AMA Pro Road Racing, Infineon Raceway it’s Moto Jam
- From: 'the Wire' | Published: May 7th, 2010 - 5:10 pm
Infineon Raceway’s (AKA Sears Point) 2009 AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike race was the first glimpse of the future, but at the time, it didn’t seem so significant. Now looking back, it was a moment that foretold the future as eventual 2009 AMA Pro American SuperBike Champion Mat Mladin was beaten for the first time after opening the season with seven straight race wins by none other than Team Graves Yamaha rider Josh Hayes. Mladin righted the ship with a win in the second race of the Infineon Raceway doubleheader but he only won three more races on his way to his record seventh championship. It was Hayes who took control of the sport with six wins, including the last four in a row. With Mladin’s retirement at the end of the year, Hayes set the tone for this season in American SuperBike, where there have already been four different winners in six races.
The May 14th-16th West Coast Moto Jam race weekend at Infineon Raceway, just north of San Francisco, will be the perfect place for Hayes to get his first actual race win of 2010. Returning to the track that gave him his first career AMA Pro American SuperBike victory should provide Hayes with the momentum to return him once again to the winner’s circle at the 12-turn, 2.28-mile track.
The other rider that broke the string of Mladin’s win streak in 2009 is Foremost Insurance Ducati rider Larry Pegram. He was the only other rider to post victories after the Infineon Raceway weekend in 2009 and Pegram is one of the riders with a win in 2010. Speaking of the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team that guided Mladin to so many victories, current riders Tommy Hayden and Blake Young have won the last three races in a row, both posting their first career American SuperBike wins, Hayden at Auto Club Speedway and Young in dramatic style at Road Atlanta.
What was perceived as a quiet start for the Yoshimura tuned team has turned into a full fledged assault on the season opening double race winner and points leader Jake Zemke on his National Guard Jordan Suzuki. Zemke, who will be riding in the 5th Annual LeoVince Grape Crushers Run on Thursday, May 13th (visit www.leovinceusa.com for further info), opened the season with a memorable first American SuperBike win for the Michael Jordan owned team and has not finished lower than fourth this year, riding with skill and patience on the masterfully tuned National Guard Suzuki. Zemke’s teammate at Infineon Raceway will again be Brett McCormick, standing in for the injured Aaron Yates who continues to recuperate impatiently at his Georgia home.
Another rider filling in for a sidetracked rider is Jake Holden, who will be riding the M4 Monster Energy Suzuki. Regular rider John Hopkins had medical attention to his injured wrist prior to the last race but unfortunately for Hopkins and his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki team, it became apparent that he needed additional treatment.
Another rider who would love to climb to the top step of the Infineon Raceway podium is California native Ben Bostrom. He has won in American SuperBike down in Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and actually won an AMA Pro SuperSport race at Infineon Raceway but to date, he hasn’t won there in American SuperBike. Ben and his Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha team have been moving up the board and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him have a strong run this year.
Two other riders who are having very successful 2010 campaigns are Chris Ulrich and Taylor Knapp, who are sixth and seventh in the points standings respectively. Ulrich, aboard his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki has five top ten results from six races and is poised to benefit from his familiarity with Infineon Raceway. Knapp is seventh in points, just four behind Ulrich, and he has his RidersDiscount.com ex-Mladin Suzuki on form, continuing to impress with his hard work and dedication.
The West Coast Moto Jam Infineon Raceway AMA Pro Racing weekend will feature all kinds of fun activities at the Sonoma, CA track in the days leading up to and including the actual race weekend itself. Beginning on Wednesday, May 12th, there is the 3J’s Motorcycle Track Day which will be your chance to take your motorcycle on the road course plus a lunch, a t-shirt, raffle and an evening reception following the event. All proceeds benefit Speedway Children’s Charities. For information or cost, visit www.3jsmotorcycledays. com. There will also be many fun activities at the track including flat track racing, motocross, vintage bike shows, an art show the Motorcycle Midway and the AMA Pro Riders Dunlop autograph session.
Both AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike races will be broadcast on SPEED TV, check your local listings for the broadcast times.
The AMA Pro SuperSport series will once again take to the track at the popular Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California for the West Coast Moto Jam, May 14-16.
After the impressive J.D. Beach captured his first two AMA Pro SuperSport race victories at last month’s Road Atlanta races, the series resumes with the two respective SuperSport Young Gun Division points leaders squaring off at the 12-turn, 2.28-mile road course at Infineon Raceway. West division points leader Joey Pascarella hopes to bounce back from his unfortunate injury at Road Atlanta that prevented him from racing and adding to his substantial lead of 76 points. Thankfully, he didn’t lose any ground at Road Atlanta since that was an East Division points race. Pascarella has been the dominant force in SuperSport this season with three wins and one second place.
The East Division points leader and winner of the season opening race at Daytona, Cameron Beaubier will be also competing at Infineon Raceway on his Rockwall Yamaha. The only rider to beat Pascarella on the track will be racing out of his division but hopes to regain his winning ways after finishing second and third behind his teammate Beach at Road Atlanta. Beaubier enjoys a slight ten point lead over Beach and an eighteen point lead over Huntley Nash who will also be competing at Infineon on his LTD Racing Yamaha. Huntley has enjoyed a very productive season with two seconds, two thirds and two sixth place finishes.
The rider who has shown the most tenacity has to be Elena Myers and her Richie Morris Roadracingworld.com Suzuki team. Myers, from nearby Discovery Bay, CA has shown her resolve by bouncing back after incidents at Auto Club Speedway and Road Atlanta to post excellent finishes of fourth at Auto Club and fifth at Road Atlanta. Both races saw her have trouble in the first of two weekend races but she comes right back the next day to race harder than ever, her battle with Tomas Puerta (LTD Yamaha) and Travis Wyman on his Yamaha at Road Atlanta was riveting to watch.
Another exciting element of the AMA Pro SuperSport class is the race within a race. Along with the season long Young Gun battles are the Top Gun riders which are local and other riders who carry an Expert Level license from a recognized road racing entity. These riders can enter the SuperSport races up to the Friday of race week and participate under the halo of an AMA Pro Road Racing event.
One Top Gun rider who was very impressive earlier this year at the Auto Club Speedway event in Southern California is Scott Gilbert. Gilbert raced his Graves Motorsports Yamaha to a second place finish in race one and a third in race two, the best finishes for a Top Gun rider this year. Gilbert will be competing again at Infineon Raceway and will be joined by Kawasaki rider Robert Tinagero who is fifth in West Division points and a number of other riders looking to make their mark in this exciting class of the future.
The Supersport class has produced some of the most exciting racing this year in AMA Pro Road Racing and the combination of the Young Gun riders battling it out for the season points titles and the local Top Gun riders having the opportunity to mix it up on their home turf makes for a great event.
The AMA Pro SuperSport series will feature practice and qualifying beginning Friday, May 14th with final qualifying and the first of two weekend races on Saturday, May 15th and concludes on Sunday, May 16th with the second 18 lap race of the doubleheader SuperSport weekend.
Other activities at Infineon Raceway during the West Coast Moto Jam include a myriad of activities throughout the beautiful facility. There will be historic motorcycle displays from the Japanese Motorcycle Heritage Foundation and Gary Davis Vintage collection, a motorcycle art show, the Motorcycle Midway and the AMA Pro Riders Dunlop Autograph session. Other competition activities include Supermoto USA at the Infineon Karting Center, TTXGP, the first zero-carbon motorcycle race in the USA, Flat Track racing behind the Turn Nine Terrace and Motocross action too. Northern California will be the place to be for everything motorcycles, don’t miss the on and off track fun at Infineon Raceway, May 14-16!
Please go to www.infineonraceway. com for schedules and ticket information.
