Share

Eslick regains Daytona SportBike lead at VIR

(8/17/2009)  Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR/GEICO Powersports rider Danny Eslick regained sole possession of the AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike championship lead with second and seventh place finishes this weekend at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va. 

Eslick charged through the Daytona SportBike field Sunday to finish second, improving on his 12th place start and 7th place finish in Saturday’s race. Polesitter Taylor Knapp (Latus Motors Racing) rebounded from a disappointing finish on Saturday, when an off- course excursion dropped him to 17th place, to finish fourth on Sunday, equaling his best result of the season.

“I forgot about the championship for a few laps there,” Eslick said about battling to the front of the field in Sunday’s race. “It was probably eight laps from the end. I don't know what happened, I wasn’t in there real deep, [but] I lost the front end and was down. I said ‘I can’t crash!’ I somehow landed back on top of the bike. I mellowed out for about two corners and then I was back on the gas. I could see the guys in front of me kind of falling back to me a little bit because they were racing back and forth. I was doing pretty consistent lap times [and] I caught up to them and made quick work of the first couple guys. I kind of got stuck behind Tommy (Aquino), and we battled back and forth a few laps.”

Eslick credited his improved Sunday form to setup changes his team made overnight to his Buell 1125R: “We knew it wasn’t anything real big that was holding us back, just made some adjustments on the shock and changed the gearing a little bit.  Just those two small things made all the difference. We were able to run the pace there at the beginning or at least stay consistent and not let the guys get too far away, just run good laps.  I knew I had something going. I just didn't know I was going to be that strong at the end.”

With two races in the 2009 Daytona SportBike championship remaining, Eslick heads into the September 4-6 final round at New Jersey Motorsports Park with a 17-point lead over Team M4 Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas, 357-340.

In other Buell results from the VIR double-header, Eslick’s teammate Michael Barnes finished 38th and 32nd, respectively in Daytona SportBike, Bartels’ H-D-Buell/Higbee-racing.com’s Shawn Higbee finished 18th and 34th, and Walt Sipp Racing’s Walt Sipp finished 27th and 34th. In American Superbike weekend results, Higbee finished 18th and 16th. All were racing Buell 1125Rs.

Liberty Waves Nabs Podium Spot in Moto-GT
The Liberty Waves/H-D/Buell of Antelope Valley team of Eric Pinson and Eric Haugo survived a battle of attrition to finish second overall and second in the Moto-GT1 class at VIR to maintain their second place position in the championship standings. The James Gang/Hoban Brothers H-D/Buell of Appleton team of Jeff Johnson and Paul James finished fifth in Moto-GT1 despite suffering three crashes during the two-hour race.

“We just tried to stay on our path,” Pinson said. “With our crew and everybody, this thing was just flawless. The Buell was just working great and I want to thank all those Liberty Waves people.  Without these guys we wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

With two races to go in the Moto-GT season, the Liberty Waves squad is 11 points behind VIR race winners and points leader Crozier Motorsports in the GT1 standings.

Bilansky Holds ASRA Pro Thunderbike Lead at Barber
Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky leads the Pro Thunderbike standings in the ASRA Michelin Pro Series by 29 points after riding a Buell Firebolt XB12R to a second-place finish at Barber Motorsports Park. Ray Price Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Jordon Richardson was third. Bilansky’s closest rival in the series, Hal’s Harley-Davidson/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop rider Joel Spalding, finished fifth. The race was won by Nate Kern, who led every lap on a BMW.

“Kern had the fastest bike here all weekend,” said Bilansky. “We are on new tires this year and just couldn’t find a good set-up for the bike and this track until Sunday morning, and then I could not get up to speed in time to make a difference. We are still in good shape for the championship and added to our points lead, so from that perspective it was a good day for us.”

Buell rider Sam Rozynski (Soundwaves.com/H-D/Buell of Frederick) was fourth, followed by Spalding and the Buell of Joe Rozynski (Soundwaves.com/H-D/Buell of Frederick).

After eight events on the 10-race 2009 ASRA Michelin Pro Series Thunderbike schedule, Bilansky leads with 200 points, followed by Spalding with 171 points, Joe Rozynski with 156, Sam Rozynski with 147, Kern with 127.

The next event on the ASRA Michelin Pro Series schedule is the End of Summer Cyclefest, Sept. 19-20, at Virginia International Raceway, Alton Va..

Buell Riders Win Nine Motorsports.com CCS Sprints
Buell riders won nine races in a double-header weekend of Motorsports.com CCS sprint competition at Barber Motorsports Park. Richardson rode a Buell 1125R to a pair of wins in Amateur Heavyweight Superbike and Amateur SuperTwins, and to a win in Amateur GTO. He also won Amateur Thunderbike on a Buell XB12R. Kegel H-D/Buell rider Jay Smith rode a Buell XB12R to wins in Amateur Lightweight Superbike and Amateur Thunderbike. Spalding rode a Buell 1125R to a win in Expert SuperTwins.

Founded by visionary motorcycle designer and former privateer racer Erik Buell in 1983, Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel, including the 1125R superbike, 1125CR café racer, and air-cooled XB-series Ulysses, Firebolt, and Lightning.

---

Back to News