Team Dainese 2010 riders

On the eve of the first MotoGP of the 2010 season, here's a quick recap of who are the Dainese racers:

Moto GP
Jorge Lorenzo
Marco Simoncelli
Valentino Rossi

Moto 2

Stefan Bradl
Yannick Guerra
Simone Giorgi Grotzkyj
Fonsi Nieto

125 cc
Marcel Schroetter
Luca Vitali
Lorenzo Salvadori

National Championships

Europe: Danilo Dell’Omo, Marco Borciani (Italy); Maxime Berger (France); Guy Martin (UK); Michael Ranseder (Austria); Joan Lascorz (Spain); Niklas Ajo (Finland)
USA: Geoff May, Aaron Yates, Blake Young, Steve Rapp, Chris Ulrich, Martin Cardenas, James Rispoli, Tray Batey, John Jacobi, Steve Atlas, Mark Junge, Sammy Halbert

AMA Superbike 09 memories with Aaron Yates

Aaron on the podium at Barber 09OnTheThrottle.com

Blake Young Still Daiting the Gixxer

It's Friday Video time and here's a small one from our friends at OnTheThrottle, on Dainese and Suzuki Factory rider Blake Young.

Road Racer X Tuesday Conversation: Blake Young

Road Racer X's Tuesday's Conversation with Dainese' Blake Young.


Blake Young was a 2009 newcomer to both the AMA Pro American Superbike class and the Rockstar/Makita factory Suzuki team, but that didn’t prevent him from making the podium four times, placing top-ten at all but three races, and finishing sixth overall in class points. His superbike foray impressed many in the paddock and gave Young a chance to learn from riders like Mat Mladin and Kevin Schwantz. We asked the Wisconsin native for his thoughts on his rookie season.

Brian J. Nelson photo

Was the season harder than you thought it would be?
The season went really good for us, I think. As far as if it was as hard as I thought it was going to be, I think working with a new team, a new crew chief, and being back on Dunlop tires…. It was a lot, and I think it was a pretty good season having had all that stuff thrown at us.
It was your first year on a factory team; how would you describe that experience?
You know, there’s obviously a really high level of expectations to do well over there. The Yoshimura team has been winning numerous championships and it was a relief to get over there and see how it works, and to start working with some of the guys. It was one of my goals last year to ride for a factory team and now that I’m here, one of my goals is to hopefully win a championship for them. Now that Mat is gone, the expectation will be even higher for me to do well.
How was working with Mat, and do you wish he’d stuck around for another year?
Yeah, absolutely, it was great and it’s kind of a bummer to see him go. I think that only being able to ride with him and be his teammate for a year, there was only so much I could learn, but I definitely still learned a lot. I wish that I had been able to learn a lot more, and I would have liked him to stick around another year, for sure. Racing against him was good, and having him there was really speeding up the process of learning as quickly as possible how to win the superbike championship.
What did you learn this year?
It’s hard to place a finger on one thing, but one thing that I learned from Mat is how to be a champion off the racetrack. I think that if you look at Mat, there’s really nobody else better out there in our paddock that has won seven championships.  He’s probably one of the best teachers to have riding on the same truck, so to speak. It’s a big honor.

Brian J. Nelson photo

How did you get along with the ’09 factory GSX-R1000?
It’s great. We got a new bike that came out this year, but we didn’t get on it right away. We had to go three races on the 2008s, but once we did [switch to ‘09s], it was great. Suzuki always puts out a bike that keep getting better and better. We had kind of an up-and-down season working with it, but I think that things will only get better for me.  There were a lot of firsts this past year, things that I won’t have to go through next year. So, I’m looking forward to testing on the bike this November.
What kind of goals do you have for the 2010 season?
For next year, it would be to win a superbike race, and then to win a whole lot of them, and then a championship will come with those wins. I’d like to definitely pick up the ball that Mat has left behind and run with it, and hopefully keep that championship streak going for Suzuki.

Video: How fast is Dainese's Yates at New Jersey

OnTheThrottle's Dave Williams goes through Aaron's lines and speeds at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Very fun little video where you can also spot AGV's Neil Hodgson and Dainese's Geoff May and Steve Rapp.

Video: On the grid with Dainese's privateer Shane Narbonne

Another small gem by the OnTheThrottle.com crew with this interview of one of our most succesful privateers in AMA road racing, Shane Narbonne.

AMA Superbike at VIR, fist photos

First photos from AMA Superbike round in Virginia. Most pics from Dave Williams at OnTheThrottle.com

Aaron sporting his Dainese gloves during the kart race on Thursday.


First pics from Friday practice.

Geoff May's pits


Working on Blake Young's bike


Steve Rapp getting ready to hit the track for the Daytona Sportbike practice

Blake Young feature on SpeedTV.com

A very good in depth feature on Dainese's Blake Young.

Blake Young on SpeedTV.com

AGV's Neil Hodgson Interviewed by Superbikeplanet.com

Check out Neil's interview by Sup's Dean Adams and Susan Haas:

Neil talks

Dainese's Aaron Yates Gatorade Commercial

After having his picture on a limited edition Michael Jordan Gatorade bottle, Jordan Suzuki's #23 aaron Yates is featured on this national TV Gatorade ad. It's short, it's fast but it's good.

Better late than never: AMA Pro Mid-Ohio photos

Miscelanious photos from Mid-Ohio. You can click on the slideshow if you wish to watch the photos in bigger size.

AMA Pro Road Racing at Mid-Ohio 2009

AMA Pro Road Racing celebrated a great weekend of racing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with battles to the checkered flag in all 3 classes, both Saturday and Sunday.
Since the beginning of the season, AGV Dainese riders have established their very strong presence in the fields, in American Superbike, Daytona Sportbike and the very disputed youth class, Supersport. All our riders were coming into Mid-Ohio, on the momentum of their good performances at Laguna Seca, especially for Superbike contenders Rockstar Makita suzuki's Blake Young and Jordan Suzuki's Aaron Yates, Daytona Sportbike racer Steve Rapp and Supersport class Russ Wikle and James Rispoli who all had great finish in California, including podium spots for Young and the #23 of Yates.

American Superbike:

Mixed results with an outstanding performance by the fastest man on track this weekend, Aaron Yates who finished second on Saturday, after being slowed down by a lapper during his battle with Factory Yamaha's Josh Hayes. Despite a heavy crash on Friday Blake Young managed to finish in the Top 10 with Dainese teammates National Guard Jordan Suzuki's Geoff may and Corona Extra Honda's Jake Holden.
On this physically demanding track, AGV's Neil Hodgson was still suffering from his previous injury as the Honda rider was suffering from shoulder pain.

 

Sunday saw the return of a very strong Yates who would clock the fastest lap times in the morning warm-up. Racing was strong and intense between Hayes, Bostrom, Hayden and the #23, but Yates fell victim to a crash due to a gear jump in the carrousel. Blake Young took his Rockstar Makita Suzuki to a 4th place finish while Geoff May finished 8th after a race long battle with Matt Mladin, ahead of Corona Extra Honda's Neil Hodgson and his Roland Sands custom-painted AGV GP-Tech.

AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike
Point Standings (after 14 of 20 races):
1. Mladin, 390 points
2. Hayden, 264
3. Bostrom, 246
4. Hayes, 245
5. Pegram, 223
6. Young, 201
7. May, 199
8. Yates, 198
9. Knapp, 127
10. David Anthony, 120
11. Holden, 113
12. Ulrich, 100
13. Hodgson, 94

AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike Presented by AMSOIL:

 

We strongly recommend to watch the races on Speed TV because the Daytona Sportbike races at Mid-Ohio were intense from start to finish. On both days, Steve Rapp battled up-front, taking his Yamaha to a 6th finish, on both days, making it 3 in a row since The Rapper also took 6th at the previous round in Laguna Seca. Steve is now 8th in points in a tie with Honda's Jake Zemke.

Point Standings (after 14 of 20 races):
1. Cardenas, 285 points
2. Eslick, 275
3. Hacking, 241
4. Herrin, 211
5. DiSalvo, 201
6. Peris, 177
7. Davies, 176
8. TIE, Zemke/Steve Rapp, 157
10. Aquino, 155

AMA Pro SuperSport Presented by Shoei:

 

Depsite excellent qualifying by Roadracingworld.com Suzuki's Russ Wikle and a 4th row on the grid for James Rispoli, our AGV Dainese riders were unlucky in the youth class. Russell crashed out while fighting for 4th in the 5th lap and James "The Rocket" Rispoli suffered a low-side crash, while going for 5th with 5 laps to go. not the expected results for our two riders, but a positively good weekend as they once again showed their speeds and potential confirming their strong presence in the class.

SuperSport East Championship Point Standings (after 5 of 9 races):
1. Day, 94 points
2. Leandro Mercado, 81
3. Wikle, 63
4. TIE, Pascarella/Nash, 62
6. Carter, 52
7. Wacker, 51
8. Kyle Wyman, 48
9. TIE, Worrell/Lazo, 43

AGV Dainese Youth Rocks at Laguna Seca AMA Supersport

 

 

AGV Dainese's Russ Wikle, James Rispoli and Garrett Willis capped the weekend in AMA Supersport with great performance at Laguna Seca on MotoGP weekend. While Russ scored another podium with a 2nd place finish, James "The Rocket" Rispoli continues to impress with a good performance in 4th, followed by Garrett Willis in 5th.

Good jobs boyz!

Dainese's Blake Young OnTheThrottle Vid-interview

Press-Release: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS RETURNS TO ACTION AT ROAD AMERICA

CHICAGO, IL (June 3, 2009) – Michael Jordan Motorsports will hit the track for Round 6 of the AMA Pro Racing series this weekend at Road America. The Elkhart Lake, WI track is the unofficial '”home” circuit of the MJM #23 Jordan Suzuki and #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki teams, which are based out of East Troy, WI. Boasting the longest straightaway of any track on the 2009 calendar, Road America is a scenic and exciting venue on which to showcase the power of the teams’ GSX-R 1000s and will offer fans exciting racing in the American Superbike class.

Action begins on June 5 with Practice and Qualifying and continues through June 7 with feature

American Superbike races taking place on both Saturday and Sunday.

Jordan Suzuki #23

Aaron Yates and the #23 Jordan Suzuki squad come off a mixed finish in Round 5 at Infineon Raceway and look to set the tone this weekend at Road America. Finishing a strong fourth in Race 1 at Infineon after a season-high second in Round 3, Yates and his 2009 Suzuki GSX-R have proven they have the pace to run up front. Supported by his Richie Alexander and Karl Steyrer-led crew, Yates brings his considerable experience to the fast Elkhart Lake track and will be looking for the podium once again. Yates is currently in seventh place in the Championship standings with 116 points.

“This weekend is going to be a bit different after Barber and Infineon,” said Yates. “Those tracks are both on the tighter end of the spectrum and now we are heading into the fast Road America track. I should be good. It's an old school raceway and it will give us a chance to show how quick our Jordan Suzuki GSX-R 1000 is.”

National Guard Jordan Suzuki #54

Geoff May and the #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki team faced some tough competition at the last round. Looking to rebound this weekend at Road America, May and the #54 team are eager to get back to work and get back into the top three of the Championship. Known for his incredible lean angles and love for fast corners, May will be undoubtedly on pace this weekend The National Guard Jordan Suzuki team currently sits fifth in the Championship with 143 Championship points. “I'm ready to get back on the bike,” said May. “Sure, an extra weekend off is nice, but we had a tough one at Infineon and that makes me want to just get right back out there racing. Road America is a really fast track and it's our home round. I can't wait to get my National Guard Jordan Suzuki opened up on Friday.”

ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS:

Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports in 2004 as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. His mission is to bring a new level of excellence and style to the motorcycle racing industry. For more information on MJM, please visit www.23race.com – www.twitter.com/23race - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Jordan-Motorsports/51748732097

ABOUT THE NATIONAL GUARD:

The National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest enduring institutions. The National Guard operates in all 50 states, four territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, Samoa and the Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit the National Guard's Web site at www.NationalGuard.com

Michael Jordan Motorsports is proud to partner with: Jordan Brand (a division of Nike), American Suzuki, Upper Deck, Hanes, Gatorade, National Guard, Bazzaz Performance, LeoVince Exhaust, ELF Moto Lubricants, MMI - Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Vortex Racing Components, Dainese Leathers, AGV Helmets, Oakley, Gemini Technology Systems, Ancra Tiedowns, Attack Race Bodies, Attack Performance, Chicken Hawk Racing Tire Warmers, DID Chains, Factory Pro Dyno, NGK Spark Plugs, Performance Friction Brake Pads, Roclun International, STAR Motorcycle School, Zero Gravity Windscreens, Sunoco Race Fuels, Vicci Apparel, with transportation provided by Eastside Trucking.

Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki at Barber

Here's Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki's post-race press-release for Barber. A positive weekend for the AGV Dainese riders, especially for Russ Wikle.

RUSS WIKLE EARNS THE PODIUM FOR ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI IN ALABAMA

Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki came away from the Barber Motorsports Park round of the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing championship with a pole position, a podium finish, and having earned a great deal of vital experience.

Chris Ulrich worked to learn the nuances of the all-new and radically revised 2009 GSX-R1000 in American Superbike, Russ Wikle starred in SuperSport and impressed in Daytona SportBike, and Santiago Villa once again proved his grit and courage.

Putting in his very first laps on the new GSX-R1000 on Friday, Ulrich qualified 13th for the twin American Superbike finals with a fast lap of 1:27.494. The Californian's inexperience with the machine cost him mightily in Saturday's race when a gamble on the bike's set-up didn't pay off and he finished 14th. Improvements were made for Sunday's race, allowing Ulrich to claim 11th and feel confident that he knows what direction he needs to take the new bike in order to tap its vast potential.

He explained, "We had some setting problems in qualifying with the new bike and wanted to go one direction but per one of our experts we were told to go in another direction but that turned out to be completely wrong. We went back to the stuff we needed and this morning it was quite good.

"The bike is a lot different compared to the '08. Everything you know about it you've got to chuck out the window. We got out of here with an okay finish -- I don't want to say great because I think we should have been in the top ten as always.

"We've learned tons and we've got a good direction. We know what it likes now. We'll be ahead of the curve when we show up at Infineon. All the other guys racing '09s had at least one test before we showed up. We came in here 'cold turkey' and kind of paid the price for it, but that happens sometimes."

Wikle put in another tremendous performance, claiming the pole position for Sunday's SuperSport by posting the quickest lap in practice on Friday at 1:31.659 as Saturday's scheduled qualifying session was canceled due to track conditions.

The teenager charged into the lead at the start of Sunday's race, which was held under extremely challenging wet conditions, and posted the fastest lap of the race. Racing in front of his home fans, the Huntsville, Alabama resident pushed his GSX-R600 to a runner-up finish, his second podium result of the season.

Immediately following the SuperSport race, Wikle took on the Daytona SportBike final and improved from his 22nd-place run on Saturday to earn a fantastic top-ten result in Sunday's contest, picking up ninth place despite a very deep and talented field of competitors.

"I knew starting from pole I would have an advantage and I got a real good start," Wikle remarked about the SuperSport race. "I just made myself wide and I led a couple laps. It was a good race. I just tried to keep my head smart and ended up second.

"Finishing in the top ten in the SportBike race was awesome. I was comfortable coming right off the SuperSport bike and jumping on the SportBike. I put my head down right at the beginning and tried to pick up as many positions as I could."

Ulrich said, "Russ is holding up team honors. He's doing a great job and showed maturity beyond his years. He just keeps impressing me. He was thrown into a difficult situation but kept it up and turned the fastest lap of the race. In SportBike, he just kept his head down and did a great job."

Villa finished 24th in Saturday's Daytona SportBike race and was hoping to show further improvement on Sunday. Unfortunately, the he crashed on the damp circuit on the opening lap of Sunday's race, but he managed to pick up his GSX-R600 and soldier on despite breaking two bones in his left wrist.

The Colombian put in a courageous ride to finish 33rd. After taking the checkered flag, Villa had to park his bike on the side of the track because he was in so much pain. The valiant effort to finish did not go unnoticed by his team and fellow competitors.

Ulrich commented, "Santiago broke his wrist and he's kind of iffy for Infineon. I hope he gets better soon, because he is continuing to progress. He spent a couple days with his Crew Chief, James Lickwar, at Utah and learned a lot and it showed in his lap times. It's unfortunate he has to deal with another injury, but we'll get him some milk and get him back on that horse. He showed us a lot today."

Barber AMA Superbike - Day 1: AGV Dainese riders

It's a very wet weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Al, for the AMA American Superbike this year. Here are the results from Saturdays races for the AGV Dainese riders.

AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike Presented by Parts Unlimited
2. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R1000K9), -1.928 seconds
7. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000K9), -8.032
10. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000K9), -32.979, jump start/ride-through penalty
14. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000K9), -48.341
15. Barrett Long (Duc 1098R), -81.179
23. Shane Narbonne (Suz GSX-R1000K8), -1 lap, 59.537

Championship Point Standings (after 6 of 21 races):
3. Young, 114
4. May, 106
8. Yates, 73
13. Ulrich, 43
16. Neil Hodgson, 25
17. Long, 22

AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Championship Presented by AMSOIL
6. Steve Rapp (Yam YZF-R6), -13.947
16. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R6), -39.808
22. Russ Wikle (Suz GSX-R600), -60.781
24. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R600), -85.913
Championship Point Standings (after 6 of 20 races):
9. Rapp, 60
13. Long, 40

Friday at Barber with Aaron Yates and the #23 Jordan Suzuki team

Enjoy this great little video inside the life of the #23 Jordan Suzuki team

Great Racing Weekend ahead, MotoGP and AMA Superbike

Keep an eye on all AGV and Dainese riders this weekend with the boys of MotoGP battling it down at the Gran Premio de Espana inJerez, Spain and the AMA American Superbike down in the U.S. South at Barber.

For sure, some good racing for race fans.

National Guard Jordan Suzuki Geoff May - Fontana video

Another great vid' from the lads at OnTheThrottle