M4 Suzuki's Dane Westby moved into a tie for second place in the 2012 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike title race with a second consecutive outstanding runner-up effort at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday.

Westby again made good use of his front-row grid position and improved starting technique to put himself in contention for victory. The Oklahoman jostled in what started as a six-man leading pack before starting his charge forward on lap 11 of 21 aboard his GSX-R600.

'The Wolverine' sliced up from fourth to third and then second on successive laps, and ultimately slotted into the lead on lap 15.

Lacking just that extra bit a grip needed to make a final push for the checkered flag in the blisteringly hot conditions, Westby was forced to accept another second-place finish, his second in as many days.

"The racetrack was hot and greasy," Westby said, "I just tried to carve through a couple guys and get to the front. I just didn't quite have what was required to win this one. I got in front for a bit but they studied where I was strong and weak and made the most of it. I fried the tire up in the beginning stages when I was pushed back a little so I didn't have a real good tire to make a charge at the end. That's just how the cards played out."

Westby now has 192 points highlighted by four podium finishes, good enough to stand equal for second in the developing championship race.

Suzuki On Facebook SportbikeTrackGear.com's Elena Myers notched up a top-five finish on Sunday at Barber as well. Following a pair of early red flags, Myers made an excellent start to immediately join the chase at the front. Running in a close fifth early on, the Daytona winner fell back into a two-rider scrap for the position and was then pushed back into sixth, Myers gained the position back on the race's final lap. The strong result further solidifies her third-place ranking in the SuperSport West Region Championship on 143 points.

M4 Suzuki's Chris Ulrich raced his Suzuki GSX-R1000 into the top ten on Sunday and narrowly missed out in his bid to steal away ninth on the final lap.

Meanwhile, Team Venezuela's Robertino Pietri, still battered and hurting from his big crash at Road America, retired in pain from Sunday's race, scoring a DNF.

Team Hammer will now travel directly to NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, LA for a two-day official test session to be held on June 26-27. The next round of the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing Championship will take place on July 13-15 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH.

In 2012, Team Hammer, Inc. is competing in its 32nd consecutive racing season and marks its sixth year of offering technical and logistical support through its Contract Services Department. Riders on Team Hammer-prepared racebikes have earned 52 AMA Pro National race wins; 121 AMA Pro National podium finishes; 4 AMA Pro Championships; 133 Overall National Endurance race wins; 13 National Endurance Championships and assorted other race wins and titles.