New Orleans, LA October 5, 2012 – Things got off to a great start for the Yamaha U.S. Road Racing Teams on the first day at the Big Kahuna New Orleans as Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha and Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha riders earned provisional pole position in two GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing classes.
In AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, three-time reigning series champion Josh Hayes got down to business right away aboard his #1 Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R1 and led provisional-pole qualifying from start to finish. It was another dominant display by the Mississippi native, on a race circuit that is a scant 90 minutes from his hometown in Gulfport.
“It’s great to be riding on a track that’s so close to my home in Gulfport,” Josh said. “Everything’s going well. We’re still sorting out some stuff but, so far, things are good. We got up to speed really quickly and kept putting down consistent laps.”
In AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike, Cameron Beaubier certainly has a flair for the dramatic. He worked diligently throughout the qualifying session and put his #6 Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6 on the provisional pole on his final circulation around the 16-turn, 2.75-mile NOLA Motorsports Park natural road course.
Commenting on his provisional-pole-winning effort, Cameron said, “The start of the session was a little rough, and I was trying to get my laptimes down. I built my confidence up a little bit, and I switched to the hard tire option, which helped a lot. I saw P2 on my pit board, and I was really pushing on my last lap. I”m super-happy to put my R6 on the provisional pole, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Cameron’s Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha teammate Tommy Hayden–in his first race back since suffering a concussion, broken foot, separated shoulder, and rib injuries in a race crash at New Jersey Motorsports Park a month ago–finished provisional qualifying in 15th. When asked if he was feeling the effects of his New Jersey crash, Tommy said, “It’s definitely making it tough. I’ve lost a little bit of strength in my shoulder. That’s the biggest problem. We modified my boot so that helped a little bit with my foot. I’ll see how I feel in the morning. Hopefully, I can improve in final qualifying.”
In AMA Pro Motorcycle-SuperStore.com SuperSport, Garrett Gerloff was third-fastest in provisional qualifying, on a track that he’d never set a tire on before, due to the fact that he was injured earlier in the season when AMA Pro Road Racing had an official test at NOLA. About his provisional qualifying session, Garrett said, “The bike feels good, and it’s fast, but we picked the wrong tire for the session. I really like the flow of the track a lot. The more laps I ride on it, the more comfortable I feel, so seat time is important, obviously. I can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow.”
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Cagey Cameron Goes Cajun As Beaubier Wins Saturday Daytona SportBike Race In New Orleans
New Orleans, LA October 6, 2012 – Cameron Beaubier, the rapidly rising star of the Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha team, won Saturday’s AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Race One at NOLA Motorsports Park. For Cameron and his #6 Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6, the victory was their seventh out of the past nine races.
In the press conference following his well-earned victory, Cameron said, “I didn’t get the greatest of starts, and I had to work hard to get myself to the front. My Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha team gave me an awesome bike. I’m trying to win as many races as I can before the season ends, and I’m really looking forward to getting back on my R6 for tomorrow’s race.”
Cameron’s teammate Tommy Hayden, in his first race back from suffering injuries in a crash at New Jersey Motorsports Park, was understandably still feeling the effects of the incident that occurred just a month ago. He put in a heroic effort and finished a respectable 10th.
In Saturday’s AMA Pro Motorcycle-SuperStore.com SuperSport Race One, Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff had a great race going and had worked himself into 2nd on his #96 R6. Unfortunately, due to an as-yet-unidentifiable mechanical or electrical issue with his bike, he ultimately finished in 15th place. The team has been working to diagnose the problem, and they are determined to resolve the issue and ensure that Garrett’s R6 is ready for Sunday’s SuperSport Race Two.
That race will go green on Sunday at 1:15 PM, and Daytona SportBike Race Two will start at 2:15 PM. All times are Central.
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Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha Champ Josh Hayes Does That Voodoo That He Do & Wins SuperBike Race One At NOLA Motorsports Park
New Orleans, LA October 6, 2012 – In his first race after winning his third AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Championship, Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha rider Josh Hayes continued his winning ways by scoring another decisive race victory, this time in Saturday’s Race One at NOLA Motorsports.
Josh, who was riding in front of a large group of family and friends from his hometown in nearby Gulfport, Mississippi, put pride and power on display as he dominated the 18-lap event aboard his #1 Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R1 and took the checkered flag with a lead of more than 10 seconds over the rest of the field. The victory was Josh’s 14th of the season, with one more race to go tomorrow on the 16-turn, 2.75-mile New Orleans road course.
After the win, Josh said, “The first lap, everything went kind of clean, and I hit my marks well, and then I started to get a little gap. I had so many people come out this weekend, and I really wanted to do well for them and all the fans here at NOLA. The Dunlop tires held up well for me on this new surface, and tire wear was really a non-issue, at least for me. Hats off to my crew for giving me a great bike. Fourteen wins so far this season is really a testament to their talents.”
SuperBike Race Two is scheduled to start on Sunday at 3:30 PM Central Time.
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Double-G Dominates In The Delta As Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha Rider Garrett Gerloff Wins Final SuperSport Race Of The Season
New Orleans, LA October 7, 2012 – In Sunday’s AMA Pro Motorcycle-SuperStore.com SuperSport Race Two at NOLA Motorsports Park, Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff won convincingly aboard his #96 Yamaha YZF-R6 and finished off his final race weekend of the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing season in style.
For 17-year-old Garrett, it was his first visit to the 16-turn, 2.75-mile natural road course located within minutes of downtown New Orleans. During the weekend, Garrett quickly acclimated to the new track and, on Sunday morning, he was the fastest rider on the track in the warm-up session. That proved to be a harbinger of things to come later in the day when the light turned green for the start of the race. Garrett was on the gas and proved to be the class of the field as he won by a margin of more than 11 seconds.
After accepting his winner’s trophy, Garrett said, “I got a good start and got away a little bit. That got me feeling really good, and I was able to put down fast lap after fast lap. My Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha R6 was awesome today, and I can’t wait for next year. Hopefully, this win will be a springboard to bigger and better things next year.”
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Cameron Beaubier Hangs Ten On His Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha R6 And Is The “Big Kahuna” In New Orleans
New Orleans, LA October 7, 2012 – Sunday’s AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Race Two at NOLA Motorsports Park was a battle royale between Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha rider Cameron Beaubier and DSB series points champ Martin Cardenas. Cameron diced with the veteran rider several times during the race, and especially on the final lap where the lead changed hands a few times. At the stripe, Cameron narrowly missed earning his second win of the weekend, and he finished a close second.
Based on his win in Saturday’s Race One and his second-place finish on Sunday, Cameron was awarded the surfboard trophy as the “Big Kahuna” in New Orleans, which will sit alongside the other surfboard that he won just two weeks ago as the “Big Kahuna” in Miami.
After the race, Cameron said, “I had a little better start today, but I got shuffled back early in the race. I managed to get myself back up to the front, and I worked hard to stay there. The last lap was a battle. I don’t know if we touched, but it was definitely close racing, and I did everything I could to get the win. The surfboard is awesome, and I guess I’ll have to add surfing to my off-season training program!”
Cameron’s teammate Tommy Hayden soldiered through Sunday’s DSB race aboard his #22 Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha R6 and finished in a very respectable seventh place. It was a gutsy effort for Tommy in New Orleans after coming back so soon from the multiple injuries he incurred in his crash at New Jersey Motorsports Park just a month ago.
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Like Red Beans And Rice, Winning And Josh Hayes Go Together Perfectly In Sunday SuperBike Race In New Orleans
New Orleans, LA October 7, 2012 – Wrapping up his historic season, Gulfport, Mississippi’s Josh Hayes put the final touches on his third straight AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Championship by winning Sunday’s race at NOLA Motorsports Park. It was the 16th win of the season for Josh and the 33rd SuperBike of his career, which moves him into sole possession of second place on the all-time AMA Pro Road Racing SuperBike wins list.
Like most of Josh’s wins this season, he got a great start, moved to the front, and clicked off fast lap after fast lap, which resulted in a gap of more than nine seconds over the rest of the field when he took the checkered flag.
After celebrating on the top step of the podium at NOLA, Josh said, “It was the perfect way to end an incredible year. I think we’re all basically show-offs at heart, and to have a lot of my family and friends here made it all the more special for me. What a year it’s been for the Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team. My guys are the best.”
As part of the Vortex Racing PINK Campaign, in support of breast cancer research, Josh ran a special, pink-anodized Vortex sprocket on his Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R1 throughout the weekend. “I was proud to have that sprocket on my R1,” Josh commented. “My manager Gina Nadeau has been battling breast cancer for a long time, and it felt good to do something to raise awareness of that terrible disease.”
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Website – www.gravesport.com
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Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/Gravesport
Youtube – http://www.youtube.com/user/GravesMotorsports
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Photo Credits : Brian J. Nelson
Tags: ama pro racing, daytona sportbike, Graves Motorsports, Graves Racing, graves yamaha, monster energy, new orleans, nola motorsports, superbike, supersport, Yamaha Extended Services, Yamaha R1, Yamaha R6
