YOSHIMURA SUZUKI CELEBRATES AMA SUPERBIKE VICTORY AT INFINEON
May 7, 2012
SONOMA, CA (May 7, 2012) – It was the Yoshimura Suzuki team’s time to shine in the AMA Pro Superbike Championship at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA, this past double-header weekend. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Young not only raced his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to his first Infineon Superbike race win on Sunday, he also took over the lead in the championship points. This result marks Young’s third victory out of six races so far in the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike season.
In Sunday’s 22-lap race, Young started strong by getting a good launch on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSXR1000. Then, he simply put his head down, turned consistent laps, created a healthy gap and took the win at the checkers. The day before, Young also got an impressive launch and was with the front-runners immediately. From the runner-up position, he made constant bids for the win before finishing second on Saturday.
“The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 has been great all weekend,” said Young. “We struggled a bit on Saturday and got second. Then on Sunday, I just tried to concentrate and focus. At this track, it’s pretty easy to get excited and find yourself going backwards. So I knew I needed to just mellow out and ride my own race. I just want to thank my Yoshimura Suzuki crew and the GSX-R1000 for my first win at Infineon. I’ve struggled here in the past and I did better than I expected.”
Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Chris Clark came to Infineon with a minor injury, but still made the best of the weekend. As he continues to gel with his new team, Clark made significant progress with his race performance between Saturday and Sunday. In the weekend’s first AMA Pro Superbike race, Clark finished 14th; but by Sunday, he’d bettered that result to 11th.
“I admit it was a pretty disappointing weekend,” said Clark. “I had a pinched nerve in my shoulder, so I could only put a few laps in before losing most of the strength in my right arm. Add that to the fact that Infineon is not my best track and the results suffered. But we made it out with some points and now we just need to put this behind us and focus on the rest of the season. My favorite track is next, so I'm really expecting a good result for myself and hopefully that will set the tone for the rest of the season.”
The Yoshimura Suzuki team’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series is at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT, the weekend of May 26 - 28, 2012.
Infineon Superbike Race 1:
1. Josh Hayes
2. Blake Young
3. Danny Eslick
4. Josh Herrin
5. Geoff May
6. Steve Rapp
7. Ben Bostrom
8. David Anthony
9. Larry Pegram
10. Roger Hayden
Infineon Superbike Race 2:
1. Blake Young
2. Roger Hayden
3. Geoff May
4. Ben Bostrom
5. Chris Fillmore
6. Danny Eslick
7. Josh Hayes
8. David Anthony
9. Robertino Pietri
10. Larry Pegram
2012 Superbike Standings:
1. Blake Young – 166
2. Josh Hayes – 162
3. Roger Hayden – 114
4. Josh Herrin – 84
5. Larry Pegram – 82
6. Geoff May – 77
7. Steve Rapp – 73
8. Danny Eslick – 71
9. Chris Fillmore – 66
10. Chris Clark – 66
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 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 120 distributors in 191 countries. For more information, visit www.suzukicycles.com. Follow Suzuki Scoop on facebook for exclusive team content www.facebook.com/suzukiscoopfans.
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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