MORIWAKI BLOG_ENG

2011 MotoGP World Championship Series round7, Iveco TT ASSEN / Race report

The series is not blessed with weather this year.  This round also started in wet.

First free practice session for moto2 class started in relatively heavy rain, and a bike spread oil on the track in latter in the session.  That led to many crashes and eventually red-flagged it 4minute before the finish time.  That incident actually forced all afternoon schedules to be canceled on day1.

Following day, the sky turned over completely in the morning and the second free practices went in dry.  The session time was extended and all teams were eagerly running their machines for qualifying practice.

The sky changed its appearance in the afternoon and moto2 qualifying session started.  In the worrisome weather, Yuki Takahashi timed 1’39.890 and put himself in 4th.  Finally it started raining at 28min remaining.  Some riders who were watching the weather rushed to the track for last minute time attack but the track got wet quickly and there was no chance to improve time with slicks.
Takahashi was the fastest among MD600s, got 5th grid.  Other MD600 riders: Pirro 9th, Cardus 31st, Morales 32nd and Al Naimi 38th.

The race day was also tossed about by unstable weather.  It started raining before the moto2 class and the race was officially announced to be a wet race.  Some teams went for slicks and others for rains.  It was a difficult day for tire decision.  Then the race started in 14 degree C air and track.  Takahashi moved up to 3rd at the turn 1 and the race continued.
Takahashi was 6th when they came back to complete the opening lap, Pirro was 11th, Cardus 29th, Morales 31st and Al Naimi 38th.
Takahashi managed to keep up with top riders and holding 4th position just behind leading 3 from lap4.  At lap17, he made his move and got 2nd.  His teammate, Pirro was also riding strongly, moving all the way up to 6th.
But Takahashi crashed at 5laps remaining, and had to retired.
Then, Pirro crashed at lap23, too.  He didn’t retire then, but only to finish the race in 17th.
Other MD600 riders: Cardus 19th, Morales 20th and Al Naimi 25th.

--------------------------

MD600 Qualifying Practice result:

-- 5th
　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.72 Yuki Takahashi
  TIME　/  1'39.890

-- 9th
　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.51 Michele PIRRO
  TIME　/  1'40.234

--31st
  TEAM　/　QMMF Racing Team
  RIDER /　No.88　Ricard CARDUS
  TIME　/  1'42.160

--32nd
  TEAM　/　Desguaces La Torre G22
  RIDER /　No.31 Carmelo MORALES
  TIME　/  1'42.308

--38th
  TEAM　/　QMMF Racing Team
  RIDER /　No.95　Mashel AL NAIMI
  TIME　/  1'44.282

---

MD600 Race result:

--17th
　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.51 Michele PIRRO

--19th
  TEAM　/　QMMF Racing Team
  RIDER /　No.88　Ricard CARDUS

--20th
  TEAM　/　Desguaces La Torre G22
  RIDER /　No.31 Carmelo MORALES

--25th
  TEAM　/　QMMF Racing Team
  RIDER /　No.95　Mashel AL NAIMI

Not Classified

　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.72 Yuki Takahashi

------------------------------------

World Championship Classification

----
CONSTRUCTOR CHAMPIONSHIP

MORIWAKI MD600 RANKING  / 3th / 74point

---
RIDER POINT RANKING

--  3rd /　 No.72 Yuki Takahashi      / 56point

-- 10th /　 No.51 Michele PIRRO  / 37point

-- 30th /　 No.88 Ricard CARDUS  /  2point

-----------

The Grand Prix goes to Italy for next round on July 3.
Thank you for your continuous support to MORIWAKI riders!!

-----------
MotoGP official website
http://www.motogp.com
http://www.motogp.com/en/Moto2

RESULT
http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics

2011 MotoGP World Championship Series round6, AIRASIA BRITISH GRAND PRIX / Race report

Unstable weather continued from last week at Catalunya, the Britich Grand Prix started its week.
Ricard Cardus, QMMF Racing Team had to miss this round again due to the illness and Nasser Hasan Al Malki took his position for the round, summing total of 5 MD600 riders to compete in moto2 class.

The qualifying practice went through under dry condition and Michele Pirro, Gresini Racing Moto2 was the fastest MD600, got 6th, second row in the grid.
Other MD600 riders:
Yuki Takahashi 12th, Carmelo Morales 25th, Mashel Al Naimi 37th and Nasser Hasan Al Malki 38th.

The race was completely wet one, mercury rose only to 11 degree C and ground temperature was 12.
It started at 11:18 on Sunday morning in very difficult condition. Splashing water as everyone diving into turn1. Not all riders came back to the start line without trouble but all MD600s managed to complete lap1, with Pirro on 9th, Takahashi on 19th, Morales on 31st, Al Naimi on 36th and Al Malki on 37th.

In the early stage of the race, Pirro and Takahashi lost some positions, but they gradually gained their position back. Pirro was 3rd at lap 11. His team mate also charged and got 7th at 2 more laps to go. They kept that positions until the end, and Pirro got his first ever podium in Moto2 class. Takahashi added more championship points.

Other MD600 riders:
Al Naimi and Al Malki finished in 24th and 25th respectively, but Morales crashed and retired at lap9.

--
Michele Pirro’s comment
I’m very happy because I got my first moto2 podium finish.
Condition was very bad and I didn’t have good start of the race, but I was feeling better and better about my bike as race progressed and I could move up. I want to thank my team and sponsors, and try to keep up my pace so I can be on podium again in the future.
--

MD600 Qualifying Practice result:

-- 6th
　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.51 Michele Pirro
  TIME　/  2'09.021

--12th
　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.72 Yuki Takahashi
  TIME　/  2'09.679

--25th
  TEAM　/　Desguaces La Torre G22
  RIDER /　No.31 Carmelo Morales
  TIME　/  2'10.565

--37th
  TEAM　/　QMMF Racing Team
  RIDER /　No.95　Mashel Al Naimi
  TIME　/  2'13.935

--38th
  TEAM　/　QMMF Racing Team
  RIDER /　No.96　Nasser Hasan Al Malki
  TIME　/  2'15.869

---

MD600 Race result:

-- 3rd
　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.51 Michele Pirro

-- 7th
　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.72 Yuki Takahashi

--24th
  TEAM　/　QMMF Racing Team
  RIDER /　No.95　Mashel Al Naimi

--25th
  TEAM　/　QMMF Racing Team
  RIDER /　No.96　Nasser Hasan Al Malki

Not Classified

  TEAM　/　Desguaces La Torre G22
  RIDER /　No.31 Carmelo Morales

------------------------------------

World Championship Classification

----
CONSTRUCTOR CHAMPIONSHIP

MORIWAKI MD600 RANKING  / 3th / 74point

---
RIDER POINT RANKING

--  3rd /　 No.72 Yuki Takahashi      / 56point

-- 10th /　 No.51 Michele Pirro   / 37point

-- 30th /　 No.88 Ricard Cardus  /  2point

-----------

The Grand Prix goes to Netherlands for next round on June 25.
Thank you for your continuous support to MORIWAKI riders!!

-----------
MotoGP official website
http://www.motogp.com
http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics

http://www.motogp.com/en/Moto2

Press Release from Gresini Racing Team - Race - 5th June 2011

GP of CATALUNYA - Race - 05/06/2011

RACE TO FORGET AS TAKAHASHI CRASHES AND PIRRO TWELFTH
The weekend started and finished under a cloud for Team Gresini Moto2, despite the shaft of light provided in the middle by a front row start for Yuki Takahashi. The Japanese rider was unlucky to be tangled up in a crash by Thomas Luthi when lapping in the lead group whilst Michele Pirro struggled to twelfth place due to technical difficulties no doubt caused by a crash in the morning warm up. Hopefully their luck changes next w eekend at Silverstone.

Michele Pirro (12th) 
“I don't have words for today. After the crash this morning the guys performed a miracle to getting me on the grid after changing virtually everything on the bike. Unfortunately something wasn't working properly and we needed a few practice laps on the bike before the race. It's a shame.”

Yuki Takahashi (DNF)
“Bad luck in a Grand Prix to forget. First of all we had trouble finding the right set-up and then we got wiped out by a crash early in the race. Fortunately I wasn't hurt by the impact other than a blow to my backside. We will fight back next week in England.”

Fausto Gresini
“It was a race where nothing went well. Yuki's crash, caused by a mistake from Thomas Luthi, was a real shame! Overall this weekend we have worked hard and unfortunately Michele was also unable to take advantage of it in the race. Hopefully we can put it right and do better at Silverstone.”

Press Release from QMMF Racing Team - Race - 5ｔｈ June 2011

Technical problem stops Al Naimi - Cardús back in the paddock

Ricky Cardús made his comeback in the motorcycle paddock. The Spanish QMMF Racing Team rider, who suffered from an acute appendicitis attack on Friday and was operated on early Saturday morning, was already back on his feet on Sunday and decided to watch the race action at the Catalunya Grand Prix live rather than at home on a television screen.

It was about the only good news on an otherwise unlucky day for QMMF Racing. Ricky’s team-mate Mashel Al-Naimi had a crash in the wet warm-up practice in the morning and banged his left hand badly, but walked away without any fractures. He was able to start the race in the afternoon but was forced to stop after only two laps. Not his hand but an oil leak caused by a loose clutch cover made it too dangerous to ride on. “Not a good day”, said team manager Luis Solano. “Mishal crashed in only the first lap of the warm-up this morning, and when the race had hardly started, he was sidelined again because of a problem with the clutch cover. We lost two screws, oil started to drip out, and we had to stop. It’s not the first time that we had this problem, but the other times we had this problem in practice and not in the race!”

Mashel Al Naimi – did not finish
"This morning, I crashed in only the third corner of the first lap. I stayed too hard on the throttle though this fast right-hand corner, the bike went sideways and I went down. It was then quite painful to ride in the race, but I had a good feeling with the bike until I noticed oil dripping out of the clutch cover. I didn’t want to crash again and decided it was the best to pull in immediately. I want to thank my team that worked really hard this weekend to help me make a good result. It wasn’t meant to happen, but at least, I don’t have a broken hand. In Silverstone next week, we will try again!”

Press Release from Gresini Racing Team - Qualifying - 4th June 2011

GP of CATALUNYA - Qualifying - 04/06/2011

FRONT ROW START FOR YUKI TAKAHASHI IN BARCELONA
After some mixed fortunes during free practice Yuki Takahashi managed to pull out a front row start from qualifying this afternoon at Montmelò. The team worked hard throughout to give the Japanese rider a competitive bike and Yuki did the rest, clocking the third fastest time on track. It was a confidence-inspiring performance but there is still set-up work to be done in tom orrow's warm-up. Michele Pirro was less fortunate today, showing good pace in the early stages of qualifying before suffering engine problems. A new motor tomorrow should give him the chance to fight back.

Yuki Takahashi (3rd - 1’46”978) 
“I am very happy to be on the front row after the disastrous session yesterday morning and this morning. The whole team and the Moriwaki technicians worked as well as always and we were able to come back and secure this result. Obviously we still have work to do but I think we will be ready for the race.”

Michele Pirro (14th 1’47”765 )
“It was a disappointing session especially considering how well we started. The bike stopped responding as well as it should and by the end we realised it was an engine problems. It is a shame about the position on the grid but I will just have to grit my teeth and recover positions in the race. I am sure we can do it because my pace is good.”

Fausto Gresini
“Front row for Yuki is a positive result. It is really important to start from the front at this circuit and get away on the right foot. We are hoping we can have a good race tomorrow. We still have a few problems to solve but the engineers will give Yuki the means to have a good race, I'm sure. We want to continue the fight for the championship and we are sure we can do it. Michele was unfortunate with the engine problem because he showed his pace in the first part of the session. Tomorrow he will have to fight hard from fourteenth on the grid but he is strong and determined to have a good race.”

Press Release from QMMF Racing Team - Qualifying - 4th June 2011

Al Naimi makes progress – Cardús out of action

QMMF Racing Team rider Mashel Al Naimi made encouraging progress on the challenging Montmeló circuit and broke through the 1.50-minute-barrier in the qualifiying session. But despite all improvements, the Qatari rider isn’t happy with his 3-seoncd-gap to the front runners and will try more set-up alternatives in tomorrow morning’s warm-up session in order to have the best possible base for the race.

His team-mate, 23-year-old Ricky Cardús, who had high hopes for his home Grand Prix, was forced to resign from the race. After developing stomach pains at around lunchtime on Friday, he was initially treated with painkillers. But when a sharper pain returned in the evening, Cardús was submitted to the General Hospital of Sant Cugat, where he was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Only a few hours later, at 3 a.m. on Saturday morning, he was operated and is now recovering in the hospital bed before returning back home on Sunday. “One one side it is bad luck that this happened during his home Grand Prix, but on the other side, it isn’t”, said team manager Luis Solano. “If this had happened anywhere else, at the next race in Silverstone or even overseas, it would have been more difficult to get the right medical attention straight away. But here at home, help was just a phone call away. To submit Ricky to hospital, which was thought to be no more than a precautionary measure, turned out to be the best decision. Surgery was just a routine intervention and went well without any complications. Ricky is recovering quickly. He will be released on Sunday and aims to return to racing as early as next week at Silverstone!”

Mashel Al Naimi (37th in 1.49,926)
"We improved in comparison to yesterday, but obviously not enough yet. At least I got the right feeling for the tyres now and I know which one to chose for the race. Even though it was warmer today than yesterday, the softer compound seems to work well for me, so I think I will use that one in the race. In the warm-up tomorrow morning, we will also try some more set-up solutions to improve the set-up, and we will also compare the tyres again. In the race, I am going to push 100 per cent in order to get a good result!”

Press Release from Gresini Racing Team - Free Practice - 3rd June 2011

GP of CATALUNYA - Free Practice - 03/06/2011

YUKI TAKAHASHI FOURTH, PIRRO TENTH
After a difficult morning session both Team Gresini Moto2 riders were able to turn around their fortunes in the afternoon, Yuki Takahashi and Michele Pirro vastly improving their performance on track. The Japanese rider was once again amongst the pacesetters in the class and is confident of making more improvements tomorrow. The Italian is also confident of more ahead of qualifying and the race after suff ering a technical setback today that slowed his progress.   

Yuki Takahashi (4th - 1’47”549)
“This morning was a total disaster and I was down in 27th place but the the team did a great job alongside the Moriwaki engineers and we made improtant progress in the afternoon. Now I am extremely confident because I think with a few more changes we can be in even better shape to fight for a top result on Sunday.”

Michele Pirro (10th - 1’47”843)
“I still have to get confident with the track because I hardly know it but overall I am happy. If it wasn't for a minor technical problem I could have done much better so I am confident. I was a little worried this morning but in the afternoon things changed and now I am much more confident about the race on Sunday.”

Fausto Gresini
“Today everybody did a great job – from the riders throughout the team and the Moriwaki engineers – so I am very satisfied. We have brought a lot of new things here to Barcelona and it is not easy to test things on a race weekend but we are managing it because we have a professional and competent working group. I am convinced we have taken a step forward today that will allow us to be even more competitive. We will see if Yuki and Michele can confirm this tomorrow but I am sure we have great potential.”

Press Release from QMMF Racing Team - Free Practice - 3rd June 2011

Al Naimi finds more top-speed with new fairing
Cardús sets high hopes on new riding style

QMMF Racing Team riders Mashel Al Naimi and Ricky Cardús had a busy first day of practice for the Catalunya Grand Prix, with valuable experiences that will boost their performances in the future. 27-year-old Al Naimi, the only Grand Prix rider from Qatar, was happy with the new fairings both riders received for their Moriwaki prototypes. He noted an improvement in top-speed and a more comfortable ride altogether, even though he is still struggling with other aspects of the set-up for the fast and flowing Montmelo race track and settled for 38th position so far. His team-mate from Barcelona, 23-year-old Ricky Cardús, took a more radical approach and changed his riding style entirely, trying to brake a little earlier and in return to find smoother and faster lines through and out of the corners. Even though Cardús needs more time to perfect his new style and to find the right bike settings, the new approach is considered a move in the right direction. Therefore, Cardús is sure to improve on his 26th place and to get a good starting position for his home Grand Prix. “Even though the weather conditions weren’t very good today, we are on track and learned a lot today”, said team manager Luis Solano. “Our aim now is to concentrate on good grid positions for both our riders. It’s crucial to put all efforts in for a really fast qualifying lap!”

Mashel Al Naimi (38th in 1.50,724)
"I am still trying to understand the bike on this track, but so far, it has been difficult for me to find a good setting. We changed tyre compounds on the rear, but I hardly felt a difference between the hard and the soft compound, so we have to change the suspension settings tomorrow in order to find out what’s going on. I also tried our new fairing today which was an instant improvement. I feel better at high speeds and even though we haven’t made data comparisons yet, it feels as if I’m going faster now. So far, I was always one of the last five in terms of top-speed. I hope we can confirm our improvements in this area!”

Ricky Cardús (26th in 1.48,711)
"Things went better for me in the morning than in the afternoon. In the second session, I tried a completely new riding style. I have to brake a little earlier and keep the momentum of the bike going through the turns. There is no doubt that this will pay off in the long run, but it’s work in progress and we still need time. I am 27th now, which is no reason to get nervous: I know exactly what to do, I just need to adapt and to find the right settings for this new style. It’s a project for the future!”

2011 MotoGP World Championship Series rd.5 GRAN PREMI APEROL DE CATALUNYA / Race report

The race week of the 5th round of MotoGP, Catalunya started under a changeable weather, having sunshine for a moment and then rainy clouds moving in.
Carmelo Morales, the Spanish Championship Moto2 champion is joining Desguaces La Torre G22 from this round, replacing Raffaele De Rosa.
Ricard Cardus, QMMF Racing Team got acute appendicitis on the evening of day1, rushed to the hospital for an operation. He had to miss the round.

The qualifying result was just another close one, having top 13 riders in less than a second.
Yuki Takahashi led MD600 riders, came 3rd, consecutive front row start.
Other MD600 riders: Michele Pirro 14th,Carmelo Morales 23th and Mashel Al Naimi 37th.

On Sunday, started the morning warm up with wet, but the track dried out by the time of Moto2 race in the afternoon.
Air temperature 22 degree C, track temperature 32 degree C, the race started at 12:16 Catalunya time.

Takahashi went through the turn 1 in 3rd in the big chaos.
Takahashi came back to the start line, completing the lap1 in 4th, followed by Pirro 17th, Morales 23rd and Al Naimi 35th.
On lap4, Takahashi was chasing the top 3 from the pack behind, but he involved in a crash at turn 3 on lap6, had to retire the race.
There were more crashes followed and many didn’t complete the race.
However, Pirro managed to stay in the race, finished in 12th, gained 4 championship point.
Morales finished in 18th.
Al Naimi came into his pit in early stage and discontinued the race.

MD600 Qualifying Practice result:

-- 3rd
　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.72 Yuki Takahashi
  TIME　/  1'46.978

--14th
　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.51 Michele PIRRO
  TIME　/  1'47.765

--23rd
  TEAM　/　Desguaces La Torre G22
  RIDER /　No.31 Carmelo MORALES
  TIME　/  1'48.068

--37th
  TEAM　/　QMMF Racing Team
  RIDER /　No.95　Mashel AL NAIMI
  TIME　/  1'49.926

---

MD600 Race result:

--12th
　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.51 Michele PIRRO

--18th
  TEAM　/　Desguaces La Torre G22
  RIDER /　No.31 Carmelo MORALES

Not Classified

　TEAM　/　Gresini Racing Moto2
　RIDER /　No.72 Yuki Takahashi

  TEAM　/　QMMF Racing Team
  RIDER /　No.95　Mashel AL NAIMI

------------------------------------

World Championship Classification

----
CONSTRUCTOR CHAMPIONSHIP

MORIWAKI MD600 RANKING  / 4th / 58point

---
RIDER POINT RANKING

--  5th /　 No.72 Yuki Takahashi      / 47point

-- 13th /　 No.51 Michele PIRRO  / 21point

-- 29th /　 No.88 Ricard CARDUS  /  2point

-----------

The Grand Prix goes to UK for next round on June 11.
Thank you for your continuous support to MORIWAKI riders!!

-----------
MotoGP official website
http://www.motogp.com

http://www.motogp.com/en/Moto2

Forresult
http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics

MD600 official website
http://www.moriwaki.co.jp/racing/md600.html

Race Preview from Gresini Racing Team - 1st June, 2011

RACE PREVIEW MOTO2: GP of Catalunya, Montmelo', 03-05 June 2011

TAKAHASHI TARGETS VICTORY REPEAT IN BARCELONA

After finishing second last time out in the French Grand Prix Yuki Takahashi is targeting a return to the top step of the podium this weekend at the scene of his debut win in Moto2. The Team Gresini rider took victory in Barcelona less than twelve months ago and has made constant progress in his adaptation to the Moriwaki MD600 over the opening four rounds of 2011, leaving him ready to fight for a top result. His relationship with th e team continues to improve in tandem with his confidence on the bike and the Japanese rider is ready to confirm his status as one of the leading riders in the intermediate category. Michele Pirro is looking to make up for a disappointing weekend at Le Mans by showing his true potential at the Spanish track. Pirro has everything in his favour to be fighting amongst the lead riders in the pack and is hoping to take another step forward this weekend as the team introduce some technical updates.

Yuki Takahashi
“I go to Barcelona feeling full of motivation because I won this race last year and we are making great progress at the moment. We showed it last time out in France and I think we can take another step forward at Montmelò. I am improving and so is my bike and I think that my feeling with the Moriwaki MD600 is already good but we can take another step forward this weekend. I would love to repeat my result from last year an d stand on the top step of the podium again.”

Michele Pirro
“We travel on the back of a tough race at Le Mans. I didn't like the track and I didn't ride to my potential. I haven't ridden at Barcelona since 2005 but I like the track and I am determined to put the disappointment of France behind us. There are none of the slow corners that I struggled with in the last race but we need to take a step forward with the bike in order to be more competitive. The team have worked hard over the last two weeks and I am confident we can bounce back from the result at Le Mans.”

Fausto Gresini 
“Yuki won his first Moto2 race at Barcelona last year and after finishing second at Le Mans I am confident he can have a great race. The team have worked hard over the break and we will have some technical updates in Spain that should help us take another step forward. Af ter some positive recent results Yuki has closed the gap to the top riders in the championship and if he can continue to improve he will soon be amongst them. Michele is really determined to do well and arrives in Barcelona looking to put his Le Mans disappointment behind him. The track suits his riding style and should help him perform to his potential. Michele is a fast rider and so far has not picked up the results he has deserved.”

Immediate Release from USGPRU - 30th May 2011

Heiser, Das, and Zayat Smoke the Field at Summit Point

Summit Point, West Virginia - 30 May 2011 -  Round 3 of the USGPRU National Championship headed for the historic Summit Point raceway to join the CCS/ASRA series for what would turn out to be a blistering hot Memorial Day weekend of racing!

The first USGPRU race of the weekend was the Moto Liberty / RS-Taichi 250GP race, and it was completely dominated by young Cassidy Heiser.  Cassidy is a Summit Point regular and showed off his local knowledge by pulling out an amazing 3-second lead on lap one.  Once pole-setter Brian Surtees overcame a bad start, he caught and passed Mike Aboyoun for second place.  He set his sights on Cassidy, and was even able set the fastest lap of the race, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap to Cassidy who rode a flawless race to the finish line and his first USGPRU National victory. Mike Aboyoun held on to Surtees draft for a few laps, but eventually drifted back to finish comfortably in third place.

The Pilot Moto3 race was the next race up and to no one’s surprise, the 4-stroke Moriwaki’s MD250H’s rocketed off the line at the start ahead of their 2-stoke counterparts.  The USGPRU newcomer, Casey Tobolewski, led the field into turn one followed closely by ‘Mad’ Max Flinders and Alex Wisdom.  Reet Das and John Hjelm, both riding Honda RS125s, caught the front runners and passed them on the back section of the track. Casey and Max held on to the new leaders for a few laps, but the long front straight was too much of an advantage for the more powerful Hondas, and they watched the leader pull away. Hjelm stalked the race leader Reet Das for the rest of the race.  He would fade back for a lap, then pull Das back in.  He tried to set Das up for a last-lap pass at the line, but fell a few horsepower short when he popped out of the draft in the dash for the finish line.  Das held on to win his first ever USGPRU National race.  The battle for third place was far from decided as the Honda RS125 mounted Dave Celento caught up with the young racers on their Moriwakis.  The three had a great battle for the final podium spot, but Celento eventually powered past the Moriwakis to capture 3rd place over Max Flinders.

The final race of this blistering hot weekend was the REV’IT! Sponsored, Moriwaki MD250H Powered by HONDA race.  The spec-bike class is made up entirely of young hopeful superstars trying to make their name in roadracing and claim some of the $10,000/weekend purse posted by American HONDA.  The race got off to a great start with young Xavier Zayat quickly taking the lead into turn one.  He put on a great show of skill as he proceeded to walk away from the rest of the pack, gapping the field by 2 to 3 bike-lengths just through the turn 1 and 2 section.  The battle for second place was far from over as ‘Mad’ Max Flinders duked it out with newcomer Casey Tobolewski.  Max led for the first half of the race, with Casey taking over on lap 5 of 9.  Casey stretched out a 1.5 second lead over Max only to see that lead cut to shreds on the last lap as the local wildlife (groundhogs) ventured onto Casey’s racing line causing him to brake early into turn 5. Max passed Casey entering the carousel section of the track and held on for a nearly side-by-side finish at the line.   After the race, Casey was overheard mumbling in his best Carl Spackler voice, “I smell varmint.  And the only good varmint, is dead varmint.”  Another similar battle raged on for 4th place between Alex Wisdom and Chris Kosan with Wisdom likewise narrowly holding on to the 4th place position.

            In the post-race awards, Eric Moore, Sharad Shanbhag, and Nick Kosan each won a Motion Pro Pivot Head Hex Key tool set. Max Flinder, Sam DeJong, and Casey Tobolewski each won Motion Pro’s Deluxe Piston Pin Puller tool kits as well.  Reet Das, Casey Tobolweski, and Nick Kosal also won gift certificates for discounts on Pilot Leathers.  And the big prize of the weekend went to Reet Das as he won a QStarz GPS lap timer, recorder, and analyzing tool from RS Cycles. 

            The USGPRU thanks all of its sponsors that help to make it possible for us to keep coming out and doing what we love to do. Without your help, many more racers wouldn’t be able to afford to come out and live the GP dream.  Thank you RS Cycles, Motion Pro, Moto Liberty, Pilot, REV’IT!, HONDA, Impact Armor, and RS-Taichi.  We also have great contingency support from EBC, Silkolene, Dunlop, Bridgestone, and Michelin.  Thank you all!

Full results are as follows:

Moto Liberty / RS-Taichi 250GP:
1.    Cassidy Heiser (Yam 250)
2.    Brian Surtees (Yam 250)
3.    Mike Aboyoun (Hon 250)
4.    Jeff Johnson (Yam 250)
5.    Eric Moore (Yam 250)
6.    Jim Bonner (Yam 250)
7.    Max Flinders (Mor 250)
8.    Paul Nelson (Hon 250)
9.    Adrian Jasso (DNS)

Pilot Moto 3:
1.    Reet Das (Hon 125)
2.    John Hjelm (Hon 125)
3.    Dave Celento (Hon 125)
4.    Max Flinders (Mor 250)
5.    Casey Tobolewski (Mor 250)
6.    Alex Wisdom (Mor 250)
7.    Chris Kosan (Mor 250)
8.    Michael Tso (Hon 125)
9.    Rebecca Henn (Hon 125)
10. Nick Kosan (Mor 250)
11. Sharad Shanbhag (Yam 125)
12. Paul Nelson (Hon 125)
13. Sam DeJong (Hon 125)
14. Adrian Jasso (DNS)

REV’IT! Moriwaki MD250H Powered by HONDA:
1.    Xavier Zayat (Mor 250)
2.    Max Flinders (Mor 250)
3.    Casey Tobolewski (Mor 250)
4.    Alex Wisdom (Mor 250)
5.    Chris Kosan (Mor 250)
6.    Nick Kosan (Mor 250)

Photos by etechphoto@usa.net