RK Excel America

Daytona, Florida- With America’s most famous race track providing the backdrop, the Florida-based BTOSports.com/BBMX/Palmetto Suzuki SX team returned to show its sponsors, families and friends just what it takes to compete on the highest level of supercross. With it being round nine of the seventeen race series, the team’s lone 450 rider, Jason Thomas was happy to be home and once again dominated the LCQ to make it into the main.

“I know everyone says the main event is the one you want to win and I sort of agree with that” said Thomas “But still, a wins a win and the people in the stands and some of our key FL sponsor like Palmetto Motorsports Suzuki were there and I got to give them all a good shout out up on the podium.”

Once in the actual main, the diminutive Thomas stood tall in his charge from the back. He eventually finished 14th for his best finish in four weeks and now stands 16th in the points.

Teams riders, Troy Adams, Kyle Keylon fared pretty well in the cold Florida night. Adams and Keylon made the 250 main but once there got bad starts and a couple of crashes each. Adams won the battle between them and captured that elusive 17th place with Keylon 18th. Our supercross rookie, Lucas Crespi crashed in the first turn in his heat and was unable to qualify.

For more team updates, sponsor news and race updates go to:

btosports.com and butlerbrothersmx.com

There’s no way that BTO Sports.com/BBMX/Palmetto Suzuki team can go racing without the help of their sponsors and would like to thank the following companies:

BTOSports.com, BBMX, Palmetto Suzuki, FLY Racing, Bel-Ray, Vortex, Pro-Circuit, WMI, Vanquish MX, Smith, FLU Graphics, Jett Boot, Wiseco, Leatt Brace, McGraw Insurance, Umbrella Girls, Dream Traxx, ASMF, ASV, Ti-Fuel, Factory Connection, Applied, Hinson, ICW, Twin Air, RK / Excel, QTM, Faction MX, Pit Posse, Outlaw, Dunlop, FLmx, MX Press, Polisport, Engine Ice, Galfer, Hookit.com, STMX, Kinetic Animation, Safety Kleen, Axcel

HOT Daytona Race Report
The Daytona Experience

Heat Race

All 4 H.O.T. riders easily qualified for the night program but were all placed into the same heat race. Extensive testing in the week leading up to Daytona proved to be time well spent when the #505 Sean Lipanovich ripped the hole shot in the first heat, followed closely by teammate #36 Darryn Durham. One lap 1 Durham made a pass for the lead and held on for 4 laps. Levi Kilbarger #412 and Michael Willard #92 did not fair as lucky but battled hard for a spot in the main. Throughout the qualifier, Darryn showed the speed and tenacity necessary and when the checkered flag flew he found himself in 2nd place behind Austin Stroupe. Kilbarger and Willard qualified 8th and 9th respectively, securing the last 2 qualifying positions. Lipanovich was claimed by his team mates in the closing lap and did not advance to the main event.

Lites Main Event

Durham came off the gate mid pack and battled Nico Izzi the majority of the moto before claiming an impressive 8th place overall. Kilbarger worked his way up to 14th before dropping back to 20th after facing some minor health issues that have been plaguing him all week. Willard struggled to find a rhythm and ended the race in 19th place. He is looking forward to returning to Canada, where he formerly held the Lites National Championship, for the upcoming Toronto Round.

This week we have been invited to be the feature Team in the Toronto Press Day so we are looking forward to getting an early look at the track and getting everyone involved with our program some additional exposure.

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, Rocks Racing Services, Injectioneering, IMS Foot Pegs, Franklin Equipment, and Gabriel Logan

March 6, 2010

The AMA Supercross series visited Daytona Motor Speedway and massive crowd last Saturday for round three of East coast Lites championship. DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing /Yamaha’s fielding of two riders, #341 Nico Izzi, and the rider from Ecuador #577 Martin Davalos. Like every year, conditions at this race are extremely challenging and everything needs to lineup just right for a great finish. Preliminary action got underway in good fashion as Izzi stood high up in the charts at 3rd and Davalos clocked the 6th fastest Timed-qualifying lap.

Slated into Heat #1; Davalos reeled off a fair start only to get taken down in the first lap. Once back going again, Davalos was far from qualifying unfortunately. So in the dreaded LCQ, Davalos played it cool and took 1st, securing himself into the Main Event. When the Main Event took to the track, Davalos and his #577 bike were in the mix sitting in 9th. Finding his grove, Davalos quickly made his way through a few battles, and on lap three he had reached 8th. Once there, Davalos had a bobble on lap five which took him back to 11th. From there, Martin put together consistent laps and got back into being in race mode, which carried him to the finish of 10th.

Next in line would be Izzi, starting Heat #2 in the thick of the field, the Georgia native showed good speed and raced on to a transfer position of 5th. With a subpar start to the Main Event, 13th, Izzi jumped to 8th on lap five. However, while on the move he fell victim to a few mistakes and would end up being shuffled back to 11th on the eleventh lap. Shaken a little, Izzi pushed on to close out the remaining laps strong. Certainly feeling some effects of the bobbles he had, the last lap saw Izzi relinquish another few positions when he hit the ground momentarily, once back up Izzi went on placing him in 13th, where he’d finish out at.

Star Racing thanks our valued sponsors for their great assistance.

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.

Corona, Calif. (March 8, 2010) – The Daytona supercross is always a special event and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rose to the occasion on Saturday night with Christophe Pourcel taking his third straight win and Dean Wilson earning his first career podium after finishing third.

The rich history and tradition of the Daytona supercross isn’t lost on Pourcel who has now won twice at the “World’s Center of Racing.”

“This is a very important race,” said Pourcel. “It is one you hear about all around the world and I am so happy to win at Daytona again. This is probably the biggest race on the schedule. I’ve won three races this year and I need to stay on my game to finish with the championship.”

During qualifying practice, the track was changed between the first and second sessions with Pourcel posting the fastest overall time in the second session while Wilson used his time from the first practice to qualify second. In the first heat, Wilson didn’t get a great start and moved up from tenth to fourth in the short 6-lap race. In the second heat, Pourcel had little trouble getting his third heat race win of the season.

“Getting on the podium feels so great,” said Wilson. “Chris gave me some advice this weekend and it paid off for me. He told be to pace myself better and I was able to charge late in the race to get the last podium spot.”

In the main event, Pourcel crossed the line after the first lap in third and steadily made his way to the lead on lap six. Pourcel rode a smooth race through the remaining nine laps to win by more than two seconds. Wilson was right behind Pourcel on the first lap and he rode in fourth until lap 12 when he made his move to the podium. The late charge saw him get to the rear wheel of the second place rider, but there wasn’t enough laps left and Wilson settled for third.

The team now heads to Wilson’s adopted country of Canada for the fourth round of the AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Region season. Pourcel holds a strong points lead with Wilson sitting in third position in the standings. Saturday’s race will be at the Rogers Center in Toronto with live coverage on SPEED beginning at 7:30 pm ET.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (March 7, 2010) – The annual Daytona Supercross held at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. is the longest continuous supercross event in America, held every year since 1971. The event is widely regarded as the toughest course on the circuit. The track is constructed in the speedway infield, and the Florida sand breaks down quickly forming ruts and bumps more reminiscent of outdoor motocross than supercross.

Brayton transferred to the main event from heat race one, and Byrne followed suite from heat race two. In the main event both riders encountered difficulty. Byrne started near the back of the field, and was moving forward when another rider went down in front of him causing him to crash. He remounted and was able to finish 12th. Brayton started inside the top-10 but suffered a crash and his motorcycle was unable to continue. Brayton, a rookie in the premier division, has been solidly inside the top-10 all season and is currently in sixth for series points with Byrne in 10th.

The original broadcast from Daytona was aired live on SPEED. The tenth round of the 17-race series will be March 13 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON, the only event of the series held outside of the U.S. SPEED will broadcast the action live beginning at 7:30 p.m. (EST). SPEED will re-air the broadcast on March 14 at 6:00 p.m. (EST).

Corona, California (February 24, 2010) – Early March in Florida is a motorcycle lovers dream as Bike Week takes over Daytona Beach. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki will be a part the festivities at Daytona International Speedway and it is looking to continue its run at the front of the AMA Supercross Lites series. Christophe Pourcel and Dean Wilson are both poised to stand on the podium at the historic track Saturday night.

With two wins under his belt, Pourcel heads to the unique track at Daytona ready to make it three in a row. The French rider, who calls Florida home, is really excited about the layout because it is very similar to the track he practices on at home.

“Lap times should be a lot longer in Daytona,” said Pourcel. “I think that works well for me because my practice track is really long. This race is also special because it is not just a supercross it is more like a motocross track out there and we can show off the power of our Pro Circuit bikes.”

After flying out to the holeshot in Atlanta and leading the first part of the race, Wilson can’t wait to get back on the track and earn his first career podium finish. The 18-year-old rider is still learning every week and he is hoping he can use the limited experience he has to stay at the front of the field.

“Last weekend was so much fun,” said Wilson. “Leading a supercross is something I’ve always thought about and doing it was even better than I imagined. I just need to keep working on my endurance and minimize my mistakes so I can keep running up front.”

The Daytona supercross starts Saturday night at 8:00pm ET and will air live on SPEED TV.