Motourage

Like last year, the opening round of the 2011 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship saw a single Suzuki rider sweep the double-header, but where current Daytona SportBike rider Jake Zemke filled that role in 2010, 2011 saw the re-emergence of Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s fully recovered, hard-charging Blake Young.

Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Young

Young, who suffered serious back injuries mid-season via a crash during testing, had made his return felt at 2010′s season-ending race at Barber Motorsports Park, where he won the last National Guard Superbike race of the year. But at Daytona International Speedway, Young confirmed that he wants a piece of this year’s championship just as much as teammate -and 2010 runner-up – Tommy Hayden and defending champ, Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes.

Young’s rivals for the early lead both had solid opening weekends, Hayden going 2-3 and Hayes kicking off the event by taking pole position before finishing 3-2. And while Hayden was clearly less than satisfied with his result, Hayes could at least cheerfully compare it to his less-than-successful 2010 Daytona experience, which left the Graves team with serious work to do to put the Mississippian back on solid ground.

Jordan Motorsports’ all-new lineup used Daytona to indicate they’ll be regular frontrunners this season, with Jordan Suzuki’s Ben Bostrom turning in a pair of top-five finishes while National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Roger Hayden – back from a determined season in World Superbike – proved capable of the same, earning a fifth-place finish in his first AMA Pro race since 2009.

Contenders can also expect trouble from reigning 2010 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion Martin Cardenas, whose Superbike debut aboard M4 Suzuki machinery was good enough to remind watchers of the dangers of underestimating this quiet but fierce rider. Cardenas was at home on the GSX-R1000 in no time, latching on to race leaders and showing impressive speed right out of the gate, going 6-4 on the Daytona race weekend and leaving the speedway in fifth overall.

A pair of BMW S1000RRs also ran well at the season opener, with Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing’s Larry Pegram – who switched from Ducati to BMW machinery over the off-season – looking comfortable inside the top ten and BMW of San Diego’s Jeremy Toye finishing as high as eighth.

The Cycle World/Attack Performance Kawasaki Superbike effort had a tough Daytona weekend, as a second-row qualifying performance was negated by a DNF in Race 1, though rider Eric Bostrom was able to rebound for a respectable eighth-place finish in Race 2. No word yet on whether the project will be able to secure funding for future rounds, but should the Green Team show up at Infineon, trust that Bostrom will be looking for redemption.

Another team to keep an eye on at Infineon will be Amsoil EBR. A best-finish of twelfth fell far short of what it takes to make Erik Buell Racing pilot Geoff May happy, and having spent the down time hard at work, the team will be ready to show at Round 2.

For tickets to the next round of National Guard Superbike action at Infineon Raceway’s West Coast Moto Jam, click here.

Team M4 Monster Energy Suzuki had a mixed Sunday to round out the AMA Pro Road Racing weekend at Infineon Raceway, as the squad picked up two more strong Superbike results but suffered a stinging disappointment in the Daytona Sportbike final.

Martin Cardenas pulled off a win on Saturday, but a DNF in Sunday's Sportbike race leaves him third in points

Coming off Saturday’s thrilling victory, Martin Cardenas had aspirations of pulling off yet another doubleheader sweep aboard his GSX-R600 at Infineon Raceway, but those hopes were dashed early when the Colombian crashed out of the race on the second lap. Martin made contact with another rider and ended up in the dirt. Despite his difficult day, Cardenas leaves Infineon Raceway third in the Daytona SportBike title race with 133 points.

Jake Holden and Chris Ulrich put together similar outings compared with Saturday, the two once again claiming the checkered flag while running in seventh and eighth positions, respectively.

Holden, riding in place of the injured John Hopkins, stuck with the front pack during the contest’s early stages again before accepting a relatively lonely seventh. Ulrich, meanwhile, upped his pace aboard his GSX-R1000 and kept the lead group in sight for an extended period as well before securing his seventh top-ten result of the season.

Ulrich, who retains his seventh-place ranking in the American Superbike championship standings, said, “Today’s race was similar to yesterday’s but our split was better today. I held onto the lead group a lot longer today. We made some small changes to the front and I went faster today than I qualified. It was key to get in a strong first lap and cling onto the lead group and they pulled me into the ’37s and I stayed there as long as I could. I was at my limit and I feel good about my race. It was a big improvement from last year where we could ride at a good pace for half-distance or so where now I’m able to push at the limit for the entire race.
The bike is getting better every week and so am I. Let’s be honest, we struggled at Atlanta, but we got down to business here and went pretty good. We have Road America coming up and I’m looking forward to going there.”

Team M4 Monster Energy Crew Chief Keith Perry remarked, “It seems like in SportBike we’re either going to be on top of the podium or throwing it down, one or the other. Martin is such a competitor and such a hard runner there’s no doubt he’s going to bounce back and be running for the front again at Road America. We’ll just go into the next one and see how it shakes out.
We had very solid Superbike results today,” added Perry. “I know both of them would like to be a couple positions higher than that, but we worked some things out that will allow us to make some progress with the big bikes and we’re looking forward to Elkhart Lake for sure.”

Team M4 Monster Energy Suzuki will be back in action on June 4-6 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.

Parts Canada Superbike Championship rider, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan based 18 year old Brett McCormick, will join the AMA Pro American Superbike series, riding for the Jordan Suzuki team in the AMA Pro American Superbike class. McCormick will make his debut at the upcoming third event of the season at Road Atlanta, near Braselton, Georgia, April 17-18.

Canadian Brett McCormick is no stranger to US circuits

McCormick tested for the team, owned by legendary basketball Superstar Michael Jordan, at Infineon Raceway at Sears Point, near San Francisco, CA, for the past two days.  With long time Jordan racer Aaron Yates injured during the previous round of the tour at Auto Club Speedway outside Los Angles, CA., last weekend, the opportunity opened up for McCormick to join the squad as a substitute for Yates.

Jordan team leader Yates was injured on Sunday morning, March 28, during the warm-up session for race four of the American Superbike series. Yates crashed in the infield of the road course, and was run over by a competitor who he had just passed.  The incident broke both bones in Yates’ lower leg, the tibia in two places.  Yates is expected to be out of action for around two months after surgery that lasted six hours.

For McCormick, the opportunity to ride for the Jordan team was a much needed positive career swing.  The Jordan squad fields two Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbikes, and the other team entry, ridden by Jake Zemke and sponsored by the National Guard, is currently leading the series points standings.

McCormick was runner up in both the Parts Canada Superbike Championship and Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike division in 2009, his third year as a Pro road race competitor on the Canadian National tour.  However the Blackfoot Suzuki squad folded during the past off season, leaving top prospect McCormick looking for work.  A potential job on the Superbike World Championship trail aboard a privateer Ducati looked promising, but a more experienced European racer got the job at the last minute.
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Thursday’s Infineon Test Recap release, courtesy of Infineon Raceway

Yamaha riders Josh Hayes and Tommy Aquino posted the top times on Thursday as nearly 15 riders hit the track for an AMA Pro Road Racing test session, hosted by Team Graves Yamaha, at Infineon Raceway.

Hayes (Team Graves Yamaha) recorded the top time for AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike on Thursday over the 12-turn, 2.22-mile road course at 1 minute, 36.72 seconds, while teammate Aquino was quickest in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL at 1:39.29.

The teams are testing in advance of the West Coast Moto Jam, May 14-16, in the Sonoma Valley.

Fourteen riders from eight teams, including Rockstar Makita Suzuki, Michael Jordan Motorsports and Pat Clark Motorsports attended the test, which concluded on Friday.

Hayes was followed by Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammates Blake Young (1:36.78) and Tommy Hayden (1:37.37).  Hayes claimed his first American SuperBike win at Infineon Raceway last year; the first win for a non-Suzuki rider in Sonoma since 2006.

In Daytona SportBike, Aquino was followed by teammate Josh Herrin (1:39.81) and Steve Rapp (1:40.12, Team Latus Motorsports).

AMA Pro Road Racing Series Test Session

Infineon Raceway, Sonoma

The top times from Thursday’s test session over the 12-turn, 2.22-mile road course at Infineon Raceway.  Unofficial times provided by AMA Pro Road Racing:

AMERICAN SUPERBIKE

1.       Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 1:36.72

2.       Blake Young (Suzuki) 1:36.78

3.       Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 1:37.37

4.       Ben Bostrom (Yamaha) 1:37.48

5.       Jake Zemke (Suzuki) 1:37.61

6.       Larry Pegram (Ducati) 1:37.63

7.       Brett McCormick (Suzuki) 1:38.64

8.       Chris Clark (Yamaha) 1:41.51

DAYTONA SPORTBIKE

1.       Tommy Aquino (Yamaha) 1:39.29

2.       Josh Herrin (Yamaha) 1:39.81

3.       Steve Rapp (Ducati) 1:40.12

4.       Dave Westby (Yamaha) 1:40.90

5.       Clinton Seller (Yamaha) 1:41.17

6.       Tyler Odom (Honda) 1:45.89