SUZUKI RIDERS SCORE FROM VIRGINIA TO CALIFORNIA
May 17, 2016
RACE WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
Team Suzuki Race Weekend Highlights:
- Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Roger Hayden and Toni Elias raced their GSX-R1000s to front-row qualifying positions and podium results at the MotoAmerica VIR Superbike round.
- In MotoAmerica Supersport action, M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki's Cameron Petersen and Valentin Debise each earned second-place finishes on their Suzuki GSX-R600 Supersport machines.
- Impressive motocross results for Suzuki Amateur Racing riders.
Yoshimura Suzuki In The Thick of the Championship Hunt
Suzuki GSX-R1000 racers Roger Hayden and Toni Elias turned quick laps in Superpole to qualify on front row positions for the MotoAmerica Superbike races at Virginia International Raceway.
"I'm pretty happy," said Yoshimura Suzuki's Roger Hayden after Superpole. “This week I have a great feeling with the bike. This morning I did a lot of laps in the 25s, so I feel good for tomorrow."
From his front-row start, Hayden earned a second-place result in Superbike race one, missing the victory by just a few bike lengths. Elias finished a consistent third place in both of the weekend’s two races as the Spaniard comes to terms with his new GSX-R and learns the tracks in the MotoAmerica Championship.
Midway through the season, Hayden and Elias sit in third and fourth place in the championship, respectively.
Suzuki GSX-R600 Shines at VIR
Cameron Petersen and Valentin Debise showed off the prowess of the Suzuki GSX-R600 during VIR’s Supersport races. The M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki racers each scored second-place finishes in the hotly contested MotoAmerica Supersport Championship series two-race weekend.
Petersen put on a skillful display on his GSX-R600 when the track was wet in the early going of race one. He and his crew made a great tire selection, and as the track dried, he charged up through the field to earn a second-place result.
In Sunday’s race, Petersen and teammate Valentin Debise were part of an epic multi-rider dogfight at the front. On the final lap, Frenchman Debise executed a gutsy maneuver on his GSX-R600 to take the lead. He was just before the checkered flag and he ended up in second place.
"All the race I was planning for the last lap,” said Valentin Debise, M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki racer. “I knew exactly where I wanted to do it and I pulled it off. All the way until the end I thought I had it -- 'I do it! I do it! I do it!' But then I got passed right at the line. 'Oh no!' Today was not my time to win but I am sure it will come soon."
Jake Lewis, who missed the first part of the season due to injury, returned to make his 2016 debut racing his M4 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superstock motorcycle. Still working his way to full fitness, Lewis claimed a credible 5th and 6th place finishes in the two races and looks to move up in upcoming rounds
Cycle World’s “Man in a Van with a Plan” Hayden Gillim also registered two top-10 finishes on his Cycle World Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Excellent Results for Suzuki Amateur Racing Riders!
Suzuki Amateur Racing continues to grow its ranks, putting more RM-Zs and RM85s in competition nationwide. On the west coast, Richard Taylor took victory in the 250 Intermediate class in the second annual TransWorld Motocross Trans-Am Amateur National at Glen Helen Raceway.
"There were some fast guys, and it was a three-moto format," explained Richard Taylor, Trans-Am winner and Suzuki Amateur Racing team member. "I was consistent on my RM-Z250 and for the overall."
In Guthrie, Oklahoma at the inaugural Lucas Oil JuniorMotoX event, Team Suzuki Amateur Racing’s Crockett Myers scored a third-place finish in the 85cc 9-12 class aboard his Suzuki RM85 at the Lazy E Arena.
"The JuniorMotoX track was amazing,” said Suzuki Amateur Racing's Crockett Myers. “With such tough competition, getting a good start on my RM85 was the key to landing a podium finish! Now I'm hungry for that top step!"
Coming up:
Team Suzuki motocross riders will kick off their season this Saturday, May 21 with the Hangtown Classic, the opening round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in Rancho Cordova, California, just outside Sacramento. These races will be televised on MAVTV, with live airings of first moto action.
In MotoGP action, Team Suzuki Ecstar will race May 22 at Mugello in Italy. Wisconsin’s Road America will host the next MotoAmerica event on June 3-5, 2016. The MotoGP and MotoAmerica races will be televised on beIN SPORTS.
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