Rider Files

Josh Hayes with the Champion's Goblet in winner's circle following his win. (PHOTO BY NATE JACOBSON)

SONOMA, Calif. (May 5, 2012) — Yamaha’s Josh Hayes continued his mastery of Infineon Raceway on Saturday, taking the victory in the 22-lap feature for AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike at the Great Clips West Coast Moto Jam.

It was Hayes’ fifth-career SuperBike win on the 12-turn, 2.32-mile road course and his fifth in seven races in Sonoma. Blake Young (Suzuki) took second, with Danny Eslick (Eric Buell Racing) third in the AMA Pro Road Racing event.

Hayes hopes to make it a sweep of the doubleheader weekend on Sunday.

“Obviously the race went really well and went to plan,” said Hayes, who started on the pole and led wire-to-wire. “I was glad to get a good start. I’ve been getting beat up on the starts so far this year, but got a good run at the line and had a clear track. I think there is some more pace in the bike, and I feel like I can maintain a faster pace, if push comes to shove.”

It was Hayes’ third SuperBike win of the season and 20th of his career, tying him with Fred Merkel for fourth place all-time. He maintains his SuperBike points lead, 148-135, over Young.

Martin Cardenas (Suzuki) and Jason DiSalvo (Triumph) staged a thrilling battle in the 22-lap feature for AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, with Cardenas taking the checkers. It was the 20th career win for Cardenas, 19 coming in SportBike, an ongoing AMA record. With the victory, Cardenas remained atop the SportBike point standings.

Cardenas and DiSalvo dueled throughout the race, with the Colombian native taking the lead for good on Lap 20. He took the checkers by just 1.460 seconds over DiSalvo.

Dustin Dominguez (Triumph) took the win in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport 18-lap feature on Saturday, with James Rispoli (Suzuki) second and Jake Lewis (Suzuki) third. It was the first win of the season for Dominguez. Discovery Bay’s Elena Myers (Suzuki) placed 13th.

In qualifying for Vance and Hines VR1200, Kyle Wyman took the pole.

Action returns on Sunday at Infineon Raceway with four main events scheduled in Vance & Hines XR1200 (12:30 p.m.), Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport (1:15 p.m.), Daytona SportBike (2:15 p.m.) and National Guard SuperBike (3:30 p.m.). There will also be main events in TTXGP eGrandPrix Championships and Supermoto USA. Gates open at 8 a.m. For more information, visit www.infineonraceway.com/ama. All times Pacific.

###

Great Clips West Coast Moto Jam
WHAT: Big O Tires Racing Season Presents: Great Clips West Coast Moto Jam
WHEN: May 4-6
ABOUT THE WEEKEND: In addition to AMA Pro Racing, there will be Supermoto USA, and the TTXGP North America electric motorcycle series.
TICKETS: $35 single day/$55 weekend in advance; kids 12-and-under FREE and parking FREE. Military discounts available.
INFO: 800-870-RACE (7223), infineonraceway.com/ama, ticketmaster.com

It was Repsol Honda Team´s Casey Stoner who got his first pole position of the season in the MotoGP™ qualifying session for the Grande Prémio de Portugal Circuito Estoril ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa. Read more.

(NEWS RELEASE)

AURORA, Ill. (May 5, 2012) – Feld Motor Sports® caught up with Star Valli Yamaha Co-Owner Bobby Regan to discuss the second-annual Monster Energy Cup at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium on October 20. Regan announced today that the Star Valli Yamaha team will compete at this year’s Monster Energy Cup.

“The race was amazing last year,” said Regan. “We all enjoyed it and have been primed to race in it this year. The $1 million purse is not hype – a rider actually won it. This is certainly one of the reasons we will be out there. You can count on Star Valli to be in Vegas this October to win $1 million.”

To hear more of Regan’s thoughts on the Monster Energy Cup, watch the video below:

Regan founded the Star Valli Yamaha team in 1999 as a privateer-effort and has effectively built the team into a Yamaha factory-supported powerhouse. In 2003, Star Valli Yamaha was awarded the Supercross Privateer of the Year award for their successes in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship.

The 2012 Monster Energy Cup features an all-new track design inspired by five-time Supercross Class Champion Ricky Carmichael. The Carmichael-inspired track design will consist of supercross and motocross obstacles unlike any other racetrack design in the world. More than 200’ of the track will be built into the grandstands, and the riders exit the stadium and race through the Monster Energy Fan Zone outside of the stadium and through the pit area before they catapult back into the stadium. The Monster Energy Cup posts a $250,000 purse with the winner walking away with a $100,000 check, and any rider that wins all three Main Events will take home $1 million.

For more information on the Monster Energy Cup, log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com. For all media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig dhartwig@feldinc.com or 630-566-6305. To follow the Monster Energy Cup on Facebook and Twitter, log on to www.Facebook.com/VegasMECup and www.Twitter.com/VegasMECup.

Tickets for the 2012 Monster Energy Cup can be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, UNLVtickets outlets, online at www.UNLVtickets.com, www.MonsterEnergyCup.com, or by phone at (702) 739-FANS. Tickets will be available at the Sam Boyd Stadium Box Office on the day of the event only.

About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports®, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz®, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

(NEWS RELEASE)

AURORA, Ill. (May 5, 2012) – While some of the sport’s biggest names experienced their own bouts with heartache and misfortune, the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, will still go down as one of the most memorable and historic seasons of all time in which multiple story lines played out in dramatic fashion. This Sunday, May 6, CBS Sports and Feld Motor Sports® will relive the moments that made the 2012 season one for the ages with the season recap show, scheduled to premiere at 2 p.m. EST.

Defending Supercross Class Champion Ryan Villopoto made history in successfully defending his first title, riding his Monster Energy Kawasaki to back-to-back titles with four races remaining on the schedule, a feat that has never been accomplished in the sport’s 38 years of racing. The Washington native became the first rider since Ricky Carmichael in 2005 and 2006 to repeat as champion, but stamped his own mark on the record books by securing the title at this early stage of the season.

The one-hour program will showcase the races and moves that helped vault Villopoto into the sport’s elite group of legendary riders, outlasting three former champions in Ryan Dungey, James Stewart and Chad Reed, in addition to perennial contenders Trey Canard, Kevin Windham and Davi Millsaps.

Viewers will start from square one in Anaheim, which ignited an exceptionally deep, season-long battle amongst the most talented field of Monster Energy Supercross riders ever assembled. The highs and lows of the 16 races that followed will tell the tale of this grueling season that spared no rider from the hardships that can come from the world’s premier and most-challenging championship on the planet.

In addition to the compelling action of the Supercross Class, the rising stars of the sport in the Supercross Lites Class also laid it all on the line in 2012, giving fans even more to cheer about throughout the winter and spring. The intense competition produced surprise winners, high drama, and ultimately, two champions from the same GEICO Honda squad with Justin Barcia and Eli Tomac, who combined to make history for their veteran team.

Exclusive, in-depth rider interviews will tell the story from the men who lived it, revealing why 2012 was arguably the most challenging year in Monster Energy Supercross history. Moreover, the riders will explain first hand why Supercross is so truly unique and captivating.

Beyond the track, an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the popular Monster Energy Pit Party as well as Feld Motor Sport’s continually-evolving social media efforts will help illustrate how these integral parts of Monster Energy Supercross helped contribute in making 2012 the most successful season of all time in terms and attendance and viewership.

As an added bonus, a sneak peek of October’s Monster Energy Cup will offer insight into the second year of the most intriguing and richest race on two wheels.

Fans won’t want to miss their only chance to relive the entire 2012 Monster Energy Supercross season on television. The recap show will air exclusively on CBS this Sunday, beginning at 2 p.m. EST.

Tune into the enhanced exclusive weekly video content from Supercross LIVE! during the entire 2012 season on SupercrossOnline.com, the Official Website of Monster Energy Supercross.

Weekly Supercross LIVE! Video Content Schedule

The Official Supercross LIVE! Pre-Show Race Days at 11 AM Local Race Time
Behind the Scenes with Supercross LIVE! All Day on Race Days
2 Minutes on the Track Race Days at 3:30 & 5:30 PM Local Race Time
And on the Podium Tonight Following Each Round’s Main Events
The Official Supercross LIVE! Post-Show Saturday Nights at Each Round
Toyota Tailgate Talk Wednesdays at 5 PM ET
After The Checkered Flag Thursdays at 5PM ET

For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross. For all media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig dhartwig@feldinc.com or 630-566-6305. To follow Monster Energy Supercross on Facebook and Twitter, log on to http://www.facebook.com/supercrosslive and http://twitter.com/supercrosslive.

About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports®, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz®, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

(NEWS RELEASE)

SONOMA, Calif. (May 5, 2012) – Today’s great racing action at Infineon Raceway will be featured on SPEED in a set of back-to-back broadcasts starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT tonight.

AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Race 1 will be followed by AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Race 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT).

Tickets are available at the Road Atlanta box office for fans that want to come check out the amazing atmosphere and incredible entertainment of the M1 PowerSports-promoted event first hand. After tomorrow’s racing activity brings the weekend to a close, find out who will become the next Big Kahuna in AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike and AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike by tuning in to SPEED for a set of same-day delayed broadcasts scheduled to begin Sunday at 11:00 p.m. ET (8:00 p.m. PT).

For more information on the Great Clips West Coast Moto Jam or to purchase tickets, call 800-870-RACE (7223) or visit www.infineonraceway.com/ama. Specially-discounted advance pricing ends soon, so act fast!

Live Timing & Scoring of all on-track sessions will be available at http://live.amaproracing.com/rr/. Between the races, stay connected with AMA Pro Road Racing at www.twitter.com/AMAProSBK and www.facebook.com/AMAProRoadRacing.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

For additional information contact:
AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

(NEWS RELEASE)

Monza (Italy), Saturday 5 May 2012 - Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) made the best of the continuing difficult and changeable track conditions at Monza to record his first ever Tissot-Superpole win. At a circuit that was not expected to favour the twin-cylinders this was a surprise result to most but Guintoli richly deserved his pre-race success after a gamble to use a slick rear tyre on a slowly drying track paid off.

Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) made the best of the continuing difficult and changeable track conditions at Monza to record his first ever Tissot-Superpole win.

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was unable to quite reach the level of Guintoli, as he failed to win the pole prize for the first time this year, but in the final free qualifying session he used the slipstream provided by another rider to take his ZX-10R to a new record top speed in SBK history, 339.5 km/h, which equates to over 210mph.

A wet Superpole was called which meant that there would be only two sessions, each of 20 minutes duration, with the slowest eight riders eliminated after the first session. As soon as the first part started bright sunshine dried the wet track, particularly on the main straight, but further small showers were evident around the lap before the finish.

Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) was third in Tissot-Superpole, Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) fourth.

Sylvain Guintoli: “First pole for me and in difficult conditions! Unlike Tom and Marco I’m hoping for rain tomorrow, I’ll probably do a dance before the race. Today I had to take a lot of risks, I decided to go with the slick tyres and some corners were still wet, so it was quite dangerous and the last lap was very exciting. I thought Tom had enough watches now and I could do with one for my wife!”

Tom Sykes: “We’ve done a good job over the race weekend, we’ve got a good consistent race pace, and hopefully it’ll be dry. Today it wasn’t to be; we got outpaced by the ‘snails’, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Obviously it’s great for the Kawasaki to be so fast, I had fantastic drive from the exit of the Parabolica and who better but Max to be directly in front, I had a lot of help from him! Setting a new record is just a little bit extra for the books!”

Marco Melandri: “For sure it’s a good result, it’s been such difficult weather. I’m happy now because after Assen I was a bit worried about the wet conditions. BMW made a good job, the bike is working better and it’s nice to be on the front row. We got a new engine one month ago and it’s working pretty good here. I hope the weather will be a bit more stable. I hope to give a good race to Silvano (Galbusera) who is not here today.”

The second row of the grid for Sunday’s races will be headed by Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) with Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing), Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) and Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) alongside him. John Hopkins (Crescent FIXI Suzuki) and Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing) completed the top ten after just missing out on qualification for Superpole 2, but the most disappointed rider on the day was local man Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia Gold Bet) who had been fastest in combined qualifying but only 11^th after Superpole. The last place on the third row was taken by Leon Camier (Crescent FIXI Suzuki).

Times: 1. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1′54.276; 2. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′54.990; 3. Melandri M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1′55.971; 4. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1′56.793; 5. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1′57.630; 6. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′58.666; 7. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1′59.718; 8. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2′00.645; 9. Hopkins J. (USA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1′59.489; 10. Laverty E. (IRL) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′59.680; 11. Fabrizio M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1′59.681; 12. Camier L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1′59.845; 13. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1′59.978; 14. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 2′00.093; 15. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2′00.602; 16. Davies C. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′01.772; etc.

World Supersport
The white flag with a diagonal red cross that signifies rain on track was a near constant sight on the second day of action at Monza and thus Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) took pole thanks to his Friday best time. It was his third straight pole position of the year, only missing out in the first round in Australia. With lap times over two minutes in the second qualifying session none of the riders improved in their opening day pace. Second on the grid for Sunday’s race will be Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini) who will be close to his team-mate Sheridan Morais. Another regular Kawasaki rider, Fabien Foret (Intermoto Step Racing) is fourth on the grid. Local rider Stefano Cruciani (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki Italia) takes fifth place, Roberto Tamburini (Team Lorini Honda) sixth.

Times: 1. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1′47.601; 2. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′48.038; 3. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′48.419; 4. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′48.696; 5. Cruciani S. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′48.808; 6. Tamburini R. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1′48.817; 7. Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′48.910; 8. Scholtz M. (RSA) Honda CBR600RR 1′49.188; etc.

Superstock 1000
Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) will start the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race from pole position after the final session was conducted in fully wet conditions today and therefore his Friday lap time was the fastest of all. Second on the combined qualifying sheets is Lorenzo Savadori (Barni Racing Team Italia) while Lorenzo Baroni (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) will get off the line from third sport on the grid, one place higher than Savadori’s team-mate Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia).

Times: 1. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1′46.340; 2. Savadori L. (ITA) Ducati 1199 Panigale 1′46.776; 3. Baroni L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1′46.917; 4. La Marra E. (ITA) Ducati 1199 Panigale 1′46.973; 5. Staring B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′47.237; 6. Bergman C. (SWE) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′47.342; 7. Reiterberger M. (GER) BMW S1000 RR 1′47.792; 8. Lussiana M. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′47.814; etc.

Superstock 600
The Superstock 600 race was postponed until Sunday, after the second Superbike race, after poor light, a flooded track and a lightning storm in very close proximity to the circuit made it unsafe to continue.

European Junior Cup
Poland’s Adrian Pasek negotiated the tricky Monza track surface to claim pole position in the European Junior Cup class, leading Kiwi Jake Lewis by 0.488 seconds. Third was British rider Joshua Harland, then Gaston Garcia from Spain, while top Italian rider was Kevin Chili, son of Pierfrancesco. Giuseppe Scarcella from Australia scored a top six grid placing. The race takes place tomorrow afternoon.

Times: 1. Pasek A. (POL) KTM Duke 690 2′15.199; 2. Lewis J. (NZL) KTM Duke 690 2′15.687; 3. Harland J. (GBR) KTM Duke 690 2′16.570; 4. Garcia G. (ESP) KTM Duke 690 2′17.638; 5. Chili K. (ITA) KTM Duke 690 2′17.696; 6. Scarcella G. (AUS) KTM Duke 690 2′17.889; 7. Wielebski A. (POL) KTM Duke 690 2′18.124; 8. Demoulin J. (FRA) KTM Duke 690 2′18.532; etc.

(NEWS RELEASE)

Team M4 Suzuki’s Dane Westby has brought high expectations into this weekend’s AMA Pro Road Racing event at Infineon Raceway following his double podium effort last time out at Road Atlanta.

Westby, who is second in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike points chase trailing only GEICO Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas, opened the day with a strong fourth-place showing in the Friday free practice.

‘The Wolverine’ improved his time by nearly a half-second in provisional qualifying, hustling his GSX-R600 around the undulating Northern Californian circuit in 1:40.007.

That time left Westby seventh at the conclusion of a windy day in Sonoma with Saturday morning’s second qualifying session still ahead to determine the doubleheaders grid positioning.

Similarly, SuzukiScoopFans Sportbike TrackGear.com M4 Suzuki’s Elena Myers was fourth overall in the AMA Pro SuperSport free session. However, despite running considerably faster in qualifying, she dropped to 13th on the provisional order at the circuit where she scored her historic maiden AMA Pro victory in 2010. Myers’ best lap on the day was 1:44.069. Myers, a winner at Daytona in March, is still recovering from recent wrist surgery.

Team Venezuela’s Robertino Pietri and M4 Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich ran 13th and 14th in a closely contested opening AMA Pro Superbike qualifying session. The Venezuelan’s fastest circulation was a 1:38.488 while the Californian managed a best mark of 1:39.119.

“We made a big improvement from FP1 to qualifying,” Ulrich explained. “It was just a small change that allowed me to position the bike better that made a major difference. At the end of the session we made another change in the same direction but it was just a little too much and we weren’t able to fully capitalize on of the new tire.

“But the big thing is that everything is starting to come around again and I’m having fun on the motorcycle, which is important. The bike is a lot more fun to ride and I can find a rhythm. We have room to improve but we’re making real progress. It was a close session and there are two factory bikes behind me, which is a positive thing. We’re getting everything back to where it should be.”

On Saturday Westby, Myers, Pietri, and Ulrich will follow up final qualifying with the first-half of the Infineon Raceway weekend’s SportBike, SuperSport, and Superbike doubleheaders.

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. The team has earned 48 AMA Pro National race wins; 114 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.

(NEWS RELEASE)

After a good start to his 2012 AMA Pro racing season, Huntley Nash came into Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway round looking to keep up the form that has seen him inside the top 10 for most of this year’s sessions. (Brian J. Nelson photo)

Sonoma, CA (May 4, 2012) – After a good start to his 2012 AMA Pro racing season, Huntley Nash came into Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway round looking to keep up the form that has seen him inside the top 10 for most of this year’s sessions.

The Georgian was 15th on the first day but felt confident that he could improve that mark set in very windy conditions in Sonoma that created havoc for all the riders on Friday. His best time was 1:41.789.

“We never quite got the bike working exactly how we wanted,” said Nash. “Setup is very important here and we need to get a little closer, for sure. We made some changes and put on a soft tire with ten minutes to go. It felt pretty good and I was riding with Tommy Hayden but we couldn’t get one clear lap because of the traffic. That was when I set my best lap. I think if I can get some clean track on Saturday, I can do a mid- to low- 1:40. This is not my favorite place but we still should be doing a little better than we were today.”

David Gaviria had a difficult day at the circuit. Machine issues left him looking to Saturday morning to set his time in qualifying.

The first of two 22-lap Daytona SportBike races are set for Saturday as well.