Cupertino, Calif. (7 March 2010) – Ducati is proud to announce that in its AMA Pro Racing debut, the Ducati 848 Superbike proved to be an extremely fast and reliable contender.

In yesterday’s Daytona 200, a new era in Ducati competition began. For the first time in AMA Pro Racing’s Daytona Sportbike class, the Ducati 848 turned its wheels around the historic Daytona circuit. Of the six bikes entered, the results were staggering: not a single mechanical problem and a podium for the bike in its first time out. The 848 has proven to be an exceptional weapon for this class- especially considering many of the bikes were entered with little modification. This is a true testament to the 848’s race-readiness right off the showroom floor.

The podium finish in the prestigious Daytona 200 went to 2007 winner and Team Latus Motors rider Steve Rapp. Rapp put in an excellent performance at the front of the pack, and led home the group of five 848’s which finished in the top twenty positions.

“The race was pretty easy and non-eventful, which is good,” Said Rapp “We had good pit stops too. They probably weren’t the fastest but we didn’t make any mistakes and that’s all I can ask. I’m looking forward to the next race!”

In the Superbike class, rider Larry Pegram began his season with an impressive performance. Pegram fought all the way to the checkered flag and finished on the podium. It was a great start to the Foremost Insurance rider’s 2010 Superbike campaign, and he is looking forward to the next race at California’s Auto Club Speedway- a favorite track of his.

“It was a great start to the season for us!” Said Pegram. “The bikes ran great and we were right there on speed. Daytona is always tough on tires so we lost a bit there, but otherwise things are perfect.”

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 5, 2010) – The National Guard Jordan Suzuki team got their season off to a dream start in the second race in a set of doubleheader AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike races on the famous 2.9 mile short course at Daytona International Speedway. In an absolute last gasp pass at the line, Jake Zemke’s No. 54 Suzuki GSX-R1000 passed No. 22 Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider Tommy Hayden and won by 0.009 of a second for the second win in as many days. Fighting back from a disappointing first race yesterday, Ben Bostrom’s No. 155 Pat Clark Racing Palms Hotel/Las Vegas Motor Speedway Yamaha YZF-R1 finished in a solid third place.

Starting under clear and sunny skies, the field was led again by Aaron Yates’s No. 23 Brand Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 from pole position but Hayden and his Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Blake Young made a mighty move on Aaron into turn one and took over at the front. Once again the field fought furiously on the Daytona banking. Larry Pegram, aboard the No. 72 Foremost Insurance Ducati 1098R and Zemke picked up a big draft in the tri-oval and shot up into second and third places on lap two as Hayden built up a one second lead over the pack behind him.

Josh Hayes on his No. 4 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 and Ben Bostrom made good starts and joined the group behind Yates and Young. Another rider making his first appearance among the front runners this year was Brett McCormick and the No. 6 Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000. McCormick, Hayes and Bostrom had their own battles just behind the leaders. Chris Ulrich on his No. 18 Monster Energy Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000 recovered nicely from a lap one, turn one overshoot and was back up to 11th following up from yesterday’s impressive run.

Young was the next to encounter trouble as he ran wide at turn one on lap nine. Meanwhile, back up front the following group caught back up to Hayden and the race was back up for grabs. Zemke had fought his way back to the lead and many times the leader at the stripe wasn’t necessarily the leader into turn one. Zemke was fighting his handling but everyone was on the absolute limit and the bikes were all moving around in and out of the corners and especially on the banking. Meanwhile, Bostrom was making a nice move to the front, passing Hayes on lap 11.

Yates joined his teammate back at the front and when Hayden ran wide at turn one, it looked like a Michael Jordan Motorsports one-two finish might be in the cards. On lap 13, Hayden came back by Yates and Bostrom continued his well-measured march to the front by passing an always strong Larry Pegram into turn one. Hayden then made a sensational pass on Zemke in the International hairpin and began to put a nice gap on Zemke. Hayden got a great launch out of the chicane on the back straight and as he came around to the flag, it looked like Zemke had too much ground to make up before the finish line. But with Bostrom looking on with what he described as an amazing view from his Yamaha, Zemke passed Hayden at the line and won by just 0.009 of a second and later said he was trying to see the scoreboards on the cool down lap to see who won.

Yates took a fighting third, followed by Pegram, Hayes, Young and McCormick finished in a fine eighth place. Rounding out the top ten was David Anthony on his Aussie Dave Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Taylor Knapp on his RidersDiscount.com Suzuki GSX-R1000.

All in all, it was a dream start to the season for AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike and again under the watchful eyes of team owner Michael Jordan, Jake Zemke is proving to be a very wise choice for the Jordan organization. With the strong runs by Hayden and Bostrom, this year is shaping up to be one of the best in this exciting premier class of motorcycle racing.

Both rounds of AMA Pro American SuperBike can be seen in back-to-back broadcasts Saturday night on SPEED starting at 10:30 p.m. ET. Next on the schedule for AMA Pro Road Racing is Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California over the March 26 – 28 weekend.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 5, 2010) – After losing out on the Daytona 200 victory in 2009, No. 8 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 rider Josh Herrin secured his name in the history books by becoming the 69th winner of the Daytona Beach classic. Held for the second year in a row under the lights, Herrin battled a number of riders before pulling away after a super quick pit stop on lap 39. After that, he rode with tremendous composure and skill to take the checkered flag with a 7.964 second margin of victory on the historic 3.55 mile Daytona International Speedway.

Dane Westby and his No. 2 Project 1 Yamaha YZF-R6 took a well deserved second place and up until the last pit stop, it was a two man race. Westby showed his skill by running up front all night, trading the lead with Herrin several times over the course of the 57 lap race. Finishing third was 2007 Daytona 200 winner Steve Rapp on his No. 15 Team Latus Motors Racing Ducati 848. Rapp also ran up front all night and was one of five riders to lead during the race.

Leading the field off the line was pole winner Danny Eslick on the No. 1 GEICO Powersports RMR Suzuki GSX-R600 and as the field took the green flag from the standing start, fellow front row rider Martin Cardenas, riding the No. 36 Team M4 Monster Energy Suzuki GSX-R600, shot into the lead and led the field through turns one and two. In a heartbreaking moment, Cardenas had the front end slide out on him going into turn three and down he went, his race over. It was a devastating moment for what was clearly a big pre-race favorite. Further back in the lineup, a number of riders came together in the next turn, necessitating a red flag and immediate race stoppage and full restart from the original grid.

One rider, P.J. Jacobson, was transported from the scene to Halifax Hospital but was later released. Four other riders were examined at the infield care center and released and one rider, Bostjan Skubic, later complained of dizziness, was taken to Halifax for precautionary evaluation and was later released. After a brief delay, the race was restarted and this time the field had three riders go off in turn one but with no impact on the race. A tight group of 10 riders were drafting and swapping positions, with many changes every lap. Rapp, Herrin, Eslick, Team Graves Yamaha teammate Tommy Aquino, Kev Coghlan riding the Aussie Dave Racing Yamaha, Westby and more were all part of the action.

Another front-runner was Brett McCormick on his No. 61 Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R600. He was slowed early by an excursion though the chicane but regained his momentum and began another race at the back of the lead group, fighting with Cory West aboard the No. 57 Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600, Bobby Fong on the No. 30 Crozier Robinson Motorsports Ducati 848 and Jeff Wood on the No. 75 Vesrah Suzuki. The leaders were lapping in the one minute and fifty second range, which was just off the fastest qualifying times. Meanwhile, making strong but steady progress up from her 22nd starting position was Melissa Paris aboard the No. 13 MPH Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.

The first round of pit stops began on lap 17 and Aquino suffered a malfunction with his fueling apparatus, which caused fuel to spill all over the bike and led to his retirement from the race. Herrin stopped one lap later and had a flawless stop. Eslick also had a good stop and the lead was now held by Coghlan, ahead of Eslick, Westby, Herrin, Rapp, and Taylor Knapp riding the Ducshop Racing Ducati 848.

Coghlan then stopped on lap 21 and Herrin and Westby regained the lead battle with Rapp and the rest. As things settled down, a three bike breakaway with Westby, Herrin and Eslick kept the pressure on each other, each pulling the occasional wheelie out of the chicane lap after lap. By lap 25 it really became a two bike race, Herrin and Westby really now extending their lead over the field. Melissa Paris continued her strong run, now up to 13th. Brett McCormick’s promising run came to an end as he was involved in a multi-bike accident in the International Horseshoe on lap 32.

By lap 34 there were seven riders on the lead lap, the second round of pit stops began and the race to the checkers was on. Herrin and Westby came down pit lane side by side on lap 39 and each wouldn’t give an inch until they stopped in their respective pit boxes. The Team Graves Yamaha team really excelled and sent Herrin off before Westby, giving Herrin the gap he needed to break away. Westby rode as hard as could, but the gap to Herrin slowly grew as the race wound down.

In another moment of heartbreak, Melissa Paris’ excellent race came to a premature end when she lost front wheel traction while running in 11th place entering the chicane on lap 49. She had run as high as 10th place and was also treated and released from Halifax Hospital.

Later commenting that he was in nearly perfect rhythm, Herrin put his name in the record books as the second youngest winner of the Daytona 200 and the youngest at the races held at the Daytona International Speedway. At 19 years and 10 months, he is only preceded by Brad Andres who, when winning the 200 in 1955, was 18 years and 11 months old.

Eslick survived a late race coming together with a slower competitor to finish fourth, Coghlan took fifth, West was sixth, Geoff May riding his No. 99 GMR Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 finished seventh, Shawn Higbee finished eighth on his Higbee-Racing.com Buell followed by the tenacious Taylor Knapp and Eric Wood rounded out the top ten on his Honda CBR600RR.

AMA Pro Road Racing will be at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California from March 26 – 28 for round two of the 10 event schedule.

AMA Pro Racing kicked off the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship before a standing room only crowd at the “World Center of Racing” on the brand new DAYTONA Flat Track.

The large crowd that braved the cold temperatures were treated to some very hot racing all night. Woody Kyle Racing / Fredericktown Yamaha / Kings Kustoms backed Sammy Halbert blasted around early leader Joe Kopp (American AGIP / Latus Harley-Davidson / Moto Concepts) on lap eight and pulled to over a two second lead by the end of the 25 lap National.

“I just found my line on the track and was able to get out to a good lead,” said Halbert. “I looked back late in the race and had a good lead. I yelled a few times in my helmet, I was pretty sure I had it won. It’s really special to be the first winner at this new facility.”

Kopp had gotten the hole shot and was settling into a lead over Bettencourt Honda’s Kenny Coolbeth when Halbert came knocking on Coolbeth’s door on lap three. Halbert wasted no time in his charge to the front and by lap ten he had pretty much locked the win away.

Kopp and Coolbeth then had to fend off defending Singles National Champion, Henry Wiles (Kawasaki USA / Don’s Kawasaki / Shift Racing / Jones Brothers Racing). Wiles was finally able to get by the two former Grand National Champions on lap fourteen and slide into a comfortable second.

A major war developed over the final podium spot as Kopp and Coolbeth were joined by future brothers in laws, Johnny Lewis (Scott Powersports / Pit Posse / Monster Energy) and Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing / Leo Vince / Arai / Tucker Rocky).

Johnson came out on top of there and Woddy Kyle Racing / Fredericktown Yamaha / Kings Kustom’s Jethro Halbert made a last lap pass of Kopp for fourth.

Earlier in the night Johnny Lewis had captured the four lap Expert Dash and the all important five bonus points that go with the $1,000 check. Kopp, Sammy Halbert, Wiles, Coolbeth and Matt Weidman (Mack Daddy Racing / Matt’s Racing) were right behind.

The sixteen lap Pro Singles National got off to a rough start when Alpinestars / Arai / Oakley / Team 95 backed JD Beach hit the ground on the first lap in turn three. Beach also gathered up defending class Champion, Brad Baker (Brothers Power Sports / Mike Velasco / Micah Racing) and several others.

The restart saw James Rispoli off first but, Van`s Yamaha / Yamaha Motor Co / GYTR / Carver`s BBQ’s Jeffery Carver sliced his way into the lead on lap four and was never headed. Rispoli pressured in second while Stephen Vanderkuur grabbed the last podium position. Mikey Avila made his Pro debut a success with a fourth place finish.

Brad Baker worked his way all the way from dead last on lap one to fifth at the checkered flag, over fast qualifier Mike Poe and JD Beach.

Arai Helmets added money to the nights program for a Pro Singles Dash and JD Beach came away with the cash.

RESULTS:
GNC SINGLES: 1. Sammy Halbert (Yam); 2. Henry Wiles (Kaw); 3. Jake Johnson (Hon); 4. Jethro Halbert (Yam); 5. Joe Kopp (Hon); 6. Johnny Lewis (Hon); 7. Kenny Coolbeth (Hon); 8. Matt Weidman (Hon); 9. Raun Wood (Hon); 10. Jared Mees (Hon); 11. Don Mullen (Hon); 12. Chris Carr (Hon); 13. JR Schnabel (Yam); 14. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 15. Brandan Bergen (Hon); 16. AJ Eslick (Hon); 17. Luke Gough (Hon).

PRO SINGLES: 1. Jeffery Carver (Yam); 2. James Rispoli (Hon); 3. Stephen Vanderkuur (Hon); 4. Mikey Avila (Hon); 5. Brad Baker (Hon); 6. Mike Poe (Kaw); 7. JD Beach (Hon); 8. Kenny Malaguarnero (Hon); 9. Gerit Callies (Hon); 10. Mikey Martin (Hon); 11. Jake Shoemaker (Suz); 12. John Long (Suz); 13. Chad Kenyon (Kaw); 14. Adam Cobb (Yam); 15. Dalton Winkler (Yam); 16. Rob McClendon (KTM); 17. William Cato (Hon); 18. Cory Strickler (Yam).

Day Two:

Another packed house turned out on another cold night for Round Two of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship. The new DAYTONA Flat Track presented the riders with a whole different race track from the Series opener. Despite being much smoother and faster the slick surface proved to be a major challenge all night.

Jake Johnson is sporting a new number on a new team, but the Zanotti Racing backed veteran ended the night with his fifth Daytona National win on his number 5 Zanotti Racing / Leo Vince backed Honda. “I knew I had to get out front and stay smooth,” said Johnson. “I could hear someone back there and with about four laps left I peeked. I saw that big number two and thought, ‘Oh oh here comes Coolbeth.’ I knew I had to keep my concentration and stay on my lines.”

Johnson had obviously been fast all night, but last night’s winner Sammy Halbert had been fast qualifier on his # 7 Woody Kyle Racing / Fredericktown Yamaha / Kings Kustoms backed Yamaha, picking up the $250 Arai fast qualifier check.

Johnson’s win in the second qualifying heat would put him on the pole for the National as the other two heats were red flagged at some point, ending any chance for fast time.

In the GNC Dash Sammy Halbert showed the same speed and determination as he had with last night’s win. Halbert stayed glued to the bottom while Joe Kopp had his # 3 American Agip / Latus Harley-Davidson backed Honda riding the rim.

Kopp came up just inches short at the line as the two Washington riders charged out of turn four. Johnson was just a tick back in third.

The start of the twenty five lap National saw Johnson on the point with Sammy Halbert right on his heels. As Halbert tried to shoot under Johnson exiting turn two he hit a slick spot starting and started a slow spin right in front of the entire field. Somehow everyone missed him and with the engine still running Halbert rejoined the chase.

Johnson had been presented a gift of a little space on the field as the avoided the # 7 bike and he made the most of it. Kopp was back up at the top of the track in second with Johnny Lewis and his # 10 Scott Powersports / Pit Posse / Monster Energy backed Honda in third.

Defending GNC Singles Champion Henry Wiles was also on the high line with his Kawasaki USA / Don’s Kawasaki / Shift Racing / Jones Brothers Racing backed # 1 Kawasaki, but that high line would go away and both Kopp and Wiles would fade into the pack.

While Johnson was cruising, the large crowds attention was riveted on the # 7 as Halbert caught the back of the pack by lap night and started working his way to the front, by lap fourteen he was in tenth place and still working forward. That was where the fairytale ended however as his Yamaha gave up and Sammy’s night was over too soon.

Almost unnoticed, Jared Mees had been working his Pro Honda Oils / Montgomeryville Cycle Center / Rogers Lake Racing backed # 21 Honda into second, but that was short lived as Kenny Coolbeth was coming from even farther back on his # 2 Bettencourt’s Honda / Jason Perry backed Honda. Coolbeth was able to come from ninth to second by lap twelve, but that is where is drive stalled. Coolbeth cut into Johnson’s lead, but never challenged.

Johnny Lewis capped off a fine couple of days on his # 10 Scott Powersports / Pit Posse / Monster Energy backed Honda with a fourth place finish. Jethro Halbert kept Halbert Family racing in the mix as he rode a steady race to fifth on his # 69 Woddy Kyle Racing / Fredericktown Yamaha / Kings Kustom backed Yamaha.

In the Pro Singles class JD Beach had been road racing at the neighboring speedway all day and missed practice, but was allowed to ride one four lap qualifying session. He was able to turn sixth fast time his # 95C Alpinestars / Arai / Oakley / Team 95 backed Honda.

In the Pro Singles Main, defending Pro Singles Champion Brad Baker got the hole shot on his # 1 Mike Velasco Racing / Brothers Power Sports / Rod Lake backed Honda, but he had a whole horde of riders right behind.

On lap four Beach wedged himself under Baker as they exited turn two and took command for the remaining twelve laps. Stephen Vanderkuur pushed the # 10J Dallas Fort Worth Honda / D&D Exhaust backed Honda to the front of a three way battle over second.

As Beach cruised, the podium appeared to be set, but a last lap shake-up saw last nights winner, Jeff Carver slip his # 24P Van`s Yamaha / Yamaha Motor Co / GYTR / Carver`s BBQ backed Yamaha into second. Baker held on for third.

RESULTS:
Grand National Championship: 1. Jake Johnson (Hon); 2. Kenny Coolbeth (Hon); 3. Jared Mees (Hon); 4. Johnny Lewis (Hon); 5. Jethro Halbert (Yam); 6. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 7. Joe Kopp (Hon); 8. Henry Wiles (Kaw); 9. JR Schnabel (Yam); 10. Don Mullen (Hon); 11. Brandan Bergen (Hon); 12. Rob Pearson (Yam); 13. Mick Kirkness (Suz); 14. Raun Wood (Hon); 15. Chris Carr (Hon); 16. Gary Conklin (Hon); 17. Sammy Halbert (Yam); DQ. Matt Weidman (Hon).

Pro Singles: 1. JD Beach (Hon); 2. Jeffery Carver (Yam); 3. Brad Baker (Hon); 4. Stephen Vanderkuur (Hon); 5. Mikey Avila (Hon); 6. James Rispoli (Hon); 7. Cory Strickler (Yam); 8. Shane Narbonne (Hon); 9. Mikey Martin (Hon); 10. Rob McClendon (KTM); 11. Mickey Fay (Hon); 12. John Long (Suz); 13. Mike LaBelle (Hon); 14. Wyatt Maguire (Yam); 15. Andrew Smith (Hon); 16. Adam Cobb (Yam); 17. William Cato (Hon); 18. Jacob Constantine (Hon).

GRAND NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS: 1. Jake Johnson (42 pts / 1 win); 2. (TIE) Henry Wiles / Joe Kopp / Johnny Lewis (34); 5. Sammy Halbert (33 / 1 win); 6. Kenny Coolbeth (32); 7. Jethro Halbert (29); 8. Jared Mees (25); 9. Bryan Smith (18); 10. Don Mullen (17).

PRO SINGLES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Jeffery Carver (42 pts / 1 win); 2. JD Beach (35 / 1 win); 3. James Rispoli (32); 4. Stephen Vanderkuur (31); 5. Brad Baker (30); 6. Mikey Avila (29); 7. Mikey Martin (19); 8. John Long (14); 9. (TIE) Cory Strickler / Mike Poe (13).

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 26, 2010) – AMA Pro Racing kicks off its 2010 season at the legendary Daytona International Speedway for the 69th running of the famous Daytona 200, March 3-5 as part of the Daytona 200 Week activities.

This will be the second year the Daytona 200 will be run at night under the lights at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, March 5th. Practice and qualifying for the Daytona 200 will take place Wednesday, March 3rd and Thursday, March 4th.

The AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike class will see double action with two races for the very first time at Daytona. The first 15 lap race will take place on Thursday, March 4th and the second race will be on Friday, March 5th giving fans two opportunities to see this exciting class. Josh Hayes, 2009 Daytona 200 Winner Ben Bostrom, AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike returnee John Hopkins, Aaron Yates, Tommy Hayden, 2006 Daytona 200 winner Jake Zemke and Geoff May headline the AMA Pro American SuperBike class this year. With seven-time champion Mat Mladin’s retirement, the field is wide open.

The classic Daytona 200 has been run continuously since 1937 with only the war years interrupting what is a true American classic motorcycle race. Every accomplished and important rider and motorcycle manufacturer has featured and won this event. To join the illustrious group of previous winners is to enter into a group of riders who share a special place in the history books of motorcycle racing. Ed Kretz of Pomona, CA won the very first Daytona 200 on his Indian motorcycle. The list of winners extends to legends such as NASCAR great Paul Goldsmith to USAC and Flat Track star Joe Leonard to Flat Track greats Gary Nixon and Cal Rayborn to world champions Kenny Roberts and Eddie Lawson to Scott Russell, Miguel Duhamel, Nicky Hayden and Mladin and last year’s winner, Bostrom. All have proven to be the best of the best. Racing under the lights again this year on Friday, March 5th, the 57 lap race will once again start the 2010 season off in fine fashion.

This year’s AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL field see the return of 2009 champion Danny Eslick on his new Geico Powersports RMR Suzuki. Also returning will be Graves Yamaha riders Josh Herrin and Tommy Aquino. Martin Cardenas will be riding the M4 Suzuki and 2009 SunTrust MotoGT champion Mark Crozier will be running his DNA Ducati 848. Looking to improve on her 21st place finish last year will be Melissa Paris, whose performance last year was the best result ever for a female rider at Daytona.

The AMA Pro Racing SuperSport class will also have two races this year, showcasing the Young Gun group of riders aged 16 to 21 against the more experienced Top Gun class of riders which is comprised of more experienced Expert licensed riders and local talent. Each AMA Pro Racing SuperSport race will be 35 miles in length and will run Thursday, March 4th and then again on Friday, March 5th. Each race will run prior to the AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike races on both days.

Practice for all three classes begins on Wednesday, March 3rd and the races begin on Thursday, March 4th. Make sure to check out the many displays, demo rides and activities inside and outside of the Daytona International Speedway, the Sprint FanZone will be operating throughout the events and don’t miss the D5X, admission is free from March 4th through March 6th.

The Daytona 200 will air on SPEED at 9 p.m. ET. The AMA Pro American SuperBike races will air back-to-back, Saturday, March 6th at 10:30 p.m. ET.

AMA Pro Racing Daytona 200 Quick Notes

2006 Daytona 200 Winner Jake Zemke joins Michael Jordan Motorsports team.

Former MotoGP and World SuperBike rider John Hopkins joins M4 Racing team.

2009 Daytona 200 Winner Ben Bostrom joins newly formed Pat Clark Motorsports team with teammate Chris Clark.

Blake Young and Tommy Hayden now lead the Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura team.

Larry Pegram returns after three wins in 2009, his first in AMA Pro SuperBike since 1999.

Aaron Yates again leads National Guard Jordan team.

2009 AMA Pro Racing presented by AMSOIL Champion Danny Eslick and the Geico Powersports RMR team change motorcycle brands for 2010 season.

Dane Westby won 2009 Eight Hour Daytona race. New Atlanta based team for 2010.
comming
Geoff May is running own program for 2010 in Daytona SportBike.

Melissa Paris is running to benefit Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation.

Martin Cardenas and Chris Ulrich won the 2008 Daytona eight hour race, Ulrich also won eight hour race in 2007.

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.

AMA Pro Road Racing officials announced today that entries are now being accepted for the season-ending AMA Pro Road Racing 8 Hours of Daytona weekend for AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT and AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei at Daytona International Speedway, October 16 -18.

The entry deadline for all races is September 11th with late entries accepted up to the close of business on September 18th.  Post entries will be accepted for SuperSport only on Thursday, October 15.

The featured 8 Hours of Daytona is the season-ending event for SunTrust Moto-GT and will run on Saturday, October 17 from 1 – 9 p.m. ET.  The posted purse features a larger per-class payout than the per-class payout of the 200 race.  Both the GT1 and GT2 classes will each pay $15,000 in first-place prize money.

The 8 Hour will race with the same level of lighting provided in previous years, and all competing motorcycles must have working headlights and taillights.

The SuperSport Shootout race purse is more than double the standard per-event posted payout at series races this season.  The winner’s race purse is $5,000, double the first-place payout at 2009 races. The Shootout race winner will be the SuperSport National Champion.  All SuperSport Shootout participants must have run at least one previous SuperSport race during the 2009 season.

The complete purse payout can be found at AMAProRacing.com or by clicking here.

March 13, 2009 (Brea, Calif.) ? Congratulations to Suzuki Motorcycle and ATV racers who earned multiple victories and podium finishes throughout the Daytona Bike Week. After the dust and smoke settled, Suzuki claimed stake to five first place finishes throughout Superbike, Supercross, GNCC and ATV racing. It’s an impressive kick-off to the racing season and testament to why Champions choose Suzuki.

Motorcycle Racing

GNCC Round 1 – March 3, 2009
First Place, Charlie Mullins, Team FMF Suzuki Off-Road Suzuki RM-Z450 AMA Pro SuperSport – March 5, 2009 Third Place, James Wikle, Team RoadracingWorld.com Suzuki GSX-R600

AMA Pro American Superbike – March 5, 2009
First Place, Mat Mladin, Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000
Third Place, Tommy Hayden, Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000
Fifth Place, Blake Young, Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000

AMA Pro Daytona 200 – March 6, 2009
Third Place, Jason DiSalvo, Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600

AMA Supercross – March 7, 2009
First Place, Chad Reed, Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450
Fourth Place, Mike Alessi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450

AMA Supercross Lites – March 7, 2009
Third Place, Nico Izzi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250
GNCC Round 2 – March 8, 2009
Third Place, Joshua Strang, Team FMF Suzuki Off-Road Suzuki RM-Z450

ATV Racing

GNCC Round 1 – March 3, 2009
Second Place, Rockstar Makita Chris Borich, Suzuki QuadRacer R450

GNCC Round 2 – March 8, 2009
First Place, Chris Borich, Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450

AMA ATV MX Championship – March 8, 2009
First Place, Dustin Wimmer, Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450
Suzuki racing action continues March 14 in New Orleans for AMA Supercross where Chad Reed looks to make it three in a row on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450. On March 21 and 22, the Pro American Superbike series heads to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., where the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Racing crew attempts to continue its domination of roadracing. That same weekend, the AMA Supercross series moves up to St. Louis, Missouri; the GNCC Championship series moves to Morganton, North Carolina; and the AMA ATV Pro MX series travels to Pell City, Alabama for round 2 of racing action.

About American Suzuki
The Motorcycle/ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, Calif., was founded in 1963 by Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC). 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.

NEIL HODGSON TAKES SECOND IN THRILLING DAYTONA SUPERBIKE SERIES OPENER

Corona Extra Honda Racing’s Neil Hodgson took his Honda CBR1000RR to second place at the first Superbike race of 2009 on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway. In what has been widely credited as one of the most exciting Superbike races in years, Hodgson edged out Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden by .001 sec at the flag after 15 hard fought laps that saw a number of lead changes and on track excitement down to the photo-finish.

Hodgson qualified the Corona Honda CBR1000RR on the front row in fourth in the new-fo-09 Superpole session. At the green flag Neil was at the front of the pack taking second behind leader Mladin. On lap six Neil moved into the lead, holding it through lap seven when he was passed by Mladin and Ducati’s Pegram. He got back into second on lap ten and came under pressure from Suzuki’s Hayden who took the position on lap fourteen but with Hodgson right on his tail. Mladin had opened up a second lead but could not break away further form the pair behind who closed towards the finish and what a finish it was with Hodgson making the draft work to his advantage and edging Hayden by half a tire at the stripe – a photo finish by one one-thousandth of a second!

After the race an elated Hodgson said: “I was definitely pleased with that. It’s nice to be battling for a win. I’ve not had that opportunity for the last few years. When I was in the lead I thought I could win the race. I knew Mat (Mladin) was probably not in 100% condition and, it’s such a funny place, Daytona. Your tire can just start going down and there’s nothing you can do about it once it starts spinning. I could see Larry’s (Pegram) tire go off pretty much. And I thought that could happen to Mat. And when I got the lead, I’m thinking, ‘I’ll just go as fast as I can.”

Neil credited his crew for putting in long hours to get the bike ready and allowing him to ‘do his job!’ Hodgson is currently second in the Superbike points standing.

In its ‘Race to the Lime’ Corona Extra Honda Racing is proud to be partnering with; Parts Unlimited, Cycle Gear, Pro Honda Oils, AGV, FMF, Autolite, Hotbodies Racing, K&N, Motion Pro, Vortex, Dainese, GPR, Ogio, CR&A, RK, Dunlop, Powerstands, Bellco, Adran, K&L, HRC, Acme Garage, Vicci, Fluid Designs, EBSCO Media, MTS.

AMA Pro Racing – Daytona International Speedway – March 6, 2009

Provisional Race Results (3.51-mile course, all on Dunlop tires):

OVERALL:

1. Wisconsin Racing (Jeff Purk/Calvin Martinez), Duc 848, GT1, 58 laps

2. Old Pros Racing (Jean Paul Tache/Paul Schwemmer), Kaw ZX-6R, GT1, -93.814 seconds

3. Pair-A-Nines (Jay Springsteen/Nick Cummings), Kaw EX650, GT2, 57 laps

4. Liberty Waves Racing (Eric Haugo/Eric Pinson), Buell 1125R, GT1, -16.032 seconds

5. V Vargas Racing (Jeffrey Lampe/Roberto Vargas), Kaw ZX-6R, GT1, -56.078 seconds

6. Touring Sport Ducati (Frank Shockley/Brad Phillips), Duc PS1000LE, GT2, 56 laps

7. Cycle Dynamics 34 (Dustin Dominguez/Les Banta), Kaw EX650, GT2, -8.048 seconds

8. Crozier Motorsports (Mark Crozier/Phil Caudill), Tri Daytona 675, GT1, -34.643 seconds

9. Team Hurtbyaccident.com (Chris Boy/Jason Edmonds), Duc PS1000LE, GT2, 55 laps

10. Mid-Illini Motorsports 17 (Kenny Rodriguez/Trey Yonce), Suz SV650, GT2, 54 laps

MotoGT1:

1. Wisconsin Racing (Jeff Purk/Calvin Martinez), Duc 848, 58 laps

2. Old Pros Racing (Jean Paul Tache/Paul Schwemmer), Kaw ZX-6R, -93.814 seconds

3. Liberty Waves Racing (Eric Haugo/Eric Pinson), Buell 1125R, 57 laps

4. V Vargas Racing (Jeffrey Lampe/Roberto Vargas), Kaw ZX-6R, -40.045 seconds

5. Crozier Motorsports (Mark Crozier/Phil Caudill), Tri Daytona 675, 56 laps

6. Team Hurtbyaccident.com (Armando Ferrer/Rodolfo Ramirez), Suz GSX-R600, 17 laps

7. James Gang/Hoban Bros. Racing (Paul James/Jeff Johnson), Buell 1125R, -176.402

MotoGT2:

1. Pair-A-Nines (Jay Springsteen/Nick Cummings), Kaw EX650, 57 laps

2. Touring Sport Ducati (Frank Shockley/Brad Phillips), Duc PS1000LE, 56 laps

3. Cycle Dynamics 34 (Dustin Dominguez/Les Banta), Kaw EX650, -8.049 seconds

4. Team Hurtbyaccident.com (Chris Boy/Jason Edmonds), Duc PS1000LE, 55 laps

5. Mid-Illini Motorsports 17 (Kenny Rodriguez/Trey Yonce), Suz SV650, 54 laps

6. Mid-Illini Motorsports 26 (Mitch Stein/Gene Burcham), Suz SV650, 52 laps

7. Double Life (Dan Dominguez/Les Banta), Suz SV650, -17.868 seconds

8. East Coast Supertwins (Gary Cain/Dave Zylberberg), Suz SV650, 51 laps

9. Cycle Dynamics 43 (Ted Cobb/Kyle Wyman), Kaw EX650, 13 laps

10. Coatzymoto International Racing (Fernando Ferreyra/Fernando Barbosa), Duc PS1000LE, 9 laps

11. McNology Racing 1 (David McPherson/Mark McCormick), Suz SV650, 1 lap