YOSHIMURA SUZUKI FACTORY RACING’S ROGER HAYDEN CELEBRATES TWO SECOND-PLACE FINISHES AT DAYTONA SUPERBIKE RACES
March 16, 2014
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 16, 2014) - Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing started the 2014 AMA Pro Superbike season with style. Newest team member Roger Hayden raced his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to two second-place finishes at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL, this past weekend. Teammate Martin Cardenas also celebrated a podium finish at the season-opening round, while Yoshimura Suzuki’s Chris Clark picked up his best performance to date with two fourth-place results.
For new Yoshimura Suzuki rider Hayden, Daytona was a success, albeit bittersweet in some ways. Hayden started the weekend by taking his second-ever Superbike pole position after setting the fastest qualifying lap on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Then, in both 15-lap races, Hayden got good starts and turned flawless laps to battle for the lead, only to finish an extremely close second. Although Hayden admitted to some disappointment, he was pleased overall with his first race with the Yoshimura Suzuki squad.
“This was a good first race for us as a team, to be battling with the leaders and almost getting the win,” said Hayden. “The Yoshimura Suzuki team has been working really hard to help me get comfortable on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. And while two second-place finishes is great, to lose that closely is a little disappointing. But overall, leaving Daytona just one spot out of the points lead is a positive step, and it’s a good way to start the year.”
Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Cardenas battled right there with Hayden for the first few laps in the first race, but then tucked the front end and went down. Undaunted, he rejoined the race in 20th place and worked his way up to 12th before the race’s end. In the second race, Cardenas was again right there with Hayden, swapping positions and battling for the lead before finishing an impressive third place.
“Sunday was much better than Saturday,” said the Colombian rider. “On Sunday, I bounced back and had a good race. I was hoping for a little better result but third was good enough on that day. I have to give it up to the Yoshimura Suzuki team, they worked on the GSX-R1000 overnight and I was able to maintain a better pace than the day before. I was hoping to make a last-lap charge in the draft but that wasn’t possible, so I’m happy with the result for me and for the Yoshimura Suzuki team.”
Rounding out the Yoshimura Suzuki crew, teammate Clark celebrated his best career Superbike finishes ever at Daytona. The Las Vegas native got good starts on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 in both races, put his head down and turned consistently smooth laps to bring home two solid fourth-place results.
“I’m super-excited to get my best AMA Pro Superbike finishes so far,” said Clark. “I have to say thanks to the Yoshimura Suzuki guys for giving me such a great bike as the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. We were so close to the podium and I’m looking forward to getting up there soon. Overall, I’m just really excited about the whole weekend. This was great way to kick off the year and I’m looking forward to continuing the pace and closing down the gap with the front guys, and just having a really good year.”
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s next event is the second round of the 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championships during the weekend of May 30th – June 1st, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.
Daytona Superbike Results, Race 1:
1. Josh Hayes
2. Roger Hayden
3. Cameron Beaubier
4. Chris Clark
5. David Anthony
6. Chris Fillmore
7. Diego Pierluigi
8. Taylor Knapp
9. Cory West
10. Stefano Mesa
Daytona Superbike Results, Race 2:
1. Cameron Beaubier
2. Roger Hayden
3. Martin Cardenas
4. Chris Clark
5. David Anthony
6. Chris Fillmore
7. Diego Pierluigi
8. Taylor Knapp
9. Cory West
10. Chris Ulrich
2014 Superbike Standings:
1. Cameron Beaubier – 51
2. Roger Hayden – 50
3. Chris Clark – 36
4. David Anthony – 32
5. Josh Hayes – 30
6. Martin Cardenas – 30
7. Chris Fillmore – 30
8. Diego Pierluigi – 28
9. Taylor Knapp – 26
10. Cory West – 24
Check out the Daytona “Behind The Scenes Race Report” at
http://youtu.be/0IwuPtcwVBw
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.
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