sonoma raceway
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing Recaps Arai Pacific Nationals
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.
Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha Sonoma RacefuelZ Pro Superbike Recap
Sonoma, CA – May 4, 2014 – Everything came up smelling like roses for Roseville, CA, resident Cameron Beaubier as he started from the pole and won Round Two of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented By Yamaha at his home track, Sonoma Raceway. Cameron’s teammate and three-time Superbike Champion Josh Hayes came in second in Sunday’s Pro Superbike race to make it a 1-2 finish for the Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team.
Cameron, who was last year’s AMA Pro Racing Daytona Sportbike Champion, is having a phenomenal rookie season on his #2 Yamaha YZF-R1. Already a winner at Daytona in March in the AMA Pro SuperBike series, the northern Californian has now added a victory to his resume in the Superbike Shootout, as well.
When the race went green, Cameron got off to a good start, but he got balked on the inside in turn one, which shuffled him back to fifth. Undaunted, he went to work and began to make rapid and smooth move progress back to the front. He managed to pass Josh who was, as always, his toughest competitor on track, and then he managed to stretch out a fairly comfortable lead.
Following his win, Cameron commented, “I started on the pole, which is on the inside here at Sonoma Raceway, so I kind of got pinched off in the first turn, which shuffled me back to fifth. This track is very technical, and I’m glad I’ve upped my training this year because it’s helped me handle the big R1. I was able to work myself back up to Josh, who was in the lead, and it wasn’t easy to get around him. It’s great to get this win on my home track and in front of my family and friends.”
After Cameron got balked at the start, Josh was able to work himself into the lead where he stayed for a number of laps until he made a little mistake with Cameron right behind him. That brief lapse enabled Cameron to take the lead where he stayed all the way to the checkers.
“I don’t feel like I can be unhappy with my race after the way the weekend started,” Josh said. I was riding smooth, putting together the best race I could. I made a little mistake, and it really cost me. I rode hard to try to catch back up to Cameron. He rode a great race. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten beaten like that, so congrats to my teammate. He’s riding really well.”
After two rounds of the Superbike Shootout, Cameron is leading the championship and Josh is currently third. The final round of the Shootout will be May 24 and 25 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT.
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GEICO Motorcycle Team Recaps Arai Pacific Nationals
From a press release issued by GEICO Motorcycle:
SONOMA, Calif. (May 5) — GEICO Motorcycle rider Jake Zemke was staring at a podium finish in the Arai Pacific Nationals, the second round of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout, when the unthinkable happened Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.
Zemke’s Honda slipped out from under him, and while trying to regain control Zemke was clipped from behind. Three riders, including Joe Roberts and Benny Solis Jr., tumbled off the track and out of the SportBike race.
“It was unfortunate for the GEICO Motorcycle team,” Zemke said. “We were definitely looking at the podium this weekend. I guess we’ll just have to roll on to Utah and Miller Motorsports Park, take that momentum, and go forward.”
SuperBike teammate Chris Ulrich is looking forward to the race at Miller as well after making significant progress in Sonoma. Ulrich had a wild race, starting eighth before getting pinched in Turn 1 on the start and slipping back to 12th.
Ulrich, however, had one of the fastest bikes in the race, gaining two spots on the second lap and one more on Lap 4 and was eighth five laps into the 20-lap event. He was closing on seventh place with seven laps remaining when a tire issue slowed his progress.
“We were marching forward,” Ulrich said. “I got to eighth and was closing on seventh and sixth, and then one lap in Turn 4, all of a sudden the back comes around on decel, and I was like, ‘Uh, oh.’ ”
The rear tire got progressively worse on the right side, so all Ulrich could do was ride out a 10th-place finish.
“Overall, I was happy with my performance in the race,” Ulrich said. “We moved up, we made progress, we went faster. We got the bike finally working a lot better for me this morning and bested my qualifying time by about a second. That’s always pleasant to do in the race.
“With the SuperBike class, when you unload with no data it’s always tough. We’ll move on to Miller and we have data from Miller, so that’s a positive.”
Zemke made a solid start to his SportBike race, challenging for the lead on the opening lap before settling into second. He remained third past the halfway point while battling with Roberts and Solis.
“We had made some changes to the bike and kind of took a little bit of a gamble going into the race,” Zemke said. “We’re always trying to make things better, but we actually took a half-step backwards with the bike setup. It was a very small change, just a little tweak to try and make things better, and it probably made it a little bit worse. But we were still able to run competitive times.”
Heading uphill into the right-hand Turn 3A, Zemke’s bike started to slide.
“The rear end of the bike just broke around, broke traction really fast,” Zemke said. “It was a bit unexpected and I was in the process of saving that, and at the same time I believe Joe and Benny had both lost the front end of their bikes. I’m not sure if there might have been something on the track or if they might’ve been reacting to what they were seeing happening in front of them.
“I thought I just about had mine saved, and then all of a sudden the rear end of my bike just shot out from underneath me and threw me over the high side. I think one of the bikes behind me must’ve gotten into my bike. It sent me for a bit of a flip, and one of the bikes ended up hitting me in the helmet and I ended up down in the wall. It was an interesting ride.”
Zemke’s bike was banged up and so was he but otherwise he was fine.
“Yeah, a little beat up, a little bit sore, but all in all we’ll live to do it again at the next one. It’ll be all right. We’ll definitely be looking for that podium at Miller.”
Arai Pacific Nationals RaceFuelZ Pro Superbike Results
Arai Pacific Nationals hosted by AFM
GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha
Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, California
RaceFuelZ Pro Superbike Race Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), 20 laps
2. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), -9.803 seconds
3. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R1000), -20.536
4. David Anthony (Suz GSX-R1000), -27.213
5. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), -56.388
6. Chris Fillmore (KTM RC8R), -59.087, crash
7. Cory West (EBR 1190RS), -63.400
8. Chris Clark (Suz GSX-R1000), -66.671
9. Tyler O’Hara (Yam YZF-R1), -71.756
10. Chris Ulrich (Hon CBR1000RR), -75.714
11. Mathew Orange (BMW S1000RR), -78.153
12. Sebastiao Ferreira (Kaw ZX-10R), -1 lap
13. Daytona Anderson (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap
14. Marcel Irnie (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap
15. Jeffrey Tigert (Duc 1199 Panigale S), -1 lap
16. Steve Metz (Duc 1199 Panigale S), -1 lap
17. Ricky Orlando (Kaw ZX-10R), -1 lap
18. Joy Higa (Suz GSX-R1000), -13 laps, DNF, retired
19. Lenny Hale (Suz GSX-R1000), -19 laps, DNF
20. Johnny Rock Page (Suz GSX-R1000), -20 laps, DNF, retired
Championship Point Standings (After 2 of 3 events):
1. Beaubier, 45 points
2. Cardenas, 41
3. Hayes, 36
4. TIE, Hayden/Anthony, 24
6. Fillmore, 20
7. Clark, 17
8. Ulrich, 14
9. Orange, 11
10. Anderson, 10
Arai Pacific Nationals Dynojet Pro Sportbike Results
Arai Pacific Nationals hosted by AFM
GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha
Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, California
Dynojet Pro Sportbike Race Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R6), 20 laps, 33:18.834
2. Bobby Fong (Tri Daytona 675R), -1.803 seconds
3. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R6), -24.962
4. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6), -32.393
5. Chad Lewin (Yam YZF-R6), -69.804
6. Michael Gilbert (Yam YZF-R6), -80.806
7. Thomas Montano (Tri Daytona 675R), -1 lap
8. Stephen Rue (Hon CBR600RR), -1 lap
9. Jason Catching (Suz GSX-R60), -1 lap
10. Darren James (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap
11. Roi Holster (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap
12. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6), -2 laps, DNF, crash
13. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR), -8 laps, DNF, crash
14. Joe Roberts (Hon CBR600RR), -8 laps, DNF, crash
15. Benny Solis, Jr. (Yam YZF-R6), -8 laps, DNF, crash
16. Michael Barnes (MV Agusta F3 675), -9 laps, DNF
17. David Christensen (Yam YZF-R6), -12 laps, DNF
18. Mario Alvarez II (Yam YZF-R6), -16 laps, DNF
19. Erick Yahir Sanchez (Yam YZF-R6), -16 laps, DNF
20. Charles “CJ” Weaver (Yam YZF-R6), DNS
Arai Pacific Nationals RaceFuelZ Pro Superbike Warmup Results
GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha
Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, California
RaceFuelZ Pro Superbike Warm-Up Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), 1:37.119
2. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), 1:38.856
3. Chris Fillmore (KTM RC8R), 1:38.963
4. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.055
5. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.296
6. David Anthony (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.347
7. Chris Clark (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.909
8. Chris Ulrich (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:40.349
9. Cory West (EBR 1190RS), 1:40.950
10. Mathew Orange (BMW S1000RR), 1:41.965
11. Lenny Hale (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:42.476
12. Sebastiao Ferreira (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:43.893
13. Daytona Anderson (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:44.065
14. Tyler O’Hara (Yam YZF-R1), 1:44.890
15. Marcel Irnie (BMW S1000RR), 1:45.981
16. Steve Metz (Duc 1199 Panigale S), 1:46.607
17. Jeffrey Tigert (Duc 1199 Panigale S), 1:47.854
18. Ricky Orlando (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:49.496
19. Joy Higa (Suz GSX-R1000), no time recorded
20. Johnny Rock Page (Suz GSX-R1000), no time recorded
Arai Pacific Nationals Dynojet Pro Sportbike Warmup Results
Arai Pacific Nationals hosted by AFM
GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha
Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, California
Dynojet Pro Sportbike Warm-Up Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R6), 1:39.540
2. Bobby Fong (Tri Daytona 675R), 1:39.948
3. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR), 1:40.770
4. Joe Roberts (Hon CBR600RR), 1:41.017
5. Benny Solis, Jr. (Yam YZF-R6), 1:41.385
6. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R6), 1:42.295
7. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6), 1:42.313
8. Chad Lewin (Yam YZF-R6), 1:43.583
9. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6), 1:43.949
10. Michael Gilbert (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.323
11. Erick Yahir Sanchez (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.480
12. Charles “CJ” Weaver (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.951
13. Mario Alvarez II (Yam YZF-R6), 1:46.309
14. Thomas Montano (Tri Daytona 675R), 1:46.641
15. Roi Holster (Yam YZF-R6), 1:47.758
16. Stephen Rue (Hon CBR600RR), 1:47.958
17. Michael Barnes (MV Agusta F3 675), 1:50.047
18. David Christensen (Yam YZF-R6), 1:54.014
19. Darren James (Yam YZF-R6), 1:55.586
20. Joshua Picard (Yam YZF-R6), no time recorded
21. Jason Catching (Suz GSX-R600), no time recorded
