Actor Antonio Sabato Jr. visits CycleWorks Etc. in Thousand Oaks, CA for some work on his motorcycle, which includes a new set of Galfer Wave® Rotors and Galfer Stainless Steel Brake Lines.
Barely two weeks have elapsed since Celtic Racing’s James Rispoli and Corey Alexander completed the second round of the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing SuperSport season at Road Atlanta. James Rispoli rode his #1 Celtic Orient Express Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600 hard from the opening day, dominating practice and qualifying on pole ahead of a 40 rider field. James would go on to win the SuperSport race on Saturday, and narrowly miss victory in race two on Sunday after a red flag cut short a relentless battle between Jake Lewis and himself. Corey Alexander rode hard and qualified in fifth position, but was balked at the start of Saturday’s race and battled traffic to finish tenth. Sunday saw Alexander hit the pavement early in the race when he got tangled up with another rider. Corey suffered some shoulder injuries in the accident, and has undergone several examinations and an MRI.
Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California is another challenging road course, featuring over 160 feet of elevation changes, and flowing camber variations that make it a challenge for every rider except die hard locals. At 2.22 miles in length, it is among the shorter tracks the racers will visit this season. Infineon rewards careful chassis set up, and with 11 turns, rhythm is important for a fast lap.
James Rispoli arrives at Infineon leading the AMA SuperSport West Championship after winning race one and finishing fourth in race two at Daytona, where points counted towards the West Championship. Rispoli has been training and preparing since the day after Road Atlanta, and carries a great deal of excitement with him to California. “I am really excited as we head to the West Coast! When I went there to ride it last, it was super cold at Infineon, but I got some really good marks and reference points. I have been training in the heat now so I feel really good, and I’m getting used to the heat so I can do a better job controlling my breathing. We are looking to keep the momentum going as we did at Road Atlanta, and we are trying to get as many points as possible this weekend. I hope my teammate Corey is going to be able to ride, he was very fast here last year, and any help he can provide with data would help a lot” said Rispoli. Please follow James on Twitter via @JamesRispoli for the latest updates.Corey Alexander will visit with noted surgeon Dr. Arthur Ting before he gets to Infineon. ”Going into this weekend I’m not really sure what to expect! We weren’t sure if I would be able to ride but after Dr. Ting looked over my MRI and had me try a few tests at home, we received a tentative okay to ride. I will be visiting with him before I ride in California so he can look my injury over better. So I guess as long as it doesn’t hinder my ability to ride too much, we will be doing the best to put the #5 National Guard Fairhills Group GSX-R 600 up front. I do have to give a huge thanks to Dr. Ting for helping me out at the last minute” said Alexander.
Celtic Racing was established 2001 by Barry Gilsenan, and over the past 11 seasons has established itself as a premier privateer racing team. Development of riding talent began with two-stroke 125cc, and 250cc machines competing in professional and regional championship events. More recent Celtic Racing efforts have focused on AMA Pro Road Racing in the Daytona SportBike and SuperSport classes with Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha four stroke motorcycles. Gilsenan’s talent for coaching racers of all ages and abilities has brought Celtic Racing worldwide attention and recognition, with many former Celtic Racing riders now competing on World Championship levels. Please join Celtic Racing on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CelticRacing .
Both Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600′s show-case the best in road racing technology. Product support for both machines comes from: Michael Jordan Motorsports, American Suzuki, Armor Bodies, Chicken Hawk Racing, DesignStar3, Dynojet, FMF Racing, Full Spectrum Power, Hudson Valley Racing, Galfer Brakes, GB Racing, K-Tech Suspension, Maxima Oils, Motion Pro, Pit Bull, Riviera Country Club, Saddlemen, Star Motorcycle School, Vortex Racing, XT Racing, and Zero Gravity.
ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
The National Guard is the oldest military branch. Today, Citizen-Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while training part time, staying ready to defend America in the event of an emergency. The National Guard serves both state and federal governments. During local emergencies, Guard units assist residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard companies deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. Please visit www.nationalguard.com to find out more.
FAIRHILLS GROUP
Fairhills Group is a New York based alternative investment management firm that manages capital for the Bronson family and other high net worth individuals and wealthy families. Fairhills was established in 2002 for the purpose of providing public companies with alternative forms of financing, eventually becoming one of the most active investors in structured equity transactions. Fairhills has since grown to provide financing solutions to companies globally and recently has opened its doors for the first time to external investors, with a full range of alternative investment fund offerings. For more information on Fairhills, please visit www.fairhills.com.
ORIENT EXPRESS
Established in 1973, Orient Express is a high performance motorcycle parts and accessories warehouse distributor; offering dyno tuning, engine building services and precision machine work. Orient Express has an extensive history of racing, including support of both professional and amateur race series and individuals. For more information regarding Orient Express, or to find out what Orient Express can do for your racing success, please call 800.645.6521 or 631.231.
Matlock Racing had a great weekend of racing. To start things off, Matlock Racings newest team rider, Dofo Arellano along with MCR’s JR Robles, took a convincing 1st Place victory at the Thunder On The Beach 150 in Rocky Point, Mexico. Back in the US, Matlock Racing’s Wayne Matlock, Kristen Matlock, and Cliff Matlock were set to race on Sunday in Southern California at round 5 in the AMA District 38 series. This race was a solo race consisting of four twenty four mile loops through the So Cal desert. At the starting line Wayne was able to get the hole shot with his Honda TRX450 firing up on the first kick and never looked back finishing 1st Overall Quad.
“This was a fun race for me, I have been riding a lot lately and it’s starting to show. The transition from racing the 700xx to the TRX450 has been hard for me to get used to, but I have it figured out now and I’m finally at the point where I can charge into stuff like I used to on the 450. I can’t wait for the next race.” Wayne Matlock
In the Womens Quad Class, Kristen Matlock did not disappoint as she got off to a mediocre start, she quickly found her rhythm and started making ground. She passed several quads and even more dirt bikes to take the 2nd Place spot on the podium in the Womens Quad Class. On the dirt bike side of things, Wayne’s Father, Cliff Matlock raced the Super Senior Class at 62 years old. He got off to a great start on his JCR built CRFX450, but had a crash in the first five miles. After picking himself up, it took a little while to get the bike to fire up but once he did he was on a mission to pass as many bikes as possible. At the end of the race he kept his class winning streak alive and took an impressive 9th Overall, finishing two places behind his son Wayne.
After the race was over, Dofo Arellano showed up to take a ride on the #1A TRX450. When he showed up, Wayne had brand new gear from FLY RACING there for him. It was cool seeing how much he liked the new gear already done up with his name and the #1A on it. After gearing up, he jumped on the quad and took off into the desert. Wayne was waiting anxiously back in the pits to find out how he liked the quad and the setup. After about 30 minutes Dofo came riding back into the pits with a big smile on his face. His first words were, “What did you do to the motor and how can I get mine done like this?” The second thing he said was, “When can I get that suspension setup on my practice quad?” After hearing this, Wayne was pleased that he liked the setup and admitted that he was worried when Dofo was gone for a while. Dofo said he was having so much fun and decided to do the entire 24 mile race loop on the quad to give it a good run though the rough desert.
The team talked about their next race, Salada to Ponderosa Team Race in two weeks that they are all really looking forward to. Not only will this be the first time Wayne and Dofo race together as teammates, it will also be Kristen’s first time racing in Baja, something she has always wanted to do, but is always too busy supporting Matlock Racing’s SCORE Baja racing efforts.
Matlock Racing would like to thank all the Sponsors:
American Honda, JCR, Maxxis, Elka, Vey’s Powersports, Scott Goggles, Rich Morel Race Motors, Precision Concepts, Roll Design, Honda Oil and Chemicals, KZ Trailers, Fly Racing, Renthal, UNI, DWT, FMF, OMF, Tire Balls, Quad Tech, DID, Hinson, Precision Racing Products, Baja Designs, Motion Pro, UPP, Pro Armor, Go Pro, Alpinestars, Galfer, Lonestar, Web Cam, Works Connection, IMS, Rocky Mountain ATV, Kicker, Hammer Nutrition, H-Bomb Media
For more information on Matlock Racing please visit – www.matlockracing-honda.com
Back in February I wrote about Supercross and how that series is really foreign territory for me. On the opposite end of the spectrum is AMA Pro Road Racing, and this past weekend I returned to my home track of Road Atlanta for the Big Kahuna Atlanta.
My history with Road Atlanta goes back a long way. I volunteered there during college and, after graduation, I got a job at the track, launching a career in motorsports that has yet to make me wish I’d pursued a more “normal” line of work.
I’ve worked many a Big Kahuna race at Road Atlanta in the years since, and of course I’ve had my own racing adventures there, from a four-hour endurance race in the rain to dealing with my fiancé’s (now husband) brutal crash in turn five.
I also hosted some EPIC Halloween parties during the WERA Grand National Finals.
With a history like that, heading up to Road Atlanta for a weekend was, as always, like going home in a sense. It’s always nice to see familiar faces, both in the paddock and among the fans.
There were plenty of Galfer-sponsored riders to cheer for, and no team came away with better results than Josh Chisum Racing. The team took first and second in the Vance & Hines XR1200 race, with Tyler O’Hara claiming first and Michael Barnes taking second.
Martin Cardenas won both of the Daytona SportBike races on his Geico Suzuki GSX-R600. He absolutely took off in race one, winning by over four seconds. Cardenas won the Daytona SportBike championship in 2010, and it’s no wonder why. He’s quickly become a favorite rider to watch: he’s not only fast, but smart and calculating.
Galfer-sponsored Dane Westby took second in the first Daytona SportBike race on his M4 Broaster Chicken Suzuki GSX-R600, and he followed it up with third in race two. Other Galfer riders who did well in Daytona SportBike race one include Bobby Fong and Huntley Nash, who were sixth and seventh, respectively, and JD Beach, who finished ninth. Half of the top ten riders in race one were using Galfer brakes!
In the second Daytona SportBike race, Jake Gagne was fifth. Fong, Beach and Nash took the sixth through eighth spots. Again, it was a great result for Galfer, with six riders in the top ten.
SuperSport race one was a great battle, with James Rispoli winning it for Galfer on board his Celtic Racing/Orient Express Suzuki GSX-R600. Dustin Dominguez was third on his Castrol Triumph Daytona 675, Stefano Mesa was fifth and Hayden Gillim was sixth. Galfer riders rounded out the top ten, with Tomas Puerta and Corey Alexander taking ninth and tenth.
In the second SuperSport race, Rispoli had to contend with second after a fantastic race-long battle. Dominguez was third again, while Gillim and Mesa completed the top five. Puerta was seventh.
All in all, it was a great weekend of racing for Galfer riders. It was also a great weekend to be a fan: we had unexpectedly cool weather and competitive racing. For me, it was a chance to go home again, but this time with a whole new crop of riders to cheer on. Congratulations to all of our Galfer riders!
Braselton, GA (April 23, 2012) – LTD Racing’s Huntley Nash earned two top ten results at Road Atlanta in what was his best weekend yet in the Daytona SportBike class. The AMA Pro SuperSport race winner finished eighth on Sunday to go along with his seventh place on Saturday and ninth in qualifying, showing more promise for the 19-year old.
“I had a good weekend at Daytona before we had a mechanical issue in the race, so I assumed I’d be in the same type of position at Road Atlanta – fighting with a good group of riders closer to the front,” said Nash. “It felt good to be able to be competitive and I’m happy with it.”
“I was consistently in the top ten and only a second or so off pole. I was glad to be near the front. Last year I wasn’t near the top ten. It was a new opportunity for me and I wasn’t able to take full advantage due to an injury that didn’t get fixed until the end of the year,” he continued.
Nash broke his ankle in a training accident last winter and raced the season with a metal rod that limited his mobility. The injury, combined with jumping up to DSB, made it hard to duplicate his 2010 form that saw him win three races, lead 58 laps, and take four lap leader bonus points in SuperSport. “I could only move it 20 degrees as opposed to 60 degrees, so when I got the metal taken out I got a lot of the motion back. I could ride the bike better and train harder,” said Nash. “We’re already looking way better.”
Sunday saw Huntley start well to get away near the front and he had some good battles inside the top ten. “It was a good race. I was at the tail of the lead pack and racing with some good guys like Jake Gagne and Cory West. At the very end, I had some arm pump so I had to nurse it so I possibly could have done a little better. I think we can be at the front once I fix that.”
Nash hopes to continue progressing through the next AMA Pro rounds. “The last time I had a good year, I carried the momentum I got from Road Atlanta and Infineon and then built on that to get some wins, so I’m hoping to qualify on the first and second row at Infineon Raceway and then be competitive in the races and top this one,” he said.
Nash’s teammate David Gaviria had improved on his 20th qualifying position and ran in 12th on Sunday before a mechanical issue ended his race early.
Sam Nash raced SuperSport for LTD Racing at Road Atlanta as part of his limited schedule. The law school student skipped class on Friday and finished 23rd and 22nd out of the 43 entries.
Huntley, David, and LTD Racing will return at Infineon Raceway May 4-6.
Jorie Williams goes 1-1 at Quadcross Northwest’s 2nd round, taking the Pro win for the day, and tying up the points.
Saturday April 21, 2012, Team Quad75Dezert, with the exception of rider and mechanic Kenny Sanford, headed to Horn Rapids outside of Richland, Washington to compete in the second round of Quadcross Northwest; the Northwest’s newest premier motocross series. After coming from a 2-2 for second at the inaugural round March 25th, Jorie Williams was determined to take the win this time. Brandon Brown and Jamie Kirkpatrick went as support and used the time on the track as physical training.
Racing the Pro-Am event on Saturday, Jorie de-beaded a tire after the first 4 turns. He came back on the track at the end of the race, but it offered only a warm-up for the day. Jorie came back in moto 2 of the Pro-Am event Saturday to take second. Unfortunately a 9-2 did not help him get on the Pro-Am podium, but it offered great practice for Pro qualifying Saturday. At the end of the day, Pros try for the fastest lap in order to determine gate pick for Sunday’s Pro race. Jorie managed a
1:34 lap time, but Cody Irving just edged him out at 1:33.
Sunday moto one Phil Oppen got the holeshot but was overtaking by both Cody and Jorie a few laps in. Cody and Jorie battled it out for 20 minutes plus one lap, going tire to tire and swapping places several times. Jorie managed to get by Cody for the moto 1 win. With temperatures in the mid-80s, everyone needed to stay hydrated and prepare for the intense second moto. Again in moto two Phil Oppen got the holeshot and lead for several laps. Jorie managed to pass him about mid-way through the race and a few laps later Cody passed Phil as well and made the hard charge to the front. Cody pressured Jorie but Jorie never made a mistake and took the moto 2 win, giving him the overall Pro victory for the day and tying the points between himself and Cody Irving.
Round 3 of Quadcross Northwest will be May 19 and 20th in Spokane, Washington at Airway Heights MX. More information can be found at Quadcrossnw.com, PitTraffic.com or on their respective Facebook pages.
Jorie Williams is competing with the help of: Quad75Dezert, S&S Motorsports, KBH Construction, Waterwell Developing & Surveys, Fox, Maxxis, Klim, Teixeira Tech, ProCaliber.com, HMF, MotoXNutrition, CBR, K&N Filters, UPP Racing, Fullbore Innovations, HiPer, Pro Armor, TCS Motorsports, Spider Grips, Warn, Sunstar, Maxima, Precision Racing Products, Asterisk, Wiseco, Rekluse, 100%, Powermadd, IMS, We All Ride, ProMoto Promotions, Trail Tech, Shorai, Hot Rod Fab, Dune-Tech Offroad, Fusion Graphix, Murray211 & PitTraffic.com
Galfer USA has been a longtime sponsor of 17-year-old roadracer Marisol Lacour. Look for her in the WERA West series this year.
When 17-year-old Marisol Lacour tells her friends that she is a motorcycle roadracer, they often ask, “Do you fall?” That question is, inevitably, followed up by, “Does it hurt?”
“Those are my favorite questions,” Marisol laughs.
Unfortunately, she is well aware that the answer to both questions is yes. In November of 2010, Marisol crashed and injured her shoulder. It took six months of healing and rehab before she got back to racing her Yamaha YZF-R6 in WERA West competition.
Marisol started riding when she was eight, and racing followed soon after. She’s not one to let something like an injury slow her down for long. “When I first started riding, I was eight and my dad had gotten me a pocket bike,” Marisol says. “He found a club out here, and I went to a race and placed. I actually placed my first race!”
The Moorpark, California, racer moved up to racing NSRs, and eventually switched to a Suzuki SV650 when she was 14. Marisol rode that for her novice season and first year of expert racing before graduating to the R6.
Eventually, Marisol hopes to compete in AMA Pro Racing. She also hopes she can balance a professional racing career with college: Marisol, who graduates high school in May, is already taking classes at a local community college. She plans to pursue a degree in either chemical or electrical engineering.
Marisol has a lot more than just bikes and college courses to keep her busy. She cycles, works part-time at the smoothie shop Jamba Juice, and she admits to being a Left for Dead and Assassin’s Creed addict.
For now, Marisol is keeping her motorcycle talents on the track. Her dad bought her a 250 after she got her motorcycle license, but she got a car a short while later. “I didn’t like riding on the street at all. I’ve had that racer’s mentality for so long that it’s hard to go the speed limit!” she says.
For a girl who grew up with speed, that’s no surprise. It’s one of the things that attracts sponsors like Galfer USA to Marisol’s racing program. “My sponsors have been a huge help the past couple of years,” she says. “Galfer was one of my first sponsors when I was little. ”
Marisol is grown up now, and only getting faster.
Jason DiSalvo made history at Daytona in 2011, winning the 200 on a Ducati. Now, the Galfer-equipped bike is on display at the Barber Museum.
Often times, race wins have fleeting glory: in the days and weeks following the race, there are accolades, interviews and photo spreads in magazines, and then everyone turns their attention to the next race. The victor is left with a trophy and memories.
Occasionally, though, a win is so significant that it becomes a historic moment, something that deserves to be immortalized. That’s exactly what happened when Jason DiSalvo won the legendary Daytona 200 in 2011. He did it on board the Latus Motors Racing Ducati 848 Evo, which is equipped with Galfer brakes. It marked the first time that a Ducati has taken top honors at the Daytona 200.
Now, Jason’s Ducati, as well as the leathers and helmet he wore in the race, have been immortalized at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, which sits trackside at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. The display was unveiled in March, just in time for the IndyCar weekend at Barber.
The Daytona 200 got its start on the white sand beaches of Daytona in 1937. Other than a break during World War II, the race has run every year, but a Ducati was never victorious. When Jason won, the head of Ducati Corse in Italy called an Italian journalist who was at the track. The Ducati boss was overjoyed and surprised to hear that it was a small privateer effort that had made history.
“Ducati had tried to capture that title so many times, and they had about given up on it, I think,” Jason says. “They were pumped about the win, but it was cool that it was done by a privateer team. Just a rag tag group of awesome individuals that finally did it.”
Jason credits the crew’s hard work and accuracy for his win, adding that the team had limited preparation time before the race.
The Ducati 848 Evo was later sold to a private collector, Jim Dillard, Sr. Dillard planned to put the bike on display in his own museum, but he agreed to loan it to the Barber Museum for the track’s annual vintage festival. Jason did a few exhibition laps on it, and then another rider took it out and crashed.
“It was a little sad because right before the vintage festival the gentleman who purchased the bike passed away. The bike was kind of in limbo. It was at the museum but nothing had been said about its future. Then once it got repaired, the gentleman’s son donated it to the museum. Now it’s part of the Barber collection and that’s where it will stay,” Jason says.
Not only did the museum staff restore the Ducati’s cosmetics, but they also replaced parts with meticulous care for accuracy, working closely with Latus Motors Racing.
Jason lives in Trussville, Alabama, just twenty minutes from the museum, so he went to see the display that immortalizes his historic win. “When I got there, I saw that it’s sitting right where you walk in the door. The bike is the first thing you see. It’s really cool,” he says.
We think it’s pretty cool, too. Not every company gets to brag about being a part of a museum display honoring a historic moment in motorcycle roadracing. Thanks to Jason and Latus Motors Racing for giving Galfer USA something cool to brag about!
April 11th, 2012 Press release from The Corner Kings (TCK Racing)
TCK Racing Team debuted at the WERA West Las Vegas round with rider Dom Stenbakken and his 2008 Suzuki GSXR 750 in the A Superstock Novice class. When asked why he picked A Superstock and not B Superstock. Dom stated,” I want to be pushed hard and the A Superstock class will do that. I have not been on the track since my crash here at the end of the 2010 season and I have to work out the demons and get on pace.”
TCK Racing founder Trent Creal states,”We are starting fresh with the 2008 GSXR 750 with Race Tech front suspension and an Ohlins rear shock. Dom loves the UK NTEC Dunlops so we strapped on a set and Yoshimura R&D came through with engine guards and an R55 full exhaust. The bike just wants to run balls out! We need some dyno time to get the Power Commander dialed in but all in all we have a great starting point.” Dom lowered his lap times 11 seconds over the practice sessions and the Saturday A Superstock Novice race. “I felt more confident and comfortable as the laps turned in and I got a good feel for the bike. We need to work on the suspension setups and after talking with Jim Cox, Lenny Albin and Shawn from Trackaholics we will make some adjustments get the bike dialed in.” Dom finished in 8th place and was on pace by the end of the sprint race. TCK Racing did not run the Sunday event.
Side Note:
Dom was involved in a turn one accident at the last round of the 2010 WERA West season where he was fighting for the lead with Chad Ambrose and Krystyna Kubran at Las Vegas Speedway. Dom suffered and punctured lung, broken shoulder blade and some internal bruising. Dom was also involved with 2 street crashes in 2011 that left his 2007 GSXR 750 totaled and a broken hand.
Young Galfer-sponsored motorcycle road racer Maricol Lacour had a good showing on the weekend of April 7 & 8, 2012 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway during WERA West’s weekend of racing.
Marisol says she “did pretty well. My second day was a lot better than the first. I did 1.25′s all race and my fastest was a 1.25.0. And my personal record there is a 1.24. It was a good start for coming back and I’m really pleased with how the bike and everything was working!”
Great job Marisol! We’re looking forward to watching your progress throughout the 2012 WERA season.