AMA Pro Flat Track: Zanotti Racing's Jake Johnson Talks Daytona Season-Openers, the Team's New Kawasaki Twins Series Effort & Testing

Jake Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Southland Pro Suspension/Arai-sponsored Honda CRF450R during the final qualifying session at round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Springfield Short Track, and taking the overall fast-time out of the 48 riders who timed-in for the final National event to be held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Multipurpose Arena.  Johnson would go on to win his heat race, take a hard-fought 3rd-place finish in the Dash for Cash and then brought home a 5th-place finish in the 25-lap National main.

Johnson and the Zanotti Racing team had a great year by just about anyone's standards in the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season, just not by their's.  After taking back-to-back Grand National Championships in the '10-'11 seasons, the team finished out last year ranked in the 3rd-place spot in the overall standings.  And for the first time in their three years together, also failed to win a National main, although Jake's string of podium finishes from round 3 until just before the Indy Mile in mid-August sure made it look like they were awfully close to knocking down the door.

During the off-season, the team went back to the drawing board, and with the help of one former 2-Time AMA Grand National Champion/3-Time 500cc World Champion by the name of Kenny Roberts, as well as engineering work from former grand prix stalwart Warren Willing, the team set out to right what they considered their wrongs from the 2012 season, by building a Kawasaki 650R-based Twins Series mount.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right!? 

And that's exactly what has been moving down the pike for the California-based team, with steps moving closer as the 2013 schedule takes a break after the Daytona season-opening rounds last week.  When the first Twins Series event rolls around in mid-May, this team will roll out their first-ever Kawasaki-based twin in order to lay claim to the #1 plate they rightfully feel belongs back on their machines.

With Jake leaving Daytona in the 3rd-place standings in the championship hunt, it's worth noting that they are off to a strong start.  Johnson rode like a man on fire during both rounds 1 and 2, and his efforts in his heat race, semi and the National main in round 2 on Friday night last week were stuff legends, and champions are made of. 

After colliding with the previous night's winner, Mikey Rush, in their heat race, Johnson was forced to line up for the restarted heat on the back row.  Although only making it back to the 5th-place spot and semi bound, his slicing through the field was amazing.  Coming back to win his semi to qualify for the 25-lap National main, Jake again set sail from the back row and a 15th-place starting spot, to work his way into a 4th-place finish by the time the checkers flew.  Possibly the only other rider with as stellar of a ride that night was put in by first-time winner Brandon Robinson.  And with 2nd-place finisher Brad Baker losing his points for the evening (although he has filed an appeal to try and get those re-instated), Johnson and the Zanotti team left Florida with some very solid points in their run to reclaim that #1 plate.

Check out the full press release below (with some in-house pics from the team of their new Kawasaki effort) and see what Zanotti Racing and Jake Johnson have up their sleeve and planned for the rest of the season, and check out what Jake has to say about their southern swing to kick-start the new season of racing in The Rolling Thunder Show, the best racing on two wheels in the world!


Press release courtesy of Zanotti Racing, 3-Time AMA Grand National Champions.

March 21, 2013

Hi, I am Jake Johnson and welcome to the Jake Johnson/Zanotti Racing race report.

After falling short of our goal of our third championship last year, we re-evaluated our race program from top to bottom during the off-season. I am both excited and flattered that the King, Kenny Roberts has taken an interest in getting us back to the top by helping us develop a Kawasaki for the season and bringing in the legendary Warren Willing to develop the chassis.

(Note all photos: right click, open in new window to view.)

I will be sure to keep everyone updated throughout the year on the progress of this project. This will definitely be a flat track machine that will move our sport forward.

 

Our team owner, David Zanotti and Ted McDermitt worked tirelessly during the off-season rebuilding all of the bikes in David’s extensive stable. Every bike was rebuilt down to the most minute detail. All shocks and forks were broken down and sent off to Jimmy Wood of Southland Racing and rebuilt with the assistance of Race Tech Suspension. After our test session at Perris Raceway in January with Jimmy and Race Tech I am very optimistic that we have moved in the right direction in regards to our suspension!

 

I was very excited leaving frozen Pennsylvania for the sunshine of Georgia and Florida for the season opener.

 

Testing began in Savannah on Wednesday. It was a full day of work as we put in over 50 timed laps with a variety of set up and suspension configurations. It proved to be an extremely productive day with lap times continuing to get better untill we ran out of daylight. Ted definitely had the Harleys prepared for optimal performance.

 

Thursday we drove to Neeses,South Carolina for 450 testing and once again we left feeling we moved forward and better prepared for Daytona.

 

Oglethorpe Speedway on Friday night was, as always, immaculately prepared and extremely fast. Our lLap times were faster than they were on our test day and but we were still looking for a little extra, so we tried one of Chris Carr’s Golden Tyres for our last practice. I was very pleased with the results. We dropped a second off our previous practice session’s time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the heat I got a solid start but Kenny Coolbeth had a better drive coming out of turn 2 than I did. I spent the remainder of the race trying different lines looking for an opening or the mistake that never came. Kenny rode a great race and I was relegated to second.

 

I felt very confident going into the main with a solid starting spot on the front row. Maybe I was too confident. I over-revved the motor and spun the rear wheel all the way to the first turn. In a non-national with only 12 laps to get your job done I had put myself in quite a hole coming out of turn 2 in 6^thplace.

 

I moved up to 4^thpretty early in the race behind Kenny Coolbeth who in turn, was all over Jared Mees. Kenny made an aggressive move under Jared but I was just a bit too far back to follow by with him. With laps winding down Jared was freewheeling into the corners and protecting the bottom leaving me nowhere to go but to the top. On the last corner I decided to try to drive around him, and luckily there was traction up there and I was able to make a pass stick on the outside for a hard fought 3^rdplace finish. Brandon Robinson rode off with the race and looks to be a force to be contended with this year. He was fast all night.

 

Chris’s Golden Tyres worked great all night. We ran a Goodyear bald in 25 laps on test day but the Golden Tyre that we used in the heat and main (20) laps was still hooked up on the last lap, and the remaining tread looked like it could have gone another 50 laps. I think Chris has a winner there.

 

We left Georgia for Daytona feeling guardedly optimistic. I have had a bit of success in Daytona but I have also had some miserable nights. The teams that hit the set up properly have a big advantage at this track.

 

Night one on Thursday started out well, our lap times dropped in each session and I qualified 3^rdoverall with a pole position start in the heat. I got a decent start in the heat but was behind Brad Baker who was fast all weekend. I was fortunate to get by him late in the race winning my heat, earning a start in the Dash for Cash. As the past 3 years have proven, the Dash for Cash points are critical in attaining a championship. I got a subpar start in the DFC but felt good and was able to salvage a 3^rdand some precious points towards the championship.

 

As we prepared for the main we felt confident a win was within reach. It took a few starts to get the National underway with Jethro Halbert going down twice. When we finally got underway I was fighting in the front of the pack and feeling good. About 10 laps into the race the bottom brushed off and the cushion outside the groove started moving higher and higher. This development left me with the wrong set up halfway through the race. I went from a high of running 3^rdat one point, to holding on for dear life and barely holding on to a 7^thplace finish. We were disappointed with our results after being fast all day but we just didn’t foresee the changes.

Friday was a polar opposite of the previous night. We struggled a bit in qualifying, then got a great start in our heat going into turn 1 behind the previous night’s winner, Mikey Rush. Unfortunately, Mikey tucked the front wheel right in front of me and I couldn’t avoid him and went down. I was relegated to the 4^throw for the restart and was only able to work my way to5^thplace behind my good friend and brother-in-law Johnny Lewis. This forced me into a semi to qualify for the National. This ended up being a blessing in disguise as we were able to tweak our bike a little more and we were all of a sudden going fast. I got a good start and won the semi with Mikey Rush keeping the heat on all race long.

We made a few more minor changes to the bike and prepared for an uphill battle as I would be starting from the 3^rdrow in the main. As it was, the main event turned out to be somewhat uneventful. I got a solid start and kept my head down trying to put in solid laps and move myself forward at every opportunity. After 25 laps I was able to work my way to 4^thand salvage the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The season opener could have treated me better, but I can’t complain as Daytona’s always a crapshoot. I am leaving Daytona a solid 3^rdplace in the points for the 2013 overall championship. I am looking forward to our next race at the new track in Stockton, California. Our Twins program has always been a strength and I don’t see anything on the horizon to change that.

 

I would like to thank David Zanotti, Ted McDermitt, and Jimmy Woods for their tireless support all week.

 

Thanks also to my sponsors and supporters at Arai, Silkolene Lubricants, Vortex, Schaeffer’s H-D, Pinit Motorsports, Southland Racing, Race Tech Suspension, Motion Pro, Sidi, Cometic, K&N Filters, NJK Leathers, Chickenhawk Tire Warmers, Bazzaz, Yoshimura, Moto Café in Sunnyvale,Works Connection, Millennium Technologies, G-2 Ergonimics, Mikuni, Mike Stauffer, Troy Lee Designs

 

 

AMA Pro Flat Track: Zanotti Racing & Jake Johnson Are Making Changes and Working Towards Regaining the #1 Plate in the AMA Grand National Championship

Jake Johnson gets ready to roll out on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-sponsored XR750 for the first practice session of the day 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 on May 27.  Crew chief Ted McDermitt steps back after lending a hand while team owner Dave Zanotti rolls the starter out of the way after getting Jersey Jake's mount ready to go.  

After winning the team's second and third AMA Grand National Championship with rider Johnson during the 2010-2011 seasons (Dave's father, Mario, won the team's first AMA GNC back in '79 with the late Steve Eklund), the 2012 season was very different for the California-based front runners in The Rolling Thunder Show.  Although still finishing in the 3rd-place spot in the overall championship and with Johnson going on a late-spring to mid-summer run of consistent podium finishes, Jake and the team failed to win a race for the first time in their three seasons together.  To some, a third-place effort would be a great mark in any sport or avenue, but to the long-tenured efforts of this team, it was a major set-back and a time to take a look at the coming season ahead in a very different way.

Different in terms of what machinery they will be campaigning in the near future.  As was reported in early January, the team that has been extremely loyal to the Harley-Davidson brand over the course of it's lifetime of racing is now working on putting together a Kawasaki Ninja 650R-based parallel twin for their 2013 Twins Series efforts.  And as was confirmed by Tyler Porter of Fight For Dirt Track.com fame a little over a week ago, those plans are coming together quite nicely.

Surrounded by a former 3-Time 500cc World Championship-winning rider and team owner (and 2-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning rider) and a former World Championship-winning tuner (Kenny Roberts and Warren Willing), the Zanotti Racing squad is looking to even the odds in the oldest and truest form of racing in the United States.

Rider Johnson looks over the pit area at the Illinois State Fairgrounds after his first practice session, while team members Wayne Karcich, Ted McDermitt and owner Zanotti go about their regular routines before hitting the track again at round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.

Karcich, a long-time friend of team owner Dave Zanotti, and who handles the Zanotti Racing team's pr, took the time to talk with me a few weeks ago to further confirm the team's big leap to the 'other side' after having exclusively campaigned the long-standing XR750 twins mount since their inception in the early-mid '70s.  He also mentioned a former 250 and 500cc World Championship-winning Japanese/American tuner that could very well end up being responsible for the building and tuning prowess on the 650R-based twins.  And due to the fact that 'Harley was cutting back completely on their outside sponsorships,' the team found it necessary to look further into being able to regain that #1 plate and the now-very popular Kawasaki twin was their weapon of choice.  

Karcich, a current and long-time fan and competitor in flat track racing, also stated that while attending the A1 round of the AMA Supercross Series that he had some talks with other sponsors including Kawasaki and Red Bull and that they were hopeful that someone would come on board to better help fund the Zanotti team's efforts.

Starting with a baseline built around a C&J-framed unit, former tuner to the American and European stars Warren Willing has been put in charge of building the team's frames for their new mounts and Roberts has been on-board to help with his technical prowess as well, for what will be a full-on assault on the 2013 Twins Series events.  In other words, they are parking their XRs and going with the Kawis for both the mile and half-mile rounds this year.

Jon Vedas, who runs the 2 Wheels Only radio show out of Jacksonville, FL., talked with team owner Zanotti and Johnson a couple of weeks ago, but no mention was made at that time about the Kawasaki effort.  

The team has also been putting in some early-season testing to better prepare for the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  In early January for the first time in memory Jake and the team hit Perris Raceway in California to better get their Singles Series mount ready for the season ahead.

Jake and the team also ran the season-opening rounds of Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series in Las Vegas and hope to be able to get some testing in before heading to Daytona for the season-opening AMA Pro Flat Track rounds on March 14-15.  Their plans are to roll out in Savannah the weekend before the short track doubleheader at the Steve Nace All-Star round with the new Kawasakis to get some on-track testing done on the half-mile and then head to Volusia for the second SNR event being held in DeLeon Springs, FL.

In the shot above, Jake puts a good lap down while qualifying the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-backed Honda CRF450R at the running of the final National main event at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Multipurpose Arena-held short track on September 15, 2012. 

RacerXonline.com was on-hand at Perris Raceway when Jake and the Zanotti Racing team were there in early January testing and took this video of the action.

And Steve Warne, who runs the Poppa Wheelie site & also covers almost all of the west coast flat track action, was there to take some shots of Jake and the team at Perris.

This new mix for the upcoming Rolling Thunder Show season should make for some very interesting changes for the year.  With teams such as the Werner-Springsteen effort, Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports entry, USC Racing, Baer Racing and several others now campaigning the Kawasaki twin, the landscape of the 'all XR' show in AMA Grand National Championship racing is changing, and changing fast. 

Along with the Lloyd Brothers Ducati-based team, the Bonneville Performance Triumph team, the Waters Auto Body KTM team, Ron Woods' BMW/Rotax mount (which made the Pomona season-finale with Scott Baker #11), and a handful of other possible campaigners, that landscape is evolving into a great mash-up of machinery in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world, whereas what seems like just a few years ago the series was looking like a H-D XR750 spec series.  In just the last couple of seasons we have seen as many as eight different manufacturers show up at several of the Twins Series events to try and run the big show, making the parity in the AMA Grand National Championship all but unparalleled in memory.

The 2013 season is just around the corner and we're definitely looking forward to seeing what comes about, and we wish the Zanotti Racing team and the rest the very best of luck as always.  One thing is for sure, we can't wait to see them and everyone else hit the track as the first wheel is turned in anger in what will surely be an epic season all around as the quest will begin again for the AMA Grand National Championship and that elusive #1 number plate.  And it's shaping up to be a good one!

AMA Flat Track: Dave Zanotti, Kenny Roberts and Kawasaki--Can It Be True?

Crew chief Ted McDermitt, rider Jake Johnson and team owner Dave Zanotti are seen getting the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-sponsored XR750 ready to roll for the first practice session of the Twins Series season at the Springfield Mile I on May 27, 2012.  Round 4 of the AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw the 3-Time and defending 2-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning team ready to hit their stride and work towards another #1 plate to add to their collection.

However, the team suffered through their worst season in some time in not winning a single race during the 2012 season, although not for lack of effort or trying.  Continually in the hunt throughout the 16-race season, the Zanotti team and rider Jersey Jake Johnson had a string of podium finishes in the mid-part of the season that kept their, and their fans' spirit alive.  But in the end, Johnson and the team ended the year ranked in the 3rd-place spot in the overall championship standings, and looking forward to the 2013 season ahead to be ready to do it again.

In following up on a rumor that has been spreading throughout the flat track community since mid-August, it was reported yesterday by Dean Adams at SuperbikePlanet.com that Dave Zanotti was working with another former 2-Time AMA Grand National Champion, Kenny 'The King' Roberts, to build and possibly field a Kawasaki 650R-based parallel twin to compete in the mile events on the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track schedule.

Zanotti, who has been very faithful to Honda and Harley-Davidson throughout the team's tenure in AMA Grand National Championship racing (dating back to when Mario Zanotti spearheaded the efforts to take '76 AMA Flat Track Rookie of the Year Steve Eklund to the '79 AMA Grand National Championship), was rumored last summer to be working on something for the future involving the Kawasaki twin missile-of-choice in The Rolling Thunder Show.  Apparently even with the rules changes for the upcoming season giving the XRs another millimeter of restrictor back on the miles and a minimum weight limit set across the board for the Twins Series was still not enough for the championship winning team owner to want to take any chances in lucky '13.

Add to the mix of one of the sharpest team owners in AMA Grand National Championship racing and working with Roberts is former World Championship-winning tuner and engineer Warren Willing (who himself is a legend in the sport of two-wheeled high-speed racing) and you have the potential for another championship-winning effort in The Rolling Thunder Show long before a wheel has even been turned on the track.

This could add another layer of guess who-brought-what to the table in the upcoming season, with 2012 AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees also mentioning that whatever it takes to win for 2013 was what he and team owner and newly-signed crew chief Kenny Tolbert were willing to do.  And with the already-existing Howerton Motorsports team and rider Bryan Smith also looking to step things up for this coming year, we could have an even better season ahead of us than what we could have even imagined in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world.


A big thanks to Dean Adams at SuperbikePlanet.com for this story and photo released yesterday that sure seems to confirm rumors heard since mid-August 2012 that Dave Zanotti could be building a Kawasaki to contend the mile events with for the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  Read on to check it out:

Roberts, Willing and Zanotti Racing?

Please take the time to check out Zanotti Racing's Facebook page here to keep up with what is happening with the team:

Zanotti Racing on Facebook

And here is their official website:

Zanotti Racing's Official Website

Update--Sat. 1/5/13 4:45 PM EST--It looks like the above mentioned item is a reality, and for the complete Twins Series season.  Read on to see what Flattrackers.com had to say today:

Zanotti, The King & Kawasaki for 2013

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 Pro Flat Track Heads to Knoxville Half-Mile on September 8

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 saw 2-Time and defending AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson suffer somewhat of a set-back to his plans to make it three-in-a-row in his run for the #1 plate. 

Winning the fastest heat on the night at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Jersey Jake looked to be in control from the start of the 25-lap National main as he jetted out to an early lead.  But within a few laps, the lightning fast #42 Kawasaki of Bryan Smith had chased him down and a duel ensued throughout the mid-part of the race.  And in a move not seen out of the Pennsylvania resident in over two years, Johnson lost his brakes while dueling with the Howerton Howitzer and threw it down out of turn three, ending his string of solid podium finishes on the season since the Springfield TT in late May, and putting a dent into his plans for a three-peat.

But alas, all you Jake Johnson fans, all is not lost and the quiet but confident champion has literally and historically not even begun to come into his own on the track in his prior runs for the championship in the season into well past the half-way mark.  Although we are down to just six rounds in the 2012 calendar of racing in The Rolling Thunder Show, I can guarantee you that the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-sponsored team and rider are not done in their quest to add themselves to that elite group of men, riders and champions who have not only garnered a triple-dose of championship laurels, but done so back-to-back-to-back.  And you NEVER count out the man with the #1 on his back until the final checkers have flown.

(The shot above, taken at Indy on August 18 during round 10 shows Johnson checking out crew chief Ted McDermitt's final touches to the Dave Zanotti-owned and run bikes just before first practice was ready to roll out at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.  Zanotti can be seen in the white polo shirt just behind JJ and Ted.)

With what was originally scheduled as round 13 of the season tomorrow in the return of the series to the Knoxville, Iowa half-mile, the home of the Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum and the Sprint Car Racing Capital of the World, Johnson and the rest of the stars in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world will duke it out again on the ultra fast surface in the middle of the Hawkeye State.

In last year's run to the championship, Jersey Jake and current points leader Jared Mees went at it bar-to-bar for the final laps of the race to end in a virtual dead-heat that saw Mees take the win by a pet's hair.

Will the same result happen again this year, or will Sammy Halbert be able to close the gap on Mees in the points after leap-frogging Johnson at Indy with his first-ever mile win?  Or will someone new come out of the mix to stir the pot and give the dueling leading trio a run for their money? 

Only time will tell, and practice gets underway tomorrow at 4:30 EDT/3:30 CDT. 

Jared Mees has done a yeoman's job of keeping himself in the hunt for the 2012 AMA Grand National Championship by bringing home solid results and a win at Hagerstown earlier in the season to show he's ready to bring home the lion's share of the crown jewel of flat track this year on the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen/National Cycle-backed and Brent Armbruster-tuned XR750. 

Jammin' Jared's '09 & '11 Twins Series Championship have put him in the position of vying for the big one as for the second year in-a-row the Michigan resident has led and gained points in the overall chase for the 2012 AMA Grand National Championship.  Taking fulll advantage of Johnson's missive at Indy, Mees' actually kept it withing smelling distance at Indy to grab the last spot on the podium behind winner Halbert and first-time Expert podium finisher Brandon Robinson, and gained a point in the overall over new 2nd-place in the overall standings Slammin' Sammy.

Look for The Jammer to be at the front on Saturday afternoon where he returns to the site of one of his most spectacular wins from last season and tries to add to that current lead at the end of the day in Knoxville.

(In the shot above, Mees throws a roost while squirting out of turn 2 at the Lima Half-Mile during a practice session at the Allen County Fairgrounds on June 30.)

You can check out the full press release below thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track and you can follow the day's action via the Live Timing and Scoring link here:

http://live.amaproracing.com/ft/


Here's the day's schedule of activities at the Sprint Car Capital of the World, where the stars of The Rolling Thunder Show will display racing that puts anything else to shame on the fast half-mile in Knoxville, Iowa:

http://amaproracing.com/assets/AMAP-FT-2012-Knoxville-Half-Mile-Schedule.pdf

And you can keep up with the full results here, thanks again to the great Blue Crew from AMA Pro Flat Track:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1260/default.aspx

Knoxville Raceway Prepares to Thrill AMA Pro Flat Track Fans for Second Year in a Row

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (September 8, 2012) - AMA Pro Flat Track is bringing the "Greatest Show on Dirt" back to Knoxville Raceway this weekend for a one-day event on Saturday, September 8. Last year marked the return of the AMA Pro Flat Track motorcycle racing to the Sprint Car Capital of the World following a 15 year absence and the show was nothing short of a thriller; a large crowd witnessed Jake Johnson and Jared Mees battle it out down to the last inch of the 25 lap main event with Mees winning by an eyelash. With the 2012 rider championships and number one plates on the line for the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil (GNC), this weekend promises to deliver the same jaw-dropping exhibition of two-wheeled speed and handlebar-banging action.

 

Once again this year, Mees and Johnson are at the top of the Series' leader board. Recently, South East Harley-Davidson's Sammy Halbert has also inserted himself into the 2012 points race and his third-place finish at Knoxville last year shows his potential to shake things up.

 

While the top three in points have their own race going on, there is a strong contingent of riders looking to make their mark on 2012. Three-time GNC champion Kenny Coolbeth, the only rider to participate in all of the Knoxville Nationals held to date (1995, 1996 & 2011), will be looking to get back to the front as he continues his comeback after suffering a broken leg in June. Bryan Smith, currently sitting fourth in the standings, has shown glimpses of pure domination at several points during the season and looks to put all of the pieces together Saturday night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jared Mees #9 takes the checkered flag by less than the blink of an eye over Jake Johnson #1 during the 2011 running of the Knoxville Half-Mile.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.

 

 

 

Historically, AMA Pro Flat Track's premier twin-cylinder class has been dominated by the venerable Harley-Davidson XR750, but recently the legendary orange and black has been challenged by entries from Kawasaki, Ducati, Triumph, KTM and Suzuki, giving race fans a variety of brands to cheer for. Henry Wiles is a non-Harley rider to look out for, as he is looking to improve on his recent fourth place finish at the Indy Mile aboard his Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/ Foremost Insurance-backed Ducati as he wraps up his first year on the potent Italian motorcycle.

 

After this weekend's event, the series heads back to Springfield, Illinois for the Springfield Short Track and Springfield Mile II September 15-16, 2012. Springfield will mark the last mid-west visit as AMA Pro Flat Track will then head to California and Arizona.

 

In addition to the twin-cylinder monsters of the Grand National Championship, fans can also expect to see the rising stars of the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles class return in 2012. Featuring 450cc single-cylinder engines, the class serves as an entry level to the Grand National scene and often features some of the closest racing of the weekend.

 

Last year, history was made as Shayna Texter's charge through the 18 rider field had the crowd on their feet in Knoxville. Her hard fought victory over Briar Bauman (now competing for the GNC Rookie of the Year Award) marked the first victory for a female rider at a Grand National event. Texter notched her second win this year at the Sacramento Mile and plans on defending her Knoxville title aboard a Dallas Fort Worth Honda.

 

The Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles class is super competitive as the best young riders in the nation try to make a name for themselves, with many looking to make their way into the Grand National class.

 

An Iowa connection in this class has the Weirbach Racing Team (Ottumwa, IA) fielding a Honda for Californian Dominic Colindres. Colindres has posted one win already this year (Peoria, IL) after joining the team at mid-season and he currently sits sixth in the standings.

 

Michigan's Stephen Vanderkuur, Ryan Wells (New York), Jake Shoemaker (Pennsylvania), and Jason Isennock (Maryland) are bunched at the top of the point standings and are all within 12 points of each other as the young riders from all around the country chase the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship.

 

Practice is set to begin at 3:30pm with opening ceremonies set to start at 7:00pm.

 

Additional Event information

 

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 Flat Track: Sacramento Mile Round 7 Wrap-Up






















While Jake Johnson gets a big hug from team owner Dave Zanotti, crew chief Ted McDermitt takes the reigns of the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-sponsored XR750 after the 25-lap National main at round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  Johnson had just brought the 2-Time and defending AMA Grand National Championship-winning machine home in 2nd-place behind Springfield Mile I winner Willie McCoy.

3rd-place finisher at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Memorial Day Weekend classic Bryan Smith rolls up on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki/Midwest Performance Hardware/Guts Wear-backed 650R-based mount while master builder Rick Howerton (back to camera) discusses the race with Bryan's Dad, Barry, and team member, sponsor and long-time friend Jeff Gordon.

The first Twins Series event of the season just over two months ago saw the Howerton/Eaken parallel twin emerge as one of the significant new players in town by immediately making an impact on the field and the series.  While winning his heat race and the Dash for Cash event at Springfield, and just coming up short of the win with a 3rd-place finish in the main, Smith and the team immediately were regarded as 'the one's to beat' at the remaining four mile events of the 2012 season.  And when Sacramento rolled around last weekend, they had stepped-up their game and made some improvements to allow Flyin' Bryan to take his first win (in only their second race together as a team) ahead of Johnson and series points leader Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing XR.

Smith, who had previously won the Sacto Mile last year and in the '03 season (during the now-defunct Formula USA Series), won practice and then went out and qualified 9th-fastest, but less then .4 seconds behind fast-qualifier Jersey Jake.  Winning his heat to qualify for the National main and coming home in 3rd-place in the Dash for Cash, the only thing left was the 25-lap big show.

Needless to say Smith, Johnson, Mees, Sammy Halbert and Brandon Robinson put on one heckuva show at Sacramento last Saturday night as they battled throughout the event's just over 16 minutes.  But in the end, Smith had more then come to terms with the characteristics of the Kawi rocket and showed that the 750cc powerplant was more then capable against the all-mighty and long-conquering XRs and had plenty of power to make for some serious closing rates along the straights at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds.

In the end, the gap to runner-up Johnson only shows .038 seconds on the official results tab, but make no mistake about who had 'em covered with Smith leading 23 laps at the line and Johnson following through with the other two crosses of the stripe.  A new sherriff is surely in town in The Rolling Thunder Show, and with three more mile events on the season's schedule the rest of the teams and riders have got to be thankful there aren't any more for this season.

What should be very interesting when everything comes out in the wash at round 10 at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18 is when Johnny Lewis on the #10 Scott Powersports Kawasaki returns to the track and Brandon Robinson gets another shot on the #44 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki after his best-ever result of 4th-place at Sacto.  Add in Slammin' Sammy on his always-potent #7 South East H-D XR, Henry Wiles on the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati, Willie McCoy returning to action on his #59 Harley-Davidson of Wausau and the rest of the greats in The Rolling Thunder Show and that should make for some seriously excellent racing at the Indiana State Fairgrounds during the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend, in front of what should be a packed house.  That is one race you DON'T want to miss!

A big congratulations, again, to the Crosley/Howerton/Smith team for their breakout win last weekend, and a big tip of the hat to Mees and Johnson, your current points leaders, for their excellent runs as well!

With the series rolling into the Castle Rock TT tomorrow night, the Singles Series will take over for the next two events.  The Peoria TT is set for Sunday, August 12 and then the greatest racing show on wheels in the world heads to the Lucas Oil Indy Mile for the next Twins Series event of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  And this train is moving on and it's moving on fast!

Round 7 Sacramento Mile links of interest (story of the race, videos and complete results):


Thanks to Dave Hoenig and Cycle News for the (as always) excellent coverage of last weekend's round 7 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Sacramento Mile:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20120731?#pg48

Dave also has a very nice selection of pics from the Sacto Mile on his great site Flat Trak Fotos.com.  A big thanks to Dave for all of his efforts in always getting THE great shots!

http://www.flattrakfotos.com/2012%20Results/7-28-12.html

AMA Pro Flat Track posted the following videos from the Sacto Mile (another big thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track and the great duo of Yve Assad and Will Fulford for their undying efforts in the production of these (and ALL of their) videos.

Bryan Smith #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki 1st-place interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI3ptNKkJNE

Jake Johnson #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D XR750 2nd-place interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47nnKIAM-R4

Jared Mees #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D XR750 3rd-place interview (which has some excellent footage on the back straight at Sacramento that shows the closing rate of the Kawi on the #1 & #9 XRs):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAEKuDb_6AE

And again, thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for the complete results from the Sacramento Mile:

PDF version, complete:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1235/default.aspx

Standard version, drop-down box:

http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/events/results.cfm?year=2012&eid=2012021235