AMA Flat Track: Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Announces Signing of New Crew Chief Brent Armbruster for 2013 AMA Grand National Twins Series Championship Season

The Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team has announced that AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship-winning tuner and crew chief Brent Armbruster will be joining their team effective immediately for the upcoming 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season for the series' and team's Twins Series Championship assault.

A long-time member of the AMA Pro Flat Track fraternity hailing from the Clio, MI. area, tuner and master wrench spinner Armbruster had been involved with the Rogers Racing team that led 2012 AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees to the title this past season.  Armbruster also tuned the machine that took Mees to his first win at Springfield in May '11 and to five wins during the 2011 season, and has been involved with flat track racing for several decades now.

Speaking with team co-owner Dave Lloyd this morning, Lloyd noted the great effort that has been put in by departing crew chief, Dave Gamble, over the course of the last few seasons.  "Dave has done a great job in heading up our efforts over the course of the last few seasons, and we wish him the very best in his endeavors going forward.  We're looking forward to a new chapter in our history with Brent coming on board, as Mike and I have known him since around 1987 when we were novices getting started in the sport."

After losing three engines this year and missing the set-up and the Nationals at two rounds this season (Hagerstown and Knoxville), the team still pulled out three top-10s (Santa Rosa 6th-place, Tucson 8th-place, Pomona 7th-place) and two top-5 results (Lima 2nd-place, Indy 4th-place) for their hard-earned efforts, and are looking to improve dramatically on the season as a whole.

In the shot above the team is shown getting ready for the first practice session of the Twins Series season at round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile I event on May 27. 

As rider Henry Wiles gets ready to head out for practice on the team's #17 LBM/Foremost Insurance Group/Ramspur Winery/Motorcyclist Magazine-sponsored Italian 'L' twin, he can be seen on the right talking with Dave Gamble and Dave Lloyd, while brother and co-owner Mike Lloyd can be seen talking with 2000 AMA Grand National Champion Joe Kopp (far left, seated).  Kopp was the team's rider during the 2010 season which saw him get them their first-ever win in the series on the team's potent Ducati 'L' twin mount at the Arizona Mile I round in Prescott in May '10.

Brent Armbruster is shown with Jared Mees and the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen/National Cycle-backed XR750 just before the riders hit the track for the Dash for Cash event at the Springfield Mile I round on May 27, 2012.  2-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson is shown ready for battle on the #1 Zanotti Racing XR just beside Armbruster.

According to team co-owner Dave Lloyd, Armbruster will be taking possession of the team's big red twins and doing all of the prep-work at his home in Michigan and then transporting the team's rig and bikes to each event for the 2013 season, which should free-up more time for the LBM brothers to concentrate on the daily runnings of the team and dealing with sponsors, "and should help travel to-and-from each event for Brent and Henry" noted Dave Lloyd, since they both live close to one another.

Michiganite Armbruster should be a great addition to the team for the coming year and his vast knowledge of bike prep and turning wrenches will be another plus for the team.  Under Armbruster-prepped mounts, Mees only suffered from a small handful of mechanical failures in the last few seasons, which finally translated into a Grand National Championship this year for the fellow-Michigan resident and Rogers Racing team.

Team co-owners Mike (left) and Dave Lloyd (right) help crew chief Dave Gamble finish with some final settings on the #17 Foremost Insurance/Ramspur Winery/ENI USA/Motorcyclist Magazine-sponsored Ducati just prior to the running of round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval.  The team suffered it's first engine loss at the first Twins Series event at Springfield, and put them in the hole right from the start of the year.  With Armbruster coming in to help out immediately going forward, this should help in terms of freeing up time for the Lloyds to concentrate on sponsorship and team operations.

"We're further ahead today then we were at this time last year in getting sponsorship situated for next year," commented Dave this morning from his new home just outside of the Evansville, IN. area, "and we have a lot of the same folks coming back as we move into the new season, and Ramspur Winery is stepping up their involvement for 2013, while Foremost Insurance will also be involved again as they were this year and the last few seasons with the team.

"You're never done with bringing in sponsorship in racing, but we're looking forward to the new season with a new fresh face in the team to help us reach our goal of winning another Twins Series event," continued Lloyd.  "Brent and I have known one another for almost three decades and are looking forward to working together moving forward."

This is great news for one of the hardest working and most professional looking and run teams in The Rolling Thunder Show, and helps to guarantee that they will be back again for the 2013 season to again battle it out with the other greats in the best racing series on wheels in the world.

Congrats to the LBM crew and to Brent Armbruster for this great news and we can't wait until the first Twins Series event of the 2013 season to see them all in action together!

Press release courtesy of the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins Series Championship team.

Columbus, Ohio -- October 27, 2012

Lloyd Brothers Motorsports, Inc. (LBM) is proud to announce that multi-time Grand National Championship and AMA Pro Racing Tuner of the Year, Brent Armbruster will be joining the team effective immediately.

“Our entire team and sponsors are extremely excited to have Brent join our efforts,” exclaimed team co-owner David Lloyd.  “I have known Brent for almost three decades. His personality, work ethic, race craft and attention to detail will be a big step forward for the team.”

“I am really excited about a fresh start in 2013 and working with the LBM team and Henry Wiles.  I have known David and Michael Lloyd since we first raced Amateur Nationals when we were 14 years old.

"I have a lot of respect for what the Lloyd Brothers team has done in the past and their efforts to build the sport,” said Armbruster.  “Henry is a great rider and his record speaks for itself.  I am really looking forward to excellent finishes next season as the team challenges for the overall championship” continued Armbruster.

To learn more about Lloyd Brothers Motorsports, Inc. log on to www.lloydbrothersmotorsports.com 

or Lloyd Brothers Motorsports on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lloyd-Brothers-Motorsports/167527649947476?fref=ts

AMA Flat Track: Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Team Raises $10.2K for Air Fence Fund in 2012 Buell Raffle Sales

Round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.coms season gets ready to roll into action as the first Twins Series event of the year is set to hit the track at the Springfield Mile I on May 27.  2-Time AMA Pro Flat Track Singles Champion Henry Wiles slips on his gloves as he prepares to take the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Foremost Insurance Group/Ramspur Winery/Motorcyclist Magazine-sponsored Italian 'L' twin out for the day's first practice session as team co-owner Mike Lloyd looks on while brother Dave fires up the big red machine.

In their second year of partnering with AMA Pro Racing, the Ohio-based team again put on a raffle this season to help gather funds for the flat track Air Fence Fund.  The prize this year was another 2009 Buell XB12 simliar to the machine that was raffled off last season, both of which were used during the '09 AMA Pro Road Racing seasons as pace bikes.  Along with Saddlemen, Arai, and a host of other great sponsors and people, the team added to the $11.5K raised last season by bringing in just over $10.2K this year in ticket sales, which is the fourth largest donation overall to the dirt track side of the air fence fund to go along with last season's third-largest donation.

The RoadRacing World Air Fence Fund is THE single best way that anyone can get involved by helping to support the series, and most importantly the safety of the riders in the series.  An impact-absorbing 'air pillow' that lines the track and helps to protect the riders from immoveable objects, this safety device is probably the single-biggest innovation in safety in high-speed motorcycle racing in the last few decades.

Transported from race-to-race and maintained by the great folks on the AMA Pro Flat Track Blue Crew, sections of this great life saver eventually wear out and have to be replaced, and that is where these last two seasons' of raffle tickets sold have been so helpful and so needed, in order to maintain the high level of safety needed at each and every event on the schedule.

A big thanks go out to the LBM team for their undying efforts to help maintain and add to the sanctity of this great life saving effort, for their time in transporting the bikes the last two seasons to each of the Twins Series events on the schedule, to getting the tickets made up and sold at each of those events, and for doing such a top-notch job of displaying not only their wares in the sport, but for doing so with the Buell display at each event for the fans to check out.

While some of the fans check out the '09 Buell XR12R on display (background left) at round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season, Lloyd Brothers Motorsports co-owner Mike Lloyd sells another raffle ticket to another great fan of the sport for the 2012 Air Fence Fund Buell raffle at the Lima Half-Mile on June 30.  Brother Dave looks after the funds just behind him during the fan walk held at the Allen County Fairgrounds event.

The LBM team and rider Henry Wiles helped contribute to the RoadRacing World Air Fence Fund again this season and added to the donations raised for the dirt track donation list, with the help of AMA Pro Racing, Saddlemen, Mr. Sign and Army Armstrong.

William Jones of Ramsey, N.J. won the grand prize Buell that was announced at the season-finale at Pomona on October 13, and Bob Morris of Wheeler, MI. won the Saddlemen runner-up prize for their worthy ticket purchases this season.  Congrats to you both!

And again, a big thanks to the super efforts of Mike, Dave, Henry, crew chief Dave Gamble and the rest of the great people involved with the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team for taking the time to go the extra distance in helping to keep the riders safe, and a tip of the helmet as well goes to AMA Pro Racing for donating the Buells the last two season to be raffled off for the Air Fence Fund.

You can check out the official press release below from the LBM team.

Press release courtesy of the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports AMA Pro Flat Track Twins Series Championship contenders


Note-right click, open in new window to view:

You can keep up with the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team here via their official site:

http://www.lloydbrothersmotorsports.net/

And here is the link to the list of people that bought tickets for the 2012 Air Fence Fund Raffle:

http://www.lloydbrothersmotorsports.net/tickets.htm

Here is the complete list of contributors to the RoadRacing World Air Fence Fund for dirt track:

http://actionfund.roadracingworld.com/contributors/dirt-track/

AMA Flat Track: Henry Wiles Scores 3rd Top-10 in Twins Series for the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Team at Santa Rosa

Round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw the series hit the limestone & pea gravel-laden half-mile surface at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima.  One of the teams on-hand that was looking to jump start their season after a slow start to their 2012 efforts at the first Twins Series race of the year at the Springfield Mile I just one month earlier was the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team based out of the Columbus, Ohio area.

After making the PR rounds in the Columbus area the previous week leading up to the event billed as the Ohio Grand National Championship, team co-owner Mike Lloyd had been busy showing off the team's wares in and around to help drum-up more interest in the June 30 event.  And his efforts paid-off in terms of crowd count, because as always the event packed them in as it has for almost three decades.

Team rider Henry Wiles took to the track with the team's #17 LBM/Foremost Insurance Group/Ramspur Winery/ENI USA-sponsored Italian 'L' twin and pulled off the Dash for Cash win to start the evening off strong and went on to score the team's first top-10 of the season, with a superb ride off of the penalty line (for jumping the start) to come back and almost catch event-winner Sammy Halbert at the line. 

Hammerin' Hank's ride that night was the stuff that AMA Pro Flat Track legends are made of, giving the team the boost they needed while getting into the meat of the 2012 schedule and keeping the large crowd in the stands on their feet for the 25-lap red flag delayed National main as Wiles and Halbert fought tooth-and-nail for the final 5-lap dash to the checkers.

In what has been an off-season for the long-tenured team, it surprisingly took almost six weeks before their efforts were rewarded again at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18 at round 10 of the 2012 season, where The Hammer brought the Big Red LBM mount home in the 4th-place spot for another top-5 for the team's efforts.

Last Sunday at the Santa Rosa Mile in Sonoma County, California, Wiles and the team shone again as Henry flat ran away with his heat race to win by over 6.5 seconds over runner-up Mikey Avila, another almost 1.3 seconds back to Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. and almost another 1.9 seconds back to 4th-place finisher and Rookie of the Year runaway Briar Bauman.  Wiles also scored another three points on the season by bringing it home in the 3rd-place spot in the Dash behind Sammy Halbert and rocket-mounted Bryan Smith.  Working it throughout the 25-lap main, the #17 held strong to gain the team's third top-10 of the season with a 6th-place finish in round 14 of the season with just the Tucson and Pomona rounds left to go for the year.

Although top results have been fleeting for the team this season with handling, set-up and engine issues holding them back at several events, the efforts at Lima, Indy and last weekend at Santa Rosa show that they won't let anything hold them back, and when they are all dialed in, they are hard to run with, so you better not count them out!

You can check out their press release below, and while you are planning your season-ending event calendar to hit the last two rounds of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season, don't forget to get your raffle ticket from the great guys at the LBM team in order to help out the flat track Air Fence Fund and get a chance to win a '09 Buell for your $20 donation.  You can't help a better cause then to give back to the riders in terms of safety and Mike & Dave Lloyd, Henry, crew chief Dave Gamble and the rest of the crew have worked their tails off not only on their racing efforts, but in helping to raise funds for the Air Fence fund.  So be sure to get on board while you can and get a chance to win one of the AMA Pro Road Racing pace bikes.

Press release courtesy of the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team and Henry Wiles, National #17 & 2-Time AMA Pro Flat Track Singles Champion


Note--right click, open in new window to view:

AMA Flat Track: Lloyd Brothers Motorsports & Henry Wiles Springfield Doubleheader Race Report

Round 13 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season finally got off the ground at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on September 16 after a two week rain delay due to the remnants of Hurrican Isaac that washed out the normal Labor Day Weekend marathon. 

Henry Wiles, who had won the final Springfield Short Track the night before just across the fairgrounds at the Multipurpose Arena, was busy working it on the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Foremost Insurance Group/Ramspur Winery/ENI USA-backed Italian 'L' twin on the mile oval as he tried to add to his two top-5 finishes earlier in the season (2nd-place at Lima, 4th-place at Indy.)

But as luck would seem to have it for the LBM team this season, things went from good to worse in the 25-lap National main on the mile oval as the big red machine suffered a mechanical in the form of a slight oil leak that saw Wiles miss the black flag on lap 23 and eventually disqualified for not stopping.  The leak caused some minor smoking from the machine as it hit the exhaust on the bike with just a few laps to go, after Henry had slipped back to mid-pack after earlier in the main running as high as the 7th-place spot.

Unfortunately this just added to the woes the team has suffered this season, after losing motors earlier in the year at the Springfield Mile I and Sacramento Mile events, and then missing the set-up at the Hagerstown Half-Mile.  But you can bet your bottom dollar the boys out of the Columbus, Ohio area will get it turned around and be back towards the front in the remaining three rounds at Santa Rosa, Tucson and Pomona.  These guys have a wealth of knowledge between them and coupled with Henry's abilities in the seat will get it turned around.

In the shot above, Shaun Russell on his #28 self-sponsored XR750 leads Brad Baker on the #12 Dodge Brothers-backed XR along with Henry just past the mid-point of the National main as the cross the start/finish line during the Springfield Mile II last Sunday.

Round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw the series return to the Multipurpose Arena on the grounds of the Illinois State Fairgrounds in what was for the foreseeable future the last National main event at the Springfield Short Track as what was announced in January by the IMDA.

A familiar face again graced the top of the podium as former 2-Time AMA Pro Flat Track Singles Champion Henry Wiles pulled another fast one out of his hat....uh, helmet...to take his 6th win in-a-row in the 450 class at Springfield and also tie former 7-Time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr with the most wins in short track competition with 9 National main events to his credit in the course of nine short seasons.

Hammerin' Hank had to work some for this one, however, as the rider of the #17 Don's Kawasaki/DPC Racing/Nick Nazzisi/Schiller's Tree Service-sponsored KX450F had to work his way around early leaders Brad Baker, Jake Johnson and Jared Mees in order to secure his spot in the history books.  But when it counted, The Hammer put it to them and managed to get around Baker with five laps to go to take his 2nd win of the season at the Arena (Springfield TT in late May) and 3rd in the State of Illinois this year (Peoria TT in mid-August.)

Joining the active record-tying former champ on the podium are Brad Baker (2nd-place, left) and Jared Mees (3rd-place, right, partially obscured by AMA Pro Flat Track announcer Barry Boone.)  Mees however collected the 2012 Singles Series Championship with his great run to 3rd-place to add to his '09 & '11 Twins Series Championships.

You can read about Henry's on AND off weekend at the rain-delayed Springfield doubleheader below, thanks to the great group of guys from the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team. 

And don't forget you can still get your Air Fence Fund raffle tickets for the Buell giveaway at the remaining three rounds in the 2012 season at the upcoming Santa Rosa Mile, Tucson and Pomona season-ending half-miles.  You can get those in the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports pit area if you are going to hit either one or all of the Left Coast season wrap-up events, or also online via the LBM site, www.lloydbrothersmotorsports.com. 

This is the best way you can help to keep the riders safe and also give back to The Rolling Thunder Show and the greatest racing series on wheels in the world!

Press release courtesy of the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Twins Series team


Note-right click, open in new window to view.

AMA Flat Track: Five Events & Six Weeks Left in the 2012 Season to Get Your Buell Raffle Ticket in the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Air Fence Fund Raffle

Henry Wiles works on final positioning of the controls on the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Italian 'L' twin along with the help of crew chief Dave Gamble during the team's preparation for 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.

After a rough start to the season at the Springfield Mile I round in late May, the Ohio-based LBM team regrouped for the second Twins Series event of the year one month later at the Lima Half-Mile, and along with the hard work and team effort, not to mention Hammerin' Hank's skill on a flat track racing motorcycle, came out of the event with an extremely solid 2nd-place finish.  With a DNQ at Hagerstown and then suffering a blown motor at the Sacramento Mile round in late July, the team was ready for a solid finish to get their top-level program back on track towards the front of the field.

Enter round 10 of the 2012 season at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile and a packed house, thanks to the European contingent on-hand for the Red Bull Indy MotoGP round a few miles down the road at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the LBM/Foremost Insurance Group/Rampsur Winery/ENI USA-sponsored team saw their stellar efforts turn for the better as 2-Time Singles Series Champion Wiles brought the big 1098-based mount home in 4th-place, the team's second top-5 of the year.

These guys never say die and through the thick and thin and the ups and downs that befall racing teams and riders at times, they worked through the muck and came home again with a great finish to show for their hard work.  Between co-owners Dave & Mike Lloyd, crew chief and ex-IndyCar and CART wrench Gamble, frame fabricator Lyle Pizzino and a cast of other family members and crew (and top ace Wiles in the saddle) the long-time contenders in The Rolling Thunder Show could again leave the track with all of their heads held high and proud.

For the second year in-a-row, the team is again putting on what could be an annual event in raffling off a chance to win a 2009 Buell (and should, with the help of AMA Pro Flat Track, Saddlemen, and Arai-last year's fund raiser 2nd-place prize sponsor) that all funds collected will benefit and be given to the RoadRacing World Air Fence Fund for Dirt Track.

What I personally (and many others even more in-the-know then myself) consider the single best thing a race fan can do to help support the sport, and especially the safety of the riders in the sport, is to donate to the Air Fence Fund.  Since air fence has been incorporated as a protective device to keep the riders and machines from bouncing off of or directly striking fixed objects, the injury and loss of life that was once an even more prominent fixture in motorcycle racing of any kind has fallen off dramatically. 

Air fence acts as a protective 'pillow' that not only keeps the aforementioned out of harm's way, but also is designed to help envelope a fallen rider and machine in order to keep them from traveling at an alarming rate of speed into objects that are fixed at any given racetrack.  Whether it would be armco barriers, armco support arms, fencing that lines a track or even light poles placed in a corner. the use of air fence in the last decade-and-a-half or so has lowered the chances of severe injuries at racing events.

The Lloyd Brothers team for the last two years has taken on the task of transporting the '09 Buell AMA Pro Road Racing pace bike to each of the Twins Series event of the season, making up banners and tickets and talking to the fans at each of those events about how important a donation to the fund can be to riders and to racing as a whole.  Last year alone the raffle raised over $11K, overall in the top-5 of donations made to the dirt track side of the donations. 

Obviously times are tough for a lot of us financially speaking, but some of us still get a chance to get to a few races a season in order to enjoy the sport we all so dearly love and live for.  But for the cost of a t-shirt you can help promote the safety of the greatest sport on wheels in the world.

So before the season is over, whether you make it to an event or even just buy your ticket online, take the time to purchase a $20 ticket towards the chance to win a special motorcycle in AMA Pro Road Racing history, and even more importanty making a donation that could pay-off to the fund that has helped save many of those racers we all adore watching swapping handlebars at high speed.  And when you get by the LBM pits to get your ticket, tell 'em Stu's Shots sent you and take the time to talk it up with one of the highest-profile and most professionally run teams in the sport, not to mention one of the funnest and finest group of people that have been campaigning The Rolling Thunder Show for over two decades.

Check out the press release below from the boys to find out where/how you can go about helping to keep the riders in the saddle and out of the fence!

 

 

Press release courtesy of the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins Series Championship team.

 

 

Note: Right click, open in new window to view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMA Flat Track: Henry Wiles Takes Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati to 4th-Place Finish at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile

Henry Wiles rockets down the long straight at the Indiana State Fairgrounds during the first practice session 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.  Fresh off of his record-tying 8th-win in-a-row at the Peoria TT the previous Sunday, Hammerin' Hank was ready to get the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Foremost Insurance Ground/Ramspur Winery/ENI USA-sponsored Italian V-twin back at the front in the Twins Series event held over the 5th Annual Red Bull Indianapols MotoGP Weekend after a rough start to the 2012 season.

To say that he accomplished that goal would be a gross understatement, if only for the fact that for 3 of the 4 previous Twins Series events Henry and the Ohio-based team had had their share of rough luck on and at the track.  After what was diagnosed as an electrical malady at the season-opening Twins round at the Springfield Mile I event on May 27 that relegated the team to a 14th-place finish, the team sprung back like the strong contenders they are to pull-off a hard-earned 2nd-place finish at round 5 at the Lima Half-Mile in late June. 

Heading to round 6 at the Hagerstown Half-Mile, they worked with the set-up to try to get the former 2-Time Singles Series Champion into the field only to miss the main.  On to round 7 at the Sacramento Mile, things seemed to take an even worse turn for the hard-working LBM team when they lost a motor and had to settle for an 18th-place finish, scoring only a single point for their efforts.  Team co-owner Mike Lloyd told me at Indy last Saturday that the motor was toast and they were only able to salvage the heads from the 1098-based mount.  Back to square one and again rebuilding another motor for the team who faced the same obstacles on the western swing during the 2011 season.

But Indy was a different animal and things really started to look up for the long-time contenders in The Rolling Thunder Show.  After practicing in the 23rd spot, crew chief Dave Gamble and co-owners Mike and Dave Lloyd went to work like the perennial horses they are and got the big red machine dialed in for Henry to go out and qualify in the 11th spot out of the 47 riders who took a timed lap, and just a tick over .8 seconds behind fast-qualifier Bryan Smith on the Crosley/Howerton/Eaken Kawasaki.

Setting off in heat 2, Henry appeared to get a rough start about mid-pack of the 16 rider heat #2.  But like the hard-charger he is, The Hammer put the hammer down and worked his way into a spot in the National main to finish 4th and a second row start in the big show.

From there, Henry worked his way into the top-7 and by the mid-point of the 25-lap National main event in front of a packed house held for the first time in over a decade during the Indiana State Fair, Henry moved himself into the top-5 and came out with a very strong 4th-place finish, just over 2.3 seconds behind event winner Sammy Halbert on his South East H-D XR750 and scoring the team's second top-5 of the season.

It may not have been the big '1' that the team is deserving of, but it sure beat almost all of the other results and troubles they have faced and overcome this season, and poises Henry and the great LBM crew for a solid effort heading into the next Twins Series event at the Springfield Mile II on September 2, where they most assuredly will be ready to move up a few spots to help make up for what had been a tough season stretch thus far in the 2012 season.  Way to go guys, great job!

Head crew chief Dave Gamble and team owners Mike and Dave Lloyd put the final touches on the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Foremost Insurance Group/Ramspur Winery-backed #17 Italian V-twin of rider Henry Wiles early in the day at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on Saturday, August 18.  With the laptop plugged into the data logger and setting up the air/fuel mixture on the big bore motor, the team makes the necessary adjustments in order to get their mount ready for the greatest racing show on wheels in the world.

These guys are one of the hardest working teams in the great show of AMA Grand National Championship racing and work together like a well-oiled machine.  What had started off as a rough year for the boys really turned around for them on Saturday night as Henry took the bike to it's second top-5 finish of the season, and just in time to help keep him in the hunt and in the 5th-place spot in the overall championship.

Make sure and take the time to check these guys out at the next AMA Grand National Twins Series event you get out to, stop by and talk it up with them as they are full of enthusiasm and know how to have a good time and do a super job of representing their sponsors and thrilling the fans.  And don't forget to get yourself a raffle ticket for the Buell giveaway that all money collected will go into the AMA Flat Track Air Fence fund, the best way you can help give back to the sport in helping to keep the riders safe!

Check out the press release below straight from the boys of Ohio to see what they have to say about their run at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile, and we'll have a review this weekend up from all of the action at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and talk about all the great happenings at the track last weekend.


Press release courtesy of the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins Series team.

(Note-right click, open in new window to view.)

Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Wants to Remind You About the Buell Raffle for Air Fence Fund for AMA Pro Flat Track

The Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team make some final adjustments on Henry Wiles' #17 Foremost Insurance Group/Ramspur Winery/ENI USA/Motorcyclist Magazine-sponsored Ducati 'L' twin before the on-track action resumes at round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile I event on May 26.

In the shot above, rider Henry Wiles can be seen relaxing and talking with someone in the LBM pit area while Lyle Pizzino (frame fabricator/VMC Racing Frames), crew chief Dave Gamble, team co-owners Dave (foreground right) and Mike Lloyd (background right) go about their respective duties to get their bikes ready to roll for the first Twins Series event of the season.

One of the hardest working and most dedicated teams in The Rolling Thunder Show, the Columbus, OH.-based team has again taken on the task of selling raffle tickets for the 2012 season that in the end will support the Air Fence Fund for AMA Pro Flat Track, the best safety and innovative support system available to keep major injuries at a minimum in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world.

This year's prize will again be another one of AMA Pro Road Racing's pace motorcycles from the 2009 season, a 2009 Buell XB12XP.  Last year's benefit collected $11.5K that was donated to the worthiest safety cause in racing in order to transport, repair, replace and erect air fence at each and every AMA Pro Flat Track event in the country.

There are several benefits to this raffle, but the most important one is obviously rider safety in the great world of AMA Grand National Championship racing.  One of the others is you get to get up close to one of the most sano and most professionally managed teams in any sport, and meet and talk with some of the great guys on the LBM team.  Their enthusiasm and efforts put forth in this great sport of ours is always evident on or off the track, and they are some of the nicest guys around to talk to about the sport and their team's operations.

So either way you go, you get to hang out and meet some great people and racers, and most importantly you can also get involved directly with THE best way to help support the safety of the riders and the sport, the Air Fence Fund.  You can't go wrong!

Your next chance to hook up with these guys in the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season will be at round 10 at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile, the next Twins Series event on the schedule, set for Saturday, August 18 over the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend.  Indy is set to be a big weekend all-around, but you don't want to miss the return of the Indy Mile to the Indiana State Fair at 1201 E. 38th Street.  The place will be rockin'!  And your next chance after Indy will be the Springfield Mile II over the Labor Day Weekend on Sunday, September 2.

So get your tickets now and help a very worthy cause, it may save another rider from serious injury, or worse!

Lloyd Brothers Motorsports co-owner Mike Lloyd works on hawking some more tickets for the 2012 Air Fence Fund Buell Raffle at the Illinois State Fairgrounds running of the Springfield Mile I on May 27.  With the grand prize sitting in the foreground, Mike works his heart out to sell some tickets for what is the best safety improvement in AMA Pro Flat Track and is also one of the best ways that fans can get involved to help support the sport and keep the riders safe.

For $20/ticket, you get a great chance at the '09 Buell XB12XP that was used by AMA Pro Road Racing during the 2009 season as the series' pace bike, and you get to get directly involved in a cause that is the most worthy way of giving back to and supporting the sport and the safety of the riders in The Rolling Thunder Show.


Press release courtesy of the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Team, sponsored in the 2012 season by the Foremost Insurance Group, Ramspur Winery, ENI USA, Motorcyclist Magazine, DPC Racing, Daniel Kalal, Nicky Hayden, Penske Shocks and a host of other great sponsors.


August 6, 2012


Dear Flat Track Supporter,


In 2012, Lloyd Brothers Motorsports with AMA Pro Racing, Saddlemen and Foremost Insurance is raising money to add new and repair existing air fence for the racers.  The grand prize in the raffle is the final 2009 Buell Ulysses XB12XP that was used as the official Pace Motorcycle during the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing season.  The Buell, which has less than 500 original miles, was donated by AMA Pro Racing.

Second place prize is a custom seat of your choice from Saddlemen. There will also be a special prize for the purchaser of the most tickets.  Artist Army Armstrong will paint a custom painting of the favorite racer of the person that purchases the most tickets!

Again in 2012, as in 2011, 100% of the donations will be spent on air fence.  


To date we have only been able to sell 149 of a total of 1,000 available tickets at the races.  So far there are pretty good odds on this bet!

Unfortunately, it has been difficult for us to canvas the paddock and stands while at the same time focusing on the race day.  To help make it easier for you to enter, we have set up a donate button for PayPal or Credit Card on a special web page for the raffle:

 http://www.lloydbrothersmotorsports.net/airfence.htm

 For every donation, we will fill out a ticket for you and send you an email with the ticket number that is entered on your behalf.  Your name will also be added to the list of ticket holders at: http://www.lloydbrothersmotorsports.net/tickets.htm

Please consider supporting this great cause to keep our racers safer.

If anyone saw the big crash at Springfield this spring, you know that the air fence really works and saved 4 of the top flat track racers in the world from serious injury.


Thanks again for your support.

Kindest regards,

David Lloyd
Lloyd Brothers Motorsports, Inc.

Here's the original press release from the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team and AMA Pro Flat Track from May 2012:

AMA Pro Racing and Lloyd Brothers Motorsports, Inc. Announce 2012 Fundraiser for Roadracing World Action Fund

The following is a joint press release issued by AMA Pro Racing and Lloyd Brothers Motorsports regarding a fundraising activation in support of the Roadracing World Action Fund. Participation in the fundraiser will be available at each round of the 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Lucas Oil and Motorcycle-Superstore.com:

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 17, 2012) - Lloyd Brothers Motorsports, Inc. with support from Foremost Insurance Company, Saddlemen and AMA Pro Racing is pleased to announce participation in an exciting fundraiser for the Roadracing World Action Fund. Throughout the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season, the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team will be volunteering efforts to raise money for the Roadracing World Action Fund, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization which advocates and promotes the use of soft barriers to help prevent rider injuries at racetracks.

 

The first-prize winner of the fundraiser will receive a 2009 Buell Ulysses XB12XP - AMA Pro Road Racing Pace Motorcycle, donated by AMA Pro Racing, and the second-place prizewinner will receive a new custom Saddlemen seat donated by Tom Seymour of Saddlemen. The motorcycle will be transported, displayed and have tickets sold by Lloyd Brothers Motorsports at each of this season's half-mile and mile AMA Pro Flat Track races.

 

"The safety of our competitors is of paramount importance to us, and a key to building the sport of flat track racing," said Dan Johnsen, Director of Flat Track for AMA Pro Racing. "We are very thankful for the commitment and support that Lloyd Brothers Motorsports has shown to our paddock by taking part in a second consecutive year of fundraising in support of the Roadracing World Action Fund."

 

"We are excited to continue to help raise funds for flat track Airfence," stated Lloyd Brothers Motorsports co-owner Michael Lloyd. "Airfence is invaluable to the safety of racers. We are really hoping that the racing community will continue to rally around this cause so that we can expand the amount of Airfence available for the safety of our racers."

 

"Foremost Insurance Company is proud to support the efforts of Lloyd Brothers Motorsports. Foremost Insurance and Lloyd Brothers Motorsports share common interests in not only striving to be the best but also to help create the safest environment possible for our participants and clients," said Randy Slotten, of Foremost Insurance Company.

 

There will be 1,000 tickets available. Tickets will be sold at each AMA Pro Flat Track half-mile and mile event for $20.00 each and the winners will be drawn and announced in front of the grandstands at the final race of the season.

 

 

Donations can also be made via the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports website: http://www.lloydbrothersmotorsports.net/airfence.htm

 

Winners do not need to be present at the time of the drawing; they will be notified after their ticket is drawn. To learn more about Airfence or to donate directly to the Roadracing World Action Fund, please visit http://actionfund.roadracingworld.com/.

About the Roadracing World Action Fund:

The Roadracing World Action Fund (http://actionfund.roadracingworld.com/) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization which advocates and promotes the use of soft barriers to help prevent rider injuries at racetracks. Since it was founded in 2001, the Roadracing World Action Fund has raised approximately $900,000 in donations used to deploy Airfence.

 

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.   For additional information contact: AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

AMA Pro Flat Track Heads to Sacramento Mile Round 7 for 2nd Mile Event of the 2012 Season on July 28

Round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw the riders, teams and fans return to the spring running of the Springfield Mile on May 27, the first Twins Series event of the new season and the usual summer kick-off for racing to hit full-bore for the series' schedule.

The return to the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval over the Memorial Day Weekend saw the emergence of a new player in town, in the form of the Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki as piloted by National #42 Bryan Smith.  Smith had previously announced in April that he would be piloting the new-look 650R-based parallel twin that had been even more perfected in the off-season by long-time fan of the sport and long-time Indianapolis IndyCar fabricator, Rick Howerton, for the 2012 season's five mile events scheduled on the calendar.  Springfield was the litmus test, and even without the big win on the day, it passed it's evaluation for the rest of the season with flying colors.

Flirting with the top-5 in practice and qualifying, Flyin Bryan eventually slotted the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports/Eaken Racing Kawasaki/Midwest Performance Hardware-sponsored mount into the 7th-place spot out of the 48 riders that took a timed qualifying run for the day.  Going on to lead 2-Time and defending AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson home in the first heat race of the day, the first salvo had been fired and the paying crowd on-hand knew that there was a new sheriff in town.

By the time the Dash for Cash had rolled to the line and taken the green flag for the 4-lap run for the points and money, that same crowd was to see Smith take the lead on the second lap and never look back.  As pictured above in the run to the white flag, Smith leads eventual 2nd-place Dash finisher Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-backed XR750 and 3rd-place Dash finisher Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen/National Cycle-sponsored XR750 for the final go-around plus 80 feet +/-. 

Smith of course went on to nail the Dash for Howerton Motorsports' first win of any kind in The Rolling Thunder Show, and at the end of the day would stand on the podium after the 25-lap National main finishing in the 3rd-place position after leading 15 laps and just missing the big win to repeat winner Willie McCoy and runner-up Jersey Jake by just .033 seconds.  Still not too bad of a finish on their maiden voyage after admitting during the podium ceremonies that going low out of turn four on the final lap caused him to spin-up the rear tire and allow McCoy and Johnson around for the win.

With round 7 of the 2012 season ready to return to the Cal Expo Fairgrounds and the Sacramento Mile on July 28, many are now wondering if Smith can repeat, or better his results next Saturday in his second run on the Howerton/Eaken Kawasaki rocket.  Or will Johnson nail his first National win of the year?  He's been awfully close in the three Twins Series events of the year, with a 3rd-place finish at Lima and another runner-up at Hagerstown two weeks ago.  Or what about the defending Twins Series Champ, Jammin' Jared?  Fresh off his first win of the season at Hagerstown, it was this time last season that Mees was on a roll to win the most events of anyone on the year with five series wins.

And then you have Sammy Halbert on his South East H-D XR750, ready to get his first mile win to add to his short track, TT and half-mile wins in the series.  And with Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. out of the saddle until at least the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18 due to breaking his tib and fib at Lima, you have the '11 Rookie of the Year holding down the only remaining factory-backed effort in the best racing show on wheels in the world, and Brad Baker is ready to get that elusive first win in his second season being an Expert-ranked rider.  The Bullet not only has always had the talent to grab one, but now has the Harley-Davidson Motor Company behind him to help him get it done.

But don't forget Henry Wiles on the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Italian-based 'L' twin.  The 2-Time AMA Singles Champion almost got it done at Lima three weeks ago on the #17 LBM/Foremost Insurance Group/Ramspur Winery/ENI USA-backed machine (pictured above going into turn one during his heat race runner-up finish at Lima), and after winning the Dash he almost chased down eventual-winner Sammy Halbert in the 25-lap National main, coming up just a few feet short.  The LBM big twin can really breath in the open air of a mile oval event, and it was just 27 months ago that 2000 AMA Grand National Champion Joe Kopp got the Ohio-based team it's first victory in the series at a west coast mile event in Prescott, AZ.

With Scott Powersports' Johnny Lewis not making the trek west this season, we'll have to wait until Indy next month to see if JL10 is ready to nail one on the big tracks to go along with his Daytona Short Track cherry-breaking win back in March.  Could '10 Pro Singles Champion Jeffrey Carver, Jr. break through on the Kiesow Racing XR to get his first win as an Expert?  He's been awfully close knocking on the door of late, scoring his first heat race win in the Twins Series at Lima and his first podium after a very strong and defining 3rd-place finish at Hagerstown on July 7.

There is also a big handful of other riders that could at any moment reach out and nail down their first Twins Series win this year.  Returning to the track earlier then originally expected, '08 Rookie of the Year Matt Weidman is healing quicker then ever and will return to action at the Sacto Mile on the Greg Crow Racing XR, and he'll be anxious to make amends for his face plant at Lima that broke his collarbone and forced him to miss the Ohio round and Hagerstown.  And after getting his first-ever win at the second round of the year at Daytona, Mighty Matt is ready to add to it by getting one on the big twin as well.

Rob Pearson is coming into his own on the Memphis Shades XR, Briar Bauman is ready to take the USC Racing Kawi to the top of the box after a stellar first year in the Pro Singles class in 2011, and Slammin' Sammy's older brother Jethro is making mains and bringing home solid results on the Goodwin Racing XR.  And Brandon Robinson on the Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki looked pretty good at Springfield in late May qualifying 5th, another mile event could give the Pennsylvania youngster another chance to let the Bill Werner-built parallel twin breath on an open track.  Any one of these men--or women, with the expected return to action at Sacto in the forms of one of the sport's most popular riders, Nichole Cheza on the Global Products XR750--could come out on top by the end of the day next Saturday.

But either way you roll the dice you're going to win on this one, as round 7 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season makes it's first of two western swing stops at the Sacramento Mile next Saturday, and despite the fact that you are going to have to purchase a seat to get into the house for what surely will be a super day of fast and furious action on the track, you probably won't get much of a chance to use it as the excitement, action and thrills on the track will keep you on your toes from the moment you hit the gate to the moment the final checkers fly late into the evening on July 28.  And you don't want to miss a second of it!

Thanks again to AMA Pro Flat Track and Circle Bell Motorsports for the press release and info on next week's sure-to-be-a-barnburner event at the Sacto Mile.  You can get all the details below and get ready for the best of the best in THE best racing series on wheels in the world.  Get your tickets now, you WON'T be disappointed, so take a friend and show them what a great show AMA Pro Flat Track puts on these days and what kind of awesome racing they've been missing all these years!

AMA Pro Flat Track Thunders Back Into Action Saturday, July 28th with the Sacramento Mile

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Released on behalf of Circle Bell Motorsports: SACRAMENTO, Calif. (July 19, 2012) - When the Sacramento Mile, Round 7 of AMA Pro Flat Track's 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Lucas Oil and Motorcycle-Superstore.com thunders into the Cal Expo Center, Saturday July 28th, race fans will be treated to an unmatched spectacle as riders fly down the Sacramento Mile, pitch their bikes sideways and slide through the turns. There is no such thing as pacing or figuring out strategy in this type of competition. It is all or nothing...with only one rider emerging victorious. Round 12 of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw the series play out to a packed house at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento, CA. as the series returned to the mile oval in the capital of sunny California after a 12 year break from the popular venue.  Jake Johnson #1, Sammy Halbert #7, Luke Gough #62, Bryan Smith #42, Chris Carr #4 and Brad Baker #12 blast off from the starting line in the Dash for Cash 4-lap points and money extra-round early in the evening of July 30.  Johnson would go on to lead Carr, Smith, Halbert, Gough and Baker home while Smith would go on to beat Carr by just .042 seconds in the 25-lap National main event.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig. Not only will this race pit rider against rider, but it will also pit machine against machine. With six races complete, the points are already tight. Jared Mees (Harley-Davidson) currently sits in first with 121 points. Running in second is reigning champion Jake Johnson (Harley-Davidson) with 106 points and right behind is Johnny Lewis (Kawasaki) with 97. In fourth is Sammy Halbert (Harley-Davidson) with 94. In fifth is last year's Sacramento Mile winner Bryan Smith (Harley-Davidson) with 73 points. Tied for sixth are Matt Weidman (Harley-Davidson) and Henry Wiles (Ducati) both with 64. Holding down eighth place with 59 points is Brad Baker (Kawasaki), followed by Jeffrey Carver, Jr. (Harley-Davidson) with 58. Rounding out the top ten is Kenny Coolbeth, Jr., who has 57 points. With six races down this year, there have been six different winners...Johnny Lewis, Matt Weidman, Henry Wiles, Sammy Halbert, Jared Mees and Willie McCoy.  Last year's star-studded AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship field marked the return of the Sacramento Mile after an absence of over a decade. A sold out crowd watched in awe as Bryan Smith deftly piloted his Harley-Davidson to victory, taking the Checkered by a margin of just .042 seconds over local hero Chris Carr.  In the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles division, the action was equally spectacular as California's Mikey Avila (SDI Insulation) and Mike Martin waged war over Pro Singles honors. Dicing back and forth, the Checkered gave Martin the victory with Avila in second. This year, both Avila and Martin have moved up into the Twins class and will be looking to show California fans just how good they are. However, top riders like 2009 champion Jared Mees, reigning two-time champion (2010 and 2011) Jake Johnson, three time champion Kenny Coolbeth, Jr., (2006, 2007, 2008) Henry Wiles, Sammy Halbert, Brad Baker, Bryan Smith, Johnny Lewis, Matt Weidman and a host of others have different ideas. Each one is intent on bringing home the victory at the famed Sacramento Mile. Gates open at 1:30 pm. Riders will run practice in the afternoon with open ceremonies taking place at 6:15 pm. Racing begins at 6:45 pm. A special autograph session will be held immediately following the last practice. Fans can meet their favorite riders, take pictures and get autographs. Tickets are available on line at www.sacramentomile.com, through the Cal Expo at boxoffice@calexpo.com and through Circle Bell Motorsports at 707-703-3633. Advance ticket prices are $85 for the Turf Club, $75 for the Legends Club House, $65 for Box Seats, $50 for Reserved Grandstands, $40 for Bleachers and $30 for Standing Room. All tickets are $10 more at the gate. All tickets also include same day admission to the Fair.

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.  For additional information contact: AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com