YOSHIMURA SUZUKI FACTORY RACING’S MARTIN CARDENAS PODIUMS AT SONOMA SUPERBIKE SHOOTOUT
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden cards top-five & teammate Chris Clark finishes eighth
SONOMA, CA (May 6, 2014) – Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Martin Cardenas followed up his 2014 Superbike Shootout win last weekend with a solid third-place result at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA, on Sunday afternoon. Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Roger Hayden and Chris Clark also turned in impressive performances with Hayden bringing home fifth and Clark following him in eighth.
This past weekend’s race was the second of three events that make up the 2014 Superbike Shootout, a Western-states series pairing the Pros with Semi-pro and Amateur events. In Sunday’s race, Cardenas got a good start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Although he admitted to struggling during qualifying, he turned in an impressive performance in the race, slotting into third place early on. The Colombian rider then stayed put for the remainder of the 20-lap race and brought home a podium finish.
“We had a tough time on the first day,” said Cardenas. “But we made some changes to the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 for the practice and warm-up on Sunday, and then we made another step in that direction for the race. It was a good race but I made a few mistakes and let the leaders get away. I did the best I could to reel them in again. But overall, I’m happy to get on the podium, that’s always good.”
Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Hayden got a top-10 start but then had a minor off-track excursion trying to avoid another rider. Undaunted, the Kentucky native got back on track and was able to maneuver his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 through the field and into the top five. By the race’s end, Hayden had picked up fifth place.
“I really didn’t get the best of starts,” said Hayden. “Then I got shuffled back a bit. And on the second lap, I came up on somebody quicker than I thought I would and I had to go off track to avoid hitting him and I fell back to 16th. From there, I kept a steady pace and just worked my way up. It wasn’t a good weekend for me, I’ve been under the weather and that affected me on the bike. Now we’ll go back and get ready for the next race.”
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Clark got off the line right with teammate Hayden and worked his way into fifth by making the most of his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. He focused on turning smooth, fast laps and eventually finished eighth.
“I got off to a pretty good start and took advantage of a few things and got in the top five,” said Clark. “We had a good set-up for the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 but I had a little bit of trouble toward the end of the race. But overall it was a pretty positive weekend. The Yoshimura Suzuki team and I are working well together and communication was great. I’m just focusing on the positives and getting ready for the next race.”
Sonoma Raceway Superbike Shootout Results:
1.Cameron Beaubier
2. Josh Hayes
3.Martin Cardenas
4.David Anthony
5.Roger Hayden
6.Chris Fillmore
7. Cory West
8.Chris Clark
9.Tyler O’Hara
10. Chris Ulrich
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.
About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. SMAI’s supplier, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki, Motorex, Parts Unlimited, Dunlop, Shorai, Renthal, RK Racing Chain, NGK Spark Plugs, Pilot, K&N Performance Filters, Zero Gravity and Chicken Hawk Racing.
