AMA Flat Track: Sammy Halbert Takes Santa Rosa Mile for 4th Win of the 2012 Season

Sammy Halbert took his #7 South East H-D/The South Ass/Mo Vaughn Transport/LZ Racing-sponsored XR750 to the win yesterday at round 14 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Santa Rosa Mile in Sonoma, California.  Halbert ran down early leader Bryan Smith on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports/Eaken Racing/Dreyer Motorsports-sponsored Kawasaki after Smith's line went away on the track.  Smith held on to 3rd-place at the end of the 25-lap National main to secure his tie in the Twins Series standings with Sammy Halbert just nine points behind Twins points leader Jake Johnson. 

Finishing in an astounding 2nd-place was current overall points leader Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen/National Cycle-backed XR after being forced to run the semi (and take the win) and starting in the 13th-place spot on the third row.  The Jammer and Jake Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing XR hooked up early in the race as both were forced to start at the back and work their way through the field, and both missing out on valuable Dash points, especially after Slammin' Sammy also scored the Dash win to add to his overall total.  The three head to Tucson on Saturday, October 6 with Mees recovering from what could have been a disaster for his season leading the overall standings with 262 points, Halbert now holding down second with 248 and Johnson now in the third spot with 246 points.

Brad Baker on the #12 Dodge Brothers Racing/Perry's H-D XR was another rider who put in a spirited performance at Santa Rosa.  After breaking early in the day, The Bullet also missed the cut in the semi and was forced to take a provisional to start on the fourth row in the 19-rider field.  Baker fought like the true rider and champ he is to work his way through the field and bring home a very strong 7th-place finish.

Henry Wiles on the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Foremost Insurance Group/ENI USA-sponsored Italian 'L'Twin earlier in the day ran away from the pack in his heat race while also getting a 3rd-place in the Dash.  Henry fought the good fight in the National main to bring it home in the 6th-place spot for his and the team's third top-10 of the season.

Brandon Robinson on the #44 Werner-Springsteen Racing/Big Dawg Racing-backed Kawasaki had an off-day for how he has turned his and the Werner/Springsteen team's season around, finishing in the 16th-place spot five laps down after earlier getting second in his heat behind Bryan Smith and carding a 4th-place in the Dash.  Robinson heads to Tucson this Saturday tenth in the overall standings.

One rider of note not in the shot above (taken at the re-start of round 10 of the 2012 season at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18, the first of Sammy's two mile wins this season and his career!) was Rob Pearson on the #27 Memphis Shades XR.  Bugs fought through after a 3rd-place in his heat behind winner Halbert and runner-up Matt Weidman #20 on the Scott Powersports Kawasaki (18th in the main), to take home his second top-5 of the season with a hard-earned 5th-place finish, and his fourth top-10 of the year in the Twins Series.

Stevie Bonsey (seen above on the #80 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki) was on the Goodwin Racing XR yesterday and came home in the 14th place spot.  And Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. on the #2 Screamin' Eagle/Harley-Davidson Motor Co/Fox/Arai Helmets-sponsored factory XR750 solidiered home to an 8th-place finish.

Jeffrey Carver, Jr. on the #23 Kiesow Racing XR and Briar Bauman on the #10Z Rod Lake Racing Suzuki rounded out the top-10. 

Check out the press release below thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track and stay tuned for the final two rounds of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Tucson Half-Mile on October 6 and the season-finale round at the Pomona Half-Mile on October 13!

Halbert Wins Santa Rosa Mile In Front of Packed House

 

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (September 30, 2012) - In a blazing end to a hot Santa Rosa Mile, Bryan Smith (Crosley Radio/Kawasaki) let a five-second lead slip and Sammy Halbert took full advantage during the 25-lap race at the Somona County Fairgrounds.

 

On lap 20 of Sunday's AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil main event, Halbert slammed the throttle and stole the lead from Smith, notching his fourth win of the season. The final laps brought the crowd of 12,000 to their feet in what proved to be an absolute thriller between some of the best flat track talent in the world.

"In the beginning, I was playing cat and mouse with Bryan (Smith)," said Halbert. "Once I passed him, I just kept looking back and saw the guys catching me but I adapted and overcame it. It was a great win. I loved coming out here to Santa Rosa and really want to thank all the great fans. I also want to thank my mom, dad, girlfriend and all of my sponsors."

 

 

Sammy Halbert on his #7 South East H-D XR750 took the win at the Santa Rosa Mile yesterday for his series' leading fourth win of-the-year in 2012.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.

Smith took the holeshot right from the start and was looking as if he was about to cruise to his second consecutive mile-track victory. With 10 laps to go, Smith opened up his biggest lead of the race at 4.9 seconds but it didn't last. Halbert turned on the jets and Smith seemed to lose significant time on the corners causing him to lose his lead.

Jared Mees looked very impressive as he came all the way back from 13th position to finish 2nd in the race. Though Smith dropped the ball at the end, he was able to salvage a podium finish as he barely nicked fierce competitor Jake Johnson by .18 seconds for a third place finish. Johnson andRobert Pearson rounded out the top five finishers, respectively.

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles

Michigan product Stephen Vanderkuur (Parkinson Brothers/Honda) had no mercy on the field today as he was the clear-cut winner by almost a full 10 seconds over second-place finisher Rodney Spencer Jr. (831 Pinnit/Honda). Vanderkuur started from pole position and increased his lead every lap on his way to claiming his second victory of the year.

"I was just riding my own race," said Vanderkuur. "I knew I had to get ahead early and I did just that. This is a big accomplishment for my team as far as the point standings go. I have to thank my team and sponsors for all their support, without them I would not be here. I also want to give a shout-out to the great fans here in California."

The best race on the track was the battle for third. Cole Anderson (Diesel Minnesota/Honda) edged out Jake Shoemaker (Montgomeryville Cycle Center/Honda) by .26 seconds for an impressive third-place finish after starting from eighth on the grid. Less than a second was the difference between finishing in third place and finishing in seventh.

Next Up

AMA Pro Flat Track heads to Tucson, Ariz. for the Tucson Half-Mile, scheduled for October 6, 2012 at the Tucson International Speedway.

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

Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for this link to the complete results from yesterday's round 14 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at The Santa Rosa Mile:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1270/default.aspx


And a big thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track photographer Dave Hoenig for this gallery of shots from yesterday's race at Santa Rosa:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/multimedia/gallery.cfm?gid=7652

2012 eni SBK World Championship Season Final Round Magny-Cours Preview

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

          

 

Superbike face-off at Magny-Cours for Biaggi, Sykes and Melandri

 

Rome (Italy), 1 October 2012 – Three riders and three different manufacturers will be facing off on Sunday in the final showdown at Magny-Cours for the 2012 eni FIM Superbike World Championship titles. Not for the first time will the French circuit play host to the championship’s grand finale, which this time sees two Italians, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) and Marco Melandri (BMW Motorad Motorsport) and a British rider, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), currently second in the standings, mathematically still in with a chance of winning.   The last round in Portugal, which produced a number of surprises and upsets, saw Max Biaggi gain ground on his rivals and the 41-year-old from Rome now has 347 points, against 316.5 for Sykes and 308.5 for Melandri. The 30 year-old from Ravenna was involved in a crash that eliminated him from race 1 and he cracked a couple of ribs in the process, but since then he has embarked on an intensive recovery programme in order not to miss out on the final encounter.   The current standings show that Biaggi can easily win the sixth world title in his career, his second in Superbike, with just two sixth places. Even if Sykes takes a double win (50 points), Biaggi just needs 20 to take the title. Judging from his previous form there, the title is within easy reach: he has raced eight times at Magny-Cours and has always finished in the top 6, with four podiums to his name and a win in 2010 when he got the better of Cal Crutchlow in a ferocious duel after he had already clinched the title.   Tom Sykes on the other hand has never finished higher than eighth, with three crashes to his name. The Kawasaki has improved massively throughout the season however and Sykes has taken three of his four race victories in 2012. Marco Melandri only raced at Magny-Cours last season, twice finishing runner-up after two terrific recoveries.   In twenty-five editions of the Superbike World Championship this will be the 15th time the title is assigned at the final round. Magny-Cours has been decisive on three occasions: in 1991 Texan Doug Polen took his first title with three rounds remaining, while in both 2004 and 2007 the championship went right down to the wire, with Britain’s James Toseland getting the nod on both occasions – the first when he beat home favourite Règis Laconi, the second against Noriyuki Haga.   The Manufacturers’ battle is also at stake: Aprilia lead the way with 422.5 points, against BMW on 394 and reigning champions Ducati on 375. As well as Max Biaggi the Italian manufacturer can count on excellent support from Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (ParkinGo MTC Racing Aprilia), two youngsters who have already celebrated their first win on the RSV4 in the last two rounds this year, respectively at Portimao and Nurburgring. If they manage to win this title, for Aprilia it would mean a 50th title conquered in Superbike, Grand Prix Road Racing and Off-Road.   At the final round of the 25th edition of the FIM Superbike World Championship, numerous other riders will be aiming to finish off the season with a podium place or a result that may modify the outcome of the title. These will undoubtedly include the outgoing champion Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) who began testing with Ducati’s new 1199, which will be fielded in 2013, after the Portimao round. Team-mate Davide Giugliano, at 22 years of age one of the revelations of this year, also took part in the testing.   All eyes will also be on Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) following his double experience in MotoGP with Honda HRC. The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland has never really had much luck at Magny-Cours but one year ago he did manage to score the Tissot-Superpole.   Expectations are high for the FIXI Crescent Suzuki team following some great recent performances. The Japanese manufacturer has never won on this track, but it does have six second places to its name, so maybe Leon Camier, who went well at Portimao, will manage to buck this trend.   The final round will define the remaining top positions with Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Racing Ducati) currently holding onto the eighth place he has conquered with two wins and some other great races, while another Frenchman Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) is also looking to finish his debut season, with one win and three podiums to his name, on a high note: the 19-year-old is currently 12th overall and will be racing in front of his home fans. Two last-minute changes see the Effenbert Liberty team declare themselves absent from the final round completely, while one of the team’s former riders Maxime Berger lines up for Red Devils Roma in place of the injured Niccolò Canepa.   Points (after 13 of 14 rounds): 1. Biaggi 347; 2. Sykes 316,5; 3. Melandri 308.5; 4. Checa 278.5; 5. Rea 255.5; 6. Laverty 241.5; 7. Haslam 189; 8. Guintoli 172.5; 9. Davies 156.5; 10. Fabrizio 133.5; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 422.5; 2. BMW 394; 3. Ducati 375; 4. Kawasaki 356.5; 5. Honda 270.5; 6. Suzuki 130.5.   World Supersport   Magny-Cours will see celebrations all the way for Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini), who took the title at the previous round in Portugal, the 27-year-old from Turkey clinching a third crown after the ones he won in 2007 and 2010. It was great satisfaction also for the team run by Vanni Lorenzini, who won his first world title despite the repercussions of the earthquake in Emilia that seriously damaged the Mantova base of the Italian outfit, which was forced to work for some time in its trucks.   Sofuoglu’s toughest rival throughout the season has been Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda), the 23-year-old Frenchman who came from GP racing and who in his debut Supersport season has already scored three wins. On his home track he will have a chance of increasing his success rate and consolidate second place in the championship. The battle is also on for third, with another Frenchman, Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) now ahead of his British rival Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda).   Points (after 12 of 13 rounds): 1. Sofuoglu 218; 2. Cluzel 185; 3. Foret 160; 4. Lowes 152; 5. Parkes 135; 6. Morais 94; 7. Baldolini 86; 8. Quarmby 84; 9. Iannuzzo 60; 10. Leonov 52; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 262; 2. Kawasaki 257; 3. Triumph 115; 4. Yamaha 102; 5. Suzuki 6.   Superstock 1000   Magny-Cours will be the decider for the entry-level categories which are reserved for tomorrow’s champions. In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Frenchman Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) grabbed the lead back from Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia Ducati) but they are separated by just three points. There is still a small mathematical chance for Australian Bryan Staring (Kawasaki Pedercini) who has to hope for a win with the other two riders picking up DNFs. In the previous nine rounds Barrier has won four times, Staring three and La Marra once. The under-26 Cup is also a technical challenge between BMW, Ducati and Kawasaki. Barrier will have the advantage of racing in front of his home crowd, but La Marra and Staring still have their last remaining cards to play.   Points (after 9 of 10 rounds): 1. Barrier 133; 2. La Marra 130; 3. Staring 111; 4. Guarnoni 98; 5. Savadori 91; 6. Reiterberger 85; 7. Bergman 78; 8. Massei 71; 9. Coghlan 68; 10. Baroni 56; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 168; 2. Ducati 165; 3. BMW 161; 4. Honda 71; 5. Aprilia 17.   Superstock 600   The final round of the UEM European Superstock 600 Championship for under-22 year-olds sees a clash of two talents who have dominated proceedings since the start of the season: Dutchman Michael van der Mark (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda) and Italian Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha), both 19 years of age. Van der Mark has won five rounds, and the other four have gone to Russo who now has seven points to make up on his rival. The situation is slightly in favour of the Dutchman who can even afford to finish second if Russo proves to be unbeatable. On the other hand, the Italian has to beat van der Mark and hope that someone finishes in between. The last round will be held on Saturday evening at 6pm.   Points (after 9 of 10 rounds): 1. Vd Mark 194; 2. Russo 187; 3. Duwelz 91; 4. Nestorovic 74; 5. Vitali 66; 6. Schacht 65; 7. Morbidelli 63; 8. Calero Perez 59; 9. Gamarino 58; 10. Chesaux 50; etc.   KTM European Junior Cup   The KTM European Junior Cup gets its grand finale as well, with the entry-level category organized by Racedays for under-19 year-olds coming to an exciting conclusion. The battle will be on identical KTM Duke 690 machines supplied directly by the Austrian manufacturer. Magny-Cours will have two rounds, one of which on Saturday will make up for the cancelled race at Monza in May. With 50 points still up for grabs, eight riders are still in with a chance of winning the title. The standings are led by Austrian Lukas Wimmer (95 points), who is being chased by Spain’s Gaston Garcia, Javier Orellana and Christian Vidal. They are followed by Poland’s Artur Wielebski, Jamie Patterson from Northern Ireland, another Pole Adrian Pasek and France’s Jean-Francois Demoulin.   Points (after 6 rounds of 8): 1. Wimmer 95; 2. Garcia 78; 3. Orellana 75; 4. Vidal 64; 5. Wielebski 59; 6. Patterson 57; 7. Pasek 54; 8. Demoulin 48; etc.   Alfa Romeo launches the Mito-SBK at the Paris Motor Show   A special Superbike version of the Alfa Romeo Mito – the Mito SBK – has received its official unveiling at the Paris Motor Show – which is currently being held in the French capital from 27 September to 14 October. This is the first time in the history of World Superbike that a company of such global importance and notoriety has chosen to activate such a close association with the product.   On display at the Paris Show are a Superbike Limited Edition 170 hp, a special 85hp Superbike 1.9 Turbo Twin Air, the “Safety Car” version used in the 2011 Superbike World Championship and a version with Sporting Pack. The Alfa Romeo stand also contains an Aprilia RSV4 Factory machine which Max Biaggi is racing in the championship, as well as highlights videos of the races and Alfa Romeo’s involvement.     This season is the sixth successive year of official collaboration between Alfa Romeo and the FIM Superbike World Championship: the Italian brand has in fact been Top Sponsor and Official Safety Car for the production-based series since 2007, sharing the same values of sport, technology and safety.   For further information:   Julian Thomas Press Office Associate Manager Cell. +39 340 0993623 Email: julian.thomas@infrontsports.com   Nino Barra Press Office & PR Italia Cell. +39 339 4688138 Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com   Valentina Conti Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager Cell. +39 388 3032059 Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com   In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following: - A worldwide TV audience of 462 million - Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries - 3,106 broadcast hours - Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators - 3,779,237 contacts on the official website www.worldsbk.com