Suzuki Canada has agreed to a reduced role in the 2010 Parts Canada Superbike Championship that will see its motorcycles remain eligible for the national road racing series. This will be the 30th year of national Superbike racing in Canada and the 10th season of Parts Canada’s title sponsorship of the series.

Under the terms of the new deal, Suzuki Canada will pay a small homologation fee to allow its GSX-R1000 and GSX-R600 equipment to run in the feature Parts Canada Superbike and Yoshimura Pro SportBike divisions in 2010.

The arrangement precludes the manufacturer from providing direct support for ‘A’ teams in either class, however it leaves the door open for privateers and dealer supported competitors to ride Suzukis in the national series. Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 is particularly popular among smaller racing teams.

“Everyone understands the current financial challenges in the motorcycle industry, and it was important to provide some flexibility to Suzuki Canada so that it could continue to play a role in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship,” said Colin Fraser of Professional Motorsports Productions, which administers the series.

“Our four partner manufacturers agreed that keeping the GSX-R out of the series would have a detrimental effect on the national championship, and we think we have found a good compromise that can work for all parties. We appreciate Suzuki’s willingness to find a way to make this happen.”

The move is also based on Suzuki Canada making an early commitment to the 2011 Parts Canada Superbike Championship. The company will continue to pay contingency to riders on board its motorcycles.

“This is going to be a challenging summer and we’ve had to make concessions in a number of areas,” Fraser added. “But we are confident that by taking these steps for 2010 we can ensure a strong and prosperous national championship for the 2011 season and beyond.”

Yamaha Motor Canada will not officially participate in the 2010 Parts Canada Superbike Championship. The company made its decision to withdraw last November. As a result, the YZF-R1 Superbike has been excluded from the national series, along with any 2010 Yamaha models. Yamaha YZF-R6 motorcycles from the 2009 model year and earlier are still permitted in the Sport Bike class.

“We all hope, however, that Yamaha will return to the Parts Canada Superbike Championship in the near future,” Fraser added.

The Parts Canada Superbike Championship is overseen by Professional Motorsports Productions along with partner manufacturers Canadian Kawasaki Motors, Honda Canada, BMW Motorrad Canada and Deeley Racing.

The 2010 season opens May 28-30 at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, Que.

2010 Pirelli/WERA Sportsman Series
Virginia International Raceway
March 19-21
Northeast and Mid Atlantic Regions

This weekend, VIR opens its spectator event season with the 2010 Pirelli/WERA Sportsman Series round 1.
WERA motorcycle road races bring out large crowds of entrants, making its events exciting for competitors and spectators alike.  If the schedules allow, pro racers compete, getting more time on the track for their next event.

Tickets start at $10 and may be purchased HERE.

Weekend Schedule

Friday

7:00-11:00am & 12:00-2:00pm Registration Open
7:15-11:00am & 12:00-2:15pm Tech Open
9:00-11:30am Practice Groups as follows:
1) 750cc and Up Novices
2) 750cc and Up Experts
3) Lightweight Novices and Experts
4) 600cc Novices
5) 600cc Experts
11:30am-12:30pm Lunch Break
12:30-5:00pm Practice Groups as follows:
1) 750cc and Up Novices
2) 750cc and Up Experts
3) Lightweight Novices and Experts
4) 600cc Novices
5) 600cc Experts

Saturday

7:00am – 9:30am Registration Open
7:15am – 9:45am Technical Inspection Open
8:30am – 11:30am Practice – Groups as follows:
1) 750cc and Up Novices
2) 750cc and Up Experts
3) Lightweight Novices and Experts
4) 600cc Novices
5) 600cc Experts
6) Vintage 1 – 4
7) Riders School
11:30am – 12:30pm Lunch Break
11:45am Riders Meeting – Tech Shed
12:30pm Solo 16 and Vintage (6 laps)
1) V5, V3
2) Mediumweight Novice Solo
3) Mediumweight Expert Solo
4) V2, 500 GP, 250 GP
5) Lightweight Expert & Novice Solo
6) Formula 500, V1, 350 GP
7) Heavyweight Novice Solo
8) Heavyweight Expert Solo
9) V6 LW, Formula 2-Stroke, V4
10) Riders School Mock Race (4 laps)

Sunday

8:00am – 9:30am Registration Open
8:15am – 10:00am Technical Inspection Open8:30am – 11:00am Practice Groups as follows:
1) 750cc and Up Novices
2) 750cc and Up Experts
3) Lightweight Novices and Experts
4) 600cc Novices
5) 600cc Experts
11:00am – 12:00pm Lunch Break
11:10am Riders Meeting – Tech Shed
11:40pm Chapel Service – Classroom first floor of tower
12:00pm Pirelli/WERA Sportsman Series Races – 6 Laps each
1) C Superbike Ex, HWT SS Ex & Nv
2) C Superbike Novice
3) Formula 1 Expert & Novice
4) LWT SS, DSB, ESS Ex & Nv
5) B Superbike Expert. V7 HW
6) B Superbike Novice
7) LWT SB, DSS
8) A Superbike Expert & Novice
9)125cc GP, Clubman
10) A Superstock Ex & Nv
11) WSS, HWT SB, V6 HW, V7MW
12) C Superstock Expert
13) C Superstock Novice
14) Formula 2 Expert & Novice
15) Senior Superbike Ex & Nv
16) B Superstock Expert
17) B Superstock Novice

Available Contingencies:

Bridgestone**, Continental Tires**, Dunlop Tires, EBC Brakes, Hotbodies, Michelin*, Pirelli*, Pit Bull*, Powerstands, Silkolene, Vortex,

Some forms are not available at the track but are online.
* Requires sign-up on their website
** Requires a once a year form

WERA Sponsors:

Bridgestone National Endurance Series
Michelin National Challenge Series
Pirelli Sportsman Series
Lucas Oil in WERA West

For more information, visit www.wera.com

The AMA Suzuki Superbike Showdown just five weeks away.

Get ready for heart pounding excitement as the country’s best riders attack Road Atlanta’s 2.5 miles of swooping hills and thrilling turns at speeds as fast as 190 mph.

Your favorite riders – Aaron Yates, Larry Pegram, Ben Bostrom, Tommy Hayden, Jake Zemke, John Hopkins, Danny Eslick, Blake Young, Taylor Knapp and more – on your favorite bikes – Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda, Ducati and more – in your favorite classes – American Superbike, Daytona Sportbike and SuperSport.

DISCOUNTED TICKETS

2010 ticket prices discounted another 10%–20% from last year’s already discounted prices.
Saturday and Sunday single-day tickets are only $33 (down from $40 last year) and a two-day weekend ticket, which now includes FREE admission to Friday afternoon practice, is only $55 (down from $60 last year). It’s the perfect time to come and see the thrilling excitement for yourself. Remember, kids 12 and younger are free, so bring the entire family.

Buy your tickets today online at roadatlanta.com or call 800.849.RACE (7223).

Road Atlanta is located at 5300 Winder Highway, Braselton, Georgia 30517

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo will take part in this week’s MotoGP test in Qatar, four weeks after breaking a bone in his right thumb during a training incident.

The 22-year-old has spent the time recuperating at home in Barcelona and he has now been given the all-clear by his doctor to get back on his bike. The recovery has gone well and the hand is no longer swollen, but he needs to continue with physiotherapy in order to keep repairing the muscle around the break.

His doctor has confirmed that there is no risk to the broken bone from riding, but he will need to wait until testing starts in order to ascertain if he will be able to ride and use the brake at full strength.

This week’s test takes place on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th of March under the Qatar floodlights, the last test before the season starts in April.

Jorge Lorenzo
“Today we are leaving for Qatar for the last winter test. I think that it is important that we are there. The fracture happened less than five weeks ago, but we could not have missed this last test because it would have been negative for our preparation; we are not far from the first race of the season! The doctor has made a special carbon fiber protection and Dainese have modified my glove, in order to further protect the fracture, so we will see how we get on.”

Wilco Zeelenberg
“We are happy that Jorge will be back for this last pre-season test at Qatar! Of course we have had to miss a whole test but we are confident that we can make up for lost time because the 2010 bike has proved to be very competitive from the first time we have used it. We will have to wait to see how Jorge’s hand feels when he starts riding, but we do not take anything for granted. The doctors have prepared a special brace for the thumb, Dainese have prepared special gloves and also a modified handlebar grip has been produced. Yamaha will give him all the support and time he needs to return to full strength.”

The first worldwide sighting of the new 2010 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R will be revealed exclusively on the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP website on Friday, March 12, 2010.

Images of the new Rizla Suzuki machine in its Troy Lee Designs-inspired livery will be available to view and download in hi-res from the team’s website – ahead of the GSV-R’s first sighting on-track at Qatar next week.

So make sure you log on to www.rizla-suzuki-motogp.co.uk from 10.00hrs GMT (5am Eastern Time) on Friday to see the bike that Loris Capirossi and Alvaro Bautista will be riding during their assault on this season’s MotoGP World Championship.

MSS Colchester Kawasaki riders Simon Andrews and Gary Mason got to test the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R complete with Magneti Marelli electronics, but only after snow was cleared from the circuit of Guadix in Spain.
Gary, Simon and new Superstock rider Howie Mainwaring each rode more than 30 laps in the test to dial in the new electronics systems.
On Tuesday, the team awoke to a thick blanket of snow, but unlike in their British home, the show soon melted, allowing the riders to gain meaningful practice and log valuable data.
MSS Colchester continues testing through Thursday.

AMA Pro Road Racing
Daytona 200 Week
Daytona International Speedway
March 3 – 5, 2010

Daytona 200 (57 laps) – 3/5/2010 8:00:00PM
1 8 J. Herrin Yamaha YZF-R6 57 WINNER 1:50.4520 51 Team Graves Yamaha 31*
2 2 D. Westby Yamaha YZF-R6 57 +7.964 1:50.7200 44 Project 1 Atlanta 25
3 15 S. Rapp Ducati 848 57 +24.496 1:50.3930 35 Team Latus Motors Racing 21
4 1 D. Eslick Suzuki GSX-R600 57 +40.973 1:50.6020 26 GEICO Powersports, RMR, Suzuki 19^
5 25 K. Coghlan Yamaha YZF-R6 56 +1 lap 1:50.8390 18 Aussie Dave Racing 16
6 57 C. West Suzuki GSX-R600 56 +39.919 1:51.9520 6 Vesrah Suzuki 15
7 99 G. May Suzuki GSX-R600 56 +1:50.590 1:52.6520 30 GMR Racing 14
8 11 S. Higbee Buell 1125R 56 +1:54.030 1:50.9540 47 Higbee-Racing.com 13
9 23 T. Knapp Ducati 848 55 +2 laps 1:53.1660 28 Ducshop Racing 12
10 53 E. Wood Honda CBR600RR 55 +15.626 1:53.4450 5 Team Heyser • Woodcraft 11
11 19 E. Haugo Yamaha YZF-R6 55 +50.989 1:53.8500 52 Viking Moto 10
12 125 R. Patterson Yamaha YZF-R6 55 +1:16.795 1:53.6660 16 D and R Racing 9
13 30 B. Fong Ducati 848 55 +1:17.343 1:53.0590 6 Crozier Roberson Motorsports 8
14 12 R. Orlando Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 55 +1:40.129 1:54.5850 16 Ricky Orlando Racing 7
15 32 S. Villa Suzuki GSX-R600 55 +1:40.244 1:54.8620 44 RoadRacingWorld.com 6
16 70 P. James Buell 1125R 54 +3 laps 1:55.6780 21 James Gang • Hoban Bros. Racing 5
17 65 A. Padovani Ducati 848 54 +18.553 1:55.6850 25 CR2 Corse 4
18 49 A. Lazo Yamaha YZF-R6 54 +31.987 1:55.1510 5 Alex Lazo Racing 3
19 77 D. Marchetti Ducati 848 54 +1:09.585 1:55.3820 13 Ducshop Racing 2
20 221 W. Sipp Buell 1125R 54 +1:09.855 1:55.2810 54 Walt Sipp Racing 1
21 37 J. Ashmead Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 53 +4 laps 1:56.4390 12 Brady Racing
22 192 R. Vargas Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 53 +49.807 1:56.0780 13 Vargas Racing
23 69 K. Keesee Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 50 +7 laps 1:56.7940 44 Brevard Superbike Racing
24 20 C. Martinez Ducati 848 50 +3.965 1:59.9510 12 Mid Cities Motorsports
25 170 D. Dumain Yamaha YZF-R6 49 +8 laps 1:56.7460 31 Moto Journal-Crit
26 13 M. Paris Yamaha YZF-R6 47 +10 laps 1:53.9920 27 MPH Racing, Inc.
27 61 B. McCormick Suzuki GSX-R600 31 +26 laps 1:50.8390 15 Picotte Racing
28 38 K. Turner Suzuki GSX-R600 30 +27 laps 1:53.7200 17 Turner’s Cycle Racing
29 594 D. McPherson Yamaha YZF-R6 29 +28 laps 1:56.2620 16 McNology Racing
30 17 B. Long Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 24 +33 laps 1:56.0530 8 LEVEL 10 Racing
31 34 M. Barnes Yamaha YZF-R6 21 +36 laps 1:53.3800 2 VRC Racing
32 6 T. Aquino Yamaha YZF-R6 17 +40 laps 1:51.0170 14 Team Graves Yamaha
33 78 R. Wacker Suzuki GSX-R600 15 +42 laps 1:55.9210 14 Wacker Racing LLC
34 75 J. Wood Suzuki GSX-R600 15 +5:03.726 1:53.7900 6 Vesrah Suzuki
35 113 C. Moodie Yamaha YZF-R6 10 +47 laps 1:58.7980 9 Bulldog Racing
36 84 A. Fania Suzuki GSX-R600 8 +49 laps 2:00.4050 3 KSW Racing
37 7 F. Amantini Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 1 +56 laps –.— 0 Team Amantini
38 36 M. Cardenas Suzuki GSX-R600 0 DNS –.— 0 Monster Energy/M4 Suzuki
39 4 C. Seller Yamaha YZF-R6 0 DNS –.— 0 Project 1 Atlanta
40 47 J. Day Yamaha YZF-R1 0 DNS –.— 0 Four Feathers Racing
41 54 P. Jacobsen Suzuki GSX-R600 0 DNS –.— 0 Celtic Racing
42 474 B. Skubic Yamaha YZF-R6 0 DNS –.— 0 Inotherm Yamaha Racing Team Slovenia
43 16 R. Wikle Suzuki GSX-R600 0 DNS –.— 0 Wikle Racing
44 14 M. Crozier Ducati 848 0 DNS –.— 0 Crozier Roberson Motorsports

Read more…

Valentin Debise

Just a few days after the end of the first International Road Racing Teams Association privateer teams test at Valencia, the WTR San Marino Team returned to testing; this time in the rain at Jerez.

The first day, Saturday, was characterized by strong rain, which made it impossible to enter the track until 2pm, when, fortunately, the rain let up.  Both 125cc rider Johann Zarco and Moto2’s Valentin Debise gave the best of themselves, with Zarco finishing 2nd with a time of 1′57.479 – just 8 tenths off the pace -  and Valentin Vazquez finishing with the sixth-best time of 1′57.92; less than two seconds behind the Moto2 class leader, Alex De Angelis.

During the day Sunday, bursts of rain disturbed almost every session, forcing teams to withdraw almost every hour. The track remained wet and did not help either rider, who both posted their best times during the morning sessions. Debise finished 18th with a time of 1′46.821, and Zarco finished 11th with a fastest time of 1′50 .795.  Zarco also crashed twice during the day; once in the morning and once during the afternoon session.

Rain continued into Monday, and rather than risk injury to its riders and damage to its machines, the WTR San Marino Team called an end to their testing. IRTA testing continues at Jerez from March 27-29.

Johann Zarco
“These tests were a bit unstable, ruined by [lack of] time and by the heavy rain which fell. We could not try everything we wanted, but at least we managed to test a new engine, on which my mechanics have worked hard all winter and was really going strong.  We were therefore very happy about it. Saturday we rode until the afternoon because the morning was impossible for the wet track. I felt very good and the bike felt good. In fact, I finished in second place – positive for me and for the team.
Sunday we rode in both wet and dry conditions, but I didn’t feel as good as on the bike as I did at Valencia and I had no confidence. I should have stopped in to make more adjustments, but I kept racing, knowing that I had some problems, but it was a mistake because they continued, and I fell and ended my day. Throughout the evening the mechanics worked hard to fix the bike and to recover the lost time, but the weather wanted something else
I wanted to thank the mechanics for the work that they did on the bike and thank them for their efforts.
They are real fans and push me to always do better. I’m really happy because the bike is competitive and I have competent mechanics. I just have to relax and focus on my riding to catch up. ”

Valentin Debise
“Jerez is a circuit that is very different than Valencia, and we had to change the setup of the bike because it was all new to us. In Valencia there were only tight corners, whereas here they are very wide: so it was very, very different. Now I think we can be ready for the next test, here at Jerez later this month. “

Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Yukio Kagayama stole the honor of recording the fastest lap-time from the Cartagena 2010 BSB test today in Spain after he slashed nearly a second off the previous best times and lapping at a scintillating 1:33.51.

With team-mate Tommy Hill only 200ths-of-a-second behind, the pair easily bettered the official lap record and finished first and second at the top of the BSB test times.

Jack Valentine – Team Manager:
“We’re very, very pleased with today’s outcome. We had only planned for three days’ testing here but considering the high workload and the teething issues we’ve experienced, we felt the extra day would help prepare the team better for the next test at Guadix on Tuesday.

“Yukio’s had his work cut out these last few days, but today he was able to put in 42 laps – nearly equal to what he did over the entire three previous days. This brought him up to Tommy’s pace and it was a real pleasure to see the pair of them all-but sharing the best lap time. But, just as importantly, those lap times weren’t one-offs for either of them as they were able to lap consistently at this very fast pace.

“So we’re really happy with the progress made: We’ve come here with a team that’s much bigger than we had last year and we’ve come with new kit in the form of the Öhlins suspension and Motec engine management. The bikes, the riders; and the team are really starting to gel and we’ve achieved everything we set out to do.”

Unofficial overall top 10 test times:
1 Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 1m: 33.51s
2 Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 1m: 33.53s
3 Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki) 1m: 34.3s
4 Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) 1m: 34.4s
5 James Ellison (Swan Honda) 1m: 34.5s
6 Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) 1m: 34.8s
7 Neil Hodgson (Motorpoint Yamaha) 1m: 34.9s
8 Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki) 1m: 34.9s
9 Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 1m: 35.0s
10 Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 1m: 35.2s

National Guard Jordan Motorsports' Jake Zemke leads the field at Daytona

Suzuki continued its tradition of owning the racetrack at the opening round of AMA American Superbike series in Daytona Beach, Florida this weekend – the GSX-R1000 taking seven of the top-10 spots overall after two days of racing.

National Guard Jordan Suzuki team rider Jake Zemke took first place in both 44-mile, 15-lap races and Tommy Hayden steered his Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 to second place in both races. On Friday, he and Zemke were only .009 seconds separated as they crossed the finish line.

Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates took pole position after setting the quickest qualifying lap in the day leading up to the double header; ending up fourth overall at the end of the event, while Blake Young, in his second year with the Rockstar Makita team, took fifth overall after grabbing the holeshot in Thursday’s race and leading for a few laps.

The RoadRacingWorld.com Suzuki, with Chris Ulrich aboard, took sixth overall. Taylor Knapp and his RidersDiscount.com Suzuki took seventh, and Shane Narbonne finished ninth on his DASPerformance.com GSX-R1000.

In the 69th running of the legendary Daytona 200, Geico Powersports RMR Suzuki’s Danny Eslick raced his GSX-R600 to the pole position and won the Rolex award for fastest qualifier. Eslick battled through the cold and challenging 200-mile race and took fourth, as Vesrah Suzuki’s Cory West took sixth overall. 

Daytona Superbike Race 1:
1. Jake Zemke (Suzuki)
2. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) +0.238
3. Larry Pegram (Ducati) +0.259
4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) +0.291
5. Blake Young (Suzuki) +0.307
6. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki) +27.398
7. Taylor Knapp (Suzuki) +27.43
8. Shawn Higbee (Ducati) +1 lap
9. Shane Narbonne (Suzuki) +9.078
10. Barrett Long (Ducati) +16.377

Daytona Superbike Race 2:
1. Jake Zemke (Suzuki)
2. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) +0.009
3. Ben Bostrom (Yamaha) +0.081
4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) +0.212
5. Larry Pegram (Ducati) +0.858
6. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) +1.838
7. Blake Young (Suzuki) +22.383
8. Brett McCormick (Suzuki) +29.235
9. David Anthony (Suzuki) +34.124
10. Taylor Knapp (Suzuki) +34.404 

Top 10 Points Standings:
1. Jake Zemke 62
2. Tommy Hayden 50
3. Larry Pegram 37
4. Aaron Yates 37
5. Blake Young 30
6. Taylor Knapp 25
7. Ben Bostrom 24
8. Chris Ulrich 24
9. Josh Hayes 23
10. Shane Narbonne 20