Brandon Robinson #44 & the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki AMA Pro Flat Track Team Talk Great Season Start with Win at Daytona

Brandon Robinson waits for one of the final qualifying sessions at round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Indy Mile on August 18, while team owner Bill Werner stands guard over the #44 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki 650R that Robinson would later in the day take to his best-ever career finish of 2nd-place.  Team co-owner Jay Springsteen can be seen between the two in the background talking with one of the other team members.

Robinson, who left the Werner-Springsteen team during the off-season, joined up with the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki team along with USC and James Hart Racing, and started the 2013 season with a bang that saw it capped with his first-ever career win at round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship Series at the Daytona Short Track II event on March 15.

BRob44 told Stu's Shots last week that he had a great relationship with Werner and would have loved to have stayed with the legendary team owner, but the Wisconsin resident was wanting to cut back to where it wouldn't have allowed Robinson to run the full schedule for the 2013 season.  Having nothing but the utmost respect for the 13-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning tuner, Brandon also felt as if Werner had given him a great chance to get his career back to the top after his near career-ending injuries at Indy in August '09, and loved riding for him during the 2012 season.

With a phone call coming from TJ Burnett, Robinson and the southern Illinois team owner were able to work out a plan to contest the full year on the 2013 schedule, along with events run over the off-season at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin alongside team mate JD Beach, and the majority of the events on the Steve Nace All-Star Series for '13 as well.  Robinson won three out of four of the first Twins and Singles events in Georgia and Florida, before heading to Daytona to run the season-openers in The Rolling Thunder Show.

A 5th-place finish on the first night and a win the next night in round 2 left him in the lead in the overall point standings (both career firsts) with what is now a 30 day break until round 3 at the Stockton Half-Mile on May 11. 

The team is working on new and interesting paths in the weeks and months ahead and should have more to announce as we get into the meat of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season, as well as the majority of the events they plan to run during the 2013 Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track Series presented by Golden Tyre season.

JD Beach's #95 TJ Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki sits in waiting while rider Beach gets his gear together in the background, during round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Springfield Mile II on September 16.

Robinson has enjoyed working alongside Beach as a team mate, and they have been able to help one another out throughout the off-season and during testing at Savannah leading up to the first events of the season for the 2013 schedules. 

According to team owner Burnett, 'both work real well together and help to make us one big happy family' as a team unit.  Robinson and Beach will be paired as team mates throughout the season in most of the AMA Grand Nationals that don't coincide with Beach's ride in the Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing schedule, where he normally contests the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Series in his full time job.

Check out the TJ Burnett Kawasaki team and rider Brandon Robinson's press release below and take in some of the great things happening with this young, eager and very capable team!

Brandon Robinson and the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team take 'Lucky 13' season-opening races by storm

Press release (Please note--all pics right click/open new window)

Oxford, PA. – April 11, 2013 – Brandon Robinson and the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team have had a dream start to their first season of racing together. After joining forces during the off-season late last year, the Pennsylvania resident and the 'little team that could' participated in some of the Steve Nace Racing Indoor Flat Track Series events held in the confines of the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, IL.in hopes of getting ready for the 2013 season ahead of them. Little did they know what kind of a break-out start to the season they would have.

Heading south for the season-opening rounds of the Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track Series presented by Golden Tyre in preparation for the eight-month grind that is the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season, Brandon had never even had a chance to sit on the team's Kawasaki 650R-based Twins Series efforts.

“Yeah, we just started testing the Tuesday before the Savannah round, which was the first time I had got a chance to ride the bikes,” stated BRob44, “and they were very similar to the Werner-Springsteen mounts I rode last year, in terms of chassis set-up. The team is working on the Scott Powersports chassis' that they started with, and I was able to get some seat time in on the newer C&J-framed bikes that we hope to have ready in time for the mile events on the Grand National schedule.

“JD Beach (Robinson's team mate when JD is not fulfilling his obligations in the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Series) came in on Thursday and helped us out, and we were able to kind of work off one another in getting them right for each of our styles of riding. We'd spent quite a bit of time on the 450s racing in Du Quoin during the winter break, so we tried to concentrate on the twins for the long season ahead.”

Those testing sessions worked out pretty well, because when the dust had settled at Savannah and the next event two days later in Volusia, Brandon had already pocketed three of the four wins in the first two Twins and Singles events on the SNR schedule, with a 2nd-place finish in the Twins race at Volusia topping off the team's first two major events together.

The season-opening doubleheader rounds at the Daytona Short Track at Daytona International Speedway awaited them a few days later.

The first qualifying session of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season saw Brandon Robinson #44 qualify in the 4th-place spot out of the 42 riders on-hand who took a timed qualifying session, on the T.J. Burnett/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki KX450F. Photo by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.

Qualifying for round 1 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season went well for the team's first Grand National race together. Brandon put his Kawasaki 450 in the 4th-place spot for the March 14 event.

“We made a few changes but didn't have to do too much in order to get the Singles bikes set-up for the race,” continued Robinson, “and we started in the 2nd-place spot in the first heat race, which we were able to win over 2-Time Singles Series Champion Henry Wiles.”

After finishing 6^th in the Dash, the team felt like they were ready for the first 25-lap National main of the season, where they came away with a 5th-place finish behind winner Mikey Rush, Brad Baker, 2012 AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees and Wiles.

“We're all a pretty laid back bunch on the team, so working together has been good for everyone. But we still had one more night to go before the long break before Stockton in May,” stated Robinson, “and we moved up a spot in qualifying on night two by taking the 3rd-place qualifying position.

Robinson started the third heat race on the pole, and ended up taking the win over Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. and Jethro Halbert, which again saw #44 with a slot in the Dash for Cash, where the former 2008 Expert Twins Champion improved his first round result with a 2nd-place behind 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year, Brad Baker.  But the 25-lap National was still ahead.

Round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Daytona Short Track II outing saw an improvement for the Kawasaki-mounted Robinson throughout the evening's program. Photo by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.

With round 2 ready to commence, Brandon started the night in the second position, alongside Baker (due to Baker's faster heat win earlier in the evening) and Wiles, Bryan Smith, Coolbeth and Mees filling out the front row. Coolbeth led at the start, but by lap 2 Robinson put the inside move on The King of Cool and went on to lead the rest of the main to earn his first-ever AMA Grand National Championship main event win.

Asked if he'd come down from his cloud yet, Robinson said, “Yeah, some, but we've all been so busy since that it still seems like it was just yesterday.” After working his way back from career-ending injuries suffered at the 2009 Indy Mile, the youngster with the Pennsylvania-wide grin had finally taken his big win in front of a packed crowd at Daytona.

“I feel very fortunate to have landed with such a great group of guys. T.J. (team owner T.J. Burnett). James (crew chief James Hart) and Billy (team wrench Billy Gruwell) have been super to work with, and to come away four wins in seven races is a testament to the work they have put in on getting us ready for this year,” exclaimed Brandon, “and I'm just thrilled to be able to get such a great start to the season with and for them. And to get that first National win was a dream come true.”

Team owner T.J. Burnett, crew chief James Hart, rider Brandon Robinson and team wrench Billy Gruwell celebrate on the podium after Brandon's break-out win in round 2 of the 2013 season at Daytona. Photo by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.

“Things started coming together for us early last season,” stated team owner Burnett. “James and I have been friends since we were kids, and he was having some financial trouble keeping things going. That's where I came in with some assistance to get the team through the end of the season and beyond. Last year we had several riders on the bikes (most notably Beach, when not contesting the AMA Pro Road Racing rounds), and then to get Brandon on-board really was the glue that bonded us over the off-season and into the beginning of '13. We've had help from Jimmy Wood/Southland Suspension in getting the forks and the chassis' set-up, especially with the air forks on the '13 model bikes” which are a work in progress. To get that first win under our belt was a big step!”

Robinson beams on the podium after taking his career-first AMA Grand National Championship win in round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Daytona Short Track II on March 15. Photo by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.

With Daytona in the rear view mirrors and now just over 30 days until round 3 of the season at the Stockton Half-Mile, the team is doing everything except resting on it's laurels. Robinson has made a couple of trips to the team's headquarters in southern Illinois while working on getting the chassis' fine-tuned for the long stretch ahead.

“We're planning a full slate to the year, of course we're doing all of the Nationals and going to try to do the majority of the All-Star races, as well. Next up is Stockton, and then in between there and the Springfield Mile I, we're going to hit the Little Rock event on the All-Star schedule,” Robinson stated, “in order to get things a little bit more dialed in for the summer stretch run of the schedule.

“I was at T.J.'s last week then made the trip back home for a photo shoot with Next Moto Champion magazine (where he will be featured on the cover of the May 2013 issue), and the rest of the time I have just been training and working out trying to get myself set for the rest of the year ahead.”

With the next race scheduled for May 11 at the Stockton Half-Mile at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, the time is getting nearer for the team and the season to get going full-steam ahead. And if anyone thinks that resting on their Daytona laurels is an option, then they don't know how busy and focused this great bunch is.

Be sure to take the time to come and visit the team at the AMA Grand Nationals and the Steve Nace All-Star events as they rip and roar their way across the nation in search of what surely will be another big win. Each and every round of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season will host a fan walk for the fans to come take part in meeting the teams and the riders, and Brandon Robinson and the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team are looking forward to sharing their time and great fortunes with every one of those fans.

The T.J. Burnett Farms/USC/Hart Racing Kawasaki team and rider Brandon Robinson AMA Grand National #44 would like to thank our sponsors:

TJ Burnett Farms, USC Racing Kawasaki, James Hart Racing, Arai, ATI Physical Therapy, Penske Racing Shocks, AXO, Saddlemen, Protect All, Pro Plates, ISC Racers Tape, Motion Pro, Southland, Race Tech, Lemonds Kawasaki, WKR, Mr. Sign, Bill Built, Royal Publishing, VC Graphix, DAO Apparel.com, PMP Sprockets, Spectro Oils, CP Pistons, G2 Ergonomics, Works Connection, K&N Filters, Hartman Photography, Mitchell Mechanical, Big Dawg Racing, Ricko, Jim Chapman, Tom Scibek, Joe Reynolds, John Y, Mom & Dad.

2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season schedule:

http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/events/

2013 Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track Series presented by Golden Tyre season schedule:

http://www.stevenaceracing.com/allstar.html

You can follow Brandon Robinson, the 2008 AMA Pro Flat Track Expert Twins Champion here via his official website:

http://brandonrobinson44.com/

Or via his Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/BRob44

Or via Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/BrandonRobinsonRacing

Press release prepared by:

Mike Stuhler/Stu's Shots

Indianapolis, IN. 46234
http://stusshots.blogspot.com/
stuman714@yahoo.com
317-373-0522

A BIG Thanks to the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour & NBC Sports Group for the Airing of the AMA Pro Flat Track Pomona Season-Finale

With the year winding down and the racing season having long ago ended, we were treated to a season-ending treat today with NBC Sports' airing of the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour coverage of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season-finale at Pomona from back in mid-October.  In what was excellent coverage of round 16 of the AMA Grand National Championship, the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour group hit it out of the park in bringing us up-front coverage of The Rolling Thunder Show's final race of the year.

And what a race it was, with Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. putting on a runaway clinic to take the win, and battles all around the track with riders Brad Baker, Bryan Smith and the rest putting on a show for the fans of the greatest sport on wheels in the world.  The camera crew on-hand did a thumbs up job of capturing the action all around the 5/8ths mile oval from back on October 13.

If you were fortunate enough to check out today's coverage on NBC Sports, please take the time to contact them and the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour people and let them know how much we appreciate their airing of this great sport.  If you didn't see today's race coverage, you'll have another chance to catch it on Monday, December 31 at 3:00 PM EST.  Details on that airing can be found at the link at the bottom of this write-up.

The links to contact both NBC Sports and the LOMH people can be found below--please take the time to thank them!


In the shot above from round 13 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile II, the bikes are ready for their riders to show up as the 25-lap National main event gets ready to roll out onto the legendary Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval on September 16. 

RIDE Academy owner and rider coach Mike Hacker (back to camera) watches over Kenny Coolbeth, Jr.'s #2 Screamin' Eagle/Harley-Davidson Motor Co-sponsored factory XR750 while talking with Jake Johnson and Zanotti Racing's crew chief, Ted McDermitt just behind Johnson's #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D-backed XR.

In the background, left of center, Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki Racing's Bill Werner talks with Howerton Motorsports' Jeff Gordon, while team member Donnie Jones gets an earful listening in to two of the most colorful and knowledgeable people in the world of motor sports, with either two or four wheels. 

Brandon Robinson's #44 Werner-Springsteen/Wosner Pistons-backed Kawasaki 650R can be seen partially obscuring Bryan Smith's #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki.  JB Beach's #95 USC Racing/Red Bull-sponsored Kawasaki can be seen in the back of the shot.


You can contact the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour folks here.  If you took the time to watch the excellent coverage of round 16 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Pomona Half-Mile, then you already know what a super job these folks did in covering the races.

Please take the time to let them know so that they can bring us more coverage of The Rolling Thunder Show put on by the Blue Crew of AMA Pro Flat Track.  Look for the 'contact us' tab at the top right of the homepage from the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour:

http://motorsportshour.com/

And you can also send an e-mail to the NBC Sports Network to thank them for airing the final round of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season at Pomona.  Here is their e-mail:

nbcsportshelp@nbcuni.com

And in case you missed today's original airing of round 16 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the L.A. Fairplex in Pomona, you can find out when and where this will air again on Monday, December 31 here:

http://stusshots.blogspot.com/2012/12/ama-flat-track-nbc-sports-to-air-pomona.html

 

 

AMA Flat Track: Scenes & Seen at the 2012 Lucas Oil Indy Mile

Round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw a diverse turnout among the dignitaries and fans on-hand at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile.  With the 5th Annual Red Bull MotoGP Weekend taking place down at the big speedway less then a half-dozen miles away, racers, former racers and big names alike headed to the Indiana State Fairgrounds to take in The Rolling Thunder Show to see the night's action in what everyone knows is the best racing series on wheels in the world.

One of the busiest pit areas at Indy was the Bryan Smith #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki/Midwest Performance-sponsored Kawasaki 650R work area.  For the five mile events that team owner/master builder Ricky Howerton is contesting in the 2012 season, the pit area has been abuzz at each of those events for the fans and folks on-hand wanting a glimpse of the machine and workings of one of the most innovative designs and winners in the sport of AMA Pro Flat Track in some time.

And Indy was no different, except for the names of two of those attendees who happened by on the hot August night of Saturday the 18th.  Along with regular mates Jeff Gordon (Speedway Engine Development) and team owner Howerton (and his boys and one of their friends enjoying the limelight) was Indianapolis Motor Speedway Senior VP of Operations, Mel Harder.  Having been in the racing business for some time now, Howerton has amassed a group of friends, competitors and long-time confidants that would set the Broadway lights of racing aglow.

Also along for the night of bench racing and checking out the lastest hot rod on the AMA Grand National Championship Series horizon was former multi-time runner-up in the 500cc Grand Prix World Championship, Randy Mamola.  The former World Grand Prix rider and current MotoGP Ducati Two-Seater pilot seemed to enjoy his time hanging with the hottest team on the circuit and enjoyed checking out the piece of art that Howerton has put to the track this season.

2-Time World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards was the Grand Marshall for the 2012 running of the Lucas Oil Indy Mile.  To the delight of the crowd's roars he talks with AMA Pro Flat Track announcer Barry Boone while his kids enjoy seeing Daddy having a good time at a race, unlike his season as a CRT rider on a struggling team in the MotoGP series.  Edwards was quite the accomplished flat tracker and motocross rider before going WERA and eventually AMA, World Superbike and MotoGP racing and teaches a school at home in Texas on his 'days off' from competing in the top level road racing series in the world.

Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track, see what the Texas Tornado had to say about his marshalling duties at Indy and how great of a time he was having at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqzD4IMjkdg

Everyone knew that after his appearance at the 2009 Lucas Oil Indy Mile to help support his long-time friend, Kenny Roberts, while he rode some demo laps on the infamous Indy-winning TZ750 flat tracker, that 9-Time World Champion Valentino Rossi would be in the house for the 2012 version.  Rossi didn't dissapoint, bringing along some of his Ducati support crew and hanging with 7-Time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr on stage in the special seating area set-up by the AMA Pro Flat Track team.  Carr reportedly helped to broker a deal that saw Rossi return home with his own Harley-Davidson XR750 that he would have to ride on his practice track back in Italy.  Tommy Hayden was hanging with the group and is mostly obscured in the shot above to Vale's right, wearing a red t-shirt.

AMA Pro Flat Track announcer Barry Boone was tasked with the pleasure of interviewing the living motorcycle racing legend on the podium during a break in the action on the track at Indy.

Cristy Lee with AMA Pro Racing was on-hand to interview some of the big names at Indy.  Here she talks with The Doctor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmGfpJc8v8k

Jared Mees' #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen/National Cycle-sponsored XR750 sits on display in his pit area during round 10 at Indy and was put on a special display stand for fans to come by and get pictures taken on the 2-Time AMA Grand National Twins Series Champion's bike.  Mees pit area offered a very nice, coordinated fan area with hot dogs and munchies being served to the fans who happened by during the walk through.  Mees' 3rd-place later in the eveing helped him pad his tally as he leads the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship overall point standings.

Brownsburg, Indiana-located Vance & Hines' Terry Vance was in the house talking about the XR1200 Series round at IMS and enjoying the superb evening of The Rolling Thunder Show review.

13-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning tuner and master wrench Bill Werner talks in the pits before the on-track activity gets going at round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18. Current rider and career-best 2nd-place finisher later in the day, Brandon Robinson takes in the conversation in the Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki Racing/Cometic Gaskets/Wossner/SuperTrapp-sponsored pit area.

Three of the team's machines were displayed early in the day at Indy (Stevie Bonsey's #80 sits in the middle with Robinson's #44 in the rear of the shot.)  But one of the bikes caught my eye for two obvious reasons.  One, the bike in the forefront of the shot, has not only Robinson's #44 on the side plates, but Sammy Halbert's #7 on the front plate.  Two, the bike in the front is the Indy and Springfield Mile-winning machine that Bryan Smith took to the top of the podium during the 2010 season.

Sammy practiced the 'extra' Kawi of the legendary Werner's stable 'just to get a feel for it' during a practice session according to the former Harley-Davidson Racing department employee and a 'we'll see' approach to what could or would happen throughout the evening.  As we know now, Sammy went back to his tried and true South East H-D-sponsored XR750 and beat the #44 by inches to win his first-ever mile event and take the grand slam of flat track along the way.

AMA Superbike Championship rookie Josh Herrin from the Graves Motorsports Monster Energy Yamaha team was in town checking out the great action and talks with AMA Pro Racing's Cristy Lee here on the podium for the 2012 Lucas Oil Indy Mile event on August 18.

2008 AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year Matt Weidman was in the seat of the Scott Powersports Kawasaki at Indy, after former rider Johnny Lewis #10 and the team split some time before the Peoria TT, held just six days earlier.  The announcement was made just prior to the Peoria round, where Mighty Matt and his super Mom Rachel were both very excited for the New York State resident's chance to pilot one of the top rockets in the series in front of what was a packed house and European contingent of MotoGP racers, fans and sponsors.

Matt took the #20 Scott Powersports/Saddlemen/Fiorio Investments/SNIP-backed mount home to a top-10 run of 8th-place in the 25-lap National main, for what well could have been one of his best finishes on a mile since his 5th-place finish at the Canterbury Park Minnesota Mile in September '10.  Having struggled with his mile program and this season missing a couple of rounds after his final qualifying get-off that saw him suffer a broken collarbone, it was great to see Mighty Matt running up front where he belongs on a big track.  He will get to run it again for sure at the Springfield Mile II round now rescheduled for Sunday, September 16.