SUZUKI GSX-R1000 DOMINATES WITH SUPERBIKE SWEEP IN ALABAMA
June 14, 2016
RACE WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
The legendary Suzuki GSX-R1000 added yet another chapter to the racing history books this weekend with a pair of impressive Superbike victories and 1-2 sweeps at the picturesque Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
- Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden and Toni Elias both scored MotoAmerica Superbike wins in Alabama on the Suzuki GSX-R1000.
- Hayden Gillim (Cycle World Suzuki) and Jake Lewis (M4 Suzuki) earned top-10 results at Barber on their Superstock 1000-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000s.
- M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki’s Valentin Debise extended his podium streak in MotoAmerica Supersport action aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600 in Alabama.
- Obermeyer/MCS Racing Suzuki’s Ricky Russell (4th) and Christopher
Douglas (8th) raced their Suzuki RM-Z450s to strong finishes at the
Tomahawk GNCC event in Alpine, NY.
Yoshimura Suzuki Dominant in Superbike at Barber
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Roger Hayden and Toni Elias each scored wins Sunday aboard their Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbikes in the MotoAmerica Superbike event at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. In race one, it was Hayden winning in a close battle over Elias before the two swapped positions in race two, making it a Suzuki command performance with a 1-2 sweep of both races.
For Hayden, the victory was especially significant, as it marked his first Superbike win of the season and his first since 2014.
"I'm just really happy to get this win, finally," Hayden said. "I'm glad my family's here. My dad and my mom and brothers and a bunch of people from home, so it makes it a little more special. My guys (his crew), they need this win too. We all want to win."
Elias earned his fourth MotoAmerica Superbike victory.
“I'm happy, we are doing a really great job,” Elias said of his team. “I didn't want a mistake for the second, and leading all that time. And finally I tried to give my 100 percent the last two laps and win this race. It worked. I'm happy to have this feeling again. To win again is nice."
In addition to the victories by Hayden and Elias, Hayden Gillim (Cycle World Suzuki) and Jake Lewis (M4 Suzuki) also earned top-10 results in Alabama on their Superstock 1000-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000s.
GSX-R600 Mounted Debise Extends Podium Streak
M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki's Valentin Debise registered a brave effort and overcame a practice crash on Saturday at Barber to notch up his seventh Supersport podium of the season. The Frenchman has assembled a remarkable run in which he has stood on the box in every weekend of his developing MotoAmerica career.
"I got a good start on Saturday, but I knew it was going to be difficult to fight for the win," Debise admitted. "The crash in the morning robbed me of all my strength and I wasn't able to ride the way I wanted to. I have to thank the team for giving me such a great bike. I did all I could and finishing on the podium was a great result for me in that race. I couldn't ask for any more than that."
Meanwhile, youngster Xavier Zayat scooped up a pair of top 10s in Superstock 600. He piloted his M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki GSX-R600 to eighth and 10th. Loxy M4 Suzuki's Caroline Olsen twice finished directly behind Zayat, coming home in ninth and 11th.
Obermeyer/MCS Racing Suzuki Ranks High in GNCC
Ricky Russell and Christopher Douglas each raced their Obermeyer/MCS Racing Suzuki RM-Z450s to strong finishes at the Tomahawk GNCC event in Alpine, NY. Russell finished fourth and Douglas eighth. For Russell, it matched his best result of the season. It marked Douglas’ best GNCC result so far in 2016.
Suzuki Riders Gear-Up For Loretta Lynn's
On his way to the Carmichael Farm to prepare for Loretta Lynn’s, Suzuki Amateur MX rider Ashton Hayes took a side trip to the King of the Cliff Pro-Am event at Briarcliff MX in Nashport, OH, and scored victory in the Open Pro Sport class and was second in the 250A class.
Richard Taylor, another Suzuki support amateur rider, qualified for Loretta Lynn’s in the 450 B Limited class by finishing second in the Southwest Regional event at Pala (Calif.) Raceway. Obermeyer/MCS Racing Suzuki’s Mackenzie Tricker also grabbed her ticket to Loretta Lynn’s in the Women (16+) All-Star class, finishing second overall at the Northeast Regional event at Doublin Gap (Penn.).
Coming up:
Team Suzuki riders will be back in action next weekend, competing in the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, June 18 in Mt. Morris, PA at the 40th Annual High Point National, which will be shown on NBC. MotoAmerica will take the weekend off and return on June 23-25 at the Utah Motorsports Campus, in Tooele, UT. The GNCC Series also takes a short break and will be back for the Amsoil Snowshoe round in Snowshoe, WV on June 25-26.
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