YOSHIMURA SUZUKI FACTORY RACING’S MARTIN CARDENAS WINS SUPERBIKE SHOOTOUT AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden captures fourth & teammate Chris Clark cards seventh
FONTANA, CA (April 28, 2014) – Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing tasted victory this weekend as Martin Cardenas won the inaugural 2014 Superbike Shootout at Fontana, California’s Auto Club Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Following the victorious Cardenas, teammates Roger Hayden and Chris Clark raced their Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000s to fourth and seventh places, respectively.
With more than two months between the season-opening round of AMA Pro Superbike at Daytona International Speedway in March and the upcoming second round, the Yoshimura Suzuki team participated in this new three-race series that combines the Pros with WERA’s semi-pro and amateur events. Because the events are unaffiliated with the AMA Pro Racing series the team usually contests, the Yoshimura Suzuki squad treated this event as something of a large-scale test.
In Sunday’s race, Cardenas got a good start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and was with the front-runners right off the bat. He battled for the lead for much of the race and made the most of the lapped riders. Toward the end of the 20 laps, he charged into the lead and held on to take the win.
“It was a good race,” said Cardenas. “I got a good start on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and I made a move with two laps to go and I was able to hold the position until the end. It was a very fine weekend, and it was nice to race at Fontana again after several years.”
Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Hayden started the weekend off by setting the fastest lap time and capturing pole position. In the 20-lap race, Hayden got a good start and battled up front before bringing home a fourth-place finish.
“I got a really good start and had a great first half of the race,” said Hayden. “I felt really good, the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 was working great and it was a really fun battle – going back and forth and passing each other. During the second part of the race, and especially on the last few laps, I had some issues and had to slow down so I ended up fourth. Overall, it was a great weekend; it was a fun event, the atmosphere was great and there were tons of fans there. It was good to work with the Yoshimura Suzuki team in a race environment and I can’t wait for Sonoma next weekend.”
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Clark, meanwhile, focused his efforts on getting more comfortable on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and finding the right setup. Clark got a top-10 start in the race and slotted into seventh position and stayed put for all 20 laps.
“It was a good weekend all around, teaming up with the amateur series,” said Clark. “It was unique and a lot of fun. We used this event as a test to work on some stuff that should really help us down the road with the AMA rounds. We made some good progress and now I’m looking forward to Sonoma next weekend and getting ready for Road America.”
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing will also participate in the second round of the 2014 Superbike Shootout events, May 3rd – 4th, at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA.
2014 Auto Club Speedway Superbike Shootout Results:
1. Martin Cardenas
2. Cameron Beaubier
3. Josh Hayes
4. Roger Hayden
5. David Anthony
6. Chris Fillmore
7. Chris Clark
8. Chris Ulrich
9. Daytona Anderson
10. Mathew Orange
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.
About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. SMAI’s supplier, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki, Motorex, Parts Unlimited, Dunlop, Shorai, Renthal, RK Racing Chain, NGK Spark Plugs, Pilot, K&N Performance Filters, Zero Gravity and Chicken Hawk Racing.