CELTIC RACING'S JAMES RISPOLI CELEBRATES 5TH WIN OF THE SEASON AT LAGUNA SECA
July 29, 2012
Celtic Orient Express Racing's James Rispoli started Saturday's AMA Pro Road Racing SuperSport race from fifth on the grid and nailed the hole-shot to lead the 45 rider field. James would do battle at the front of the field the entire race with Hayden Gillim, with Rispoli riding his #1 Suzuki GSX-R 600 defensively every lap. The battle between Rispoli and Gillim was intense, with neither rider allowing a gap. Gillim managed a last lap pass in turn five and led Rispoli to the final corner, but a small mistake by Gillim allowed Rispoli to power past and take the race victory at the finish line by 0.036"! Corey Alexander started the race from second on the grid after a great qualifying session, and was pleased to be back on the front row for the start. Alexander showed good speed and consistency all weekend aboard his #5 National Guard Fairhills Group Suzuki GSX-R 600. Corey battled with a three rider pack most of the race and would finish fifth, just 2.7" behind third place - a good ride with solid results.
Rispoli's win on Saturday is his fifth win of the year, and serves to cement his 2012 AMA Pro Motorcycle Superstore.com SuperSport West Championship with a 60 point lead over second place, and 279 points total. Just one West series event remains, the season finale at NOLA Motorsports Park in October. Alexander remains fifth in the 2012 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport East Championship with 106 points and six races remaining at the final three rounds of the series. The Celtic Racing team heads to New Jersey Motorsports Park for the next race, September 7-9th, on another tight 2.2 mile circuit.
James Rispoli was thrilled to notch another race win, and really enjoyed the battle with Gillim, saying that "the race was so sweet! I went around the outside just like JP [Jason Pridmore] told me. I had no problem leading most of the laps, but I knew Hayden had a little corner speed on me in some spots. I knew I had good braking and good drives to keep the gap all race, and my K-Tech Suspension was working awesome. When he tried to pass midway in the race I quickly passed him back under braking in the corkscrew. When the last lap came I rode defensively into the second corner and he passed me in turn five, so I stuck on him hard, and he went a little wide in the last corner. That little mistake let me get the best drive and I out-drove him to the line. I'm so happy to be at the Laguna MotoGP weekend and win my fifth race this year. By far the best win of my career, many thanks to the team for a great bike, and to all my sponsors, AGV Helmets, Dainese Leathers, Monster Energy, and Techmount!"
Corey Alexander has regained form as the season has progressed, and his results are improving steadily. Alexander stated that "right away I felt really comfortable on my National Guard Fairhills Group Suzuki GSX-R 600, my crew gave me a great bike right out of the truck. We were fast in practice and ended up second in qualifying. It was exciting to be up at the top of the charts again. The race went well, but after a few mistakes we lost touch with the top three which was unfortunate as I was expecting to bring home a better result. We have a long break now and I plan to keep riding intensely -- a lot of motocross and if, possible do a bit of a road racing. I'm excited for our home race at Jersey so it should be exciting." Corey would like to thank all his personal sponsors for their support, including Arai Helmets, Fairhills Group, Hudson Valley Motorcycles, Spidi Leathers, and XPD Boots.
Both Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600's showcase the best in road racing technology. Product support for both machines comes from: Michael Jordan Motorsports, American Suzuki, Armor Bodies, Chicken Hawk Racing, DesignStar3, Dynojet, FMF Racing, Full Spectrum Power, Hudson Valley Racing, Galfer Brakes, GB Racing, K-Tech Suspension, Maxima Oils, Motion Pro, Pit Bull, Riviera Country Club, Saddlemen, Star Motorcycle School, Vortex Racing, and Zero Gravity.
Celtic Racing was established in 2001 by Barry Gilsenan, and over the past 11 seasons has established itself as a premier privateer racing team. Development of riding talent began with two-stroke 125cc, and 250cc machines competing in professional and regional championship events. More recent Celtic Racing efforts have focused on AMA Pro Road Racing in the GoPro Daytona SportBike and Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport classes with Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha four stroke motorcycles. Gilsenan's talent for coaching racers of all ages and abilities has brought Celtic Racing worldwide attention and recognition, with many formerCeltic Racing riders now competing on World Championship levels. Please join Celtic Racing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CelticRacing.
ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: The National Guard is the oldest military branch. Today, Citizen-Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while training part time, staying ready to defend America in the event of an emergency. The National Guard serves both state and federal governments. During local emergencies, Guard units assist residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard companies deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. Please visit http://www.nationalguard.com to find out more.
FAIRHILLS GROUP: Fairhills Group is a New York based alternative investment management firm that manages capital for the Bronson family and other high net worth individuals and wealthy families. Fairhills was established in 2002 for the purpose of providing public companies with alternative forms of financing, eventually becoming one of the most active investors in structured equity transactions. Fairhills has since grown to provide financing solutions to companies globally and recently has opened its doors for the first time to external investors, with a full range of alternative investment fund offerings. For more information on Fairhills, please visit http://www.fairhills.com.
ORIENT EXPRESS: Established in 1973, Orient Express is a high performance motorcycle parts and accessories warehouse distributor; offering dyno tuning, engine building services and precision machine work. Orient Express has an extensive history of racing, including support of both professional and amateur race series and individuals. For more information regarding Orient Express, or to find out what Orient Express can do for your racing success, please call 800.645.6521 or 631.231.9552 (NY/International), visit http://www.orientexpress.com or join them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/OrientExpressRacing.
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