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Chuck Sorensen

Chuck Sorensen Returns to Professional Racing at Arai Pacific Nationals Superbike Shootout

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From a Press Release issued by Skylark Racing:

Three-Time National Champion Chuck Sorensen will make his return to Professional racing this weekend at the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha at Sonoma Raceway.

Fully recovered from the a devastating 2011 stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis, Sorensen is looking forward to going racing.

“Obviously, riding a competitive Superbike is a whole different deal than magazine testing and rider coaching”, Sorensen said. “But we’ve made good progress in testing our Superbike since receiving it from Team Hammer Contract Services. I am also racing in the AFM races during Sonomafest. I started my racing career with the AFM at Sonoma Raceway in 1989. The racetrack has changed, but the excitement of riding it hasn’t.”

Tickets for the event are only $25 for both days and are available at the gate; children 12 and under are admitted free and parking is free.

Skylark Racing invites all friends and fans to stop by the RaceFuelZ Garage and say hello.

Chuck Sorensen would like to thank: SkyLark Bar, Dunlop, Racer Gloves, Shoei, Super Plush Suspension, Cycle Finish Paint, Mojotown, RaceFuelZ, St. John and Associates.

For more information visit www.skylarkracing.com.

Latus Motors Racing/Castrol Triumph's Bobby Fong (50) leads Jason DiSalvo (40) into a corner at Daytona.

Latus Motors Racing And Bobby Fong To Compete in Superbike Shootout

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From a press release issued by Latus Motors Racing/Castrol Triumph:

GLADSTONE, Ore. (March 26, 2014) – The Latus Motors Racing/Castrol/Triumph pro road racing team with rider Bobby Fong will compete in the new Superbike Shootout. The three-race west coast series begins at Southern California’s Auto Club Speedway during the weekend of April 26 and 27.

“We’re thrilled that the Superbike Shootout will give west coast race fans more opportunities to see the best pro road racers in the country,” said George Latus, owner of Latus Motors Racing. “We’re an Oregon-based team and our rider, Bobby Fong, lives in California. We can’t wait to show the west coast fans just what our team, the Triumph 675R, and Bobby can do.”

The Superbike Shootout’s schedule is:

April 26 – 27: Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

May 3 – 4: Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

May 24 – 25: Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah

The Superbike Shootout series is modeled after the successful British Superbike series. Event organizers are working with AFM, WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Utah SBA, and Fastrack Riders to host each race weekend.

In its first six years of AMA Pro Road Racing, the Latus Motors Racing team won the prestigious Daytona 200 and finished in the race’s Top 5 four times with riders Jason DiSalvo (1st in 2011, 2nd in 2012), Steve Rapp (3rd in 2010), and Bobby Fong (4th in 2014).

The Latus Motors road racing team is sponsored by Castrol, Triumph, GE Capital, FreedomRoad Financial and Lucky Brand, Apex Manufacturing, Sportbike Track Time, and RM Management as well as Bickle, Catalyst Composites, Cortech, Cox, Dunlop, DynoJet, ET, Galfer, Hindle, Sunoco, Superlite, and Zero Gravity.

Latus Motors also has a long history with AMA Pro Grand National Flat Track Pro Flat Track racing. This year, Latus Motors Racing is fielding a Castrol/Triumph pro flat track team with up-and-coming sensation Shayna Texter, the first female to win an AMA Pro Singles main event, and Joe Kopp, a former AMA Grand National Champion who is 13th on the all-time Grand National win list.

Michael Barnes

Michael Barnes To Race MV Agusta F3 675 For Veloce Racing

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From a press release issued by Veloce Racing:

The 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson XR 1200 Champion and journeyman racer Michael Barnes will compete in the AMA Pro Racing Daytona Sportbike class for the remainder of the 2014 season on board an MV Agusta F3 675 fielded by Veloce Racing.

The team will continue testing through April and will participate in two rounds of the newly formed Superbike Shootout Series, prior to the team’s first AMA Pro round in Elkhart Lake, WI (May 30-June 1). Barnes will contest rounds 2 & 3 of the Superbike Shootout: May 3-4 at Sonoma Raceway and May 24-25 at Miller Motorsports Park.

Michael Barnes: “I’m so excited to be back riding in the DSB class on a professional team, not to mention getting to ride the ultra cool MV Agusta F3 675 . I’m really looking forward to riding the 675 Triple. I feel the 3-cylinder configuration offers a usable mix between the high revving Inline Fours and the torque of a Twin. I feel the MV’s compact size and nimble handling should suit my riding style as well. I’m excited to work with my new crew, consisting of racer/tuner Chase McFarland and racer/tuner Nobi Iso; they are both great people and dedicated to this project. Team principal Spiros Gabrilis is as passionate as I am about racing and I’m looking forward to an exciting year with a new team. The MV Agusta brand will be the 15th motorcycle brand I’ve raced throughout my career and somewhere around the 40th team I’ve raced for in the last 26 years. I have a lot of confidence in my team and can’t wait to get started”

Spiros Gabrilis: “Last year’s work with the stunning F3 convinced us of the machine’s great potential. Yet we were missing the key piece: A development rider with tremendous experience and a willingness to take on what inarguably is a challenge. When the team met to discuss possible candidates the long and short lists condensed to one name: ‘Michael Barnes.’ Veloce prides themselves in eschewing the easy route to competitiveness in favor of solving technical challenges. We welcome Michael to the famiglia and are excited about the season.”

Barnes is sponsored by RS-Taichi, Arai, Sidi, Forcefield, Motonation and Moto-Liberty

Veloce Racing is a privately-funded road race team based in Hillsboro, Oregon with a 12-year history of competition in the 125 and 250GP categories.

Veloce Racing is indebted to these fine sponsors for their generous support: SpeedyMoto, Duc Designed, Moto Forza MV Agusta (Escondito, CA), Moto-Liberty, RS-Taichi, Arai, Bazzaz Performance, Zero Gravity, Cox Racing Group, CapIt / TAW Performance, RB Components, Evol Technology, Mr. Rob Keith, MV Agusta USA.

Superbikes to Sonoma in 2014 | SuperbikeShootout.com

Pro Superbikes Return To Sonoma Raceway In Superbike Shootout

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Sonoma, Calif. (March 4, 2014) – Professional motorcycle road racing will return to Sonoma Raceway alongside amateur and semi-pro racers at a very special American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM) event, May 3-4. Hosted and sanctioned by AFM, a full field of Pro Superbike and Pro Sportbike professional riders and teams is expected to compete in the event. The weekend will include Pro Superbike and Pro Sportbike main events, as well as a full schedule of amateur races.

The entry list will include a who’s-who of the country’s top motorcycle road racers, including J.D. Beach, Cameron Beaubier, Garrett Gerloff and Jake Zemke, but no one is looking forward to returning to Sonoma Raceway’s 2.3-mile road course more than three-time Superbike Champion Josh Hayes, from Carlsbad (Calif.).

“From a racer’s perspective, I’m excited that someone has put in the effort to give us racers the opportunity to spend more time racing our awesome Superbikes. A big thank you for that,” said Hayes, who rides the #4 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike. “We’ve always had good crowds at Sonoma Raceway. It’s one of the best tracks we go to in the country and one that’s always brought me a lot of success.”

The pro-am style event is part of a new, three-round series started by racer, Roadracing World publisher and team owner John Ulrich. The event in Sonoma was made possible when AFM opened its special 60th anniversary weekend to the concept of running alongside Superbike and Sportbike classes. The series will also include stops at Auto Club Speedway (Fontana) and Miller Motorsports Park (Tooele, Utah). The group is currently working on a television package for the series.

“When I learned that there were no national-level professional road races scheduled west of the Mississippi River for the 2014 season, I realized that I had to try to make something happen,” said Ulrich. “This event is the first step, and is modeled after the successful formula used by British Superbike. I’d like to thank the AFM, the club I started racing with in 1973, for working with me on this effort to rebuild our sport in the United States.”

Professional riders will run practice and qualifying sessions on Saturday, with 18-lap main events slated for Sunday afternoon. AFM groups will be on the track before, between and after the Pro Superbike and Pro Sportbike sessions and races, and the entire event is open to the public.

“This is probably the coolest thing that I have been able to be involved with since I’ve been the president of the club,” said AFM President Berto Wooldridge. “It fundamentally changes the landscape of AFM racing to have a signature event at our home track that brings in AFM amateurs and semi-pro and pro riders from across the country.”

The event also has the support of Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. Racing Division Manager Keith McCarty, who has embraced the idea of creating more road racing events in the western United States.

“First and foremost, we want to race,” said McCarty.“That’s the simple reason that we’re going to Sonoma Raceway. But, more importantly, we’re glad that our fans in the western part of the country will be able to see us. And we’re also happy that our fans, and fans of all motorcycle road racing in general, will have additional exposure to our team sponsors. Everyone is excited about our involvement – our riders, our crew members, our sponsors – and we’re sure our fans will be as excited as we are. We’re looking forward to being a part of it.”

For more information on the AFM weekend at Sonoma Raceway, May 3-4, visit www.afmracing.org. Tickets will be available at the gate for $25; children 12 and under are admitted free and parking is free.

“We are delighted to welcome the country’s top motorcycle road racers back to Sonoma Raceway,” said Steve Page, Sonoma Raceway president and general manager. “This is an excellent addition to the AFM race weekend, and I know it will be very well received by the many two-wheel racing fans in Northern California.”