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.

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).

2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion and current Rockwall Yamaha road racer J.D. Beach is no stranger to the dirt.  He began his flat track career at the ripe old age of four and has his fair share of race wins on the oval to go with those on the tarmac. For 2010, Beach will add three more flat track events to his race calendar.

J.D. Beach on his way to winning Supersport race 1 at VIR. Photo courtesy of Dan Lo, Corner Speed Photo.

Beach has already competed in four AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship events this year with wins at the new Daytona flat track and the Springfield TT.  In addition to his successful Flat Track activities, Beach recently clinched the AMA Pro SuperSport Young Gun East Divisional Championship by winning for the seventh time in 2010.

Beach will compete in the Pro Singles class at the Peoria TT on Sunday, August 22 and the Indy Mile on Saturday, August 28.  Beach won both of these races in 2009 and is looking forward to his return.  The next big step will be the move from Pro Singles to Expert at the GNC event at the Springfield Short Track and Mile on Labor Day Weekend, September 4-5.

“I would like to win Peoria and especially Indy in the Pro Singles,” said Beach “My goal at the Mile in Springfield is to make the main event and try to finish in the top ten, although a podium would be great.”

Along with 2009 AMA Pro Twins National Champion Jared Mees, Beach will be riding the Rogers-Lake-prepared XR750 Harley-Davidson at Springfield.

Sunday’s AMA Pro Road Racing finals at the 2.25-mile Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va. to close out the the Suzuki White Lightning AMA Pro Nationals Presented by Foremost Insurance event weekend provided redemption for a couple of riders and also brought a divisional championship to another very deserving rider.

SuperBike points leader Josh Hayes reasserted himself at the top of the tables in every way. After what was for him a disappointing third-place result in Saturday’s race, where his main championship rival Tommy Hayden took a well-measured victory, Hayes came back to dominate the 23-lap Superbike race 2.

Josh Hayes celebrates after Sunday's Superbike race 2 win

“I just feel like I woke up, I didn’t like to get beat yesterday,” said Hayes.  “Somewhere along the way I feel like I kind of got lost a little bit, just in my riding.  I wasn’t riding my full potential and I was still capable of racing for the wins.  I think our motorcycle has a lot to do with that, we have a really good motorcycle.  I was just thinking about, what was my mindset last year?  I was racing myself a lot more last year.  These guys ride great, but I put an awful lot of pressure on myself to perform, so that’s what I tried to get back to this morning and today’s race was a race against myself.”

Hayes led every lap on his way to a series high fifth win in the SuperBike class.  Pole position winner Ben Bostrom duplicated his second place from yesterday to round out a solid weekend.

Tommy Hayden battled first with Hayes and then fought Bostrom for second before he finished third to stay close to Hayes in the points chase. Hayden is only 11 points adrift of Hayes with two double header race weekends to go.

“I felt pretty good about stepping up and going faster than I had all weekend there for the first five or six laps,” said Hayden.  “But in the end we didn’t have the pace to go that fast, or cooked the tire a little bit and couldn’t keep up.  That’s the biggest part of it really, we just weren’t fast enough.”

Riding to fourth place was Jordan Suzuki rookie Brett McCormick who easily had the best race of his season in relief of injured teammate Aaron Yates.  Yates did make an appearance at VIR this weekend and quickly showed his mettle with an excellent qualifying effort, but he decided not to race until he was fully confident that he was in race distance shape after his lengthy lay off.

Another rider having a good day was Taylor Knapp who rode to a fifth place-finish after dueling with Jake Zemke and Erik Buell Racing’s Geoff May. Chris Ulrich also ran well today and took seventh aboard his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki.  Zemke ran in fifth place in the early stages of the race but fell to eighth after battling hard to hold onto every position.

Larry Pegram fell from sixth at the start down to 15th on lap two but made his way back to ninth at the flag. Canadian Superbike Champion Jordan Szoke made his second AMA Pro SuperBike appearance of the year after racing at Mid-Ohio and impressed once again with a tenth place finish after a battle with Shane Narbone.

Daytona SportBike

In the Daytona SportBike class, Josh Herrin was able to bounce back from the disappointment of Saturday’s race that ended for him almost as soon as it started.

Read more…

Saturday saw three thrilling AMA Pro Road Racing races at the 2.25-mile Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., in the opening day of competition for the Suzuki White Lightning AMA Pro Nationals presented by Foremost Insurance.  One was a runaway, one was a photo finish and the last was almost as close as the second one.

In the National Guard SuperBike race, it was Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Tommy Hayden who took his fourth AMA Pro SuperBike win of the season by 0.005 of a second over pole position winner Ben Bostrom.  Bostrom led on his Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha coming down to the line but in a mighty move, Hayden pulled out and crossed the line inches ahead of Bostrom.  The fun wasn’t over for Hayden who, in his successful attempt to win the race, was out of position at that very high speed part of the track, and he used all of his considerable skills to wrestle his Suzuki under control after he found himself running wide off the track onto the grass.  He brought it back under control and took a critical victory in his pursuit of Josh Hayes and his Team Graves Yamaha team.

John Hopkins walks back to the paddock after crashing out of Superbike race 1 on Saturday

“We started coming to the finish and I had huge momentum when I pulled out,” Hayden commented on his pass for the win.  “The way I was pointing too, when I pulled out, I never even got pointed towards turn one I don’t think.  I started leaning a little and I just had the biggest front slide I think you can have without crashing.  I pretty much thought I was down and somehow I just stayed in the throttle and steered it back up and pointed out in the grass and hoped there was nothing out there I couldn’t see, any ditches or nothing coming up and just tried to ride it out.  It feels good, I really feel like I needed this one today.”

Hayes, by virtue of leading the most laps in today’s race, has a one point lead over Hayden in their close battle for the National Guard SuperBike Championship.  Hayes had led early in the race after taking the lead from a fast starting Hayden. Hayes took the lead on lap four and led until lap 10 when Ben Bostrom asserted himself into the mix by grabbing the lead from Hayes in turn one.  Hayes responded and took the lead right back the next lap and he led for the next nine laps until Bostrom moved ahead on lap 21 which enabled Hayden to get by Hayes as well. Bostrom led as the last lap began but Hayden made a big late braking move into turn one and took the lead but Bostrom was able to fight right back and retook the lead two corners later and looked a likely winner until Hayden made his great move heading down to the flag to take the win.

Behind the riveting battle for the win, Larry Pegram finished fourth after dueling with Jake Zemke, Zemke’s Jordan Suzuki teammate Brett McCormick, Taylor Knapp and a front-row starting Eric Bostrom.  Knapp eventually finished fifth ahead of McCormick, Bostrom and Zemke.

John Hopkins made his return to the series today, and he rode his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki extremely well, running in a solid fourth place for most of the race until he went down in turn four near the end of the race.  Another rider making a comeback this weekend was Jordan Suzuki rider Aaron Yates, and he qualified on the outside of the second row; however, Yates elected not to start the race. His recovery is going well, but he wasn’t absolutely sure he would bring his best to the race, which was run in very hot and humid conditions.  Overall, it was another exciting race in a season that has seen five different winners in SuperBike.

Daytona SportBike Photo Finish

The AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL race was even more exciting and came down to an even closer finish.  After seeing Danny Eslick take the pole position, Eslick was joined on the front row by his championship rival Josh Herrin along with six-time 2010 Daytona SportBike winner Martin Cardenas and Tommy Aquino.

Read more…

Aaron Yates, injured in March during a warm-up-lap crash at Auto Club Speedway, will make his return to the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Series at this weekend’s Suzuki White Lightning AMA Pro Nationals Presented by Foremost Insurance at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.  Yates will practice his #23 Jordan Suzuki and make a further evaluation if he will race after that.  Brett McCormick, Aaron’s teammate who has been riding the second Jordan Suzuki in Yates’ absence will also compete along with National Guard Suzuki Jordan rider Jake Zemke.

“I’m excited about riding again,” said Yates. “And really looking forward to getting back out there.”

Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Blake Young will not be riding this weekend at VIR. Young continues his recovery from injuries suffered in a testing accident at Barber Motorsports Park.  Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s team manager Peter Doyle is hopeful that Blake will be able to return to racing soon but isn’t putting a date on Young’s comeback.

“I think it’s one of those injuries that you just have to let heal in its own time,” Doyle said. “We want Blake back 100 percent healthy so we can go out there and try to win some races full force. We’ll just have to take it a day at a time.”

The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series will also compete this weekend.  Danny Eslick and Jake Holden will again lead the field of Harley-Davidson XR1200s in the series’ third race of the season. Eslick, winner of the first two races, and his teammate Holden, will be back aboard their RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing XR1200s with support from GEICO Powersports and Lucas Oil.

Joining them on the grid will be the Wyman brothers, Travis and Kyle.  Kyle will be on another RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing XR1200 and Travis will be on the Harv’s Harley-Davidson Racing machine.  Eric Stump will be back on the AbsoluteCycle.com XR1200 and Paul James will be returning on the James Gang Hoban Brothers Racing XR1200 with support from Harley-Davidson of Appleton.  Matthew Heidel makes his series debut on the Shar-Tuff Uniforms Harley-Davidson and Mark Cernicky joins the series on the Hog Racing XR1200.  Practice and qualifying will be on Saturday, August 14th and the 18 lap race will be on Sunday, August 15th.

The close-fought AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Championship battle will be rejoined at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, VA this weekend, August 13-15, 2010.  The 2.25 mile, 18-turn road course will be the site of the Suzuki White Lightning AMA Pro Nationals Presented by Foremost Insurance where championship contenders Josh Hayes, Tommy Hayden, Jake Zemke and Larry Pegram will take to the track for the doubleheader race weekend.

Leading the charge will be four-time 2010 race winner Josh Hayes on his Team Graves Yamaha.  Hayes won both ends of the doubleheader at VIR in 2009 and is coming off a close second-place finish at the recent Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca round.  Hayes has notched up wins at Infineon Raceway, Road America and Mid-Ohio, and he is excited about returning to the track where he ran so well last year.  “I like my chances at VIR, I won there last year and with the way my Yamaha is running this year, I feel pretty good about the upcoming weekend.”

Right on Hayes’ tail is Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Tommy Hayden.  Hayden took his first-ever AMA Pro Superbike win earlier this year at Auto Club Speedway and he added two more wins to his growing career total, one at Road America and another at Mid-Ohio.  In the case of the last two wins, Hayden was able to match Hayes’ victories at Road America and Mid-Ohio, preventing Hayes from extending his slim points lead. Right now, the difference is only nine points, 311 for Hayes and 302 for Hayden.

After winning the first two races of the 2010 season, Jake Zemke has consistently added to his points total with a series of strong results.  Zemke took second place at Auto Club Speedway and added a pair of third-place finishes, three fourth-place finishes, a fifth and four sixth-place finishes to keep his National Guard Jordan Suzuki in the thick of the championship fight.  Zemke started on the front row and finished fourth at VIR last year when he ran in the Daytona Sportbike class.  Now he is a force to be reckoned with every time the Superbikes take to the track.

Another rider with a victory this year is Foremost Insurance Ducati rider Larry Pegram who took a popular win at Auto Club Speedway earlier this year.  And Pegram was leading in the second race when he suffered an unfortunate fall while headed for what could have been a weekend sweep of the Auto Club Speedway races.  After a couple of results that didn’t meet his expectations, Pegram got back on track when he returned to California with two strong third-place finishes at Infineon Raceway and then he took a couple of fourth place finishes at Road America followed by a fourth and a third place finish at his home track in Ohio. At the most recent race, Pegram rode another typically solid race to fourth place at Laguna Seca.  Pegram’s longtime sponsor Foremost Insurance is the Presenting Sponsor at this weekend’s VIR event and you can count on Pegram racing in his usual determined manner with his unique and popular Foremost Insurance Ducati.

Due to his steadily improving form, which culminated with a win at the most recent race at Laguna Seca, Ben Bostrom and the new Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha team have put themselves into the championship frame.  Bostrom, the 2009 Daytona 200 race winner and the brother of Eric Bostrom, will be ready to resume his steady march to the front after strong showings at Infineon (two seconds), a second and a fourth at Mid-Ohio and his win at Laguna.  Bostrom had surgery on his left thumb after Laguna, but he doesn’t anticipate any problems this weekend.

Two riders making welcome returns to the AMA Pro National Guard Superbike series this weekend at VIR are M4 Monster Energy Suzuki rider John Hopkins and Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Blake Young.  Hopkins underwent surgery earlier this year and is back for his first race since Road Atlanta in April.  Hopkins has been ably represented by Jake Holden who posted a number of good results while substituting on the GSX-R1000.  Young took his first two Superbike wins this year at Road Atlanta.  That was a special weekend for Young as he took pole position and won both races on the demanding Georgia track.  Young was at the recent race at Laguna and was raring to get back on his lightning fast Suzuki.

Seventh and eighth in the AMA Pro SuperBike points this year are two riders that are having nice solid years and are both quietly riding well and showing excellent form.  M4 Monster Energy Suzuki rider Chris Ulrich has put together a very solid year.  Ulrich has shown excellent consistency and has posted a solid run of results with only one finish outside the top ten until the last race at Laguna Seca where he uncharacteristically went out after two laps.  Ulrich is seventh in points with 150.  Right behind Ulrich in the points with 141 is Taylor Knapp on his RidersDiscount.com Suzuki.  Knapp and his close knit team have done a nice, steady job and Knapp has responded by taking seven finishes of tenth or better.

The action at the Suzuki White Lightning AMA Pro Nationals Presented by Foremost Insurance begins on Friday, August 13th with practice and first round qualifying. Round one of the doubleheader race weekend will be on Saturday, August 14th and more races including the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 race will be on Sunday, August 15th. Check all the weekend activities at the beautiful Virginia International Raceway including the popular Pit Lane Fan Walk and AMA Pro Autograph sessions as well as the Second Annual MRO VIR Food Drive to Benefit God’s Storehouse in Danville, VA.  For more info contact gracingfuelministry@yahoo.com. God’s Storehouse can be contacted via their website godsstorehouse.org or by calling 434-793-3663. Motor Racing Outreach’s website is go2mro.com.  Please visit www.virclub.com for ticket and event information and www.amaproracing.com for series information.

The AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship rolled into Maryland’s Hagerstown Speedway this past weekend, and series points leader Joe Kopp was determined to have a better night after a brutal get off on the west coast.

“It’s not like I was broke in half or anything, but I’m still pretty sore,” said Kopp. “This was a great race. It was a lot of fun dueling with Kenny (Coolbeth), we went back and forth for a long time.”

It was a lot more fun for Kopp as he pulled to nearly a one-second lead over Kenny Coolbeth. The two former Grand National Champions and former teammates kept the large crowd entertained after a couple of aborted starts.

The first attempt to get the 25-lap National under way only lasted to the first turn, where Jake Johnson crashed right in front of the pack.  Johnny Lewis and Mick Kirkness were collected in the mess. All three riders would make the restart, however Johnson was on his backup Harley-Davidson.

The next try lasted two laps before last week’s winner and this week’s fast qualifier Stevie Bonsey fell in turn three. Bonsey was uninjured, but unable to make the restart.

Coolbeth had gotten the hole shot every time, and the third time was no different. Kopp was close behind and looking for any kind of space to make a move.  Rob Pearson was having a great ride in third until the 10th lap, when defending Twins Champion Jared Mees pushed his Harley-Davidson onto the podium. Coolbeth and Kopp exchanged the lead at the line three times, but there was passing going on all around the track. Kopp finally took over for good on lap 20. Pearson’s fourth place came into jeopardy late in the race as Sammy Halbert and Bryan Smith closed to within a half second, but that would be the finish order. Johnson regrouped to finish a strong seventh over Henry Wiles, Kirkness and Brandon Robinson.

Earlier in the night, the all-important Dash for Cash ($1,000 and five points) had gone to Jared Mees in a wire-to-wire win. Kopp was second and Johnson third.

In the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Grand National Championship, points leader Jeffery Carver solidified his lead with a come-from-behind win. Early leader James Rispoli would have to settle for second.

Defending Series Champion, Brad Baker was a distant third, barely holding off his traveling buddy Mike Avila. Carver now holds a 31-point lead over Baker.

Hagerstown Speedway, Hagerstown, Maryland
RESULTS: August 7, 2010

GNT DASH FOR CASH (4 laps; 6 riders):
1. Jared Mees (H-D); 2. Joe Kopp (H-D); 3. Jake Johnson (H-D); 4. Sammy Halbert (H-D); 5. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 6. Henry Wiles (H-D).

AMA PRO MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM PRO SINGLES MAIN (12 laps; 18 riders):
1. Jeffery Carver (Yam); 2. James Rispoli (Hon); 3. Brad Baker (Hon); 4. Mike Avila (Hon); 5. Jake Shoemaker (Suz); 6. Brian Vincent (Hon); 7. Wyatt Maguire (Yam); 8. Chaz Springsteen (Kaw); 9. Asa Irish (Hon); 10. William Cato (Hon); 11. Eric Stump (Hon); 12. Mike Martin (Hon); 13. Adam Bushman (Hon); 14. Jason Isennock (Hon); 15. Mike LaBelle (Hon); 16. Shayna Texter (Hon); 17. Austin Greenland (Hon); 18. Brian Tapp (Hon).
Time: 10:27.557 (RED FLAG).

AMA PRO MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM PRO SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS (After 10 0f 18 rounds):
1. Jeffery carver (195 pts / 4 wins); 2, Brad Baker (164 / 3 wins); 3. James Rispoli (134); 4. Mike Avila (119); 5. Mike Martin (91); 6. Mike LaBelle (85); 7. Chaz Springsteen (79); 8. JD Beach (72); 9. Jake Shoemaker (52); 10. (TIE) Wyatt Maguire / Gerit Callies (42); 12. Michael Toon (38 / 1 win); 13. Jeremy Hamilton (37); 14. Zakk Palmer (36); 15. Shayna Texter (35); 16. Brandon Laursen (33); 17. Stephen Vanderkuur (31); 18. John Long (30); 19. Tyler O’Hara (29); 20. Brian Vincent (28).

AMA PRO K&N GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED by MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM MAIN (25 laps; 18 riders):
1. Joe Kopp (H-D); 2. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 3. Jared Mees (H-D); 4. Rob Pearson (H-D); 5. Sammy Halbert (H-D); 6. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 7. Jake Johnson (H-D); 8. Henry Wiles (H-D); 9. Mick Kirkness (H-D); 10. Brandon Robinson (H-D); 11. Doug Lawrence (H-D); 12. Chris Carr (H-D); 13. Adam Carpinello (H-D); 14. Matt Weidman (H-D); 15. Chad Cose (Suz); 16. Lucas Scherb (H-D); 17. Johnny Lewis (Kaw); 18. Stevie Bonsey (H-D);.
Time: 19:12.704 (RED FLAG).

AMA PRO K&N GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED by MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM POINT STANDINGS (After 10 of 18 rounds):
1. Joe Kopp (193 pts / 3 wins); 2. (TIE) Jake Johnson (2 wins) / Sammy Halbert (1 win) (175); 4. Jared Mees (164); 5. Henry Wiles (160 / 3 wins); 6. Kenny Coolbeth (152); 7. Chris Carr (102); 8. Bryan Smith (93); 9. Rob Pearson (77); 10. Johnny Lewis (67); 11. Matt Weidman (64); 12. Mick Kirkness (63); 13. Jethro Halbert (57); 14. Stevie Bonsey (45 / 1 win); 15. Brandon Robinson (35); 16. JR Schnabel (28); 17. Luke Gough (26) 18. Chad Cose (21); 19. (TIE) PJ Jacobsen / Brandan Bergen (19).

The Second-Annual Motor Racing Outreach VIR Food Drive to benefit God’s Storehouse in Danville, Va. will be taking place at the Suzuki White Lightning AMA Pro Superbike Nationals, to be held August 13 – 15, 2010 at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.

As last season, the food drive will be held on both the WERA and AMA Pro weekends, August 6 – 8 and 13 – 15, 2010, respectively. Riders, teams, fans, officials and everyone who attends are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Storehouse. Last year, the combined weekends raised more than 400 pounds of food that were distributed to the needy in the Danville, Va. area.

There will be marked gray bins throughout the paddock and vendor areas for donations to be dropped off. Any AMA Pro teams that have unopened food left over on Sunday are asked to request a bin, and MRO Chaplain Tim Burleson will see to it that you have one so your leftover food can be donated.

For more information, contact Chaplain Tim at gracingfuelministry@yahoo.com.

Suzuki White Lightning AMA Pro Nationals presented by Foremost Insurance
Virginia International Raceway, Alton, VA
August 13-15, 2010

Thursday, August 12
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Move-In & Set-Up, Big Rig Transporters Only
Noon – 5 p.m. Move-In & Set-Up, All Transporters/Service Providers
3 p.m. Pit Lane Assignments

Friday, August 13
10 a.m. Mandatory Riders, Entrants & Crew Chiefs Meeting
10:30 – 10:50 a.m. Track Inspection
11 a.m. Top Gun Post Entry Closed
11 a.m. – Noon Lunch Break (National Guard Two-Up Rides)
Noon – 12:50 p.m. Practice 50 min Daytona SportBike
1 – 1:50 p.m. Practice 50 min American SuperBike
2 – 2:40 p.m. Practice 40 min SuperSport
2:50 – 3:30 p.m. Qualifying 1 40 min Daytona SportBike
3:40 – 4:20 p.m. Qualifying 1 40 min American SuperBike
4:30 – 5:10 p.m. Qualifying 1 40 min SuperSport
5:15 – 5:45 p.m. Practice 30 min TTXGP

Saturday, August 14
7:20 – 7:50 a.m. Track Inspection
8 – 8:30 a.m. Qualifying 2 30 min SuperSport 8:40 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. Qualifying 2 40 min Daytona SportBike
9:30 – 10:10 a.m. Qualifying 2 40 min American SuperBike
10:20 – 10:50 a.m. Practice 30 min XR1200
10:50 a.m. – Noon Lunch Break (Fan Lap/National Guard Two-Up’s/Stunt Show)
Noon – 12:45 p.m. Fan Walk – All Classes, Hot Pit Lane / Ceremonies
1 p.m. SuperSport Race 1 18 Laps – 40 Mi/65 Km
2 p.m. Daytona SportBike Race 1 23 Laps – 50 Mi/80 Km
3:15 p.m. American SuperBike Race 1 23 Laps – 50 Mi/80 Km
4:15 – 5 p.m. Qualifying 45 min XR1200
5:05 – 5:35 p.m. Qualifying 30 min TTXGP

Sunday, August 15
7:20 – 7:50 a.m. Track Inspection
8 – 8:20 a.m. Warm-Up 20 min TTXGP
8:30 – 8:50 a.m. Warm–Up 20 min SuperSport
9 – 9:20 a.m. Warm–Up 20 min Daytona SportBike
9:30 – 9:50 a.m. Warm–Up 20 min American SuperBike
10 – 10:20 a.m. Warm–Up 20 min XR1200
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Lunch Break (National Guard Two-Up Rides/Fan Lap)
10:50 – 11:30 a.m. Autograph Session – ASB, DSB, SS Mandatory
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Fan Walk – All Classes, Hot Pit Lane / Ceremonies
12:30 p.m. SuperSport Race 2 18 Laps – 40 Mi/65 Km
1:30 p.m. Daytona SportBike Race 2 23 Laps – 50 Mi/80 Km
2:45 p.m. American SuperBike Race 2 23 Laps – 50 Mi/80 Km
3:45 p.m. XR1200 Race 18 Laps – 40 Mi/65 Km
4:15 p.m. TTXGP Race 11 Laps – 25 Mi/40 Km

Course Length – 2.25 Mi (3.62 Km)