Saskatoon racer feeling confident

From Professional Motorsports Productions

STIRLING, ON – If there is pressure associated with being in a tight title fight, motorcycle racer Brett McCormick is showing none of it.

The 18-year-old from Saskatoon comes into this weekend’s final round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park with a shot at claiming his first professional national crown.

He trails series leader and three-time defending champion Jordan Szoke by 14 points, 296-282 with 56 points available this weekend, including 50 for first place in Sunday’s feature race.

“I don’t mind being in second place at all,” said McCormick, who races for the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing factory team. “I get paid to win races. Every round I go out and just try to win. I don’t feel any added pressure. I’d rather be in this position that protecting a lead. He [Szoke] has a lot more to think about.”

McCormick has plenty of reasons to feel optimistic. In a season that has seen the momentum shift between himself and Szoke with every round, the westerner is coming off a dominant performance at the most recent Parts Canada Superbike round at Nova Scotia’s Atlantic Motorsport Park in early August.

He started from pole position despite nearly crashing on his qualifying lap and then led almost all the way to claim his third win of the year. And almost exactly one year ago McCormick scored his first ever national Superbike win at Shannonville.

“I love Shannonville and I’ve always done well there,” he acknowledged. “My win last year gives me a little extra confidence boost. We’re coming off a dominant weekend at Halifax and I have no doubt we can carry that success over to this weekend. We’ve had really good success the last few rounds.”
       
The season long battle between Szoke and McCormick has been one of the most fascinating confrontations in the 30-year history of the Canadian Superbike series. After a stellar amateur career McCormick made his professional debut as a 15-year-old in 2007, riding as Szoke’s team-mate in the Canadian Kawasaki Motors factory team.
       
While Szoke won the national title in 2007 and 2008, giving him three in a row, McCormick ran away with the HJC Pro Rookie of the Year title in 2007. Injuries, however, slowed his progress last year and during the off-season he made the switch to the Suzuki team managed by Canadian racing legend Pascal Picotte.

The new partnership bore fruit almost instantly, with McCormick finishing a close second to Szoke in the 2009 Parts Canada Superbike series opener at Calabogie Motorsports Park, near Ottawa.

In the next round, at Circuit ICAR, just north of Montreal, McCormick was in dominant form and claimed an impressive victory. Two weeks later at Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park the Saskatchewan racer won again after pulling off a surprise pass of Szoke just a few corners from the finish.

The tide turned back in Szoke’s favor at Mosport International Raceway, near Bowmanville, Ont., in July as the Kawasaki rider swept both ends of a doubleheader and reclaimed the series lead. However, McCormick’s win at AMP has ensured the title will come down to the final race of the season at Shannonville.

McCormick admits he has learned a great deal from Picotte, himself a two-time Canadian Superbike champion, and his experienced crew this season. In addition to his performance on the track, the 18-year-old says he has made big improvements in his ability to set-up his motorcycle and work with the crew.
       
“This year has been awesome for that,” he said. “The whole team has encouraged me to pay more attention to the little stuff and made me focus myself a little bit more. I think I’ve been improving with every race.”

The almost month-long gap between the Nova Scotia race and this weekend’s finale is the longest break in the schedule this year, and McCormick is anxious to get back on the track and try to maintain his momentum.

“It seems like we’ve had the whole season off,” he said. “I’m super- pumped and anxious to get back out there. Ideally I’d be out racing every weekend. But the time off has not been a bad thing. The break was nice. It’s pretty draining racing all the time and it’s nice to get home.”

McCormick has been spending his down time keeping fit with bicycling, working out in the gym and riding his motocross bike.

And while he can still walk the streets of Saskatoon fairly anonymously, he has seen his media profile in his hometown go up with his success this season.

“The way this year has gone I’m getting way more press back home,” he explained. “Before this there wasn’t really anything at all. No one here really knows what the sport is; we’re kind of isolated from it. It’s been pretty tough but it’s getting better.”

McCormick also found some time to celebrate his 18th birthday on August 20, although he insists it was a very low key affair.

“I did absolutely nothing,” he said. “I think I slept in late and maybe went out with friends, but that was it. I don’t think I’ve celebrated my birthday since I was six.”

Perhaps on Sunday afternoon at Shannonville McCormick will have something else to celebrate.

Lorenzo wins as rivals tumble

From motogp.com

The battle for the 2009 MotoGP World Championship was blown wide open on Sunday at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix as Jorge Lorenzo scored a great win and his Fiat Yamaha colleague Valentino Rossi suffered his first DNF of the year.

Lorenzo eventually crossed the line with a 9.5-sec. winning margin to cut Rossi’s championship lead in half, as the deficit dropped from 50 to 25 points, with five races remaining.

Earlier in the race there was also a crash for Dani Pedrosa on the fourth lap when the pole man was leading the race. He bravely picked up his RC212V and rejoined in last place, doing well to finally finish in 10th position.

Following his two heartbreaking DNFs at Donington and Brno, Lorenzo’s title charge was revived in stunning fashion at Indianapolis on Sunday.

Having celebrated the victory in front of the Indy fans in his special edition Captain America helmet, Lorenzo commented, “What a day! In the World Championship if you want to win you have to be on the limit. In the last two races I was on the limit, trying to win, and I crashed, so it was a big disappointment. Today the situation has changed completely and now it has happened to Valentino and Dani unfortunately for them. However, for me, the situation is good.

“It was difficult to keep my concentration for 20 laps, because it was a little bit boring. Bit you cannot relax when it is like that because if you think about something else you could crash. Anyway, I had some fun on the last lap and it is a very nice feeling.”

Following Pedrosa’s fourth lap crash it looked as though Rossi and Lorenzo could be set for another classic battle as the World Champion attempted to repeat his 2008 Indianapolis success. However, a crash from out of nowhere when Rossi lost the front end on lap 9 handed Lorenzo the victory and now the championship advantage is down to 25 points with five rounds remaining.

The first of those remaining races is at Misano next weekend, where Rossi also won last year en route to his sixth premier class title and where he is sure to enjoy huge support from the passionate home crowd.

“Today is a disappointment of course," Rossi said. "We struggled here with the setting all weekend but we made an improvement today and I got a good start and was able to stay in touch with Pedrosa. Once he fell, I knew it would be between Jorge and I, but I honestly don’t know how it would have finished, because Jorge was very fast today.

“Obviously, it would have been better to have finished second than not to finish at all. Unfortunately I ran wide on to a dirty part of the track at turn 1 and lost the front. I tried to carry on but there was a problem with my throttle and it wasn’t possible. I want to congratulate Jorge for his victory and now we look forward to coming back to the front at Misano. We are still leading the championship and this is the most important thing.”

Behind Lorenzo there was a great ride from San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis, who did his quest to remain in MotoGP no harm at all in second place, gaining his first ever premier class podium from fourth on the grid.

The young San Marino rider, who has his home event to look forward to next weekend, lost ground at the start of the Indy contest but fought back to overcome the experienced Colin Edwards early in the race.

Overtaking Edwards to move up to fourth, before benefiting from crashes for Pedrosa and Rossi, De Angelis held his nerve for the rest of the contest behind Lorenzo.

Still to secure a MotoGP ride for 2010, De Angelis said after the race, “I have to thank the team for the incredible job they have done this weekend. The bike has been fantastic ever since we unpacked it on Friday and we have gone from strength to strength over the course of the weekend. They also gave me a lot of confidence this morning and honestly I think they had more belief that I would be on the podium today than I did.”

Nicky Hayden also rode brilliantly after qualifying sixth, repeating his 2008 Indianapolis podium, this time in third position – his best result to date with Ducati. Hayden got the better of Andrea Dovizioso, despite a stiff challenge from the man who replaced him in the Repsol Honda team, the Italian yet again having to settle for fourth on the last lap.

"It is great to be on the podium," the 28-year-old Hayden said. "I am really happy. Everybody knows what a hard season it has been and to be honest it has been the biggest challenge of my life. We have hung in there and caught a couple of breaks today, and I was able to get on the podium again.

“He [Dovizioso] was all over me and I was getting a lot of heat so I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to hold on. It was all or nothing on the last couple of laps and I managed to hold him off, so hopefully we can just keep building on this. I am very pleased and I’m going to enjoy it.”

Adding to the American representation towards the front Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) finished in fifth place, while there was a late crash from Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) when battling with James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) for sixth. Melandri’s mishap left the Englishman to again equal his best ever MotoGP result.

The top 10 also featured Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki), Mika Kallio (Ducati) and Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini). A special mention must go to Pramac Racing’s temporary replacement rider Aleix Espargaró who earned three points in 13th place on his MotoGP debut.

A good performance by World Champion Marco Simoncelli (Metis Gilera) kept his 250cc championship hopes alive as he crossed the line in first place, two seconds ahead of current standings leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing Team).

Ahead of his home event next weekend at Misano, the Italian did a great job from third on the grid, having crashed three times on Saturday, to claw back some extra crucial points in his title defence. Simoncelli now trails the Japanese rider by 27 points with five races remaining.

A five-way battle which lasted for the majority of the Indianapolis 125cc race went down to the very last lap and ultimately ended with Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team) earning his first Grand Prix win.

The 18-year-old Spaniard made up for his disappointment in last year’s event, when he just missed out on the win, by judging the race to perfection and holding off his rivals on the last lap to win by 0.120 secs. from Briton Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar).

MotoGP Race Results
1. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 47:13.592 (149.976 km/h)
2. Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +9.435
3. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Team Ducati +12.947
4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +13.478
5. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +26.254
6. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +32.408
7. Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +34.400
8. Mika KALLIO (FIN) Ducati Team Ducati +34.856
9. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +45.005
10. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +45.377
11. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +45.478
12. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda +52.294
13. Aleix ESPARGARO (SPA) Pramac Racing Ducati +1:03.552
14. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda +1:15.086
Not classified
Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki +3 Laps
Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +5 Laps
Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +16 Laps

MotoGP Point Standings
1. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha) 212
2. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha) 187
3. Casey STONER (Ducati) 150
4. Dani PEDROSA (Honda) 141
5. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha) 123
6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda) 120
7. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda) 88
8. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki) 86
9. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda) 84
10. Marco MELANDRI (Kawasaki) 79
11. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki) 77
12. Nicky HAYDEN (Ducati) 73
13. James TOSELAND (Yamaha) 72
14. Toni ELIAS (Honda) 70
15. Mika KALLIO (Ducati) 42
16. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati) 32
17. Sete GIBERNAU (Ducati) 12
18. Gabor TALMACSI (Honda) 10
19. Yuki TAKAHASHI (Honda) 9
20. Aleix ESPARGARO (Ducati) 3

Canadians make Indy race grids

By John Hopkins

Canadian riders Adam Roberts and Ben Young both managed to qualify for support race action at the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP event on Saturday.

Halifax racer Roberts claimed the 23rd and last grid slot on his RAT Racing Yamaha for the 250cc Word Championship event. His best lap was 6.955 secs. off the pole time of Italian Mike di Meglio. Roberts had failed to get within the prescribed cut off time in Friday and Saturday Free Practice sessions.

Fellow wildcard rider Barrett Long of the U.S. was unable to make the cut.

Similarly, Young got the last spot on the 125cc World Championship grid aboard his Veloce Racing Aprilia. The Collingwood, ON wildcard was 7.114 secs. off the pole time of series leader Julian Simon.

Both the 250cc and 125cc races precede Sunday's MotoGP feature event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

MotoGP looks at engine lease agreement

From motogp.com

In an effort to expand the MotoGP field and cut costs, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme - the sport's governing body - is looking to formalize the lease of engines to teams for 2011.

Ongoing talks between MotoGP’s governing body the FIM, series’ rights holder Dorna Sports and the MSMA - the manufacturers association - are shaping up the future of the MotoGP World Championship.

To bolster the MotoGP entry list and also make the sport more affordable to teams, a new agreement with manufacturers is under consideration to implement an engine lease structure for manufacturers to provide 800cc prototypes engines to teams, who would in turn develop their own chassis.

“Looking at the future of the MotoGP class, we’ve been talking with the manufacturers to see how they can provide engines to the teams,” explained FIM President Vito Ippolito. “It would be an interesting way to expand the grid and to give a chance to new teams to join the series, as costs would be reduced.

“At this moment, negotiations are going in the right direction and manufacturers could offer prototype 800cc engines from 2011. We’re still in the process of defining the future of the MotoGP class and for the FIM and Dorna it is crucial to achieve better stability in terms of the number of entries in the long term, taking into account the current technical and economic issues.”

Dorna Sports’ CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta added, “Given the current economic situation, the ever evolving technology in MotoGP and looking at costs cutting measures, we had made a proposal to combine 1000cc engines and the current 800cc engines in the MotoGP class. The MSMA acknowledged the issues we’re facing at the moment and looked for another solution.

“Now their proposal is, that from 2011, they could lease engines to teams with a fair standard price. This would not involve a technical regulation change as engines would be the same as they are now and it would allow us to optimize costs. The MSMA still has to announce what would be the price of the lease and we’re also waiting on an agreement with the manufacturers to commit to the Championship for a precise period of time. Once those two elements are set, it would be a very positive development for the future of the MotoGP World Championship.”

Pedrosa snags Indy pole

From motogp.com

MotoGP qualifying at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix on Saturday concluded with Spaniard Dani Pedrosa in pole position, following a superb performance from the Repsol Honda rider.

Pedrosa’s best effort of 1:39.730 gave him a new pole position record and his second pole of 2009, with his nearest rival and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo of the Fiat Yamaha team unable to get within half a second of him.

The Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix has been something of a Pedrosa exhibition so far, with the Repsol Honda rider topping all three sessions ahead of race day – after dominating free practice and qualifying.

“I’m really happy with this pole position because we have been fast all weekend so far, in the wet as well as the dry, so this is very positive,” enthused the Spaniard after QP. “The lap times are quick and also consistent which should give us a good chance in the race tomorrow. I’ve been comfortable on the machine from the start and things have just clicked here.

“We can’t relax at all though because I’m sure the other riders will improve and we know how strong our rivals have been this season. So we must make a few small adjustments to make sure we have the best possible package tomorrow.

"I’m really looking forward to the race because it looks like the weather should be good - a big contrast to last year - and it will be great to feel the race-day atmosphere at Indianapolis in more normal conditions.”

Lorenzo pushed hard in the final stages but was not quite able to edge his compatriot off pole position.

“I’m happy about this qualifying session because we made a big step with our setting from this morning and even from the start of the session," Lorenzo said. "Unfortunately we couldn’t improve any more in the final laps and it’s now six or seven races since I’ve been on pole which is strange for me, because doing one fast lap is usually one of my strong points!

"The important thing however is that we’re on the front row, we have a good race pace and we are ready to challenge for the win.”

Lorenzo’s team-mate Valentino Rossi is also on the front row, though the World Champion left it very late as his slotted into third place with his best time in the final moments, placing nearly nine tenths of a second down on Pedrosa.

Rossi was consistently in the top three until he was edged out by Alex de Angelis with a little over 10 minutes remaining. The standings leader was able to make a last-minute improvement to move back onto the front row with his final lap, but feels he is still lacking rhythm and pace.

“We’re on the front row and this is important but honestly we don’t have enough pace at the moment and I can’t ride how I want to," Rossi admitted. "We don’t have quite enough grip to enable us to push at the maximum. We did a lot of work this afternoon but we’re still not at our best and so now we all need to work to find a way to make another step for tomorrow. We have the warm-up still to use and we will try to be competitive for the race.”

That late lap from the legendary Italian denied de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) a front row start by just one hundredth of a second, but the San Marino rider still qualified in fourth and is looking good at Indy so far this weekend, ahead of his home round next week.

There was a rare crash for Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) with less than 10 minutes to go, but he still ended up fifth, with his fellow American Nicky Hayden (Ducati) just behind him in sixth, rounding off row two.

There was also a late crash for Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) but he went round seventh quickest and he is joined on the third row by Italians Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing).

Briton James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) completed the top 10.

Mika Kallio also hit the deck and finished down in 15th place on the factory Ducati he is temporarily riding.

An exciting 250cc qualifying session saw provisional pole change hands numerous times during the final 10 minutes, with Frenchman Mike di Meglio eventually taking his first pole in the category.

The 125cc World Champion is one of the few riders in the quarter litre class to have raced at Indianapolis, as the 250cc contest was of course cancelled last season due to bad weather.

Behind Di Meglio in second place on the grid is standings leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing Team), whose 1:44.461 was 0.120 off the pole pace.

Points leader Julián Simón (Bancaja Aspar) took first place in 125cc qualifying on Saturday afternoon at Indianapolis as he set a new pole position record by more than a second, with a 1:49.337 hot lap around the famous American venue.

MotoGP Qualifying Results
1. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda 1:39.730 (318.266 km/h)
2. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +0.506
3. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +0.879
4. Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +0.890
5. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +1.231
6. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Team Ducati +1.337
7. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +1.553
8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +1.579
9. Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki +1.800
10. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +1.890
11. Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +2.012
12. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda +2.043
13. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +2.180
14. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +2.308
15. Mika KALLIO (FIN) Ducati Team Ducati +2.520
16. Aleix ESPARGARO (SPA) Pramac Racing Ducati +2.847
17. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda +3.006

Roberts swims with sharks at Indy

By John Hopkins
with files from cdnsuperbike.com

Halifax racer Adam Roberts had a rough introduction to the 250cc World Championship in practice for the event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday.

The RAT Racing Yamaha rider was unable to get within the prescribed qualifying cut-off time during a wet hour-long practice session.

"On the first lap I quickly realized my gearing was much to short, but I stuck it out for a couple of laps before stopping to change sprockets," Roberts said. "The track is pretty difficult, with a mixture of asphalts, which means different grip levels. I put my head down and really worked on figuring the corners out, but struggled to put more than a couple of them together.

"I think we made out alright for first practice, even though we were a bit behind on lap times. I made some changes, and thought about some things and we’ll be ready to do battle tomorrow."

Roberts found out after the practice that he and fellow wild card entry Barrett Long of the US don't have access to the Dunlop tires being used by the majority of the field.

Fellow Canuck Ben Young also found himself with a lot of work to do on Saturday. The Veloce Aprilia rider was also outside of the cut-off time in the 125cc class on Friday.

Pedrosa fastest on wet Friday

From motogp.com

It was no hurricane but there was rain on Friday afternoon as the MotoGP riders practiced at Indianapolis.

The man setting the best lap of the opening MotoGP practice session of the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix was Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, who went round the 4.216km track in 1:51.507 in wet conditions.

With the riders lapping more than 10 seconds off the sort of pace that would be expected on a dry track, it was Pedrosa who adapted best to the conditions on his factory RC212V as he produced his best time on the sixth of just 16 laps.

Late charges from Pedrosa’s former team-mate Nicky Hayden (Ducati) and the reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) saw them place themselves in second and third positions on the timesheets, with times respectively 0.155 and 0.307 behind the Spaniard.

Like Hayden and Rossi, the Italian’s Yamaha colleague Jorge Lorenzo also produced his fastest pace on his final lap, putting himself fourth with a 1:51.894 time.

Satellite pair Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) were fifth and sixth, with both hoping for good results this weekend as they attempt to secure 2010 rides.

The top 10 was completed by Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki), home rider Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing).

Aleix Espargaró got his first ever MotoGP ride in the session and did well to end up in 15th place, lapping ahead of Gabor Talmacsi and his temporary team-mate Niccolò Canepa.

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Bispo seals V Rod championship

From Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada

The Harley-Davidson Screaming Eagle V Rod Destroyer drag race Eastern series came to an end with the final races at Grand Bend Motorplex in Grand Bend, ON last weekend.

The series, for factory built CVO Harley V Rods has grown in popularity and this year had some epic battles for the Eastern bragging rights.

The title was sealed after new champion Dave Bispo made his final run of the day. In one solitary run, Bispo did his last pass of the season, closing off what has been an incredible summer for the 38-year-old London, ON rider.

Even on his last pass, Bispo was nose in the paint of his Rocky’s Harley-Davidson prepped V Rod Destroyer, sealing the Eastern Championship and setting the stage for what will certainly be a “war in the west” when he faces off against Western champion Nick Allen.

“Yesterday we had some really difficult air to run in and today we had some shifting problems,” commented an elated Bispo. "If we can close the weekend off like this we are really in a good position, and you know, nothing against Nick Allen, we are going out west to try to beat the champ.”

In what was to be the second from last elimination of the weekend, Bispo once again faced off against Pete Thomson, who had been running neck and neck with Bispo over the rain permeated weekend. As the green starting light flashed, Bispo charged out of the box into the lead while Thomson paddled through the gearbox looking for something that just wasn’t there.

Thomson’s V Rod sputtered down the quarter mile and coasted to a stop in the run-off, bringing to an end what has been a difficult season for the Burlington, ON rider.

“It sounded rough out of the gate and as I went through the gears it just got slower and slower,” commented a frustrated Thomson. “When I pulled in the clutch it just died so I knew I had some major problems; it’s been a tough season.”

Thomson was unable to make the final and left Bispo with one last run to finish off his perfect season.

The National final showdown is slated to take place on Sept. 12-13 at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton.

Canadian team heads back to Bonneville

From SUPERSHOW Events

TORONTO, ON – Bob Williams and his Team Arrow racing crew, including this year’s new pilot, Dave Lloyd of Komoka, ON are on their way to Utah for the BUB International Motorcycle Speed Trials on the Bonneville Salt Flats to break a 50-year standing World Land Speed Record.

Sponsored by the North American International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW, the streamliner is going for the 500cc record, which has stood since 1956 when it was set by an NSU Motorcycle at 339 km/h (211mph)

Last year’s attempt at the same record, with SUPERSHOW Producer Bar Hodgson piloting, at the age of 71, ended in a spectacular 185 mph (297 km/h) crash during Bonneville Speed Week. That crash ended the team’s efforts for the record in 2008 but the streamliner (a turbocharged Honda-engine based 500cc enclosed motorcycle built by Bob Williams of Windsor) was repaired and rebuilt with the intention of going after the record again during the 2009 BUB Meet.

The event runs from Aug. 29-Sept. 3.

CMDRA season finale

From BC-COM

The CMDRA season finale is scheduled for Castrol Raceway in Edmonton Sept. 12-13.

Please see the accompanying poster for all the details.

Suzuki and Capirossi together for 2010

From Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Suzuki Motor Corporation has announced that it has secured the services of Loris Capirossi for the 2010 MotoGP World Championship.

Capirossi will sign a one-year extension to his current Suzuki contract during the Indianapolis MotoGP this weekend. The experienced Italian joined Suzuki at the start of the 2008 season and has become a highly respected and influential figure within the Hamamatsu factory's racing division.

The agreement with Capirossi finalises Suzuki's 2010 MotoGP rider line-up, following the recent announcement that 24-year-old Spanish star Alvaro Bautista will join Suzuki for the next two years.

"I am very happy to continue working with Suzuki and everyone involved with the Racing Group and the team," Capirossi said. "I love working with my crew and feel really at home here.

"When I joined Suzuki I really wanted to win races and this is still the target. I love the competition and the challenge and my ambition to succeed is as strong as ever. We are 100 per cent focused on developing the GSV-R into a race-winning machine and the improvements that have come through recently show that Suzuki is working in the right direction. I am pleased to have signed again at this time of the season as it gives me a great motivation for the rest of the year and an incentive to get the bike ready for 2010."

Added team manager Paul Denning, "Loris brings so much character, bravery and experience to Suzuki, and his technical input is invaluable. He still has an enormous drive and determination to succeed - we now have to react to his requests and give him the tools to be as competitive as possible. We hope that Loris, with the youthful exuberance of Alvaro alongside him next season, will be a good partnership. Loris is a great team-mate but certainly won't want to be beaten by the younger guy so I am sure he will be fighting hard.

"This announcement confirms that Suzuki and Chris Vermeulen will not be working together in 2010. On behalf of Suzuki Motor Corporation and the whole team, including title sponsor Rizla, I want to wish Chris the best of luck in his future career. He has been a great asset to us and a true professional at all times - even when things have not quite gone to plan.

Jervis takes two OMRRA titles

From Pirelli North America

PORTLAND, OR -- Victoria, BC's Oliver Jervis wrapped up the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association (OMRRA) doubleheader season final at Portland International Raceway, riding home elated with a truckload of race wins, podiums and championships, plus the assorted related hardware: trophies. And he did it all on Pirelli Diablo race tires.

With Rounds Six and Seven of the OMRRA series combined into one weekend of racing, Jervis competed in six races in three classes in two days, nailing four wins and two second place finishes and earning himself the number-one plates for 2009 in the OMRRA 600 Superbike and 650 Twins Superbike championships.

His weekend tally was: Saturday: 2nd 600 Supersport, 2nd 600 Superbike, 1st 650 Twin Superbike; Sunday: 1st 600 Supersport, 1st 600 Superbike, and 1st 650 Twin Superbike. Enough to make any mom proud.

Roberts tribute at Indy Mile

From Indy Mile News

AMA Pro Racing and Yamaha Motor Corporation will pay tribute and honour Kenny Roberts in recognition of the historic last lap win at the 1975 Indy Mile on the Yamaha TZ750 that ultimately proved to be one of the most famous wins in American Dirt Track history.

Known as the King Roberts, a two-time AMA Grand National Champion and three-time World 500cc Champion, will take several hot laps between the final Pro and Expert Main races on the infamous Yamaha TZ-750 powered dirt tracker during the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday night.  

“That night was a memorable event for motorcycle fans the world over,” said Bob Starr, General Manager of Communications for Yamaha Motor Corporation. “Kenny’s accomplishments over the years played a major role in the basis of what Yamaha’s performance image is today. This will be a great tribute to a great man and his accomplishment 34 years ago will live on forever in the history of motorcycling.”

“I remember that night very well. You could hear that bike screaming no matter where he was on the track with Kenny hanging on for the ride of his life,” said Mike Kidd, Director of AMA Pro Flat Track. “Running about mid-pack early in the race, Kenny pulled up alongside me down the front straight…then he shifted gears…I never saw him again.”

The Lucas Oil Indy Mile is the seventh round of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Series. Gates will open at 2:00pm at the Indiana State Fairgrounds with qualifying beginning at 3:00pm. A rider autograph session will be held from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. Opening ceremonies begin at 7:00pm followed by racing at 7:30pm. The main event is scheduled for 9:30pm.

Tickets are on sale now at any Ticketmaster location, www.ticketmaster.com, calling 1-800-745-3000 or available at the Indiana State Fair box office.

Former MP Grey a hit in Colorado

From the American Motorcyclist Association

PICKERINGTON, OH -- With the theme "Riding to New Heights," the 2009 American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) International Women & Motorcycling Conference, presented by Harley-Davidson and Buell, wrapped up in Keystone, CO, following four inspired days of riding, learning and networking in one of the best riding areas in the United States.

The event, which ran Aug. 19-22, not only honoured the contributions of women riders to motorcycling's past and present, it also celebrated the fast-growing role that female motorcyclists are playing in the future of motorcycling. With the breathtaking Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, more than 1,000 enthusiastic motorcyclists gathered at the Keystone Resort & Conference Center for a full slate of activities that included guided tours, seminars, demo rides from multiple manufacturers, inspiring speeches, social functions and training sessions.

"We are thrilled with the success of the AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference, presented by Harley-Davidson and Buell," said AMA Marketing and Special Events Manager Tigra Tsujikawa. "From the opening ceremonies to the Rocky Mountain Barn Dance and the International Street Party to the closing address, we couldn't have asked for a better conference -- or more engaging attendees. Even the weather was incredible."

AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman added that the conference was a further demonstration of the AMA's commitment to represent the entire motorcycling community.

"The conference was another example of how the AMA is 'all things motorcycling'," Dingman said. "The AMA welcomes all riders. It doesn't matter if you are male or female, an off-road or cruiser rider, a commuter or a long-distance rider. If you are a motorcyclist, you belong in the AMA."

The conference kicked off with a welcoming ceremony that included an inspiring keynote speech by defending Women's Motocross Association National Champion and X Games gold medalist Ashley Fiolek. The 19-year-old Fiolek, who is the first women to ever compete on the Honda Racing Team, was born profoundly deaf.

Two other highlights of the conference were the Rocky Mountain Barn Dance, sponsored by Kawasaki and Denver dealer Fay Myers, and the International Street Party, hosted by the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC). Both events were social gatherings that featured dancing, refreshments, music and activities such as horseshoes and fashion shows.

Deborah Grey, the Reform Party's first member of Canada's Parliament, entertained the gathering at the International Street Party with a speech that featured her unique blend of humour, frankness and passion. Liz Jansen, a director of the MCC and chair of its Women Riders Council also made comments, as well as Brigitte Zufferey, who represented the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).

Event sponsors, which provided everything from demo rides to door prizes, included presenting sponsors Harley-Davidson and Buell, the MCC, Michelin, BMW, Ducati, Kawasaki, Kymco, Yamaha, EagleRider Motorcycle Rental USA, the Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows, Fay Myers Motorcycle World, Bell Helmets, BikeBandit.com, Scorpion, Freedom Harley-Davidson, Honda of Canada, Deeley Harley-Davidson, BMW Motorrad Canada, Inside Motorcycles and Motorcycle Mojo.

Lorenzo with Yamaha for 2010

From Yamaha Racing Communications

Jorge Lorenzo and Yamaha Motor Company have signed a one-year extension to the current rider agreement that will see Lorenzo, presently second in the 2009 MotoGP World Championship standings, as team mate of reigning MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi for another year.

Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, said, "We are obviously delighted that Jorge has decided to stay at Yamaha for the next season and we hope that he will remain at Yamaha for many years to come.

"Jorge has shown his talent, his ability to learn and to compete at the highest level with many excellent performances in 2008 and 2009. We have no doubt that he has the ability and drive to become MotoGP World Champion and we are proud that he has decided to remain with Yamaha, despite having received some very serious approaches from some of our competitors.

"This timely decision now allows us to focus on the present championship, where our riders are currently first and second, and to make definitive plans for our 2010 MotoGP program."

"I am very happy," Lorenzo said. "Today is a good day because I have decided to remain with the Yamaha Factory Team in 2010. It was a very important decision and that's why I have had to take the last few weeks to make it, but I think that this is the best decision for me in this moment.

"I want to thank Yamaha because they have always done everything that they have promised, and I especially would like to say thank you to Lin Jarvis and Masao Furusawa."

Schwantz to ride Suzuki at Indy!

From motogp.com

Kevin Schwantz is to ride the Suzuki RGV500 on which he won the 1993 MotoGP World Championship at this weekend’s Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Schwantz will ride the restored bike on demonstration laps of the 2.621-mile road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 2:15pm on Sunday, 45 minutes before the start of the MotoGP race.

Schwantz, from Houston, recorded 25 victories during his illustrious Grand Prix career. It will be the first time he has ridden the bike since he retired after the 1995 season.

“We fired it up one weekend, I think, late in the year in 1995,” Schwantz said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’ve sat on it a couple of times. We've got some new Michelin tires for it. I'm not going to try and throw down a qualifying lap, that's for sure, but I'm really looking forward to riding it. Hearing that V4 two-stroke running around out here is going to be special.”

A demonstration of a new Moto2 class bike will also take place on Saturday, from 4:00pm-4:40pm. Moto2, which will use 600cc engines, will replace the 250cc category in 2010.

Tickets for the final event of 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix – can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time and start as low as $75 (US) for a three-day General Admission ticket.

Rossi leads MotoGP to Indy

From motogp.com

The second ever World Championship visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway takes place this weekend following 2008’s historic inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix.

This weekend’s visit to Indianapolis will see last year’s race-winner Valentino Rossi looking for another victory to augment his standings lead in the 12th round of the season.

In the first ever premier class MotoGP World Championship contest at the famous ‘Brickyard’ last year Rossi took maximum points as he was awarded the win, leading by six seconds when the scheduled 28-lap race was curtailed on the 20th lap, with Nicky Hayden and Jorge Lorenzo placing second and third respectively.

Rossi and his MotoGP rivals will hope for good weather this time out - following last year’s event when the remnants of Hurricane Ike hit raceday at the iconic American venue – with the Italian star hoping to increase his current 50-point championship advantage, on the back of yet another success story in the Czech Republic at the last round.

Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo finished just in front of him on the timesheet in the second and final post-race test of the year on the Monday after the Czech race and the Spaniard will aim to bounce back from his two DNFs at Brno and Donington Park, as he attempts to claw his way back into the title battle with six Grands Prix remaining.

Meanwhile, an announcement on whether Lorenzo will switch to Ducati or remain with Yamaha for 2010 is imminent.

In the continued absence of the recuperating Casey Stoner, who remains in Australia and is expected back on track at Estoril early in October, the bookies’ favourite to feature on the podium with Rossi and Lorenzo is Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa – who was second in the Brno race and sits fourth in the general classification, 77 points adrift of Rossi.

For Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards the second U.S. visit of the year gives him the chance to consolidate his top five championship position as he attempts to improve on a disappointing 15th place finish in last year’s Indy race.

Edwards’ fellow American Hayden – 14th in the championship at present - would love to repeat his 2008 Indianapolis result and get on the podium for the first time with Ducati.

Also aiming for the same goal is Pedrosa’s team-mate and Hayden’s replacement at Honda, Andrea Dovizioso, who just missed out on the rostrum again at Brno and was fifth in the inaugural MotoGP Indianapolis contest last September.

Dovizioso lies sixth in the standings, just ahead of Honda satellite counterpart Randy de Puniet, who has ridden consistently in 2009 and is due to make a decision soon on where he will ride next year.

Eighth placed Marco Melandri will compete at Indianapolis safe in the knowledge that a ride with San Carlo Honda Gresini has been secured for next year, while his fellow top 10 representatives Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen of the Rizla Suzuki team are also likely to confirm their future plans in due course, with both hoping for strong Indy performances.

The weekend will see Finnish rider Mika Kallio continue in the factory Ducati team as Stoner’s temporary replacement, while young Spaniard Aleix Espargaró gets an exciting chance to ride for the Pramac Racing team on the satellite Ducati Desmosedici GP9 vacated by Kallio.

The 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix takes place from Friday to Sunday, with free practice commencing on Friday afternoon.

Ducati Island returns to Indy

From Ducati North America

CUPERTINO, CA -- Ducati North America is proud to announce the return of its popular “Ducati Island” to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This year marks the second time the unique Ducati experience visits the legendary circuit. Located between turns 1 and 2 of the track, Ducati Island is open to all motorcycle enthusiasts. On the Island, Ducatisti and race fans will experience special exhibits, partner vendors, autograph sessions, the legendary Ducati Fashion Show, and much more. Ducati owners who display their current Ducati registration or proof of insurance and photo ID will receive extra benefits such as Ducati parking, gear check and hospitality.

The Ducati Island Showdown is an exciting contest for Ducati owners who attend the weekend’s races. In order to participate, Ducatisti simply need to ride their pride and joy (Ducati only) and park on Ducati Island or in the Ducati owners overflow parking area. If an entrant returns to their bike on Friday or Saturday to find a selection tag; they will be eligible for Sunday’s Island Showdown.

New for 2009 will be the Ducati Museum, a nearly 1000 square foot area transformed into the history of Ducati. On display will be a selection of significant street and race machines both past and present.

A silent auction will be held on Ducati Island to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. Auction items will include a Burton Snowboard signed by Nicky Hayden, genuine Ducati MotoGP team apparel, Desmosedici RR tail section signed by Hayden and a variety of exciting books from David Bull Publishing.

Ducati’s factory AMA squad will have its pit set up fully assembled for all to get up close and personal with the team Superbikes, and the 1098 R Troy Bayliss Edition they were built from.

New for 2009, the Ducati Monster experience is a display of everything Monster, from custom bikes like an Indianapolis Motor Speedway-themed Monster 1100 to the new Monster Color Therapy project.          

Ducati riders past and present will get together over the weekend for the Island autograph sessions, including Hayden, Miko Kallio and Niccolo Canepa.

Taylor takes his sixth

From Donald Taylor

LEAMINGTON, ON -- Deeley Harley-Davidson Buell/Clare’s Cycle H-D of Niagara-sponsored dirt track champion Donald Taylor of Welland, ON added another page to the CMA record book in recording his sixth consecutive National Championship and number one plate win last weekend in Leamington, ON.

Taylor rebounded from a lackluster start that saw him in sixth place entering turn 1 and quickly dispatched three riders on the exit of turn 2 on the first lap. At the start of lap 2 he closely trailed race leader Jon Cornwell (XR750) and second place rider John Parker (Rotax 600) but used the power and speed of the George Evans-tuned XR750 dirt tracker on the back straight to take over the point beginning lap 3 of the 15-lap National Championship final. He added to his lead with every lap to eventually enjoy a cushion of nearly seven-seconds at race end.

“There’s not a whole lot to say,” commented a smiling Taylor immediately after removing his Scorpion helmet. “I did what I came here to do. George set up the bike the same as it was last time here and I was very comfortable on it. We were fast through the practice and heat race. I was bad off the start again, I gotta work on that, but I was confident I could catch them quickly.

“It was getting slippery out there and I was starting to get dust in my eyes but once I got past Jon I knew they’d be really riding hard if they wanted to catch me. I caught up to lappers towards the end but they got the blue flag and there was no issues. Actually I did have a little trouble, I forget what lap it was but I got into the cushion really deep and it caught me and slowed me a bit, no big deal.”

Taylor was reminded of his record book status and responded, “Yeah this record should stand for a while, six years at least,” he said laughing. “Will I go for seven next year? Of course. I’ll approach it the same as this year. I’ll race as many AMA events as possible and hope I have enough races up here to go for the plate again. Things have been going really good down there so I want to concentrate on that but you know this plate is very important to me and it’s important to Deeley’s so I like winning it for them.

“I really owe a lot of this to George Evans, he is a master at making my XR750 work so well, that thing is so strong. And I need to say a big thank you to Clare’s Cycle (Harley-Davidson of Niagara). They have been with me through my whole career and continue to be there and I really appreciate their support."

The CMA record of four consecutive plates, which stood until Taylor came along, was shared by Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame members Yvon Duhamel, who established the original record run in the 1960’s, and Doug Sehl, who mirrored the feat in the 1970’s.

Mladin to wear No. 1 in New Jersey

From AMA Pro Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - Mat Mladin, the most successful rider in the 34-year history of AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike competition, clinched an unprecedented seventh title last weekend and will close out the season's remaining doubleheader aboard his familiar Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 with the No. 1 plate symbolic of his 2009 championship during the AMA Pro Superbike Championship Weekend, to be held Sept. 4-6 at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

"The request came in from Yoshimura Suzuki that Mladin be allowed to renumber his Suzuki GSX-R1000 with No. 1 for the final round of the 2009 season," said Roger Edmondson, President of AMA Pro Racing. "We consider it a fitting tribute to the most prolific champion that American Superbike has ever seen."

The 37-year-old Australian has raced motorcycles for the past 28 years, earning championships in amateur Flat Track and Motocross before being picked up by a factory team and claiming his first Australian Superbike Championship in 1992.

The road racing standout arrived in America in 1996, leading portions of several races during his rookie season in American Superbike competition. Mladin signed with Ferracci Ducati for 1997 and earned his first four AMA Pro wins that year. His most successful years began when he signed with Yoshimura Suzuki in 1998, taking seven poles and winning the Las Vegas finale in his first season with the team. From 1999 to 2009, Mladin amassed seven championships and an additional 77 official victories for Yoshimura Suzuki and will have the opportunity to score two more race wins in New Jersey.

"In the end we're looking forward to getting home, both of us, and getting home to our family," said Mladin, who will return to New South Wales with wife Janine and their two young children after the New Jersey event. "As much as a lot of people don't realize, we both have mothers and fathers and you don't see them that often. It's going to be nice.

"In a couple of weeks in New Jersey, my mom is going to come over, and my sister. They were obviously a big part of my career in my early days and it's going to be nice to get home, for the kids to have their grandparents around and for Janine and I to dump the kids with the grandparents every now and then and go catch a movie."

The AMA Pro Superbike Championship Weekend will be featured in a pair of same-day telecasts on SPEED. Saturday's American Superbike and Daytona SportBike finals will be shown that night in a two-hour show at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) while Sunday's premier class races and other highlights will air in a two-hour show that evening at Midnight ET (9 p.m. PT).

Daigle bounces back

By Don Empey

SHANNONVILLE, ON -- It was hard to understand. The talented young Quebec rider had just blitzed the field of Superbike riders aboard his A. Perusse Kawasaki ZX-6R to earn a commanding win, but his voice still rang with disappointment after the race.

“I really wanted to race at Shubenacadie (the previous week) in the Parts Canada Superbike national,” commented Karl Daigle. “I really like to race there but we just ran out of budget so I had to skip the round.”

Even so, Daigle remained optimistic as the RACE SuperSeries Superbike win on Aug. 16 put him back into the title chase to retain his number one plate in the series.

In the Pro 6 Cycle / Dunlop Pro Superbike final, Daigle jumped into the early lead with a quartet of superbikes in his wake. Behind him, series leader Andrew Nelson battled former champ Frank Trombino and young upstart Jodi Christie who was fending off MBP Ducati rider Michael Leon.

The battle for the lead waged on for the entire 10-lap final and at times Trombino looked to have something for Daigle, but the rookie champ just put his head down and raced to the checkered, leaving no doubt.

Trombino had to repel the efforts of Nelson, who took his new Yamaha R1 to the final step of the podium.

Christie ran a strong race after a lengthy battle with Leon. Leon tried to make a daring pass going into Allen’s but tucked the front end and took himself out of contention, leaving Franklin Dominguez to take fifth.

Daigle also set a new Nelson track record, and now sits third in the series.

Not to be outdone, Nelson also set a new lap record in the Parts Canada Pro 600 event. Nelson was on fire posting, a new lap time of 53.544 in the win, leading all the way. Daigle finished a strong second only 0.220 secs. behind with GoLo Racing's Trombino in third.

Just shy of a podium spot was Honda-mounted Christie with Kawasaki privateer Eli Dacacche fifth.

In Acme Slate AM Superbike action, BnE Racing’s Effram Ellenbogen had a brilliant ride to lead from start to checkered and take a commanding lead in the series. Hard on his heels however was Sebastian Tremblay, who has enjoyed some incredible runs as well.

BnE team-mate Billy Shields recovered from a poor start and closed off the podium in third.

Ellenbogen set a new lap record (55.071) in the contest, the first of a pair for the talented young local rider on the weekend.

Tremblay made a come from behind run to win the Bush Racing AM 600 event. Tremblay sat behind BnE team-mates Ellenbogen and Shields while they did battle and waited for an opportunity to pounce. At the mid-point of the contest, with his education now complete, Tremblay squeezed Shields aside and took the lead, which held up to the checkered.

Ellenbogen, who was hungry for the points, also got by Shields and chased down Tremblay but with only a couple of laps left in the race had to settle for second. In the effort, Ellenbogen set a new Amateur 600 lap record of 55.046.

Shields had to settle for the final step of the podium.

Once again Rob Busby dominated Orion Motorsports & Pirelli SV650 Cup action, leading from the start to win by a healthy margin. Busby now sits atop the division by 47 points.

In Bike Pro / Coventry Motocorp Thunder action, Leon took the Guy Martin, MBP-prepped Ducati 1098 to victory after a race long battle with Ducati mounted Derek Vammus.

Leon doubled up wins, taking the Westlake Medical Centre Heavyweight Sportsman victory. With a strong second place finish Vammus now leads the series by narrow 10 points over Jim Proulx with only one race remaining.

Natalie Catherine Provost won a hard fought battle against Vanessa Gareau to take the Bell Helmets RACE Women’s Open contest.

Career high for Taylor

From Donald Taylor

Deeley Harley-Davidson Buell dirt track racer Donald Taylor of Welland, ON scored a Pro career high fourth place at the AMA Pro Twins flat track race on the Beulah Park mile track in Grove City, OH last weekend.

In oppressively hot and humid conditions with trackside temperatures hovering at 100 degrees Farhenheit, Taylor rode the Harley XR750 dirt track racer to seventh in the first qualifying session and then in the second opportunity improved his standing to fifth fastest, which earned him a front row start for his heat race.

He did not squander his chance and scored a runaway win in the 10-lap heat race. Heat was the operative word as shortly after his post race interview with AMA announcer Scott Duebler, Taylor fell to his knees, overcome by the high temperature and humidity.

“I thought I was going to be sick in my helmet,” he explained. “I was dizzy and nauseous and I started seeing black spots in my vision and I thought I was going to faint, the heat was hell on me. One of the other racers is a personal fitness trainer and he got me some energy drink and food and I just sat and relaxed and waited for the final.”

Taylor had some concerns going into the 25-lap Grand National final but the rehydration did the trick and he was as good as new as he took his spot on the front row starting line beside the greatest flat track racers in the world.

“I knew this wasn’t going to be easy,” he admitted. “I wanted to get into the top five but I really wasn’t sure if I could do it. And I sure didn’t think I could do it after that start.”

His reference was to a missed shift coming off the line that caused him to be clipped by the American champion Kenny Coolbeth and left him in last place entering turn 1 for the first time.

“I really didn’t think I could make top five after that,” he reflected “I don’t know how I saved it, I was sure I was going down but then I just got on the gas and put my head down and went to work.”

Taylor displayed his work ethic for the next 20 minutes as he reeled in the race leaders, passing 14 other riders. He got by Coolbeth and former champ Chris Carr in one move late in the race and then caught sight of Bryan Smith and Sammy Halbert, both GNC winners this year.

“I started getting excited, I thought I was third,” he said. “I didn’t realize that Joe (Kopp) had such a big lead over us.”

Taylor was closing on Halbert when they came up on a lapped rider. Halbert chose the inside line but there was only room for one so Taylor swung to the outside, but at that point the lapper also went to the outside and Taylor was forced well off the racing line and his drive was slowed. He settled for fourth, his best AMA GNC finish to date.

“I’m very happy with this,” the Canadian Champion exclaimed. “And I know it could have been better. I really have to thank George and Chris Evans. George did the motor for me and Chris set up the bike and it was perfect. I made one gearing change after qualifying and Steve Beattie kept an eye on me and made some changes to the set up but that was it. Now I’m really looking forward to Indy.”

Taylor’s next ride in the AMA Pro series comes at the famous Indianapolis Mile on Aug. 29.

Meanwhile, this weekend he will race in defense of his Canadian crown at the Leamington, ON half-mile.

The Deeley rider also enjoys support from Clare’s Cycle Harley-Davidson of Niagara, Scorpion Helmets and Performance Under Gear.

Szoke leads Trial Des Nations team

From the Canadian Motorcycle Association

HAMILTON, ON -- The 2009 Trial Des Nations, FIM World Championship for National Teams, will take place in Darfo Boario Terme, Italy on Sept. 20.

CMA is pleased to announce that the following riders will represent Canada at the event -- Jonathan English, Foxboro, ON; Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON; Derek Thomas, Moose Jaw, SK; Andrew Young, Welland, ON.

Szoke, the recently crowned 2009 CMA Trials Champion, will lead the team of riders, all
of whom have previously been members of a TdN Team.

Team Manager is Dan Farago and Jury Delegate is Jean Bancroft.

For the first time in recent memory there will not be a Womens’ Team representing Canada.

The CMA also takes this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the Steel City Riders of Hamilton, ON for their substantial donation to this project.

Suzuki partners with Marchesini

From Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has announced a new technical partnership with Italian manufacturer Marchesini for the supply and development of forged magnesium racing wheels for its official Suzuki factory MotoGP team.

Marchesini will become the wheel of choice for the Suzuki GSV-R with immediate effect as Loris Capirossi, Chris Vermeulen and the Japanese factory continue to improve the 800cc prototype machine in its progress towards MotoGP success.

Marchesini will directly supply Suzuki with product especially developed for the GSV-R, with cutting-edge solutions in terms of innovation, design and performance to become the latest update to the GSV-R's overall package.

"We are delighted to move forward with this technical partnership and be part of the Suzuki MotoGP team's consistent rise to the front of the grid," said Marchesini SpA. "For our continuous product development it is critical we share data and receive critical feedback from the best engineers and riders, and Suzuki will provide that for us, helping Marchesini maintain its 100 per cent share of the grid.

"We have already in a short period of working together understood the added value of working with Suzuki and are confident this will bring mutual benefits in a very short time period."

"Suzuki is very excited to be entering into a partnership with such an innovative technical partner," added Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team manager Paul Denning. "Marchesini is at the forefront of motorcycle wheel technology and, as part of the Brembo Group, has the R&D and engineering resource to propose and respond to all types of technical demands.

"Marchesini has an amazing history in road-racing and we certainly hope that we can contribute to its list of successes in the very near future. The wheel is a very important and integral part of the package and Suzuki and Marchesini will be working very closely to develop the best product for the GSV-R."

Lettenbichler wins Romaniacs

From BMW Motorrad Motorsport

The 2009 edition of the renowned Red Bull Romaniacs ended Wednesday evening at Sibiu. The victory went to BMW factory rider Andreas Lettenbichler, who prevailed aboard his BMW 450 X.

"Letti" entered the event together with his teammate Gerhard Forster, a two-time runner-up of this unique happening deep down in the backyard of Lord Dracula. Romaniacs-newbie Lettenbichler found the features of the 800km torture to his liking. The friendly Bavarian left the competition scratching their heads - among them some of the best riders in the world.

"I´ve never raced such a rally before, knew little about navigation and had to find my feet at first," he said. "But I soon established a rhythm and got on the gas.

"To be able to run with Cyril Despres, most notably a two-time Dakar winner, is more than I expected to achieve. This win means a lot to me. My bike worked perfectly the whole time, in the fast sections as well as through the tricky stuff. I am over the moon."

The German started the fourth and final race day just 14 seconds behind Despres. All was set for a showdown between these two riders.

Despres was leading the way in the beginning, but an almost insurmountable climb to the top of a hill changed the order. While Lettenbichler used all his skills acquired in a previous career as a Trial athlete, his rival didn´t even attempt to conquer the obstacle. Despres received a hefty time penalty, Lettenbichler brought home the win. He eventually crossed the finish line almost one hour before New Zealand´s Chris Birch.

Forster rode a consistent race after having finished the prologue in third place. Unfortunately he overlooked a bump on the final day, crashed and injured his shoulder.

Overall Results
1. Andreas Lettenbichler (GER) BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 20:29:11
2. Chris Birch (NZL) KTM, 21:21:01
3. Cyril Despres (AND) KTM, 22:11:25
4. Lionel Seydoux (CH) KTM, 22:55:18
5. Paul Bolton (GBR) KTM, 23:38:05
6. Darryl Curtis (RSA) KTM, 23:41:36
7. Melcior Faja Beltran (ESP) GasGas, 23:55:51
8. Erich Brandauer (AUT), 25:04:24
9. Shane Cuthbertson (CAN) Husaberg, 25:20:55
10. Dieter Happ (AUT) Husaberg, 25:42:55

Espargaro to make MotoGP debut

From motogp.com

Aleix Espargaró’s remarkable year is set to continue as he has been lined up for a MotoGP debut as a replacement rider for Pramac Racing at Indianapolis and Misano.

In the continued absence of Casey Stoner – who is scheduled to return in October in Portugal – there remained a spare Pramac ride for the next two races, with Mika Kallio temporarily stepping into the Ducati factory team and with Pramac’s Brno substitute Michel Fabrizio unavailable. Thus, a golden opportunity has appeared for Espargaró.

The former 125cc and 250cc regular has been without a permanent World Championship ride this year, but has impressed with substitute appearances at Assen and Sachsenring for the Balatonring Team and in his role as a Moto2 development rider.

The MotoGP race Aug. 28-30 will also be Espargaró’s Indianapolis debut as the 250cc 2008 Indy race was cancelled due to weather conditions.

The young Spaniard commented, “I am very happy as this season has been very hard for me. We are beginning a project for next year to be back in the World Championship and this will be a good chance to get back in touch with things.

"This season I have ridden for a couple of races in the 250cc category in Assen and Sachsenring concluding in fourth and seventh positions, therefore I feel physical ready. It is like a dream come true to find myself all of a sudden in MotoGP. I want to thank the Pramac Racing team for giving me this opportunity to compete at the top level of motorcycle racing.”

Barbera to ride for Aspar Ducati

From motogp.com

Following months of intense speculation it has been confirmed that Héctor Barberá will ride for the new Aspar team on Ducati machinery in the premier class in 2010.

Currently riding an Aprilia in the 250cc World Championship for the Pepe World Team, Barberá sits fourth in the standings with one victory and two additional podiums to his name. He is to rejoin the Aspar structure for whom he rode in the 125cc class in 2002 and 2003.

Team owner and manager Jorge Martínez ‘Aspar’, commented: “This is excellent news for us, to be reunited with Héctor Barberá after so many years. We won the Spanish championship together and Grands Prix in 125cc and I’m sure this will be another great project.

"We hope for good results next year and we want this to be a long term agreement. Hopefully Héctor can earn factory machinery with his results. For our team it is a dream to be competing in all three World Championship categories.”

Capirossi to stay with Suzuki?

From motogp.com

With the news of Álvaro Bautista’s signing by the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team for 2010 confirmed on Sunday the next big question surrounding the team is, ‘who will he be riding with?’

Current riders Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen both see their Suzuki contracts run out at the end of this season and the team is yet to make any announcement about who will partner new boy Bautista in the box next season.

However, Capirossi gave a big hint of how things could work out when he said on Monday, “I think the team have made a great choice to pick Álvaro because he is a very strong rider and I believe he will be very comfortable in the team. Everyone here is very relaxed and I am happy to be able to work with him.”

An official announcement on the situation is expected in the coming weeks, but for the time being Capirossi’s job is to improve the competitiveness of the Suzuki race package - and he did a good job on Sunday and Monday in the Czech Republic.

With a new chassis and a new engine incorporated into the GSV-R last weekend Capirossi produced a solid fifth place in the Brno race and then ended up fourth on the test timesheet.

“We were quite satisfied with how things went in the test," he said. "We rode all through the morning, trying settings and working on the new chassis, which seems to be better. In the afternoon we also did a few laps in the rain to try a few more things and that also went quite well.”

Lorenzo on top at Brno test

From motogp.com

Fiat Yamaha pair Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were the top dogs again in Monday’s post Czech GP test at Brno, as the young Spanish star tried to bounce back from the disappointment of his second successive DNF in Sunday’s race.

Rain showers in the afternoon restricted the testing somewhat, though in the final hour before 6pm several riders did go back out onto the track as it dried out. None of them were able to beat Lorenzo’s morning best of 1:56.171, but Rossi did move into second place on the timesheet in the final hour with a lap time of 1:56.747.

The time by Lorenzo was close to the new pole record set by Rossi on Saturday as the Spaniard successfully tested clutch and electronics settings and some new parts for 2010.

“Yamaha have provided me with lots of new material to try," Lorenzo said. "I have been surprised actually by how many new components they have been able to provide over the course of the season despite the economic situation.

"I have been trying chassis modifications and testing our electronics settings. Also we’ve looked at some clutch settings to see if we can improve our race starts. We won’t have these updates on the bike in Indianapolis but it is possible we could have them for Misano and Estoril.”

The top five behind the Yamaha factory twosome was completed by Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso in third and fifth places respectively, Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) slotting in between them in fourth.

Pedrosa and Dovizioso tested suspension systems amongst other items. Capirossi and Rizla Suzuki team-mate Chris Vermeulen tested their new chassis and engines.

There were crashes without consequence for Scot Racing’s Gabor Talmacsi and Ducati’s Nicky Hayden.

Test Times
1. J. Lorenzo - Fiat Yamaha - 1:56.2 (52)
2. V. Rossi - Fiat Yamaha - 1:56.6 (38)
3. D. Pedrosa - Repsol Honda - 1:56.7 (53)
4. L. Capirossi - Rizla Suzuki - 1:57.5 (43)
5. A. Dovizioso - Repsol Honda - 1:57.8 (53)
6. T. Elias - San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1:57.8 (39)
7. C. Vermeulen - Rizla Suzuki - 1:57.9 (61)
8. N. Hayden - Ducati Marlboro - 1:57.9 (64)
9. M. Melandri - Hayate Racing - 1:58.0 (56)
10. M. Kallio - Ducati Marlboro - 1:58.1 (65)
11. N. Canepa - Pramac Racing - 1:58.1 (69)
12. G. Talmacsi - Scott Racing - 1:59.0 (58)
13. M. Pasini - Pramac Racing - 1:59.6 (66)

Ducati showcases "Martini Racing" Superbike

From Ducati North America
Photo by Stephen Scharf

MONTEREY, CA – Ducati North America has unveiled a 170hp, 362lb. two-wheeled tribute to the historic “Martini Racing” Porsches of years past.

The one of a kind Martini-Ducati was the idea of Ducati’s North American CEO and public relations manager, both major fans of the Martini-Porsche competition cars of years past.

The project began life as a 1098 S Superbike, and was outfitted with most of the Ducati Performance accessories catalogue. Upon completion, it was decided the bike needed a special paint scheme to accent the significant modifications performed to make it the ultimate street/track weapon. With the bike to be shown at the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Martini was a natural choice and the scheme was designed and painted right away. It has been embraced as the ultimate expression of a custom Ducati Superbike since its initial showing within the motorcycle industry.

Modifications to the Ducati 1098 S include: racing camshafts, race pistons and titanium connecting rods; all connected to a lightened crankshaft. Chassis modification includes magnesium wheels, a World Superbike racing-spec gearbox, 1/4 turn throttle for instant response, billet racing footpegs, Ohlins suspension, titanium exhaust with 70mm tubing and carbon mufflers, and numerous carbon fiber panels- all from Ducati’s own performance catalogue.

As the project came together, several of Ducati’s friends and partners also took part in the celebration.

As a result of Shell’s dedication to motorsport throughout the decades in Formula One, the Le Mans Series and more recently in MotoGP and Superbike with Ducati Corse, Shell was proud to support the project.

The Martini Superbike was displayed alongside a Martini Racing Porsche 908/3 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this past weekend in the Canepa Design pit area.

Birch takes Romaniacs lead

From KTM Racing
       
At the first offroad-day of Red Bull Romaniacs 2009 on Sunday it was the experienced riders to score, the strong rookies from prologue were fenced off.
       
Kiwi Chris Birch, third in 2007 and second in 2008 in the Pro-Class finished first, slightly ahead of three-time RBR Champ Cyril Despres from Andorra. In third sits German Andreas Lettenbichler.

The first riders of the Pro-Class took off before sunrise, facing 155km of racetrack and 15 more as liaison. The track could be described best as "sketchy" and technically challenging, but still rideable.

"That was definitely no holiday for the Pros today. It wasn't very long, though, but thanks to the dry ground conditions - and good grip - the field kept going constantly," stated organizer Martin Freinademetz.

"So far, everything has been marked very well," said KTM rider Birch. "I did not have to look at my GPS very often and could ride with a good flow. I've had a lot of fun today."

Second-placed Despres (KTM) also had some fun after some exhausting moments right after the start: "I got off with a way too hard rear tire mousse, could not find a lot of grip and burned a lot of energy. At the service-point, we managed to fix this problem, and after that, I could get along way better. I haven't been riding any Hard-Enduro Rallyes for the last two years, and so today has been truly extreme for myself."

Graffunder third in EnduroCross!

From KTM Racing

By EnduroCross standards, Red Bull KTM's Taddy Blazusiak dominated the main event last weekend in Guthrie, OK.

But the battle for second was anything but boring as the large crowd cheered on a five-rider battle over second that finally went to Monster Energy Kawasaki's Damon Huffman.

The final spot on the podium went to Zip Ty Racing Husqvarna's Cory Graffunder, a top Canadian off-road racer that has been steadily improving his EnduroCross skills over the past year.

Christini KTM-mounted Geoff Aaron took fourth position ahead of Lucas Oil / Kawasaki-backed Colton Haaker and Mike Brown, who all held podium positions at one time during the main event.

AmPro FMF Yamaha's Kyle Redmund battled Brown to the finish but settled for the seventh position ahead of Nick Brozovich, Destry Abbot and Patrick Smage, the current U.S. Trials champion and Jamie Lanza.

Results
1. Tadeusz Blazusiak (KTM)
2. Damon Huffman (Kawasaki)
3. Cory Graffunder (Husqvarna)
4. Geoff Aaron (KTM)
5. Colton Haaker (Kawasaki)

Standings
1. Tadeusz Blazusiak (KTM) 60
2. Damon Huffman (Kawasaki) 37
3. Mike Brown (KTM) 36
4. Geoff Aaron (KTM) 36
5. Cory Graffunder (Husqvarna) 35

Day seals SuperSport title

From AMA Pro Racing

ALTON, VA - In Sunday's AMA Pro SuperSport final at Virginia International Raceway, Josh Day (No. 4 Team E.S.P. Yamaha YZF-R6) continued his recent hot streak straight to the East Division championship with his third consecutive victory.

Day turned in another dominating ride from the pole and led J.D. Beach (No. 73 Rockwall Performance/Red Bull Yamaha YZF-R6) across the finish line by 9.881 seconds. Day clinched the SuperSport East title one race before the season-ending event in New Jersey.

"We've really got good momentum going so far, these past three races have really been good for us," said Day, who also won at Mid-Ohio and Topeka. "I'm so glad we've been up front, running and winning races so far at the end of the season. I wish we could have done it at the beginning but we also have the East Championship wrapped up, so I'm pretty excited about that. I'll be ready for New Jersey at the end."

Beach came out on top of a great battle with Garrett Carter (No. 31 Ridersdiscount.com/Woodcraft Yamaha YZF-R6) who finished third.

"Me and Garrett had a great battle," Beach said. "We battled before at Mid-Ohio, so I knew he was good and smooth. With two laps to go, or one lap to go, he got ahead of me. I knew all weekend I've been coming out of the last turn good so I just tried to get a good drive. I ended up getting it and just getting by him."

Carter, who won earlier this year at Barber Motorsports Park, gave the competition in SuperSport high marks.

"I tried to get the best drive I could, but J.D. got me on the line," Carter said. "Congratulations to Josh for winning the championship. He's riding amazing, can't even stop him, I don't even know what to do. Hopefully we'll go to New Jersey and give Josh a run and J.D. and everyone else. It hasn't just been one rider up front the whole time. It's really been great competition out there, three or four riders out at the front is really fun to race with."

Day's current total of 158 points is out of reach of the competition. Russ Wikle (No. 5 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R600), who finished 10th Sunday, is second with 90 points and Beach has moved to third with 86 markers.

Leandro Mercado (No. 92 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) was Day's distant but closest challenger coming into the VIR weekend, but his title chances went away when he lowsided while chasing Day in second place. Mercado was uninjured but fell from second to fourth in the championship standings with 81 points.

Joey Pascarella (No. 25 LTD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6), who was also unhurt in a Lap 1 lowside, is fifth in the standings with 78 points. Just after Pascarella's incident, Cory Rech (No.7 AB1 Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600) crashed and the race was red flagged and restarted. Rech, who was part of the winning GT2 team in yesterday's SunTrust Moto-GT race, was transported directly to DRMC for a fracture of his right femur after the incident.

SportBike sweep for Herrin

From AMA Pro Racing

ALTON, VA - Josh Herrin (No. 8 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) went two-for-two after another AMA Pro Daytona SportBike thriller and withstood a late charge from a resurgent Danny Eslick (No. 9 GEICO Powersports/RMR Buell 1125R) at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday.

Eslick crossed the finish line 1.874 seconds behind the winner. Herrin's teammate Tommy Aquino (No. 6 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) rebounded from a spill in Saturday's final to finish third.

"That was a real fun race," Herrin said. "As soon as I heard the Buell coming I just tried to hold him off for a couple more laps so I could run away. It ended up working out exactly how I wanted to. My pit board said there were three laps left, and there were four laps left, so I actually had to make an extra lap. It was a really good race, everybody rode a good race, it was clean and lots of fun."

After an uneventful ride to seventh place Saturday, Eslick returned to form on Sunday and charged to the front from 12th on the grid. On Lap 19 alone he moved from fifth to second, taking the final spot in a daring move by Herrin in the dirt. Herrin took the spot back later in the lap but both riders were battling for first place the lap after that when leader Roger Hayden (No. 95 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) overshot a corner.

"I guess I forgot about the championship for awhile, I don't know," Eslick said. "I didn't really think about it too much, just tried to ride a good, hard race and go forward. We made some changes overnight to the bike, nothing real major. We knew it wasn't anything real big that was holding us back, just made some adjustments on the shock and changed the gearing a little bit. Just those two small things made all the difference. We were able to run the pace there at the beginning or at least stay consistent and not let the guys get too far away, just run good laps. I knew I had something going I just didn't know I was going to be that strong at the end."

Aquino, who has hit the podium at least once per weekend in the last three events, had high praise for his Team Graves Yamaha crew that worked on his bike until the early morning hours Saturday night.

"My team did such a great job," Aquino said. "They put a lot of work in. I did buy a big Band-Aid magnet at the store to bring some humour to it. They made the bike to almost perfectly how it was yesterday. I felt really good yesterday, just where I was today. The race was crazy. I was at the back, at the front. The race was just really hard, it was hot out there."

Pole-sitter Taylor Knapp (No. 54 Latus Motors Racing Buell 1125R) also recovered from a Saturday lowside to finish fourth while Hayden, who led a race-high 14 laps, completed the top five. Knapp led the opening lap of the race and the only other leader was Jake Zemke (No. 1x Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR), who ended up seventh after running up front for three laps.

Martin Cardenas (No. 36 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600) finished 11th as he struggled with a broken right hand sustained in Friday's practice session. That result and a ninth place finish in Saturday's Daytona SportBike final has seen him lose 17 points to championship leader Eslick after coming into the race tied at the top of the standings. Eslick now has 357 points, Cardenas has 340 markers and Herrin further improved in third with 321 points.

Sunday's race was red flagged and completely restarted after an opening lap incident in Turn 1 that saw riders Melissa Paris and Brent Lyskawa transported to DRMC. Lyskawa's precautionary CT scan was negative.

Later in the Daytona SportBike race, Jason DiSalvo (No. 40 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600) was treated at the track medical facility after his right knee hit a curb at speed while running third. DiSalvo rode his bike off course and retired after the incident. He was examined and released by the VIR Medical Staff after X-Rays were negative. DiSalvo has a deep bruise on his right knee.

Race Results (Top 20)
1. Josh Herrin (Team Graves Yamaha) Yamaha YZF-R6 23 Laps
2. Danny Eslick (Rossmeyer Geico Powersports RMR Buell) Buell 1125R +1.874
3. Tommy Aquino (Team Graves Yamaha) Yamaha YZF-R6 +1.950
4. Taylor Knapp (Latus Motors Racing) Buell 1125R +2.043
5. Roger Hayden (Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki) Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R +4.679
6. Bobby Fong (Paradigm Racing) Yamaha YZF-R6 +4.715
7. Jake Zemke (Erion Racing) Honda CBR600RR +9.403
8. Chris Peris (Erion Racing) Honda CBR600RR +15.956
9. Jamie Hacking (Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki) Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R +22.462
10. Dane Westby (Westby Racing · Kneedraggers.com) Yamaha YZF-R6 +25.983
11. Martin Cardenas (M4 Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R600 +26.078
12. Michael Beck (Team Beck Racing) Yamaha YZF-R6 +27.030
13. Matt Lynn (MattLynnRacing.com) Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R +30.938
14. Garrett Carter (Garrett Carter Racing) Yamaha YZF-R6 +31.296
15. Marcos Reichert (RockwallPerformance.com) Yamaha YZF-R6 +41.295
16. Ricky Parker (RPR Racing) Yamaha YZF-R6 +50.935
17. Christian Cronin (Crusty Motorsports) Yamaha YZF-R6 +1:04.120
18. Robertino Pietri (Team E.S.P. Yamaha) Yamaha YZF-R6 +1:10.517
19. Fernando Amantini (Amantini Racing) Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R +1:20.319
20. Huntley Nash (Four Feathers Racing) Yamaha YZF-R6 +1:25.176

Point Standings (Top 20 +Canadians)
1. Danny Eslick 357
2. Martin Cardenas 340
3. Josh Herrin 321
4. Jamie Hacking 274
5. Jason DiSalvo 261
6. Jake Zemke 218
7. Tommy Aquino 213
8. Chris Peris 212
9. Chaz Davies 194
10. Steve Rapp 179
11. Taylor Knapp 169
12. Roger Hayden 149
13. Michael Barnes 113
14. Michael Beck 103
15. Bobby Fong 101
16. Damian Cudlin 92
17. Chris Fillmore 77
18. Dane Westby 71
19. Shawn Higbee 70
20. Robertino Pietri 63
41. Miguel Duhamel 5

Hayes completes sweep; Mladin is champ

From AMA Pro Racing

ALTON, VA - Mat Mladin (No. 7 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000) clinched a record-extending seventh AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike championship Sunday at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) where Yamaha rider Josh Hayes (No. 4 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1) led every lap from the Superpole in both Saturday's race and the Sunday American Superbike final.

"All of these guys have been riding great this weekend," said Hayes, who also swept the Mid-Ohio weekend two races ago. "Today's race was considerably faster than yesterday. Everybody was just riding good and the R1 was definitely the bike to have this weekend.

"Congratulations to these guys. Congratulations to Mat, he's a deserving champion. He's won all of these races, he deserves it and I hate that he's going away because he's definitely someone that we learn from on the race track. Congratulations to him."

Hayes raced after his wife and fellow competitor Melissa Paris (No. 13 MarkBilt Yamaha YZF-R6) suffered a tibia/fibula fracture of her right leg in a multi-rider incident at the start of the Daytona SportBike race two hours before the American Superbike final. Paris was transported to Danville Regional Medical Center (DRMC) for treatment while Hayes prepared to race.

"That's never easy and no one likes seeing someone they love get hurt," said Hayes, who saw his wife right after the incident at the VIR Medical Center. "Melissa's a racer and she's tough too. When I saw her in the medical center she hadn't shed a tear yet. She's tough, you know.

"When I got into this I knew part of being a motorcycle racer is sometimes you fall down, you break bones, things like that happen. Had she hit her head, something like that, it might have been a tougher story today. A broken leg is terrible, but it's part of this sport. As soon as we're done here I'm going to go check on my wife and see what we've got to do to make her comfortable. Had I not won today, it would have been really tough to show my face to her again after yesterday and I'm really glad I could do this, and do it for her."

Mladin beat Hayes into Turn 1 at the race start, but the Yamaha rider retook the lead in the same turn one lap later and steadily pulled away from the field. Hayes crossed the finish line 6.830 seconds ahead of Tommy Hayden (No. 22 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000). Hayes' teammate Ben Bostrom (No. 2 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1) charged through the field from 12th on the starting grid to take the final podium spot for the second consecutive day.

Hayes now has five American Superbike wins this season, second only to 10 victories by Mladin, who sealed the championship with a steady run to ninth place on Sunday. Mladin's American Superbike title is his first since 2005 and his other championships came in 2004, 2003, 2001, 2000 and 1999.

"It's nice to get it done and tie it up," said Mladin, who recently announced he will retire at the end of this year. "That's about it really, we've done a lot of hard work at the start of the year and then, the last couple of months, been going through the motions. These guys will battle it out from now on and into the future. It's been a great career and I'm really looking forward to being able to go for a run every day because I want to, not because I have to."

Mladin's No. 7 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 team also clinched the 2009 American Superbike Team Championship.

"These guys are fantastic," Mladin said. "It's been a pretty amazing run. We've obviously won a lot of championships as a team over the last 10 years. It's been pretty amazing from the first one in 1999 all the way through to this year, with Ben (Spies) winning a few, three in the last few years. It's hard to believe that that many will ever be won in 10 years again by one manufacturer. It's been nice to be part of it and part of building it. It's been good fun."

Hayden, the only rider still alive in the championship heading into Sunday's race, had a great battle with Bostrom for second place.

"I knew someone was right there and then I could start hearing Ben when he closed up on me," said Hayden, who has finished in the top three in half of this year's 18 races. "He got by and I was following him for a few laps. I thought I could get back by him and maybe I could run a better pace the last five or six laps and it kinda worked out. I was able to get by, stepped it up a little bit and got through traffic good. Then I was pretty smooth after that."

Bostrom's third-place showing was his eighth top-three finish of the year.

"I didn't think I had much for Josh today, he was really, really unstoppable this weekend," Bostrom said. "Mat and Josh are pretty incredible here, and Tommy's had a lot of wins as well. I did enjoy the race actually, it was pretty hairball at the first turn. The Yamaha was great, it went through the guys and by the time I got back up to second I had either used up myself or my tire.

"I don't usually get to race Tommy, that was enjoyable. Josh set sail. Mat was chillin out, like 'I've got this thing worked out and I've won the war.' The worst thing about it is losing Mat Mladin, he's the greatest champion we've had in this sport and the benchmark for every one of us. It's the reason I'm riding this class, this year, I came to race him."

Larry Pegram (No. 72 Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R), who is the year's only other race winner, finished fourth. Aaron Yates (No. 23 Brand Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) rounded out the top five.

Although Mladin has clinched the American Superbike championship with his current total of 427 points, the remainder of the top five are close heading into the season-ending race at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Labour Day weekend. Hayden is second with 348 points, Hayes has jumped to third with 344 markers, Bostrom is fourth with 315 points and Pegram is a close fifth with 313 points.

Race Results
1. Josh Hayes (Yamaha Motor Corp. USA) Yamaha YZF-R1 23 Laps
2. Tommy Hayden (Rockstar · Makita · Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +6.829
3. Ben Bostrom (Yamaha Motor Corp. USA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +9.701
4. Larry Pegram (Foremost Insurance · Pegram Racing Ducati) Ducati 1098R +14.572
5. Aaron Yates (Jordan Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +15.399
6. Taylor Knapp (Taylor Knapp Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +20.170
7. Blake Young (Rockstar · Makita · Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +23.423
8. Neil Hodgson (Corona Extra Honda) Honda CBR1000RR +23.432
9. Mat Mladin (Rockstar · Makita · Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +24.084
10. Jake Holden (Holden Racing) Honda CBR1000RR +26.546
11. Jeff Wood (Higgins Powersports ·Roadracingworld.com) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +48.438
12. Chris Ulrich (Roadracingworld.com · Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +57.243
13. Scott Charlton (Aussie Dave Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +1:11.746
14. Mark Crozier (Four Feathers Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 22 Laps
15. Ricky Corey (RCR Yamaha) Yamaha YZF-R1 +1.233
16. Shawn Higbee (Higbee-Racing.com) Buell 1125R +8.473
17. Shane Narbonne (Shane Narbonne · DASPerformance.com) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +18.612
18. Dean Mizdal (M Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +29.177
19. Skip Salenius (Run One Racing/Marietta Motorsports) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +32.851
20. Eric Haugo (Liberty Waves Racing 2) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +1:15.637
21. Tim Hunt (Team Hooters Aprilia) Suzuki GSX-R1000 13 Laps
22. Geoff May (National Guard Jordan Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 7 Laps
23. Scott Jensen (Moto Garage Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 5 Laps
24. Michael Laverty (Celtic Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1 Lap
25. Robertino Pietri (Team Hooters Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 DNS
26. Dominic Jones (Moto Garage Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 DNS
Race Time: 32:59.447
Margin of Victory: 6.829
Best Race Lap: Josh Hayes (1:25.066)

Point Standings (Top 20)
1. Mat Mladin 427
2. Tommy Hayden 348
3. Josh Hayes 344
4. Ben Bostrom 315
5. Larry Pegram 313
6. Blake Young 264
7. Aaron Yates 248
8. Geoff May 212
9. Taylor Knapp 183
10. Jake Holden 170
11. Neil Hodgson 143
12. Chris Ulrich 139
13. David Anthony 120
14. Michael Laverty 98
15. Scott Jensen 97
16. Aaron Gobert 87
17. Hawk Mazzotta 69
18. Ryan Elleby 55
19. Shawn Higbee 54
20. Mark Crozier 53