YOSHIMURA SUZUKI CONTINUES TO RACK UP SUPERBIKE PODIUMS
July 29, 2012
MONTEREY, CA (July 29, 2012) – Team Yoshimura Suzuki picked up its 13th AMA Pro Superbike podium of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA, this weekend, thanks to rider Blake Young, who piloted his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to second place. At this weekend’s event, the AMA Pro Superbike riders shared the paddock with the MotoGP series, so they were subject to abbreviated practice and qualifying sessions and only one race, as opposed to the usual two.
Young overcame the difficulties of minimal track time, however, and maximized the laps he turned. Sunday afternoon’s 23-lap race saw Young get a good start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and battle for a podium position for the entire race. With just a few laps to go, Young slotted into a heated battle for second place before successfully walking away with the respectable runner-up position.
“The race weekend started off pretty slow,” said Young. “But then we started picking up momentum. Qualifying sixth made it difficult for me, but I got off to a decent start on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSXR1000, got into fourth and settled in behind another rider. I put in a pretty hard charge and got myself up to second with a few laps to go. It was pretty good racing, with a bit of a drag race to the finish line, and I ended up bringing home second. Now we have some time to rest and train and come back ready to race at New Jersey.”
Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Chris Clark struggled at Laguna Seca. Although he started the race in the top 10, he was never able to find a rhythm and wound up finishing 15th. These results did allow Clark to increase his standings in the overall championship points, and he’s now looking forward to the month-long break before the series resumes in September.
“Right off the bat, we were two seconds faster than I was here last year,” said Clark. “I was feeling really confident with my pace for the race weekend and I got a pretty good start in the race but I struggled with grip. Now, I’m looking forward to the down time to try and put together a physio-training program to help build up my shoulder muscles to help me feel more comfortable on the bike.”
Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series is at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, the weekend of September 7-9, 2012.
Laguna Seca Superbike Results:
1. Josh Hayes
2. Blake Young
3. Josh Herrin
4. Danny Eslick
5. Ben Bostrom
6. Geoff May
7. Taylor Knapp
8. Roger Hayden
9. Stefan Nebel
10. Larry Pegram
2012 Superbike Class Standings:
1. Josh Hayes – 415
2. Blake Young – 341
3. Josh Herrin – 246
4. Roger Hayden – 217
5. Geoff May – 205
6. Larry Pegram – 193
7. Danny Eslick – 165
8. Ben Bostrom – 162
9. Chris Clark – 152
10. Steve Rapp – 151
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 have 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 American Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded the Motorcycle and ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, CA, in 1963. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC's parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 147 distributors in 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzukicycles.com. Follow Suzuki on facebook for exclusive team content http://www.facebook.com/SuzukiCycles.
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki, Parts Unlimited, Dunlop, Motorex, Renthal, BMC Air Filter, Zero Gravity, Catalyst, RK Racing Chain, Motion Pro, Chicken Hawk Racing and Speedcell.
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