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H.O.T. Jacksonville Race Report

Honda of Troy once again raised the bar in Jacksonville, qualifying all 4 riders directly into the main from the heat races and The Troy Team owned 1/5 of the field in the lites main event. The Team invited veteran Kelly Smith to fill in for the injured Darryn Durham. Kelly was recovering from his own injury-a broken leg he obtained at the third round of the arenacross series nearly 9 weeks ago. So, with only 20 minutes of seat time, Kelly was willing to step-up and fill the shoes of Durham for the weekend. Also on the mend and not quite sure if he was going to be able to pull the trigger to race, was Levi Kilbarger. Last week he was on his way to securing the main event holeshot when he was devoured by the field in a first turn crash. Levi could barely complete the Jacksonville track walk due to a severe hematoma and deep thigh bruise but his “never say die” attitude led him to ride practice to see how he felt. With a lot of ice, massage, and heart he pushed on and would ride through the night and into the main.

Heat 1:

Fill-in rider Kelly Smith, Levi Kilbarger, and Sean Lipanovich all stormed out of the gate and put themselves in the top 4 spots at the end of lap one. #412 Kilbarger put together a solid ride to secure a 4th place finish and a 7th pick at the main event gate. #107 Kelly Smith shook off the rust and netted a 6th place heat finish . In one of the more exciting races of the night was Sean Lipanovich securing the final transfer spot.

Heat 2:

#92 Michael Willard was the lone HOT rider in heat 2. Michael had an inside gate pick and when they rounded the first corner he fought his way into 5th place. #92 battled his way to a 4th place heat finish and a 8th gate pick in the main. The team was on a high putting all 4 guys in the main, straight out of the heat races – thankfully no LCQ for the HOT Team.

Main:

The long 110 yard start allowed the Eleven 10 mods horsepower to shine. The team netted great starts all night long and the main was no different. Kelly Smith rocketed out of the gate from the outside and nabbed the $1000 holeshot prize. With Sean Lipanovich a very close second and Kilbarger and Willard back mid pack. The tight technical track took a toll on the team in the main claiming Willard first on lap 5. One of the long table top sections spit the #92 to the dirt and out of the race with a tender wrist and forearm. One straight away later the whoop section claimed Lipanovich-ejecting him off of his bike-but Sean regrouped and rejoined the race. That same whoop section would claim Kilbarger as well, he also was able to remount and continue the race. With his very limited time back on a bike Kelly Smith admitted that he paced himself a little too much because he was unsure how much he had in the tank. At the end of the night, the Troy Team finished with Kelly Smith 14th, Kilbarger 16th, Lipanovich 17th, and Willard 18th. Winning the Holeshot award allowed Kelly Smith an interview and chance to thank all of our Team Sponsors. As the weeks roll on each Honda of Troy rider brings a little more to the table. Everyone is looking forward to a weekend off to allow the guys to recover and gear up for Houston.

The Honda of Troy/Kilbarger Racing Team would like to acknowledge the sponsors who make this effort possible.

Honda of Troy, Kilbarger Racing LLC, Eleven 10 Mods, WAR – We All Ride, Fox Racing Shox, Cycra Racing, Motorex, TAG Metals, Yoshimura, Motion Pro, Renegade Race Fuel, Faction Mx, N-Style, Dunlop, DP Brake Pads, QTM, G2 Ergonomics, ARC, Boyesen, Light Speed, Hinson, RK/Excel, Ride Eng., Hammerhead, Straight Shot Air Filters, Bell Helmets, Hot Hedz Designs, Von Zipper, Total Image AutoSport, Kicker, ICW, Rock’s Racing Services, Injectioneering, IMS Foot Pegs, Franklin Equipment, and Gabriel Logan

March 27, 2010

Jacksonville, FL – Over the weekend DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha and our squad comprised of the lone member at the moment, #577 Martin Davalos focused in deeply at the task of turning in their best and grabbing a finish back up front. The AMA Supercross Lites East series setup to do battle in Jacksonville, Florida at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium before 38,321 fans. With ever changing track conditions, Davalos posted the 3rd quickest timed qualifying lap. Here is the play by play…

In Heat #2, Davalos jumped out to the holeshot but ran it in way too hot into the first turn, in trying to make the turn he knifed his YZ 250F hard into the outside berm. The intended result unfortunately wouldn’t work out, as Martin crossed lines with another rider and was forced to the ground. Remounting in last place, Davalos found himself trying to rebound to get inside of the top nine in order to avoid the LCQ. Setting some of the fastest lap times of the heat race, and making bold moves, Davalos mounted a super charge from the rear of the field to grab 9th just before the checkers.

The main event got underway; Davalos started poorly but was able to creep around the outside of the first turn. Rounding lap one within the top eight, Davalos maintained a pace that helped put him in the breakaway with the real contenders. Lap three saw big changes, as Davalos assumed 5th and went on to pressure for a possible top three finish in the coming laps. From there, entering into lap four things took a turn for the worse as Davalos rode with sheer determination. While Davalos hammered through a tricky stair case whoop section, his front end dropped and sent him into a massive endo which resulted in bad crash. Unfortunately, the get off stopped his race entirely and put an end to the night.

Star Racing thanks the following companies for their commitment.

DNA Shred Stix, Division 7, Yamaha Motor Corp, FLY Racing, DNA Energy, NCY, Bell Helmets, Easton ExP, FMF, Sunstar, Factory Effex, Dunlop, Enzo, DC Shoes, RK Chains, Yamalube, GYTR, Ride Engineering, Mechanix Wear, Twin Air, Lightspeed, ARC, Braking, Vortex Ignitions, CP pistons, Web Cams, ICW, JD Built, Renegade Fuels, Crank Works, Eibach, EVOMX fuel foam, Met Tec, Champion Tools.

KALGARY, Tex. ─ Husaberg Factory riders Mike Lafferty and Nick Fahringer finished 3rd and 4th at the fourth round of the AMA National Enduro Series.

The first of six sections proved to be challenging for both riders as Lafferty rode tight in the first section losing some seconds to the leaders. Fahringer reported, “I had a novice rider pull out in front of me on the section and I lost time trying to get around him.”

After the halfway point both riders picked up the pace and began to gain back precious seconds. Fahringer turned the fastest time in the fourth section and remained competitive with his times through the fifth and sixth section to finish 4th overall. Lafferty finished 3rd in the fourth section, had a strong showing in the fifth and won the final test section of the day to move himself onto the podium with a 3rd place finish.

“It feels good to land on the podium today. This course was definitely challenging and helped open my eyes to some things I need to work on so that I can hopefully get back on the top of the box at the next event,” remarked Lafferty.

NEXT RACE
Round 5: April 18, West Point, TN

OVERALL RESULTS –
1) Charles Mullins
2) Cory Buttrick
3) Mike Lafferty – Husaberg
4) Nick Fahringer – Husaberg
5) Russell Bobbitt

OVERALL POINTS –
1) Mike Lafferty – 90
2) Russell Bobbitt – 87
3) Cory Buttrick – 80
4) Charles Mullins – 78
5) Nick Fahringer – 70

Corona, Calif. (March 29, 2010) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel must really like his adopted state of Florida as he claimed his second win of the season in the sunshine state this past Saturday at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The victory also marked Pourcel’s fourth win in as many races in Florida.

For the sixth straight week, Pourcel set the fastest time in qualifying practice giving him first gate pick in the second heat race. In his heat race, Pourcel easily handled the difficult track to take his fifth heat win of the season.

“I’m not really thinking about the championship at this point,” said Pourcel. “I just want to come to every race ready to win. I have missed the win the last two races and it feels really good to get back up here again.”

In the main event Pourcel crossed the line third on the first lap and patiently bided his time before making a move for second on the sixth lap and then just one lap later taking the lead. The French rider than began to pull away from the field before a mistake sent him to the ground. Fortunately, he had a large enough cushion to get back on his Kawasaki KXä250F, keep the lead and ultimately bring home the win extending his points lead to eight markers.

Dean Wilson was unable to race in Jacksonville as he continues to face immigration issues coming back from Toronto. With the off-weekend for Easter this week, both Wilson and Tyla Rattray should be able to race in two weeks at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (March 29, 2010) In Jacksonville, Fla. this past weekend, 38000+ fans were in attendance to watch the 11th round of the 17-race Monster Energy AMA Supercross series.
This weekend’s event was at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, adjacent to the St. Johns River, in the heart of downtown Jacksonville. With this being an open stadium and clouds in the sky, everyone was hoping the rain would hold off. Luckily it did and the fans were treated to a fantastic evening of racing.

Nick Wey qualified well into the night program via the eighth position. This placed him in the first Supercross class heat race and with a good start, and consistent laps, he qualified directly into the main event with a strong fifth place finish.

Wey lined up directly next to the dog house on the start gate. As the gate dropped for the main event, Wey charged into the first turn but was pinched off by the other 19 riders and came out with an uncharacteristically back-of-the-pack start. Approaching the last corner before the finish line a rider came into the corner under Wey much too quickly and was not able to control his motorcycle. The out of control rider and motorcycle crashed into Wey and both riders went down. Fortunately, Wey was unhurt and able to pick himself and his motorcycle up and continue the race. He crossed the line in 17th on lap one. The riders in front of Wey quickly spread out on the track as he rode his bent Kawasaki 450 as fast as he could in an effort to regain as many positions as possible. Wey went on to finish 12th.

After the race Wey commented “I felt great in practice and was happy with my qualifying position. My heat race was solid with some of my most competitive lap times of the season, so I was pumped for the main. In the main I got out to a great jump but got hung up and came out of the first turn last. The first few laps I was moving up quick trying my best to make passes and move up. Unfortunately I got together with another rider and went down around the half-way point. I rode hard for the rest of the race but was only able to get back to 12th. I have a lot of motivation to work hard the next couple of weeks.”

Next weekend the series takes a break for the Easter holiday and will resume on April 10, 2010 in Houston Texas for the thirteenth round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series. Be sure to stop by the TiLUBE-Brown Motorsports truck to show your support and to have your picture taken with Nick Wey from 12:30 pm – 5:30 pm. See you there!

TiLUBE Brown Motorsports is proudly supported by:
TiLUBE, MSR, Babbitt’s Powersports, Foremost Insurance Group, TRS Consulting, Motion Pro, Crower Power, Fusion Graphics, ARC Levers, Dunlop, Vortex Sprockets, RK Chains, Excel A60 Wheel Sets, QTM, Talon Hubs, Wiseco, Pro Taper, SDG USA, Podium Ink, UFO Plastic, Deluge Sport, Vortex Ignitions, Pit Pass Radio, Metaltek, K&N Filters, Faction MX,

For more information or to contact TiLUBE please visit www.tilube.com or call (515) 309-9737, for Brown Motorsports contact Allan Brown at abrownmx@gmail.com or call (951) 359-6970.

LAKE HAVASU, Ariz. ─ Husaberg Factory rider Nathan Woods is returning to his true form after having his best showing yet at the third round of the WORCS at the Crazy Horse Campground in Lake Havasu, Arizona.

Woods started the race well in 3rd position. He held that position for the first lap before dropping into 5th. Woods settled into 5th position maintaining that spot for the first half of the race running consistent lap times with the lead riders.

Just before the gas stop near the halfway mark of the race, Woods crashed in the off-road section and lost time as he had to drag his Husaberg out of the thick bushes. He stopped in the pits to make sure his bike was intact and went back to pounding laps. He charged hard the final half of the race and was able to move himself back into the top ten to finish a hard fought 9th overall.

“I felt really strong today and feel like I could have finished within the top five had things gone my way. Unfortunately, my crash before the pit stop set me back but it was good to know that I am finally back up to speed and in contention for some top five finishes,” remarked Woods.

NEXT RACE
Round 4: April 18, Adelanto, Calif.

OVERALL RESULTS –
1) Ricky Dietrich
2) Mike Brown
3) Kurt Caselli
4) Kyle Summers
5) Justin Soule
6) Robby Bell
7) Gary Sutherlin
Colton Udall
9) Nathan Woods – Husaberg
10) Chris Johnson

I am just getting back into Sydney after a long drive to the airport this morning for my flight back home and am happy to share a recap of my first weekend – which I am happy to say, went really well.

I qualified first in the Pro Lites practice putting down the fastest lap time of the day. The motocross events in Australia are different from the United States as they are based off a three-moto format instead of a two. Nerves must have got to me off the start of the first moto as I hit neutral (like a novice rider) and started dead last.

I put a good charge through the pack passing multiple guys per turn and had moved up to 2nd position by the end of the first lap. I passed my JDR Motorsports/Motorex/KTM teammate Ryan Marmont for the lead on the second lap and went on to pull a good lead and take the first moto win of the year.

In the second moto, I remembered how to start again, and pulled an awesome holeshot but fell at the end of the first turn. I quickly got back up in last position and started to move through the pack on the muddy course before going down again on the second lap. Now sitting in last for the second time this race, I put my head down and started to pass as many people as I could but only managed to come up to 11th place.

It all came down to the third moto where I got an okay start, pinned it through the traffic ahead of me, and moved into 1st before the end of the lap. I led every moto that race to take the moto win and the overall for the day in the Pro Lites class.

I was really happy with this race and all of the support I received from the JDR Motorsports/Motorex/KTM Team. I can’t wait for round two in Canbera where we hope to continue on a winning path.

Cheers from Down Under,

PJ Larsen

Lake Havasu, AZ – FMF/KTM riders Mike Brown and Kurt Caselli finished 2nd and 3rd respectively at the third round of the WORCS race in front of the wild Lake Havasu fans.

Both riders suffered off the start, with Caselli stuck mid-pack and Brown near last after taking two kicks to start his bike from the dead engine start. They quickly made up for their slow start when they both passed their way into the top ten within the first few laps. By the third lap Brown had moved into 5th and Caselli was sitting in 6th. Brown moved up to 4th on the fourth lap and then 3rd on the fifth lap and maintained that position for the majority of the race. On the fourth lap Caselli suffered a big crash which sidelined him for about a minute. When he recovered he had lost valuable time and was back near the tail end of the pack.

Caselli came in for the gas and took off on a mission from there. He quickly moved back up into the top ten gaining positions each lap. Meanwhile, Brown had moved into 2nd place and Caselli was coming up from behind. At the end of the race Brown was able to hold on to 2nd position with Caselli finishing just two seconds back in 3rd.

“I had a tough crash today but overall enjoyed this race. It was sandy and rough as it usually is over here but it is always fun to come out and race for the large crowd,” commented Caselli.

Adding to the day’s podium results was RPM/KTM rider Kacy Martinez who took the win in the women’s class. Now three rounds into the series, Martinez holds the championship points lead.

Next Event: Round 4 – Adelanto, CA – April 16-18, 2010

Overall Results –
1. Ricky Dietrich
2. Mike Brown – KTM
3. Kurt Caselli – KTM
4. Kyle Summers
5. Justin Soule

Overall Points –
1. Kurt Caselli – 65
2. Ricky Dietrich – 61
3. Justin Soule – 49
4. Mike Brown – 45
5. Robby Bell – 41

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (March 28, 2010) – For just the second time, Jacksonville’s Municipal Stadium was host to the AMA Supercross Series. The Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGRMX Team arrived in Florida on Thursday to conduct interviews with local television and newspaper reporters. Each week before every event, two teams participate in these “press days” to help build awareness of the event within the local market. The resulting media creates valuable exposure for team sponsors. Jacksonville’s City Council President, Richard Clark attended the press day activities. He even suited up in a Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGRMX Team uniform and conducted interviews, as well as rode a (small) motorcycle for the television cameras. A brief sampling of some of the media that was generated can be viewed via the following links:

The Florida Times Union had a print article with a video featuring Justin Brayton: http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/2010-03-26/story/supercross-takes-over-field-saturday-jacksonville-municipal-stadium

Jacksonville News Channel 4 interviewed Justin Brayton and Michael Byrne: http://www.news4jax.com/video/22963211/index.html

ABC First Coast News ran a feature with Justin Brayton: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=153838

Nearly 40,000 fans were on hand to watch the action when the racing started. Justin Brayton and Michael Byrne both qualified to the main event through their respective heat races. In the main event Byrne started inside the top-10 while Brayton had his hands full at the rear of the field. Brayton began a methodical charge to the front while Byrne held steady. When the checkers flew it was Brayton in ninth and Byrne right behind his teammate in 10th.

The original broadcast from Jacksonville airs today at noon (EST) on CBS. After a week off, the 13th round of the 17-race series will be April 10 in Houston, Tex. The original broadcast from Houston will air on SPEED at 6:00 p.m. (EST) April 11.

Vancouver, WA – 12-year old motorcycle road racer Peter Lenz is back!
Peter returned to his previous ways by winning three races this past weekend. When asked about his return to racing he had this to say, “When you have a strong heart and strong desire to ride you can pull through anything somehow.”

The most anticipated races of the weekend for Peter where those that saw him take to the track with spec equipment. Peter’s first outing on the RoadracingWorld.com Moriwaki MD250H powered by Honda resulted in him winning the AFM Formula Singles class and USGPRU MD250H powered by Honda spec races by several seconds in both instances, setting the fastest lap in both classes. “It was great to be on equal spec equipment, the Moriwaki series is a great class, and the bike is a lot of fun to ride,” explained Peter.

The AFM Formula 3 race saw Peter come up 0.1 seconds short of the win when the race was red flagged with several laps to go. “I was waiting for the last lap. I really didn’t want to show anyone anything until the USGPRU 125GP race. But the race was cut short. It was great to ride with my friends again, I enjoy racing with them,” commented Peter.

Peter had to start the USGPRU 125GP main event from the back row. Even with his unfortunate starting position Peter was able to close the gap to the leaders to two seconds. Never giving up Peter set the fastest lap of the race on the last lap as he brought his 1996 Honda RS125 home in a nearby third.

The last race of the day was the first running of the USGPRU’s Moto3 class. Peter choose to again run his 1996 Honda RS125, this time the field included a ‘hot-rod’ Moriwaki MD250H powered by Honda and a TZ250/YZ450F hybrid. Peter made his way to the front then pulled out a good early gap, ran a solid race bringing home the win, again setting the fastest lap.

Peter’s father Michel Lenz had this to say, “I am so proud of Peter, he has been working hard to get back to this level or riding. Thank you to the people that have supported Peter, their support is how we are able to keep him out here. And a huge thank you to Billy Wiese of WRW Racing for his expertise and friendship. It was great to have such an incredibly knowledgeable man in the pits making sure all was good for Peter.”

Peter will be in action again at the USGPRU East Coast opener at JenningsGP held Easter weekend. For more information visit www.peterlenz.com

or visit Peter’s fan page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peter-Lenz/70479071698

Peter Lenz is sponsored by his Mom and Dad, California Superbike School, Pro Honda Oils and Chemicals, Arai Helmets, Tank Tredz, Pro Caliber Motorsports, Millennium Technologies, R-Tech Racing Fuel, Pilot Leathers, CRG Levers, Bridgestone Tires, Miller Paint and Graphics, EDR Performance, Catalyst Racing Composites, Catalyst Reaction Suspension Tuning, Sidi Boots, Galfer Brakes, No-Mar Tire Changer Motion Pro, Vortex Racing, Zero Gravity, RK Chains, Loud Art Graphics, US Bearings and Drives, Barnett Clutches, Performance Under Gear (PUG), Spider Grips, OnBoard.tv, Chicken Hawk Racing, Traxxion, RoadracingWorld.com, and folks like you!