Cypress, CA – July 6, 2011 – The Yamaha Road Racing Teams have reached the halfway point in the AMA Pro Racing season, and the action thus far has been breathtaking in all three highly competitive classes–American SuperBike, Daytona SportBike, and SuperSport.
If you’re keeping score at home (and why wouldn’t you be with the close racing that this season has produced so far?), you probably already know that Yamaha bikes and riders are either at the front or close to it in all three classes. But, let’s go ahead and reset the scene, anyway.
Among the fastest bikes and nation’s best riders that compete in American SuperBike, Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha’s Josh Hayes and his crossplane crankshaft-equipped YZF-R1® are in the points lead and poised to successfully defend the SuperBike title that they won last season. Josh has won every pole position this year, and he’s also won races at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, and Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Josh is on the gas and looking to finish out the season with more pole positions and race wins, beginning with this weekend’s doubleheader at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
Also riding well in SuperBike this season is Yamaha Extended Service/Pat Clark Motorsports/Graves/Yamaha rider Chris Clark, who is also R1-mounted. Chris has turned in some great results so far this season, highlighted by an excellent 6th-place finish in tricky weather conditions at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Look for Chris to move up in the season point standings during the second half of the season. He is just three points shy of 7th place, with lots of great racing yet to come.
In the hotly contested Daytona SportBike class, Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha’s Josh Herrin, aboard his YZF-R6®, is a mere four points out of the championship points lead. Josh has notched wins at Miller Motorsports Park, Road America (where he won both the Saturday and Sunday races), and Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Josh is looking forward to the rest of the DSB season, starting with this weekend at Mid-Ohio.
Josh’s Yamaha teammate in Daytona SportBike is the remarkably consistent Tommy Aquino, who rides under the Yamaha Extended Service/Pat Clark Motorsports/Graves/Yamaha banner. Aboard his R6, Tommy has been in contention for a podium finish in nearly every race so far, finishing as high as 4th at Road America, and then repeating and “threepeating” that same terrific result in Saturday’s and Sunday’s races at Barber Motorsports Park.
The success that the riders have shown thus far in the 2011 season is especially pleasing to Chuck Graves of Graves Motorsports, whose company and crew are an integral part of the Yamaha Road Racing Teams. “I really enjoy working with all the riders and crew,” Chuck commented. “As a former rider myself, I know what it takes to compete at the front and win national races. The combination of these riders, our dedicated and hard-working crew, and our topnotch equipment is netting us excellent results. We’re really looking forward to the second half of the season. The racing is dramatic, and we’re excited to bring it to our fans.”
This season’s SuperSport class has proven to be just as exciting as the SuperBike and SportBike classes have thus far, and Yamaha has been well-represented in the race results and season standings. LTD Racing/Y.E.S./Yamaha’s David Gaviria and his R6 are in 1st place in the West Division points standings. David won the Sunday race at Daytona, as well as the Saturday race at Road America. Tomas Puerta, who is David’s LTD Racing/Y.E.S./Yamaha teammate, is currently in 2nd place in the East Division points standings, having won the first SuperSport race of the season on his R6 at Daytona. Macedon, New York, native Travis Wyman, also riding a Yamaha R6 in SuperSport competition this season, won the Sunday race at Road America. All told, 6 of the top 10 riders in the SuperSport West Division standings are Yamaha R6-mounted, while 4 of the top 10 riders in the SuperSport East Division standings are on R6s.
So, that’s where the Yamaha Road Racing teams stand so far in this exciting AMA Pro Racing season. There is certainly a lot left to be decided and many races yet to be run, and the talented Yamaha riders–aboard the R1 and R6–are sure to factor heavily in the events to come. Stay on the edge of your seat and enjoy the action, resuming with a full schedule of Saturday and Sunday races this weekend at Mid-Ohio.
There’s nothing like watching motorcycle road racing live and in person, but if you can’t make it to the track, be sure to watch all the action from Mid-Ohio on Speed TV. For the exact days and times of the Mid-Ohio telecasts, be sure to check your local listings, or go to www.SpeedTV.com for more information.