Motourage

The U.S. will now be represented in the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship as CN Racing have confirmed AMA Pro Racing rider Taylor Knapp will line up on the grid for them beginning this weekend at Silverstone. 

Knapp will ride CN Racing’s Kawasaki ZX10R, and the 23-year-old rider from Michigan is relishing the new challenge. He currently lies eighth in the Daytona SportBike rider standings and is a top-ten Daytona 200 finisher.

CN Racing Team Manager Julia Taylor said: “CN Racing is thrilled to be fielding Taylor, it’s a big change for us form 125′s but we are ready for the challenge. We would like to thank Mark Junge and American Suzuki for their blessing in letting Taylor compete at these events for CN.”

The signing of Knapp marks CN Racing’s move from the Sunoco GP125 Class – where they began the season – to the Superstock 1000 class.

By now everyone has heard (and many opinions have been voiced) about AMA Pro Racing cancelling the Suzuki White Lightning Nationals at VIRginia International Raceway. Motourage has made the call to fans to head to Alton anyway that weekend to support local businesses, and now VIR has filled the vacancy with an exciting weekend for race fans and wannabe racers . VIRginia International Raceway will present a full three-day schedule of two-wheeled action, with the Northeast Sportbike Association (NESBA) on the North Course and the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) competing on the South Course.

NESBA, the Northeast Sportbike Association, is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization, formed in 1996 by sportbike enthusiasts and former racers who understand and appreciate the difference between riding fast and riding well. Its purpose is to get sportbikers on the track – where they can ride to their fullest potential without the limitations, distractions and hazards of the street. The program operates on the premise “Ride Fast, Ride Safe” and the belief that riders can and should do both – in a structured environment, without the free-for-all mentality of the street or the dogfight mentality of racing. With close to 200 track days this year, NESBA is the largest single sportbike track day organization in the country. Whether you’re a street rider or a racer, NESBA can help you become a more experienced, more skilled, more confident sportbiker. Grab your helmet and let’s ride! For more information, visit www.nesba.com.

AHRMA – If you are crazy about old competition motorcycles – whether road racers, flat trackers, motocrossers, trials iron or woods bikes – then you have certainly come to the right place. That’s what the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association is all about, Fun on Old Wheels. AHRMA is a celebration of the competition motorcycles of yesterday, as well as the legendary riders who made history aboard these machines. Where possible, AHRMA rounds out this historic experience by recreating the types of race courses these machines were used on. In particular, motocross tracks and observed trials sections both have changed dramatically since these motorcycles were new, but AHRMA steps back to the way it was “back then.” We make sure racing takes place in an environment that is safe, fair and friendly. AHRMA is the largest vintage-racing group in North America and quite possibly the biggest in the world. Our roots extend back to efforts to organize vintage road racing during the late 1970s in the Northeast. For additional information visit our website: www.ahrma.org.

Despite fierce competition at Michigan’s I-96 Speedway on Saturday, the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track field could not stop an assault by Jared Mees. Though Mees’ race start left something to be desired, the home-state hero almost immediately began picking off riders, working his way up from fifth to take a big win in Lake Odessa that narrowed championship-leader Sammy Halbert’s lead to a fragile three points.

Jared Mees

Round 11 of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship rolled out under cloudy, overcast conditions, but by race time the skies had cleared and temperatures soared at the half-mile venue. Rookie sensation Brad Baker – who’d earned fast qualifier honors and won the first heat – nailed the start of the main, only to see Bryan Smith muscle his way into the lead.

Mees, meanwhile, had suffered a poor start that relegated him to fifth at the end of the first lap, but he soon began methodically working his way to the front and was challenging Smith by lap three. “Bryan slipped a little high,” said Mees after podium ceremonies, “and I was able to get inside. As soon as I got to the front, I knew I could win this.”

As Mees proceeded to dominate the rest of the race, opening his lead to more than a second and a half over Smith, defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson worked to keep his Harley right on Smith’s rear tire. Johnson was unable to make any inroads on Smith’s second position, however, while Halbert was stymied even farther back, forced to be satisfied with the fourth-place spot he took over on lap six.

Chris Carr, Matt Weidman and Jeff Carver did everything they could to make life difficult for Halbert, while three-time Lake Odessa winner Kenny Coolbeth finished a lonely eighth. Baker and Brandon Robinson filled out the top ten.

Mees’ significant victory has jumbled and tightened the points race. Halbert’s fourth-place finish gives him only three points’ worth of breathing room over Mees, who’s leapfrogged over Johnson into second. Johnson, however, lurks a mere six points behind.

It was another no-holds-barred performance by the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles field in the class’ main event, for which Michigan’s Stephen Vanderkuur took the early lead. He almost immediately ran into trouble, however, and was forced to pull out after only four laps – an occurrence Mikey Martin took full advantage of.

Another Michigan native, Chaz Springsteen, was soon in hot pursuit, but like Vanderkuur, Springsteen’s night was over all too soon, as his Honda coasted to a stop after ten laps. Martin stretched his lead to more than four seconds over Conner Anderson and Jake Shoemaker, while Mike LaBelle held off John Long and Jason Isennock for fourth.

Martin’s back-to-back wins have earned the young Californian to a ten-point lead in Pro Singles point standings. In the first part of the season, it appeared the title would be decided between Mikey Avila and Gerit Callies, but Martin’s strong showings in the last handful of races have significantly changed the championship picture as the series moves into its second half.

The AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship will next be in action at Sacramento, California’s legendary Sacramento Mile, July 30 at the Cal Expo Fair. For tickets and information, visit www.sacramentoflattrack.com or call 916-263-3049. To be a part of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship, visit www.amaproracing.com and join us on facebook.com/AMAProFlatTrackSeries and twitter.com/AMAProFlatTrack.

To the road racing crowd, James Rispoli may be one of the newer faces, but the 20 year old has been putting in his time since long before he took to the asphalt under the AMA banner. The accomplished flat tracker and land speed racer knows what he’s doing behind a set of handlebars, but he has also been a very successful marketer. James “the Rocket” Rispoli – as a Brand – should be an example to other racers, at any level. The Rispolis and their marketing team have demonstrated time and again that there’s more to racing than what goes on at the track. They use positive, effective marketing to reach fans as well as potential sponsors. A note to other riders and teams: Pay attention; this is how it’s done.

The Rocket marketing machine is at it again. This time with partner Maverick Moto Media, the Philadelphia-based social media, marketing and advertising shop run by Lance Lau. They’re in the process of launching a social media platform to connect fans, riders and sponsors; a connection that has been seriously lacking in American pro racing.

From a Maverick Moto Media/James Rispoli press release:

AMA Pro Motorcycle-SuperStore.com SuperSport rider James “the Rocket” Rispoli announces the release of a new social media program in coordination with social media partner Maverick Moto Media. The ANT Racing Motorsports sponsored rider envisioned a multi-platform media center that encourages conversation and engagement by attracting the market demographic that supports action sports and everything the motorcycle life-style has to offer.

“This is the start of a new chapter in my program that I am very excited about” stated James. We have all used multi-media for a long time to get our message out to the market, but in today’s fast pace world we have to innovate and keep moving forward.”

Information exchange and collaboration makes using social media for marketing not only the future it will become the life-style in which we communicate worldwide before we know it.

“I’m really pumped about the program and want to learn, partner and embrace all the technology has to offer. I want to accelerate building my brand and the brands I represent in the sport.  I can easily see that now more than ever my efforts both on and off the track will benefit my sponsors and fans when working together.  I’m excited to ride, race and measure our success by winning in social media just as I win on the track.  The future promises to be so much FUN.”

“I am excited to be working with James and the ANT Racing team.” said Lance Lau, owner of Maverick Moto Media.  “I’ve followed James since he began road racing and he has an incredible combination of talent, focus and sportsmanship. James’ youthful excitement for the sport makes him an excellent ambassador for motorcycle market.  I believe we can do a lot together to connect and engage with fans and raise the profile of his brand, team, as well as their sponsors.”

About James “the Rocket” Rispoli:
James is a 20 year old Action Sports Athlete that races motorcycles in AMA Pro Road Race, AMA Pro Flattrack and AMA Landspeed record breaking. James also provides sales and marketing representation for sponsor companies that support him and his team. Please follow James at www.jamesrispoli.com, www.facebook/JamesRispoliRacing.com andwww.twitter/jamesrispoli.com.

About Maverick Moto Media:
Maverick Moto Media is a full service firm providing social media marketing solutions to the powersports industry, led by Lance Lau. With an obsessive, laser-focus on the motorcycle industry and social media, Maverick Moto Media is uniquely situated to help Motorcycle-related manufacturers, retailers, service providers and racers, connect with their customers and fans, strengthen their brands and grow their business.

Maverick Moto Media provides social media marketing services via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & LinkedIn. Additionally MMM provides Image Building & Branding, Website Consultation, SEO, Targeted List Building Strategies, Business and Marketing Coaching, Press Relations & Releases, Editorial Content Generation & Product Photography & Video services. Follow Maverick Moto Media at http://facebook.com/MaverickMotoMedia & http://twitter.com/maverickmmedia

Under bright blue skies, AMA Pro road racers spent Friday warming up for the weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix action at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where they’ll join international MotoGP athletes on the world stage. The SuperBike and SportBike riders turned practice laps at the 11-turn, 2.238-mile racetrack today, while the SuperSport class knocked out practice and the first of two qualifying sessions.

Reigning AMA Superbike champion Josh Hayes

Reigning Superbike champion, Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes, topped the timesheets with a 1:25.362. “It was a standard first practice for us,” said Hayes. “We ran through our usual checklist of tires and parts to see if we could go fast. The session was busy on the track; you could tell there were a number of riders who hadn’t been to this racetrack before.”

SuperBike points leader, Suzuki’s Blake Young, was second, less than three tenths behind the leader, putting him and Hayes alone in riders within the 1:25 frame. “The session went pretty good,” said Young. “It started kind of slow because we made some big changes, but we got back out and started to go to work.”

Blake’s teammate, Tommy Hayden, clocked in third-quickest, with Martin Cardenas and Roger Hayden rounding out the top five.

In Daytona SportBike, three-time 2011 race winner, Ducati’s Jason DiSalvo, grabbed the fast time of 1:29.352 in closing stages of the class’ single on-track session. Danny Eslick, the current championship points leader, slotted in second after topping the time charts for the majority of the session, likewise dipping into the 1:29 range with a 1:29.648. Yamaha’s Josh Herrin was just tenths behind for third-quickest, followed by Celtic Racing/Fast by Ferracci’s P.J. Jacobson and Mid-Ohio Race 1 winner, Dane Westby.

“I was happy to be able to make constant progress with the Latus Ducati,” said DiSalvo. “The bike feels good and it suits this track, and after today, we have a solid direction to pursue for tomorrow.”

As the SuperSport riders wrapped up the day’s action for the large Friday crowd, Benny Solis took the top Q1 spot with a 1:30.802. David Gaviria was second on the charts, leading teammate Tomas Puerta and Discovery Bay resident Elena Myers, while Miller Motorsports Park race-winner Corey Alexander registered the fifth-quickest time.

“I didn’t really get a clear lap,” said Solis before heading home for the day. “I did get one good one, but there was a lot of traffic. I thought I could have been faster, and I know we have more for tomorrow.”

All AMA Pro classes will conclude final qualifying tomorrow, with SuperSport riders kicking off the weekend’s race action with a 3:40 p.m. (PST) contest. The highly anticipated SuperBike and Daytona SportBike races go green on Sunday.

This weekend, the LCR Honda team will double up its efforts at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. LCR’s Toni Elias will be joined by Michael Jordan Motorsports’ Ben Bostrom, who will compete in the MotoGP race as a wild card. Bostrom will also race, as usual, in the AMA Superbike class.

The decision to invite Bostrom, a former World Superbike rider, to compete in MotoGP on one of the Honda RC212Vs is a result of the excellent relationship between the LCR Team and the management of Michael Jordan Motorsports, which is owned by the legendary NBA superstar Michael Jordan. MotoGP is gaining popularity in the United States and the Laguna Seca race is one of two MotoGP stops in the United States this season.

As in 2010 when the LCR Team gave Roger Lee Hayden the opportunity to ride the team’s bike in the MotoGP race after Randy De Puniet fractured his left lower leg at the race in Sachsenring Germany, Lucio and the team´s partners are taking the opportunity to experience another MotoGP race in the United States with a “made in the USA” rider.

Lucio Cecchinello:
“The U.S. GP takes place at one of the most spectacular racetracks in the world. The interest of the American fans of this sport grows more and more from year to year and the spectators are always very enthusiastic. Considering that some of our partners are operating in the American market, we thought that we should organize a special event before the summer break. Because of the great relationship between the LCR team and Michael Jordan Motorsports, we decided to invite one of Laguna Seca’s most successful riders to compete for us in the race: Ben Bostrom. Ben will ride with one of our RCVs as a wild card rider for only one race, while also taking part in the AMA Superbike race for Michael Jordan Motorsports. I’d like to offer many thanks to the Michael Jordan Motorsports team for the great collaboration and the amazing support.”

Ben Bostrom:
“Words can’t express how excited I am to get this amazing opportunity to race on my home track in front of the whole world. I have to thank Michael Jordan Motorsports and American Suzuki for allowing this to happen. The collaboration between Lucio, LCR and the MJM team has been terrific. I’m going to get on the GP bike and put it as close to the front as possible. Then I’m going to hop on my Jordan Suzuki bike and try to create even more magic.”

Received today from VIRginia International Raceway:

“VIR has received a number of inquiries and expressions of disappointment regarding the lack of a 2011 AMA Pro Racing event at VIR. As with any disagreement, there are two sides to every story. We want to make it clear that the decision was not one-sided, as David Atlas’ remarks have implied, and that VIR made numerous proposals to AMA Pro Racing to keep this event on schedule. Due to our 10 year history with this premiere event, we are as disappointed by this outcome as most of those we have heard from.

VIR has worked hard to bring the event to fruition for months. Despite requests by VIR beginning in December 2010, AMA Pro Racing did not deliver its proposed contract for the 2011 event to VIR until early June 2011. Resulting discussions made it apparent that insufficient time remained to negotiate the new terms in the proposed contract and, if agreement were reached, to plan, promote and conduct the event in a professional manner.

In an effort to preserve the date, VIR went to extraordinary lengths to reach an alternative agreement with AMA Pro Racing, which AMA Pro Racing chose to reject. Given these circumstances, we had no choice but to take the date off the calendar and notify the public promptly.”

American Superbike X is a series of candid portraits of the 2010 AMA Pro Racing season by motorsport photographer Dan Lo. The dawn of the post-Mat Mladin/Ben Spies era is documented from the floodlit 69th running of the Daytona 200 to the final rain-drenched laps at Barber Motorsports Park.

Dan Lo: “My main motivation behind making American Superbike X is to help throw a positive spotlight on the AMA Superbike series after its reputation has taken a hit in the last couple of years. It was also the first season after the departure of both Mat Mladin and Ben Spies, so I thought that would be something worth documenting as well. The goal was to create a product that bears closer resemblance to a coffee table book and less like a standard season review or photo annual publication.”

About the author:
Dan Lo began photographing motorsport events in 2008 and has since made the AMA Superbike series his primary focus. He has also provided coverage for World Superbike and MotoGP events.

Visit the website at http://www.americansuperbikex.com/ for purchasing details or email dan@cornerspeedphoto.com.

From a press release issued today by AMA Pro Racing:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (July 11, 2011) – It is with deep regret that AMA Pro Racing is forced to announce VIR’s cancellation of the Suzuki White Lightening Nationals, Round 8 on the AMA Pro Road Racing season calendar. Despite AMA Pro Racing’s efforts to preserve the originally scheduled August 12-14 event, VIR staff notified AMA Pro Racing late Monday, July 11, of its final decision not to host or promote the race weekend.

“AMA Pro Racing has made VIR a part of its season calendar for the past decade,” said AMA Pro Racing COO and Managing Member David Atlas, “and I am gravely disappointed by the impact this will have on our paddock, fans, and other series participants. I assure all of those involved parties that a significant effort was made to negotiate an arrangement that would have preserved the event.”

AMA Pro Racing will refund all event-specific fees paid to AMA Pro Racing by series participants.

The AMA Pro Road Racing Championship was in action this past weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course — its 29th appearance at the historic Ohio facility — where track officials welcomed a banner crowd that witnessed fiercely competitive action in all four classes. AMA Pro Racing looks forward to bringing its talent-packed paddock to fans at upcoming 2011 events, the schedule for which can be viewed at amaproracing.com.

The AMA Pro Road Racing series next heads to Monterey, California’s Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for Round 7 on the calendar. The July 22-24 event will run as part of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix MotoGP World Championship weekend.

–end–

We here at Motourage have been following Australian Superbike racer Jordan (AKA Jordy) Burgess for a few years now, first as a Superstock and Superbike racer in the Australian Superbike Championship and now as a rider with Team ADR Fly Racing Suzuki in the AMA Superbike series.

Although Jordy has only four years as a pro racer under his belt, he’s doing a great job marketing himself. His blog is constantly updated, he posts regularly on his Facebook and Twitter pages and he often shares videos like this one, taken this morning at Laguna Seca. Other racers would benefit by following his example.

Keep an eye out for this 25-year-old up and comer.