Subliminal Seeley North West 200 "Splash" King

Seeley on his way to a special wet weather victory on the all new GSX-R600

Alastair Seeley took Saturday’s only race win at the Relentless International North West 200, putting the all-new GSX-R600 Suzuki on the top step of the Supersport podium with a subliminal wet weather performance.

In the second race of the day, the Superbike event, Seeley came from the third row of the grid, again in soaking wet conditions, to lead at the end of lap one. Unfortunately for the riders and the fans, the race was red flagged on lap two when another rider's engine expired leaving a massive oil spill on the Coast Road from Church Corner to Juniper Hill chicane. Despite a lengthy delay and the best attention from the organisers, the meeting was disappointingly abandoned on safety grounds.

Seeley had been in prolific form throughout the week-long event taking pole positions in both Supersport and Superstock classes, and despite an electrical problem forcing him to sit out the majority of Thursday’s Superbike session, the former British Superstock champion and current North West 200 lap record holder made the grid after a tremendous show of allegiance from British Superbike team-mate Josh Brookes.

Whilst Seeley continued his North West 200 preparations on the Causeway Coast, his Australian BSB team-mate travelled to Kirkistown Race Circuit early on Friday morning to make sure the Carrickfergus man’s GSX-R1000 was ready to race, after a late night session for his crew back in the team's Moneymore workshop. And only for the aforementioned oil spill, Brookes’ generous gesture would have played a significant role in the anticipated victory.

Alastair Seeley
“That’s an International Road Racing victory to add to the British Supersport win at Brands for the new GSX-R600. It was a great race to be involved in and even more pleasing to beat what is basically a World Supersport specification Honda. I knew I would be stronger into the chicanes despite Cameron using traction control on his bike, as the brakes on the new GSX-R600 are one of its best features and that gave me a lot of confidence in the wet.

“In the Superbike race the plan was the pick them off and get into the lead so I wouldn’t have to sit in anyone’s spray. The speed of my GSX-R1000 was far superior to Ryan and Michael’s bikes and the way it was set-up, I was actually enjoying it spinning up down the big straights in the wet. I was ready to pull the pin and just ride my own race, so it was disappointing to see a red flag on lap two. I really felt like I was in control this week in all classes and having felt so comfortable in the wet I think we’d have been hard to beat. That five of McCallen’s was definitely a big target.”

Guy Martin deep in thought before the Supersport race.

Guy Martin
“It was a tough day for everyone involved and a week’s worth of effort for just one race. Unfortunately I made the wrong tyre choice. To come away with eighth place is nothing to shout about but I am now going to the Isle of Man full of confidence: confidence in the blokes working on the bikes and confidence in the bikes themselves. It was a terrible day for the people who turned out to watch the racing, but a confidence building day for the bigger picture: the bigger picture being the TT.”

Philip Neill – Team Manager
“The North West 200 has always been one of my favourite events on the calendar and as Ireland’s biggest sporting occasion it’s a shame to see such a great event abandoned due to unforeseen circumstances. Mervyn Whyte and his team from the Coleraine & District Motor Club did everything in their power to save the day and must be commended for their efforts.

“On a positive note we had a strong showing from both our riders in practice and we won the only race giving us a 100% record for our sponsors Relentless, Suzuki and all our other team partners. It really was a masterful display from Alastair Seeley in that Supersport race giving Suzuki and the new GSX-R600 its first international road race victory. What is even more special is the fact that we were running the bike with very limited British Supersport specification electronics; unlike some of our main rivals who were running fancy electronic aids including traction control.

“We dearly wanted the Superbike race to run full distance as in all honesty with Alastair coming through from the third row of the grid to lead within a lap, there was no beating the wee Carrickfergus man, although it was the correct decision to stop the race and eventually abandon the meeting on safety grounds.

“Guy made a solid debut on the international roads for our team. Unfortunately he took a gamble with his intermediate tyre choice in the Supersport race and with everyone else on wets [which was the correct choice] makes his eighth place an impressive finish given the conditions. More importantly for Guy is the fact that he now feels really confident with his three GSX-R Suzukis, which he now believes, he can take to success at the Isle of Man TT Races in two weeks’ time.”

Alastair Seeley takes his place on the top step of the International North West 200 Supersport podium on Saturday.

Supersport Result [5 laps – 8.9 mile circuit]
Winner – Alastair Seeley [Relentless Suzuki by TAS] 4mins 55.835; 2nd – Cameron Donald [Honda] +0.844; 3rd – Bruce Anstey [Honda] +14.081; 4th – Michael Dunlop [Yamaha] +23.104; 5th – Gary Johnson [Honda] +25.227; 6th – William Dunlop [Honda] +28.845; 7th – Ryan Farquhar [Kawasaki] +42.558; 8th – Guy Martin [Relentless Suzuki by TAS] +58.777

Fastest Lap – Alastair Seeley [lap 5] 109.155mph

For further information on the Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing team go to relentless-suzuki.com or to view the full range of Suzuki motorcycles go to suzuki-gb.co.uk

A Second French Title for Xavier Boog

Coming to the last round of the French Elite Championship leader of the series, Xavier Boog had a perfect weekend in Gaillac Toulza. Winner of both heats, he grabbed the French title for the second year in a row, just one week prior the French Grand Prix.

With an advantage of thirteen points over his last rival Xavier could manage his lead, but the reigning champion had another tactic. He got the pole position and had in both races a perfect start, which allowed him to make a break with his rivals during the first laps. Improving his advantage to sixteen points after race one, Xavier was flying to the victory in the following race and collected his sixth heat win of the season. Crossing the finish line with a wheeling, with the fastest lap time in the race, Xavier collected his second consecutive title and a bonus of 20000 €! He will now prepare with serenity the French Grand Prix in Saint Jean d'Angely, fifth round of the FIM World Championship.

Xavier Boog: "Nothing was done before the start of the last race, but this morning I was able to post some fast laps and got the pole position. I had great starts today, and found straight the good rhythm so I was able to make a gap with my rivals. This second title is a reward for me, but also for the team and our partners and I'm delighted today. Now I will recover alongside Yves Demaria in South of France, and we'll prepare the French Grand Prix; on Thursday we'll test the 2012 Kawasaki, we already use the new chassis since the beginning of the season but I can't wait to test it!"

Yves Demaria: "It's always nice to win a title, especially when you race as Xavier did today. Now I would like to see him racing similarly every week-end, he was so fast and relax on the bike today! We'll work hard together this week, we'll stay focus on our goals and I hope that his home GP will be the opportunity for Xavier to show what he can do at the highest level. Everyone knows that he can do much better than what did so far in the Grand Prix!"

Thierry Chizat Suzzoni: "I want to congratulate Xavier for this title, which is always important for the rider and for the team. I hope that this title will help him to have more confidence in his potential, and to ride as his real level in the World Championship."

De Dycker first Honda at Honda-backed GP

FIM Motocross MX1 World Championship - Indaiatuba, May  22

Ken De Dycker

Indaiatuba - The sunny and hot Grand Prix of Brazil at the spectacular Indaiatuba venue lived up to and even exceeded expectations. Italian David Philippaerts won the exciting MX1 race, round four of fifteen in the 2011 MX World Championship while Ken De Dycker placed seventh overall.

After Canelinha in 2009 and Campo Grande last year the Brazilian GP moved to its third location in as many years. Once again the South-American leg of the series mounted a sweaty and technical challenge for the riders.  De Dycker was able to produce a strong comeback to sixth in Saturday's qualifying race after a weak start around 17th position. Unfortunately Shaun Simpson who circulated just outside the top ten in the first part of the race could only muster a disappointing 21st position.

The enthusiastic capacity crowd saw De Dycker taking a great start in the first sprint. The tall Belgian was in fourth after the leading trio of Cairoli, Philippaerts and Frossard. After thirty-five minutes and two laps Keeno rode his CRF450R to sixth position, thus earning his best moto result of the season. Team mate Simpson suffered an un-samba-like experience. Placing just outside the top ten at the early stage of the race Shaun started to push, however he wore himself out and lost speed due to arm pump. When he managed to overcome the pain in his arms the flying Scotsman had lost too much time and he had to settle for a lonely 13th.

The second sprint of the day saw similar close racing action. LS Honda Racing's Ken De Dycker climbed up from 11th to 7th in the space of only three laps. However he succumbed to the heat and the tricky track conditions to seal tenth. Simpson's race started promising gating tenth, but he gradually lost ground and went down in the downhill whoops section when trailing Marc De Reuver. Eventually Shaun would obtain 18th.

Ken De Dycker

Ken De Dycker: "It was quite a hard and difficult day. It was not easy to pass. I had a good start in the first moto and although I lost two positions it was OK to keep the speed. You had to be very careful not to make mistakes, especially around the slower riders. In the second moto from the beginning I did not feel strong enough. The track was sticky in places but not in others and it was hard to find traction. We were always turning-jumping, turning-jumping so it was tough. We are getting better though and I hope we can improve the bike a bit more and aim for better results in the next Grands Prix."

Shaun Simpson

Shaun Simpson: "I felt like I lacked a bit of speed all weekend and yesterday was a bad start to the GP. In the heat race I was near the back around the first corner and went back to twenty-first and it gave me a bad gate pick, someone even stole my position in the second moto. Despite being down there I got away OK both times and was near in the top ten; if I had been any higher I don't think I would have been able to stay there anyway. I don't know why I struggled to get in the rhythm. Thirteenth was the level of where I was at in the first moto but I was looking for better in the second moto until I made a mistake going up the rolling hill and had quite a big crash. Luckily I am OK and can work on trying to meet the pace of these other boys and get up the front a bit more." 

Race 1: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:14.114; ; 2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:02.121; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), +0:12.140; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:17.508; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:24.048; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), +0:33.108; 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:35.392; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:38.190; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:39.471; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:52.877; 11. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:56.486; 12. Anthony Boissiere (FRA, Yamaha), +1:04.899; 13. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Honda), +1:14.505; 14. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:15.546; 15. Antonio Jorge Balbi (BRA, Kawasaki), +1:43.697; 16. Manuel Monni (ITA, Honda), +1:45.204; 17. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), +1:47.642; 18. Marc de Reuver (NED, Yamaha), +1:52.683; 19. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +1:57.833; 20. Roberto Castro Miranda (CRC, Honda), -1 lap(s);

Race 2: 1. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 39:52.654; ; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.944; 3. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:24.845; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:29.849; 5. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), +0:34.546; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:36.320; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:37.526; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:38.436; 9. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:51.306; 10. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), +0:59.566; 11. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:03.958; 12. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +1:37.014; 13. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +1:39.467; 14. Marc de Reuver (NED, Yamaha), +2:02.334; 15. Manuel Monni (ITA, Honda), +2:16.173; 16. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s); 17. Roberto Castro Miranda (CRC, Honda), -1 lap(s); 18. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Honda), -1 lap(s); 19. Joao Paulino da Silva (BRA, Honda), -1 lap(s); 20. Luis Correa (ARG, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s);

BRAZILIAN GP CLASSIFICATION: 1. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 47 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 36 p.; 4. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), 36 p.; 5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 34 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 31 p.; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), 26 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 24 p.; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 23 p.; 11. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 19 p.; 12. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), 16 p.; 13. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Kawasaki), 12 p.; 14. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), 11 p.; 15. Manuel Monni (ITA, Honda), 11 p.; 16. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Honda), 11 p.; 17. Marc de Reuver (NED, Yamaha), 10 p.; 18. Anthony Boissiere (FRA, Yamaha), 9 p.; 19. Antonio Jorge Balbi (BRA, Kawasaki), 6 p.; 20. Roberto Castro Miranda (CRC, Honda), 5 p.; 21. Joao Paulino da Silva (BRA, Honda), 2 p.; 22. Luis Correa (ARG, Kawasaki), 1 p.;

MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 164 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 153 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 151 p.; 4. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 138 p.; 5. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), 132 p.; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 110 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 108 p.; 8. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), 94 p.; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 92 p.; 10. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 90 p.; 11. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 77 p.; 12. Anthony Boissiere (FRA, Yamaha), 60 p.; 13. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), 59 p.; 14. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), 58 p.; 15. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Kawasaki), 58 p.; 16. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Honda), 49 p.; 17. Jason Dougan (GBR, Yamaha), 26 p.; 18. Marc de Reuver (NED, Yamaha), 23 p.; 19. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Kawasaki), 23 p.; 20. Christian Craig (USA, Honda), 21 p.; 21. Carlos Campano Jimenez (ESP, Yamaha), 16 p.; 22. Manuel Monni (ITA, Honda), 13 p.; 23. Martin Barr (GBR, KTM), 8 p.; 24. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), 6 p.; 25. Antonio Jorge Balbi (BRA, Kawasaki), 6 p.; 26. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 6 p.; 27. Loic Leonce (FRA, Aprilia), 6 p.; 28. Roberto Castro Miranda (CRC, Honda), 5 p.; 29. Günter Schmidinger (AUT, Honda), 4 p.; 30. Weston Peick (USA, Kawasaki), 3 p.; 31. Joao Paulino da Silva (BRA, Honda), 2 p.; 32. Yentel Martens (BEL, KTM), 2 p.; 33. Benjamin Townley (NZL, Kawasaki), 2 p.; 34. Santtu Tiainen (FIN, Kawasaki), 1 p.; 35. Herjan Brakke (NED,), 1 p.; 36. Luis Correa (ARG, Kawasaki), 1 p.;

NEXT WEEKEND: LS Honda Racing will be taking part in the third round of the Lotto Trophy/Belgian MX championship in Kester

LeoVince USA’s X3 “WORKS” Carbon Fiber Products Add Style, Strength

LeoVince USA's X3 "WORKS" Carbon Fiber products add style, strength, and superior crafting to a wide range of motorcycles. The product line was developed with the same corporate mandate that all LeoVince products have: any part or piece must be able to be produced in-house by our experts or we will not produce it.

By not relying on outside suppliers, manufacturers or processes, we are able to control costs, offer stronger pricing for our customers, and control production and delivery schedules. LeoVince Carbon Fiber is made using pre impregnated carbon fiber cured in an auto clave process. The "all in-house" process ensures durability and precision fitment.

As the SBK Factory Slip-ons and X3 Full Systems began using carbon fiber end-caps, straps and heat shields, LeoVince quickly realized the need for an expansion of the carbon fiber production department. This expansion created the ability to produce better quality pieces, not just for the exhaust tips and heat shields, but for new product ranges, as well.
As our expertise grew we have been able to realize a full range of ever-expanding products and pieces.

X3 "WORKS" Carbon Fiber is a range of OEM replacement pieces and accessories that functionally improve your motorcycle with weight savings and the strength of technical dry carbon fiber. They also improve the wow factor of your dirt bike with the eye-pleasing look of carbon fiber, and provide more durable protection than plastic. Tested by riders and teams worldwide and now available in the U.S., the list of riders and teams who rely on X3 "WORKS" Carbon Fiber accessories is growing daily.

LeoVince's X3 "WORKS" Carbon Fiber accessories are available for the following:

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• KTM 450 SX-F 
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• Yamaha YZ 450-F 
• Yamaha WR 250 
• Yamaha WR 450

Learn more about the X3 "WORKS" Carbon Fiber line, as well as other LeoVince products, at www.LeoVinceUSA.com.

TeamXMX.com News

The past few weeks have been crazy extreme!  I've been pushing the limits of my Kawasaki practicing and performing demos amongst the wildest of fans.  2 weeks ago Rock fest brought 50,000 freaks out of the wood work and the NHRA drag race brought out 50,000 top fuel nitro fans that sure know how to scream and party.  It was pretty amazing to see the unique vehicles these people build to cruise the grassy pits.  Yes all attached with AM/FM radios.  The weather was crazy too!  We had to take cover in a Mexican restaurant under a table to seek shelter from a Tornado Saturday night in Topeka!  I kept looking at the sheet metal ceiling thinking we were doomed!  There was no way the sheet metal roof was going to protect us so I kept eating chips and salsa like it was my job!  Luckily the tornado changed direction, it missed us by only 1 block.

Due to the lack of a photographer I really don't have any action shots this week, but do have a few iphone uploads of my experience!  The NHRA event was filmed live on ESPN and my demos received lots of coverage from what I was told.  I'm looking forward to the big GKE this weekend in Iowa, and then I'm back in KC for the NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway.  I will be performing on pit road from 10:30am to 11:30am during the Fan Pit Walk Concert on Sunday!  I'm trying to convince them to let me wheelie around the track during the National Anthem with a American flag on my back!  Stay Tuned for more updates!  Look for the TeamXMX rig trackside June 5th!!!



XDL Round 3 – Nashville, TN. June 9-11, 2011

FREE TICKETS are now available online at http://xdl.vbotickets.com until June 5th. There is NO service fee for online purchases and all forms of payment are accepted. After June 5th, tickets can be purchased online or at the gate on the day of the show.

Nashville Event Overview

Every year people tune in to the NASCAR race at Talladega to see "The Big One." This year, Nashville is where you're likely to see XDL's "Big One." For the first time since 2006 XDL is holding a "longest stoppie" competition, where riders accelerate to over 100mph, pull the front brake, lift the rear end of the bike up and proceed to ride just the front wheel for as long as possible. Most of us aren't comfortable going 100mph on four, let alone two wheels, so you can image the danger involved and the risks the riders are taking. XDL Riders Bill Dixon and Jesse Toler have both rolled over 1000 feet from an unlimited approach and Kane Friesen holds the official world record for fastest stoppie at 137mph. The longest stoppie will be our main event Friday night, so don't miss it.

Saturday XDL will unleash the full fury of the K&N Circle Challenge and the Racing 905 Speed & Style Competition, both of which are head-to-head stunt races. We end the evening with the FMF Cup main event and our fan favorite, the Sickest Trick competition.

Also for the second time this season, we have invited the Stuntride Amateur Freestyle Series to an XDL event. With the AFS running alongside XDL not only will you get to see the worlds best riders, but you will also be introduced to the young guns making their way up the ranks in the stunt world!

Two top ten finishes for Xavier Boog

Xavier Boog bounced back to form in 4th round of  the FIM World MX1 Motocross Championship series to twice finish top ten at Indaiatuba in Brazil.

The Frenchman made a spectacular start to the weekend with a stunning fourth place in the Saturday qualifying race to raise expectations of a return to the forefront of the action. Xavier's Kawasaki again got him out of the gate in the top six of both points-scoring races on Sunday, but rider errors, one early in race one and another towards the end of race two, cost Boog a couple of places.

His colleague Jonathan Barragan, still not fully recovered from a bout of sickness, had also performed well in the qualifying race to finish 8th, but bad luck dogged the Spaniard on race day. A first lap off-track excursion in race one left him with him with an inoperative brake as green fencing became entangled in his wheel and prevented an effective recovery, whilst the combination of a hot day and a tough track on his weakened body meant that he could only advance four places to finish 9th during race two.

Xavier Boog: “This weekend was much better than the previous GPs, and I hope it’s a first step forward in my season results. I had good starts all weekend, had consistent lap times and battled for a top five result for the first time this season. Unfortunately I made a couple of mistakes which cost me several positions; on the first lap of the opening race I came up too short on a jump and lost three places, then at the end of the second moto I made a mistake in a corner which let Nagl and Strijbos pass me. It's a pity I lost those points, but it was important for me to battle in the top five again. Next weekend I will defend my leadership in the final race of the French Elite series; it will be a good training before the French GP.”

Jonathan Barragan: “It was a tough weekend, especially in the first race. I crashed on the first lap and got some green fencing in my rear wheel, so I had no more brakes and crashed two times more. I could only get a few points, and then in the second race I was riding too stiff and finished ninth. I’ve been sick for two weeks and still didn’t feel well; now we have two weeks before the next GP so I will hopefully have time to recover.”

Yves Demaria: “Today we are disillusioned, as our riders didn’t get the results we could expect. I think that they are not enough confident in their potential, and that’s frustrated as we worked hard this winter to get stronger results. The riders are disappointed, the mechanics and technician too but we’ll continue to work hard. The riders must have fun of the bike, that’s important to get good results; I think that they have all what the need to succeed, and we expect strong results soon.”

West Coast Moto Jam Features Winners Both On and Off the Track

Photo by Mike Rowel

The West Coast Moto Jam at Infineon Raceway featured winners both on and off the track. On track, AMA Pro Road Racing competitors battled for race wins. Thanks to LeoVince USA, plenty of fans went home as winners, too.

If you were one of the fans who stopped by the LeoVince Last Lap Lounge during the West Coast Moto Jam from May 14-15, then you know it was an experience not to be missed. The LeoVince Lounge was the highlight of the Motorcycle-Store VIP Experience.

Shooting the T-shirt Cannon

Designed to give fans a place to cool off, relax, and watch the racing action on multiple TV screens, the LeoVince Last Lap Lounge also gave fans a chance to enter drawings for prizes. Over $5,000 in prizes were given away on Saturday alone.

The winner's list grew even longer on Sunday, as the LeoVince Last Lap Lounge continued to lavish fans with prizes. MotorcycleSuperstore.com, Scorpion, GPR, and Bell were among the companies giving out great motorcycle gear.

JD Beach

There was plenty of action on Infineon Raceway's 2.32-mile course to keep fans on the edge of their seats. LeoVince USA rider JD Beach earned a top-ten finish in his first American Superbike race aboard the Cycle World Attack Performance Kawasaki ZX-10. Congratulations to this 19-year old talent! (We recommend you keep an eye on this one!)

Travis Ohge's First Podium

Travis Ohge, another member of the LeoVince USA family, also notched a career first during the West Coast Moto Jam. Congratulations to Travis on his first AMA Supersport finish! He stood in the third spot on the podium after a stellar race on his Yamaha YZF-R6.

Many fans actually got on the race track themselves to be part of a winning effort. LeoVince USA supported the sixth annual Grape Crusher Ride and Track Day to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer research. LeoVince USA rider and AMA Daytona Sportbike racer Melissa Paris and her team are trying to raise $10,000 for the Foundation by the time the AMA Pro Road Racing series lands in Laguna Seca for round seven from July 22-24.

James Rispoli signing autographs

The Grape Crusher Ride featured riding through the beautiful hills of Northern California on the morning of May 12. After meeting up at LeoVince USA headquarters, the ride wound through the hills before landing at Infineon Raceway.

The Grape Crusher Track Day, also held on the 12th, gave riders an adrenaline-filled start to the West Coast Moto Jam. Hosted for LeoVince by Zoom Zoom Trackdays, the Track Day gave exclusive track time to just 50 fans. In addition to a great day of unleashing their inner roadracer, participants also had the satisfaction of supporting a great cause.

Jeremy Joya - Bell Helmet Winner

John Mulder - Bell Helmet Winner

Lynn Gordon - Scorpion Jacket Winner

Congratulations to all of the LeoVince Last Lap Lounge prize winners. Come out next year for another great weekend of racing, prizes, and VIP treatment from LeoVince USA!

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Husqvarna Canada’s Giroux & Chainé Win St-Raymond 500

May 13, 2011 – Saint John, NB – In the first official race of the 2011 season for the Feeding  Performance Husqvarna Canada race team, off-road legend Guy Giroux, joined rising star Philippe Chainé, to nail the Overall Win at the St-Raymond 500 team race in Quebec.  Giroux and Chainé waged war against 52 other teams en route to establishing an impressive 12 minute gap over 2nd place during the 2 day, 500km race.

Guy Giroux & Philippe Chainé

The St-Raymond race saw the riders attacking a 10km loop that featured a wicked fast  combination of grass track and sand sections. With each rider piloting separate machines  over the two day event, and only trading the transponder between shifts, Giroux was able  to put Husky’s all new 2011 TC 449 to the test while Chainé stormed the course on his TXC250.

“Saturday morning was cool and rainy,” said Giroux, “I got my old gore-tex kit out of the closest and I was ready to go out first. Our plan was to change riders every hour to save some time on the other teams.  I went out and had a blast. The track was just awesome, really fast grass section, whooped out sand section, everything that I like! Plus the bike was feeling super good, really stable and smooth; I was pulling major slides all over every corner. Phil got out there and was flying too but he was a bit underpowered for the fast soft grass. He was riding steady only 20 seconds off of my times. By the end of Day 1 we had an 8 minute lead.”

After completing 27 laps of the 10km course on Saturday, Giroux and Chainé set a blistering pace early on Day 2. In the first lap on Sunday, Giroux once again confirmed his well earned reputation as a fierce competitor by posting one of his fastest laps of the weekend; more than 30 seconds quicker than his fastest time the day before.

Chainé was also on the gas and churning out impressive lap times throughout the day.When the checkers flew, the pair had pounded through another 23 laps on their way to taking the overall victory and establishing an impressive 12 minute gap over 2nd.

“I did my 5 laps and gave Phil the lead,” said Giroux. “Phil was also 30 seconds faster than the day before, but Sam was the most impressive; shaving more than a minute off his time. Same for Karine, the sun was making her smile and fly.” Giroux hammered through his final shift on the TC449 and posted his fastest times of the weekend in the final 3 laps.

While Giroux and Chainé were leading the charge, Husky Canada’s star female rider, Karine Geoffrion, was working her way through the pack on her TXC250. Karine was teamed up with 14 year old wonder kid, Samuel Rousseau, and his Husqvarna CR150. While most teams consisted of 3 riders, Karine and Sam soldiered their way through the weekend together and posted a solid 4th in class and an impressive 10th overall. Geoffrion has already established herself as one of the best female racers in the country and it looks like young Rousseau is well on his way to making his own mark in the sport.

Karine Geoffrion

In its first year of competition in 2010, the new FP Husqvarna team enjoyed an enormous amount of success. In addition to over 20 podiums in Regional races across the country, including almost 10 Wins, the new Husqvarna Canada team has finished its debut in the Canadian Enduro Championship with 10 Pro Class Podiums and the Top Pro Junior Award.

With a victory to kick off its first official race of 2011, the Husqvarna Canada squad is definitely fired up for another great racing season!

We are very grateful to our many amazing sponsors that provide us with the outstanding support that has allowed us to help raise the bar in Canadian off-road racing. Without them, none of it would be possible.

Team Sponsors:
Husqvarna Canada, Feeding Performance Inc., Motovan, Rekluse, Ogio, Oakley, Xtreme, TCX, Axis, Zox, Pro-Tech, Etnies, Throttle Entertainment, UNI Filter, DID, LeoVince, GPR Stabilizer, Motul, LimeNine, EC3D, Impact Canopies, GoPro, Enduro Engineering, Supersprox, SkyCap, Boyesen, E-line, IMS, Matrix Concepts, Tuff As Gutz, TM Designworks, Dunlop and Zip Ty Racing.

Preview - Monster Grand Prix of France, Le Mans

Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow head to the all-important home race for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in France this weekend confident they can continue their brilliant start to the 2011 MotoGP World Championship campaign.

And not only is this weekend's encounter at the legendary Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans the home race for Tech 3, the event is sponsored by the Team's main backer Monster, adding further importance to the fourth round of an engrossing season.

Edwards heads into this weekend's race in optimistic mood after he claimed his first top six finish of the campaign in the Portuguese Grand Prix earlier this month. And he impressed again during a one-day test at the Estoril track to finish inside the top six having worked on a range of suspension settings to improve rear grip with his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine.

The vastly experienced American has produced some of his finest MotoGP performances at the 4.815kms circuit and one of his three premier class pole positions came at the French venue in 2007. And two of his 11 podium finishes have been scored at the Le Mans circuit, which has been a permanent fixture on the MotoGP calendar since 2000.

British rider Crutchlow is aiming to continue his fantastic rookie campaign and the 25-year-old won't be daunted at the prospect of having to learn another new track. Crutchlow had never raced in Jerez and Estoril before but he qualified and finished comfortably inside the top ten in both races.

He's made another impressive top ten finish his prime target for this weekend after he produced a sensational performance in the recent Estoril test. Demonstrating how quickly he has adapted to the challenge of riding a lighter and more powerful MotoGP machine, Crutchlow finished fourth quickest behind Marco Simoncelli, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner and is determined to deliver another good result for Tech 3 and Monster in this weekend's 28-lap race.

Colin Edwards, 9th in standings, 18 points:

"I am really looking forward to Le Mans because it is a track where I've had a lot of success at in the past. The Yamaha YZR-M1 has always worked well there too with the sweet handling characteristics of our bike suiting the layout of the track. We had a really good test after the race in Portugal and found a good direction to work with for improving rear grip and that should help us a lot. The new Yamaha chassis has a lot of potential but we still have to understand it a lot more to get the best performance out of it. A top six in Portugal is going to be hard to repeat because the field is so strong this season, but that's what I'll be aiming for. This weekend is huge for Tech 3 and Monster and I'll be giving it 100 per cent to deliver a good result for both.“

Cal Crutchlow, 8th in standings, 21 points:

"I'm heading to Le Mans with a lot of confidence, even though it is another track I've only ever seen before on TV. I know it won't be an easy task but Estoril was obviously another great weekend form me and then to finish fourth quickest in the test showed what I am capable of. Each time I get on the bike I am learning more and more and thanks to my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 I've been able to make some big progress. I'm always determined to get the best result possible but this weekend definitely has extra significance being the Team's home race and Monster being title sponsor of the event. If I can replicate the results I acheived in Jerez and Estoril I'll  be really happy."

Circuit Info:

• Length - 4.180 m / 2,597 miles
• Width - 13 m
• Left corners - 4 
• Right corners - 9 
• Longest straight - 674 m / 0,419 miles
• Constructed - 1966
• Modified - 2008

Records:

• Fastest Lap: Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 2008 - 1'32.647
• Circuit Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 2008 - 1'34.215
• Best Pole: Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 2008 - 1'32.647
• Top Speed: Casey Stoner (Ducati), 2009 - 292.6 km/h

LeoVince Grape Crusher Ride 2011 & Track Day Details

Richmond, CA – LeoVince USA is pleased to announce the return of the 6th annual Grape Crusher Charity Ride, an incredible ride through Northern California back roads and the wine country and a brand new event the LeoVince Grape Crusher Track Day! What better way to kick off your Infineon West Coast Moto Jam Weekend then with a great ride through the incredible scenery of Nor Cal or a full day riding the world famous Infineon Raceway.

You have two options for your day of fun.  Tickets are $25 for the 6th annual Grape Crusher Charity Ride which can be purchased in advance or on the morning of at LeoVince. The ride will commence on Thursday May 12, 2011 at the LeoVince USA headquarters located at 1445 South 50th street, Suite B, in Richmond, CA. Rider registration will start at 8:00 A.M. and the ride will start promptly at 9:30 A.M. We will take a spin through some great back roads ending up at Infineon Raceway between 12:30-1:00 P.M. for a lap of Infineon then refreshments and our raffle prize drawing!

The Grape Crusher Trackday will also be on Thursday May 12th, 2011, but riders will need to be at Infineon Raceway with safety gear and prepped bikes by 7:00 A.M. The Leovince Grape Crusher Track day tickets are $150 and this event is limited to the first 50 entrants and you must book your spot in advance. The trackday will be hosted for LeoVince by Zoom Zoom Trackdays and will be an exciting day of spirited riding!
For more information or to sign up now go to www.LeoVinceUSA.com, or email questions to grapecrusher2011@leovinceusa.com or call 510-232-4040 and secure your spot on either of these great rides.

GRAPE CRUSHER BREAST CANCER RIDE featuring AMA Pro MELISA PARIS 
Join Racer Melissa Paris at this year’s Grape Crusher charity ride as we work to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. LeoVince USA will be donating the proceeds raised on the Grape Crusher ride to help Melisa Paris reach her goal of raising $10,000.00 this year for breast cancer. Registration will begin at 8:00 A.M. at LeoVince USA located at 1445 B. South 50th Street, Richmond CA 94804. Riders will be split into three groups according to riders comfort level:

Group “A” will be a fast paced spirited ride with the most experienced riders and will be made up primarily of sport bikes and sport touring bikes.

Group “B” will be a moderately paced group and is ideal for sport bikes, adventure bikes, dual sports and sport touring bikes.

Group “C” will be a casual paced ride to look out and smell the roses and enjoy all that Nor Cal back roads have to offer, great for cruisers, adventure & touring bikes.
Rider meeting will be at 9:00 A.M. and groups will begin staging and rolling out at 9:15 A.M. and will end between 12:30 and 1:00 P.M. at Infineon Raceway with “One Lap of Infineon”. After we will serve refreshments and snacks and have our raffle drawing of awesome prizes!

GRAPE CRUSHER TRACK DAY INFO:
Riders who register for the Grape Crusher Track Day will need to be at Infineon Raceway located at Hwy 37 & 121, Sonoma California 95476 by 7:00 A.M. on Thursday May 12th. This is BYOB (Bring Your Own Bike) and bikes will need to have all glass and breakable lenses taped up (this can be done at track) and motorcycle must be in good running condition. Novice riders may wear an Aerostitch or similar one or two piece textile suit. Riders wanting to ride in the advanced groups (A, B) must have two piece zip-together leathers or one-piece leathers. Riders meeting will commence at approximately 8:00 A.M. and the track goes hot at 8:30 A.M. There will be one or two “Instructor Lead” morning sessions (instructor determined). Sessions will run between 20-30 minutes each. After the morning introduction session or sessions (instructor determined) riders will then be separated into “A, B & C” groups by the instructors. This will be done according to skill levels for rider’s safety and to ensure a good safe environment for riders of all skill levels. After group separation each day will be conducted as a normal track day. There will be a one hour lunch break between 11:30 A.M. & 12:30 P.M. and in the afternoon there will be more riding session throughout the afternoon until 3:00 P.M. when the track will go cold.

LeoVince Grape Crusher Ride 2011 Details

Richmond, CA – LeoVince USA is pleased to announce the return of the 6th annual Grape
Crusher Charity Ride, an incredible ride through Northern California back roads and the wine
country and a brand new event the LeoVince Grape Crusher Track Day! What better way to kick
off your Infineon West Coast Moto Jam Weekend then with a great ride through the incredible
scenery of Nor Cal or a full day riding the world famous Infineon Raceway.

You have two options for your day of fun. Tickets are $25 for the 6th annual Grape Crusher
Charity Ride which can be purchased in advance or on the morning of at LeoVince. The ride
will commence on Thursday May 12, 2011 at the LeoVince USA headquarters located at 1445
South 50th street, Suite B, in Richmond, CA. Rider registration will start at 8:00 A.M. and the
ride will start promptly at 9:30 A.M. We will take a spin through some great back roads ending
up at Infineon Raceway between 12:30-1:00 P.M. for a lap of Infineon then refreshments and our
raffle prize drawing!

The Grape Crusher Trackday will also be on Thursday May 12th, 2011, but riders will need to
be at Infineon Raceway with safety gear and prepped bikes by 7:00 A.M. The Leovince Grape
Crusher Track day tickets are $150 and this event is limited to the first 50 entrants and you must
book your spot in advance. The trackday will be hosted for LeoVince by Zoom Zoom Trackdays
and will be an exciting day of spirited riding!

For more information or to sign up now go to www.LeoVinceUSA.com, or email questions to
grapecrusher2011@leovinceusa.com or call 510-232-4040 and secure your spot on either of
these great rides.

GRAPE CRUSHER BREAST CANCER RIDE featuring AMA Pro MELISA PARIS
Join Racer Melissa Paris at this year’s Grape Crusher charity ride as we work to raise money and
awareness for breast cancer. LeoVince USA will be donating the proceeds raised on the Grape
Crusher ride to help Melisa Paris reach her goal of raising $10,000.00 this year for breast cancer.
Registration will begin at 8:00 A.M. at LeoVince USA located at 1445 B. South 50th Street,
Richmond CA 94804. Riders will be split into three groups according to riders comfort level:

Group “A” will be a fast paced spirited ride with the most experienced riders and will be made
up primarily of sport bikes and sport touring bikes.

Group “B” will be a moderately paced group and is ideal for sport bikes, adventure bikes, dual
sports and sport touring bikes.

Group “C” will be a casual paced ride to look out and smell the roses and enjoy all that Nor Cal
back roads have to offer, great for cruisers, adventure & touring bikes.

Rider meeting will be at 9:00 A.M. and groups will begin staging and rolling out at 9:15 A.M.
and will end between 12:30 and 1:00 P.M. at Infineon Raceway with “One Lap of Infineon”.
After we will serve refreshments and snacks and have our raffle drawing of awesome prizes!

GRAPE CRUSHER TRACK DAY INFO:
Riders who register for the Grape Crusher Track Day will need to be at Infineon Raceway
located at Hwy 37 & 121, Sonoma California 95476 by 7:00 A.M. on Thursday May 12th.
This is BYOB (Bring Your Own Bike) and bikes will need to have all glass and breakable

lenses taped up (this can be done at track) and motorcycle must be in good running condition.
Novice riders may wear an Aerostitch or similar one or two piece textile suit. Riders wanting
to ride in the advanced groups (A, B) must have two piece zip-together leathers or one-piece
leathers. Riders meeting will commence at approximately 8:00 A.M. and the track goes hot at
8:30 A.M. There will be one or two “Instructor Lead” morning sessions (instructor determined).
Sessions will run between 20-30 minutes each. After the morning introduction session or
sessions (instructor determined) riders will then be separated into “A, B & C” groups by the
instructors. This will be done according to skill levels for rider’s safety and to ensure a good safe
environment for riders of all skill levels. After group separation each day will be conducted as a
normal track day. There will be a one hour lunch break between 11:30 A.M. & 12:30 P.M. and
in the afternoon there will be more riding session throughout the afternoon until 3:00 P.M. when
the track will go cold.

JD Beach – The next chapter for Cycle World Attack Kawasaki

By Stephen W Clark

Nineteen year old JD Beach is no stranger to motorcycle racing but at the recent AMA test JD headed out on the track riding a 1000cc Superbike for the first time. Joined by the best and most experienced racers in the US JD spent two days lapping Miller and getting up to speed on the most powerful bike he has ever ridden. JD riding the Attack Cycle World Kawasaki is beginning of another chapter in an already impressive story of this team.

The Cycle World team originally formed mid-way through last season with a partnership between several major players in the motorcycle industry. Cycle World Magazine were the driving force behind the project and brought together a Yoshimura GSXR-1000 Suzuki with Richard Stanboli from Attack Performance as crew chief and four time AMA National Champion Eric Bostrom came out of retirement to ride the bike at the last four rounds of the 2010 AMA American Superbike championship. The bike was built using over the counter parts including a Leo Vince Corsa exhaust system and proved to be competitive, Eric qualified the bike on the front row in VIR and finished seventh at both VIR and Laguna Seca. It was remarkable that this newly formed team on a tight budget and no special parts was so competitive in the highest level of National competition.

Following the four AMA races in 2010 the team went into the off-season satisfied with their results. But the project resurrected again when Mathew Miles at Cycle World decided to have the team to race again at Daytona, Cycle World had done a Daytona project in the nineties and wanted to do it again. It was decided to bring the same team from 2010 back together but this time use the brand new Kawasaki ZX-10R. Eric Bostrom would again pilot the superbike and promising young rider JD Beach was brought into to ride a ZX-6R.

Stanboli and his team built two ZX-10R’s and four ZX-6R’s and conducted a series of tests at Chuckwalla, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Buttonwillow and Daytona to get the new bike up to speed. With limited time and an brand new bike to set-up and develop parts for the team worked around the clock in the weeks leading up to Daytona.

Unfortunately Eric Bostrom’s Daytona experience was plagued with problems and bad luck. In the first Superbike race Eric was hit by another rider and crashed, the second Superbike race was better but with a less than ideal set-up Eric had to settle for an 8th place finish. The premier race of the event the Daytona 200 once again luck was not on Eric or the teams side as Eric blew a motor on the second lap. In spite of Eric’s disappointing results the team still experienced success at Daytona with JD Beach. JD qualified his ZX-6R 4th for his first ever Daytona 200 and during the race was right in the thick of the lead group action. JD led the race for a few laps and narrowly missed out on podium, finishing 4th in one of the closest AMA race finishes in many years.

In a way the team was happy with the Daytona result but as far as the new ZX-10R Superbike was concerned they didn’t feel they had given the bike a fair shake. Although the original plan was just to race Daytona the team was back on-track at Miller Motorsporst Park testing the ZX-10R Superbike but it was JD Beach riding the #10 American Superbike and not Eric Bostrom. Eric did not attend the test and during the test announced that he was hanging up his leathers and was finished roadracing.

JD Beach is one of the most promising young riders in the US at the moment and although only 19 JD already has a very impressive resume. JD began racing dirt track when he was 3 years old and had a successful dirt track career that netted him many wins at National level, in 2007 JD was accepted into the Red Bull Rookies Cup and in 2008 won the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. In 2008 JD returned to the US and finished 2nd in the AMA Supersport Championship and forth in the AMA Pro Flat Track Singles Championship. In 2009 JD raced the AMA Supersport Championship again this time winning the East Championship. Replacing four-time AMA National Champion and World Superbike race winner Eric Bostrom, JD has big shoes to fill. Crew chief Rich Stanboli told us that he had been impressed with JD’s maturity and how he was consistently fast so with Eric gone it made sense to put JD on the Superbike.

On the first day of testing at Miller the team broke JD in gently to the incredible power of a superbike putting him on a bike with a stock engine and with the Motec tractional control turned up. JD spent the day getting used to the bigger bike gradually getting faster. For the second day of testing Stanboli put JD on the other ZX-10 with a mildly built motor. When asked how JD was adapting to the bigger bike he told us the Superbike was a lot different than his 600, a lot faster and very different to ride. Not only is JD adapting to a new bike but also coming up to speed with a mature group of riders. The Superbike class has some of the top US riders with several of them having also enjoyed world level racing success. JD told us that he does a lot of cycling with Josh Hayes and knows Roger Hayden and Ben Bostrom really well so it was really cool to be on track with these guys.

During the test JD’s laptimes gradually improved and in one session it appeared that Josh Hayes was mentoring the young rider. JD ended the Miller test with just two seconds off the fastest lap set by Josh Hayes with the 12th quickest time of 1:52.386. On the long Miller front straight the Kawasaki ZX-10R posted a trap speed of 187.73 mph the fastest speed of the test. It was an impressive performance considering it was JD’s first time on a Superbike and the first time at Miller since 2007. The team is hoping to have JD race the ZX-10R superbike for the first time at Round 2 of the AMA championship at Infineon.

AMA Racer James Rispoli - The Lead-Up to Round 2

Reprinted from James Rispoli's Blog at: http://www.amaproracing.com/rr/blogs/post.cfm?cid=42559

Hi everyone! Before I get going, I want to give a shout-out to both my mechanics, Dustin Say and Ryan Kelly. These guys and their wives, Lindsey and April, have been awesome. They have to be in order to put up with moto-heads in their homes 24/7. And, Lindsey is about to give birth to the Say family's first child in a few weeks, which is going to be an awesome event. I can tell you based on all the gear-head toys in the Say family household, I know I'll be training my future team rider soon, so watch out all you future racers out there—the Says are building a new team!

I also wanted to update you all on what is happening around here in Daytona Beach where I have been living all winter long. Moving down to Florida for the winter months was the best move I ever could have done. I have been staying at Ryan's house, where most of the post-Daytona bike work is being done. We have gathered most of the parts for our new GSXR 600s and we have been on a holding pattern waiting for bikes to actually arrive since Daytona.

It's been a challenge getting bikes due to the terrible tragedy in Japan causing factories to slow or stop deliveries in some cases. So in the meanwhile, Ryan has been painting body work, sorting through and organizing parts, talking to our engine builder, and getting prepared to accept the new bike when they arrive. The good news is that two brand-new 2011s showed up last week compliments of our sponsor STAR School!

Now the bikes are all torn down to bare frames, heads out for work, and everything cleaned up and ready to be put back together as race machines. Some additional Dyno work and tuning will occur over the next couple of weeks as well. I am so excited to get a handle on the new bikes. I talked with Vesrah's Cory West, and he loves the new bike over the older models. He said it was faster, handled quicker, and came off the corners like a rocket, a huge advantage over the older bikes. With 20 less pounds, five more horsepower, and better handling, what's not to like!

Another awesome advantage of living in Florida for the winter is my ability to train year round. There are so many places to ride and practice on a motorcycle, but I am also able to get out each and every day and peddle my bicycle as well. I was able to hook up with a great group of cyclists and train with them on a regular basis. I also was able to hook with #59 Jake Holden and together we have been able to train and push each other each and every day! It has been awesome. Prior to coming down to Florida, I would have normally just been doing inside training back in my home town of Attica, New York. It would have been snowy, cold, and wet and sometimes hard to keep motivated. Being here in Florida during the winter months has me pumped to be in the sunshine to work and play every day. It has been my "secret-weapon," for sure.

I want to close by making sure I send some great props out to all my sponsors. (Check out the fleet of new helmets from sponsor AGV with paint compliments Monster Energy.) Each and every one of them plays an important role in my and my team's success. We couldn't do it without them. It's not just the financial support that matters; it's each and every product, no matter how big or how small, that makes a significant impact on my ability to put my all into everything I do each and every day. For that I give them my heartfelt thanks. In return I hope to live up to expectations—that includes doing well on and off the track racing, providing the highest levels of integrity, honesty, and an example of the best of the best in all I do.

Next up, I'm getting ready to head out to California to support my sponsor STAR School and NationalGuard.com in a multi-day motorcycle training program. I will be on track for several days and can't wait to be riding, training, and having a great time. So it's time for me to sign off. Remember, do what I always do—have FUN and GO FASTER....

JamesRispoli.com