Motourage

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.

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)

The Parts Canada Superbike Doubleheader Weekend comes to Mosport International Raceway July 9-11. Headlining the weekend is the Superbike class, as defending Series champion Jordan Szoke of Brantford, ON continues his pursuit of a record seventh Superbike crown and fifth in a row.  The 31-year-old is off to a great start, winning the first race of the season – his 30th career Superbike win – at Quebec’s Circuit ICAR.  The series veteran was able to hold off teammate Jodi Christie, 17, of Keene, ON, who finished less than a second behind Szoke.

Honda's Jordan Szoke hopes for a repeat of his season-opening victory at ICAR

Szoke and his Honda CBR1000RR will face stiff competition from a number of riders who will be looking to halt his title run. Kevin Lacombe on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 finished third in the season opener, and Alex Welsh will have extra motivation as it will be a home-race for the 22-year-old. The BMW S1000RRs will be making their North American debuts this summer, with two-time Superbike champion Francis Martin of Sherbrooke and teammate Mike Ferreira of Mississauga aboard Rush HD/BMW Mortorrad motorcycles.

Szoke will also compete in the Pro SportBike class as he looks win a fifth straight title in that division.  He was able to take an early lead in the points standing by again edging his teammate, Christie.  As Szoke continues his pursuit of another title, he will be chased by Jean-Francois Cyr on his Suzuki GSX-R600, James Collins on his Yamaha YZF-R6 and the Deely Harley-Davidson/Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R combo of Darren James and David Estok.

The first-ever electric motorcycle race in Canada will take place at Mosport over the weekend.  The TTXGP eGrand Prix will hold four rounds in North America this season.  It will be the only Canadian stop for the Series, with Mosport hosting round three.  These bikes are powered without the use of carbon-based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions.  When they hit the 10-turn road course, they will be out to prove that being clean and green can be lean and mean.

The Honda CBR125R Challenge supplies riders with an excellent venue for development, teaching riding technique and racing skill.  All participants use the same type Honda CBR125R single-cylinder motorcycles.  Many of the young racers go on to the higher levels of competition such as the Amateur Sport Bike.  Ryan Appenrodt of Quesnel, British Columba won both races at Mosport in 2009.  He kicked off his 2010 campaign by winning both dashes in the season opener and has put himself out in front for the series title.  Loic Viscasillas finished second at Circuit ICAR and Will Hornblower rounded out the top-three.

Also on the schedule for the Doubleheader Weekend will be the Amateur Sport Bike, the all-new K&N Filter’s Sports Twins Pro/Am and the Pro Honda Oils Women’s Cup.

Off track, BMW Motorrad Summerfest returns to Mosport for its fourth year. Designed to cater to the motorcycle enthusiast, Summerfest is a motorcycle lifestyle experience that features the BMW Marketplace, on and off-road test rides and an off-road skills course.  Once you’ve had the chance to try your skills, sit back and enjoy performances by the Streetbike Freestyle World Champion, Chris Pfeiffer.  The German ace thrilled audiences when he last performed at Mosport in 2007.  Music is a big attraction at Summerfest, and the area will be rocking on Saturday afternoon and evening with a live concert showcasing Canadian music talent.

Along with BMW Motorrad, Honda and Suzuki will also be offering demo rides on their latest models around the neighboring roads near Mosport throughout the weekend. Registration is in the paddock and participants must have a valid motorcycle license, riding gear and helmet. Be sure to sign-up early because all of the time slots go quickly.

The two-wheel action Begins on Friday, July 9 with a full-day of practice.  Qualifying and races in all classes will take place on Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11.