FTR Moto is looking to add to its tally of podium finishes this year in this weekend’s 11th round of the Moto2 World Championship at the Misano circuit near Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

FTR is also hoping to add to the two race victories with its M210 and also to complement the 13 top six finishes so far in 2010 as a reduced line-up of three M210 riders embark on the San Marino round at Misano.

The Fimmco Speed Up Team’s Andrea Iannone and Gabor Talmacsi are joined by Cardion AB Motoracing Team M210 rider Karel Abraham but Spaniard Alex Debon, of the Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team, will be missing after further injuring the shoulder he broke at Assen two months ago when Ukrainian Vladimir Ivanov took him out of last Sunday’s Indianapolis round.

Gabor Talmacsi

Talmacsi’s consistent point-scoring is matched only by series leader Toni Elias with Hungarian Talmacsi finishing in the top 10 in seven of the 10 races so far and having just one non finish, at Silverstone.

His team-mate Iannone – with six Grand Prix wins to his name – arrives from Indianapolis in confident mood after setting the fastest time in last Sunday’s American race, finishing fourth and knowing that only a qualifying crash robbed him of a potential third win of the year on the Fimmco Speed Up M210.

The concussion suffered in a crash at his home Czech Republic Grand Prix last month was sufficient to rule Karel Abraham out of the Indianapolis race last Sunday but the Cardion AB Motoracing Team rider is expected to return to action at Misano.

FTR’s Steve Bones continued: “I’m disappointed for Alex Debon as the crash last week and the one in Assen were not his fault. Hopefully he will be fit for the Aragon round in Spain in two weeks. The Speed Up guys have done a good job this year and last weekend put in a really impressive display.

“Andrea Iannone qualified on the front row for the 125cc race at Misano last year so we’d expect him to be on the pace and Gabor Talmacsi’s efforts so far this year deserve a podium finish which he will surely get very soon. We’re pleased Karel Abraham is feeling a lot better and hopefully able to go into Friday’s free practice at Misano in the kind of mood that brought him fourth place at Catalunya.”

Eleven Points Between Hayes and Hayden

After 15 rounds of racing, from Daytona Beach to the last race in Virginia, only 11 points separate AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike points leader Josh Hayes and his Team Graves Yamaha team from his challenger Tommy Hayden aboard his Rockstar Makita Suzuki.  At every turn, when one of these world class riders would look to have the upper hand, the other would just as quickly strike back and even things out.  That was the case at the most recent race in Virginia when in race one of the traditional doubleheader weekend, Tommy Hayden took a well judged victory.  But, the very next day Josh Hayes reasserted himself with a dominant win of his own to counter Hayden once again.  Heading into this weekend’s AMA Pro Racing SuperBike Weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park it will be must-see racing as these two continue the fight for the overall AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike title.

The 2.5 mile, 14 turn Thunderbolt course will be the scene for the continuing battle between these two racers and their very capable teams.  After Tommy Hayden took his career first AMA Pro SuperBike win at Auto Club Speedway back in March, he has added three more wins to his total.  And once Josh Hayes started putting wins up on the board, he and Tommy have virtually traded victories, keeping the other in check as they both compiled valuable points towards the championship. It began at Road America when Hayes won on Saturday and Hayden won on Sunday.  The pattern repeated itself again at the next race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and again at the latest race at VIR with Hayden winning first and then Hayes fighting back on Sunday.

Last year at NJMP, Josh Hayes took both race wins but in race one, it was Tommy Hayden who finished second so we can certainly expect these two to be right at the front  this coming weekend.  One factor that may come into play this year is a couple of other riders that have wins this year and may influence the outcome of the championship. Ben Bostrom won recently at Laguna Seca and featured prominently during the VIR races.  His Pat Clark Motorsports team with valuable support from Palms Casino and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway have continued to develop their Yamaha motorcycles into regular front runners, joining Hayes’ Yamaha in setting the pace. Hayden might have his Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate, Blake Young back to support his efforts this coming weekend. Blake has been sidelined since a testing accident back in June.  The plan is for Blake to test at NJMP and if he is declared fit enough to compete, he will rejoin the team and add one more element to the championship battle. Blake won his career first AMA SuperBike races earlier this year.

Jake Zemke and his National Guard Jordan Suzuki can also impact the proceedings at NJMP.  Jake won the opening races of the season and remains in third place overall in the points.  He will have to raise his game if he wants to stay in third with Ben Bostrom coming on so strongly.  Another rider who posted a win this year is the popular Larry Pegram and his Foremost Insurance Ducati.  Larry won at Auto Club Speedway and has posted four second place finishes as well.

But the real action will be at the front.  Years ago, Josh Hayes and Tommy Hayden battled for the AMA Pro SuperStock championship and history is repeating itself once again as these two champions go head to head for the AMA Pro SuperBike title.  The quality of the competition has never been better and the character and respect between the key participants is also outstanding which will most certainly provide some of the best racing seen in many a year in AMA Pro Road Racing.

The action starts on Friday, September 3rd with practice and first round qualifying. Saturday, September 4th will have final qualifying in SuperBike and then race one of two of the AMA Pro Racing SuperBike Championship Weekend doubleheader weekend.  Race two will be on Sunday, September 5th. Don’t miss the Pit Lane Fan Walk and Autograph session on both Saturday and Sunday, featuring all riders and teams. SPEED TV will be broadcasting the SuperBike race one on Saturday night, September 4th at 11:00 PM EDT and the second AMA Pro SuperBike race on Sunday, September 5th at 10:00 PM EDT.  Please visit www.njmp.com for further information.

Photo courtesy of Brian J Nelson

Jordan Szoke, reigning and seven-time Parts Canadia Superbike champion and reigning and five-time Sportbike Champion, has been forced to withdraw from Round 9 of the AMA American Superbike Championship held this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park.  Unsuccessful negations for extra sponsorship money have forced the Canadian Champion to cancel his trip to New Jersey Motorsports Park located near Millville, NJ.

“I am tremendously disappointed we aren’t going to be there,” says Szoke “We were so close to getting things right while we were in Mid Ohio and Virginia it’s a, shame we aren’t competing, although we really need some continued support financially to make that happen.  It was a choice of fixing my leaking roof or go to New Jersey Unfortunately, winters are long here in Canada, and the house took priority this time.”

Szoke has competed in the US Series at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course and Virginia International Raceway where he remained in the top 10 consistently.  “I still want to compete in the AMA series,” says Szoke “That is where my focus for my career always has, and always will be.  We will continue to remain focused to make that happen this season and in the following seasons to come.”

Jordan Szoke and his Waznie Racing Ciclo Werks BMC Honda Team is regrouping to compete in the last and final round of the AMA American Superbike Championship held at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham AL Sept 24-26.

Sponsorship support for this event contact waznie@rogers.com.

The Peter Lenz Memorial Fund has been established to support the family of Peter Lenz, the 13-year-old USGPRU racer who lost his life yesterday at Indy.
Please consider making a small, but meaningful, donation to the fund.

With a win and a second place at Cadwell Park, Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Tommy Hill finished the first nine-round stage of the British Superbikes Championship tied with Ryuichi Kiyonari for the points lead. Hill’s team-mate Yukio Kagayama took two seventh places finishes to lift his standing in the Championship to 12th.

In an exciting day’s racing, Hill was on top form, and after dominating the first race, was challenging for the lead again in the second race when it was red flagged on the 14th lap. In the race one, Josh Brookes took the early lead but succumbed to an attack from Hill on the eighth lap. Hill then maintained a constant 1:27-minute lap pace while his rivals withered, and took the win by 5.116 seconds. In the race two, Hill led for 11 laps and was trailing Brookes by just 0.230-seconds after 13 laps when the race was stopped.

Hill’s point tally from the nine rounds amounts to 287 points, three more than Brookes and six more than Ryuichi Kiyonari. However, with the Showdown phase now beginning, the championship points tally taken so far is cast aside. The championship will now be decided over the final three rounds (seven races) between the six highest points scorers so far, known as the Title Fighters. All the title fighters have their championship point tally put on an initial parity of 500, to which is added only the podium points they’ve scored thus far (podium points have been awarded as three for a win, two for second and one for third). On this basis Hill steps forward into the Showdown as joint leader with Kiyonari on 525 points apiece.

Tommy Hill:
“What a fantastic weekend! To see Yuki coming good as well – it’s been all good. In that first race I just felt really-really good, I could have made the jump earlier but I was interested to sit behind Josh to see what he was doing. In the second race the pace was so fast, something like two-seconds faster than it was last year, and maybe it was that or maybe there was small issue with the rear tire but I had a little bit of chatter to deal with. I still felt comfortable and while Josh had passed me when I made a small mistake on the Mountain I felt comfortable and was setting up to repass him when the red flags came out.

“All in all I feel overjoyed. We get to leave here having effectively won the first part of the season and having beaten the HM Plant team in their own back yard – that’s kind of a bonus. But now its crunch time and to be going into this vital part of the season with a joint points lead is a great position to be in.”

Yukio Kagayama:
“Today was very good for me although for sure 7-7 doesn’t sound like a score I’d want to be happy with. But this was my first racing visit to Cadwell Park since 2004 as I missed the first round earlier this year, so I had no base settings to work from – and I set-up my bike quite different to Tommy. So no top-three for me, but I am happy that my lap times got better all weekend, and my second race today was much faster although the result was the same. And I enjoy riding the bike, my feeling for racing, for set-up, is getting better so I hope in the races to come I can challenge again for the podium.”

Jack Valentine – Team Manager:
“The team are buzzing. There’s been so much work gone into this weekend and everyone can see we’ve made a major breakthrough with our set-up and this has really boosted Tommy’s confidence. He could have had two wins today but we’ll never know. The important thing is we’re in the strongest possible position as we head into the Showdown. The GSX-R is the strongest it’s been all season and Tommy’s got all the confidence in the world.

“For Yuki, it’s been a good weekend for him as well. Having that big crash in practice couldn’t have helped him, but in the races he simply got quicker and quicker. He had to fight his way past Alastair Seeley in both races and he was mindful he needed to make a clean pass as it’s so tight here, but once past his lap time was on a par with those ahead, so he’s shown he’s getting his pace back. There’s every probability he’ll be able to fulfill the support role that’s needed as Tommy fights for the Championship.

“So it’s the best feeling for us. We’ve made the breakthrough we’ve been looking for and we even know that wet or dry we’ve a setup that works. We won’t be resting though; we’re going to be pushing for more – as we’re sure all the other teams will be doing.”

MCE Insurance 2010 British Superbike Championship
Round Nine, Cadwell Park:

Race one result:
1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki)
2. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +5.116s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +7.092s
4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +12.522s
5. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +14.623s
6. James Ellison (Swan Honda) +20.822s
7. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +28.158s
8. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +28.533s
9. Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +34.523s
10. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +34.945s

Race two results:
1. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda)
2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.230s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.888s
4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +5.071s
5. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +11.719s
6. James Ellison (Swan Honda) +13.178s
7. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +15.712s
8. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +21.347s
9. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +24.287s
10. Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +27.446s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Cadwell Park:

Showdown Title Fighters:
=1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 525
=1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 525
3. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 524
4. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 510
5. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 509
6. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 505
12. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 74

Round 6 of the AMA Pro Hillclimb Series took place in Canaan, N.H. this past weekend; the first time the series has visited the state. Shawn Farnsworth won the Unlimited Class with the fastest time of the day with a wild crash at the finish line. Nate Redmann scored a win in Xtreme Class and strengthened his lead in the series points, while 16-year-old rookie John Koester won his second in a row in the Pro Sport Class. In exhibition Verti-Cross, Ryan Thibault took the trophy.

To welcome hillclimbers on their first visit, New Hampshire served up the best weather of the summer: clear blue skies, low humidity and an uphill breeze to clear away the dust. Ridge Runner Promotions, the event hosts, created a very technical hill. The flat section at the start line rose to a jump over a rough pit and then got progressively steeper with each jump. The approach to the crest from 300 to 375 made quite an impact with bikes and riders.

First up were the Verti-Cross riders with four heats followed by two semi-finals. Colby McCutcheon faced Thibault, and Walter Strank raced against Vinny Nuzzolilli. Thibault and Nuzzolilli advanced to the final, held at intermission between pro bike runs. Thibault took the win with a crowd-pleasing style over the crest while Nuzzolilli flipped his bike over backwards at the top in a side by side finish.

In the first run of the Xtreme Class, the advantage clearly went to the early draws. Redmann drew third, picked a good line and held on for a 5.922-second ride that set the bar for all who rode later. Phil Libhart and Robby DeBusk followed, and both rode in the high sevens, and Alex Benner exhibited his all-out style for a 6.901 second ride, propelling him solidly into second at the half. Thibault edged Libhart out of third with a 7.488-second ride in the middle of the order.

In the Xtreme Class, six riders bettered their performance. Most notable was Thibault who who improved his time by three tenths, but didn’t have enough to move up. Redmann sat out and watched as no one came close to his time. The finish was Redmann, Benner and Thibault in 1,2,3 on the podium.

Points leader Josh Lingle lead off the Pro Sport class with a 9.026. Koester followed with an 8.674 second time to jump ahead. Ian Lau laid down a respectable 8.889 second ride for second at the half.

In second half Pro Sport action, the order remained the same. Koester sat out and never needed to defend his position. The Pro Sport podium had Koester on top, Lau in second and Lingle in third.

Thibault blasted to the top of the hill and the front of the Unlimited Class in the first run with a 6.800 second ride. Jay Sallstrom crested very smoothly in 6.947 seconds, just behind Thibault. Shane Green let it all hang out for a 7.090 second ride with an over-the-bars inverted flip at the finish line. The impact broke half the spokes in his rear wheel forcing him to scratch for the second half.

Second half Unlimited action sure lived up to its name. Riders, desperate for a win, threw caution to the wind and one after another hit the “wall” at 350 feet until it and they bore the scars to prove it. Matt Luna crashed over the finish line, temporarily in second with a 6.920 ride. Shawn Farnsworth hit, crashed, flipped and landed on his feet over the line for fast time of the day at 5.676 seconds. Sallstrom battled back into second place with a 6.613 E.T. Then, late in the order, Benner stopped the clock at 6.126 seconds to snatch the number two spot from Sallstrom. At the finish it was Farnsworth, Benner and Sallstrom in 1,2,3 for the Unlimited Class.

Series points leaders, first through third, are: Unlimited- Colby McCutcheon, Benner and Scott Campbell; Xtreme- Redmann, Libhart and Chris VanHyning; and Pro Sport- Lingle, Hoke and Mosko.

Round 7 of the AMA Pro Hillclimb will be hosted by the Bushkill Valley MC at Freemansburg, PA on September 12.

Results
U/L: 1. Shawn Farnsworth (H-D); 2. Alex Benner (Hon); 3. Jay Sallstrom (Yam); 4. Ryan Thibault (Hon); 5. Matt Luna (Kaw).

Xtreme: 1. Nate Redmann (Yam); 2. Alex Benner (Hon); 3. Ryan Thibault (Hon); 4. Phil Libhart (Tri); 5. Robby DeBusk (Yam).

Pro Spt: 1. John Koester (Suz); 2. Ian Lau (Hon); 3. Josh Lingle (Yam); 4. Scott Hoke (Suz); 5. John Mosko (Hon).

Verti-Cross: 1. Ryan Thibault (Hon); 2. Vinny Nuzzolilli (Hon); 3. Colby McCutcheon (Hon).

Owner and fabricator Charlie Benton has set out to chase a couple of 40-year-old land speed records with the help of 2009 650 twin record holder James Rispoli. Benton, who is a veteran tuner, relies on his experience and knowledge that dates back to the glory days of NASCAR.  Benton continues to use the same competitive spirit when working in his own Southport, NC race facility.

In 2007, Benton built and tuned the race bikes for the Pair of Nines Moto-ST race team of Hall of Famers Gary Nixon, Jay Springsteen and Jimmy Filice. On March 2, 2008 Benton’s team of Rispoli and Cobb took home first place gold at the legendary Daytona speedway winning the Daytona 300 Moto/ST. In 2009, his first time on the Salt Flats, Benton and rider James Rispoli set a new AMA Land speed record in the 650 twin class. In 2010’ Benton has set his sights the 750 twin land speed record that have been standing since 1969 and 1974 in the open bike classes and the streamliner class respectively. To attack the records Benton has again chosen pro road racer and flat tracker James Rispoli.

“I am so excited to be going back to Bonneville after some records that have been standing for better than 40 years,” said Benton. “We spent time in the wind tunnel after last years record breaking and learned a lot.  I built a new 750 cc class twin on a modified chassis and we think we have a great shot a new record. I’m confident James will do his job and now with some experience under the team’s belt, we are better prepared than ever.”

Rispoli said, “To have this opportunity again with Charlie this year is even more special than last years Bonneville run.  Charlie has built a crazy fast 750 motor and I can’t wait to ease it down the measured mile in hopes of capturing a world record.  Last year was incredible, but this year should be the best.  My mechanic Dustin will join me in support of our efforts and it will be a great experience for all of us again.”

Cycle Dynamics will be on the salt August 30th – September 1st.

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd is delighted to announce that current Yamaha Tech 3 rider Ben Spies will move to the Factory Team for the 2011 MotoGP season.

Lin Jarvis, Ben Spies and Herve Poncharal at Indy

The 26-year-old American, who won the World Superbike Championship with Yamaha in 2009, is enjoying an impressive first season in MotoGP. He is currently the leading rookie and the top satellite rider, lying seventh in the championship.

“We’re delighted that Ben will join the Factory Team for next season,” said Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing. “Ben has shown great promise in his first ten MotoGP races. He has learnt rapidly and recorded strong results, including a well-deserved podium finish at Silverstone – impressive for someone in their first full season.

“We believe that Ben will be a future title contender and that he will be a good fit with our team. His mission next year will be to continue learning, consistently challenge for podium places and try to win some races. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Herve Poncharal and the Tech 3 Team for taking care of Ben this season and for giving him such good training for the years ahead. I hope that he will repay them by getting some more podium results in the second half of this season and helping them to secure top satellite team status at the end of this year.”

Spies added “My first year in MotoGP has been a great learning curve and for that I have to thank Herve Poncharal, all the team at Tech 3 and especially my American mechanics who have stuck by me throughout this great journey so far. Having previously been to only four of the ten tracks to date, I have to be pleased with where I am and with having achieved my first podium so soon. I’m especially pleased that Yamaha have recognized the potential in me and given me the opportunity to step up to the Factory Team so early in my GP career. I believe that by working closely with the Yamaha staff and my mechanics we will be able to help develop the M1 and make the next step of challenging for regular podiums, followed by future championships.”

Jordan Szoke uncrated his new Raga Gas-Gas 300 just one short week before Rounds #2 and #3 of the Canadian Motorcycle Association Observed Trials Championship held in Tweed and Arden, just a few kilometers from Belleville ON.  At the end of the two day event, a new CMA Trials Champion was crowned.  Szoke once again, attempted to become the slowest man in Canada on a motorcycle and follow up his 2009 CMA Trials Championship.

Jordan Szoke, photo courtesy of u-vu.ca

The backyard of Dave Cordy in Tweed ON hosted Round 2.  The last time an event was held at this location it was a prestigious World Event.  The organizers carefully laid out a 10 section four-loop competition for the Nationals.  The CMA competitors adjusted to what seems to be the norm in Trials competitions – a small amount of moisture decorating the sections.  Around noon on Saturday, Szoke strapped on his Shoei and starts out on his new Raga Gas-Gas for his first loop.  In Trials competitions the goal is to achieve the lowest score by keeping your feet off the ground and yourself on the motorcycle, while negotiating through a series of sections placed within a loop.  Szoke scored most of his points in the first and second loop as he familiarized himself with the proper lines, finishing the day in third and giving him one small point lead in the championship.  When asked about his third place finish, Szoke replied, “I was riding really well today and I love my new motorcycle; although unfortunately we had some mechanical problems kept us out of it today.  Tomorrow doesn’t come soon enough”

Large staircases and huge rock walls welcomed the Expert CMA competitors Sunday morning at the 400-acre home of Dave Southam in Arden, ON.  “This area is just awesome.” says Szoke “It’s really tough, but that’s just the way I like it. ”  10 modern, carefully laid out sections in a three-loop event was all that stood between Szoke and his second CMA National Trials Championship in two years.  A spectacular ride in section five of the second loop, Szoke was leading the event just a few points ahead of his closest competitor, Will Duggan of Victoria, BC.   “That was the ride of my life.” says Jordan.  Szoke collected a few extra points in the third loop and finished the event in second place, enough to earn him another CMA National Trials Championship for the second consecutive year.  Second was Jordan’s good friend Jonathan English, and Will Duggan earned third place in the three round championship.

“What an amazing year for us.” says Jordan “To earn not only a perfect season and a National Championship in Superbike, a National Championship in Sportbike and to follow it up with another National Trials Championship is just a dream come true.”

What is Observed trials?