timed in just ahead of Colin Edwards, as the American continues to fine-tune the Suter-BMW CRT machine of the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team. Italians Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Danilo Petrucci (Came Iodaracing Project) and Mattia Pasini (Speed Master) were separated by less than three-tenths behind the American as half a second stretched across all four riders.
Avintia Racing riders Yonny Hernández and Iván Silva on the BQR-FTR machines sandwiched Paul Bird Motorsport rider James Ellison on an Aprilia.
The Test continues on Saturday and Sunday, with the track open from 10am to 6pm local time on both days.
Source: MotoGp
AMA: Michael Jordan Motorsports Riders Bostrom and Hayden Top the Charts in Final Day of Testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Beaubier Fastest in Daytona SportBike; Vesrah's Lewis Tops SuperSport Class; Wyman Leads XR1200
3/21/2012: AMA Pro Road Racing conducted an official test at Homestead-Miami Speedway this week which gave more than 50 riders an important opportunity to prepare their motorcycles in advance of the Big Kahuna Miami, scheduled for September 21-23, 2012. With many of AMA Pro's top teams in attendance, riders and crews went to work perfecting their racecraft on a track that hasn't been on AMA Pro Road Racing's calendar since 1996. Setting the bar high, the Michael Jordan Motorsports team left nothing on the table in the final day of on-track activity. The team's AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike riders Ben Bostrom and Roger Hayden posted impressive lap times in the final session that locked them in at the top of the charts.
Bostrom, who pilots the team's No. 23 Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000, posted successively faster lap times over the course of the two-day test before ripping off a final session flyer with a time of 1:21.445 around the Speedway's 2.21-mile motorcycle road course. The former National Guard SuperBike champ is one of the few riders in the Series with experience at the South Florida venue, having won the AMA SuperTwins race 16 years ago in AMA Pro's inaugural race at the venue.
"I've been here before, I like it," said Bostrom. "In 1996 I won the Harley race here, so the track was semi-good to me then too. My first lap around here this year, I said 'I don't even remember this track.' It's crazy, I didn't remember it. But the bike is fantastic, nice comeback after Daytona; we had a really tough time there. Actually it sucked, let's admit it. I know for the rest of the tracks, especially these twisty tracks, we have an awesome handling machine. My engineer Darren has found something again, so it's been one of the most successful tests we've ever had actually, as far as speed goes."
Teammate Hayden turned in the second overall fastest lap of 1:21.526 in the same session aboard the team's No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000. The Big Kahuna Miami brings motorcycle road racing back to one of the country's biggest entertainment markets and Hayden took this testing opportunity to combine work with pleasure during his brief time in South Florida.
"I came here right as the 200 was ending; probably before it was even done I was on my way here," said Hayden. "Me and my girlfriend came here for a few days and hung out by the beach. It's been a long couple of months getting ready for the season so it's kind of nice to take a few days off. I'm a huge sports fan and I've always wanted to see LeBron James play. I went to the Miami Heat game on Sunday night when they played the Orlando Magic, so I got to see Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade and LeBron play. It was one of those things I get to check off the list."
Defending AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes turned the test's third fastest lap time of 1:21.647 on his No. 1 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1, followed by yesterday's fast man, Blake Young. Young's No. 79 Yoshimura Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 was often the fastest rider in each National Guard SuperBike session, the Wisconsin posting a time of 1:21.844, good for fourth overall.
Larry Pegram rounded out the top five with a lap time of 1:22.266 on the No. 72 Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing BMW S1000RR. With one of the paddock's busiest racing schedules, Pegram left the Miami area bound for Florida's West coast to participate in this weekend's Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with the Star Mazda Championship.
"We had a lot of stuff to run through when we were here," said Pegram. "Right here at the end of the day we threw some tires at it to see what we could do and we did a 1:22.2. I'm not ecstatic with that but that's a lot better, we made some good improvements here this weekend. We found some things out, we're still learning. We're getting the bike better all the time. I feel a lot better leaving here than I did leaving Daytona, as far as our competitiveness."
Source: AMA Pro Racing
AMA Homestead-Miami Speedway Test Day 1: Notes and Quotes
3/21/2012: Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Young led the first day of AMA Pro Road Racing's two-day official series test at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a blazing lap time of 1:21.987 around the 2.21-mile road course. Young continually improved his lap time session after session, setting his fastest time in the fourth session of the day.
"It was pretty good; good conditions, good grip," said Young, who earned his 11th career AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike victory with his Race 2 win at Daytona International Speedway last weekend. "Surprisingly a lot of grip out there. I'm hoping that when we come back for the race it will be like this. It feels good to be back on the bike this quick after Daytona. Having the first race out of the way always relieves some pressure. It's good that we can come down here and do a little bit of testing to work on some things."
This week's two-day test at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which is open to the general public at no cost, resumes today at 8:00 a.m. to give teams and riders the opportunity to break in and tune their machines on a circuit that hasn't been on the AMA Pro Road Racing calendar since 1996. The Series will return for South Florida's biggest motorcycle event in decades, the Big Kahuna Miami, an M1 PowerSports-promoted event scheduled for September 21-23, 2012. Tickets for this fall's Big Kahuna Miami can be purchased at http://www.m1powersports.com/big-kahuna-miami/.
Quotes from Day 1:
Josh Hayes (No. 1 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1) - "I rode here in 1999 and in 2001, when I rode for John Ulrich, but I think the track has changed a little bit because the banking is different than when I rode it last. I can honestly tell you I didn't remember too much of it; when I thought of the last turn I thought of Loudon; when I thought of the turn onto the back straight I think I was really thinking of Phoenix; and turn one I think I was thinking of Texas World Speedway. You know, it was like trying to put all of the pieces together as to where I really was. It felt like it was totally new to me, I don't remember much about it. Things are going okay, we made some progress. As we're making progress, those guys are moving forward too. We have a little bit of catching up to do but at some point they're going to stall and hopefully we'll just keep going until we catch up to them. All in all, I can't complain."
Roger Hayden (No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) - "It was pretty good, we got going a little better this afternoon. I got to overlay some data of Ben [Bostrom]'s and just figured out where I was struggling at. It was just a little bit everywhere. I'm pretty happy, we're right on pace with the top few guys and I was clicking them off pretty good there at the end. Not a bad day of testing, hopefully tomorrow we can improve a little bit more, just keep getting the bike better, keep getting myself better, because everybody is riding pretty hard."
Danny Eslick (No. 69 Team Hero EBR1190S) - "It's good man, this is my first time to Homestead. After a little bit of an up-and-down weekend at Daytona it's just nice to come here and relax and really do some testing, try to get one with the bike and with the team and everybody. It's kind of a new group of people working together. We just need to find where we all gel and get along, and make the bike work good. We definitely made some progress today, put in a good time here in the last session. We'll sleep on it tonight and hopefully knock another second off of it tomorrow. I'm comfortable riding the bike, just getting the right setup is the biggest thing right now. We found a few things that have given me the traction that I need. That's been the biggest thing: more horsepower, less traction, and just trying to find that extra grip."
Chris Clark (No. 6 Yoshimura Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000) - "This is my first time here on the race bike, so we're trying to find a good setup for when we come back. We wanted to try both tires that last session and we were able to put in pretty decent times with both of them so we're really happy. We were out there by ourselves so that makes it better. Maybe tomorrow we'll get a little tow and can get down to those 1:22's. I would be happy with a 1:22.5, it'd be a great way to end the weekend and have some confidence coming back here."
Stefan Nebel (No. 12 KTM/HMC Racing KTM RC8R) - "I've been getting to know the track well, and how it has to be ridden, because it's different than in Europe. Also, the tires are different than in Europe, so I have to learn how to react differently to it all. At the end, it's been a good result and I'm pretty happy. This weather is fantastic. For the last five months I've only seen rain or snow, and we have an average temperature of five degrees [Celsius]. That's not something that you need for a long time, especially when you want to ride a motorcycle or ride a bike. I'm really enjoying the sight of the palm trees, the sunny track and starting to sweat again, it's a good feeling."
Martin Cardenas (No. 36 GEICO Suzuki GSX-R600) - "It went pretty good. I raced here in 2007 so I know the track. We made some small adjustments to the bike that are working pretty good. Hopefully we can continue in that direction tomorrow."
Cameron Beaubier (No. 6 Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) - "We are just trying to get the suspension dialed in for when we come back for the race. My bike worked really well all day. The track is pretty cool, it flows really well and it was a lot of fun today. I really like the last section, the right-left, because you just throw the bike around and then drive it out, it's pretty cool."
Tommy Hayden (No. 8 Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) - "The day went pretty well, I was happy with it. It nice to get out there and just get a little more relaxed, start trying to get used to a 600 a little bit and get used to the team a little more. We addressed a few small things to get me a little more comfortable. We steadily chipped away at everything today, chipped away at the lap time a little bit. I'm definitely a little more competitive than I was at Daytona. I'm feeling pretty good, I had a fun day. This is a pretty cool track, I hadn't really ridden here before. I enjoyed myself."
Source: AMA Pro Racing
AMA: Ultimate Underdogs, Pascarella and P1A/March of Dimes Win the DAYTONA 200
3/17/2012: In only his third AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike start, 19 year-old Joey Pascarella took home the win at the 71st DAYTONA® 200 Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. Pascarella, aboard the Project 1 Atlanta/March of Dimes Yamaha YZF-R6, was able to hold the lead despite having three riders (Jason DiSalvo of Latus Motors Racing Triumph, Cameron Beaubier of Graves Yamaha, and Martin Cardenas of GEICO Suzuki) on his tail at the conclusion of the 57-lap race. Pascarella's margin of victory was 0.048 over DiSalvo, with Beaubier edging out Martin Cardenas by photo finish.
Pascarella and Beaubier were the only two riders remaining in the lead pack after the second round of pit stops, but Cardenas and then DiSalvo managed to run down the fast teens from several seconds back to make a four-man battle in the final four laps.
Pascarella, who led 41 laps, ran in first as the riders entered the chicane on the final lap. The fast four moved past a lapped rider and made the charge to the stripe for the 57th time, where Pascarella encountered another backmarker.
"I knew I could do it and I had faith in myself," said Pascarella, who did not test the bike or ride before Wednesday's practice. "I ran my own race. I thought if I led on the last lap and someone passed me, so be it. I felt most comfortable in the lead. Everyone was there the whole race. It ended up working out. I got a draft on a lapper and I was able to bring it home with a win. I don't know what we're doing for the rest of the season, but hopefully the team and I can keep going."
Project 1 Atlanta won the pole for the 2011 race with rider Jake Zemke.
Runner-up DiSalvo charged hard after slowing before the first round of stops. "I thought I had an issue with the motorcycle and I backed off the pace considerably and we lost a good bit of time. We went through our pit stop and got back out there and everything looked okay and we kept going," said last year's DAYTONA® 200 winner. "Once I thoroughly chastised myself for making a silly move like that -- you ride it until it stops, you don't think you hear a noise and pull in -- I just rode as hard as I could every lap. Every lap of that race was ten tenths, as hard as I could go. It ended up working out right that we were right there in the end. Through all the laps, and all the sliding around and slicing through lapped riders, it was just in the back of my mind that I was riding for Gary (Nixon) and riding for his memory, and for my crew and all the hard work they put in."
"The race was awesome," said third-place finisher Beaubier. "I really didn't get a good draft to the line, but I am happy with third."
Behind the lead pack, another set of riders participated in an equally ferocious battle. M4 Broaster Chicken Suzuki rider Dane Westby led that pack filled with veterans and young riders, breaking away at the line to close out the top five. Ducshop Racing's Zemke followed, with Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha's Tommy Hayden, RoadRace Factory/Red Bull's Jake Gagne, SGA Racing's Tommy Aquino in tow. Cory West and the Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki Team rounded out the top 10.
Source: AMA Pro Racing
AMA: Blake Young Wins AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Race 2 at Daytona
3/17/2012: Friday's AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike race winner, Josh Hayes, wasn't able to savor his season-opening victory for long as his primary rival, Yoshimura Racing Suzuki's Blake Young, took his revenge on Saturday in a thrilling showdown of the series' title favorites.
Hayes bolted into the lead from the start aboard his Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 but was unable to replicate yesterday's escape as Young made a concerted effort to track him down and cling onto the lead draft.
Their battle pushed them far out in front of a trailing pack that quickly broke into a number of smaller melees, with National Guard Jordan Suzuki's Roger Hayden and Hayes' Yamaha teammate, Josh Herrin, vigorously swapping positions in their clash for third.
While Young was able to keep pace with Hayes up front, the Mississippian appeared to be very much in control of the race. Utilizing a superior line out of the chicane, Hayes demonstrated the ability to hold an advantage all the way to the stripe while in front or draft past from second while the Suzuki man struggled to do either with any sort of consistency.
However, Hayes suffered a moment on the banking while leading late in the race and decided his safest bet would be to follow on the final lap and set up a strike at the flag. That plan unraveled when Hayes mistimed his slingshot attempt, coming up just 0.002 seconds short of Young at the line.
Young, who rebounded admirably following Friday's (relatively) disappointing effort, said, "Today's race was a lot better than yesterday's race, for sure. I knew Josh was going to be good on the banking and out of the chicane. I just didn't know how good. I knew I had to make it happen on the first five laps and be right on him to see what he was doing exactly out of the chicane that made me him so good onto the banking. I definitely learned and adapted pretty quickly before he could get away.
"He's got more power this year than last year for sure, but my guys worked hard for me. We sat back and looked at the data, but I knew it was nothing we were going to see on the data -- it was me yesterday. I just didn't have a very good race and wanted to work hard to show my crew they shouldn't give up on me yet."
Hayes was happy to leave Daytona with a win, a runner-up, pole, and two lap leader points in his pocket, but couldn't help but feel like he let one get away on this day.
After the race, the defending champ said, "We were both playing the game out there. We both tried each other through the banking and we seemed pretty even on one another. I felt like I was pretty good out of the chicane and I had gotten away with that a whole bunch of times, but in the later part of the race I struggled with some grip and lost the front in NASCAR 4. I ended up going through there about three-quarter throttle and that was the first lap he actually did come by me on the banking. So I started having a few doubts about making a run from the front because if I had an issue like that at the end I'd be a sitting duck. Once I made the run on him and knew I could draft by him just the same I kind of let him lead the last lap and just sat back there.
"Going into the back straightaway I was a little further back than I wanted to be and panicked a little bit and ran off in the chicane pretty hard. I don't think it was the deciding factor, but once we got up on the banking I just mistimed it a little bit. It was 100% my fault -- I just mistimed it. I had a good weapon today. I had a bike that could win the race and this one is on my shoulders. He rode a great race and definitely upped his game from yesterday."
Hayden ultimately came out on top of a seesawing duel with National Guard SuperBike rookie Herrin, who responded to his Friday crash with a fine effort to finish within sight of the podium in fourth.
After garnering his second podium result in as many days, Hayden said, "Josh Herrin made me earn this one today. He was really riding good for his rookie race weekend. I was trying to break the draft in the infield; I felt I was a little bit stronger than him but he could always draft back by me and I couldn't draft him. We definitely need to find a little bit more speed but I am happy to come away with two third-place finishes. It's a good start to the season. We kind of know where we are weak at now so we can try to improve before Road Atlanta."
For the second consecutive day, Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing BMW's Larry Pegram victimized Motorcycle-Superstore.com/Big Kahuna/LeoVince Attack Kawasaki's Steve Rapp at the flag. Pegram edged Rapp for fourth on Friday by 0.001 seconds and turned the same trick on Saturday, topping him for fifth by 0.080 seconds.
New Yoshimura Racing Suzuki runner Chris Clark came home in seventh, with EvanSteelPerformance.com BMW's Jake Holden ultimately coming out on top of a mid-race multi-rider affair for eighth, followed by two-time Daytona SportBike king Danny Eslick on the Team Hero EBR 1190RS and Team Venezuela Suzuki's Robertino Pietri to complete the top ten.
Source: AMA Pro Racing
AMA: Hayes Earns AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Revenge in Race 1 at Daytona
3/16/2012: Reigning AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes accomplished what he could not one year ago in Friday's season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Hayes once again led from the green flag, but unlike last year the veteran was able to hold off rival Blake Young in National Guard SuperBike Race 1 to take his first SuperBike win at the historic venue.
Making his way into the lead just as the pack hit the line to complete the first lap, Hayes put his head down, took full advantage of his No. 1 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1's newfound legs, and clicked off a series of blazing laps to break the pursuit of his challengers.
Meanwhile, last season's double Daytona winner, Blake Young, found himself in a brawl for second with Hayes' first-year National Guard SuperBike teammate, Josh Herrin, and National Guard Jordan Suzuki's Roger Hayden, and was helpless to do anything about Hayes' rapid escape during the race's early stages.
The contest became further stretched out when Herrin lost the front and crashed from third place on lap 6 of 15. The 21-year old, who led all but the final meters of the opening lap of his Superbike debut before being double drafted by Hayes and Young, remounted and briefly re-entered the fray before eventually retiring.
Hayden lost ground as well, running wide in Turn 1 and losing touch with Yoshimura Racing Suzuki ace Young in the race for the runner-up position.
Hayes continued on in flawless fashion at the front to score his 18th career AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike victory, boasting an 8.332-second margin of victory over Young.
Prior to the contest, Hayes claimed that he and his team had put forth a great deal of effort in the offseason to ensure they came out stronger this season than in 2011. The 36-year-old Mississippian's performance backed up those statements while serving notice to the rest of the field.
"It was a pretty good day, I'd say," Hayes said. "It's a tough field. Blake rode really well last year. Tommy (Hayden) was all over me. Rog was taking all the necessary steps to be a big pain at the end of the year and Herrin has been fast in testing. So I just went home and worked really, really hard to try to take another step in my game and the team has been working really hard on the machine. This is the payoff. Daytona is one of the tracks last year where we were fast but couldn't get it done. This year we were able to take it another step and I hope we'll be able to do that at every racetrack this year."
"I'm pretty disappointed with my performance today," Young said. "I feel like my team worked really, really hard. I feel like all weekend long I've been just a little bit behind on the curve. I haven't really got out and run faster than Josh all weekend and that obviously makes for a difficult weekend. Like I said, I'm not happy with today's race. Whether I have to get out of bed on the other side tomorrow or put my left sock on before my right like I did today... Whatever I need to do, I need to not let this happen again."
Hayden completed his lonely ride to the final podium position, taking the checkered flag some 16 seconds behind the race winner.
"It's a good way to start the season, finishing on the podium," Hayden said. "But at the same time, it's not very satisfying with the gap to Blake and the gap to Josh being a little bigger than we wanted. But we'll regroup tonight and try to change the bike and try to put a better show on tomorrow."
Jordan Suzuki's Ben Bostrom was another high-profile crasher, falling from fourth moments after taking the position away from Motorcycle-Superstore.com/Big Kahuna/LeoVince Attack Kawasaki's Steve Rapp near half-distance.
However, despite Bostrom's mistake, Rapp was ultimately unable to lock down the position, losing out at the stripe to Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing BMW's Larry Pegram by a scant 0.001 seconds -- a dramatic moment in an otherwise largely processional race.
Team Amsoil/Hero EBR's Geoff May earned sixth, with Evan Steel Performance BMW's Jake Holden, Team Venezuela's Robertino Pietri, Yoshimura Racing Suzuki's Chris Clark, and Kneedraggers.com/Motul/Fly Racing's David Anthony rounding out the top ten.
Source: AMA Pro-Racing
Defending AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champ Hayes Opens AMA Pro Road Racing Season At Daytona With Familiar Form
2011 DAYTONA® 200 Winner DiSalvo Leads Opening AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Practice
March 15, 2012 - Defending AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes put his No. 1-plated Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 on top of the order in Thursday's season-opening qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway. Additionally, Hayes was clocked at 205.42 miles per hour in the morning practice following a solid draft.
The 36-year-old Mississippian made his way to the front of the pack early in the session and never relented, ultimately claiming the provisional pole position with a lap of 1:38.385 around the Speedway's 2.90-mile short course.
Reminiscent of his stellar qualifying form of one season ago in which his seven poles laid the foundation for his successful title defense, Hayes was over a second quicker than his closest rivals for the majority of the session.
"I'm really happy," Hayes said. "The Monster Energy Graves Yamaha crew has obviously done a lot of good work; we find ourselves a lot further up in the trap speeds. And I've worked pretty hard in the offseason. I feel really good on the bike and I'm doing lots of laps.
"All-in-all, I'm just really happy to be here. The weather is perfect. It's Daytona Beach, Florida, riding motorcycles."
Yoshimura Racing Suzuki's Blake Young brought the margin in considerably on his last flying lap, however, ripping off a 1:38.579 to finish less than two tenths behind his rival. Young, who only claimed a single pole in 2011, will look to do one better in Friday morning's final qualifying session in hopes of stealing an early one-point advantage prior to the afternoon's season-opening race.
National Guard Jordan Suzuki's Roger Hayden was another man who did well to live up to lofty preseason expectations on Thursday, clocking the third fastest lap and standing as the last man to break into the 1:38s, finishing the 45-minute session at 1:38.948.
Hayes' teammate, Josh Herrin wasn't far back, charging his way around the high banks less than a tenth behind Hayden at 1:39.011 in his SuperBike debut to complete the provisional front row.
Jordan Suzuki's Ben Bostrom was fifth, followed by Young's new Yoshimura teammate, Chris Clark. The provisional second row was rounded out by Motorcycle-Superstore.com/Big Kahuna/LeoVince Attack Kawasaki's Steve Rapp and Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing BMW's Larry Pegram.
The final grid for Friday afternoon's AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike season opener will be set following the conclusion of tomorrow morning's second qualifying session.
AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike
Jason DiSalvo of the Latus Motors Racing team topped practice for the DAYTONA® 200 on Thursday. The Triumph-mounted rider posted a best time of 1:49.734 and was the only rider to break the 1:50 mark.
Young competitors Cameron Beaubier (Graves Yamaha) and Joey Pascarella (P1A March of Dimes) joined the veteran rider at the front on Thursday afternoon.
Former class champion Martin Cardenas marked his return to the class with fourth-best time in the afternoon.
AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport
Corey Alexander and James Rispoli battled it out for the best Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport time in provisional qualifying. Alexander (National Guard Suzuki) topped defending Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport National champ Rispoli (Celtic Racing/Orient Express) on his final two laps of the session.
AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series
Defending AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series Daytona race winner Kyle Wyman (Kyle Wyman Racing/Vesrah Harley-Davidson) stole away the provisional pole from veteran pilot Michael Barnes on his final lap in Thursday's qualifying session. Wyman narrowly edged the 1989 Daytona Supersport winner, eclipsing Barnes' mark of 2:06.828 with a 2:06.636 on his last lap of the session.
Source: AMA Pro Racing
MotoGP: CRTs meet for testing at MotorLand
3/08/2012: One month ahead of the start of the new MotoGP™ World Championship season, various premier class teams will be testing this week to continue preparations for the 2012 Championship. Over the course of two days—Thursday and Friday, the 8th and 9th of March—the Aragon MotorLand circuit will bring together several teams registered as CRT for another important test, one of the last of the preseason.
Teams confirmed thus far for the test are the Power Electronic Aspar team, with riders Randy de Puniet and Aleix Espargaró, Paul Bird Motorsport with rider James Ellison, and after returning last week from Malaysia, Avintia Racing’s Ivan Silva and Yonny Hernandez will be present for further testing of their BQR-FTR machine.
In contrast, Danilo Petrucci and the Ioda Racing Project team will not be in attendance. The Italian rider said via Twitter on Monday: "We won't be in Aragon this week because we are building the second and definitive bike. So the boys that are working at workshop are the same that work on track. If we went in Aragon we risk that the definitive bike will be not ready for Jerez and Qatar." Team sources have confirmed that the next outing for Petrucci and the team will be in two week’s time at the Official Test in Jerez.
The MotorLand circuit in Alcañiz could possibly see the debut of Michele Pirro, who has not yet ridden his 1000cc Honda CRT of the Gresini Team, although the outfit has not yet confirmed their attendance.
Source: MotoGP
MotoGP: Stoner sets the mark as Sepang Test comes to a close
The second Official MotoGP™ Test of 2012 in Malaysia came to a close with the reigning World Champion again top of the timesheets, closely followed by team-mate Dani Pedrosa and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Andrea Dovizioso.
The third and final day of testing at Sepang was held in hot and dry conditions, with teams setting out early to make up for time lost yesterday due to rain. All riders were out on track upon opening, including all four Hondas, and under ideal 40 degree track temperatures Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) posted a 2’00.473 in the morning. That time remained as the best of the three days as the World Champion focused his efforts in the afternoon on efficient fuel consumption.
Dani Pedrosa pursued his team-mate by 0.175s as the Spanish rider focused his efforts on chassis modifications to improve stability under braking and reduce front end chatter. Andrea Dovizioso was three tenths from Stoner with a time of 2’00.802 on his Tech 3 machine after the Italian found a more efficient and comfortable riding position yesterday.
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo was fourth quickest and ended his day with a race simulation that revealed the more powerful 1000cc bikes will require careful tyre management. The 2010 World Champion reported that the new soft Bridgestones lost their grip early in the simulation, making braking more difficult due to sliding. The Spaniard also reported that the electronics improvements made during this test made corner entry easier and smoothed out the YZR-M1 overall.
Yamaha team-mate Ben Spies ended his day early, completing 28 laps with a best time of 2’01.432 set before a crash in the early afternoon. The American walked away from the fall unhurt though did not re-enter the track in the afternoon and his time from the morning placed him eighth in the line-up. Spies commented that he was happy with the electronic improvements though he and his team "haven't pushed the bike to its limit yet”.
Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) climbed to fifth position by the end of the day with a best lap 2’00.986, half a second off the leading time of Stoner and 0.245s ahead of the quickest Ducati in the field, the Pramac Racing GP12 of Héctor Barberá.
Álvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini ) recovered from a crash in the morning to post a time of 2’01.275, over a second quicker than his time set on Tuesday, placing him seventh. The Spaniard declared at the end of the day: "This morning I had a hard time riding, it’s clear that I have a lack kilometers on the bike and yesterday we didn’t ride, plus I had a silly fall today but then picked up speed and reached a good pace."
Newcomer Stefan Bradl finished the day in ninth and 1.019 off the top time set by Stoner, with Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden following in 10th and 11th respectively. The Ducati Team pair have work to do, with Rossi reporting that the outstanding issue remains riding position and that the set up for it was better at the first Sepang Test. Developments made with the traction control, however, has been reportedly been good.
Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing ) wrapped up the second Malaysian Test in 13th position with a best time of 2’03.681, a one second improvement from his last visit to the circuit, while Avintia Racing riders Yonny Hernández and Iván Silva also improved the team’s performance with a best lap that was 1.6 seconds faster than at the first Sepang test.
Source: MotoGP
MotoGP: Spies tops rain hindered day two at Sepang
29 February 2012: Factory Yamaha Racing rider Spies topped the time sheets early in the day, before rain storms hit the Malaysian circuit on Wednesday and halted further time improvements for all the riders in the field.
An engine failure in Dani Pedrosa's RC213V machine yesterday forced HRC to prevent all four of its riders from participating on the track today. The engine was sent to Japan for analysis last night, the results of which HRC claimed were positive and stating that the Honda riders will be back on track tomorrow.
Despite the rain, several riders continued testing, including Jorge Lorenzo who earlier set the second fastest lap of the day with a 2’01.293. The Yamaha rider took advantage of the rainy conditions after which the Spaniard claimed: "We have to improve traction on corner entry. The engine development is good and we are closing the gap from Honda. Also the modifications to the chassis are working well." Tomorrow Lorenzo will test a new chassis as the 2010 World Champion and his team diligently work to reclaim the title.
Third for the day was Andrea Dovizioso, who opted not to run on the wet track in the afternoon. The Italian was nonetheless pleased with a new found bike set up on his Tech 3 Yamaha that allowed for a more efficient riding position. "Today was the first day that I could run well and in a comfortable position, and being two-tenths off the official Yamaha is not too bad. I tested the new engine specification and so far it has been positive," reported Dovizioso at the end of the day.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Cal Crutchlow wrapped up the day just over a tenth behind his Italian team-mate, also electing to stay dry in the afternoon, as did Héctor Barberá who had crashed his Pramac Racing Ducati in the wet earlier in the day.
Valentino Rossi also opted not to run his Ducati Team GP12 in the rain, the Italian worried that the rain was hurting the development of the new bike though admitted there was nothing they could do about it. Team-mate Nicky Hayden did take a few laps on a drying track later in the day after test rider Franco Battaini rode the Kentuckian’s Ducati on the wet track for much of the afternoon. Hayden reported that tomorrow he will continue with some set up changes in search of better grip.
Colin Edwards was hindered again by a throttle connection issue and thought he would be sidelined for the afternoon, though the Texan made it out for an additional seven laps in the afternoon on his NGM Mobile Forward Racing machine, while Ivan Silva and Yonny Hernandez continued riding throughout the wet afternoon, completing 39 and 26 laps respectively as they continue with the development of their Avintia Racing BQR-FTR machine.
Source: MotoGP
MotoGP: Honda takes early control of Sepang Test
2/28/2012: The second Official MotoGP™ Test of 2012 commenced in Malaysia on Tuesday, with Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa topping the timesheet at midday before stormy tropical weather conditions washed out much of the afternoon’s testing.
Leading the early pace in the opening half of day one was reigning World Champion Casey Stoner with a best lap of 2'01.761 set on a slippery track, three tenths of a second ahead of Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa, before heavy rain at the mid way point washed out much of the afternoon’s testing. Stoner ended his day after just 16 laps, while team-mate Pedrosa ventured out after the weather cleared to continue working to find a better position on the RC213V. The Spaniard was happy to finish the day having found improvements that allow him to better handle the heavier 1000cc bike under braking.
Yamaha Factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies completed the day third and fourth fastest, with Lorenzo testing a new engine though the slippery track in the morning and rain in the afternoon prohibited testing its full potential. The pair also tried modifications to the YZR-M1’s existing gearbox in search of more stability when shifting.
Alvaro Bautista was the highest satellite team rider with a best time of 2’02.959, placing him in fifth position. The San Carlo Honda Gresini rider focused on riding position and geometry as he continues to adapt his riding style to the 1000cc machines, claiming “I think I will have to sacrifice corner speed in order to get more traction exiting the corner.”
Returning from surgery just three weeks ago, Nicky Hayden closed out the day in 6th place with a time of 2’03.132. The Kentuckian said via a Twitter that although he is not yet 100% recovered, he feels much better than he expected. He also reported to motogp.com that his plans to work on improving traction were difficult to carry out thus far because of the challenging track conditions.
With water still on the track, Ducati team-mate Valentino Rossi was the first to return to the asphalt, donning wet tyres and continuing to work on GP12 electronic package, traction, and corner exit acceleration. His best lap from the morning of 2’03.245 placed the Italian eighth for the day.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso concluded the day in seventh and 11th positions, respectively, with the Italian rider suffering with a rear brake issue that slowed his progress adapting to the Yamaha. Héctor Barberá was ninth and spent the morning searching for more grip from his Pramac Racing Ducati and testing the new braking light that will be required to run under wet conditions this year.
Just behind Barberá was rookie Stefan Bradl on his LCR Honda who reported felling confident with his progress on the premier class bike as he continues to work on the Honda electronics.
Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing) tested a new seat and a new chassis for the Suter-BMW, completing the day 12th ahead of Ducati test rider Franco Battaini and the Avinitia Racing riders Iván Silva and Yonny Hernández.
Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) entered the track in the morning but exited soon after, eventually withdrawing from the Test completely after the shoulder and back injuries he suffered in crash at Jerez last week proved too painful to allow the Czech rider to continue.
Source: MotoGP
World SuperBike Phillip Island Race 2: Checa wins as Biaggi makes incredible recovery
2/26/2012: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) recovered from his big race one crash to post his first win of the year but arguably an even greater performance came from second place finisher Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing).
Checa hit the front early on but Biaggi had run of track on lap one, kept his bike upright and restarted last, then fought through to take a second place and a clear championship lead with a total of 45 points.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) overhauled a slowing Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) in a breathtaking final lap to get his first dry weather Kawasaki podium.
The injured Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) put in a gritty ride to secure fifth place while his team-mate Marco Melandri was one place behind.
Melandri is second in the points to Biaggi with 30, one point ahead of Sykes in overall third. Checa is fourth with 25 points.
Source World SuperBike
World Super Bike Phillip Island Race 1: Aprilia and Biaggi score early glory
2/26/2012: Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) won the first race of the year by seven seconds from Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) and third was a closely following Sylvian Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) after a dramatic contest held over 22-laps.
Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) crashed out of the race while leading, suffering a fast high-side fall on the final corner early in the race. Spots of rain appeared at two separate stages but to no real effect for the majority of the riders and it was declared a dry race.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) took fourth place after leading early on, with Jakub Smrz fifth on his Liberty Racing Team Effenbert Ducati.
Source: World Superbike
MotoGP: Malaysia Test concludes with Stoner reigning supreme
2/02/2012: The third and final day of the Official MotoGP™ Test concluded on Thursday at Sepang, with Casey Stoner breaking under the 2 minute mark on just his second lap out to dominate the field by over half a second.
The first on-track MotoGP action of the year concluded on Thursday at the Sepang International Circuit, with the new 1000cc machines noticeably quicker than the 800s of last year as the top four paced under the circuit’s best lap set by Valentino Rossi in 2009.
Casey Stoner was half a second clear of the rest of the field on his Repsol Honda RC213V, with Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa his closest challengers the first part of the day, though an afternoon rain storm halted any attempts to catch up with the World Champion and all lap times from the morning remained unchanged.
Stoner was the pace man laying down a time of 1’59.607 on just his second lap of the day, over a second quicker than his best lap from yesterday. He and team-mate Dani Pedrosa focused on testing suspension settings and a new clutch, with the Spaniard setting the 3rd fastest lap of the day with 2'00.256, an improvement of 1.252 from Wednesday.
Factory Yamaha riders Lorenzo and Ben Spies successfully found base set ups for their YZR-M1s, focusing on chassis balance and electronics to manage the increased horsepower of the 1000cc bikes. Lorenzo’s best effort was 0.591s behind the top time of Stoner, with Spies landing fourth and 0.888s from first before ending the day early following a minor crash on one of the Yamaha test bikes.
The Test concluded on a high note for the Ducati Team with Valentino Rossi moving up two spots in the ranks to fifth fastest, bettering his time by over a second from yesterday and happy with the changes to the front end of the GP12 thus far, as confirmed by Ducati Corse General Manager Fillipo Preziosi, who stated: "This test was mainly focused on understanding if this bike is better in the front and I can say that it is.”
Nicky Hayden was only able to complete a couple of laps in the afternoon due to weakness in his injured shoulder hindering his ability to hold onto the 1000cc bike with any corner exit headshake. The American confirmed that he will ride at the Jerez Test along with the CRT prototypes before the second Official Test at Sepang later this month.
The Pramac Racing Team wrapped up a successful Test with rider Héctor Barberá, who bettered his time from yesterday by eight tenths, breaking into the 2 minute mark with a best lap of 2’00.929 as he worked on testing new Bridgestone tire compounds. The Spaniard was two tenths ahead of British Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who had a minor crash just after 11am that set his thus far rapid progress back slightly. Italian Andrea Dovizioso wrapped up his second successful test aboard the 2012 Yamaha M1 ranking jut behind team-mate Crutchlow with a best lap of 2’01.257.
Álvaro Bautista was satisfied with the three day test, and today quickened his pace on the Honda of the Gresini Team by sixth tenths, while newcomer Stefan Bradl put in another solid day’s work on the LCR Team Honda and the Moto2 Champion concluded his third day of testing with the 11th fastest time (2'01.894) while trying out tires as well as making one more back to back chassis comparison in the morning.
Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) put in the 12th quickest time while testing tires on his GP12, while NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards worked on diagnosing chatter issues.The Texan’s time of 2’04.722 put him 15th, while Avintia Racing’s Iván Silva and replacement rider Jordi Torres completed the times after recovering from their engine problems of the day before.
Source: MotoGP
1000cc action on track at Sepang sees Lorenzo on top
1/31/2012: The first Official MotoGP™ Test of 2012 kicked off in Malaysia today with Jorge Lorenzo leading the time-sheet at the end of day one, while World Champion Casey Stoner sat out the first day of testing after injuring his back while warming up for his first ride.
After two months off the track, the MotoGP paddock was back in action as the first official Test of 2012 began at the Sepang International Circuit. In attendance were the factory teams getting underway with development work on the new 1000cc bikes in addition several new teams contesting MotoGP CRT machines.
A damp track in the morning had the riders waiting to make first contact with the asphalt, until the late morning when all but Casey Stoner made the first laps aboard their 2012 machines. Leading the pace for the first half of the day was Factory Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo, who then completed the day on top with a fastest lap of 2’01.657 aboard his new YZR-M1, 0.346s faster than closest rival Dani Pedrosa.
Lorenzo’s team-mate Ben Spies completed the day with the fourth fastest time of 2’02.234, and tomorrow the Yamaha pair will continue development work on a new electronics package in addition to testing new parts.
While current World Champion Casey Stoner sat the day out after injuring a muscle in his back warming up in preparation to ride, team-mate Pedrosa tested the new Bridgestone tires as well as working to set up the chassis of his RC213V, which has been developed to his specifications. The number 1 plated machine did make it to the track for four laps at the hands of Honda test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi, and Stoner did remark upon inspecting his new ride that changes made to the bike since the test in November were impressive.
With the aim of only getting familiar with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 motorcycle, Cal Crutchlow completed the day third fastest in the field with a time of 2’02.221, just over a tenth of a second quicker than Valentino Rossi at the controls of the new Ducati GP12.
Rossi completed 43 long anticipated laps aboard the completely redesigned Desmosedici, to post a best time of 2’02.392. Today was the first public appearance of the new machine, upon which team-mate Nicky Hayden gathered his first impressions while lapping into 10th fastest spot of the day with a time of 2’03.151.
Andrea Dovizioso made his focus of the day on riding with his newly plated collarbone and working on engine management, and the Italian fared well, placing his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine sixth for the day, three tenths behind compatriot Rossi.
Héctor Barberá followed in the times putting in a lap of 2’02.773 on board his Ducati GP12 of the Pramac Racing team, while Alvaro Bautista completed his very first day of testing the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team bike to rank just fourth hundredths behind Barberá.
MotoGP rookie Stefan Bradl on the LCR Honda finished a day of familiarizing himself with a MotoGP bike at 11th fastest, a half second behind Hayden. The Moto2 World Champion was a tenth of a second ahead of Karel Abraham, whose focus on the Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati was on set up and tire testing.
CRT development progress continued, with NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards putting in 12 laps on the BMW-Suter, with much of his time going into electronics development. The Texan paced ahead of Avintia Racing rider Iván Silva, who also made 12 laps, while test rider Jordi Torres completed 42 laps at the controls of the BQR-FTR machine.
Source: MotoGP
Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden ready to return to action with the Ducati GP12
Tuesday, 10 January 2012: The Ducati Team riders were the stars of the first day of Wrooom 2012 at Madonna di Campiglio, with Nicky Hayden first to “take to the track” and answer questions from the international press in attendance. The American, who is recovering well enough from his injured left scapula that he has already removed his sling, then passed the baton to a pleased Valentino Rossi, who is motivated to get back in the saddle and start winter testing in just over two weeks.
“I’m much better,” confirmed Nicky Hayden, “so I’ve been able to remove the sling right on schedule. Here at Madonna di Campiglio, I’m starting to do a little training on a stationary bicycle under the supervision of the team physiotherapist, with the goal of being ready for the Sepang test (31 January – 2 February) as strong as possible. I can’t wait to ride the GP12, because it will be my first time ever. I wasn’t able to try it in the post-race test at Valencia, and I definitely won’t miss the next chance. I never made any secret that I prefer the new displacement to the 800s, although I think things will be much different than in 2006, beginning with the tyres, and the electronics have also come a long way. We’ll have more power, and we’ll have to find the right balance between controlling it while still taking as much advantage of it as we can. I’ve stayed in contact with Filippo (Preziosi) and the guys in the Ducati Corse department over the winter, and I know they’ve worked really hard. We’ll have a lot of things to try at Sepang. I know it won’t be easy, but I’m also confident that we can start to reduce the gap between now and the first race at Qatar. I believe in Ducati, this project and Filippo, and I want to get back on my Ducati as soon as possible.”
“We’re starting with a different spirit,” Valentino Rossi began with a smile. “When I came to Wrooom, I was still healing from my shoulder operation, and after that, the season didn’t go at all like we’d hoped. For this year, Filippo (Preziosi) designed a different bike, and they’ve made a big effort at Ducati to have it in time for the start of the winter tests. I visited the factory and saw it on a computer, and it’s beautiful. We’re not expecting it to be immediately perfect at Sepang, but rather to understand if we’ve worked in the proper direction. We’re very realistic, and our goal is to reduce the gap to our competition, step by step, working in a logical way, and from there to be able to refine the details in order to be competitive and to try and win. One of the most important things for going fast is to make the tyres work as they're able to, so together with Filippo, we’ve tried to come up with a bike that will let them perform as well as possible. We’ll see if we’ve managed it. I like working with Ducati. I feel good here because there’s a nice atmosphere and we all have faith.”
Wrooom continues tomorrow with the press conference for Filippo Preziosi, Ducati Corse General Manager, who will go into detail on the bike’s development and the technical program that will allow the Desmosedici GP12 to confront the new MotoGP season as well as possible.
Source: Ducati
AMA Pro Racing: Ben Bostrom & Roger Lee Hayden Return to Michael Jordan Motorsports for 2012
East Troy, Wis. (December 15, 2011) – Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) is pleased to announce that Ben Bostrom and Roger Lee Hayden will be returning to the team for a second season. Bostrom will compete in the 2012 AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike championship on the team’s #23 and Hayden will ride on the #54 Jordan Suzuki bikes.
Bostrom, the eldest of the Bostrom brothers, achieved an overall fifth place finish in AMA Pro SuperBike competition in 2011, where he saw podium multiple podiums and a wildcard MotoGP ride at Laguna Seca for LCR Honda.
“There’s something special about Ben,” said Kreig Robinson, MJM’s Vice President of Corporate Relations. “He has world-class talent and is an incredibly intense athlete. Along with Ben’s laser-focused dedication and our team’s support, we envision a successful 2012.”
"I feel so fortunate to return to the Jordan Motorsports team,” said Bostrom. “Last year, they put a huge effort into changing the bike so we can start 2012 at the front and race for a championship. I have a great crew, a great bike and it’s always an honor to ride for Michael Jordan. I look forward to paying them back next year with a lot of wins."
“I’m really excited to be returning to Michael Jordan Motorsports and representing the Army National Guard again,” said Hayden. “The team and I really came on strong near the end of the season and I hope that we can keep that momentum going into next year. I feel like I have one of the best crews in the paddock so it’s great to keep the same unit together. I am especially honored to represent the men and women of the National Guard this year as they celebrate 375 years of service to our country.”
“Roger Hayden gave us a first-class effort in 2011 and proved that he deserves the opportunity to ride a SuperBike,” said Kreig Robinson, MJM Vice President of Corporate Relations. “His ‘ready to work’ attitude toward development made him an easy choice to return to ride for us and to represent the National Guard in 2012. We always set our sights on championship contention, and we’re confident in Roger Lee’s commitment to excellence.”
Last season, Hayden finished in sixth place in the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Championship series rider points standings and earned two podium finishes.
Source: Michael Jordan Motorsports
AMA Pro Racing Announces Three Exciting New Events as part of 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing Schedule
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (December 2, 2011) - AMA Pro Racing will be working in conjunction with M1 PowerSports for promotion of three exciting new events as part of the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing schedule. Each of the three events promoted by M1 PowerSports, formally known as M1 Entertainment, will be modeled after the highly successful AMA Pro Road Racing events that the group promoted and grew over a 10 year span at racetracks in the Southeast.
The original Big Kahuna events were known for delivering exceptional entertainment value alongside world-class racing by America's finest motorcycle road racing talent, and fans can expect that same Big Kahuna Show as M1 PowerSports returns to promoting motorcycle road racing with an expanded portfolio of AMA Pro Road Racing events in major Southeastern markets.
"M1 PowerSports is extremely excited to return to full time event promotion in 2012," said Cameron Gray, President of M1 PowerSports. "The Big Kahuna Nationals have a long and rich history in AMA Pro Racing and we are excited about our new relationship with the series. Promoting motorcycle road racing events is our passion and what we do best. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship putting on some of the most thrilling racing events in the country."
"For much of the past three months, I have been and traveled with I-San, Danny Walker and Cameron back and forth across this country, and enjoyed every minute of it," said David Atlas, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. "I've gotten to know them well, and they and their staff at M1 PowerSports have proven that they know how to deliver entertainment value that goes perfectly hand-in-hand with the outstanding racing found at our events. The new events, which they will bring to our series in 2012, promise to be some of the most exciting stops on our schedule. I am so proud of their joining forces with us."
M1 PowerSports began promoting the Big Kahuna events at Road Atlanta as part of the 1998 AMA Pro Road Racing season and the series will make a return to the 2.55-mile circuit in the hills of Braselton, Ga. for the Big Kahuna Atlanta on the weekend of April 20 - 22, 2012. The track is located just 35 miles outside of Atlanta and has a rich history with AMA Pro Road Racing dating to back to Eddie Lawson's 1980 AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike victory. The series last raced at the facility in 2010, where fans witnessed Blake Young sweep the National Guard SuperBike doubleheader weekend in dramatic fashion.
"Road Atlanta has had a storied legacy of terrific top level professional two wheel racing over its 40+ years," said Geoff Lee, President of Road Atlanta. "We have been staying close with AMA Pro Racing in the hopes of being able to strike a relationship to bring their series back here soon. This could not possibly be a better way to do so. We, and our fans, are thrilled to have M1 PowerSports returning and bringing the Big Kahuna back to Road Atlanta where it began. With an event of this stature in place again we look forward to more great racing and adding many more years of 'legend and lore' to our motorcycle history at Road Atlanta."
AMA Pro Road Racing will head south after the New Jersey Motorsports Park round for the inaugural Big Kahuna Miami, scheduled for the weekend of September 21 - 23, 2012 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which is located south of Miami in Homestead, Fla. As fall weather begins to draw in across the country, fans will find the Miami area a tropical oasis while being treated to an entertainment spectacle from M1 PowerSports and the stars of AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport and the AMA Pro Vance & Hinex XR1200 Series.
"We are thrilled to partner with M1 PowerSports to bring the AMA Pro Nationals to Homestead-Miami Speedway," said Speedway President Matthew Becherer. "Our track will be active more than 280 days in 2012, and this event - featuring the biggest motorcycle series in North America - is a great opportunity for South Florida."
Two weeks later, the AMA Pro Road Racing season will come to a close at America's newest racetrack, with the Big Kahuna New Orleans scheduled for the weekend of October 5 - 7, 2012 as the first professional motorsports event to be held at NOLA Motorsports Park. The track, which was designed by Alan Wilson, is located just 20 minutes from the historic French Quarter area in downtown New Orleans, La. The state-of-the-art facility features excellent areas for spectator viewing and is focused on making motorsports accessible to a broad range of enthusiasts across all facets of the motorsports community. AMA Pro Road Racing will hold the season-ending awards banquet in the New Orleans area on the Monday evening following the event.
"We are excited to be partnering with AMA Pro Racing and M1 PowerSports for our inaugural professional event," said Mitch Wright, General Manager of NOLA Motorsports Park. "M1 PowerSports has a proven track record of fun, fan-friendly motorcycle events and the riders in AMA Pro Road Racing put on an incredible show. New Orleans and NOLA Motorsports Park will provide the perfect place to cap off their season and have one heck of a party."
AMA Pro Road Racing competitors will have the opportunity to check out each of the new tracks before the respective event weekends in a set of official series tests. In an effort to reduce the costs associated with traveling to these tests, each will be held following an event in the same region. The test at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be scheduled for soon after the Daytona 200 event weekend and the NOLA Motorsports Park test will be held soon following the event at Barber Motorsports Park. Full details about the test events will be released at a later date.
Complete 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing Schedule:
March 15 - 17, 2012Daytona 200 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.
April 20 - 22, 2012* Road Atlanta, Braselton, Ga.
May 4 - 6, 2012 Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.
May 26 - 28, 2012 Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah
June 1 - 3, 2012 Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.
June 22 - 24, 2012 Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala.
July 13 - 15, 2012 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
July 27 - 29, 2012 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.
September 7 - 9, 2012 New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, N.J.
September 21 - 23, 2012* Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.
October 5 - 7, 2012* NOLA Motorsports Park. New Orleans, La.
* Events promoted by M1 PowerSports
Source: AMA
Photos: AMA Pro-Racing
